chapter sixteen
benched with the five stages of grief
✧
THERE ARE FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF ; Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. And Rue Newby was shifting from the first stage, Denial, into the second: Anger. She didn't know it yet, but it was coming.
Sitting on the dining table, Rue Newby leaned back in her seat, lazily playing with her dad's brain teasers. A sad smile grew on her face that barely reached her eyes. She remembered the time she got sick, and he brought them down from the attic, jumping in excitement. He called a day off at work, which wasn't a worry since he owned the radio shop, and they played with puzzles all day while enjoying the chicken soup Rue made with her mom's recipe. And all that happened in her first week in Hawkins.
A tear rolled down her cheek, knowing that was the first and last time it'll ever happen.
Steve and Dustin's voice grabbed her attention. She trapped her lower lip between her teeth as she quickly cleared up the games. Her feet lightly tapped on the hardwood floor as she walked to the kitchen. Rue tilted her head in confusion, and her eyes widened when she saw Steve carry the dead Demo-dog in his arms with a blanket, Dustin clearing out Ms. Byers' fridge.
Rue leaned on the wall, crossing her arms before her chest, trying to hold back a smile as she watched the duo bicker. "What are you doing?"
Dustin shrieked at the sudden voice. He spun around quickly, spotting Rue smirking at him, looking tiny in the giant navy blue sweater that nearly reached her knees. "It's a scientific discovery!" he exclaimed as Steve struggled to shove the dead Demo-dog into the fridge.
Rue scrunched her nose, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. "That's disgusting," she said, going to play with the ends of her hair just to remember she hand cut it off, so instead, she passed her hand over her bangs.
Steve grunted, shutting the door once he got the dog inside, then trying to shake off the goo that got onto him. "Thank you!" He said sarcastically, clearly out of breath. He grabbed a kitchen towel, cleaning his hands before running a hand through his hair to put it back into its place.
"Mike, would you just stop already?!" Lucas's voice blared. The trio looked at each other for a few seconds before walking over to the living room.
"You weren't in there, Lucas!" Mike exclaimed, stomping his foot on the ground. "That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs!"
"Demo-dogs!" Dustin corrected, throwing himself on one of the couches.
"Can it, Dustin," Steve rolled his eyes, and Rue stood next to him, hugging herself.
"The chief will take care of her," Lucas said, continuing to sweep more of the glass onto the dustpan Max held.
"Like she needs protection," she muttered under her breath.
Steve sighed, continuing to wipe his hands. "Listen, dude," He turned to Mike, "if a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it, alright?"
"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game!" Mike scoffed, "And second, we're not even in the game, we're on the bench."
"Right — so, my point is — " Steve paused, throwing the towel over his shoulder. "Right — yeah, we're on the bench, so uh — there's nothing we can do."
"Well, not exactly . . . " Dustin stood up from the couch, moving to stand next to Steve and Rue. "I mean these Demo-dogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away."
"So, if we get their attention . . ." Lucas began, looking over at all his friends hoping they'd catch on.
" . . . Maybe we can draw them from the lab."
"And clear the path to the gate!" Max nodded.
Rue narrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
Mike stepped forward, "We go to the hive and call them away!"
She blinked in surprise, choking on her spit. "You mean, you want to go to the hive?"
"Yes!"
"To call all of the Demo-dogs away from the lab?"
"Yes!"
" . . . The same hive Will — or the Mind Flayer — sent those guards . . . to die?"
"Yes! Exactly!" Mike nodded while grinning. However, Rue was far from smiling.
"Are you hearing yourself?"
"Yeah," Steve agreed, hitting the back of Mike's head with the kitchen towel. Mike winced, stepping away from him while rubbing his head. "There's something wrong in that head of yours, Wheeler. We'll all die,"
"Well, that's one point of view," Dustin nudged Steve's shoulder.
"No, it's not a point of view, man. It's a fact." he said, pointing his finger at Dustin like he was a mother giving his son a lecture.
"I got it!" Mike beamed suddenly, shoving between Steve and Rue, and moving over towards where Bob had found the X on one of the drawings a few days ago.
Rue slowly dragged her feet behind him, feeling a hint of Deja Vu as she kneeled next to Mike.
