#mainly because some asshole spray painted over it right before i was able to

[unknownhyperial]

Heres the two art pieces I did in the roblox spray painting game i was talking about! You can tell which one I did first lmao

Yeah I figured out drawing big on a wall is a terrible idea so when I found a small canvas while running around I decided to draw on that instead. It was a nice challenge trying to draw a dynamic pose with my mouse and make it look good! I'm quite proud of the second drawing even tho it isn't the greatest

Anyway heres what the second drawing looks like at night if you were ever curious:

[hannahberrie]

Everybody Talks | Chapter 8: Study Buddies

Fandom: Stranger Things Pairings: Mileven, Lumax  Rating: K WC: 8557 Summary: Mike enlists El’s help to try and figure out what happened at Jennifer Hayes’ party. 

[AO3] Chapter Selection: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]-8-[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][Epilogue] 

Monday morning at Hawkins High, Jennifer Hayes’ party is still the only thing that everyone’s talking about. Everyone’s whispering about how crazy the whole thing was. How you just had to be there. How, after the fight died down, the cops were called and all hell had broken loose again.

The cops hadn’t been able to tell what caused the power outage, but they were able to arrest the underaged drunk kids that were stupid enough to stick around.

Evidently, they were also able to contact Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.

According to the rumors, Jennifer Hayes is now officially grounded until, like, college (news to which Will replies, voice completely flat, “Oh, no —  no more parties”).

Despite all that, the drama doesn’t stop there.

Monday afternoon, word gets around that Greg McCorkle basically had a mental breakdown in the school parking lot. Apparently, someone, at some point during the day, spray-painted some pretty colorful language onto the side of his car — no pun intended.

During lunch, most students rush outside to see it for themselves. The chaos of the all the clamor makes it nearly impossible for Mr. Coleman, the principal, to even tell what’s going on, let alone to start apprehending suspects — though, according to what he shouts as he tries to break up the crowded parking lot, he has ‘a pretty good idea’ who did it, he just has ‘to prove it.’

“Do you think he really knows?” Will asks as the guys shuffle back inside. “Who did it, I mean.”

“Nah, he’s full of shit,” Lucas scoffs.

“Almost as much shit as the ones written all over Greg McCorkle’s car,” Dustin quips, earning a gleeful round of snickers from his friends.

Later Monday afternoon, when school lets out, Mike still doesn’t know who painted Greg’s car.

At least, he doesn’t until he starts to bike home.

Mike takes a shortcut around the back of the school, as it avoids the chaos of trying to bike through a crowded parking lot filled with asshole seniors and their dangerously fast cars.

As Mike comes around the back, he hears a noise: the sound of small objects knocking into metal, their rattle echoing.

He looks over and spots someone in a gray hoodie tossing a couple cans of spray paint into the giant dumpster behind the school. They’re a little shorter than the dumpster, so they have to hop in place a little in order to successfully chuck the empty cans inside.

Mike frowns, bringing his bike to a skidding halt. He’s seen that hoodie before.

The figure turns around at the screech of his bike tires, and even though she’s standing several feet away, Mike recognizes Max at once.

Their eyes meet.

Mike’s jaw drops.

Max freezes, one last empty spray-paint can still in hand.

Mike glances at her, the dumpster, the can of spray paint, and back at her again.

Well...it’s not like it doesn’t make perfect sense.

He keeps staring, unsure of what to do.

Max looks startled, scared even, and she throws him a pleading look.

Please don’t tell.

Mike’s mouth snaps shut and he quickly gives her a reassuring smile.

Never.

Max softens, smirks, and turns to toss the last can into the dumpster.

She turns back to look at him, they exchange a single, mutual nod, Mike bikes off, and neither speaks of the incident from that day forward.

Monday night at the Wheeler’s, Mike still can’t fall asleep. Then again, he hasn’t really been able to since Saturday. Every time he closes his eyes, he’s right back in Jennifer’s suffocating, stiflingly hot living room. The fight breaks out, the lamp is thrown, and then it all comes to a screeching halt.

Over and over and over again.

Mike’s eyes open. It’s pitch black in his room, and, according to his digital alarm clock, well after midnight.

He tosses onto his side, trying to force himself to fall asleep, but it doesn’t work. His mind just keeps going back to that lamp. He can’t get the image of it — floating, defying everything that he knew about physics — out of his head.

The whole thing is just so weird and doesn’t make any sense.

Mike tosses and turns for a few more moments before giving up. He crawls down from the top of his bunk bed and starts pacing around his room, trying to get his mind working.

There had to be some kind of explanation, right? Some rational, scientific reasoning?

But—

Why did it just HOVER before falling? Why were all the lights flashing? And what was that sound?

Mike drags a hand through his hair, frowning in frustration. It doesn’t make sense. Nothing makes sense.

His gaze darts about his bedroom as he paces, as if he’ll find the answers to his questions hidden somewhere amongst old comic books and science fair trophies.

In a way, he does.

His eyes land on one of his most prized possessions, a framed commemorative poster for The Empire Strikes Back. His dad gave it to him for his 10th birthday, and even though Mike is sure that his mother played a big role in choosing the gift, it’s reassuring to know that there was at least one point in time in which his father acknowledged his interests.

But when Mike looks at the poster now, he’s not thinking about his dad.

The Force.

Okay, so, of course, Mike knows that the Force technically isn’t real. But what if what had happened at the party was supernatural in some other way? What if it was beyond scientific understanding?

Mike’s eyes widen as he considers this further. His pacing stops as he freezes in place, mind officially blown.

