꧁꧂
ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ-ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ: ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴄᴀʀᴇ
ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜꜱ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ
To say that the kiss may have been a mistake? Understatement. I hope you can hear my nervous chuckle, right now. It wasn't that Max liked me like that. She was just... interested? Of what it felt like? That's what she said in the letters, so that's what we went with.
The rest of that Christmas week was spent with the two of us acting as though it never happened. Acting as though we were still just good friends. What was it going to be? Best friends who sometimes made out?
The girl had never really mentioned again, in letters or in person, anyways. Maybe she thought it was a mistake, too, or maybe, just maybe- no. That's ridiculous and we all know it.
"Why?" Glancing up from my plate of food, barely touched, I saw a confused face of El, her eyebrows furrowed. After every time I had gone back to Hawkins, we had gone through the same conversations. It wasn't getting on my nerves just yet, but I got the slight feeling it was annoying Will. Everything was getting on Will's nerves recently, though.
"Why what?" I asked quietly, moving the same three peas on my plate around with a fork.
"Why are you going to Hawkins again?" At El's question, I just shrugged a little. How are you supposed to explain lesbianism to El? Let alone unrequited love...
"To... see them all again?" I say, a little confused.
"Mike is flying over Saturday." Will pointed out from his steak, cutting the meat rather... passive aggressively.
"But Parker goes to Hawkins all-" Before El can even finish her sentence, Mom spoke up, obviously no too keen on the idea of us all arguing tonight.
"Parker works for the money." Joyce insisted to the brunette. "She's... connected to the town still." Okay, let's be real for a second; she could've worded that much better. Connected to the town? So is Dart if you think about it...
"But-" Before she could even think about finishing her sentence, Will snapped.
Cutlery clashed against his plate as if he had thrown them. I wouldn't put it pass him if he had, really. Rule number fifty-one: put Will up for a cutlery throwing competition? "Will you just tell her the truth? It's not like its news to anyone else here." As his voice raised up at me, I stared over at him blankly, unsure of what to say. "You're going there every single holiday and time we have off school and it's getting more and more obvious-"
"What is he talking about?" I then looked over at El with the same eye-wide, blank expression. Shit.
"Uh..." I glanced around the table, seeing Johnathan away with the fairies, picking at the mushrooms on his plate. Not those kind of mushrooms... "I uh- I just need to go back to Hawkins. I need to see Max..."
"What's wrong with Max? Is she okay?" I raised an eyebrow at her sudden worry and concern. SHIT SHIT SHIT-
"No, no- she's fine." I nodded, insisting nothing bad was going on with the girl. "I just- need to clear something up-"
"Has that got anything to do with the k-" As Will began his sentence, I didn't tare my eyes off El, kicking him in the shin next to me. As he yet out a short yelp, I swore to myself to make sure that this topic did not come up for a fifth time.
"With the what?" This time, also Mom was interested. SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT.
"Nothing." I say quickly, speaking over what Will was about to say. "I need to see Max, set a thing or two straight, you know?" I nod, looking between them both.
"Unlike yo-" This time, it was Johnathan's turn to be kicked in the shin. He was so obviously high, and Mom was so oblivious to not notice it. Rule number fifty-two: let Mom continue to be oblivious until later notice
"Johnathan, what is up with you tonight...?" Mom asked, shaking her head as she ate more of the steak from her plate.
"There's nothing up with Johnathan tonight..." Will murmured, covering for our older brother's stupid antics. "He's always like this..."
"Yeah, he's just... tired." I added on, improvising and letting whatever came to mind roll right out of my mouth.
"What's happened with you and Max?" El asked, bringing us back to the main topic of conversation again, while Mom looked over at Johnathan, confused.
"Nothing serious...." I say nervously. Nothing serious? Are you for real, Parker? I think her kissing you is a little more than 'nothing serious'. Just tell her the truth while you still can. "I'm just very... worried about what the future of our friendship is." I tell her. I didn't even believe me. How the fuck was she supposed to believe me? "I also uh-" Nearly choking on my drink, I glance over to see my high brother pouring vinegar into his glass. "I also have feelings for her."
