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“I’m just saying, it’s true. You should be really proud of yourself. I’m proud of you.” Lucas said with his hands at ten and two on the wheel. He was driving Max to the Wheelers’ house for their get-together.
“I just did what the doctors told me to do, Lucas. No reason for a whole party,” Max said as she looked out the window, watching the sunset behind the suburban homes.
“Yeah, and you made a full recovery two weeks ahead of time. That’s great," He said earnestly. “Besides, you deserve a party,” He added.
Max smirked, “Yeah, I do,” She said with her usual bravado back. She knew that she could still only walk shorter distances for a while, but it felt liberating after almost a year of grueling physical therapy.
The tires screeched a little as Lucas parked his car right in front of the lawn. The driveway was already filled with other cars; the whole party and the older kids had come together to celebrate for Max. The pair got out of the vehicle, with Lucas instantly walking over to the other side to sling his arm around Max’s shoulder like usual.
“Lucas, it’s fine. I can walk in on my own,” Max said with a deep breath.
“The doctor said you should still walk with assistance for a little while. I don’t mind, Max.” He said, keeping his arm around her.
“This whole party is to celebrate how ‘great’ I’m supposed to be doing. If I can’t even take a few steps on my own, then what’s the point?” She said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the way her legs still felt like jelly when she stood without leaning on Lucas.
“Max, you are doing great. You’re recovering way faster than the doctors thought you could, remember? There’s nothing wrong with just needing a little help,” Lucas said softly. No matter how close Max got to losing her temper, Lucas could never lose his patience with her.
Max let out a heavy sigh. She was still the same stubborn girl who didn’t want to think she ever needed help. Despite that, Lucas was the one person she had let be there, and the only person whom she’d admit that she needed.
“Okay,” She muttered under her breath, wrapping an arm around his waist while he kept his arm around her shoulders.
“See, we’ll make it look natural,” He said, laying a kiss on her head.
“Dork,” She mumbled, although a smile still tugged at her lips.
Lucas kept a steady pace as he walked with her across the freshly mowed lawn; Max felt that she could go faster, but she didn’t see a point in arguing right before a party. Lucas knocked on the white front door a few times, still keeping her close by his side.
A familiar face opened up. Mr. Wheeler.
“Ah, right. Even more guests,” Ted grumbled, holding the door open. Of course, he didn’t even know what the party in his own house was for.
“Hi, Mr. Wheeler,” Both Max and Lucas said, walking in. They went through the hallway, holding onto each other the whole time, before entering the cozy living room that was lit up by just the quiet TV and a lamp beside the couch.
“Finally!” Dustin exclaimed, throwing some Fritos from a family-sized bag into his mouth.
“Thank god you’re here, I thought we’d just have to let Dustin hoard all the snacks on his own,” Mike remarked.
“Not on my watch,” Max said with a smile, as she tugged at Lucas’s shirt a little for them to go sit down next to Dustin.
“Hey, Max! We’re all so happy for you,” Will said. Max gave him a genuine smile and leaned in to give him a side hug as she and Lucas passed him on the couch. Will had been through so much and was always so sweet; he was the only one in the party who wasn’t constantly subject to Max’s sass.
The couple sat down on the side of the couch, right beside the La-Z-Boy where Dustin was reclining, and still throwing down some chips.
“Alright,” Max huffed, reaching over and yanking the Fritos from his hands.
“Hey!” He shouted, while the rest of the party laughed. “You guys just like to see me miserable,” He pouted and crossed his arms.
“Yeah, and you just like to see us starving,” Will said, reaching in and taking some Fritos from the bag, which now sat on the table in front of the group, who all crammed in on the couch.
“There she is!” Robin declared, entering the house from the patio door, with Steve, Nancy, and Johnathan all behind her.
“Hey, Max! We’re all so proud of you,” Nancy said sincerely.
“Yeah, seriously,” Jonathan added, looking a little less stoned than usual.
Max nodded at all of their words, still looking a little uncomfortable with all the praise.
“Yeah, we’re all happy for you… But you still don't have a shot of me ever letting you drive me anywhere,” Steve said, pointing his finger at her.