Holy shit.

He has to investigate this. He has to. But how? He needs help.

His gaze moves to his nightstand. The completed Rubik’s cube is still resting there, just as he’d left it weeks ago.

He knows exactly who’ll understand.

“Sorry guys, but I’m going to have to call off A.V. for today,” Mike tells the guys over lunch.

“But we always have A.V. Club on Tuesdays,” Will frowns, looking concerned, “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything’s ok!” Mike insists, “I just…uh…”

“You just what?” Lucas asks.

“Uh…”

“Give him a minute,” Dustin smirks, “He’s gotta think of an excuse first.”

“I’m not making excuses!” Mike insists. He hesitates as he contemplates what to say, but then, remembering his cardinal rule, decides that he shouldn’t lie to his friends. “I have to go to the library after school.”

“Why?!” Lucas exclaims, brow furrowed in confusion.

Mike shrugs. “To study.”

“Study what?”

As much as Mike values honesty, he’s not opposed to sometimes, when necessary, leaving out small details. Details that, if shared, would make his friends tease him for the rest of the day. Rest of the year, actually.  

Said details included that he was going to the library to study supernatural activity with El Hopper (who he may or may not have a crush on).

“Stuff for science,” Mike explains, which isn’t a lie, not really.

“Like what?” Dustin asks.

“Physics.”

“You’re in Biology,” Will points out.

“Well, I want to study physics!”

“Why?” Dustin counters.

“For fun!”

“Whatever, man,” Lucas says, shaking his head. “But we need to stop slacking off. We still have to finish our Homecoming project, remember?”

At the beginning of the year, before Mr. Coleman busted them for selling test answers, he approached the A.V. Club with a request. He wanted them to make a promotional video for the homecoming football game that featured highlights from past seasons.

“If it’s good enough, we might even submit it to the local news!” He gushed excitedly.

The boys eagerly accepted the project. Considering that they had to fight to be featured in the yearbook last year, they were desperate for recognition. Plus, as Lucas had eagerly pointed out, Troy would totally lose his shit if something they made was featured on the news.

Now, it’s over a month later and, after long hours of sorting through endless film reels of nothing but football, the boys’ passion for the project is pretty much shot. The homecoming football game is only two weeks away, and yet they still haven’t even come close to finishing.

“I know,” Mike frowns, “We’ll finish it, I promise!”

“The news, Mike,” Dustin says, slapping a hand down on the lunch table for emphasis, “The. News. We’re going to be famous!”

“We’re not even going to be in it,” Will reminds him.

“Still! Everyone will see it, and then we can tell them that we made it, and then we’ll be famous.”

“Not if we don’t finish it,” Lucas reiterates.

“We will!” Mike repeats, “How about we meet tomorrow instead? Does that work?”

The other three all glance at each other before nodding approvingly.

“As long as we get it done,” Will shrugs.

“Alright, tomorrow then,” Mike says definitively. In retrospect, he could have easily kept the A.V. Club meeting and gone to the library tomorrow…

…but that would just mean another sleepless night spent tossing and turning over answers he didn’t quite have. He needs to figure things out now, before he completely loses his mind.

The conversation concludes with the ring of the school bell. As lunch ends, the cafeteria becomes a flurry of activity. The guys pack up their lunches and go their separate ways, each headed off to their 6th-period classes.

Even though Mike knows that he’s going to see El in Biology, he wants to ask her before class starts — mainly because he’s scared he’ll lose his nerve otherwise.

Even though the school hallways are as crowded as usual, Mike is still able to spot El. He recognizes her hair, slicked back as always, curling at the ends. She’s wearing the same flannel shirt that she wore when they first met in detention, though she has a different band tee paired with it.

He hasn’t talked to her since their phone conversation on Sunday, a conversation that he’s admittedly played back in his head several times. It hadn’t lasted long — after El promised him that everything was okay, the conversation ended with a few offhand questions about their upcoming Biology assignments.

But still. They’d had time to talk, just the two of them, without his friends attempting to embarrass him in the background. And now, hopefully, they’ll get a second chance.

He sees her walk to her locker and start turning the padlock.

He takes a deep breath, readying himself.

Paladin, he reminds himself, trying to bolster his own confidence. He’s a leader. El believes in him.

With that in mind, Mike walks over to her, trying to look as casually suave as he can. El doesn’t see him approaching and even when he comes to a stop beside her locker, she’s still distracted with getting out her books.

Mike clears his throat. “Uh, hey!”

El glances up before jumping back slightly, looking startled. “Mike!”

“I’m sorry!” Mike apologizes hastily, taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“You didn’t scare me,” El blushes, not looking directly at him.

“Well, that’s good!” Mike replies, his own cheeks starting to turn pink. “I just…uh…”

“What?” El asks, gaze meeting his. Her eyes look so much larger when they’re surrounded by the black eyeshadow she always wears. It makes her stare a little intimidating.

“I wanted to ask you something?” Mike asks, hating how pitchy his voice gets towards the end of the sentence. He can’t help it. He’s nervous. It doesn’t help that he can’t quite read her facial expression, either. He can’t tell if she’s nervous, suspicious, angry, or curious.

“Okay?”

“Okay,” Mike echoes, taking another steadying breath.

He hesitantly steps closer to her. El’s eyes widen slightly, but she doesn’t step back. Instead, she follows his lead and leans in, cheeks bright pink.

“So, do you remember how we were talking about what happened at Jennifer’s house?” Mike asks, voice low, “With the lamp?”

“Yes?” El whispers back.

