I DO NOT OWN STRANGER THINGS. EVERY REVIEW IS APPRECIATED. SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO GET AN UPDATE OUT.

Hawkins Middle School. Hawkins, Indiana. October 30, 1984.

The next day was a pain in the ass for Mike Wheeler. Will, Dustin, and Lucas had grilled him hard about where he had gone after school the other day. As it turned out, Mike had completely forgotten that he arranged to meet with his boys to plan out their latest Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Mike spun some bullshit and told them that his mom had made him do chores as punishment for stealing Nancy's piggy bank.

One on the one hand, he hated lying to his friends and he knew damn well that it was breaking the rule of law and could get him banished from the party. On the other hand though, the lie that Mike had told sounded considerably better than admitting that he had blown off his party to be schooled in the ways of an arcade mistress.

Mike had been able to think of nothing else: the feeling of euphoria when Mad Max had been able to best Dustin's high score 3 times over, the feeling of accomplishment when Max's tutelage paid off, pushing Mike's game up to Dustin's level; a level of skill that Mike had not been able to reach previously.

If that wasn't enough, the way that Max had grasped his hand after she had pulled out another amazing high score. Her hand had felt warm...and safe. 2 feelings that had been sorely lacking in the life of Mike Wheeler ever since Eleven had vanished after defeating the demogorgon. Although holding Max's hand had made Mike feel somewhat whole again, even if only for a few minutes, it had also filled him with a shit ton of guilt.

When Mike had made his usual walkie talkie call to El that night, he could barely get out the words. It was the only time that he sincerely wished and hoped that Eleven was not listening to him; if she was still alive. El was the kind of girl that could pick up on these easily. People would have assumed that she was mental challenged because her vocabulary was so limited. But the truth was that she was way smarter than she looked. If El could have heard his voice and looked in his eyes, she would have known instantly that he had done something and she would have surely wrangled a confession out of him.

Mike tried to push El out of his mind as best he could, but the only thing that could free him from his thoughts of Eleven were his thoughts of Max. The thought of running his fingers through her long red hair, counting every one of freckles that seemed as countless as the stars in the night sky. He sometimes tried to push those thoughts out of his mind, only to quickly pull them back again; fearful that he might push them too far and never see them again.

That day after the arcade, Mike and Max could do nothing but steal glances at each other. In the 3 classes that they shared; including Mr. Clarke's science, in the cafeteria during lunch. Mike blocked everything else out and saw only her. To anyone else, Mike would have looked like a bona fide stalker. Thankfully, every time that Mike stole a glance, he saw Mad Max doing the same thing. Their eyes would meet, he would offer her a shy smile, she would offer one in return, then someone or something would break the concentration they both shared and they would go back to whatever'd had their attention before.

This continued throughout the entire school day. Stealing glances when and where they could. They couldn't actually have any kind of conversation, either because someone was around who would have eavesdropped or because it was during class and getting in trouble was not something either Mike or Max needed.

Thankfully, Mike finally got the chance he was longing for during study hall near the end of the school day. He made his way over to her table and covertly took the seat next to her.

"Wow, you are so smooth Wheeler." Max said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I didn't need anyone thinking that I was trying to put the moves on you or something." Mike replied as he took out his textbooks.

"Why, you don't want to put the moves on me?" Max asked with a raised eye brow and a smirk as Mike began stuttering like a fool.

"I mean...maybe I would...I just...don't want to make you...uncomfortable, you know?" Mike stuttered as Max gently took his hand and squeezed it gently.

"It's OK Wheeler, I kind of like you." Max admired with a shrug before making a fist. "And if you make me uncomfortable, I'll let you know it." Mike nodded as the 2 proceeded to work on their homework; side by side until the final bell rang.

"So...you think maybe we could stop by the arcade again?" Mike asked as he really wanted some more alone time with Mad Max. He needed to confirm his suspicions that the hand holding wasn't just a fluke or a heat of the moment thing. He waited for Max to answer as they walked up to the front door, but she said nothing; only looking out as she saw a badass looking Camaro out in the parking lot. Max looked like as though her skateboard had just broke.

"Not today Wheeler, my brother's here to pick me up." Max replied as she turned to face him. "Look, you have to let me go out there alone, OK?"

"Why, what's wrong with your brother seeing us walking together?" Mike asked innocently.

"He's an asshole and I don't want him to see me with you, just please let me go!" Max exclaimed as she stormed out, leaving a forlorn Mike. Was she ashamed of him? Was that why she didn't want her brother to see her with him? It would explain a lot, he was frog face after all. He inwardly kicked himself for entertaining the idea that a kick ass Cali babe would be interested in him.

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