Stranger Things: Max & Lucas

Chapter 1: Steps

Perspective: Narrator

Max slams the front door of her house. She then sits on the porch, ties the laces of her shoes, grabs her skateboard from beside her and skates down the road towards school.

Hawkins is a small town so it doesn't take long to get anywhere, and Max would skate to school any day if it meant she wasn't stuck in the car with her brother.

When she arrives at Hawkins Middle school she flips her skateboard, catching it skilfully and then rests it underneath her arm. She sees Dustin sitting in front of the double doors at the front of the school. Waving towards him, she walks over and sits down next to him on the steps.

"Hey what's up?" Max asks.

"Not much. I'm just waiting for Mike and Will, 'cause we have to see Mr. Clarke in the lab," Dustin says.

"Oh cool. Do you know when Lucas is getting here?" Max replies.

"No. Why?" Dustin asks questioningly, looking over at Max with a smug look on his face.

"No reason..." she says, feeling a surge of heat inflame in her cheeks at the question.

Thankfully the questions were put to rest after Will and Mike turn up. Dustin jumps up and the three walk off towards the lab to work on their latest project together, leaving Max by herself.

A few minutes later Max sees Lucas over at the bike racks locking up his bike. She quickly starts to untangle some of the unruly knots in her bright ginger hair. As he starts walking up the path Max tries to look natural. She moves her bag, leaving a spot for him to sit next to her on the steps.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lucas asks, sitting down next to her.

"Not much, the other guys just went in the lab." Max looks at him.

"Cool," Lucas shuffles awkwardly and the conversation dies, leaving  the two sat in silence.

The bell rings making a loud, quick and sharp sound, breaking the tension between the two.
"We better get to class," Lucas says.

"Yeah," Max says getting off the steps as quickly as possible before the other kids start barging through the doors.

*****

After the final bell rang, the famous party all meet at the bike rack, where they all left their bikes.

"Hey, maybe we could go to the arcade together?" Max asks the group.

" I can't, I've got to go straight back home. Heaps of homework 'cause I got extra in English," said Dustin sadly.

"Yeah me too." Says Mike.
Max looks at Lucas and Will hopefully.

"My mum wants me straight home every night as soon as possible, cause she's still paranoid I guess." Will looks up to see his brothers car in the car park with Jonathan in it waiting for him.
"Better go. Jonathan is here," he says.

Max glances at Lucas, waiting to see what he is about to say.

"I can come to the arcade," Lucas says, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me then," Max said with a little laugh.

Lucas grabs his bike, Max grabs her skateboard and the pair start to make their way to the arcade.

The conversation started off slow but soon enough the tension and awkwardness was gone.

"I can't believe what happened last semester, it's so crazy to think about all that happened," Max says.

"Yeah I know right. I kinda enjoyed it. I mean not losing Will and the whole Demi-dog attack," he explains quickly, "but it was fun to have an adventure and stuff, it's kinda boring now," he shrugs his shoulders.

"Yeah, I get what you mean."

All of a sudden Lucas sees a flash of red; a car is hurtling around the corner at full speed. Lucas pushes Max out of the road jumping into the bush just after her. They lay on the fertile ground for what felt like hours, but in reality it was only a few seconds.
Both getting up from the ground slowly, the pair dust themselves off.
The air smells like burnt tar, and gas. Max coughs and splutters as she breathes in the harsh fumes.

"What just happened?" Max spluttered.

"That car was out of control, and about to hit us." Lucas explains.

"Well thanks. You know for saving me and all." she says awkwardly twirling her hair, looking at the ground.

"Don't even worry about it." He wrings his hands together hoping that she doesn't notice how sweaty his palms are.

"Is my bike and your skateboard okay?" Lucas asks, suddenly remembering.
Max pulls Lucas' bike out and her skateboard. Other than the bike handle being twisted and the flashlight falling off, the bike was in good condition. Unfortunately for Max, one of the wheels on her skateboard had fallen off after Lucas landed on it.

"I'm sorry about your skateboard." He says, his voice soft and sincere.

"It's okay, really don't worry about it, I'll just carry it and when I get home I will screw it back on." She replies.
Lucas stood there for a solid minute, his gaze drifting away with his thought.

"I know! You can get on the back of my bike and we can still get to the arcade?" he says tentatively.

"Okay.." she drifts off, a little skeptical but mostly nervous. "I'll just hold my skateboard?" Max looks at her broken skateboard.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." He replied.

Lucas gets on his bike and slides to the front a little further, making sure there is enough room for Max.

"Okay, you can get on now," he says slowly.
Max swings one leg over the bike, then the other, and adjusts herself closer to Lucas so she doesn't fall off the back.

"How do I hold on?" She asks.

"Umm. Just hold on to me," Lucas says, worried she will reject the idea.

"Okay," Max moves her arms deciding whether to hold his shoulders or around his torso. She moves her skateboard onto the seat, sitting on it slightly so it doesn't slip off.

"Are you ready to go?" Lucas asks.

"Yeah," She murmurs. Max slips her arms around his torso slowly, as if he might not notice. "Yeah. I'm ready." She says it louder this time so he can hear.

Lucas lifts his foot off the ground and starts peddling. The bike wobbles at first as he tries to gather his balance, but soon enough they are riding smoothly, and Lucas is picking up the pace, going faster and faster. He gets to a certain speed and decides to keep at that pace.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asks.

"Yeah, I'm good," Max says, slowly leaning closer to Lucas. She can feel his body heat against hers. She slowly leans her head against his shoulder, and she finally lets go of the tension in her body and relaxes against Lucas' back...