Author's Note: That's all she wrote, folks! Thank you so much to all the readers and commenters who came along for the ride! I do have a sequel in the works that follows Mike and Max over the next ten years of their lives that I'll be posting here shortly. I also have an unrelated Madwheeler one shot over on AO3 (same username) that's pretty fun and sexy and set in the 90s, so feel free to check that out.

And now, please enjoy my epilogue :)

2 Years Later

Mike woke up, as he had many mornings, with his arm completely numb and a faceful of vanilla-scented red hair. He lifted his other hand from where it had been resting on Max's hip and smoothed her hair away from his mouth before lifting his head and squinting at the clock on the nightstand. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw he still had over an hour until he had to leave to start getting ready, dropping his head back down to the pillow.

A beam of pale yellow light streamed in through the perpetual gap in the curtains and illuminated the room. Mike shifted as imperceptibly as he could, allowing blood to flow back into the arm that was trapped underneath his girlfriend's neck. He swept her tangled hair to one side and let his eyes roam over the smattering of freckles on her shoulder that he was pretty sure he had memorized by this point.

Max was wearing the Pacers shirt he'd given her long ago, now faded and pilling, the collar stretched out from years of nightly wear. He caught a glimpse of the small tattoo on the back of her neck and nudged her hair aside to get a closer look at it—the letter "M" in elegant, looping script, identical to the one inked below his collarbone. Mike smiled to himself, remembering the day they'd impulsively gotten them on a trip to New York City during spring break earlier that year.

He carefully extricated his arm from underneath her and propped himself up on his elbow, head resting in his hand as he gazed down at her. Max looked so angelic while she slept—golden eyelashes brushing her cheeks, pink lips pouty and slightly parted. She would be mortified if she knew how often he just watched her like this before she woke up.

He let his head drop down to her shoulder, tugging the collar of her shirt to the side so he could press a light kiss to her skin before ghosting his lips up to the side of her neck. He pressed another kiss to the pulse point under her jaw, opening his mouth and sucking on the sensitive skin until he heard the telltale hitch in her breathing letting him know she was awake.

She let out a soft moan when he pulled his mouth away and shifted closer to him, rocking her hips back against him and rubbing up on his already half-hard dick. Mike sucked in a breath between his teeth and smiled, wrapping a hand around her hip and pulling her closer so their lower halves were flush with each other. She knew exactly what she was doing.

He nuzzled behind her ear, running his lips over her earlobe as he slid his hand upwards over her t-shirt, running his thumb back and forth lightly over each nipple until they hardened into stiff peaks. Max moaned louder now, grinding back harder against his cock, frustration seeping in as he continued to wake her body up with gentle touches.

Mike knew they didn't have a ton of time this morning so he brought his hand back down to pull up the hem of her shirt, and she leaned forward so she could tug it up over her head and drop it to the floor.

She rolled back towards him a little so she could look up at him with eyes that were still bleary with sleep but already hungry with desire. She curled her arm back and grabbed the side of his face, pulling him towards her for a passionate kiss. Now it was Mike's turn to moan as Max slipped her tongue past his lips and slid it forcefully against his.

It was so intoxicating—the feel of her, the taste of her mouth, the needy sounds catching in her throat.

He devoted his attention back to her tits, groping at them more intentionally now, palming them and lightly pinching her nipples between his fingers as their kiss became a little filthier. His hips thrust reflexively against her ass. He was fully hard now and more than ready to be inside her.

Mike trailed his hand down to the waistband of her panties, dipping his fingertips underneath teasingly just for a second before pulling them out and rubbing at her centre over the fabric.

Max broke their kiss with another frustrated groan, letting her head fall back against her pillow as she thrust herself against his fingers. He huffed out a laugh against her neck and hooked his index finger just under the elastic at her inner thigh, feeling a flash of pride that her wetness had already started accumulating.

He bunched the fabric at her hip bone up in his one free hand and yanked her underwear down, and she twisted her hips to help him push them down her thighs before kicking them off the rest of the way.

Then he brought his fingers up to her mouth and she opened it without him needing to tell her, closing her lips around them and sucking enthusiastically, running her tongue between them and swirling it around his fingertips, scraping gently with her teeth. It sent a lightning bolt of pleasure straight to the erection straining at the fabric of his boxers.

"Good girl," he whispered, and she moaned around his digits and shoved her hips back against him at the praise.

