" I didn't do it on purpose you know"
" huh"
" leave the party. I was just excited that I actually made the team and by the time I realized what I did. I figured y'all wouldn't want me around."
" I can't speak for the rest of the party but I want y...
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"eleven" mike says as he slowly walks towards her.
"mike" El says as she walks towards him as well. once the two of them reach the middle of the room, they embrace each other.
"is that..." Max asked. Jeremiah just nodded, not really believing that she was s right in front of him.
"I never gave up on you," Mike tells her. "I called you every night, every night for—"
"three hundred and fifty-three days. I heard" El tells him.
"Why didn't you tell me you were there? that you were okay?" Mike asks but before she could respond, Hopper spoke up.
"because I wouldn't let her" he walks past mike so he can give her a hug.
"you've been hiding her. you've been hiding her this whole time!" Mike starts to hit hoppers back but before he can, hopper grabs his arm and takes him to a separate room to talk.
Jeremiah took this opportunity to go up to her before the others and hug her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground, making her laugh before setting her down.
"you're alive! Holy shit! you're alive!" Jeremiah exclaimed he was still trying to believe that she was right in front of him.
El reaches up and grabs the front piece of him bangs and plays with it. "still pretty"
Jeremiah smiles and runs a hand through his hair to fix it. "I like the new look. you look badass"
"bitchin'" El corrects.
"yeah, bitchin"
"Okay, you've had enough time with her," Dustin says as he pushes Jeremiah out of the way.
"yeah, jere, it's our turn," Lucas says as he and Dustin hug her at the same time.
"We missed you," Lucas tells her.
"I missed you, too," she tells them.
"We talked about you pretty much every day," Dustin informs her as they pull away from the hug.
El sticks her thumb inside Dustin's mouth making Jeremiah and lucas grimace. "teeth"
Dustin gives her a confused look. "what?"
"you have teeth," El clarifies.
"Oh. you like these pearls?" Dustin then growls at her. Jeremiah shakes his head at him. it's a bad habit that Dustin had picked up this year since his teeth had grown in.
"Eleven?" max calls out. Max walks up to them and holds out her hand for El to shake. "hey. um, I'm max. I've heard a lot about you"
El looks down at her hand and then back at her, then pushes past her and goes to greet Joyce.
"she's not very good with people," Jeremiah tells max, max nodded even though he knew she didn't believe him.
Everybody crowds around El and Joyce who are standing in the dining room. Mike is across the table, Jeremiah gives him a look, silently asking if he was okay. Mike nodded letting him know he was okay.
