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CHAPTER SIXTEEN; HIGH SCORES AND LATE NIGHTS
also known as;
( madmax; part one )
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ESTELLA COLLINS WAS IN A STATE OF PURE BLISS. Bright neon lights shone down on her as she twirled around on the light hardwood floors. The grey wheels of her skates rolled seamlessly against the ground as she danced to the beat of You Might Think by The Cars. It was eight in the evening, an hour after the attraction had closed, meaning that she had the rink to herself. Her hips swung to the beat and her arms flailed in the air as she managed to execute some form of dancing. She wasn't graceful, she was anything but that. But, nonetheless, she looked a picture.
"Stella, five more minutes!" The voice of Mitch Berry snapped the teenage girl out of her distracted daydreaming, and she skidded to a halt in surprise. She whipped her head around to see her boss watching her from the edge of the rink, a soft smile on his face. She scoffed and ran a sweaty hand through her raven locks, pushing herself over to him. Mitch was a fifty-eight year old widower, who had bought the roller rink when he was in his thirties. He was one of the nicest people she knew, and when he offered her a job after noticing how often she was coming to the rink, she didn't hesitate in accepting. She was one of six other teens that worked there, and she showed up even on her days off just for fun. While she still worked some shifts at Melvald's General Store, she was thinking about quitting for good and moving on.
"I lost track of time," she responded sheepishly as she pushed herself up onto the barrier, grabbing his outstretched hand that helped her jump over and steady herself once she landed. She looked down at her boss' feet, cooing once she saw the dog excitedly bouncing around at the sight of her. "Hey, Charlie!"
"Didn't you say you were meeting some friends?" Mitch queried, watching as Stella obsessed over her year-old rescue dog. Buying her was a completely impulsive decision, occurring after she and Leilani had gone up to Indianapolis for the weekend at the beginning of summer. It took her parents a bit of convincing, but after watching the mutual adoration the two had for each other, they stop minding as much and allowed Charlie to stay.
"Yeah, do we have any Twizzlers left in the shop?" Stella asked, standing up straight and rolling past him, with Charlie running after her. "I promised Kevin I'd bring him some."
The raven haired girl slowed and caught herself with the overhanging bench outside the rink's candy bar, she made a humming sound and leaned over in search of the food. Mitch scoffed as she picked up an unopened bag of Twizzlers by the cash register, cheering in triumph. "That's coming out of your pay-check."
"I'll bring a new bag in tomorrow," she grinned, before waving at the grey-haired man. "I'll catch you later, Mitch!"
"Have a good one, Stella," Mitch chuckled softly, observing in amusement as the strange teenager left the establishment with Charlie the Boxer dog trotting behind her with a pink tongue hanging out the side of her mouth.
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"An angel appears amidst the darkness of the night!" was the first thing Stella heard when she walked through the doors of the Palace Arcade. A bright grin graced the girl's cheery face, her sparkling eyes trailing over to the source of the jolly expression. The owner of the voice happened to be Richie Davidson, an energetic soul who worked alongside Kevin a few days a week. His dark, curly locks bounced up and down as Stella skated towards them, being launched forward all while trying to dodge all the hyperactive children in the place.
"I thought I told you to stop bringing her in here." Kevin grumbled, looking over the counter to see Stella holding a black leash tightly in her hand that lead to a blue collar wrapped around the neck of the tall Charlie. Stella had attached the leash after they had left the roller rink, just in case she would run off.
"Charlie's your best customer!" Stella exclaimed, reaching down to pet her dog. Richie pushed himself up onto the counter, leaning over as far as he could to catch a glimpse of the pup, cooing in delight when Charlie's little tail began to wag in excitement. "Besides, there's aren't any signs outside prohibiting adorable puppies, so I'm not breaking any rules!"
"It should be common sense," Kevin grumbled, watching as his friend circled around the counter and lifted the walkthrough barrier up, allowing Charlie to wander through alongside her. The boy's eyes travelled down to Stella's feet, where her infamous roller-skates happened to be. "Which apparently isn't so common anymore."
"Lighten up, Kev," Stella tossed him a huge smile, nudging him as she rolled past and into the backroom, where she tossed her backpack. "I was at the roller rink and brought Charlie along so that she wouldn't get lonely at home. And, I brought you Twizzlers for the long night ahead, since your part time hours appear to be so gruelling."