“Well, I was thinking about it over the past couple days, and the whole thing just doesn’t add up, right?”

“Right,” El echoes nervously.

“Well, I was thinking that maybe, it was like, something...something...”

El eyes him. “Something...?”

“Supernatural,” Mike finishes hastily.

“Supernatural?”

“Yeah, you know, like paranormal,” Mike explains. “It means that it goes against the laws of nature, or normality.”

“I know what it means,” El defends, “I just...why are you telling me?”

“Because you’re the only one that believes me!” Mike reminds her, “All my other friends think that I was just seeing things.”

“But you...weren’t,” El says carefully.

“Exactly! But I need to prove it! I wanna do some research and see if I can dig up any more information about stuff like this. You know, like weird stuff.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah! So, I was hoping, that maybe, if you’re free, we could go to the library after school today?” Mike asks, voice getting a little pitchy again. It’s starting to get embarrassing how nervous he sounds. “I mean, only if you want to, that is. I just thought it’d be nice to have someone else there to help and talk things through with.”

El hesitates. “I’m not sure,” she says, looking away.

“Please?” Mike pouts, giving her what was hopefully his best puppy-dog eyes.

El blushes. “I guess so,” she relents shyly.

“Awesome!” Mike grins. “Why don’t you meet me at the bike rack after school gets out?”

“Okay,” El nods, cheeks still pink.

The warning bell rings and Mike realizes he doesn’t have any supplies for Biology yet.

“Aw, shit,” he groans, “I gotta run to my locker, but I’ll see you in class, okay?”

“Okay!” El repeats, and once again, he can’t quite read whether or not she’s excited or anxious. Maybe it’s a combination of both.

Either way, she agreed to spend time with him, and that alone has Mike beaming with excitement.

She said yes. She said yes and she believed him and she’s like, the coolest girl ever. He can barely believe it.

The last two classes of the day pass by in a blur. Mike spends most of them watching the clock, counting down the seconds until school lets out. When it finally does, he hurriedly packs up his things and races outside to the bike rack, not wanting to accidentally miss El.

His friends stop by to pick up their own bikes, Will to recommend some good physics books he’s heard of, and Dustin and Lucas to warn him to not get too invested in any “weird shit.”

A few minutes after they leave, El exits the school and approaches Mike.

At this point, it’s not surprising in the slightest that Mike’s heart starts doing cartwheels. He realizes that it’s a feeling he’s just going to have to get used to.

“Hey, El!” Mike says excitedly as she approaches him.

“Hi, Mike,” El murmurs, giving him a small smile.

“So, are you ready to go?”

“Go?”

“To the library?”

“Isn’t that right here? At school?”

“I was thinking,” Mike replies, flustered, “That we could go to the public library. I don’t think our school has enough books on supernatural stuff.”

“How are we going to get there?” El asks, confused.

Mike starts to blush. “I was...uh...thinking that I could bike us there?”

El blinks at him.

Oh, god. She probably thinks he’s a total wasteoid. What kind of dweeb still rode a bike around, anyway? He can’t even drive and now El probably thinks he’s completely lame for it. Why was this a good idea again?

“Or not,” Mike mutters, looking down at his feet, “I dunno, I’m sorry. I was just being weird.”

“No!” El pipes up quickly.

Mike looks back up in surprise. “No?”

“You’re not weird,” El explains, “I just didn’t know.” She moves closer to him, stopping only when she’s standing right before him.

If Mike had thought that Jennifer Hayes had this otherworldly aura, it’s nothing compared to how El makes him feel. It’s ridiculous, really, considering that she was hanging onto him for most of Saturday night, but nevertheless, when she comes to stand in front of him and cocks her head up to meet his eye, he’s completely awestruck.

“Let’s go,” El says.

“Um,” Mike replies stupidly.

El gives him a confused look, which is enough to make Mike snap out of it.

“Yes!” He bursts, blushing bright pink. “I mean, yeah, let’s get going.”

He turns and mounts his bike, then pats the back of the seat, inviting El to get behind him.

She does. It’s a tight fit, especially since they’re both wearing backpacks and Mike’s bike is already on the smaller side, but they manage to make it work. As she situates herself on the seat behind him, her torso presses into him, her arms wrap around his sides, and her fingers curl into the sleeves of his navy windbreaker. Being that he’s a few inches taller than her, their size difference is noticeable even when sitting. Her head comes to a stop around his neck area, so when she speaks, her voice sounds slightly muffled.

“Ready!” She announces.

Mike nods, pretty much unable to speak at the moment. He takes off biking, making sure to keep a good balance.

The bike ride is mostly quiet, but it’s not an uncomfortable silence. Quite the opposite, actually. Having El snuggled up beside him is definitely the most comfortable feeling in the world. Did thinking that make him a weirdo? Probably.

The ride doesn’t take long, and within 15 minutes they come to a stop in front of the Hawkins public library.

“Sorry we had to bike,” Mike apologizes as he dismounts the bike, “Next summer, I’m gonna get my license and save up for a car.”

El gets off the bike too, tucking a strand of wind-swept hair behind her ear. “I liked the bike,” she mumbles shyly.

“Really?” Mike gapes.

El shrugs.

“Oh,” Mike blushes, “Well, that’s good, I guess.”

El smiles at him, which only causes him to blush even more. When he manages to speak again, his voice sounds embarrassingly hoarse.

“Well, let’s go inside,” He instructs.

“Right,” El replies, face falling slightly.

Mike leaves his bike tucked between some bushes before leading the way up the front steps of the library. He makes sure to dash ahead and grab the door first, holding it open for El.