Max chuckled briefly, still remembering when she made Steve scream like a little girl while she sped in Billy’s Camaro. “No promises. Zoomer, remember?” She snarked, making Steve shake his head, as if he hadn’t volunteered to drive her to physical therapy almost every day for the past year.
“Max!” A younger voice exclaimed, causing Max to look over and see none other than Holly Wheeler running in.
“Hey, Holly-” Max’s greeting was cut short by the younger girl walking right up to the side of the couch and pulling her into a hug.
“They said you can walk around again now.” She said with a goofy grin, making Max smirk and laugh lightly.
“Yeah, that’s right,” She said, as Holly finally let her go from the hug.
“Does that mean we can do stuff together now?” Holly asked.
Max paused for a moment, with a genuine smile resting on her face. It had been so long since they were trapped in Camazotz that she had forgotten what a bond she had made with the little girl.
“Yeah, you bet,” The redhead stated.
“Good, cause Nancy only takes me to do boring stuff-”
“Holly,” Nancy cut her off firmly, making Holly roll her eyes.
“Don’t worry, Holly. I’m sure that Nance is doing her best.” Max said, hoping that Nancy wouldn't think she's a bad influence.
Nancy just shot the skater a look that said, “Don’t worry about it.”
“I know…” Holly mumbled.
“Alright, dinner’s ready now! Is Max here- Max!” Joyce walked over and pulled Max into a quick hug.
“Hi, Ms. Byers,” Max said. She may not have known Will’s mom too well before, but Joyce had made an effort to look out for all of the kids after everything that had happened.
“Alright, so I made you some lasagna, sweetie. Lucas said that you usually love that, right?”
Max nodded, “Yep. He reported right,” She smiled, giving Lucas’s hand a quick squeeze.
“Alright, well, c’mon on then. Hopper and Karen have been waiting to congratulate you, too,” Joyce said, giving Max's shoulder a quick pat before walking back to the dining room where she had already set the table.
The Wheelers and all their guests sat around the dinner table, packed in. There were fourteen chairs around the table to fit everyone. It was crammed, yet cozy, with the smell of lasagna and the sound of chatter filling the room.
“Of course, you guys can sleepover,” Karen said, stuffing her mouth full of lasagna. As always, she was dressed up with her hair permed and stylized as if she walked straight out of an 80s fashion magazine.
“Yeah… just take us for all we’re worth, like always,” Ted mumbled, adjusting his tie.
“C’mon… you know you love us, Mr Wheeler,” Dustin grinned, earning a nonplussed reaction from the nonchalant father, who just kept eating his food.
Hopper gave the curly-headed kid a pat on the shoulder, “He can be a little tough to crack. Believe me, he told me that he loves having you guys over,” He said.
Ted looked up in shock. He never said that. He and Hopper only ever talked a few times. Joyce just laughed.
“Max, y’know, when I saw you take those first steps on your own... I almost cried. We’re all so happy for you.” Karen beamed, while Max looked down a little shyly before looking back up with her usual confident attitude.
“Yeah, and… I’m really grateful for all you guys, y’know. For not giving up on me when, for a while, I couldn’t even make it across a hallway without help,” She said, a hint of bitterness under her content tone. She was grateful for the help, truly, but she still hated that she wasn’t fully independent yet.
Lucas squeezed her hand under the table, “You deserve help, Max. Don’t think twice about it,” He said reassuringly.
“Seriously. You’ve been through enough, kid. You’re always gonna have us around you to help,” Hopper declared, with his gruff voice taking on a more kind and understanding tone than usual.
“Yeah, always,” Will added softly.
Max nodded before looking back down at her lap. “Thanks, guys,” She said, although her voice remained more apprehensive. She was at a point where she had to accept that help was something she needed more than ever, even though she still hated admitting it to herself.
“Yeah, and I’m sure you’ll be back to wiping out on your board in no time,” Mike snarked with a smile, making Max smile back and look up.
“Yeah, right. You know I’m the best damn skater in Hawkins,” She sassed.
“Never said you weren’t,” Mike said with an unusual sweetness in his voice. Max’s smile turned into a smirk as she nodded at his words like they were a given.
Yet she couldn’t help but notice Holly being quiet the whole dinner, and seemingly staring at her. It wasn’t admiration. It was more like she was scared that Max would disappear. Max thought it was odd but ultimately brushed it off, assuming it was just a young girl acting a little strange.