Mike pulled his fingers from her hot, wet mouth and began to trail them between her breasts in a straight line down the middle of her torso, leaving a shiny trail of saliva on her pale skin. Max was panting heavily as she lifted her top leg and hooked it back over his thigh, opening herself up to him as he reached her mound. She let out a breathy gasp as his fingers brushed over her clit before dipping down to her opening to collect more of her rapidly gathering fluids, spreading them around her swollen folds.

When Mike couldn't take it anymore he reached down to shove his boxers down enough to take his cock out, nudging forward and letting it slide through her soaking wet lips. He groaned into Max's shoulder as she ground slowly back and forth along his length, coating him in her arousal.

"Mike," she murmured, her voice gravelly with sleep and incredibly hot. "Fuck me." She didn't need to ask him twice. He pushed her forward gently so she rolled onto her stomach. While he quickly tugged his boxers down the rest of the way, she reached down and grabbed a throw pillow off the floor, sliding it under her hips to give him a better angle, spreading her slightly bent legs apart.

Mike knelt above her as she folded her arms under her pillow, letting his gaze roam over the sharp, jutting angle of her shoulder blades down to the dimples on her lower back. Reaching down, he ran the tip of his cock up and down her entrance, even though they were both already glistening with her fluids.

He splayed a hand over her hip and lined himself up, watching himself disappear inside her as his hips pressed forward, entering her in one smooth stroke.

Max muffled her moan into her pillow and Mike clenched his jaw, biting back his groan so as not to wake her mother who was still sleeping just next door. He took a second to bask in how indescribably good she felt around him, warm and tight and unbelievably wet.

They'd been together long enough now that he knew exactly how to touch her, knew when she wanted it a little rougher, wanted him to wrap a hand around her throat and hold her down, pound her into the mattress until her anxious, looping thoughts were silenced. Or when she wanted him to just edge her for an hour, torturing her by bringing her to the brink of orgasm and then backing off again and again until she begged him to let her come.

This, however, was not one of those times.

Mike started moving in and out of her slow and deep, bottoming out with each stroke. He leaned forward, mouthing his way up her spine as he draped himself over her. Max's hands shot forwards, fingers curling around the edge of the mattress desperately as she arched her back, allowing him to take her even deeper.

"Harder," she whined quietly, turning her head to the side so he could hear her and pushing her hips back to meet his. He grabbed her chin, angling her face towards him to plant a sloppy kiss on the side of her mouth before snapping his hips forcefully against her ass. Her moans got louder and she pressed her face into the fabric of her pillowcase again to stifle them.

"Fuck, Max," he muttered against her shoulder blade as he plunged into her with short, hard thrusts, flames already licking up his spine. He felt her clenching around his shaft and he knew she was getting close as well. "Gonna come for me?"

"Mhm," she nodded, twisting her head back to try and look at him. Mike braced himself up on his hands, breathing hard as he worked to keep up the pace, watching her eyebrows knit together and her eyes fall closed as he brought her closer to the edge.

Then she was crying out into her pillow, tensing around him deliciously, and he followed her right over the cliff, driving into her a few more times before his cock was throbbing and he was collapsing onto his elbows, biting onto her shoulder to silence his breathless groan as he came inside her.

He pressed open-mouthed kisses across the tops of Max's shoulders as their shared state of euphoria ebbed away and they caught their breath. It was still unfathomable to him that he got to do that with her. He really was the luckiest guy on the planet.

There was a wet sound as he pulled out of her, and then he tugged his underwear back up from where it was still tangled around his feet while she leaned over and snatched her shirt up from the floor.

Once they were both partially clothed they rolled onto their sides so they were facing each other, floral print duvet pulled up around their waists, their heads resting on the same pillow.

"Good morning," Mike whispered, leaning in to kiss her.

Max smiled against his lips. "It is a good morning."

"You ready for today?" he asked, playing with her hand between their chests, pressing their fingertips together before interlocking their fingers.

She grinned. "So fucking ready."

Mike pressed his lips to the back of her knuckles before rolling out of the bed and picking his jeans up off the floor. "I should go before your mom wakes up." Even now when they were both eighteen, Susan wasn't exactly cool with their sleepovers. "Meet you by the bike racks?"

"Yeah," Max nodded, watching him put on his t-shirt and gather the rest of his things. "Hey, Wheeler?"

