The Way She Makes Me Feel-Elmax [UNDER EDITING]

|Chapter 4-NO!|

Art By: Sthep Loop

⚠️This chapter contains HEAVY implications of past sexual trauma and sexual assault ⚠️
If you are triggered by this topic go elsewhere‼️‼️‼️

-Max's POV-

I continued pacing around the room. I wanted to argue with Will and El's story because it didn't sound real, but it made sense. It explained why Dustin and Lucas didn't want Mike to bring El to a sleepover with me, who was considered a stranger. It explained how El was able to hurt Dustin just by glaring at him, and it explained El and Mike's fight that happened only an hour or two ago.

I looked over to El, finally processing everything I was just told. "So you have superpowers?" I asked.

She nodded. "I can show you. Again."

El left us all into the living room and turned the TV on before she started rapidly changing the channels. Once she turned it off again she looked to the broken bottle on the floor and picked up all the shards and threw them into the trash, all without moving a muscle. She did the same to some crushes up cans lying around. I assumed she also threw those at Mike.

She turned to face Will and I again and I could see the blood tribbling down from her nose. She took one of the tissues she still had in her hand and wiped away the spare blood.

I guessed I must've look scared or concerned because the next thing she said was: "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

"I know," I told her. "I didn't think you would." A small smile broke onto her lips and I wondered if she even knew she was grinning.

"So if you're not in too bad of a mood," Will started. "Max and I really wanted to have a sleepover here tonight. Only if it's okay with you though. You just went through a lot."

"Of course," El beamed, excitement now written all over her face. "I'll get the other blankets!"

***

"AAHHH!" El screamed before slapping her hands over her face.

I convinced her and Will to watch Halloween, which somehow neither of them had ever watched. It was my favorite movie easily and obviously a classic. I don't know how they both missed it.

"C'mon El, that wasn't even scary," I laughed. "He just grabbed the knife!"

El peeked through her hand and slowly began to put them back to their previous position in her lap. I reached over to Will and grabbed some popcorn out of the bowl he was holding. Once I began to chew, Michael in the movie began to walk up a flight of stairs. I couldn't decide what was more entertaining, watching my favorite movie of all time, or watching El and Will slowly retreat into themselves for only the introduction of the movie. Michael picked up a clown mask and put it over his face, giving ang audience member a limited view of what was going on in the movie. El tucked herself closer to me in fear and I let out a chuckle. Honestly, after everything they've told me I would've assumed they'd take horror movies like champs.

"What is he doing?" El asked. "No! Will he kill the girl? I thought she is the sister."

Michael peaked into the topless blonde, the music climbing as he did. Now I had to admit, this part made my heart speed up as well, just in a different way than El and Will's. I looked away from the TV and began to stare somehow, anywhere, else.

"NO!" El and Will exclaimed at the same time. Even though I was staring at the wall, I knew that at this point Michael was walking up to the girl.

"I won't watch!" El shrieked as she buried her face in between the couch and my arm. My natural instinct is to pull away, my skin feeling like fire where she touched, but I remained still as a silent compromise. She watched a movie she wouldn't normally watch, and I let her find physical comfort in me despite me not liking being touched at all.

Once Michael finished brutally killing the blonde girl, Will tapped El, causing her to peak from her hiding spot.

"It's over," he said to her, his eyes glued to the screen.

Eventually, El returned back to her original position and I got to watch both El and Will's hilarious reactions as Michael was revealed to be no older than maybe seven.

After the movie went off, I convinced them both to watch Halloween two, which wasn't as scary but still fun. After that movie had gone off it was way past midnight and the three of us all decided to turn in for the night.

Will and I crashed on a pallet we made on El's floor, and for awhile the three of us were whispering about random things but once both of them drifted off to sleep I was left alone, lying awake in the dead of night.

Not being able to sleep at night wasn't a foreign concept to me. I was quite the insomniac, especially when sleeping around others. Right as I started to drift off, Will began to jerk violently in his sleep and mutter quietly. He mentioned having nightmares when him and El told me about everything. I couldn't help but empathize with him, knowing exactly what it was like to be in his position. I wrapped an arm around the tiny boy and placed my other hand on his back and rubbed slowly. He stopped talking under his breath pretty soon after that, but every once in a while, a violent shudder would rock through his whole body. Once his nightmare passed, I finally fell asleep myself .

-The Next Morning-

When I woke up the sun was already up and shining, it's light temporarily blinding me through El's translucent curtains. I looked around the room to find that El and Will were nowhere to be seen. I got up and followed the sweet and savory aroma of breakfast cooking and found the pair in the kitchen. El was waiting on some Eggos in the toaster and Will was trying to avoid getting popped by bacon grease over the stove.

"Mornin'," I said, my voice still froggy from me just waking up.

"Hi Max," Will said before he gasped and pulled his hand away from the bacon.

"Good morning!" El cheered with a smile and a wave. Of course I smiled back.

"Where's the chief?" I asked. I've only seen him maybe one time all week and he was just heading out the door. I assumed he worked late shifts but I figured he'd at least be here in the morning.

"Working two shifts," El says. "He's feels better working so much because you're here to keep me not alone." For a moment I get excited that she only said me. That's until I realized she probably meant the both of us and just didn't know how to express that.

I quickly head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and tame my unruly hair and once I finish that I head back to the kitchen and pour us all some orange juice. Once breakfast is all finished cooking we all sit at the table-well El and Will sit, I insist on standing next to the table-and we all eat and talk.

Suddenly the phone rings and we all flinch at the loud noise. Before I can even offer Will gets up to answer it.

"Hello?" He said into the receiver. Shortly after he sighed. "What do you want?" Another pause. "No we're not going... okay fine. Whatever." He hung up and turned to us.

"Who was it?" I asked.

"Mike." El and both immediately sighed. "He wants us at his house for a party meeting."

"And you said okay," I said.

"Sorry," Will mumbled. "I'll call him back and tell him-"

"It is fine," El declared. "We'll go."