HIS ONE WEAKNESS !
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DUSTIN HAD THE IDEA OF THE HAWKINS JUNK YARD TO BE THEIR BATTLE GROUND AGAINST DART. Both Alex and Steve made sure to compliment Dustin's perfect plan as they had headed down to get right to work, leaving a trail of meat behind them before dumping it all into one giant pile in the middle of the junkyard.
Approaching the junkyard, Lucas had forced his bike to a stop as a smile had grown on his face. "I said medium-well," he called down. Standing alongside him had been Max Mayfield, the special girl that Dustin had told Steve all about.
"Who's that?" Steve said, looking at the girl walking over with her arms crossed. Dustin was at a loss for words, watching them approach. He could all ready feel that pain that Steve had tried to steer him clear of just from seeing his best friend with her.
Gently hitting Steve on the arm, Alex had motioned for him to follow her. Following after her, a panic had settled in as her realized what had happened. "Whoa, hey, Dustin likes that girl."
"And he just saw his best friend hanging out with her alone. I can imagine how he feels right now so back off for now," she whispered. "Now lets make this bus our base and get it all boarded up." Heading off, she had went to go gather some useful scrap for them to use as Steve had stood in silence as he replayed her words over again in his head.
"You can imagine? What do you mean?" he questioned before following right after her. Coming to her side, he had grabbed a sheet of metal as he cleared his throat and acted as if his curiosity was innocent. "What exactly do you mean you can imagine?"
Coming over to the two, Max had been timid as she approached. She hadn't known the two, and despite Lucas's description of them, she wasn't that comfortable. To her, Steve Harrington was supposed to be a douchebag with the ability to turn anything and everything into something about himself. And Alex Henderson was Dustin's older sister that was nothing but lame and spent her time making out with Will's brother (which, of course, was not true).
"What do you guys want me to do?" She asked quietly as she dropped her arms to her side. The two hadn't seemed so bad from the looks of it, and she knew Lucas tended to be a little dramatic when talking about people he didn't like so much.
Looking around, Alex gestured around the junkyard. "Just find whatever you can and try and board up the bus." Turning her attention to Max, she motioned for her to follow along. "Come on, I can show you where the good stuff is."
The two girls had walked off with one another, leaving Steve to himself. "I'm Max, by the way."
"Alex. I'm Dustin's sister."
Picking up some scrap, Max had gave a small nod. "Yeah, Lucas said that." Furrowing her brows, she had came to a realization of something. "So, you're Alex Henderson then? I heard my step-brother on the phone with you this morning. I just... If you like him..."
"Oh, uh, no," Alex interrupted. "Sorry, I know he's your brother, but no. He can be a bit of an asshole."
Turning to make their way back towards the bus, Max scoffed in agreement. "Yeah, tell me about it." Gesturing with her head towards Steve, she decided to get to know Alex a bit more. "So, what, is he your boyfriend then?"
"Are you dating Lucas?" Alex shot back with a small smile. Max rolled her eyes in response and hid her smile well. She knew for sure Lucas was a friend, and that she enjoyed spending time with him, even if he was often odd. Alex had seen as Max had started to grow pink in the cheeks, and continued. "Lucas hates me. If he's nice to you, consider yourself lucky."
"He doesn't hate you," Max laughed. Lucas's words were harsh when he spoke about Alex, but it was obvious he cared for her. Lucas was determined to show Alex how much he didn't like her, just to prove to the others in their friend group that he wasn't like Mike who happened to have a crush on her. "He does hate Steve though. You should've heard him on the way over here."
"Yeah, well, Steve can be hard to like sometimes," Alex laughed.
Steve had only proved Alex's statement as he had gone over to yell at the boys for not getting to work like the rest of them. When the two had rushed out from their hiding spot they had picked for a private conversation, they had headed towards Alex and Max.
"Nice outfit, Alex. It's like below freezing out here," Lucas scoffed at her as he approached Max. "Come on, Max. I need help."
"What the hell did I do to him," Alex frowned just as Dustin stood beside her. His brows were furrowed together in frustration while a frown had formed. He was beyond jealous, and it didn't help that Steve had proved to Lucas he was still a douchebag after Dustin tried to convince him he wasn't.
"He's so annoying," Dustin mumbled.
"Dustin, it's fine," she said softly. "Hey, if she doesn't like you, there's nothing you can do about it. But she's obviously missing out on you which is her own problem."
"It's not Lucas," he snapped. "Steve is such an ass. I don't get why you like him so much."
"He's a good friend."