“So, are we watching Star Wars, or what?” Dustin asked the group, making the rest of the party groan.
“Here we go…” Will mumbled.
“Only if you agree to watch Return of the Jedi again!” Mike yelled.
“Seriously, Mike? The one that was practically engineered for little kids to enjoy?! No way, we’re watching Empire Strikes Back-”
“Whoa, whoa whoa,” Steve butted in, “Return of the Jedi, that’s the one with the... the uh, the little teddy bears, right?”
“Yup,” Dustin confirmed.
“Oh, that’s the best one, dude,” Steve said.
“Thank you!” Mike shouted, gesturing his hands at Steve.
Max and Lucas eyed each other; they knew that they’d have one another through the night, regardless of whatever silly arguments like this that the party got up to. For a moment, there was no talk of hospitals, monsters, or funerals. It was just familiar banter about who got which spot in the living room, and arguments about Star Wars, along with other equally nerdy things. Just them.
Late that night, Max’s eyes fluttered open. She looked around to see the rest of the party all asleep in the living room, which was only illuminated by the now muted TV; Dustin’s right arm was dangling off the La-Z-Boy as he snored, while Mike and Will lay in sleeping bags on the floor in front of the television. Lucas was lying straight out on the pull-out couch, with Max resting her head on his lap, one of his arms hooked around her.
She heard rumbling in her stomach and sighed. It seemed that the lasagna somehow wasn’t enough. She reached over and slowly pulled Lucas’s arm off her waist, leaning up and yawning before placing her feet on the floor and padding over to the kitchen quietly. She opted not to turn on the lights, for fear of waking up the party, and opened up the fridge, looking for a snack.
Ham, cheese sticks, bread, what else?
She sorted through for a moment before pulling out some leftover pizza that was wrapped up in tin foil. She turned on the dim overhead light by the stove and sat at the table, digging into the cold pizza. The cold of a house in the Indiana Winter without a heater on cut right through her corduroy jacket and loose jeans, making her cross her arms tightly to try and stay warm as she continued picking away at her slice.
After finishing, she threw away the tinfoil and shut off the stove light, lightly walking back to the living room, still hoping not to wake anyone. It was only then that she heard a noise, it sounded like…
Crying?
She looked around, a little bit unnerved, before realizing it was coming from upstairs. Against her better judgment, she decided to go up and investigate.
“Damnit, Max. This is how dumb people always die first in shitty horror movies,” She thought as she walked up the pitch-black stairs and into the upper hallway.
She realized that the sound was coming from the bedroom over at the end of the hallway on the left side, although she had no idea whose room that was, as she had never been up here except maybe once or twice to go into Mike’s room. She walked over and saw the door open a crack. Peeking through, she saw Holly with her night light on. Curled up on her side under the covers with quiet sobs escaping her.
Max hesitated for a moment. She was never the “touch-feely” type. She was way out of her depth here, but given how she escaped a psychic serial killer’s mind with this girl, she felt confident enough to interject.
“Holly?” She spoke up gently, her voice softer than usual.
“Max?” The girl asked, peeking her head up.
“Yeah, it’s me… do you want me to come in?” She asked, resting her hand on the doorknob as she waited, tapping her foot.
“... Yes,” The little girl answered with a nod. Yet she hesitated for a moment, almost like she was on edge about whether it was really Max there or not.
Max let out a muffled sigh and pushed the door open slowly as it creaked, before shutting it slowly behind her, trying to make sure not to wake Nancy or the parents up. She walked over and got on one knee next to the bed, looking up at Holly.
“I heard you crying. What’s wrong?” She asked, a gentle concern laced in her usually more sassy tone.
Holly just shook her head and held her small stuffed bear a little tighter. Max may not have been the soft type, but her heart broke at the sight.
“Hey, can I…?” Max gestured to the space on the bed beside Holly, who nodded.
The redhead stood up and sat down on the bed, leaning back against the headboard and looking down at the scared girl still holding her plushie to her chest. Holly seemed like a tough kid most of the time; she wasn’t used to seeing her like this at all.
“Just tell me, I… I won’t judge,” Max added, trying her best not to let her voice have any hint of snark like usual.