Silence sat around the table as Johnathan stopped himself from drinking the vinegar, with El staring at me and my Mom more worried about her oldest child's current well-being. As El nodded slowly, trying to understand what I had just told her, Johnathan took a sniff of the glass of vinegar. "This water is out of date." Rule number fifty-three: get a check-up on the 'water' supply...
⊹˚˖⁺
Laying my head back, I closed my eyes, arms crossed as I tried to rest, waiting for a taxi to pick me up from the airport. The flight had been quite early in the morning, and even though I was the kind of person who could work on a few hours sleep, I was already drained from doing nothing on the plane.
It was forty minutes or so until the school day at Hawkins began, and I had a plan of meeting up with the party in the morning if I was fast enough before dropping myself off at Dustin's place. Unless something else came up, that is.
"BYERS?!" Turning to a familiar voice in the distance, I raised my sunglasses off of my eyes to see a car pulling up only a few feet away.
"What the hell are you doing here-?" As Steve pulled up, Robin quickly got out, wrapping me in a tight hug the moment she was close enough. No, really, what the hell were they doing here?
"We checked the flight times yesterday." Robin told me, already grabbing my bag and rushing it into the boy's car's boot. Okay, guess I'm not taking a taxi, then... "I missed you!" The girl wrapped me in for another tight hug, insisting that I'd tell her everything once she'd gotten ready for some pep rally that was going on at school today.
While I immediately found myself questioning why the girl was going to such a dumb thing, I slipped into the backseat, ruffling the driver's hair as he said a hello to me, then telling me to fuck off because of the ruined hairstyle that took him oh so long to do.
As music played in the car, Robin did her hair and makeup, with me taking a good look at the hat that she apparently had to wear, or that she would no longer be in band. Meanwhile, the two lesbians in the car listened to Steve's relationship issues, because that was certainly what I wanted to listen to with only four hours' worth of sleep.
"And then there's Heidi tomorrow night, but the problem with Heidi is that she's going out of state for college." I held back yawning as I leaned my head against the back of Robin's seat, doing my best to stay awake. Sounded like Steve was really, really going through it with his romance life, huh... "So it's like- do I really wanna start another relationship that has no point other than sex?" As I decided against questioning why I needed to hear the last part, I stayed silent and listened on. "I mean- I just- I dunno-" The boy rubbed his temples with his hand, obviously also tired. "Does that make sense to you?" When he glanced over at us, he could clearly see I was bored, and that Robin had a far higher priority with her makeup. "ROBIN, are you listening to me?!"
"Uh- yes-" The girl replied, "I'm listening-" As she put the mascara down, the boy challenged her.
"What did I just say?!" He asked, glancing back at the road every now and then.
"Something about sex... with- with Linda!" Internally groaning at the other girl's words, I watched as the two continued to argue.
"NO. I'm talking about Heidi." The boy with puffy hair replied.
"CUT ME SOME SLACK, PLEASE." Robin shouted back at him. I felt as though I was intruding as the two spoke. "Your love life is one labyrinthine complexity." Woah. She was using the big words, now. "And it is seven in the morning, we have the stupid pep rally, and I woke up looking like a total corpse." As she panicked, I pulled a face at her, shaking my head.
"You look fine, so if you can shut up about that-" I began before Steve then spoke up, sparking my interests.
"You're worried about a basketball pep rally?" He questioned. "You expect me to believe that?"
"Yeah? So?" The girl questioned, looking back down at her makeup.
"So, we both know what this is about." He tells her. "I'm not buying that bullshit; this is about Vickie."
"Vickie?" I asked with a smile, moving over in my seat so I got a better look at her. "Who's Vickie?"
"Absolutely not-" Robin began, continuing with her makeup.
"Yes- it is." Steve says, very sure of himself. Oh my God Robin has a crush. "You know what else I think?"
"Uh? I really don't care what you think-?" Robin remarked back at him.
"I think you gotta stop pretending to be someone else when you're around her." Okay, so in logical sense, yes, Steve was right, it would be important for Robin to be herself when around this Vickie girl. But then again, if Robin slipped up in any way, by lunch time she will have lost everything that she would've had for a reputation in Hawkins, for good. "Okay? You just gotta... gotta be yourself."