"And he's got perfect hair and he's popular and he's charming. He climbs in your window at night and writes you little notes and now I hate you too. You know why I hate you? Because you like him— not as a friend— and it sucks because he's an asshole, but he's so damn cool. Think about it, if some asshole at school messes with me or anyone else in the party I can say that not only is my sister Alex but she's dating Steve Harrington too and their gonna kick your ass!"
Alex paused as she tried to take in everything he had said. It was a rollercoaster of emotions and she wasn't sure if he had hated them, or if he had loved them. "Uh, okay, well, if it helps you like him more, Steve was just as mad to see Max here with Lucas. He didn't like seeing you upset."
Dustin looked over at Steve as he moved something towards the bus with Max. "Was he really?"
"He was. Like it or not, Steve is Team Dustin." Placing her hand on top of Dustin's head, she playfully pulled him closer to her. Even with everything going wrong, all she wanted was for him to smile.
After some time, Steve and Alex had each taken a gasoline container, leaving a trail from the pile of meat for Dart, all the way down towards the bus. Tossing her container to the side as the last few drops fell, she looked over to him nervously. "You think this'll work?"
"Yeah, its gotta, right? We planned the whole thing."
Managing a laugh, she shrugged her shoulders. "I know, I'm just worried is all. I don't want them getting hurt."
Reaching over, he place a hand in her shoulder. "They won't. We'll take care of them. I consider myself a decent babysitter." Gently, he pushed her towards the bus doors before he followed in after her. Shutting the door behind him, he turned to see all the kids staring at both him and Alex, wanting to know what was going to happen next.
Placing a hand on the ladder, Alex gave them all small smiles. "Well, I guess we just wait until he comes. I can be our first look out." Sticking her hand out towards Lucas, she waited until his binoculars hit her palm. "I'll call down if I see or hear anything."
Making her way up the ladder, Alex had left Steve with the three kids in silence. No one was sure what to say. Max still wasn't completely convinced their story of Hawkins Lab and the Upside Down was entirely true and Steve wasn't sure how to handle kids despite calling himself a decent babysitter.
Taking a seat beside Dustin, Steve ran his hand through his hair as he sat back with a sigh. Feeling a nudge in his side, he looked over to see Dustin raising his eyebrows up at him, his eyes shooting from Steve to the ladder back and forth. "What?" Steve whispered.
"Go hang out with Alex."
"Shut up. No, I'm watching you guys."
"We're capable of sitting her without you," he said harshly. Yet, Steve missed his opportunity the moment Lucas had headed up the ladder.
Lucas was looking for a reason to escape the awkward silence. He had heard enough about the Henderson's and Steve's journey from Dustin, but he was curious himself to hear from Alex. As quietly as he could, he laid down beside her as she scanned the junkyard with his binoculars.
As she pulled them away, she flashed him a smile as she passed them over. "Still nothing, but you probably have better eyes than me."
Hesitantly, he took them from her but didn't bring them to his face. Instead, he looked her over before looking down. "Are you doing okay?"
Startled by his rare moment of kindness towards her, Alex looked away to hide her smile. She knew he would become to embarrassed and most likely leave. "Yeah, I'm good. I assume Dustin told you everything?"
"Sort of," he shrugged. "Your dickhead boyfriend interrupted." Clearing his throat, he placed the binoculars up to his eyes as he looked around the junkyard. "If I knew that's why you were out here dressed like that, I might've been nicer."
"Oh, well, thanks," she laughed. "But don't worry about me. I'm honestly more concerned about killing this thing than anything." Leaning over, she gave him a small nudge. "It is nice though to get some more backup here. I assume you brought your slingshot?"
"Duh," he scoffed. Still, he thought it was nice to hear that he was wanted by the rest of them after he had left for Max. Keeping his eyes out on the junkyard, he was quiet as he sat with Alex. He knew she needed the time to cool off in the chilly night air, and he felt compelled to give her that for all her help. However, Lucas was just like the rest of the boys and needed girl help. Only, he was the one that actually came to a girl for advice.
"You're a girl, right?"
Pausing for a moment, Alex looked out ahead before finally turning to him in a deadpan. "Yeah, you know, at least the last time I checked."
"So how do I get girls to like me?"
She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Is this about Max? I mean, I only talked to her for a bit and I already love her. She's cool, but maybe too cool for you."
Rolling his eyes, Lucas set his binoculars down as he looked to her in return. "Yeah, well, I think she might like me. I can't really tell yet, you know? I just don't know if I'm saying the right thing."
