XLVI

In the months that follow, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Eleven become inseparable. Thanks to her new friends, Eleven learns a lot of things: she gets to know board games, video games, movies, and songs.

She even joins—and enjoys, too!—the school's Audiovisual Club. Although her knowledge about it is scarce, her new friends always take the time to explain whatever she doesn't know with extreme patience.

Eleven is, in short, happy.

One day, however, things change. It's a completely accidental discovery, and it all starts when Max announces that she won't be joining club activities that afternoon.

"I have a family thing," she explains with a strange tone. Scanty. Reserved. "My stepbrother… will pick me up."

No one seems to notice the inflection that Eleven distinguishes in her voice. Concerned, she considers delving into her mind, but ends up deciding against it, considering that she herself has made Henry promise to keep his distance from what is private.

And while Max would have no idea of her invasion, Eleven doesn't want to do to her what she herself rejects.

She lets it go, then.

If it's something important and her friend wants to tell her about it, she wants to believe that she will do so it in the future.

This is why the discovery is indeed accidental: just a few minutes after Max has said goodbye to everyone and has left the classroom, Eleven notices that she still has one of the notebooks that her friend lent her in the previous period. Running, she follows her.

She catches up with her in front of the school building. Standing in front of her, arms folded and leaning against an electric blue car, is a blond boy. Eleven starts to walk towards them when she sees one of the boy's hands suddenly closes around Max's arm like a vise. As if that were not enough, the boy, much taller than her friend, leans down to talk to her, and both his glare and the way he grits his teeth when addressing her give her a very, very bad feeling.

If she had any doubts, when the boy pushes her into the open passenger door of the vehicle, Eleven knows that she can't let this go.

However, she barely takes a step in their direction when foreign arms surround her at the height of her clavicle.

Her body freezes at the contact, but soon she hears Mike's voice in her ear: "I know it's upsetting, but think of Max; don't rush into things."

Eleven stops for good when she hears his words. Mike, apparently convinced that she won't try anything, drops his arms. In silence, they both watch as the blue car exits the school parking lot and heads down the road.

"Max…" Eleven murmurs.

"Yeah," Mike agrees. "I know."

Eleven turns, then, and glares at him: "You knew… about this?"

"For a few weeks, yeah," he admits, wrinkling his nose. "And once he even tried to run us over while we were riding our bikes." Eleven looks at him stunned; the boy's expression softens. "But, Jane…"

Eleven's lips quiver, and she feels like she's going to do something stupid, really stupid, if she remains subjected to Mike's rueful expression.

That's why she walks by and leaves him talking to himself.

"Jane!" he calls, running after her. "Wait, let me explain!"

"Friends don't lie," Eleven retorts as she continues walking steadily, throwing his favorite mantra back at him.

"Yeah, I know, I know, Jane, but this isn't… Jane, listen to me!"

Eleven rounds the hallway: even though Mike is faster than her, just this once she allows herself to use just a little bit of her abilities, so that when he finally catches up with her, his eyes are unable to find her.

Thus, leaning against one of the lockers in absolute silence, she waits for him to leave.

"Jane? Jane!" he keeps calling her, to no avail, before resuming his search in another direction. "Argh, shit…"

Finally alone, Eleven wipes her tears with the sleeves of her shirt.