"Why aren't you at work tonight?" Richie asked as he bounded into the room after her, dropping to the ground so that Charlie could attack him with slobbery kisses. Soft giggles left his mouth as he rubbed her back, covering himself in fur as he did so. Stella chuckled at the sight of the pair, pulling out her water bottle and the packet of candy as she did so.
"Rink closes early on Sundays, remember?" She reminded him, tossing him the Twizzlers and bending down, using her free hand to untie the laces of her skates. "I would've been here earlier but Mitch had my good mix playing, so I got a little caught up."
"Don't sweat it, it's been super busy here anyway, but it's gonna be easier now that all the little kids have gone," Richie responded, pressing a kiss to Charlie's forehead before standing up and straightening out his blue work shirt. A lopsided grin appeared on his lips as he ripped open the Twizzlers and pulling one out, letting it hang from his mouth. "C'mon, you can help me restock the prizes."
"If you insist," Stella chuckled, placing her skates underneath the table, walking over to him in her thick socks. Charlie followed them quickly, though not without sniffing around at the somewhat familiar environment.
The lights of the arcade should have been blinding to any sane soul, the neon lights lining the establishment, as well as the carpet with spots of bright pinks and oranges all clashing as they fought for power. Stella couldn't say she appreciated the loud and vivid scene, but it was an entertaining getaway, she had to admit. And when Richie got to choose the music, she always had a good time.
"Hey, it's that new kid," Kevin muttered, and Stella turned around from where she was standing, a toy dinosaur in one hand. Her eyebrows were furrowed at her friend's words, following his gaze to see a redheaded girl stalking into the arcade, a green jacket around her shoulders and scuffed Converse shoes on her feet.
"How do you know she's knew?" Stella asked softly, watching as the kid strolled towards Dig Dug, a game she knew from Dustin and his unhealthy obsession of keeping his high score. "I mean, maybe she's just quiet...or she doesn't come here a lot."
"Dude, when you work here for two years, you recognise everyone sooner or later. It's not like new people come to Hawkins often," Kevin replied, tapping something into the ticket register for a customer, then taking the dinosaur plushie out of Stella's hands and handing it across the counter.
"At least I'm not the new guy anymore," Richie piped up from behind Stella, who chuckled and turned back around, picking up more prizes from the box at her feet, handing them over to her friend. "I've been here since January and everyone still calls me that, 'new kid'."
"Why, is there more than one?" Stella inquired, standing up on her tiptoes to place a dragon on the second to top shelf. Richie reached up to steady her shoulder as she wobbled a little bit, and she dropped back down after a second, nudging the bright-eyed boy at her side in thanks. She then glanced back at Kevin, who was nodding in answer to her question. "She got a brother or something?"
"Or something," Kevin huffed, turning back to his post. Stella smiled slightly, before looking back at Richie for elaboration.
"I saw him when I was coming into work the other day," he continued for Kevin. His green eyes were full of intrigue and excitement, as the teenage boy loved learning gossip and sharing it with his friends, who were undoubtably less educated on that sort of thing (especially Stella). "I only got a little look, but he was driving this blue Camaro and blasting some loud rock shit. I don't think the girl likes him a whole lot, she was flipping him off as he drove away."
"Sounds friendly," Stella muttered, before stepping on the now empty cardboard box. "Maybe I should go talk to her. Maybe she could use a friend so she doesn't feel so out of place."
"If you want, but she doesn't seem that warm," Richie responded with a shrug of his shoulders, and Stella scoffed, looking over her shoulder again to see a concentrated frown on the ginger girl's face as she aggressively pushed more coins into the arcade game.
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"Star, do you want a ride?" Richie called as Stella slipped on her roller-skates, tying them up. Charlie was sitting patiently at her feet, the leash connected to her collar lying on the floor, untouched by the teenage girl.
"Yes please!" Stella yelled in response, grabbing Charlie's leash in one hand and slinging her backpack on her shoulder with the other. She allowed her dog to eagerly pull her outside, where Richie was chatting on the phone to what she assumed was his mother. He and Kevin managed to swap the final few hours of their shifts with one of the adults who needed more hours. Kevin was already gone, so it was just Stella and Richie left to pack up their things. Richie glanced over and held up his finger, so she pointed outside, letting him know she'd be waiting for him. He nodded, and she left the arcade, the music inside only becoming suppressed background sound.
The cold October air hit her like a smack in the face, and she exhaled, watching her breath fog up before her. It was just starting to get cold as fall came around, and she was relishing in the last few warm moments she had left. The raven haired girl looked around the somewhat full parking lot of the still busy arcade, before her eyes rested on the familiar kid from before.
