𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐀𝐗
edited.
2653 words.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Eleven,
It has been 351 days since you are gone. Everyone has been good. I know you are probably worry about Mike, he is good too. My grammar is getting better, see? Will has been going to this doctor at the lab, it worry me a little bit. But other than that everything is going great. I miss you very much. Halloween is coming soon. It's a holiday where you get candy by knocking on doors. It's very fun. This year we are dressing-
"Hey you guys copy?"
y/n looked up from where she was writing her letter, looking over to the super com sitting on the bed. She quickly got up and grabbed it, climbing to the top bunk of the bed where Will sat, drawing.
She handed him the super com, the boy extending the antenna and turning it on. "I've got four quarters, What's your haul?" Dustin's voice rang through the radio, y/n realizing what they were talking about.
The girl reached into her pocket as Lucas responded. "Take your puny haul and multiply it by five." They could hear the cockiness in the boy's voice, Dustin responding. "How?" Lucas scoffed slightly, responding again.
"While you were scrounging around like a homeless bum I mowed old man Humphrey's lawn." y/n looked up at Will confused, the boy shuddering slightly. She held the button down, "Old man Humphrey?" The boys ignored the question, continuing to banter.
"Old man Humphrey's got that kinda cash?" Will smiled listening to his friend's fight, it wasn't very pleasant but he had missed it. "Whatever I've gotta go take a shower from doing work like a real man, over and out." Lucas' line went silent.
y/n finally pulled her hand out of her pocket revealing six quarters. She dumped them on the bed, watching as Will pulled a pouch from under his pillow. He dumped out eight more, the two kids smiling at one another.
"What about you guys? Will? Y/N?"
Will let y/n answer, the girl holding the mic to her mouth. "Together we have 15." Will shook his head, y/n frowning slightly. She went back to count in her head, realizing her mistake. "I mean, together we have 14."
Dustin smiled on the other line, "Great, I'll call Mike."
y/n smiled, "Over and out."
She grabbed her money and began climbing down from Will's bed, slipping into her converse as Will climbed down after her. He grabbed his shoes, running out of the room, y/n stopping at the desk briefly. She picked up the pen, writing as fast as she could.
I have to go but I will write more tomorrow. We are going to the arcade. Dustin and Lucas really like it there. Maybe you can come with us one day.
Love, your sister,
y/n Byers.
"y/n come on we're gonna leave you!"
y/n smiled at Joyce's voice, quickly picking up the letter and slipping it into the box under her bed, piles of paper already filling the box. "Coming mom!"
She had begun calling the woman mom around christmas time, Joyce almost cried when she did it for the first time. She held the girl to her chest, kissing her face all over.
"Car is starting!"
y/n quickly stood, grabbing Steve's hat and placing it over her now mid-back length hair, pulled into two braids. She ran from the room and out the door, hopping into the backseat.
"Let's go."
***
Joyce pulled up to the arcade, turning to Will and y/n. "Okay so I'm gonna pick you up in two hours, that's 9 o'clock on the dot." She began to ramble, y/n smiling. The woman finished a moment later, smiling. "Have fun."
The two kids climbed out the car, joining their friends as they walked into the arcade. They went straight over to Dragon's Lair, a game Dustin had been trying to beat for months. The boys yelled instructions at him, y/n smiling as she watched him play.
"No! No! No!" Dustin hit the machine as he lost, "I hate this overpriced bullshit! Son of a bitch!" Lucas smiled at the boy, setting a hand on his shoulder. "You're just not nimble enough, but you'll get there one day." He grinned, "Until then Princess Daphne is still mine!"
Dustin rolled his eyes, "Whatever, I'm still topped on Centipede and Dig Dug." A voice came from behind the kids, all of them turning. "You sure about that?" They turned to find Keith, a worker at the arcade.
y/n scrunched up her nose, taking a step closer to Will. She had never liked the man, though he did nothing wrong, he smelled weird and made her uncomfortable. "Sure about what?" Dustin questioned, Keith smiling and taking another bite of a cheeto.
The boy ran over to the game, y/n and the other's following behind. The top score on Dig Dug no longer belonged to him but instead to somebody named MadMax. "751300?!" Will cried with wide eyes, Dustin hitting the machine.