"Hm?" he hummed absently, searching his pockets for his keys.

"I love you."

Mike froze. God it still stole the breath from his lungs every time she said that. He grinned and jumped back on top of her, kissing all over her face as she laughed quietly.

Max had always played her cards close to the vest, so when he'd told her he loved her for the first time the summer after their sophomore year, he hadn't been expecting her to say it back—knowing she would in her own time. It was kind of funny, with El he couldn't even force those three words out, and with Max, he couldn't hold himself back. In true awkward fashion, he'd blurted it out in the middle of sex, and then again afterwards because he wasn't sure she'd heard him the first time.

So then when she'd whispered those three words in his ear in Rachel's kitchen while everyone around them counted down the seconds until 1987, it had felt like the best thing in the whole entire world. Even now she didn't say it all the time, so when she did, Mike knew she really meant it.

"I love you too," he murmured, finally kissing her on the lips. "So much. Like it's crazy how much."

"I know," Max chuckled before kissing him back. "It's the same for me too, Mike," she added quietly, her cheeks blushing bright red under her freckles.

Mike beamed at her. He didn't even mind that she didn't say it often, because she showed him in so many other ways, every day, but damn it felt good to hear. He, on the other hand, probably told her way too often, making her roll her eyes in pretend annoyance and playfully shove him away like she was right now.

He detached himself from where he'd started sucking on her throat and glanced at the clock. "Okay, I really gotta go now," he groaned, forcing himself to his feet again. "I'll see you soon." He winked at her as he opened the door and tiptoed through it, the neatly hung forest green cap and gown swaying from the hook on the back of it.

Max rolled onto her back and stretched her arms out overhead, arching her spine and pointing her toes for a few seconds before melting back into the mattress. She felt completely relaxed—the kind of relaxed that can only come from really, really good sex. The knowledge that she was officially done with high school forever was an added bonus.

She knew she had to start getting ready and the wet spot underneath her on the bed was getting cold and gross, so she threw back the covers and got to her feet. She searched through her closet for her fluffy white robe, finding it hidden behind her midnight blue prom dress.

Max smiled to herself as she padded across the hallway to the bathroom and turned on the shower, thinking about their wild prom night just the week before.

They initially weren't even going to go but both her and Mike's moms had made a big fuss, and so had all their friends, so Max had eventually given in. It wasn't even really that hard to convince her, because she'd selfishly wanted to see Mike in a suit. It was totally worth toughing out a night wearing ruffled tulle just for that.

After getting dressed up and posing for what felt like hundreds of pictures for their parents, the group had stuck around the "Under the Sea" themed dance for about an hour, sipping from a flask someone kept passing around and dancing on the rare occasion a good song was actually played. And even though it was painfully corny, Mike did convince her to slow dance with him to "With Or Without You".

Then they'd ditched the formalwear and headed to Rachel's afterparty, which had gotten predictably out of hand since the entire senior class as well as a handful of juniors and even some older kids who had graduated the year before ended up showing up, all with a seemingly endless supply of beer and hard liquor.

The night ended up going like many others had—with Lucas puking his guts out in a rose bush; Max and Rachel topless in the hot tub, smoking an absurd amount of pot; Dustin stealing the phone and locking himself in the bathroom to drunkenly call Suzie; and Mike attempting to wrangle everyone and make sure nobody called the cops or required an ambulance.

The last thing Max remembered was Mike covering her boobs with his hands while pleading with her to put her shirt back on. She had awoken when the sun peeked over the horizon, draped over her sleeping boyfriend on the patio swing, her t-shirt inside out and backwards.

She finished drying her hair and left the bathroom, hearing her mother puttering around in the kitchen. They'd moved out of the trailer park and into this much nicer bungalow a little over a year ago thanks to her mom's new job. Through Max's relationship with Mike, Susan and Karen had ended up becoming very close friends, and Ted was a huge fan of Max, much to Mike's dismay during board game nights. His dad had helped her mom get a job at his office first as a secretary, and then she was quickly promoted to office manager several months later.

Max was extremely proud of her mom, most of all because she'd been sober for seven months now. It hadn't been an easy journey, starting with a tearful confrontation at the start of Max's junior year that had resulted in her dropping Susan off at a treatment facility in Fort Wayne for thirty days. After that, it had been an often painful cycle of delicate periods of sobriety followed by disappointing relapses and withdrawals and endless therapy appointments, but this time it really seemed to have stuck.

