LVIII

"What did Mike want yesterday?" Max asks her the next day, sitting across from her at one of the tables at Benny's Burgers.

"He just wanted to ask me to the dance," she replies before taking a sip of her soda.

Max's eyebrows rise so high that Eleven thinks, for a moment, that they will reach her hairline. "Did you accept?"

Eleven nods. "Yeah."

"Your order, girls," Benny interrupts suddenly, then places their plates of hamburgers and fries on the table. "Enjoy!"

"Thank you, Benny," Eleven says with a smile.

She has liked the owner of the establishment—a bulky, bald man—ever since she's met him. She can't explain it—she's not the type to delve into other people's thoughts without a good reason—but somehow, she knows, in her heart of hearts, that Benny is exactly as he shows himself to be: a kind and caring man, with no ulterior motives.

The type of person who would help someone without expecting anything in return.

"Thank you." Max seems to agree with her, as she gives the man a friendly smile. Benny, in turn, just offers them a thumbs up and retreats to his place behind the bar with the content smile of someone who loves his work.

Anyway, Max has no qualms about picking back up the topic of conversation. "You said you accepted… Do you like Mike?"

Eleven frowns at that question and pops a fry into her mouth before answering: "Uh… yeah? I like him."

Max sighs and tries again: "No, I don't mean it like that. Not the way you like me or, I don't know, the way you like Will's mom. I mean… like a boy."

Max's smile is mischievous. This only puzzles Eleven further.

"Like a boy?"

"Yeah, you know, like a boyfriend," Max explains. "Like, Lucas asked me to the dance. Because he likes me."

This takes her by surprise. "He did?"

"Yeah," she corroborates with a rather unusual shy smile on her face. "And… Well, we'll see how it goes." She shrugs.

"Oh."

Max stares at her. "You said yes without knowing what it meant, didn't you?"

Eleven makes a grimace. "I… didn't know…"

The girl shakes her head. "Look, in any case, don't think about it too much: just enjoy the night. After all, Lucas and I are going too, and if I'm not mistaken, Dustin will be dragging Will. In other words, the whole group will be there."

Eleven laughs and inwardly appreciates the way her friend effortlessly eases her discomfort.

"Okay, let's eat!" Max urges. "Don't want it to get cold…"

Eleven doesn't need to be told twice.

The rest of the dinner is filled with jokes and anecdotes from both teenagers. Only after finishing eating does Max's face turn serious again.

"Say, I was thinking about what you told me."

Eleven knows she's referring to her stepbrother, so she just nods in affirmation.

"And I decided that I'm going to talk to Mom once the dance is over."

Instinctively, Eleven places a hand over her friend's. Max's gaze is vulnerable.

"Whatever… happens," Eleven mumbles, "I'm on your side."

Max smiles at her and captures her hand in hers. "You're my best friend, you know that?"

Eleven could cry with happiness at those words. However, she only outlines a shy smile. "And you mine, Max."