camp love ~elmax story~

pt. 3

max's pov:

me and el were still laughing, when she spoke. "what part of town do you live in?" she asked. "oh, i live infront of that forest that lovers lake is in." i told her. her face turned from a plain simple smile, to a big grin. "really!? i live behind that forest!" she told me. "that's so cool! we could hang out once!" i suggested. "yeah that sounds great!" el said still with a smile.

i looked over and saw all four boys swimming towards us. "hey guys, should we get back to camp?" will suggested. el looked at me, and i shrugged. "yeah sure, it's getting cold anyways." el said. we all swam back to the land, and got out of the lake. now that we were all out of the lake, and not used to the warm water, it felt alot colder then it really was. i grabbed my towel and put it over me as el, and all the boys did the same. i picked up my sweater off the ground, and noticed it had mud on it. "shit." i muttered.

because i didn't want to be covered in mud, i just kept my hoodie off. so what if i get cold? "so what do you guys wanna do now?" mike asked. "how about we just go back to your guys cabin and just hang out?" dustin suggested. "yeah that sounds good." el said. "alright let's go." dustin said as he started to walk. we all followed him, but me and el were way behind them, just out of ear shot.

"it's so cold.." i told el. "yeah, who thought it could get cold in summer?" she asked while slightly laughing. "y-yeah.." i said while starting to chatter my teeth. el looked over at me, and her face went from happy, to concerned. "here, wear my hoodie." el said while passing me her sweater. "no it's fine reall-" "take it." el said in a serious tone. "are you sure?" i asked one final time. "yes please take it!" she said while giving it to me. "thanks.." i said while smiling, and feeling my face warm up. i put on her sweater, and it smelt like her perfume, and i started to feel my face get even more warm, and my stomach full with even more butterflies.

~

"so max, since your the new one in town, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" lucas suggested. "uhm.. okay.." i said feeling a bit nervous since all eyes were on me. "uh, i was born in california, and lived there untill i was 13, and i moved here a week before my 14th birthday, and i've lived here for like a month." i told them. i looked at all of their faces, and none of them seemed interested, exept lucas, and el. "wait are you gonna go to hawkins middle when school starts again?" lucas asked. "uh yeah, and next year freshman in hawkins high." i told them. a smile spread across el's face as she spoke. "no way! all of us are going into the last year of hawkins middle this year too!" she said with a smile.

"so we're all the same age?" i asked. "we're all 14!" lucas told me. "that's so cool!" i told him. "so anything else you need to know?" i continued. mike looked annoyed from my quetion. "uhm, any hobbies?" lucas asked. "well i love skateboarding, the arcade, going to the mall-" i stopped when i noticed el's face light up. "we should go to the mall together next week when camp is over!" she suggested with a smile on her face. "yeah that sounds awesome!" i told her.

i was a little surprised i actully agreed, but you can't say no to that face!

"okay, anything else or can we talk about something else?" mike asked in an annoyed tone. both el and lucas gave him a 'what the hell?' look. "okay, i have red hair, blue eyes, i'm 5'4, and i'm very sarcastic and i'm very mean." i told him in a rude tone. "yeah no shit.." he muttered.

suddenly i felt really bad. shit, this is why i can never keep friends around. i was just mean to one of my new friends, and i was not even trying to be. it's just.. ever since i found out him and el used to date, it just made me really sad and.. jealous.. just thinking about it put me in a bad mood. just seeing mikes face made me upset.

"i'm hungry, who wants to go get something to eat with me?" mike asked as he stood up. will, dustin, and lucas all stood up and followed him out of the cabin, just leaving me and el alone.

"are you okay?" el asked in a concerned tone. "uh yeah i'm sorry i snapped, i just do that without really thinking.." i admitted to her. "it's okay, everyone gets frustrated once and awhile, and mike is not the easiest to get along with." she told me. i nodded and stayed silent. "if you don't mind, i would love to hear more about you." el told me in a soft voice. i looked over at her kind of confused. "really? you won't care?" i asked her. "no, i would love to hear more about your life and get to know you a bit better." she told me.

i couldn't help but smile, and get more butterflies in my stomach.

"well uh, what do you wanna know?" i asked her. she thought for a minute, and then spoke. "why do you call yourself max, even though your name is maxine?" she asked. "oh uh," i said while awkwardly laughing. "well my stepdad and stepbrother called me maxine a lot, and first off i just hate it, it's just weird and girly, and second it just kinda reminds me of them.." i told her. "are they still in your life?" el asked me. "no thankgod.." i told her. "why do you hate them?" she asked.

that question caught me a little off guard, and normally i wouldn't tell anyone, little alone somebody i just met over two hours ago, but el.. i felt safe telling her. like i could trust her with my life.

"uhm.." i stuttered. "th-they.. hurt... me.." i stuttered. "what!? in what way!?" el asked. "uhm.. well.. my step dad used to get really angry, and used to," i said. "used to what, max?" el asked me in a concerned voice. "he hit me.. a lot.." i admitted to her. "what!? are you okay??" she asked me while getting closer. "i'm okay now.." i quietly told her as i felt a tear fall down my cheek.

shit, why was i crying infront of her!? i DONT cry, especially not infront of people!!

"what about your brother?" el asked me. "uhm.. he was never really that violent.. he just screamed at me a lot.." i told her. "where are they now!? i swear if they're in hawkins-" "no, they're not.." i told her. "my stepbrother died in a car accident last year, and my stepdad divorced my mom.." i continued. "max i'm so sorry.." el said as she grabbed my hands.

as she did that, the butterflies were back once again, and i could feel my face heating up.

"uhm.. why do you call yourself el when your name is jane?" i asked her trying to change the subject. "oh, it's a long story.." she told me. "well i have a long time." i told her while trying to lighten the mood. "uh well when i was a baby i was kidnapped.. and my fake dad named me elanoor, but when i was 12 i escaped, and my dad jim hopper adopted me, and i found out my really name is jane, but i liked elanoor, but it's a long name, so just el." she told me.

just before i could speak, all four boys ran into the cabin. "guys i have a great idea!" dustin said. "what is it?" el asked. "how about we all have a sleepover in your guys cabin?" dustin suggested. el looked over at me and i gave a thumbs up. "yeah sure that sounds great!" el told them.