She looked like she felt extremely out of place, Stella thought. Her shoulders were incredibly tense and her hands were shoved in her pockets, no doubt they were clenched. She was looking back and forth at the most likely unfamiliar territory, it being a new town to her and all. Stella smiled softly, before clearing her throat. "Hey."
The girl's head snapped over, her eyes wide in surprise. She was silent for a second, before looking back to see if there was anyone behind her. She appeared to be a little shocked someone happened to be talking to her. "Uh, hi."
"You're new, right?" Stella asked, her eyebrows quirked slightly. The girl nodded once, a little awkwardly. She was only a few feet away from her, overlooking the streets surrounding the arcade, no doubt waiting for her ride. Stella stuck out her hand. "I'm Stella. I saw you playing Dig Dug earlier and I didn't recognise you. I figured you could use a friendly face."
"Oh, thanks?" The girl responded unsurely, reaching over and hesitantly shaking her hand. She looked Stella up and down, her eyes resting on the pink roller-skates for a moment before her head snapped back up. "Um, I'm Max. And y-yeah, I moved here a few days ago."
"Max is a cool name," Stella responded, and Max's lips curved up a little bit, though they dropped just as quick. "How do you like it in Hawkins?"
"It's small."
"Well, we've got an arcade, a cinema and a roller-rink, what more could you want?" Stella chuckled, and Max shrugged, twisting her shoe into the ground. Stella didn't really know how to break through, but she was trying her best. "Are you starting school soon?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna be at Hawkins Middle, starting Tuesday," Max replied, shifting her weight on either foot.
"I have a few friends that go there, Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will. They're pretty cool, if you were looking for someone to hang out with," Stella suggested, and Max shrugged, before her eyebrows knitted together.
"Why are you friends with a bunch of thirteen year-olds?" She asked curiously, and Stella snickered softly, clearly used to the unusual question.
"Cause they're people, and they're a whole lot better than some of the assholes at the high school," she responded, and Max made a face, as if to say 'fair enough'. An awkward silence then fell over the two, the muted music from the arcade playing behind them. The teenager then sighed, before nodding down to Charlie. "You like dogs?"
Max nodded, her eyes trailing down to the Boxer at Stella's feet. "Yeah, I love 'em."
"Well, this is Charlie, and she loves meeting new people," Stella quickly grinned, whistling towards her dog. Charlie stood up and yapped excitedly, launching herself towards the redheaded girl. A soft giggle escaped Max's lips as she bent down to stroke the dog, joy clear in her features. Stella chuckled quietly, glad she found a way to make the new girl a little happier. "See, she loves you already!"
A few moments passed as the two began to exchange slight small talk. It was mainly Stella, who loved to talk, and Max reluctantly muttering a few words now and then. Stella was more than happy to interact with the kid, assuming she hadn't made many friend yet.
"I used to have a dog, back in California," Max finally smiled as Charlie licked the side of her face. "He was a Golden Retriever called Sammy."
"What was he like?" Stella asked kindly as Max continued to pet Charlie (who was enjoying the display of affection).
A nostalgic expression appeared on the young girl's face as she reminisced. "He was my best friend. He used to come with me to the beach, to the skatepark; we did everything together. Then I got dragged here with my mom and Neil. Sammy's technically my dad's dog, so I don't know when I'll get to see him."
"I'm sure he'll be super happy to have you back, whenever you visit," Stella assured her, before turning her head when Richie stepped out of the arcade doors, walking over to the two girls and slinging his arm around Stella's shoulders. Stella rolled her eyes, before gesturing up to him. "This is Richie. Richie, this is Max. She's new, so be nice."
"When am I never not nice?" Richie scoffed, before flashing Max a charming grin. "Hey, kid."
"Hi," Max responded, her voice dropping volume again. She returned her full attention to Charlie once more, and Stella smiled before looking over at Richie.
"My mom should be here in five," he told her, and she nodded once, before adjusting her backpack.
"Sweet," she replied, lifting her hand to check her watch. It was nearly ten at night, and she was surprised that Max was up this late. "Max, when's your ride getting here?"
"He's late," she grumbled. "I should've been gone half an hour ago, but he hasn't shown up yet."
Just as Stella opened her mouth, a loud screeching of tires sounded in the distance. Max suddenly shot up as deafening rock music grew in volume. Stella squinted and leaned forward a bit to see a car shooting up the road, blue in colour. Richie inhaled from behind her, recognising who it was. "Shit, it's him."