"That's impossible..." Mike mumbled, y/n looking up to keith. "Who is MadMax?" Keith shrugged at the girl, "Better than him." Dustin flipped the man off, Will speaking up. "Is it you?"
The man scoffed, "You know I despise Dig Dug."
"Then who is it?" Lucas spat, Dustin nodding. "Yeah spill it Keith!" He grinned, looking at Mike. "You want information, then I need something in return." The boys all looked at Mike, y/n looking confused to the ground.
"No! N-No no way! You're not getting a date with her!" Lucas groaned, "Come on! Just get him the date!" Mike shook his head, "I'm not prostituting my sister!" He exclaimed, y/n scrunching her nose.
She had never heard the word 'prostitute' before but it did not sound pleasant from the way Mike was yelling about it. She tugged Dustin's sleeve in confusion, the boy briefly whispering the meaning to her.
She frowned, glaring at Keith. She hated him even more now. Lucas threw up his hands, "It's for a good cause!" y/n shook her head, "No. It is not." Dustin nodded, turning to Keith. "You know what? Don't get him the date! He's gonna spread his nasty ass rash to your whole family!"
At the word rash y/n stepped back, shifting slightly behind Dustin. Keith squinted, "Acne isn't a rash and it isn't contagious you prepubescent wastoid." y/n tuned the conversation out when Keith began to use words she didn't understand.
She turned, Will no longer standing with the group. She followed him out the door, the boy staring at something in the sky. She closed her eyes, an image of what he was seeing appearing before her.
It looked as though he was in the upside down, the sky dark and cloudy. Red lightning flashed through the sky, thunder filling the air.
y/n opened her eyes, stumbling back slightly. She shook the boy, Will finally snapping back into reality. She grabbed his shoulders, worry lacing her voice. "What was that?" The boy looked at her with wide eyes, shaking his head.
"Will! y/n! What're you guys doing?"
Mike stood at the door, both kids turning to face him. "W-We just need some air." Will lied, y/n narrowing her eyes at him. The boy ignored her look, grabbing her hand and dragging her back inside with him.
***
y/n stood beside Will as he pulled open his locker, a piece of paper sticking out. She observed it over his shoulder, brows drawn. "Zombie boy?" She questioned, Will shaking his head. "It's a good thing! I'm fine promise!"
The girl narrowed her eyes at her best friend as he slammed his locker shut, grabbing her hand. He pulled her down the hall and to class, the two taking their seats as Mr.Clark began his lesson, setting down a model of a brain.
"Meet...the human brain."
He smiled, "I know, I know..." y/n tuned the man out as she pulled out a piece of paper, starting a new letter to Eleven. The door opened a minute later, y/n looking up. The principal stood there with a red haired girl.
"This must be our new student." The principal smiled, walking away. "Indeed it is, all yours!" The girl tried to walk away, Mr.Clark stopping her. "Hold up there, you don't get away that easy." He signaled to Dustin, smiling. "Dustin, drumroll."
The curly haired boy began to drum his fingers on his desk, y/n smiling at the small beats it made. "Class, please welcome, all the way from sunny California. The latest passenger to join us on our curiosity voyage, Maxine!"
The girl shook her head, obviously upset. "It's Max. Nobody calls me Maxine, it's Max." The boy's all exchanged glances, y/n finding herself staring at the girl. "Mad Max." She whispered, the girl brushing by her to get to a seat in the back, all the boy's turning to watch her sit.
***
"There's no way that's MadMax."
Will nodded, "Yeah girls don't play video games." y/n frowned slightly, the boy smiling nervously. "Girls that aren't you." Just like that the girl seemed fine again, Mike continuing his rant. "Even if they did, you can't get 751300 points on Dig Dug."
"But her name is Max." Lucas argued, Mike furrowing his brows. "So?" Lucas turned to look at him, pulling his eyes from the redhead. "So how many people do you know named Max?"
y/n thought for a second before nodding to the boy's point. "None." Dustin nodded, "Yeah exactly, and she shows up at school the day after someone with her same name breaks my top score. Are you kidding me?"
"Exactly! She's gotta be MadMax! She's gotta be!" Dustin smiled, "Plus she skateboards so she's pretty awesome." Both Mike and y/n frowned, the girl unsure why she did. "Awesome? You haven't even spoken a word to her!" Dustin turned back to the fence, motioning to the girl riding around.
