26
The Ending
October 3rd
El
"Are you almost ready?" Max asked standing next to the bathroom door. A moment later El opened the door and stepped out.
"Is this good to go camping in?" El asked.
"Yeah that's perfect," Max said as El turned back to the mirror for one last look. She wore light-colored jeans and a simple red t-shirt, a blue plaid coat tied around her waist for if it got cold.
"Let's go, Everyone is at the drop, I think they already have the tents up and everything," Max said as they made their way through the Byers' almost empty house.
They had been packing for almost the whole week and today was the last day they would be here, tomorrow afternoon they would pack the last few things before they would leave so Mrs. Byers had suggested having a camp out with all their friends and it was the perfect day too, not only becouse it would give them all time together, but as she and Max stepped outside they found it was one of the last warmer days in the year.
Autumn had started to seep into everything, but not today. The sun showed down on them as they made their way down the path that would lead them to the bottom of the drop where they would be camping.
It wasn't a long walk maybe ten minutes in whole, but there was something in her that wanted to walk slower today, maybe that would make time go slower.
"So you packed all the wonder woman comics right?" Max asked her.
"Yeah, I even have them in order so I can just pull them out and start reading when I get there," El answered, "Along with the X-Men ones Dustin and Lucas gave me and The Avengers ones from Mike."
"Jesus, you're never going to run out of stuff to read,'' Max said as they reached the lake that was known as the drop.
El opened her mouth to answer but jumped as Max let out a scream as someone grabbed her around the waist. El turned around her heart racing only to see it was Lucas.
"Surprise!"
Max pushed away from Lucas and started to run after him as he took off, laughing as he did. "I'm going to get you!" Max shouted after him leaving her alone, but not for long.
"There you are," someone said from behind her but she knew instantly who it was as they took her hand gently. She looked up and found Mike walking next to her as they made their way over to the tents where the others were, a boom box playing some pop song.
"Was Lucas just waiting there the whole time for Max?" El asked as they watched Max still running after him.
"Yeah after we did the tents he disappeared," Mike answered.
Max finally stopped running after Lucas as they all reached the tents then and found everyone. Mrs. Byers sat in a fold-out chair next to a cooler full of drinks and food.
Dustin and Will sat next to the edge of the water on a large rock. Nancy and Jonathan sat together next to one of the tent, reading together.
"Hey guys, come over here and watch what Will can do," Dustin said.
El and Mike walked over to them, the water a clear blue from the sunny day.
"What is it?" Mike asked.
"Will can skip a rock like 15 times in a row."
"No way," Mike said, "15 times in a row, that's not possible."
"No it's true he did it," Lucas said as he and Max came over to join them.
"It's nothing that cool," Will said sheepishly.
"Show them," Dustin said.
Will shook his head but grabbed a rock and stood before he threw it.
They had been right it skipped probably over ten times.
"How did you do that? " El asked, she had never seen anyone skip a rock before.
"It's easy," Will said and handed her a smooth rock, "Hold it with your thumb and middle finger, then firmly hook your index finger along the edge. Your thumb goes on the top of the stone, not around the edge, then lower your hand and throw out and down at the same time."
El did as she was told and threw just like he said. It didn't go as far as his but it went a good ways off.
"I want to try that," Lucas said, and grabbed a rock.
"Me too," Mike said and before anyone knew it they were all throwing rocks into the cool water, the sun shining high above them as an hour ticked by.
"Damn it," Lucas said as his rock did nothing but one jump, "How did you do it again Will?"
"Oh, I just-" Will started but he was cut off as Max pushed Lucas into the water.
"Surprise," Max shouted at him as he popped back up from under the water.
"What the hell," Lucas said, wiping the water from his eyes and face.
"I told you I would get you," Max said smiling.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at her a moment but smiled too as he started to walk back over to them...right over to Max.
El and Mike could tell what he was planning to do but Max didn't seem to see it coming until it was too late.
Before Max knew what was happening Lucas grabbed her hand and pulled her into the water, but what no one saw was Max grab on to Dustin's shoulder meaning he was pulled in too.
El covered her mouth, but couldn't hide her smile and needer could Will and Mike.
"Why are you smiling at my pain," Dustin asked, throwing his now soaking hat and shoes onto the warm rocks, and before anyone could stop him he reached for the closest person to him which was Will and pulled him in next.
Suddenly everyone was in the water leaving only her and Mike standing.
"Jump in! " Max shouted to them as she and Lucas started swimming in the deeper part of the lake, "Don't make sure get up too."
"Ready?" Mike asked, looking over at her.
"Ready," El answered a moment before she made a running jump into the water alongside their friends.
She hit the cool water and was in a world of greenish looking water, a world nothing like the one above them but just like the real world she couldn't stay there for much longer.
She swam up and broke the surface, Mike right next to her. She looked over at him and smiled. "You look like Daniel LaRusso with your hair all wet. "
"Who's that?" Mike asked, moving his wet hair out of his face.
"He's The Karate Kid from Max's magazine," El answered as Mike smiled at her.
"Hey, Mike race you to the other end of the lake!" Dustin called over to him.
"Oh your on," Mike said as he started to swim over to where the other boys were.
"Guys are so dumb," Max said swimming over to her.
"Come on let's just swim around," El said as they watched as the boys lined up at the edge of the water.
"Are you sure? Max asked, "We could probably beat all of them."
"You really think so?" El asked looking over at her.
"Only one way to find out," Max said as she started swimming towards them, El following right after her.
The both of them swam as fast as they could and to her surprise, they got in front of the boys.
"Hey that's not fair," Dustin called out to them and Max only laughed.