"This is where the chief dug his hole, this is our way into the tunnels," He pointed at the red mark, then turning to the girl next to him. "Rue, your dad, he found it!" He said brightly before getting up and walking where there was a large patch of the papers taped to the floor. "So, here, right here, this is like a hub. So, you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire —"
"Oh yeah?" Steve nearly laughed, his eyes widening, "That's a no."
Mike rolled his eyes at him, and Rue began to pace around the room, chewing on her lower lip as she thought about how horrible this plan could end. They could all end up burnt or eaten like her dad.
Lucas snapped his fingers in understanding where his best friend was going with his idea about the hub. "The Mind Flayer would call away his army!"
"They'd all come to stop us," Dustin walked up to them.
"Hey," Steve tried to say, only to get interrupted.
Mike smiled, knowing his friends caught on, "We circle back to the exit —"
"Guys."
"By the time they realize we're gone, Eleven would be at the gate!" Max finished.
"Hey! Hey! HEY!" Steve clapped his hands loudly, grabbing their attention. "This?" the motioned to all the drawings, mostly the hub Mike kneeled on. "This is not happening."
"But—"
"No, no, no, no, NO! No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on. We're staying here, on the bench, and we're waiting for the starting team to do their job! Does everybody understand?"
"This isn't a stupid sports game —"
"Shut the fuck up!" Rue abruptly stopped pacing, nearly slipping on the floor in her socks. She furiously waved her hands in the air, but she looked more adorable than angry with the giant sweater she had on and the brightly coloured socks.
The second stage of grief was now a commence.
Everyone stood quietly, not knowing what to say. Never have they heard Rue yell so bitterly before.
"Shut up about this plan, shut up about this burning the hub bullshit," tears brimmed her eyes. "Mike, you said it yourself, the lab is full of those things! Don't you ever stop and think, if we burn the hub where do you think the Demo-dogs are going to come? TO US!"
"Yes, but if we circle back — "
"WHO YOU DO THINK YOU ARE? I've seen you run in Gym class, you can't even jog 50 meters without getting a cramp!"
Mike's ears went red, and he looked down at the floor.
"And if we do miraculously make it out? Then what? Do you think they're not going to keep chasing us? They'll hunt us down and kill us all before Eleven gets the chance to close the gate. This is a suicidal one-way mission."
"I thought you said you didn't care if you—" the boy didn't get the chance to finish his sentence because Rue had pounced on him. She didn't know what caused it, but the second he opened his mouth, she saw red and had the urge to hit him. And hit him hard. He had some nerve to recall what she said when she just saw her dad die.
Usually, Rue never saw violence as the answer. It never was. But it was the question . . . and the answer was yes.
Mike screamed, attempting to pull her off as she pinned him to the floor. "I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" He tried pushed her arms away, "I DIDN'T MEAN IT — OUCH — RUE—"
"STEVE! DO SOMETHING!" Dustin yelled, pointing at the two fighting kids.
It seemed that Steve Harrington, the babysitter, was too busy laughing at the situation rather than fixing it.
"STEVE!" Lucas and Max shouted, snapping him out of his laughing fit.
"Oh, fine," he rolled his eyes, hurrying to pull Rue off Mike, who kept kicking and crying to get her off. "HEY — BREAK IT OFF, YOU TWO!" he roared, wrapping his arms around Rue's waist and trying to draw her off, but she hung on tight like a cat.
"Jesus," he stumbled back, losing his grip. He panicked for a moment, hearing Rue's cries. "Maybe we should wait it out-"
"She's gonna kill him!"
"Steve!"
"Beat his ass, Rue!"
"Fucking Hell . . ." he muttered, before pulling on Rue again, and this time she slipped away without a fight, dropping in his arms as he stepped away from Mike, who scrambled to his feet with the help of Dustin and Lucas. He had a bleeding scratch on his cheek, and he felt winded from the blows to the stomach that he was sure were going to burse.
Rue came out without any injury, only a cut on her lip as angry tears ran down her cheeks.
"You're crazy!"
"I fucking show you crazy!" Her voice laced with venom as she went to jump at him again, forgetting the Steve was still holding on to her. Mike stepped away, hiding behind Lucas. "Let me go, let me show him how it feels!"
"No, no, Rue, he didn't mean it."