“Thank you,” El replies, though she only seems partly aware of what’s going on. She’s completely captivated by the impressive architecture of the library. Her gaze keeps darting about sporadically, taking it all in.

“You’re welcome,” Mike modestly replies anyway.

When they enter the library, they’re met with the distinguished smell of old wood and books that’s somehow both comforting and unpleasantly musty at the same time. Their sneakers squeak against the checkered tiled floor. This causes the librarian, seated front and center at the main desk, to look up at them, perturbed. When she recognizes Mike, however, she softens.

“Michael!” She smiles, voice hushed. “How good to see you!”

“Hey, Marissa,” Mike smiles back.

“I see you brought a friend with you,” Marissa remarks, looking over to El.

“Oh, yeah,” Mike replies, turning to El, “This is El Hopper, she’s my...uh...my—“

Somehow, ‘crush’ doesn’t seem to be the appropriate response here. Thankfully, El steps in for him.

“Friend,” She finishes, and Mike nearly dies of happiness right then and there.

Friend. They’re friends. She said it and they’re friends.

“Yeah!” Mike replies eagerly, “We’re friends!”

“Aren’t you the Chief’s daughter?” Marissa asks, looking El over.

“Yes,” El nods.

“Huh,” Marissa replies simply. She keeps giving El the look-over, and Mike can’t tell if it’s a good or bad thing. Either way, he and El have business to attend to.

“Do you guys have any historical texts on any paranormal or supernaturally significant phenomena?” Mike says, trying to sound as professional as possible. In reality, he’s just throwing in as many buzzwords from Ghostbusters as possible.

Marissa eyes him. “Check the records,” she offers, motioning to the long row of filing cabinets to her left. “Maybe we’ll have something.”

“Thanks!” Mike grins.

Marissa nods and brings a finger to her lips, reminding him to stay quiet.

Mike and El walk over to the filing cabinet. It’s quite massive in scale — at least 9 compartments tall by 12 wide. Each drawer is filled with filing notes on old newspapers articles, sorted by topic and publication.

As Mike begins to scan the label of each compartment, El leans in close to him.

“How do you know her?” She whispers, glancing back at the librarian.

“Marissa?” Mike asks, to which El nods. “I’ve known her forever. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. The guys and I like to do research for our Dungeons and Dragons campaigns here. We like to make sure they’re like, super historically accurate.”

“What’s Dungeons and Dragons?”

“It’s a tabletop RPG,” Mike explains.

El’s brow furrows in confusion.

“Like, a board game,” Mike explains patiently, “Where you play as a character and get to make your own stories and stuff.”

“Oh,” El smiles understandingly, “That sounds fun.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Mike brags, “I’m the Dungeon Master, so I plan a lot of campaigns. My best one took over 10 hours to finish, it was so sweet! It took forever to plan though. I had to spend a lot of time here, to make sure all my historical weaponry was accurate and everything. Sometimes the guys come here with me and we just spend the whole day reading about random stuff.”

“I’ve never been here before,” El admits, glancing around.

“You’ve never been to the library before!?” Mike exclaims in astonishment.

El shrugs.

“How is that even possible!?”

Marissa looks up from her desk to give Mike a warning shush.

Mike and El give her apologetic smiles before turning back to each other.

“Seriously, how have you never been here?” Mike whispers.

“My Dad gets me all my books,” El whispers back, “And I don’t read a lot.”

“What do you do for fun, then?” Mike asks curiously.

El thinks for a moment. “Max and I listen to music. We go to the records store a lot. Sometimes we watch movies and TV.”

“What kinds of movies?”

El hesitates. “Halloween.”

“Isn’t that movie really scary?”

El nods. She glances around the library nervously before leaning in closer to Mike. “I hate it,” she whispers, “But don’t tell Max.”

The whole thing reminds Mike of El’s previous Star Wars confession, and he can’t help but smile.

“Okay, so, what kinds of movies do you like, then?” He asks teasingly, raising an eyebrow.

El bites down her on lower lip and glances up at him shyly. “Don’t laugh,” she warns him.

“I won’t!” Mike assures her.

“I like….” El replies, voice mumbled, “Sixteen Candles.”

“Sixteen Candles?!”

“…And the Breakfast Club.”  

“The Breakfast Club!?”

Marissa shushes them again, so Mike and El lower their voices.

“What?” El asks, looking worriedly at him.

“It’s nothing!” Mike insists, “I just…I didn’t know you liked that kind of stuff. Like, romance stuff.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” El inquires curiously.

“Because,” Mike hesitates, “I mean, like, just based on what most people think of you.”

“What they think of me?”

“Like, how you fit into the high school hierarchy,” Mike explains, though as soon as Dustin’s coined phrase leaves his mouth, Mike realizes how stupid he’s starting to sound.

“The hierarchy?” El echoes, brow furrowed.

Yeah, this was turning into a disaster. Mike decides to salvage the situation as best as he can by changing the subject.

“You know what, never mind, actually,” Mike quickly amends, “I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

El gives him a small, albeit slightly confused, smile. “Okay.”

“Let’s just start looking for information,” Mike instructs, turning his attention back to the filing cabinet. “Why don’t you start looking through the Chicago Tribune, and I’ll take the New York Times?”

“Okay,” El mumbles, looking a little uncomfortable.

They sort through the files together. Mike pulls out anything that could even be loosely related to paranormal activity, no matter how insignificant or mundane it seems. El pulls out a few things here and there, but not many.