She smiled as she put on the floral sundress she'd worn that first time she'd had dinner with the Wheelers. Max knew she couldn't have gotten through the past few years without Mike and his parents—supporting her, giving her a place to stay when her mom was in rehab, and helping her mom get the job with better pay and regular hours, which was incredibly helpful in keeping her on the wagon.

It still felt impossible sometimes that she was worthy of being loved by someone like Mike. It completely blew her mind.

Max slipped on her Vans and bent over to tie up the laces because even though she dressed slightly more feminine these days, there was still no way she was wearing heels. She draped the boxy green gown over herself and zipped it up before grabbing the square hat, deciding to wait until the last minute to put the ugly thing on. At least she looked good in dark green.

"Ready, Sweetpea?" her mom called out from the living room.

Max smoothed her hair down and headed down the hallway. "Yeah, I'm coming."

"Oh, look at you," Susan gasped, pressing her hand to her chest. "My grown up girl. It feels like just yesterday I was changing your diapers and now you're graduating."

"Mom." Max rolled her eyes in pretend irritation and bit back a smile as she brushed past her and headed to the car.

Once they pulled up to the school Max quickly wove her way through the crowd and beelined for the bike racks where Rachel was already standing with Sharon, sharing a cigarette. Max snuck up behind them and clapped her hands on Rachel's shoulders.

She whipped around and squealed as she enveloped Max in a tight hug. "Hey bitch!"

"Rach," Max laughed as she returned the hug, swaying from side to side.

"Hey Mrs. H!" Rachel exclaimed once they broke apart and she turned to face Max's mom. "Your boobs look amazing in that dress!"

"Oh, hello Rachel," Susan replied mildly, tugging the neckline of her dress upwards. Max bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Her mother never had fully warmed to Rachel's outgoing personality.

Their moms made small talk while Rachel told Max all about her plans for her upcoming summer as a senior camp counsellor, most of which revolved around sneaking in alcohol and hooking up with as many of her fellow counsellors as possible.

A smile broke out over Max's face when Wayne ambled over, giving her an awkward wave before jamming his hands back into his pockets.

"I can't believe you came!" she exclaimed as she leaned into him for a sideways hug. Since she only had her mom coming, she'd offered him her extra ticket, not expecting him to actually show. But of course he had.

"Wouldn't miss it," Wayne said, squeezing the arm that was wrapped around her shoulder.

"You better not cry again," she teased. Her last shift at the record store had been earlier that week and they'd both shed a few tears as they locked up.

"No promises, kiddo," he chuckled, giving her a final pat on the shoulder before making his way over to greet the moms.

Wayne had been sober from alcohol for over a decade himself, so he and Susan had become friendly at the local AA meetings they both frequented. He'd also become somewhat of a father figure to Max over the years; certainly the most steady male presence she'd ever had in her life, always ready with a cautionary tale or words of wisdom.

"Max!"

She yelped as she was nearly bowled over by Lucas and Dustin sprinting over and attacking her with a group hug. "Hey guys," she laughed, wrapping her arms tightly around her friends. "Nice sash, Dustin." She tugged on his white salutatorian sash. He'd just barely been beaten out for the top spot by Kami Patel.

"Yeah well, it's not the gold one, but it's fine I guess," he grumbled, straightening it out. "Goddamned Latin."

"How were your final exams?" Lucas asked, slinging an arm around Rachel's shoulder when she skipped over to join them.

"Who cares?" Rachel stuck out her tongue. "I'm fuckin' outta here either way." Max smiled at the pair. They'd been hooking up on and off since the start of junior year but had amicably agreed to go their separate ways once high school was over. She had no doubt though, that they were planning one last horny hurrah tonight before Rachel shipped off to camp.

Then a pair of arms wrapped around Max from behind and she was quickly enveloped in Mike's familiar clean and citrusy post-shower scent.

She grinned as she leaned against his chest, tipping her head backwards and to the side so she could look up at him. "Hey, you."

"Long time no see," he murmured, planting a quick kiss on her lips and then the tip of her nose. They disentangled themselves and Max turned to greet his parents who were walking up with Holly in tow.

"Max, you look lovely," Mike's mother exclaimed, giving Max a warm hug that she returned wholeheartedly.