"He — he's right! I didn't! I'm an idiot!"
"Fucking right you are," Max muttered under her breath.
"Don't you get it, Mike?" Rue cried, trying to get out of Steve's grasp. "Don't you get it that I can't lose you guys? Eleven has powers! She can take care of herself! If you go, you'll die, and I don't know how I'll live with myself knowing I could've stopped you!" Her voice cracked as she sobbed, "Please, don't go," Rue's voice was quiet as she looked at her four friends. "Stay here, where it's safe. You're the only friends I've got. . ."
She sniffed, and Steve slowly let her go, only for Rue to turn around and hug him tightly. Maybe she's not feeling better. Rue still needs time to heal. Sobs shook her body as she held Steve tightly, not wanting to let go. He placed his chin on the top of her head as they slowly rocked side to side.
Their moment cut short when the sound of revving was heard just outside the Byers' home. Rue slowly pulled away, pulling the hood up of her sweater to hide her face.
Max rushed towards the broken window after hearing the car engine. "It's my brother," she said loud enough for everyone to hear. "He— he can't know I'm here! He'll kill me—"
As if things couldn't get any worse, huh?
"Stay here," Steve told them. He nodded to himself for a few seconds, trying to gain confidence before walking out. The second the door closed, the kids ran to watch from the window, being as careful as they could to not be seen.
Everything seemed to be going fine until Max's brother pointed towards them, and the five kids quickly ducked down and pressed their backs on the couch.
"Shit! Do you think he saw us?"
Before anyone could answer Dustin, the door burst open. An angry yet good looking guy stormed in. His red blouse had about three buttons undone, showing off his chest that was as red as his face with rage. They stood from the floor, watching as he glared at all of them. His eyes trailed from each kid, skipping across Mike, Dustin and Rue until it lingered on Max and then Lucas.
"Well, well, well," He slammed the door, making all of them jump. "Lucas Sinclair. What a surprise," he started to move closer to the boy, then snapped his head to Max. "I thought I told you to stay away from him."
"Billy," Max said slowly, "go away—"
"You disobeyed me," he cut her off.
Rue glanced down at Max's hands to see them shaking in fear, and without thinking, she reached to hold it, feeling it relax before Max squeezed her hand tightly. Rue always wanted to meet Billy after Max had told her about him, but not like this.
A sinister smirk grew on Billy's face as he neared his sister. "You know what happens when you disobey me."
"Billy . . . " Max tried to reason with him before he cut her off again.
"I break things," he growled, then took Lucas by the collar, pinning him to a wall.
Everyone gasped, jumping away.
"Lucas!" They all yelled at him to stop hurting an innocent boy. Billy kept saying things to Lucas before the boy yelled in his face, kicking him in the balls. The older teenager grunted, letting him go.
"You are so dead, Sinclair! You're dead!" Billy said.
He froze in his shadowing steps when Steve ran back into the house. He turned Billy around by the shoulder, shaking his head in disgust. "No," Steve spat, "You are," and he punched him square in the face.
Billy's head jerked to the side in pain. He leaned down for a second before he started to laugh.
Lucas ran back to his friends, who hugged him. Rue gripped him tightly as she stared at Billy in horror. The boy had a bloody nose, yet he was still chuckling.
"Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh?!" He yelled, "I've been waiting to meet this King Steve, everybody's been telling me so much about!"
Steve didn't say anything at this. He shoved two fingers at Billy's chest, pushing him slightly. "Get out."
Billy gave him an unamused looked before he swung to hit him, and Steve quickly ducked out of the way. He jumped up and knocked him in the face again. Billy fell back on the counter.
"Yes!"
"Kick his ass, Steve!"
"Get him!"
"Be careful! Oh, God! Please be careful!"
The party started to cheer on for Steve, gawking at the fight before them. "Murder the son of a bitch!" Dustin yelled.
"They're gonna kill each other," Max said under her breath before looking over at Rue, holding her hand tighter and pulling her closer.
Steve punched him again, winning the fight as the kids he babysat praised him for it.
Billy leaned back on the sink, spitting out blood as he kept laughing. And then, to everyone's surprise, he reached for a plate, hitting Steve with it.
