𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥

021. It Gets Better.

NANCY GOT changed into new set of clothes as Robin and Val just changed back into the same clothes in the bathroom, Robin letting out a huge sigh when she took off that wretched bra Nancy gave her. "Val?" She looks over as she pulled her shirt on.

"Yeah, Rob?" Val glanced over and Robin turns around. "You doing okay?" She steps closer, putting her hands around her girl's waist. "Yeah..." She whispers and Robin stares at her through the mirror. "I saw the way you were acting in the car... you're constantly anxious. Maybe if you--if you talk about it, it could help." The girl says quietly to her.

Val didn't even hear the words in her head, she just focused on Robin's raspy voice, so she just turned around. "I'm okay. Promise." She says, smiling and Robin sighs. "We should go join the others." Val nods, heading for the door as they were both dressed now, returning the clothes they burrowed to Nancy who just tossed them into the laundry basket.

"Hey." She said suddenly before they leave the room. "I just wanna thank you both for all your help... especially your little speech, Robin." She says, giving a sweet genuine smile and Val smiles, squeezing Robin's hand in hers. "Yeah, that speech was pretty badass, Robbie." She says, gushing as her girlfriend blushed, "oh. That--that was nothing." She says and Nancy shook her head.

"It wasn't nothing, Robin. You got us to get a one-on-one with Victor. It was everything." She says and Val points to her. "Don't you mean three-on-one?" She asked and Nancy chuckles. "Let's head down..." She says and they do so, heading downstairs to the main floor then downstairs again to the basement where Steve was talking the teens.

"Okay, so here's the plan," Steve turns to the three. "We take turns watching Max." He says and Val sighs. "Okay... who gets first watch?" She asked, glancing at Max who got up. "Can I decide that?" She asked and Val nods. "Of course." She smiles faintly.

"Then you can, because I want to talk to you..." She says and Val just nods. "Okay..." She says and Max brought the two of them over to the other side of the basement as Robin lays on the couch, Nancy sitting at the end of it, resting her head. Even when they were sitting over there, Max didn't talk yet and Val was just waiting. It was only afterwards when the others fell asleep, probably exhausted from the long day that they have had.

"What's wrong, Max?" Val whispers and the redheaded girl glanced to her. "Do I ruin everything?" She asked quietly and Val furrowed her brows. "What?" She's taken back by the question. "Like... with Lucas." She says and Valerie tilts her head to the side a bit, letting out a small sigh. "Relationships can be rocky... especially when you're so young and it's your first one." Is all she says.

"Is Robin your first relationship?" Max asked, looking at her and Val glance back. "No. Sadly not." She sighed and shrugged. "But I love her. She's... my first love." She looks down and Max just smiles faintly. "I just... I feel like I ruin everything. I ruined what happened with my family... I ruined it with Lucas. I ruin everything." She said quietly to Val.

"It's easy to think and feel that way when nothing goes right in your life... but it's true when people say it gets better. It did for me." The Smith girl now gestured to herself as the Mayfield girl glanced up. "It gets better." She repeated and Valerie just nods.

Max Mayfield, hearing that come from so many people, family who heard about Billy's death, Ms. Kelley, and everyone else like her teachers, it sounded like a load of bullshit. But Valerie Smith... she doesn't know what it is, but she's oddly comforted by this.

The girl who fought off Demo-dogs for her, Lucas and Dustin with Steve, who wielded a gun to protect them against those monsters, who told Max that Mike being mean to her was gonna pass, that they'd soon become friends, who danced with Dustin at the Snow Ball when he had no one, "Queen of Hawkins high", co-captain of the cheer squad, the girl who witnessed her cheer captain fall victim to Vecna, and she's quite literally one of the few people Max looks up to a lot.

Her saying it gets better, Max believes. "I--I usually hate when people say that because it's a load of bullshit," she says and Val chuckles, but she couldn't help but agree. "But it means a lot coming from you..." The redhead glanced away and the curly headed girl smiles brightly, glancing around. "Was that all you wanted to talk about?" She then asked Max.

"Can I tell you what happened... at the--the graveyard?" Max asked now, in a small quiet tone as she looks at Val who nods quickly. "Of course..." She said and reached out, giving Max's shoulder a gentle squeeze as a way to comfort and encourage her.

Max got to talking about what happened, that Vecna was after her, using Billy against her and at the mention of that, Val frowned in both anger and empathy for the girl. She watched her own brother die just seven months ago, and this Vecna guy uses it against her, making her emotionally vulnerable.

When she was done talking, Max had tears in her eyes and Val sighs. "This Vecna guy is getting on my nerves." She murmured and Max glanced over at her. "And how are you doing, Val? I mean... just two days ago, you watched Chrissy Cunningham, someone you knew practically your whole life die in front of you." At the mention of Chrissy, the flashes of that night came back again.

Val just glanced off to the side, her eyes gaining a blank stare in them which made Max get worried. Then a glint of something, sadness flashed in her eyes for a moment which Val tries her best to hide right away as she looks at Max, sighing and smiling faintly.

"I--I like to think she's at least at peace now... she wasn't happy, Max." She whispers and Max glanced away. "I miss her very much, but... she was suffering a lot, and in silence. I mean, she was ready to buy drugs from Eddie to make it stop." She explains to her.

"Oh..." Max says quietly and Val quickly realized how it sounded. That Max would never be at peace and happy again until she became one of Vecna's victims. "Max, we'll figure it out." Val says suddenly and Max looks up at her. "Yeah... I--I know." She smiles softly and Val glanced away, taking a small sigh.

"You should try and get some sleep." She says and Max just glanced away. "I--I can't sleep." Is all she says and Val nods. "Me neither, so I can't blame you." She glanced over and Max now realizes the big dark circles under Val's eyes, making her even more worried about when was the last time Val got a good night sleep. But neither say anything anymore. It's now quiet between them, Max eventually slipped on her headphones and blasted Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush.

Val quickly understood why Max listens to that song, still hearing it a bit and listening to the lyrics. Making a deal with God to swap places with someone... Val can really relate with that, glancing down with a frown.

 

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

  

   

   

  

   

authors note val and max bonding bc why not and i love them both 🫶🏼