"Thanks, Karen."

Ted held his hand out as Max turned towards him. "Congratulations, young lady."

"Oh come on, Ted," she laughed, knocking his hand aside and pulling him in for a hug. She had a soft spot for the quiet, oddly serious man ever since that first family dinner. So maybe he wasn't the most affectionate or involved of fathers, but he was dependable and good. He cleared his throat and after a second of hesitation gave her a stiff pat on the back in return.

"Okay graduates," Dustin's mom called out as she approached the group, camera hanging from around her neck. "Everyone please gather for a group photo!"

"Mom," Dustin groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation.

"Do not give me attitude today, Dusty. You're only graduating high school once, you can pose for one picture," she scolded.

The group lined themselves up, arms slung around each other in front of the red brick wall of the school. Max ended up somewhere in the middle, Mike on one side of her and Rachel on the other. And as she looked around at her friends and then out at the group of adults gathered behind their cameras, she felt a tugging in her chest—she had never in her wildest dreams thought she could have this many people who cared about her. But she did, and that's why the beaming smile spreading over her face, crinkling her eyes and hurting her cheeks as the cameras flashed was one hundred percent real.

"Alright," Mike said as he glanced down at his watch once the teens had refused to pose for any more pictures and promptly disbanded. "Let's go fucking graduate!"

Karen looked scandalized as she clapped her hands over Holly's ears. "Language, Michael!"

Mike took a seat on the uncomfortable metal folding chair in the last row of his classmates out on the football field, sandwiched between Emily Walters and Peter Yang, already dreading the long wait he'd have until they got to the end of the alphabet. The sun was beating down overhead, and he was sure his hair was turning into a sweaty mess under the polyester mortarboard.

Principal Higgins was standing in front of the podium now, droning on, giving some sort of generic speech about how they were about to embark on the biggest journey of their lives and how this was their chance to make their mark on the world and so on.

As his classmates began to cross the stage under the "Class of '88" banner stretched out above it, Mike let himself zone out thinking about the busy summer ahead of him. In the fall he was going to be studying computer programming at Northwestern, and even though she'd improved her grades, Max had ultimately decided college wasn't for her; a decision made easier by the fact that she got offered an entry-level job as an assistant to an A&R manager at a small Chicago-based record label owned by a friend of Wayne's.

They'd signed a lease on an apartment starting in August and would be moving in after their road trip to California. Max thought they'd be taking the station wagon but they'd actually be going in Max's new car—a graduation present Susan was surprising her with tonight. Mike smiled to himself. She was going to freak out. And nobody deserved it more. It had been a rough couple of years, especially with the rollercoaster ride of her mom's sobriety.

Their first major stop would be in San Francisco to visit Nancy. She'd just finished her second year at Berkeley while Jonathan was attending Fresno State, but he'd be in the city with her over the summer. While they were there they'd also stop by some festival Wayne had told them about where some people burned a giant wooden man on the beach for summer solstice.

After that, they were heading further south where they'd be staying in San Diego with Max's dad for two weeks. Max and her father had reconnected earlier in the year when he'd reached out after years of radio silence. It had been an emotional time that had put some strain on their relationship, but Mike had ultimately supported her. He'd initially cautioned Max against letting her dad back into her life so easily, worried Sam would just abandon her again when things got hard.

Mike just wanted to protect her. That's all he ever wanted to do. But so far it seemed her dad had turned a new leaf; he kept in regular contact with Max and even though he couldn't get time off work to fly out for the graduation ceremony, he was the one who suggested she come out and visit instead. Mike had never been happier to be proven wrong.

He was pulled from his reminiscing when Dustin's name was called, the first of their friend group to walk the stage.

"Woo, yeah Henderson!" a familiar voice called out from the crowd. Mike turned around to see Steve standing up and cheering from the bleachers, his heavily pregnant girlfriend sitting next to him looking very confused as to why she was at a high school graduation.

Mike grinned and clapped loudly as Dustin shook hands with the faculty and triumphantly hoisted his rolled-up diploma in the air. In the fall he would be attending Princeton in the same mathematics program as Suzie, whom he was still disgustingly obsessed with three years later. Not that Mike was one to talk.

His eyes glazed over again as more classmates got on stage and took their diplomas, and he started making a mental list of all the shit he'd have to pack up before they left next week. But then he heard the principal call Courtney Martins up and he knew Max would be next. Mike straightened up in his seat and spotted her in the lineup next to the stage.