El looked back and saw she was ahead of the others, that was beside one other person. Mike. He was right behind her. She put on a burst of speed on, but in a manner of moment's he was next to her, but she didn't look back again, only kept her eyes on one of the bigger rocks on the edge.
She reached her arm out and touched the rock just as Mike did the same.
She sucked in a breath as she looked over at him. "Who won?" She asked.
"You," Mike said, "You reached the rock first."
"Actually I would say it was a tie," Dustin said as the others reached them.
"Guess there's only one way to tell now," Max said, "We swim back to the other side."
El looked back over to Mike with a smile and without a word they started swimming back.
They stayed in the water until the sun had started to go behind the tree line, the sky alight with a deep orange and red and the air laced with a cold breeze.
"Alright guys time to get out and warm up," Mrs. Byers called to them.
They all swam over to the edge and got out, the feeling of the sudden cold air made them all run to the warmth of the campfire Jonathan and Nancy had made in the fire pit.
"You guys must be freezing," Nancy said from where she sat curled up in Jonathan's arms.
"Good thing I went back up to the house and got you all a change of clothing," Mrs. Byers said, handing them out.
El took them gratefully and followed Max into their tent and changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants.
They stepped back out and found the boy's already sitting by the fire. She went over and sat next to Mike, resting her head on his shoulder.
"So who's ready for dinner," Mrs. Byers said and opened the cooler pulling out a pack of hotdogs and some roasting sticks, along with a bag of marshmallows.
"Hell yeah, s'mores," Dustin said as he was passed a roasting stick and hot dog.
"What's a s'mores?" El asked as Mike handed her a roasting stick, a hot dog already on the end as she placed it over the fire.
"You've really never had a s'mores?" Max said shocked, "That's got to be a crime right?"
"I'll make you one," Mike said reaching for the bag of marshmallows and the box of cracker things and chocolate.
She watched as Mike placed a marshmallow on the end of his stick and placed it over the fire.
"You're going to burn it right?" Max asked.
"That's disgusting," Mike answered.
"No that's the only way to eat one, right?" She asked looking around but no one said anything so she looked over at her boyfriend, "Right?"
"I don't want to die in the middle of the night so I'm going to say yes."
"Thanks," Max said sarcastically.
"Here you go," Mike said, placing the now browned marshmallow into one of the crackers along with some chocolate on top before handing it to her.
She took it from him and took a bite and found it was sweet. Like super sweet.
"What do you think?"
"It's amazing," El said, and took another bite.
After everyone filled up on hotdogs and s'mores the all sat watching the fire crack and pop as Jonathan added some wood to it every now and then, the boombox playing a song she didn't know the name of.
"It's my own design, it's my own remorse
Help me to decide, help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever"
"Alright everyone," Mrs Byers said turning off the radio, "It's going to be a long day tomorrow so it's bedtime."
El wouldn't lie she was happy to go to bed early, after everything today she tired and by the looks of it everyone was too.
El pulled away from Mike before she got up and followed Max into their tent.
She got in her sleeping bag alone side Max but to her surprise, she didn't fall asleep, instead, she seemed to just lay there unable to close her eyes.
Finally, after what felt like forever, she stood and as quietly as she could make her way back outside unsure what she would do when she went out but to her surprise, someone else sat by the dying fire.
"Will?" El asked as she made her way over to him.
He looked up at her surprised, "Did I wake you up?" he asked.
"No, I couldn't sleep," El said as she sat down next to him.
"Couldn't sleep too?" Will asked.
"Yeah," El asked grabbing a stick and started to poke at the fire with him, little sparks flying up.
"You know I've never left Hawkins before now, " Will said, "it's going to be weird not going to school with everyone I know, without Dustin's jokes, Lucas being sarcastic, and Mike...being Mike."
"I know," El said, her eyes downcasted.
"But...I think we'll be okay, we'll be away from the pain this place has left us with," Will said looking over at her.
She bit her lip but he was right, they both had been hurt here. "I just...I just wish we didn't have to leave our friends."
"But we'll see them again," Will said.
"But it feels like an ending, like everything is ending," El said
They were quite a moment before Will spoke again. "All things end, but then we just start new chapters, that doesn't mean the characters have to change, you just add more like in The Lord of the rings."
El couldn't help a smile at that and hoped he was right. But her heart still hurt… "Will I want to tell Mike that I love him."
Will looked at her surprise. "Y-you do?"
El nodded, "I heard him when I was in the bathroom, and before we go tomorrow I want him to know I feel the same way."
"That's good," Will said, nodding as he looked back at the fire, "You guys are perfect together."
"You really think so?" El asked.
"I do," Will said standing up, "I really do." He looked at her then with a small smile. "Let's go to bed, we'll have a busy day tomorrow."
El got up and followed him back over to their tents before she quietly stepped back into her tent and laid back down next to Max who was fast asleep now.
She felt her own eyes start to get heavy as she laid back down, but this time she felt something under her pillow. She reached under it and grabbed it, pulling it out she saw it was a tape, words written on it in black marker.
"Music to listen to when you miss it here When you miss us." from Mike.
A word had been crossed out next to 'from', another four-letter word and she knew which one.
She turned to her side still holding it, her eyes getting harder and harder to keep open now.
One summer had changed everything and tomorrow everything would change again.
But she knew just like Will had said it wasn't the ending.
Not for any of them.
AN
That was the last chapter of The In-between. I hope you enjoyed this fanfic and I can't thank you all for making it to the ending. Thank you to everyone who followed and Favorited. The reviews i got always made my day so a big thank you for them. But this isn't the ending go to the 27th chapter to see what comes next.