The group of kids gasped when it shattered loudly, "Billy, stop!" Max screamed.
"Holy shit," Steve muttered, tripping over himself, trying to get away from the kitchen. The plate beat him hard as his vision blurred when he stumbled away, almost bumping into the kids. Billy was hot by his steps and punched him again, and then again to the point Steve was about to fall.
"No one!" Billy punched him again, and Rue winced when she heard a cracking noise, "No one tells me what to do," He gripped onto Steve's collar before head bumping him, and Steve falling on the floor.
"You're gonna kill him!" Rue shouted as Billy got on top of Steve, throwing punches all around. "You're gonna kill him!" she cried, her eyes wide when Steve was no longer responsive while the blows kept going. Blood began to stain on Billy's knuckles and covered Steve's face, making him almost unrecognizable.
Rue felt Max's hands slip from hers, and she turned around to see her grab the needle they used to put Will to sleep. Max ran over to Billy, stabbing him in the neck with a needle, then injecting him with whatever was in it.
Everyone stopped screaming while Billy drunkenly stood up, staring at Max. His world was becoming blurry when he pulled out the needle from his neck. "The Hell is this?" he grumbled, taking a few swayed steps closer to Max, who backed away.
"You little shit, what did you do?" He raised his voice, and Rue was about to run over to Max before he fell on the ground with a thud.
She watched with wide eyes when Max grabbed Steve's bat with nails, holding it up as if she was going to hit her brother with it. "From here on out, you're going to leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?" she said sternly.
"Screw you."
His words got on her nerve, and Max hit the bat between his legs, puncturing holes into the floor. She pulled it back up, holding it threatened "Say you understand! Say it. Say it!" she screamed at him.
"I understand . . . "
"What?!"
"I understand!"
Max dropped the bat on the ground when he passed out. She scoffed, digging in his pockets before pulling out his car keys, "Let's get out of here," she held the keys up, jiggling them in the air.
"Wow," Rue breathed, feeling her heart beat wildly at her chest. A smile grew on her face as she pushed herself away from the boys and followed Max like a lost puppy.
The third stage of grief would be Bargaining, which has several meanings, such as: negotiating the terms and conditions of a transaction. Or it could be parting with something after negotiation but get little or nothing in return. In honesty, I have no idea what it means or what it has to do with grief, so I searched it up;
By bargaining, the person is willing to concede the outcome but attempts to do so by squeezing a few more moments of "normal," out of the turmoil that pounds on life's door. The individual is clinging to the threads of hope, however thin and worn the fabric may be.
"Okay, this is what we're going to do," Max clapped her hands, taking the lead. She walked around the living room, stepping over the two knocked-out teenagers. "Dustin Mike, go clean up Steve's wounds, check if there's a first aid kit in the bathroom. Lucas and Rue, go and find some flammables out in the backyard, anything we can use to burn the hub."
Max spun around and scoffed when she saw that no one was moving. She impatiently tapped one foot on the floor, "Well?" she waved her hands in the air, watching the four shift in their spots. "Go! Get on with it!" Max snapped, and they all split up, rushing to get what they needed.
"What a woman," Rue muttered, shaking her head. There was a dazed look in her green eyes as she hurried towards the backyard.
"Tell me about it," Lucas nodded, walking next to her. He opened the door, letting her walk out first. Rue quickly thanked him, and they froze a few steps into the yard. There was a hill of stuff in the middle of it, and most of it seemed more like junk than flammable things.
Rue's eyes landed on a pair of running shoes that looked around her size, so she ran to put them on while Lucas began to climb the hill. Rue quickly followed him up, searching for a can or fireworks or anything they can blow up.
"Wait, I think I found something," Lucas slid down the hill, and there was a loud CRASH that made Rue hurry as well.
"What did you do?!" she exclaimed when she found Lucas sprawled on the grass with a large can of gasoline on his stomach.
Lucas scoffed, pushing the bottle off him and stood up. "I found something!"
Rue rolled her eyes, but then they brightened when she saw a giant can with tons of warning signs. "Do you think Joyce's stove runs on gas?"
"I don't know. Why?"
She pointed at the other can, and Lucas went to pull it out of the junk pile.
