ON THE drive, Max was leaning her head back and staring straight ahead. Lucas glanced over just as Max turned towards James a bit and rested her head on his shoulder so James glanced down at him. "Alright, this better be fast, Mayfield." Steve parked the car right outside the redheaded girl's trailer.
"I'm gonna have a cigarette while we wait..." James said as he also hopped out, standing at the back and Max ran inside her home. He lights his cigarette quickly but when he looked up, he saw Max walking towards him. "Max, I--I thought--" He glanced to the house and when he turned back around, he saw that the sky had turned dark and her eyes looked weird.
"This is your fault!" She raised her voice, pointing at him. "What?" He backed away. "You shut him out and he came after me!" She cried, pointing to herself and his breath hitched. "What?" He whispers. "You shut him out and he came after me!" She just repeated, getting closer. "N--No," he looked down and saw the decaying ground and the fact it felt cold.
"James," Vecna now says and he looks up right away. "You're the reason Maxine saw the clock. You shut me out." He's getting closer and James just backed away and tripped over something so he fell. "James?" He quickly turned around and saw Steve standing there.
"Are you okay?" The Harrington asked and he just quickly got up. "Y--Yeah, just... I just tripped." He whispers, before looking to where he had seen Vecna and Max. He felt an arm on his back and flinched, turning around. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked and James just sighed. "Yeah. Yeah." He whispered before he got into the vehicle, not sparing another glance at him. "It's been longer than 20 seconds. Where is she?" Steve asked them and James hopped out again, looking to the trailer.
"I'll go--" But there was Max, coming from behind the trailer, looking shaken up. "Hey, that was longer than 20 seconds." Steve said but she just hurriedly rushed to James holding open the car door. "Hey, woah, woah. You alright?" Steve asked worriedly as she looks at him. "I'm fine. Just drive." She says as James got in after her. "Did something happen?" Lucas looked to the girl leaning towards James' side, staring out the window. "Can we please just go?" She said before looking out again.
On the drive, Lucas kept glancing over at Max with a worried look on his face and James kept staring out the window. It's quiet, no one talks until Max leans up. "Turn here." She says and Dustin glanced back. "Here?" He asked and Max just nods her head.
Then they turned into the Roane Hill Cemetery, James staring at the sign. "Max..." James turns his head a bit and she just looks up at him. He doesn't say anything, glancing away before the car came to a stop, getting out of the vehicle so he can move out of the way for Max who got out. Lucas got out shortly after. "Max?" He called out to the girl. "Lucas, please, just wait in the car." She tells the boy, turning away.
James didn't want to overhear, but he kind of had to because he lights another cigarette. "Max, just wait. Max, please. Just listen to me. Just, please." Lucas begs her and she just stood there. "I know something happened back there with your mother." She didn't react and James looked at her right away.
"Was it Vecna?"
"I told you, I'm fine." She insisted. "Okay?" She adds. "I mean, as fine as someone who's hurtling towards a gruesome death can be." She then smiled before glancing down when she noticed Lucas didn't smile or anything. "Max... you know you can talk to me." Lucas says and James feels realization hit at this moment as he watched the young teens.
Lucas being so worried over Max, wanting her to talk to him, and her insisting that she was fine. He looked to the side and saw Steve staring at him through the side mirror already. He glanced away quickly. "Right?" Lucas said and James stared down at the ground.
"Yeah. I know that."
"Okay, then why do you keep pushing me away?" Lucas asked, reaching into his pocket. "Okay, look, I don't need a letter. I don't want a letter. Just talk to me. To your friends. We're right here. I'm right here." Lucas tells her. "Okay? I'm here." He says and James couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. He's wondered for so long why he cared so much for Max.
Because she reminds him of himself. Lost someone close to her, her best friend who is his sister moved away, she felt alone and was shutting out someone who cared for her. "Just wait in the car. This won't be long." And just like James, she continues to shut out Lucas, walking away and he looked up.
Lucas returned sadly to the car and James finished up his smoke before sitting on the top of the trunk of the car. He just sat there for the remaining time they waited for Max, but then too much time had passed. About five to ten minutes maybe, so he glanced over.
Lucas was sitting on the hood of the car and Dustin was standing outside of the car. "How long has it been?" James walked over to the side of the car and Steve opens the car door. "It's been long enough." He got out of the vehicle. "Guys, just give her some time." Lucas said and Steve turned around.
"I have, alright, Sinclair? I'm calling it. She wants to get a lawyer, she can." He says before turning around and walking with James to where Max was sitting. "Max." Steve said as they jogged up. "Hey, Maxie," James says but she doesn't respond. "Time to giddy up, yeah?" Steve said but James noticed something was wrong, so he quickly kneeled beside her. "Max," he grabs her shoulder as Steve kneeled beside her. "Max." Steve said as well, confused why she wasn't responding. "St--Steve, her eyes..." James quickly turned towards him.
"Max! Max! Wake up! Wake up!" James said, shaking the girl gently as Steve claps his hands. "Hey! Hey!" He says then James stood up. "Guys! Something's wrong!" James shouts and then Dustin and Lucas came running.