"Finally," Max groaned, crossing her arms as the Camaro tore through the parking lot, the brakes squealing as it stopped shortly outside the arcade. The redhead awkwardly turned back to Stella and Richie, something close to a smile on her thin lips. "It was nice meeting you, I guess."
"See ya round, Max," Stella said as both she and Richie waved, watching as Max trudged over to the blue car, ripping open the door and sitting in the passenger seat. A man leaned over the dashboard and peered out towards the two teens outside the arcade, an unreadable expression on his face. Stella politely smiled at the figure that was hidden in the shadows of his vehicle, though she could vaguely see a scowl on his face as he stepped on the acceleration as soon as Max closed the door. He sped off, and Stella pursed her lips, sighing deeply. "Well, that was fun."
"Maybe you were right," Richie hummed, and Stella raised an eyebrow, a soft smirk appearing on her face as she looked up at him. He gestured towards the car that was now nowhere in sight. "Maybe that kid...Max, did need a friend. She seemed pretty happy talking to you."
"You think?" Stella asked, to which her friend nodded. Stella exhaled, shoving one hand in the pocket of her red and blue windbreaker jacket. "I just hope I made her feel a little less lonely. A kid like that doesn't need to be all by themselves, especially if they're in a whole new town."
"Hey, you made me feel like I'd been here all my life," Richie pointed out, and Stella chuckled. "You, Lani and Kevin accepted me like I'd been your friend for years. You're real good at that kind of thing."
"Thanks," Stella smiled, just as a car she recognised as Richie's mother's pulled into the lot (at a much more comfortable speed than Max's ride). Richie cheered softly, before running forward to greet his parent. Stella looked down at Charlie, who was eager to greet the woman. "C'mon, Charlie!"
Stella followed Richie to the car, opening the backdoor and sliding in, placing her bag on the seat beside her. "Hey, Helen, thanks for the ride home."
"No problem, honey," Helen Davidson responded chirpily, both her hands on the wheel after she had kissed her son in greeting. "You're on the way home for us anyway, it's really no trouble."
"I really appreciate it," Stella smiled, before turning her head out the window as Richie began to fiddle with the radio stations in the car. He settled after a few minutes, finding something that wasn't fifty years old to listen to, it being the year's smash hit 'Footloose' by Kenny Loggins. Stella remembered seeing it with her group of friends, then once again with Steve and Nancy (she didn't appreciate being the third wheel, so she kept leaving to get refills of popcorn while they made out in the near empty row).
It seemed that after almost a year since the events in Hawkins, the ones that had changed Stella and her friends forever, she was finally beginning to find a sense of peace. She was starting to forget about the trauma of the week that had affected her so greatly, and was even starting to forget some of the gory details.
But, as the car drove away from Hawkins arcade on that Sunday night, Stella had no idea what was to be in store for her in the next week to come, and oh boy, was she unprepared.
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bad ending but who cares!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR KIDDOS (it's nearly midnight in New Zealand), I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST FOR 2018 AND THAT YOU WILL HAVE AN AMAZING YEAR AND LIFE BECAUSE YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE YOU!!
also if you want a dedication tell me lol cause idk who to choose :))
ANDNDNDNDND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THE NEW (AND REALLY LONG) CHAPTER!!! it's a lil bit of a drag but i needed to catch y'all up on stella's life after season one! so now she works at the roller rink and takes a few shifts here and there at the general store to earn a lil more money and keep joyce company (but she has bob now so it's less of a problem). richie davidson's her new friend, who's part of their group after moving to hawkins in january, and he works with kevin a few afternoons and nights a week at the arcade to save up for college. and then there's charlie the dog!!! i don't see a lot of pets in fan fiction and i think stella deserves a companion, and what's better than a rescue dog?!?!?!?!
and stella's now met max!! this is before monday night, where the boys playing dragon's lair and dustin has a tantrum about his high score, so the two gals can befriend each other before cause they're both great and i love them sm !!! also i know max can be a little hostile, especially towards the guys (but then again they were spying on her lmao), but stella's got naturally good social skills and puts people around her at ease, hence the reason max actually bothered to speak to her (also i added a bit of her awkwardness and sassiness just to make sure it WAS actually max lololol) -- but please tell me what you thought!!
anyway, i hope you all have a good new year and holidays, i'll be back with an update soon!!