The two ran back into the house, and there was a skip to their steps as they carried cans of gasoline and more. "We're gonna end up killing him," They heard Dustin's voice say, followed by a loud thud and a door shutting.
Lucas and Rue stepped over Billy and hurried outside, where Dustin and Mike were struggling to carry Steve and put him in the back seats of Billy's car, while Max was storing goggles and bandanas in the trunk.
"Great! You guys found it!" Max beamed, running over to help them with the cans. She took one from Rue's hands, their fingers brushing for a moment before she stepped away and placed the can in the trunk, Rue and Lucas doing the same.
"I call shotgun!"
"Damn it!"
（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）
Rue leaned back in her seat, holding onto the map as Max sat next to her in the driver's seat. "Everyone ready?" Max called, turning around to find Lucas, Mike, and Dustin squished in the backseat with Steve in the middle, his head resting on Lucas's shoulder. Mike had a bottle of gasoline in his hands while Dustin held an ice pack to Steve's injuries.
Steve's wounds had gotten worse than they were before as they started to swell, and Max deeply regretted asking Mike and Dustin out of all of them to help with Steve's injuries. The two boys had just stuck as many bandaids as they could to his cuts instead of tending them.
The three boys rolled their eyes, grumbling, "Yeah, whatever," once Max started the car. She didn't hesitate to step on the gas, sending the car forward and out of the Byers' driveway.
"Turn left right here," Rue said, tilting her head as she stared at the map and she wondered if she should have put more focus on the lesson in Geography about mapping.
Max spun the wheel, turning quickly, causing the boys in the back to lean on one side and all of them to complain about Max's reckless driving. "Shut up! It's not like you could do any better."
Rue leaned forward towards the radio, pressing random buttons until a small cassette popped out. She needed music right now. It was like Rue had just realized that they were going to the hub, to call the Demo-dogs towards them. Rue still didn't agree with the plan, oh fucking hell, she didn't. But what was she going to do? Jump out the moving car? Rue gingerly took the cassette, and a smile grew on her face when she read the title; Don't Stop Me Now — Queen.
"How about some music, yeah?" She smiled, pushing the cassette back in and turning up the volume. "Just to lighten the mood,"
"Tonight, I'm gonna have myself a real good time," Freddie's voice sang in the car. A grin grew on Max's freckled cheeks as she stole a glance at Rue, who had her feet up on the dashboard, using her legs as a table to rest the map on it while she hummed to the music. Rue leaned her head on the window, distracting herself for a few seconds to stare at the lovely sky and its pretty stars, and mentally put it in her bucket list to go stargazing one day.
"I feel alive — ah — ah — I've,"
Steve finally began to wake up, most likely because of the loud music. "Nancy?" he slurred, lifting his head from Lucas's shoulder and looking at Mike, who glares at the older boy.
"And the world . . . I'll turn it inside out, yeah!"
"Oh," he mumbled, his vision focusing, to see it was Mike and not Nancy. He groaned, moving a hand to touch one of the cuts on his face, which happened to be by his eyes.
"And floating around in ecstasy, so — "
"No, don't touch it," Dustin told him with a smile, carefully moving his hand away. "Hey buddy — shh — it's okay you put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you did well."
"What . . . what's going on?"
"Don't stop me now . . . don't stop me — "
"Um, you're gonna keep straight for half a mile," Rue said over the music, "Then make a left on Mount Sinai? Lucas, is that Mount Sinai?" She twisted around, pointing at the name on the map.
"Yeah, it is," he said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Rue nodded, turning back around.
Steve's eyes went from the girl in the front seat to the redhead in the driver's seat. It was like a slap in the face, and then it was like reality hit him. Those stupid fucking kids were going to the stupid fucking tunnels.
"'Cause I'm having a good time . . . having a good time!"
"Oh my God!" Steve yelled, clearly panicking.
"I'm a shooting star, leaping through the sky, like a tiger defying the laws of gravity . . . "
"Steve, relax she's driven before!" Dustin said calmly, softly running his hand through Steve's hair in an attempt to calm him down. And to make him stop moving so much because there were four of them back there.
Mike rolled his eyes at Dustin's comment. "Yeah, in a parking lot!"
"Hmm, still counts!" Rue buzzed, tapping her fingers on the map as the music continued.