“Did you find anything good, yet?” Mike whispers to her as he moves onto the New York Post.

“No,” El replies quickly, shutting the compartment for the Tribune. “Just boring stuff.”

Mike eyes her. He can’t help but feel like she’s acting a little weird. Jumpy, even. But a moment later, she’s giving him a reassuring smile, coming over to help him sort through the Post, and any uneasy feeling of his is forgotten.

They pull as many files as they can. Because Marissa knows Mike so well, she knows that he’s a ‘responsible young man with a good head on his shoulders.’ Consequently, she allows the two to use the microfilm readers to examine the articles.

The readers are located in a quiet corner in the back of the library, secluded from the other patrons. Mike and El push two chairs together and get situated in front of one reader. One by one, they start going over all of the newspaper articles they picked out, eyes straining to read the inverted text.

Mike is desperate for answers, but the newspaper articles come up blank every time. It’s mostly a lot of tall tales and exaggerated ‘eye-witness’ accounts that add up to nothing more than flashy headlines.

El stays silent for most of the time, slumped back in her seat. She’s wearing her blue braided bracelet again, and as Mike quietly reads off articles to her, she absentmindedly turns it in circles around her wrist.

“I can’t find anything,” Mike scoffs after a long period of time. “It’s all nonsense.”

“Maybe we should stop,” El offers.

“No! We can’t stop!” Mike insists, turning to look at her.

“Why not?”

“Because! I need answers. We need answers. There was something strange that happened at that party, I just know it. The cops couldn’t figure out what caused the power outage — don’t you think that’s weird?”

“I don’t know,” El mumbles.

“It is!” Mike continues, “People blow fuses all the time, that shouldn’t be hard to figure out, and yet they couldn’t! They don’t know! They don’t know because it’s something they’ve never seen before, something that no one has!”

“Like what?” El asks, starting to sound agitated. Her brow is furrowed as she gives him a serious glare. “What, Mike?”

“I don’t know!” Mike exclaims, “Something beyond scientific explanation! Something paranormal, or supernatural, or telekinetic, or—“

“Stop.”

Mike looks at her indignantly. “Stop? Why?”

“Just stop!” El repeats. She takes a hesitant breath, suddenly sounding more frightened than angry.

Mike pauses, giving her a worried look. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” El insists.

“Then why do you look upset?”

El shakes her head. “I’m not.”

“Okay, well, you obviously are.”

“I just—“ El stops herself and pauses for a moment, “I don’t think it’s worth it.”

“What isn’t worth it?”

El motions to the microfilm reader. “All this research for something you might not have really seen.”

“Might not have really seen?” Mike repeats, heart sinking. “I thought you said that you believed me!”

“I do!” El insists.

“It doesn’t sound like it!”

“I’m sorry!”

“So, which is it then? Do you believe me or not?”

El takes a sharp breath. Her eyes close, and for a moment Mike wonders if something is seriously wrong, but then she releases her breath and turns to look at him.

“I...I believe you, Mike,” she says slowly.

“Really?” Mike asks suspiciously.

El nods. She carefully reaches out to place her hand over his, and he’s pretty sure that his brain short circuits for a moment. With a gentle push, she moves his hand away from the microfilm reader. “It’s just...the party was bad, Mike. Really bad. I...I don’t want to remember it. Do we have to talk about it all the time?”

Mike instantly feels like an idiot.

El had just lived through what was probably the worst night of her life, and all that Mike had done for the past three days is constantly remind her of it. No wonder that she’s looked so uncomfortable this whole time!

“Oh my god,” Mike groans, moving away from her touch. He slumps back in his chair, desperately wishing he could just disappear. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” El replies quietly.

“No, it isn’t!” Mike laments, “It isn’t! That party must have been terrible for you, and I just keep talking about it, and making you think about it, and just being a total moron about it!”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Still!”

Before El can respond, she’s cut off by the sound of clinking heels against the tiled floor. The two glance up to see Marissa storming over to them, looking absolutely livid.

“You two!” She snaps, hissing furiously, “What is it with all the noise?!”

Mike shrinks back in his seat. “I’m sorry!” He apologizes earnestly. “We got carried away!”

“I’m very disappointed in you, Michael,” Marissa scolds, “You know better than to make a commotion in here, and yet, I could hear you two going back and forth all the way from the front desk!”

“I’m sorry!” Mike says again. He’s not sure what else he can say.

Marissa lets out an angry huff of air before taking a deep breath. She straightens up, composes herself, and gives them both warning glares. “Keep it down,” she says gravely.

“We will!” Mike nods, “We promise!”

Marissa only gives him another serious look before turning on her heel and marching back to the front desk.

Mike waits for her to leave before turning back to El.

“That was terrifying,” he jokes, keeping his voice low.

“I should go,” El murmurs in response, not looking at him, “It’s getting late.”

Oh.

Mike’s shoulders slump as he feels an overwhelming sense of defeat. He glances out the window and is surprised to see that it is pretty late — the blue sky is fading into a deep purple hue as the streetlights flicker on. They’ve been here longer than he thought.

“Okay,” Mike mumbles. He turns to glances over at El anxiously. “Do you want me to bike you home?”

“It’s okay,” El deflects. She stands up from their table and slips her backpack over her shoulder. “My house isn’t far.”

“Are you sure? It’s kinda dark.”

She nods. “I’m fine.”

Mike frowns worriedly. “Alright, then.”

El gives him a somber, half-hearted smile. “Bye, Mike.”

Mike just nods.

She leaves then, sneakers still squeaking against the floor until she exits the building.