"I don't have to, look at her- Shit! Lost the target!" Will looked to his right, spotting the girl walking up the steps. "There she is." Before going inside she dropped something into the trash, the boys all exchanging glances.
They rushed to go get whatever she dropped, the moment the girl was inside. Dustin basically threw himself in the trash can, the rest standing around him to block the view. A group of girls walked by, whispering about them.
"Got it!"
Dustin pulled himself out the trash can, unfolding the paper. "Stop spying on me creeps." They all read in unison, y/n smiling. She pointed at the boys with a grin. "Creeps." Lucas rolled his eyes at the girl, a voice calling from behind them.
"William Byers."
The group turned, the principal standing there. "Your mother is here." Will frowned, the principal escorting him out of the school. y/n walked around to the side of the building, watching as Will climbed into the car.
"You think he's okay?" Mike asked, Lucas shrugging. "He's always weird when he has to go in." y/n shook her head, thinking back to the conversation they had last night, Will asking her not to say anything about what she saw.
"It's not lying if nobody asks." He had said.
"He's quiet today." She whispered.
***
"Hey guys."
The room door opened, Jonathan coming in with a handful of VHS tapes. "I didn't know what you guys would like so I got a variety." Will looked up from his spot on the lower bunk next to y/n, the girl trying, and struggling, to do her homework.
"Take your pick."
Will shrugged, going back to drawing. "Whatever you want." y/n nodded in agreement, "What-ever you want." Jonathan sighed, taking a seat on the bed, between the two kids. He leaned over Will's shoulder, watching him draw.
"Zombie Boy? Who's Zombie Boy?"
y/n sat up at the name, looking over to Will. She was hoping now she would finally get the truth of what it meant after Will hadn't told her earlier. "Did someone call you that?" Jonathan questioned, y/n scooting closer to see the drawing.
"Hey..." He leaned down, "You can talk to me, you know that right. Whatever happened you can talk to me." Will looked up abruptly, "Stop treating me like that!"
y/n winced, she wasn't used to hearing him yell.
"Like what?" Jonathan questioned, Will shaking his head. "Like everyone else does! Like there's something wrong with me!" Jonathan looked confused, "What're you talking about?"
"Mom! Dustin! Lucas! Everyone!" y/n felt relieved her name wasn't included, still worried however. "They all treat me like I'm gonna break! Like I'm a baby- like I can't handle things on my own! It doesn't help, it just makes me feel like more of a freak."
Jonathan shook his head, "You're not a freak."
"Yeah, I am. I am."
Jonathan glanced at y/n briefly before scooting further onto the bed. "You know what? You are a freak. Both of you." y/n frowned, Jonathan continuing. "I'm serious you guys are freaks. Would you rather be normal? Do you wanna be just like everyone else?"
y/n thought about the question for a moment, realizing that everything she had been through made her unique. And even though it hurt, it was how she got here, to be with her family.
"Being a freak is the best, alright I'm a freak." Jonathan explained, Will looking at the boy. "Is that why you don't have any friends?" Jonathan scoffed, y/n letting out a small giggle. Jonathan poked the girl, rolling his eyes.
"I-I have friends, Will."
"Then why're you always hanging out with us?" The boy questioned, his brother running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Because you guys are my best friends."
He continued, "And I would rather be best friends with Zombie Boy than a boring nobody." y/n nodded in agreement, "Me too." Jonathan smiled, Will still looking slightly baffled.
"Alright look who would you rather be friends with? Bowie or Kenny Rogers?" Both y/n and Will answered in unison. "Bowie." As if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world.
Jonathan chuckled, "Exactly, it's not a contest. Thing is nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world. You got it?" Will piped up, "Well some people like Kenny Rogers."
"Kenny Rogers?"
A voice came from the hallway, Bob poking his head into the room. "I love Kenny Rogers." The three kids exchanged a glance, all beginning to laugh, Bob looking at them confused. "What's so funny?"
Will shook his head, "Nothing."
Bob picked up the VHS tapes, smiling. "Mr. Mom! Woo! Perfect!" He turned to leave the room, y/n smiling as he did. Even though the man was nerdy and incredibly average he had a very comforting presence to her, much better than Lonnie.
He reminded her of the man Will had told her about named Santa Claus, or at least what she thought his presence would feel like.
She stood, "Let's go."