Robin then looked between me and Steve, showing a confused expression. "You're literally quoting me to me; you do realise that..."
"Well, maybe you need to listen to yourself." The boy says in return. "Ever think about that, smarty-pants? I listened to you- and look at me! Boom! Back in business."
"Hey, Steve, ever thought about the fact we're lesbians." I say, finally speaking in their conversation. "It's not the same thing. At all."
"Well-" The boy pulled a face, not so sure with what I had just said.
"You ask out a girl and she says no." Robin continued, carrying on what I was saying. "Big deal. Nothing happens, maybe your ego's a little bruised."
"But if we ask out the wrong girl- we're going to church for the next ten years to 'pray the gay away' and are the town pariahs." I say, letting out an exhausted breath.
"Okay, yeah, I'd buy that, except your little crushes? They're not the wrong girls." Steve says to us. Thank God for the protector of all lesbians, Steve Harrington with his extremely well-functioning gaydar, the same man of who liked a lesbian last summer.
"We just don't know that, do we?" Robin replied, still very, very unsure.
"Vickie returned Fast Times," As Steve spoke, the girl sprayed something in her mouth, which I could only assume was to make her breath smell nicer. "paused at fifty-three minutes, five seconds. Do you know who pauses Fast Times at fifty-three minutes, five seconds?!" Neither of us spoke as his radio continued to play the rubbish that the radio would play nowadays. "PEOPLE WHO LIKE BOOBIES, ROBIN."
"Ew-" Immediately wishing I could log out of the conversation, I found myself also laughing at the boy's words. "GROSS- DON'T SAY BOOBIES-"
"Boobies!" The boy repeated himself, not having any of it. "It's not a big deal, okay?! I like boobies, you like boobies- Byers in the back there likes boobies." We all like boobies. Yay. "Vickie and Max?! They like boobies! Definitely." As Starpoint continued to play on the radio, I let out a sigh, thinking about my current situation with Max. "It's boobies." Rule fifty-four: IT'S BOOBIES
⊹˚˖⁺
Taking my board out of the back, I nodded over a goodbye to Steve and waved over at Robin before following the crowd, looking for one of the party like I'd actually know where they'd be. A teacher called for the students to go towards the gym for the pep rally, saying hello to students that she knew as they passed her.
Every student seemed to have high spirits, obviously pleased that spring break was only a few hours away. "To the gym, everyone, to the gym!" As I considered the idea of skating back and just waiting for Dustin until he got home, I turned on my heels, lightly dropping the board to the floor before stopping.
"PARKER?" Hearing the calling of my name, I turned my head around to see Max by the side of the school bus, eyebrows furrowed. She hadn't read my letter properly, that was for sure, but I guess we will go with it.
Smiling as innocently as I could, I propped the board up into my hands as I walked towards the girl, notably getting a better look at her tired face and all of its details. At Christmas, sure, I guess I could count for the fact that she was moving to cover the obvious state that she had missed a night's sleep, but now? Now it was like she had missed nights of good nights sleep.
"Hey..." I say, nodding slightly as if that somehow proved that I was in fact, there, in Hawkins. Parker, get a grip, it's obvious you're there. "You alright there? You look like you've seen a ghost." I teased as the girl looked at me up and down, trying to take the information in.
The girl's Walkman blasted the lyrics of Kate Bush through them so loud that even I could hear it from where I stood.
She nodded. "Yeah, I just forgot that you were coming today." She said, reaching out for my arm to then carry on walking. As the two of us began to walk, we were stopped again by the teacher calling for the red head.
"Max? Max?" The girl had a tired expression on her face when she looked over to the teacher, of who was much more cheerful that I could say she was. "Where were you yesterday?"
She thought only for a moment before shaking her head. "Oh, yeah... sorry. I forgot it was Thursday." Only a year ago, this girl was worrying for my sleep schedule, so what was this about?
"Well, I'd like to see you today." The teacher says to her. "Come straight after lunch, okay?"