"I'm a racing car, passing by like lady godiva . . . "
"Oh my God!" Steve screamed as Max started to go faster.
"I'm gonna go, go, go—"
"Oh, my God!" He cried again, moving around in his seat and trying to find a way to stop the car. Steve ended up pushing Lucas unto Mike, who grunted when his face was pressed against the window. "Stop moving! Stop the car!"
"There's no stopping me!"
Rue laughed, drowning out Steve's voice as the song continued.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! STOP THE CAR."
"I'm burnin' through the sky, yeah . . ."
"Oh, my God, No!"
"Two hundred degrees, that's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit!"
Dustin groaned as Steve kept moving around, making it more uncomfortable for the three kids sitting in the back. "Steve, relax, and listen to the music playing,"
"I'm travelling at the speed of light!"
"Holy shit! Slow down!"
"I told you he'd freak out!" Mike yelled.
"I wanna make a supersonic man out of you!"
Everyone in the back seats was soon yelling over each other. Making Rue furious because she couldn't hear the music, and if she couldn't hear the music, she'd hear everyone panicking instead, which will make her panic. "Max, go faster
"Don't stop me now! I'm having such a good time . . . "
"Stop the FUCKING car, Max Mayfield. I swear to God!"
"You're not my dad, Steve Harringtion!"
"I'm having a ball!"
"So you listen to Rue but not me?!"
"Yeah! Pretty much!"
Steve went to grab anything that was near him, and he ended up patting his big hands all over Dustin and Lucas's face, who yelled at him.
"Don't stop me now, if you wanna have a good time, just give me a call!"
"Everybody, shut up!" Max screamed over the music, and everyone's arguing. Her face was burning red with anger when she shot a glare at the four boys. "I'm trying to focus! Don't make me come back there!"
"Don't stop me now, 'cause I'm havin' such a good time . . ."
Rue yawned, wondering what time it was. Her green eyes glanced at the time on the radio, which flashed 4:13 am. When she looked out the window again, she noticed something. Her eyes widened when she looked back down at the map, then back outside, then back at the map. "That's Mount Sinai!" She tapped on Max's shoulder, "Make a left!"
"Don't stop me now! Yes, I'm havin' a good time, I don't want to stop at all!"
"What?"
"Make a left!" Rue exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'm a rocket ship on my way to mars, on a collision course . . ."
Max quickly spun the wheel again, hitting someone's mailbox doing so. The four boys in the back yelled as if they were on a roller coaster.
"I am a satellite, I'm out of control . . ."
"Whoa!" Steve shrieked.
"I'm a sex machine, ready to reload, like an atom bomb! About to — oh, oh, oh, oh! Oh, explode!"
"THIS SONG IS NOT FOR YOUR AGE!"
"I'm burnin' through the sky, yeah, two hundred degrees - that's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit!
"Whoa! Hello!" Steve started to yell again when Max stepped on the gas harder.
"We're all gonna fucking die!"
"Holy shit!"
"I'm travelling at the speed of light! I wanna make a supersonic man out of you!"
"HEY, BUTT-FACES!" Rue exclaimed, having enough of everyone's bullshit. She twisted in her seat, glaring daggers at them all. Smoke nearly steamed out from her ears as she pulled his hair into a messy bun. "Calm your tits! Will you?"
"Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball . . ."
"I just wanna hear the song!"
"Don't stop me now! If you wanna have a good time . . . just give me a call . . . "
The rest of the drive was pure chaos. Dustin was yelling at Steve to stop panicking. Mike was screaming that if Steve kept moving, he'd push him out of the car and let him take a tumble down the road. Steve was simply yelling. Lucas was barking at them to stop shouting, or else he'd shove the bottle of gasoline so far up their asses they'd feel the burn up their noses, which got the three other boys to stop yelling for a moment until Max took a sharp turn. That got Mike and Steve yelling at her again. And then, Rue was pressing her ears to the speakers, trying to listen to the song while calling out the next few turns.
"Don't stop me now (yes, I'm havin' a good time) I don't want to stop at all!!" The song finally came to an end, and Max quickly stopped the car in a pumpkin field.
Everyone stopped yelling and gasped. They all looked at each other, breathlessly, and Mike said, "Incredible."
