ELMAX - [girls just wanna have fun]

Chapter two : Stupid

Eleven and Max stumbled down the hill, hands interlocked, laughing and exchanging glances as they approached the boys.

"What the hell took you so long?" Dustin asked

"We're tired and hungry, come on!" added Will

"Yeah and what is this, you two are best friends suddenly?" Mike questioned, noticing their intertwined fingers.

"So, what if we are, Mike? it's none of your business!" Max retorted "El can have more than one best friend you know, and she certainly doesn't need you telling her who she can and can't talk to!"

"Whoah, Max, chill out! Mike knows that, don't you?" Lucas stepped in glancing over at Mike who was stood, arms crossed in a defensive manner. The day those two stopped fighting would be the day pigs learned to fly, it seemed.

"Of course, I do! I never even suggested that you can't be friends with El, I was only asking, Jesus, Max you need to stop overreacting" Mike explained, however, contrary to his laid back tone he stood legs apart, arms folded with a frustrated frown on his face.

"Well maybe if you weren't so unnecessarily rude to me all the time, I wouldn't overreact so much" she retaliated moving closer towards Mike, pushing her pointed finger into his chest after every word, eventually forcing him to step backwards.

"Max calm down before you hurt him!" Lucas exclaimed watching in surprise.

"But you won't stop will you Mike? Will you?" she continued, ignoring Lucas "no you won't, and you know why? Because it's all you know how to do isn't it? Push people away so you can have everything just how you like it. Well guess who's doing the pushing now?" she shouted and, using both hands spread across Mike's chest, Max shoved him has hard as she could sending him stumbling backwards, tripping over his own feet, again and again until...

"STOP!"

Eleven stood forced herself in-between them, her hand held out confidently and her eyes were clasped shut.

Suddenly Mike felt his feet leaving the ground, his whole body became stiff as if it was frozen and he let out a small yelp of fear before looking over at Max and seeing that she too, was being held just above the ground.

Lucas Will and Dustin swapped panicked glances as they watched their friends floating in terror.

El opened her eyes and her nose ran red "Both of you are being stupid! Why can't I be friends with both of you when I don't want to choose?" she lowered her hand and Max and Mike fell to the ground, stunned into silence. "Mike, you were being an asshole, but you shouldn't have hurt him Max" she exclaimed "and before you ask, no I do not want you to give me a ride home on your bike Mike, or Max. I will walk myself home if that's okay with you?"

Mike sighed "El that's not safe, are you sure you don't wa- "

"I think I can handle myself tonight" El interrupted giving him a disapproving look as if to say: didn't you just see what I can do to a person? And she turned around and started walking back home.

The next afternoon

Eleven sat in the sitting room flicking aimlessly through daytime television and munching strategically through a box of Eggos. Suddenly, it came to her attention that the phone had been ringing persistently for about five minutes, she scrambled across the couch to pick up the handset.

"Hello this is Jane Hopper speaking, who is this?" she asked using her best answering-the-phone-voice that Hopper had taught her.

"Eleven? It's Max, I looked up your number in the phone book" she paused for a second "I hope that's okay"

El sighed and immediately went to put the phone down, she wasn't in the mood for more arguing.

"I called to apologise for what I did yesterday"

Out of curiosity, Eleven put the phone back to her ear

"apo-logise?"

"Yeah it means to say sorry and I really am truly sorry El, I know how much Mike means to you and I shouldn't have tried to hurt him and I know there's a whole story that I don't fully understand or even know so I can't really judge him and I-"

"It's okay Max"

"Wait really?"

"Yes, you forgave me yesterday and I promised I would be your friend and well..."

"friends don't lie" both girls said in unison and immediately giggled.

Eleven smiled as an idea popped into her head

"so...what do you want to know?" she asked

"wh- what do you mean?"

"about Mike, you said before that you don't know the full story"

"well yeah but it's okay, I don't need to know" Max held back the urge to scream out that she wanted to know everything, she was bubbling over with curiosity.

"I want to tell you today, can we meet?"

"omg!" Max exclaimed suddenly "you should come have a sleepover at my house, tonight!"

"a sleep-over?"

"I'll explain later just meet me at my house at seven-fifteen, oh, and bring a toothbrush and pyjamas"

"Toothbrush?" El paused "Max why would I need a toothbr-? "

The line went dead as Max put down the handset and ran to grab snacks and blankets, leaving El stood confused but with an exciting sensation fluttering around her stomach frantically.

Mike's basement: 7:00

Will, Lucas, Dustin and Mike sat in silence in the basement, the D&D board, long abandoned, lay in front of them and Eleven's blanket fort had collapsed in a heap in the corner of the room.

Finally, Lucas broke the silence "you should really apologise to Max you know Mike?" he urged

"Apologise? For what exactly Lucas? She was the one pushing me around so if anyone should be apologising – it's Max!" Mike stood up and paced the room, waving his arms around in frustration as he spoke.

Letting out a tired sigh Lucas stood up and held Mike's arms down by his side "Mike, stop being a baby and go apologise, it'll take you like two minutes!"

Mike shrugged away Lucas' grasp and mumbled a short "fine" as he headed towards the basement door. Just as he opened it, Will stood up and grabbed him anxiously on the shoulder, Mike turned and frowned.

"What? I'm going to apologise, isn't that what you all so desperately want me to do?"

Will's eyes darted around Mike's face, unsure of where to look, and he immediately felt his face flush red.

"It's dark...and cold out there, I thought you might want your coat, that's all"

Mike's whole face seemed to soften, and he gave Will a short smile "Thanks Will" he turned to the others with a scowl "at least someone here cares about me" and with that he slammed the door shut behind him and pedalled away into the night.