"Maxine Mayfield," Higgins announced, and Mike whistled loudly as she climbed the stairs onto the stage. She looked radiant, her long, shiny hair blowing in the breeze as her eyes found his in the crowd like a magnet, flashing him that smile that never failed to knock him off his feet.

God, he couldn't wait to live with her, to start the next chapter of their lives together. Mike was more than ready to get the hell out of Hawkins, and he knew Max was too. They'd had their share of ups and downs over the past two years, but they'd made it out the other side stronger than before.

Max still dealt with depression and anxiety, but she'd seen a doctor and had started taking medication to help manage the worst of her symptoms. The period of trialling different meds and doses had been an ordeal, and there were a lot of nights where he'd stayed on the walkie-talkie with her until the sun came up when her panic attacks and depressive episodes got worse before they got better.

There was the pregnancy scare in their junior year that thankfully turned out to be a false alarm and prompted Max to go on the pill. Mike still remembered the sheer panic he felt, pacing back and forth while they waited in his room for the test to develop, and then the sweet, jubilant relief they both felt when only one line showed up in the little window.

And then there were the three months late last year when his parents had separated—his dad moved into a shitty motel and lived off of vending machine snacks and takeout before his mom took him back and decided to work things out. Mike had been irritable and moody and Max had been nothing but patient, knowing he was just lashing out and to not take it personally. Once he'd come to his senses and stopped acting like a total dick he'd made sure she knew how sorry he was and how much it meant to him that she'd never wavered in her support of him. He's pretty sure he fell in love with her all over again.

Mike looked up again and cheered as Lucas was called onto the stage followed right after by Rachel, who had blended seamlessly into the group once they'd all reconciled the summer before their junior year. She was going to Wesleyan to study poli-sci before applying to law school, and Lucas was going to Michigan State on a basketball scholarship. It was hard to believe that in a couple of months, all of Mike's friends would be scattered all over the country just like that.

He also still kept in touch with Will, who would be going to an art school in San Francisco. He'd informed Mike that El had decided to take a gap year and go backpacking in Europe, which Mike thought was a great idea for her. She deserved a chance to see the world after being controlled and chained down for so long.

He still thought about her from time to time, and she'd always have a special place in his heart for the sweet childhood romance they'd shared, but Max was the love of his life. He was certain of it. The love he felt for her was all-consuming and overwhelming, but it was also quiet, and steady—an anchor in a hurricane.

Suddenly the other students in his row were standing up and Mike was snapped out of his lovesick daydream. The few minutes that followed were a whirlwind and he was pretty sure he blacked out a little in between lining up at the stairs and shaking the principal's hand because the next thing he knew he was walking across the stage, diploma in hand as he looked out at the applauding crowd.

He spotted his parents and Holly, his mom and Susan holding hands and dabbing at their eyes with tissues, and right next to Susan was Wayne, smiling approvingly. Mike had eventually managed to get on his good side when they bonded over a shared hatred of Wham!. He also had a feeling there was something going on between Wayne and Max's mom, a notion Max had quickly dismissed, but he was pretty sure she just didn't want to get her hopes up.

He searched the sea of green for the familiar cascade of red hair, eyes quickly locking onto Max who was smiling brightly at him and clapping. She shot him a wink that made his stomach flip and he knew he was grinning like a complete dipshit. He was about to start walking off the stage when she quickly motioned her hand in front of her face, reminding him to flip the gold tassel on his hat to the other side.

Then it was over, and he was back in the scorching hot metal chair as Kami stepped in front of the podium to give her valedictorian's address. It was a good speech, and when she started talking about all the trauma they'd had to endure as a community during their teen years and how it had only made them stronger and prepared them for the outside world, he actually felt himself getting a little emotional.

As she started to wrap it up the energy of the crowd changed, the students all vibrating with anticipation, hats clutched in their hands, getting ready to jump out of their seats and celebrate their freedom.

Principal Higgins stepped back up to the microphone. "Thank you, Miss Patel, for that lovely and inspiring speech. And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's put our hands together for your Hawkins High School class of 1988!"

And then it was pure, uninhibited, joyful chaos as they leapt to their feet, green hats flying into the air as everyone dashed to find their friends.

