SIX.   suffer in my loving

      By the time Nolan got to the middle school, he was severely out of breath. He looked through the halls for Max and eventually found her sitting on the floor, pouring her fist against a closed door. "MAX!" He hollered her name.

Her eyes widened. "Nolan?" She quirkily got up from the floor. "What are you doing?"

"Billy fucking left us. We have to find a way home." He told her, still very out of breath. He looked between her and the door. "Why are you waiting outside the door?"

"Um—" she started to say and paused. "I was waiting on the guys."

"For what?"

"Homework question?"

He titled his head and knocked his fist again this the door. "Max,  go away!" He heard Mike shout from inside the room. "It's Nolan, pip squeaks!" He yelled.

From inside the room, Lucas widened his eyes. "She sent her brother?"

"Listen, Max and I have to go so whatever it is you all are doing,  make it quick!"

When they got no response, Max dropped back to her knees and unzipped her backpack. She pulled out a small item and started picking the lock.

"Hurry up." He groaned.

"I'm trying!" She sassed and when she got it open,  they came face to face with a small creature on the ground that was trying to crawl its way out.

Nolan's eyes went wide. "What the fuck is that?" He cursed out loud.

The group of boys came running out of the room and Dustin collided with Max, causing all of them to stumble to the ground.

Nolan helped them off the floor. He watched the slimy, slug like creature trail down the hallway. "Okay, again, what the hell is that thing?"

"Dart!" Shouted Mike.

"Who's Dart?" Asked the eldest of them, completely clueless.

"You let him escape!" He shouted at Max.

Dustin got in his face and shoved him. "Why did you attack him?"

All Mike did was grumble.Come on." He urged them and took off running.

"Don't hurt him. Don't you hurt him!"

Nolan shook his head with a dropped jaw. He threw his hands up. "Anyone care to explain?"

"We'll explain after we find him!" Dustin responded in a hurry and started to walk away.

He looked around frantically. "What exactly are we looking for?" He inquired.

"Nolan, don't ask questions, just look. Go with Dustin." Max instructed. 

"What? Max, we need to get home. Billy left us."

"Then you go ahead and go. I'll stay."

"I'm not leaving you here. What if something happens?" He argued with her.

"Nolan, either go home or help us look." She snapped and spun around, walking away from them with her red hair flying.

Nolan stared at her jaw slacked. His eyes flickered to Dustin, who awkwardly stood on the side and was listening to the siblings argue. Reluctantly, he squeezed his eyes shut for a second before giving in. "Okay. Let's get looking."

The two of them started roaming the empty halls of the middle school. Nolan looked high and low for the slimy creature he encountered, still not knowing what it was. "Here slimy, slimy." He began to call out in a baby voice.

Dustin looked at him like he was crazy. "His name is Dart."

Nolan slowly blinked. "Right."

It went quiet between them. The pair turned down another hallway. "So you're Billy's brother?"

"Step brother." He corrected him.

Dustin nodded. "Right. No offense, but, your step brother's an asshole."

Nolan couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, yeah he is."

His teacher, Mr. Clark, walked by them in the hallway. Dustin gave him a two finger salute, to which the teacher reciprocated. He eyed the older boy strangely while walking by. Nolan chuckled anxiously. "West is clear, too. Will?"  Dustin spoke into the head piece.

It went quiet again and Nolan looked around them.  "So. . . where'd this little guy come from?"

"Found him in my trash can. He was really small when I found him, like a tadpole." Dustin answered.

"Wow," he muttered. "You guys must never get bored."

"Stick around. It gets worse."

Nolan questioned his sanity the longer he was looking for the creature, which Dustin called Dart. The last place he wanted to be stuck at school following around a middle schooler. He continued looking with Dustin and he paused he began talking to his headset again. "What's going on?"

"Will found Dart." Dustin answered and then paused when Will spoke again. "In the bathroom. Copy that!"

Instantly,  they took off running down the hall. Nolan followed behind Dustin, not knowing where the bathroom was. They swiftly turned a corner and he saw the boy's sign on the door. They flew in and Dustin started kicking in the stall doors searching for the small creature. He went down the line till he got to the last stall and he smiled. "Hey, buddy."

Nolan stood behind him and watched carefully as he bent down and held out his hands. "Come here. You know I won't hurt you." He urged the creature.

The small but seemingly large species hopped in Dustin's hands. "It's okay, it's just me. Oh, and my new friend." He said to it and motioned his head behind him. He turned around and showed him. "Nolan, this is Dart."

Nolan tried not to look disgusted when he held it outward. Instead, he managed a timid smile. "Hi, Dart."

His effort seemed to make Dustin happy. From outside the door,  they heard Mike's voice. "Let's go. Down here."

"We're coming!"

Dustin immediately panicked and took off his headset.  He took his hat off and put the Dart on top of his head.  This time, Nolan did pulled a face. "Dude, what are you doing?"

"I'm not letting them hurt him! Stay low. Keep quiet."  He said to Dart.

The rest of them quickly entered the bathroom.  "Where's Dart?" Mike questioned.

He looked around nonchalantly. "I don't know. Not here."

"What?"

"He said by Salerno's, right?" Max asked the group.

"Yeah, maybe Will has him." Dustin suggested. He looked up at Nolan. "Right, Nolan?"

The red head quickly nodded.  "Right."  He cringed when his voice cracked.

Mike stopped looking through the empty stalls and looked around when he noticed something. "Where is Will?"

Nolan looked around, realizing the smallest of them was nowhere to be seen. They took off running through the school in search for Will. "Will!" Dustin shouted.

"Will!" Nolan shouted as well, looking all around the empty hallway.

