Daisies || Max Mayfield

33: He's back

Lucas was staring at everything as it went down. He looked like he was about to pull a bag of popcorn out of nowhere and watch us like a fucking movie.

"Can we just stop fighting, for like, one minute?" Mike asked. "And where the hell is Dustin?!"

"Probably with Steve, being his little stuck-up bitch." I rolled my eyes.

"Where did that come from?" Will asked.

I scoffed, glancing at the pool of water around Will's feet. "Are you gonna bring that puddle everywhere or are you gonna change?"

"I don't have any clothes."

"Yeah, me too." 

"Can you guys all just apologize?" Lucas asked.

"For what?" Mike and I said at the same time.

"Being assholes to each other."

I shrugged. "Can I borrow a t-shirt?"

He looked me up and down. "Maybe."

"Get Will something too," Lucas added, watching Mike walk to the stairs.

"Got it." He nodded, running up the stairs.

After a moment of silence, I leaned back against the couch and smiled. "So, the mind flayer."

Will nodded. "I can feel him. He's in Hawkins."

"Ugh. Creepy."

Will nodded, looking back to Lucas.

"So, Max called you a dyke?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"I dunno."

"Was it because of that thing you said the other day?" Lucas muttered. "About Phoebe Cates?"

"Jesus Christ," Will muttered.

"She probably said it because apparently, that's what I look like."

Lucas stared at me. "Is that Max's sweater?"

"Yeah."

He nodded. "Are you a lesbian?"

"No, no, of course not." I shook my head. I think I might've done it too much, and it looked super obvious that it was a lie.

"Okay, cool."

"Alright, Will, here's some stuff." Mike bounded down the stairs and handed him a folded pile of clothes, grabbing a yellow t-shirt off the top and handing it to me. "And for the resident flower."

"I've never been called the resident flower before," I muttered, taking the shirt. "Is this clean?"

"Yes, ask my mom if you don't believe me."

"Thanks."

He rolled his eyes. "So, where are the girls?"

"El's, probably."

He scoffed. 

"When did you tell her, Will?" Lucas turned to him. "About you."

"She asked." He muttered, glancing at me. "Do you want to change in the bathroom?"

"Oh, yeah." I took Mike's shirt and closed the door almost all the way, leaving it open enough so I could hear what they were talking about.

"How do we reach them?" Mike asked.

"Reach who?" Lucas said.

"The girls. El and Max."

"Well, I doubt they're gonna wanna talk to you now," Will added. "Especially with your nana lie."

"Hopper threatened me!"

"Mike!" The door at the top of the stairs flew open. I couldn't tell whose voice it was yet.

"What?!" I cringed at the sound still, but I'd gotten used to the random shouting—kind of.

"It's late!" Karen Wheeler. I left the bathroom, wearing the clean shirt and tossing my wet one over the drying rack by the washing and drying machine.

"I know!"

"Come up and get ready for bed please!"

Mike groaned, going to the stairs. "Mom, this is really important."

"I don't care if it's important, it's past nine." She replied. "And it's time for you kids to get to bed.

"It is nine o'clock." He said. "That is not that late."

She sighed and slammed the door shut again. Her footsteps began on the staircase above us, on going to the second story.

"Alright, I'm calling again." Lucas grabbed the walkie-talkie, un bunching the antenna.

"I'll call." Will reached for the phone, still in his wet clothes.

"I got it," I muttered, taking it from his hand. "Go change."

He nodded, turning away.