He’s left alone, surrounded by microfilm files, face illuminated by the glow of the reader’s screen.

Though he’s not sure what, he knows that he’s definitely screwed something up.

On Wednesday, the guys host a make-up A.V. Club meeting. As always, they meet in what has to be the smallest room at Hawkins High. The space just barely fits their film equipment, repair tools, projectors, TV, landline phone, and four desks that they’d “borrowed” from other classrooms. It’s so cramped that the room often feels like a glorified closet than anything else, but regardless, it’s theirs.

Today, the desks are situated around the TV. A recording of the Hawkins High homecoming game of ’81 is playing on the screen. It has to be the millionth VHS tape of football footage that the guys have watched — consequently, they’re all slumped back in their seats disinterestedly.

Mike is trying to remain focused, but it’s all so boring. It also doesn’t help that he can’t stop worrying about El. She hadn’t looked his way once during Biology today, and after class had ended, she’d taken off in a hurry.

Mike had considered asking Max if everything was okay, but that seemed a little too forward. Plus, despite the moment they’d shared Monday, he was 99% certain that if he whined to Max about whether or not El was mad at him, Max would laugh right in his face.

The whole thing is so complicated and confusing. Mike’s not sure what he should do about the whole situation, so he instead focuses his attention on something he does understand — A.V.

“Maybe we can use this clip,” Mike says tiredly. He leans forward, reaches out across his desk, and presses pause on the TV. “I think that might have been a good play.”

“Everyone started cheering,” Will remarks, idly drawing in his sketchbook. “So, that means it has to be good, right?”

“Who cares?” Lucas sighs, “Let’s just use it! I just want this project to be over already.”

“Why do we have to put in so many highlights?” Dustin gripes. He removes his hat with one hand and uses the other to drag his fingers through his hair. “It’s all the same. One guy passes the ball to the other, the other guy runs with it, they score a point. It’s all the same and it just doesn’t make any goddamn sense.”

“Well, we’re almost done,” Will reminds them, “We only need three more minutes of footage.”

“Did you guys know that with all the time we’ve spent watching these football tapes over the past month, we could have watched the entire Star Wars trilogy over three times?” Dustin points out, “Three times.”

“That can’t be right,” Lucas frowns, shaking his head.

“7 homecoming games, all over 3 hours each, versus 3 movies, all around 2 hours each. Do the math, I’m right.”

“You do the math!” Lucas grumbles crossly.

“I just did!”

“We should take a break,” Will suggests, turning to Mike hopefully.

“Agreed,” Mike nods, rubbing his forehead, “I think we’re all pretty tired.”

“And hungry,” Dustin adds, “I’m super hungry.”

“Then go home and eat!” Lucas mutters bitterly.

“No!” Dustin frowns, scrunching up his nose, “Do you wanna know what my mom’s making for dinner tonight? Tuna casserole. Tuna casserole, Lucas. No one likes that, it’s disgusting.”

“Some people do.”

“Who?! Name one person.”

Lucas opens his mouth to reply, only to close it a second later.

“Exactly,” Dustin says triumphantly.

“Then why don’t you go out and eat,” Lucas retorts.

“Because! No one goes out to eat alone, that’s weird.”

“It really isn’t!”

“It really is!”

“Then we’ll just go with you!” Will cuts in, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Really?” Dustin asks, looking excited.

“Really?” Lucas echoes, looking tired.

“It could be fun,” Will nods, “Right, Mike?”

Mike glances between the guys. Even though he’s still feeling a little down, a night out with his friends does seem like the perfect way to get his mind off of El.

“Why not?” He shrugs, turning off the TV. “We still have two weeks to finish this video, and it’s getting pretty late. We can go to Benny’s.”

“Mike, Will — you’re amazing, incredible,” Dustin beams, already rising out of his seat. “I owe you guys! You’ve saved me, like, seriously!”  

“That’s what friends do!” Will replies before turning to give Lucas a pointed look.

Lucas eyes Will and Dustin before allowing his shoulders to slump and his demeanor to soften. “Yeah,” he relents, offering Dustin an apologetic smile.

Mike smiles at his friends, already feeling happier. “Alright, guys, let’s get going before it gets dark out,” he instructs, getting out of his desk.

The guys nod and follow his lead. After they hastily pack up their equipment and phone their parents, they race each other outside to the bike rack. It’s around 6:00 when they finally head out. Dusk is upon them — the blue sky is slowly ebbing away into a faint orange, their breath appears as faint clouds in front of their faces.

Benny’s Burgers, located near the outskirts of town, is small and a little drab, but the boys wouldn’t trade it for the world. They’ve been coming to the diner ever since they were young. The food is not only cheap, but amazing, and the owner, Benny, is always really nice to them. It’s also nice that it’s not too far away. Tonight, the boys manage to bike there in under 25 minutes.

25 more minutes later, they’re seated inside their favorite booth, happily enjoying their bounty of burgers, curly fries, and milkshakes. They sit in their usual positions — Dustin and Lucas on one side, Mike and Will on the other. Dustin and Will are seated closest to the windows; Dustin because he enjoys people-watching, and Will because he enjoys sketching the scenery when he gets bored.

There are only a few other patrons in the restaurant, but they’re more preoccupied with chatting up the owner, Benny, as he works behind the grill. The diner is filled with the sounds of frying food, soft chatter, clattering dishes, and whatever song is playing on the radio (currently: a single from the new A-ha album).

Just like the A.V. Club room, Benny’s is a place that means something to Mike and his friends. It’s safe, it’s comfortable, it’s filled with memories, and it’s always the same.

