Without You //Mileven

26# One-shot: I'm Stupid

They're fourteen.

Hopper's POV:

I open the door to the cabin to find El sitting on the couch. What the hell is she doing home? I sit down next to her on the couch. Her face is wet with tears, and her eyes are puffy.

"What's wrong?"

She was supposed to be at Will's house.

"I'm stupid..."

My eyes widens and El starts crying once again. I swear to god I will kill those kids if they said anything to her about being stupid. She's not stupid, just a bit late on things.

"Who said that?"

"No one. The others were talking about stuff I don't know what is. I know they weren't trying to be mean. I just don't understand. I told them you were picking me up further down the road and walked home."

I sigh and I put my arm around her shoulders. El snuggles further into me, and I smile slightly. El closes her eyes before I can say anything.

"Goodnight dad", El mumbles.

I go stiff for a bit. She has never called me that before. I can't stop myself from grinning. I pick El up and walk towards her bed. I lay her down under the covers and kiss her forehead.

"Goodnight El."

Mike's POV:

"Please shut your mouth Dustin!" Lucas exclaims.

"I'm just stating that El hasn't contacted us for two weeks." Dustin says.

I keep staring at the wall while they're bickering. Did something happen to her? Is she mad at me? Was it something I said. Oh god she's going to break up with me.

"Calm down Mike, I'm sure she's fine. And if she wasn't , I'm sure Hopper would have told us" Max tells me.

Right. It's not like he has kept something from me. Oh yeah, he did.

"I'll go to her house after school okay?"

"Why you Max?" I ask her rudely.

"Because I'm her best friend. I promise to tell you if it's something important."

I scoff and go back to starring at the wall.

Eleven's POV:

Someone knocks the secret knock so I open the locks with my mind. Max is standing outside the door and I let her in.

"Well you're okay, so why haven't you contacted us?" Max asks me.

I look down and shrug.

"There's a reason. Just tell me okay? I won't tell the others if you don't want me to."

I look up and point towards the couch. We walk towards it and sit down. Max is looking at me, waiting for me to explain.

"I'm stupid," I whisper softly.

"What? No you're not. Tell me who said that I will find them and punch them so hard that they-"

"It's me. I think I'm stupid."

Max calms down and looks at me a bit confused. She takes my hand in hers and I take a deep breath.

I tell her about why I feel stupid and that Hopper didn't pick me up that day.

"You should have told us El. We could have explained it or talked about something else. You're not stupid okay? You just haven't had the same education that we have had. I actually think that you are smarter than us. You just need to lean a couple of things and puff, suddenly you'll be the one to explain things to us."

I smile at Max words and I give her a hug. I believe the things she just told me. I am smart, maybe not as clever as the others, but I'm not stupid. 

I contact Mike after Max left and talked with him all day until Hopper came home.

Mike thinks I'm clever too.

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Hey guys!

I'm going to London in January to see "Wicked"! I'm really exited.

Did you like this one-shot?

See you next Saturday.

Stay Strange!

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