"cruising through the city after hours."

★・・・・・・★

"Get up meathead!" Amber yelled at her older sister, Kristen. Kristen got up and threw a pillow at Amber to get her out and it succeeded.

Amber grumbled. "I'm going to the arcade!"

Kristen didn't respond so Amber just went. Normally Amber wouldn't go to the arcade, but her friends weren't around and she loved the games, especially Dig Dug.

-

She hopped on her bike and went to the arcade. When she got there she saw the party's bikes but not Will's because his mom drove him there. Ever since all that stuff happened last year, she didn't let him out of her sight.

Amber went into the arcade and met with Mike's eyes. Mike always had a little "thing" for Amber, as you could call it, but her feelings were never reciprocated.

She smiled at him as he smiled back. She liked talking to him, it's just that if they had any interaction with each other, Amber would get teased. And she never likes that. She tried to talk to the party in secret after last year, but it was like someone was always watching her.

Amber went over to Dig Dug as the party followed her. They seriously didn't know Amber liked arcade games.

When Amber looked at the screen, expecting Dustin to be on the top scoreboard, she enlarged her eyes as she saw someone else on top of Dustin's name. "MADMAX" the score board read.

Amber looked over at Dustin and the party came over. Dustin eyes enlarged as well.

"No! No!" Dustin yelled.

"751,300 thousand points!" Will exclaimed.

"That's impossible," Mike said.

"Who's Mad Max?" Dustin asked Keith as he saw him walk over.

"Better than you," he replied while Dustin flipped him off.

"Is it you?" Will asked.

"You know I despise Dig Dug," Keith replied.

"Then who is it?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, spill it, Keith," Dustin demanded.

"You want information, then I need something in return," Keith said while looking at Amber, which made the party's heads turn to her. She didn't want a say in the conversation, but if he brought up her sister, she had to.

"No, no, no. No way. You're not getting a date with her," Amber said as she referred to her sister.

"Come on, Amber. Just get him the date," Lucas said.

"I'm not prostituting my sister!"

"But it's for a good cause."

"No, don't get him the date. Know what? He'll spread his nasty ass rash to your whole family!" Dustin said out of anger that Keith wasn't telling them anything.

"Acne isn't a rash and it isn't contagious, you prepubescent wastoid," Keith replied.

After Keith said that, they started arguing. Amber didn't want any part in the arguing, so she went over to Will slowly to see what he was doing.

Will looked around and went outside. Amber was confused. Was he having the episodes again? She followed Will outside and called out to him.

Will looked back at the sky before saying,
"Yeah, I just.. I needed some air."

"Come on, you should get back to the party. They said you're up on Dig Dug. Go take that top score back, yeah?"

And with that, Amber went inside with Will and he made his way back over to the party. Mike came over to Amber and thanked her for getting Will while everyone else was winning the argument with Keith.

"So... see you tomorrow at school?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, totally," Amber said. Then she went home.

Right as she got home, she was met by Kristen with her yelling at her.

"Where the hell were you?" Kristen asked. "Don't scare me like that. I thought you got kidnapped!"

"I told you I was going to the arcade. You don't listen," Amber said.

Kristen was going to say something else to her sister, but she just shut her mouth and went upstairs.

-

Amber had biked to school the next morning and saw a new car that she hasn't seen before.

Out came a redhead with a skateboard and a guy with a mullet. The guy looked to be in high school and the redhead looked to be in Amber's grade.

"Hey! Amber!" One of her friends called.

She went over to them while they talked Halloween logistics. About 2 minutes later, Amber said goodbye to her friends and accidentally bumped into the new girl.

"Watch it!" Amber said. "Oh, hi, sorry. Uh, I'm Amber. Nice to meet you."

"Max. My real name is Maxine but no one calls me that. Just Max."

"Well, welcome to Hawkins Middle, Max. It's quite boring for the most part. But it's alright, I guess."

"I can tell it's boring. Uh, hey, do you know where Mr. Clarke's science class is?"

"Oh, yeah. I was just about to go there."

"Let's walk together then?" Max suggested with a smile.