It’s the perfect way for Mike to get his mind off of El.

At least, it is until she shows up.

“Holy shit!” Dustin suddenly cries out, peering out the window, “Is that El and Max?”

Mike nearly chokes on his curly fries. “W-what?!”

“I’m serious! I’m like, a hundred percent sure that that’s them,” Dustin continues, squinting.

“I wanna see!” Lucas says eagerly, pushing past Dustin.

The boys all cram together to look out the window, faces pressed up against the glass.

Sure enough, Mike spots El and Max in the parking lot. They’re approaching the diner at an easy pace, skateboards tucked under their arms.

“They skateboard?” Dustin exclaims, shocked.

“They’re so cool!” Lucas gushes, before quickly adding, “I mean, sort of.”

Had it been any other day, Mike probably would have been absurdly excited to see that they were here. But today, still unsure of how El feels towards him, all he feels is anxiety. For all he knows, El is never going to speak to him again, all because he wouldn’t shut up about a stupid lamp. It sucks.

“I can’t believe your girlfriend is here, Mike,” Dustin snickers giddily, “Try not to cream your pants.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Mike mutters, pouting slightly. The A-ha song that’s playing on the radio is a somber love ballad, which really isn’t helping Mike’s mood.

El is chatting with Max when she suddenly stops. Max looks back at her with confusion, but then El says something and points to a spot in the front of the diner.

The exact same spot where the boy’s bikes are parked.

Max frowns and glances around the parking lot. Then her eyes flit towards the window, she nudges El, and the next thing Mike knows, both girls are staring directly at them.

Shit, shit, shit.

“Oh my god, get down!” Dustin exclaims, eyes wide.

The boys jump back from the window and duck their heads down, each a little breathless and flustered.

“Shit, do you think they saw us!?” Lucas hisses, not daring to look back out the window.

“They looked right at us!” Dustin hisses back, “I’m pretty sure they did!”

“So? Aren’t we friends with them?” Will asks, glancing at everyone. “We all hung out at the party!”

“That was only because everyone else was drunk!” Lucas reminds him, “And Max specifically said that we weren’t friends!”  

“I don’t think she really meant that.”

“It doesn’t matter, we can’t get caught looking like creeps!” Mike insists, quickly straightening up, “Just act normal! Maybe they didn’t recognize us!”

The boys nod and follow his lead, resuming their normal seating positions.

As they all return to eating, Mike can feel his heart pounding in his chest. The drumming of his heartbeat is so loud, he’s surprised that all his friends can’t hear it. Wait. Maybe they can. Maybe they’re just not mentioning it. Oh god, what if it’s like, really loud, and then El walks in and she totally hears it and she knows how much he’s freaking out and—

His thoughts are abruptly cut off by the soft chime of the bell that hangs above the entryway door. He can hear two sets of footsteps enter, and then come closer, and then he can see Lucas’ eyes widening, and Mike’s palms are starting to sweat, and shit, this is really happening.

He glances up nervously to see Max and El walking up to the table. Max’s head is held high with confidence, while El’s is ducked down shyly.

“‘Sup, nerds,” Max says casually, coming to a stop in front of the table. Without hesitation, she slides right into Lucas and Dustin’s side of the booth and gives Lucas a punch to the arm. “Hope you don’t mind that we left our boards by your bikes.”

Lucas tries to laugh, but it comes out as nothing more than a nervous voice-crack.

Mike and El’s gazes meet.

She looks nervous, but then again, Mike knows that he does too. He’s more than nervous, actually, he’s terrified.

But then El gives him a small, soft smile, and Mike feels his heart melt because she’s so pretty and she’s smiling at him, which means that she probably doesn’t hate him for acting like a total wasteoid, right? Se forgives him.

Mike doesn’t realize that he’s been stupidly, wordlessly gazing at her this entire time until Will intervenes.

“Let her sit down,” he whispers, giving Mike a small nudge.

Oh. Right.

“D-Do you want to?” Mike hesitantly asks El.

El blushes. “I-“

“She does,” Max answers, “Believe me.”

El throws Max a dirty look before turning back to Mike and nodding appreciatively. “Yes.”

Will and Mike slide over in the booth, allowing El to squeeze in next to Mike. It’s a close fit and Mike can’t help but blush when her leg presses up against his.

“Thanks,” El murmurs to Mike.

“You’re welcome!” Mike mumbles back.

“So, um,” Dustin says, slightly squished up against the window, “Like, no offense, but why are you guys here?”

“Like, no offense,” Max replies, mimicking him, “But why were you stalking us?”

“We weren’t stalking you!” Lucas insists.

“Then why were you all looking out the window at us?”

The guys glance at each other anxiously.

“There was…” Will begins slowly.

“A…” Lucas adds.

“A really big…” Mike continues.

“Lizard,” Dustin finishes.

“A lizard?!” Everyone else echoes.

“Yeah!” Dustin continues quickly, throwing the guys a scowl. “A really big, killer lizard. Like, bigger than my head! It was running through the grass, and I spotted it, and I just thought I that I should point it out to the guys, because it looked really cool. We totally didn’t know that you girls were even there.”

It takes everything within Mike to not slap himself on the forehead.

Shockingly, the girls don’t buy it.

“Remind me to never commit a crime with you guys,” Max remarks. She reaches a hand across the table, steals a curly fry from Lucas’ basket, and starts munching away happily. “You guys are the worst liars ever.”

“Whatever,” Lucas blushes, sliding the basket of fries closer to her.