Holly hesitated for a moment and sniffled before speaking up, “Nightmares… I keep having nightmares about… him. About Mr. Whatsit,” She finally admitted, wiping at her face.
Max’s fist clenched in anger almost immediately. That psycho had robbed her of a year and a half of her life and caused so much pain to so many, including everyone she loved, and now he was still haunting this poor child.
“Hey, look at me,” She said firmly, making Holly look at her with still shiny eyes, “I know that it was scary… so scary, but it’s over now. No matter how scary those nightmares are, that asshole is gone. We beat him, okay?” She said, maintaining resolute eye contact. She realized that saying “asshole” may not have been appropriate with a nine-year-old, but after what they had been through, did it really matter?
“I know, but they… they feel so real… the one I had tonight, it was when he-he was choking you, and I just stood there and did nothing… b-but he didn’t get stopped and you… you…” She buried her face in her hands, letting out a crying hiccup.
Max let out a shaky sigh. As much as she hated to admit it, her heart still thundered with fear at the memory.
“Hey, c’mon, move your hands. Look at me,” She ordered gently, looking at Holly again. “It was… super scary, I know, but… he still lost, okay? And I’m here now, trust me. Here,” She said, putting her hand between them.
Holly didn’t hesitate at all and grabbed the older girl's hand tightly.
Max smiled for a moment, “You see? I’m right here.”
A warm smile formed on Holly’s tear-stained face as she used her free hand to wipe at her cheeks. “Yeah, I see,” She whispered, almost to assure herself more than Max.
“Good…” Max whispered back, giving the girl’s smaller hand a gentle squeeze. “Now… Option one, we just talk about something stupid till you’re relaxed enough to go back to sleep, or… option two, I give you the patented Max Mayfield sleeping method.” She added, gazing down at Holly in an almost maternal way.
“Both,” She responded, making Max smirk and nod.
“Okay, both it is then… So, one. How about Mike’s haircut from Freshman year? The mullet?” Max said with a fake gag, making Holly giggle, “I mean, seriously, what was he thinking? I don’t know why he was trying to look like some rockstar, he knows damn well he blasts Cyndi Lauper,” She snarked.
Holly kept laughing softly, “Yeah, it was silly… and it would’ve been worse if he got the mohawk,” She said.
Max rolled her eyes and made an exaggerated gasp, “Right, the orange mohawk. Thank god that never happened,” She said, still sounding genuinely relieved.
“He just thinks he’s so cool,” Holly said, making fun of her brother in a usual sibling way.
“Yeah, he does, but he’s still a dork, just like the rest of them,” Max responded, although a fond smile tugged at her lips.
“And you’re not?” Holly asked. After all, Max spent all of her time hanging out with the “dorks.”
Max shook her head, “No, not me. I’m just awesome,” She sassed, making the younger girl giggle again as she squeezed her hand.
“Yeah, you are,” She answered, looking up at the redhead with fond admiration.
Max smiled a little, “Alright… ready for option two now?”
Holly nodded.
“Okay, so basically…” Max paused. There was never actually any “patented Max Mayfield sleeping method.” In reality, Max could barely fall asleep most nights herself, which meant she really just needed to make something up now and hope she could help this girl. “Start by closing your eyes and just taking some deep breaths…” She said.
Holly nodded and lifted the covers for Max to come in with her.
“Lucas is gonna freak out when he wakes up, and I’m not down there,” She thought with a sigh before getting under the covers, pulling them tightly over her and the little girl.
Holly rested her head on Max’s shoulder. Max naturally tensed up at the sudden contact but then relaxed. She was willing to let Holly be clingy with her; after all, she had been through some of the same trauma that she had. The girl then finally took Max’s advice, shutting her eyes and taking some deep breaths.
“Good… don’t worry, I’m here now… I'm not leaving you.” She said, still pressed up against her under the covers.
She waited until the girl’s breathing evened out, and she was obviously asleep. Max was considering slipping out of bed to go back down to the party, but she couldn’t, not with how serene Holly looked in that moment beside her. She shook her head and wrapped an arm around her. She wouldn’t let Vecna cause pain to anyone anymore, at least, she’d keep doing her best.