Mike ran directly to Max, who was already on her way to him, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around him as he laughed and spun them around, and he just knew, with perfect clarity, that he wanted to do this for the rest of their lives.

After the ceremony, there was a reception in the gym that so far had consisted of drinking mediocre punch and eating handfuls of stale chips while the parents mingled and took pictures. Max was standing with her mom and Wayne, only half-listening to them as they discussed the AA snack schedule or something equally boring.

Then she saw Lucas motioning to her out of the corner of her eye, and she glanced over to see him inclining his head towards the back doors that lead outside. She got the message and nodded, looking around for Mike. She caught his eye from the other side of the basketball court where he was standing with his family, lifting her chin subtly towards the doors Lucas was sneaking out of. Mike gave her a wink of understanding and strolled over to Dustin, who was refilling his plate with snacks, murmuring the plan in his ear before inconspicuously backing away towards the doors. Max stood on her toes, trying to find Rachel, and when she couldn't see her she figured she was already outside at their spot. It had probably been her idea in the first place.

"Uh, I'm gonna go say goodbye to some of the teachers," Max said to her mom, who barely gave her a wave of acknowledgement before resuming her conversation with Wayne.

Max glanced around as she made her way to the back of the gym, thinking she was home-free when she suddenly locked eyes with Ms. Kelley from across the room. She froze, thinking she was busted for sure, but the counsellor just gave her a knowing grin and a little wave of her fingers before turning away as if she hadn't seen a thing.

Max smiled as she slipped out into the warmth of the sun. She'd stopped having weekly appointments with Ms. Kelley in her junior year, but they'd ended up developing a very trusting and lasting relationship. She'd never hesitated to go to her if she needed to talk about anything, knowing she could count on her for realistic yet supportive advice.

The whole gang was already there when Max strolled up to the small patch of trees just past the boundary of the school field, lounging in a circle around a veggie tray someone had stolen from the gym. She shed her graduation gown and added it to the pile a few feet away from them so it wouldn't end up reeking of pot.

Mike was propped up against a tree so she took a seat between his bent legs, leaning back against his chest as Rachel handed her the joint that she'd just lit. Max took a long drag and blew the smoke up at the sky before passing it behind her to Mike, thinking of all the times the friends had met up here over the past couple of years—after midterms and finals, skipping mandatory assemblies, ditching track and field day…

"So I guess that's it, huh?" Mike mused as he passed the joint to Dustin who handed it straight to Lucas. He'd tried edibles once last year, said he'd communed with God and they'd mutually decided he should never do drugs again.

"Oh don't talk like that, Mike," Rachel sighed as she bit off the top of a celery stick. "I'm gonna cry if I think about it." Max nodded in agreement and nestled further back against Mike, smiling when he wrapped his arms tightly around her midsection and pressed a kiss into the top of her head.

"You know what this reminds me of?" she said before taking another hit of the joint. "That camping trip last summer when Dustin forgot all the food and we had to survive off of beef jerky and beer."

Dustin snorted and raised an eyebrow. "Um, you mean the day you all decided it would be a great idea to try shrooms and Lucas ended up having a panic attack and running away?"

Lucas scowled as they all laughed at the memory of chasing him through the woods. "Yeah okay, well Mike thought the tent flaps were trying to strangle him and ended up collapsing the whole thing in the middle of the night."

"Fuck, don't remind me," Mike groaned, hiding his face in Max's shoulder. She chuckled and patted the side of his head, pressing her lips to his temple as she remembered how pissed she'd been to wake up being suffocated by a pile of nylon.

"We should do that again," Rachel grinned, sitting up before taking the joint from Lucas and finishing it off.

"No!" they all exclaimed at the same time, falling apart into laughter immediately.

Max felt her heart clench as she looked around at her friends, suddenly overwhelmed by the bittersweetness of the moment. The realization hit her that they'd never be this young again. Too quickly they'd be going their separate ways, their lives that had been so intertwined for the past few years splitting off like tree branches as they all forged their own paths. And they were here now, at the beginning of it all, right on the precipice of their futures—stretching out bright and golden and waiting for them.

"You okay?" Mike asked softly next to her ear, noticing that she'd gone quiet.

"Yeah," Max nodded, twisting her head back to look at those sparkling brown eyes that still managed to take her breath away. "I'm more than okay."

And with him by her side, she knew she always would be.