"Will!"

"Dustin!" A woman with dark hair and dark eyes yelled when she saw him.

"Mrs. Byers?"

"What's going on? Where's Will?" She asked frantically and Nolan realized she was Will's mother.

Before any of the could answer, Lucas came sprinting back inside. "The field." He yelled.

All of them ran down the hall and followed the boy outside to the football field. There, they saw Mike standing with Will. "I just found him like this! I think he's having another episode!" He panicked.

Will's eyes were shut and his body was shaking violently. It was like he was having a seizure standing up. Nolan stood behind Max and grabbed her by the shoulders, signaling her for her to stay back. He had many of seizures in his life but none of them ever looked like this one.

"Will! Will! Will!" Mrs. Byers called out frantically and shook her son by the shoulders, trying to wake him up. "Sweetie, wake up! It's mom! Will!"

Nolan's heart started to beat at a fast pace as he watched the frightened mother. She began to cry. "Will, wake up! It's mom! It's me!"

Then, his eyes snapped open and he let out a loud gasp.

Nolan and the kids stood by and watched Joyce lead Will to her car.Okay, that totally freaked me out." Max slipped out.

Her brother nodded, still in shock. "That makes two of us."

"Did that not freak you guys out?"

"Two episodes in two days." Lucas spoke, not answering the question.

"It's getting worse." Said Mike.

"You think it's true sight?"

"What's true sight?" Max questioned.

"It's something that can see invisible creatures and objects." Nolan explained at the same time Lucas said, "It's nothing."

Joyce backed her car out into the grass and drove off. "Okay, I think that's enough fear and shock for one day. Max and I have to find a way to get home." He announced to them and grabbed Max's shoulder. "Come on."

The siblings walked back into the building. Max followed Nolan to the pay phone and he took money out of his wallet. "Who are you calling?"

Nolan dialed a number and held the phone to his ear.
"Someone who I know will come."

It took less than ten minutes for Steve to pull up to the middle school. When his car came to view, Nolan nudged Max and they got up from their spots on the
steps. Steve rolled down his car window. "Hey, Sunny!" He called out with a smile.

Max's eyes widened. "Steve Harrington?" She spoke like she couldn't believe it.

Nolan nodded with a small smile. "Yep, Steve Harrington." The Mayfield siblings climbed into the car. "I can't thank you enough, man." He said to the driver once he closed the door.

Steve waved his hand. "Anytime man. Anytime." He started backing his car out. "So, Billy just left you guys here?"

"Yeah, like the asshole he is." He grumbled. "Can't believe him. But for real, thank you for coming." He said again.

He looked at him and grew a smile. "I'm only a call away, Sunny."

Nolan smiled back, widely and thankfully.

When they arrived at the home, Nolan thanked Steve for the hundredth time before he drove off. When the car was out of sight, his demeanor changed. "Max, I want you to go to your room." He stated clearly. He started walking toward the house.

Max furrowed her brows and immediately followed him. "Um, why?"

He opened the front door and swiftly closed in behind them. "Just go to your room." He repeated and his voice darkened.

"Nolan, what are you gonna do?"

"Don't worry about it. I said go to your room and lock your door!" He snapped.

Max walked backwards and scurried off into her bedroom. When he heard the door shut, Nolan stormed into Billy's room without bothering to knock.  Billy sat smoking on his bed and when he heard his door open, he glared at his step brother. "Ever heard of knocking?"

"That was some real shit you pulled."

Billy got off the bed. "I told you if you and Max are late again then you're walking."

"Thankfully, there's some good people out there so that didn't have to happen." Nolan snapped in anger.

The step brother chuckled sinisterly. "Let me guess.  Harrington drove you home? Since he's your new bestie now."

He stepped forward into Billy's space. "Y'know, just when I thought we could actually get along, you pull this. You're such a fucking prick."

"Get out of my face."

He shoved Nolan by the shoulders but he didn't back down. "What are you gonna do Billy, huh? Hit me?"  He practically shouted. Tears of anger welled in his eyes. "Do it! I fucking told you I don't care what you do to me but don't do it to Max!"

"Back the hell off, Nolan—"

"What the fuck are you gonna do?" He interrupted and shoved him backwards. "Hit me like your daddy hits you? You gonna hurt me like you hurt Max?"

Billy's eyes went black and he stepped forward in Nolan's face. "Shut the fuck up!"

From down the hall in her room, Max curled into a fetal position on her bed and cried in fear at the sound of their fighting. She covered her ears tightly with her hands.

"I fucking hate you!" Nolan shouted in his face, his own turning bright red. "You're a piece of shit and I fucking hate you—"

Billy punched him in the face and he stumbled back. His back collided with the dresser by his bed and the stuff on top fell on him. Nolan saw all red. He cried out and lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Billy's waist and he pushed him to the floor. Punch after punch, back and forth, the step brothers were at war with each other.

Broken glass and loud thuds could be heard around the house. Max held her chest and breathed heavily to the point she was getting dizzy. Nolan shoved Billy into his door and he was surprised it didn't break.  Billy wrapped him in a chokehold and they fell onto the hard floor. Before he could do anything, Billy punched him in the face again. Blood smeared on his pale skin.

Billy's knuckles split open from the force. His sight was clouded black with anger. It was a hopeless situation. It would bring tears to anyone who witnessed it and Nolan was happy he made Max lock her bedroom door.

But it didn't stop her from coming out of her room when the fighting stopped and when she ran into Billy's room, she screamed at the top of her lungs at the sight of her beaten down brother lying on the floor.  She dropped to her knees by him and cradled his head,  her sobs echoing.