As they walked, there was silence. Not neither knew what to say to the other. Another reason was that the principal met them halfway and walked to class with them.

They walked in late and Mr. Clarke gave Amber a "why-are-you-late look."

Amber saw Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Mike in their usual spots in the class.

"Ah, this must be out new student," Mr. Clarke said.

"Indeed it is. All yours," the principal said.

Max tried to walk away but Mr. Clarke stopped her. "All right, hold up, you don't get away that easily. Dustin? Drum roll."

Dustin closed his book and mimicked a drum roll.

"Class, please welcome, all the way from sunny California, the latest passenger to join us on out curiosity voyage, Maxine," Mr. Clarke announced.

"It's Max," Max said quietly.

"Sorry?"
"Nobody calls me Maxine. It's Max."

Amber saw the party look at each other and saw Lucas and Dustin whisper something at each other but couldn't hear it.

"Well, all aboard, Max," Mr. Clarke said.

As Max walked to the back of the room near Amber, the party's eyes followed her. Mr. Clarke continued on talking about the human brain and Amber found herself staring at Max too.

"You looked really uncomfortable up there," Amber decided to tell Max.

"Yeah, I was. Is he always like that?" she questioned.

"Always. Well, anyway, welcome to the 'curiosity voyage' Max," Amber said as she giggled a little.

"Haha, very funny," she sarcastically laughed.

The party was looking over at Max and Amber now. Amber stared back at them and it made them stop as Max looked over at Amber in awe.

-

At lunch Amber was talking with Max and they went outside. This was a time that she knew her friends wouldn't find her. They hated the back of the school anyways.

"Hey, wanna ride?" Max asked.
"What?"

"My skateboard. Have you ever even got on one?"

"Oh no. If I did, I'd fall. Then my sister would yell at me. 'Amber why'd you do that? You're such an ass! Blah, blah, blah.' I'd never hear the end of it," Amber said as Max giggled.

"Let me help then," she smiled.

Max helped Amber onto the skateboard and helped her go down the pavement a little.

"See! You're getting it! In no time you'll be a natural," Max smiled at Amber.

Amber shook her head and giggled a little bit. Amber noticed that she'd been quite giggly when she was talking with Max today. Weird.

Max saw the party staring and talking about them.

"Hey, do you have paper and a pen?" Max asked Amber.

Amber gave her a piece of paper and a marker that she found in her bag.

She examined Max as she wrote, "STOP SPYING ON US CREEPS!"
Amber noticed how her hair was beautiful and red. A pretty red. And her cheeks had a little bit of a pink tint to them and how tan she was. She examined her lips, how they were a rosy pink.

"Stop, Amber. Quit it," she thought to herself.

When Max finished the note she dragged Amber by her hand to the door and threw the piece of paper into a trashcan by the steps. Max and Amber started giggling as Dustin was digging in the trashcan and the other three blocked him, and read the note. They found it very amusing.

~

Amber decided to go to the arcade around 4 and saw Dustin and Lucas there.

"Still no sign?" Amber overheard Dustin.

"Jack shit," Lucas responded.

"Oh! Damn it," Dustin cursed. "My mom's gonna kill me."

"So go home. I'll radio if she comes."

"Oh yeah, nice try. You just want me out of here so you can make your move."

"Oh, 'cause you're such a threat."

"That's right. She will not be able to resist these pearls," Dustin said as he made a purring noise as Lucas just gave him a funny look.

"Ten o'clock," Lucas then said.

"What?"
"Ten o'clock."

Amber saw as Max's older brother drove fast into the arcade parking lot. As Amber saw, they were arguing.

"They're arguing. They're arguing," Lucas exclaimed.

"Oh, my God. Anyone with eyes can see that, Lucas. You don't even need those," Amber said.

"I agree," Dustin said. "God. You're so stupid."

As Max's older brother drove off, she slammed the door and flipped him off. Something Amber would do to Kristen if she got the chance.

Max ran into the arcade and Amber went inside leaving Lucas and Dustin behind. She caught up with Max and played the games with her. Amber looked out a window and saw Dustin and Lucas staring at them.

"Little shits," Amber murmured to herself.

"What?" Max asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just thought I saw something."