“So, uh, you guys never said why you were here?” Mike says conversationally.

“Max is teaching me to skateboard,” El explains. She tilts her neck back and points to a small, but rough-looking scrape along the underside of her chin.

“Sweet!” Dustin says, impressed.

“Are you ok?” Mike asks worriedly.

El nods modestly. “It didn’t hurt.”

“Anyway,” Max chimes in, still working on Lucas’ fries, “We got hungry, so we skated here.”

“You guys like it here too?” Will asks.

“It’s alright,” Max shrugs. She reaches into Lucas’ basket for another curly fry, only to discover that she’s eaten them all. “Shit,” she mutters, frowning at the empty basket.

“Maybe,” Dustin says, “You should order your own food.”  

Max flips him off. Dustin returns the motion. At first, Mike worries that an argument is going to break out between them, but to his surprise, their angered looks break into mutual snickering, and both look away with a smirk.

Alright, then.

“I’m hungry,” El admits. Her leg is still pressed against Mike’s, and as she talks, he can feel that she’s drumming her foot on the floor.

“You should order some food,” Mike insists to both girls, though his gaze remains mostly fixated on El.

“Fine,” Max sighs. She reaches across the table and grabs the menu that’s tucked behind a bottle of ketchup and the salt and pepper shakers. “What should I get?” She asks, giving Lucas a pointed look.

“What do you like?” Lucas asks, still blushing furiously.

“You,” El mumbles, so low that only Mike is able to hear it.

Mike lets out a bark of laughter, earning himself a series of questioning looks from everyone but El, who meets his gaze and gives him a knowing smirk.

“I think I’m just going to get a burger,” Max shrugs, passing the menu to El. “And more fries. What’d about you, El?”

“Waffles,” El says simply, not bothering to look at the menu.

“Waffles?! For dinner?” Dustin exclaims.

El gives him a stern look. “Yes.”

“Waffles sound great!” Mike pipes up eagerly. “I think I’ll get some too.”

“You already ordered a burger, though,” Will reminds him, pointing to Mike’s half-finished food.

“I’m not really in the mood for that, anymore,” Mike hastily explains.

“So, you’re just going to throw away a perfectly good burger?!” Dustin exclaims, horrified.

“That’s kind of a waste of money,” Lucas nods.

“Plus, you’re gonna get fat,” Max adds.

Mike scowls at all of them. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting waffles, I have money, and I’m not fat!”

“Mike,” El says, locking eyes with him, “It’s ok. You can have some of my waffles.”

Mike instantly feels his cheeks flush red. “Okay,” he mumbles, simmering down.

“Wow. You guys are adorable,” Max says dryly, “You know, Wheeler, El like, never shares her waffles with anyone, so this is a pretty big deal.”

“That’s not true!” El gasps, cheeks now as red as Mike’s.

Max only shrugs and smiles mischievously. “If you say so,” she says in a sing-songy voice that only makes El blush harder.

Benny approaches their table to take the girls’ orders and 15 minutes later, Max is giving some of her fries to Lucas, and El is carefully cutting her waffles into halves.

“Can I have a fry?” Dustin asks hopefully.

“Maybe you should order your own food,” Max mimics, but nevertheless, she tosses a couple fries to both him and Will.

“Here,” El says shyly, placing her waffle halves onto Mike’s plate.

“I don’t need all of this,” Mike says reluctantly.

El shrugs and gets to work on the waffles she has left, seemingly indifferent to his protests.

As they both start to eat their waffles, their elbows brush, their legs are still close together, he can smell her lavender shampoo, and it finally feels like things are okay between them again. More than okay, actually.

“So, uh, Max,” Lucas says, taking a deep breath, “Guess what?”

“What?” Max asks, eyeing him.

Lucas smiles shyly, “I beat your high score in Dig-Dug. I got 752,001.”

“Are you shitting me?” Max exclaims, jaw dropping.

“It’s true!” Mike adds, “I was there.”

“When!?”

“The same day we saw you playing at the arcade,” Mike explains, “After you left.”

“You play at the arcade?” El asks, eyes wide.

“She plays at the arcade?!” Dustin and Will echo together.

Max freezes, face growing pale. Mike can tell she’s trying to think of an excuse, and for a moment he feels bad for outing her, but at the same time, it was technically Lucas’ fault, and it was probably going to come out eventually.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” El asks concernedly.

Max hesitates. “Because…,” she finally mutters, “It’s lame.”

“It’s not lame!” El insists.

“Video games are awesome,” Dustin gushes.

“And you shouldn’t be ashamed of liking different things,” Will adds.

Max slumps back in her seat, cheeks crimson. “Whatever,” she mutters, looking slightly shy. She gives Lucas a nudge to his arm before adding, “You know this means that we’ll have to go back to the arcade so I can kick your ass, right?”

“I know,” Lucas smiles, absolutely thrilled.

“We should all go together,” Will smiles, “It’d be fun.”

“Yeah, I gotta see this for myself,” Dustin nods.

Mike glances at El just as she’s glancing back at him. “Yeah,” he says casually, “That could be fun.”

“Really fun,” El nods, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Tomorrow, then,” Max says definitively. “You’re going down, Sinclair.”

To quote Max, it’s not like this means they’re like, friends or anything. The rest of the night is spent placing bets on whether or not Max or Lucas will win the Dig-Dug tournament, breaking up arguments between Dustin and Max, and making jokes about how totally screwed over Jennifer Hayes is.

They’re definitely not friends, but —

They’re getting there.