A reason to fight for.//elmax-Madmage

Chapter 36:

-Sit., said Max as she sat down on the stairs.

Eleven sat down next to her girlfriend, not taking her eyes off her. Max chuckled and wiped the blood from Eleven's nose. The brunette was looking at her with that familiar Max knew that she had to talk at some point, about everything.

-Do you know what those girls had in mind? Madison and her friend?, asked the redhead looking at her girlfriend.

-Hurt you?, replied Eleven tilting her head.

-Yes, but do you know how?, wondered Max.

-Hit you?, guessed the brunette still not understanding.

-Remember the conversation we had at Hope's house?, asked the older girl.

-R-Rape?, wondered Eleven.

-Yeah..., replied Max.

-Th-they wanted to rape y-you?, asked the younger girl her voice shaking.

-They reached for my pants and wanted to open my belt and yeah., explained the redhead.

-We need t-to tell the principal, M-Max., said Eleven.

-No. No way. We are not telling anyone. And why is your voice like that?, replied the older girl putting her hand on Eleven's cheek.

-Because I don't...I don't want them t-to hurt you, Max., admitted the brunette.

-They won't, okay? I can protect myself and I have you., said Max trying to convince her girlfriend.

-Max, please., begged the younger girl.

-No. El, you don't know what it's like, okay? It's humiliating. And the way you feel when someone is holding you still, tying to hurt you, and there's nothing you can do to keep yourself safe. You feel helpless. A person top of you, holding you down, your hands pinned to the floor, their cold breathe on your neck as they whisper into your ear. I don't ever want to tell anyone about it. Because maybe...maybe if I try to forget Neil and Madison, I could maybe pretend that it never happened and just...move on., explained the redhead.

-Neil raped you?, frowned Eleven.

-No. He almost did, but my mom begged him to stop, s-so he raped her. I could hear her screams El. I could hear her sobbing, begging him to stop, but he didn't. He kept hurting her. Forcing his own wife., continued Max.

-But you can't ignore it, Max. It a-almost happened. Twice. Yo-You need to talk about it. And ask for help. Because Madison is still out there, a-and I don't think she'll stop only because we managed to free ourselves. She'll come b-back for us. She will try to hurt you...us again. P-please. I'm begging, Max. Please., pleaded the brunette.

-Jane, please. I can't. I'm not ready. Please respect it and don't tell it to anyone. Keep it to yourself. Please. Friends don't lie, but friends also keep each other's secrets.  So please, keep it?, pleased Max.

-I'm not your friend, remember?, smirked Eleven copying Max's sentence from a few days ago.

-You're a dork., chuckled Max as she leaned in to place a soft kiss on Eleven's lips.

Eleven pulled away and brought her in for a long and warm hug. She knew that Max was stubborn and that she needed time to think about it. At least she accepted the hug without showing any signs of fear, meaning that everything that happened didn't affect her that bad, right? Eleven just wanted Max to be happy and feel safe and comfortable, but she knew that it wasn't that easy. So, she had an idea.

-Okay listen-, tried the brunette.

Max groaned dramatically which made Eleven chuckle.

-Just listen., said the younger girl pushing her playfully.

-I am, I am., confirmed the redhead.

-Okay, so...what if you...talked with Robin about all of this?, suggested Eleven.

Max sighed and looked her girlfriend in the eyes.

-I guess I could do that, since I trust her enough to talk about such things., replied the older girl.

-Promise?, asked the brunette.

-Yes. I promise., nodded Max.

-Sooooooo..., continued Eleven.

-What?, chuckled the redhead.

-What happened last night?, asked the younger girl obviously curious.

-N-Nothing. And how do you even-...Were you spying on me?, wondered Max.

-I missed you..., pouted the brunette which made her girlfriend chuckle.

There was a short pause of silence, until the redhead decided to reply.

-I had a nightmare. It has been happening since, well, since the Billy incident. I dream of Billy and Neil and evening Brenner. I don't really remember what the dreams are about, I just remember and feel the fear that I felt during the dream, like it's still haunting me., explained Max avoiding her girlfriend's gaze.

-Can I sleep over tonight?, asked Eleven blankly.

-Uh, I mean, I would love that but I need to ask Robin and you need to ask Hopper., chuckled the redhead.

-Then let's go!, said the brunette standing up.

Eleven hugged her girlfriend again, wanting to feel close to her and give her the love and affection that she deserved.

-Alright, let's ask., giggled Max.

————————————————————————
A/N: I know that it's pretty short but I just needed a filler chapter so here it is