"Okay, well, if you're being nice to her, you're already doing great. I heard Mike hates her already and she's new here, so she's probably looking for friends. The least you could do is act like you care about her, because if you like her, it'll come naturally. I mean, you're funny and smart..."
"And pretty good looking," he added in quickly.
"Yeah, okay," she laughed with an eye roll. "You're a good kid, Lucas. You can't make her like you, but you can show her you do. Then if she likes you, she'll show you too."
"I care about her," he said softly. "Please don't tell anyone about this."
"I won't," she whispered with a small smile.
"Thanks, Alex. You know, sometimes you're okay."
Sitting up, she gave him a soft shove on his shoulder. "I'm better than okay, you little shit." Scooting her way towards the ladder, she stuck her feet into the small doorway on top of the bus and gave him a reminder she knew he needed. "This stays between us, Sinclair. No one will know, I swear."
"Friends don't lie," he reminded her.
Giving a nod, she reassured him that the party's number one rule was clear. "You know that makes us friends then, right?" In response, she had Lucas turn away from her, but she knew he would agree. They were always friends and this only assured that even more. Heading down the ladder, she had been greeted with a situation that was not so sweet as the one she had with Lucas.
Steve had flicked his lighter on and off as Dustin paced around impatiently as he took out his anger on Max. Standing up from her spot, Max made a reach for the ladder the moment Alex hopped off. "Sheesh, someone's cranky. Past your bed time?" Max then headed up the ladder to keep Lucas company and avoid Dustin at all costs.
Furrowing her brows, Alex was confused and annoyed with the two left. Only, Steve had been nodding along in approval as he kept his attention on Dustin. "That's good. Just show her you don't care."
"I don't," Dustin mumbled. In return, Steve had sent him a small wink that had Dustin stop pacing. "Why are you winking, Steve? Stop."
Steve had went back to flicking his lighter on and off and Alex had looked to her brother for an explanation. "What did you say to her?"
"I told her the truth," Dustin said, slumping down in his seat. He wasn't angry with Max, but he couldn't help but unleash his own anger towards her as she was the easier target. Lucas was his best friend, Alex was his sister and Steve and him created a bond so quickly that he didn't want to hurt any of them with how he felt.
Looking over to Steve, Alex raised her hands out to the side in question before falling back down against her legs. "Are you giving my brother bad advice?"
Steve shook his head with a small frown. "Not at all. I just told him, if you want a girl to like you, just show them you don't care."
"You're kidding, right?"
"No, why? It's how I got all my girlfriends."
Taking a seat beside him, Alex couldn't help but let out a laugh at his stupidity. "I'm so glad I'm not one of them. If some guy did that to me, not a chance I would be interested. Horrible advice."
Flicking his lighter off, Steve looked over to her. "Really, that wouldn't work on you?"
"Not at all," she chuckled. "I guess I'm lucky you don't like me then. I'd hate if you suddenly stopped caring about me. You'd be such an ass."
"How did I not know this?"
Alex looked to him in annoyance. "Because you're such a guy. Honestly, it really was awful advice. You do know Billy is her brother, right? She's already has one asshole in her life, she doesn't need two. I was talking to her while we were getting set up, and Max is actually really nice. She's not going to want a guy not caring about her."
"Yeah, but..." Steve's words trailed off as he thought this all through. He felt that everything he knew had just been ripped away. Then he considered that maybe this was why none of his relationships lasted that long. Finally accepting that his advice was awful, he gave a small shrug. "Okay, sure, maybe I was wrong."
"Completely wrong," she said. Leaning her head back, Alex had lost interest in the conversation as the heat began to rise. being trapped inside a small bus with others certainly didn't help her situation, but a change of plans with the Shadow Monster was about to turn her life around.
She swallowed hard as she went to push the pain away. It wasn't uncommon to experience discomfort, but this had been unlike anything she had felt before. Either way, she knew she had to push through it because there really was no other choice.
But her pain did not go unnoticed as Steve sat up straight. Concern had washed over him as he reached out and moved her hair over her shoulder. "Alex," he whispered, running his finger down the veins in her neck. "What's going on right now?"
She sat up straighter as her hand touched her neck. "I'm just feeling off again. It's hurting, but I'm always hurting."
Moving her hand off, Steve made sure what he had seen wasn't a trick of the eye. "Alex, your veins are turning black."
"I'm just hot," she said, trying more to reassure herself. Steve ignored her as he lifted her chin to watch as the blackness crept further up her neck. "Steve," she said softly as she moved her head back down and hunching over in pain as she winced. "I'm not feeling so good now. It's really hurting."