This boasted Max's already big ego. Her lips twitched into a smirk as she turned off the car, "Told you." she said, pulling the keys out. "Zoomer."
（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）
"Yeah! Okay!" Rue cheered, pulling out the gas tanks from the trunk. She did a little dance, dropping the tank on the grass next to a rotten pumpkin. "Let's go get killed by Demodogs!"
Steve winced at this, and he began pacing. How did Dustin talk him into this? He didn't know. He looked beside him to find Max and the other boys staring at him knowingly, and it seemed that they were all thinking the same thing.
Steve sighed, walking towards the girl. "Rue. . ."
"Come on, guys!"
"Rue," he grabbed both her shoulders, pulling her aside. "Maybe you should stay back,"
Rue's face dropped, and she stared at him through her goggles. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you should stay up here — "
"Why?"
Steve frowned and looked back at the party, who quickly looked away, pretending they weren't listening. "Rue, you aren't — " he paused, sighing again, "you aren't in the right state of mind, right now,"
She laughed softly, "I think you've had one too many blows to the head, Steve Harrington," But her laughs left as quick as they came when she saw the way his eyes looked down. "Oh, you're serious?"
"Yeah," He nodded, "And I know you want to help," he added when he saw her lips move, "Yes, I know — but, right now — you're reckless, and that can get you killed and, we — I don't want that to happen."
"Oh,"
"Just wait for us here," He squeezed her shoulders, a soft smile on his face. "Please?"
"I'll stay with her," Max stepped forward, already taking off her mask and goggles. She dropped her hands to the side, half of a smile on her face, "I can stay with you."
"What if none of us go?"
"Rue, you know we can't do that," Mike said from behind Steve.
She chewed on her lower lip. How many times was it that people told her to stay behind? That they would be fine as she waits? Her dad told her everything would be fine. And that didn't turn out well. Tears filled her eyes. Oh, God, why did she have to think about him?
"Okay . . ." she said quietly, so quiet that Steve would've missed it if he wasn't standing right in front of her.
"Okay?"
"Yes," she sniffed, "Yeah, I'll stay here with Max."
Steve smiled and nodded. He hugged Rue quickly before chasing after the three boys that had run off to the hole.
Max slowly stepped forward once the four boys had disappeared into the tunnels. She stood close to Rue, and gingerly pulled off the goggles from her eyes, only to find them with tears. "They'll be okay,"
Rue took a shaky breath, nodding, "Yeah," she nodded, wearily.
Max smiled, stepping closer and moving her arms around Rue's neck to untie the piece of cloth. They both held their breaths until Max stepped away again. She winked at Rue, causing heat to rise on the girl's freckled face as Max led her back to the car.
The two girls sat on the hood of the car before lying back to look up at the clear sky. Rue's lip quivers, the gloss in her eyes reflected the stars she gazed at. She looked at the stars. Oh, those beautiful stars. And as Rue took a deep breath she started to enjoy the feeling of nature and its beauty. It was always lovely despite the horrors that happened below it, nature always knew its back, and she wondered if she would find her way back as well.
"It's pretty shit," Max's voice pulled Rue away from the stars.
"What?" she asked, almost offended.
"Not the sky," Max laughed, leaning on her side, using her hand to hold her head up as she stares at Rue, who turned her head to her. "I mean, we're just fucking kids. And look at all this shit we're going through."
Rue let out a breathy laugh, nodding as she turned back to the sky. "Tell me about it. I think I need a therapist after this."
Max giggled, "Yeah, I think so too,"
"Do you think I'd actually get myself killed if I went?"
She frowned, looking down at the car's hood before answering. "Honestly, yeah," Max nodded, "you seemed a little out of it when we were getting ready."
"You probably think I'm crazy,"
"Yeah, I do . . . But, I love a little crazy."
She hummed, watching as a shooting star flew by, and Rue's heart sank a little. She remembered the storybook her mom had read to her when she was little. It was about a little girl on Christmas Eve. In the book, the little girl's grandmother had said that everyone was made out of stardust, and a shooting star is a passing person's soul, finally away from pain, happy, finally free. And as Rue watched the star pass by, she smiled sadly, thinking that it was her dad.
Rue liked to think that way, like a child, because, well, that's what she was. But she had matured with what she's gone through, and thinking innocent little things like at kept her sane.