My best friend only nodded at the teacher's words, turning back on her heels and straight towards me, linking her arm with my own as we continued to walk to the gym. "Did you skip a class?" I asked after a moment, eyebrows furrowed.
"No." The girl said firmly. Right. I mean, why would she skip a class? As we entered the doors, she gave a slight better explanation to me. "That was the school counsellor."
⊹˚˖⁺
As the band played away, they all cheered, the whole crowd- which really, really helped as we walked through them all, trying our best to get to Mike and Dustin. When we did get there, all I got from the taller boy was a nod, while Dustin waved excitedly before turning back to the boy.
"Look, I'm not saying that my girlfriend is better than yours." Dustin shouts over at him. "It's just that Suzie's, like, a certified genius." I rolled my eyes, there and then understanding what the girl beside me had gone through for the last year. Prayers were going her way tonight.
"You do realise El saved the world twice, right?" Three times, Wheeler, we're including the Demogorgon back in in '83 right now. Do not fuck up the facts about your own girlfriend.
Cheering carried on around us. "And yet you still have a C in Spanish."
Turning to Max, shaking the conversation I had heard out of my head, I tried to keep quiet, yet loud enough for her to hear. "Why're you going to the-"
The girl cut me off, obviously ready for the question. "It's not that easy to get over a dead brother, Parker, let's be real." I nodded along, understanding where she was coming from.
"Right, yeah, sorry..." I murmured to the red head, deciding to just leave it where it was.
As the cheerleaders sat down, a voice came up on the speaker systems. "AND LET'S HEAR IT FOR YOUR TIGERS."
As the boys walked into the hall, cheering started up again, with applause continuing on for each and every player. Why were we even here? It wasn't like we needed to be here...
That's when I saw him. In his little number eight basketball jersey, Lucas stood, clapping his hands together with the other players, all proud of himself. What. Since when did Lucas Sinclair do sports?
Max slowly clapped beside me, obviously bored out of her mind while the other two next to me pretended to show interest.
"GOOD MORNING, HAWKINS HIGH." A boy shouted into the main microphone, immediately causing me to cringe. Sir, please fuck off.
Most of the audience cheered back at the boy as he took the microphone off its stand. "First off, hey... First off- I'd like to thank each and every one of you. Without your support, we wouldn't be here." Little did he know, there was an impostor in the audience. Me. It was me. "Give yourselves a big hand." As applause went around in the audience, I noticed Lucas waving over in our direction, more over at Max then me. The girl didn't reply, though, instead looking over at me, whispering something about wanting to leave the moment we had the chance. "And of course, of course, I have to give a special shout-out to the best and prettiest fans of all time, the Tiger Cheer Squad." Yeah, I'm bored now. I was extremely bored now.
It was funny in the end, though, because when the boy with the microphone brought up another game tonight, the two boys beside us became extremely pissed off. "Tonight?!" Mike questioned, unsure of how to react.
"HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!" Dustin uttered bitterly. Uh oh, someone is grouchy.
"They call it a tournament." Max tells them both. "You win one game; you go on until there's only one team left." After she said so, the group of us stood there in silence, letting the information sink in. Lucas was playing tonight, and I was already almost one hundred percent sure that none of us were to attend.
⊹˚˖⁺
As we skated along, I cautiously found myself staring at the back of Maxine's head, not really caring about where I was going. I was so desperately down for Max that I followed wherever she went and had spent every single class period hiding around the school and meeting Max outside her lessons and to then walk her to the next period.
"You got lunch on you?" The girl called back over at me as we skated along the pavement, putting her foot down on the floor to slow herself to a halt. When I shook my head, showing I wasn't that bothered, the girl nodded and sat down on the edge of curb, dropping the bag down in front of her.
Following her and sitting down beside her, I watched as kids sat in groups all over the place, doing their own collective things. When I then glanced over at Max, I watched as she rummaged through her bag, obviously looking for something to eat. "How much sleep did you get last night?" When I asked the question, a part of me wondered if I shouldn't have asked it, but the way that everything she did made her more and more exhausted was worrying me.
"What so you can brag about waking up
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