Shooting up from his seat, Steve had moved her around. "Here, lay down. Come on." Pushing her down, he made sure she had enough room to relax but Alex's eyes had been squeezed shut as the veins in her arms had been the darker than the rest of her body. Whatever had been happening was spreading and he wasn't entirely sure how to stop it or what to do. "Okay, I need you to try and calm down. Can you do that? Just keep breathing."
"My heart is pounding," she groaned. Fumbling her arm out, she had made a reach for Steve's hand and gave it a tough squeeze. "They're coming."
Before he could question who had been coming, a screech had rang out from outside the bus, following with low growls. Dart was out there and Steve had a choice in front of him— stay beside Alex or take out the thing that killed her cat. But he had made a promise to her that the kids wouldn't get hurt.
Turning over to her, he was frantic, but tried to remain calm. It didn't matter as she kept her eyes shut in pain, writhing in her seat as she tried to escape the torturous pain shooting throughout her body. "Hey, listen, I have to go kill this thing." Despite her nodding her head to allow him to go off, he hesitated at the sight of tears spilling out from her eyes. "Alex, I'm sorry."
Pulling her hand out from his, she waved him out. "Dustin," she called out. If there was anyone else she wanted at her side, she wanted it to be him. He had been watching in fear and horror, unable to find it in himself to move. There was he constant fear in him that he could lose Alex and now, it felt that it was coming true.
Moving back, Steve grabbed him by his sweatshirt and yanked him over. Getting down to his level, he raised a finger at his chest. "Don't leave her side, man, you got that? No matter what happens, you stay. I'll be back." Dropping his finger down, Steve reached for his bat and headed out the door.
Dustin was terrified and his breathing had picked up as the fear inside him became overwhelming. But he knew what he had to do— taking his sisters hand, he held on with everything in him. "It's okay, Alex. I'm here. Just don't leave me, okay?"
Letting out a small sob, Alex squeezed on tighter. The heat had become passed unbearable. Her skin felt as if it were crawling and everything in her felt as if it were on fire. A sudden feeling had lashed through her as her body began to thrash in the seat to allow the monster inside her to escape.
Knowing he couldn't do it alone, Dustin kept his grip on Alex as he looked up towards the opening in the ceiling of the bus. "Max, get down here! I need you now!"
Leaning forward, Dustin had put his weight into his sister to keep her in place. The moment Max's feet had hit the floor, he called her over immediately. "Help me hold her down," he instructed.
Max hadn't been sure what was happening, but jumped right into action. Leaning against Alex, she pinned down her shoulders as she looked to Dustin in worry. "What the hell is happening?"
"I-I don't know!" Dustin yelled back. All he knew was that he was scared. He feared that tonight he would lose his sister and this would be his last moments with her and he'd never forgive himself. He knew she was acting strange and never once did he ask her what was wrong. Between a new crush and finding Dart, he didn't take his time to talk to Alex and he was filled with guilt, even if she would have never blamed him.
Images flashed in Alex's mind of the Shadow Monster and his screams filled her ears. Every nightmare had replayed over again. Every plan the Shadow Monster told her ran through her mind. It was a strong wave of everything she tried to forget had been reburned into her brain without permission. She wanted to die and didn't care anymore if she did.
"We're family now. Me, you, and the idiot brother you have. Neither of us can do it without you. You're our fighter and our party needs it's fighter," Mikes voice echoed in her mind. This memory calmed her down but she didn't know how she heard him. She wasn't with Mike.
"God, I hate my brother, I'd do anything to have a sister like you. All those other idiots never shut up about how cool you are. Like you're the only one who thinks they're even remotely cool... Which, I guess maybe they're right," Max's voice filled her ears and images of her smiling and messing around with Alex danced across her vision.
"These scars mean we're bonded... Together we faced something people only see in their nightmares," Jonathan gentle smile appeared in her eyes, covering the sight of the Shadow Monster in front of her. The feeling of his fingers running across her scar didn't make her think horrible thoughts, it made her feel warm and not so alone anymore.
"I care about you more than all those people combined." She felt Steves warmth, holding onto her hand. The Shadow Monster hated this memory. He hated that Steve pulled her back every time.
"You're so damn lucky I love you," Dustin said in her memories with a small smile, pulling her in for a tight hug. One hug she wished would have never ended. Nothing in the world could beat the love she had for her little brother. He was her true best friend. This was the worst memory to the Shadow Monster. Dustin was her escape from it all and it was his one weakness to holding on to her anymore.