Seems as if she did get the stargazing moment she wished.
She felt a small shiver crawl up her spine when a hand brushed by hers. Rue had to bite back her smile when Max's warm hands laced with her cold one. Her thumb brushed the back of the hand softly, and all of Rue's worries slowly flew away.
She turned to look at Max, who's hair sprawled around her head like a ginger halo. Who's blue eyes were shining as bright as the stars under the moonlight. Rue could feel her heart kicking at her ribs. And right there, right now, she wished she had the power to freeze time.
It was like a cage of butterflies had opened in Rue's stomach. And for the first time, Rue wasn't thinking about Portland. Or how she's not supposed to like girls. She didn't care. She stared at Max Mayfield with a love-struck look in her green eyes, and she wished she could know what the girl was thinking. Hoping she was thinking the same as she was.
While the two girls lay under the stars, they hadn't noticed the shadow that flew with the breeze, the piece of the shadow monster that had been pulled from its host, Will Byers, lingering with the trees. It hovered over them, tempted to hasten down and take over the girl who could meddle with minds, yet she didn't know it. She didn't know how much power she truly had. She didn't know how easy it was for her to tamper into someone's head and change their beliefs into whatever she wanted. She could make people say yes by flashing them a smile. She didn't know she could make an army of men kneel before her if she asked.
She's clueless, the monster thought. For now . . .
Rue stiffened for a moment, hearing the familiar distorted whisper from when she was in the lab . . . with Will.
Max noticed her sudden discomfort and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she shook her head, "I just thought I heard something," she frowned, but instantly relaxed into Max's warm hands as the girl had cupped Rue's face, running her thumb on her cheek before tapping her nose. They both laughed.
How bizarre, while waiting for their friends to get back from a suicide-mission, they had found a bit of peace and joy in each other, just enough for them to laugh at the smallest things.
And then, there was a distance growling. Max and Rue quickly sat up when they could hear the yelling coming from the whole the boys had disappeared in. "Come on! Hurry up!" Steve's panicked voice echoed in the pumpkin field, and Rue rushed off the hood of the car, tripping over pumpkins before getting to the whole, Max close by her shadow.
They looked in the whole, where Lucas was rushing to climb the rope. Max sank to the grass, helping him. "What's going on?!" she grunted, pulling on his arms while Mike struggled to push him.
"They're coming! All of them!"
Rue dropped to the ground, helping them up as well. Her hands were shaky in the thought of not getting any of them up in time before the Demo-dogs came and took them all down.
Lucas stumbled to the floor, out of breath. Max and Rue reached down again to pull Mike up as well, who clung onto their hands faster than Lucas.
"Come, Mike!" Max huffed.
Mike tugged on their arms, nearly pulling both girls into the dark tunnels before they had finally got him up. Mike crawled next to Lucas, coughing and panting.
"Let's go, Dustin!" Rue reached for him, trying to grab his hand, but he stayed glued to his spot next to Steve, who was trying to push him towards the helping hands.
And then, they heard it. The stomping feet that sounded like hundreds, if not thousands of Demo-dogs, growling and running towards Steve and Dustin.
"Shit!" Dustin uttered as Steve pushed him behind him. He raised his bat with nails once he saw the first dog turn the corner, followed by a stampede of them.
"Come on! Dustin! Steve!" Max and Rue call for their hands, hoping they still had time to pull them out to safety.
Lucas and Mike poked their heads towards the whole once they heard gasps. The Demo-dogs had run past Dustin and Steve. The two clung unto each other like it was the end of the world. The dogs dodged the two as they tried their best not to lose balance and fall and be crushed by the stampede.
Once they were all sure it was over, Max, Rue, Mike, and Lucas pulled Dustin and Steve up and out of the tunnels. Everyone took a breath of relief.
The headlights of Billy's car began to shine clearer than before. They kept getting brighter, and it was almost blinding. The group had to shield their eyes from it.
The lights went back to their normal state, and that's when they knew. Eleven had closed the gate.
（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）
7014 WORDS
7000+ WORDS BRO WHAT
THATS LIKE 3000+ THAN BEFORE
it's the really long chapter that makes rue seem bipolar for me