They all repeatedly shouted at the girl in a trance, worried for her. "Call Nancy and Robin!" Steve yelled, grabbing Dustin. "Steve!" James pushed him away gently. "Let's go, Dustin!" He pulled up the boy and they run to the vehicle, grabbing Dustin's supercomm. "Nancy? Robin? Do you copy? This is a code red. Do you copy?" Dustin basically shouts.
No response, so James grabbed it and extended the signal rod. "Robin! Nancy!" He shouted a bit too loudly into the radio. "Shit!" James hits the supercomm. "Hey!" Dustin scolded him but James doesn't care as he kept shouting into the radio about a code red.
"Give it here!" Dustin climbed up to the hood of Steve's car. "Steve is gonna kill you." James says as he held up the supercomm to him anyway. "Robin, where the hell are you?! This is a code red! I repeat, a code red!"
"Dustin, it's Robin. We copy."
"Holy shit. Finally! Please, please tell me you guys have this figured out." The moment Robin mentioned music, James opened up the car and grabbed Max's backpack from the floor of the backseat where she left it. "Come on!" He shouted as Dustin jumped down and they ran over to where Max was laying.
James quickly dumped down the backpack, pushing the notebook away and grabbing the supercomm. "Music! Music?!" Steve is confused. "Robin said so and she's a super genius! Don't question it!" He replied back, looking through the tapes. Queen. "What's her favourite song?" Dustin asked as he kneeled beside James. "Why?" Lucas exclaimed.
"Robin said if she listens to her-- it's too much to explain right now. What's her favourite song?" Dustin shouted and James lifted up the Kate Bush tape. "I got it!" He says, popping out the Queen tape from the walkman, fumbling with it so Steve grabs it, putting it into the cassette tape holder. "Shit, shit, shit." Dustin was freaking out as James put the Kate Bush tape into Max's Walkman, Lucas grabbing the headphones and putting them on the girl.
They waited with anticipation, "Max, come on. You got this..." James whispers, hoping the music was helping. "Max! Max! Wake up!" They all repeatedly shouted at him to wake up as James was getting more anxious. "What if it isn't working?!" He exclaimed and Dustin grabs his shoulder. "It will, it will." He reassured him, but then Max floated up.
"Max!" James yelled out in fear, standing up. "Max!" He shouted, he can feel tears stinging his eyes as he held his hands over his face. "Max!" They all repeatedly shouted at her, hoping the music would save her. Not long after, Max fell from the air, so Lucas rushed to his knees, grabbing her and James came to their side right away. "Max! Oh, my God." Lucas wraps his arms around her as she relaxed, grabbing onto Lucas' arms tightly.
"It's okay. It's okay." Lucas comforts her as James sat by, looking at Steve to his side who's staring at the couple before glancing back at him. "I thought we lost you." Lucas says, sounding scared. "I'm still... I'm still here." Max reassured him as James put his hand to Lucas' back, sighing and Steve put his hand to James' arm, softly sighing in relief.
"James..." Max slowly sat up out of the hug and brought him into one, her arms tight around his waist as his go around her shoulders, softly rubbing his back with her head to his chest, slowly calming down. James sighed, glancing up at the others. "We should head back to the Wheelers." He whispers.
"Okay..." Max whispered but stayed there in James' arms for a couple more minutes before they all got up, James putting Max's stuff back into her backpack for her before they all got into the car and drove in silence once more. After Nancy and Robin returned, they proposed watching over Max who was now resting her head on James' shoulder, closing her eyes. "I can move so you can lay down." He says and she just looks up.
"What? Why?" She asked and he just gestured to the floor. "I--I'll sit right here. I'm on first watch." He says and she nods as he then moved down to the floor. During his watch, everyone else slept and James sighed, looking at the sleeping redhead on the couch. "James?" Steve croaked out in a whisper.
"Yeah, Steve?" He glanced over and Steve just sat up, careful not to step on either Robin or Nancy laying on the floor. "Be honest... did you also get those symptoms Max had?" He whispers and James glanced away, gulping softly. "For... a while at first. But nothing now." He whispers and Steve glanced at Max, seeing James' hand reach up to the girl's red hair.
He softly caressed some back before turning around to face Steve. "I think it's my fault..." He whispers and Steve slowly leaned forward. "Your fault? For what?" He whispered back and James glanced down at the coffee table separating him and his ex-boyfriend.
"Because... music, it--it, uh, gets rid of him, right? I--I did that when she saw the clock. And then I saw her tell me it was my fault. And then Vecna told me it was my fault. I--I can't believe I did this to her. I'm--I'm a shitty br--babysitter." James looked down and Steve can sense his guilt mostly came from ditching El for Spring break since he nearly said brother, but he didn't say anything for a moment.
"It wasn't your fault." Steve reached out and grabbed James' hand, slowly moving down to sit on the floor in front of him. James looked at their hands then slowly glanced up, seeing Steve staring at him. "Hey, um, do you remember... uh," Steve pulled his hand back and held them together in front of himself.
"What you said to me?"
authors note don't get so hopeful yet ya'll i still think it's too soon 😊👍