everything was unexpected

✧

EL SAID BILLY MIGHT BE the new host. The rest of the party found it hard to believe. "There's no harm in checking it out," Mike had suggested. They voted, and the majority agreed despite their doubts.

They rode their bikes down the middle of the road towards Hawkins' community pool. The storm from the night before left the streets wet, but the sun was bright, and the birds sang. It was a beautiful summer day if only they could enjoy it without worry.

Rue stood on her bike, letting the breeze calm her nerves as her hair flicked in the wind behind her. It was her moment of peace as the sun shines down on her, warming her face and giving her body soft tingles. She smiled. God, she loved summer.

Lucas rode next to Rue, telling her to sit down so she wouldn't fall off her bike. She rolled her eyes but sat down anyway, gaining speed for him to chase after her, laughing as he cracked a few jokes.

Even though they were possible hours from dealing with monsters, they were just kids, and they found time to be kids.

Max pushed on her petals slowly, Eleven's hands on her shoulders as she rode on the back of her bike. She wouldn't believe Billy was flayed. Not at all. He was the last person to be involved with paranormal activities. Max wanted to chew on her nails, but they've already been bitten raw. Rue wouldn't have liked that, she always told Max to stop doing that, and Max would tell Rue to stop chewing on her lip.

She frowned at the thought and looked up at Rue, who led the party towards the public pool with Lucas. She was giggling as she tried to lift both arms from the handlebars like Lucas was, who rode his bike with his hands behind his head.

"That's it! You almost got it!" Lucas cheered.

Rue wobbly rose her hands again, only for a few seconds before she put them down. She grinned, shaking her head, "I can't do it!"

"It just takes practice," Lucas shrugged, also putting his hands back down. "We're here!" he called to the rest of the party as they turned the corner.

Rue could already smell the pool chlorine as she entered the parking lot. She followed Lucas towards the furthest car from the pool, Rue got off her bike, grateful she had worn shorts under her skirt.

She put it down next to Lucas' as Will and Mike were now stopping before them, Max and El right behind the two. The party — minus Dustin, who was M.I.A — settled behind the car.

"Here," Lucas handed Max the binocular he had impulsively yet luckily brought.

Rue snuck to the side and stood next to El, grinning. "I like your shirt," she said.

El beamed, suddenly hugging Rue. They nearly fell to the ground at the sudden action, and they quietly laughed. "Thank you," Eleven smiled as she pulled away. However, she slowly began to frown. "I'm sorry."

Rue narrowed her eyebrows. "Why are you sorry?"

"I broke a promise. . ."

She tilted her head, smiling softly at El, "It's okay — um — can I ask which one?" she whispered, not wanting to bother the rest of the party who spied on Billy.

Eleven hesitated to say something. She grabbed Rue's hand and squeezed it. She smiled sadly but didn't say anything.

"I don't know," Max had started, looking straight at Billy, who sat under the umbrella in the tall lifeguard chair. He wore a long-sleeved white and red lifeguard shirt and held a large drink in his hands. "He looks pretty normal to me."

"Normal?" Lucas rose a brow, "How many times have you seen him with a shirt on?"

"I mean —" Max made a face, "it's a little weird,"

"More than a little," Mike spoke up. "He was in a tub with ice," he said, recalling what El had said. "The Mindflayer likes it cold — plus everything else?"

"But he's lounging at the pool!" Max pointed out, shaking her head. "This is like the least Mindflayer thing, ever."

"Not necessarily," Will said, and everyone turned their heads towards him. "The Mindflayer he likes to hide. He only used me when he needed me. It's like your doormat, and then when he needs you, you're activated."

"Activated? . . . Like a robot?" Rue asked, and Will playfully rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay," Max tilted her head, looking back at Billy. "So we just wait until he gets activated?"

"No," Mike shook his head, "What if he hurts someone?"

"Or kills someone?" Will be added.

Rue choked, "It can kill?" she asked, "I mean — I know it can, but there's no Demo-dogs here for it to control anymore."

"It doesn't need Demo-dogs to kill," Will replied, "it can use its host to kill people. For example, I almost killed you last year."

Her eyes went wide, and she snapped her head at Will, "W-what?!" she said exasperatedly.

"At least I wasn't the only one thinking it," Mike snickered, nudging Rue's side. She glared at him, flicking his forehead. "Ow!"

"Guys! Focus!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Yeah — we're focusing on the fact Will wanted to kill me!"

Lucas rolled his eyes, "And the new host might want to kill you too if we don't find out who it is!"

Mike looked at Billy, "we need to find out if he's the host," he said. He ran a hand through his hair, and Eleven scrunched her nose at the sight. Mike pushed himself off the car and hurried towards the pool.

"Where are you going?" El asked.

"I have an idea!" he called, turning around and walking backwards. "Boys only!" Mike yelled, motioning for the rest of the boys following him.

They had run off and left the girls behind. Rue shook her head, sitting on the hood of the car they leaned on. "Internalized misogyny." she said, "It's the only explanation."

Eleven looked at her, utterly puzzled. She had tons of questions she had wanted to ask Rue in the past twenty-four hours they were apart. "Why do people want to be gagged with a spoon? What are happy screams? You still haven't told me what sex was —" she gasped for air, "—What is Miss o joe nee? And why does Mike have "Frog face" on his forehead?"

（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）

Rue swung her feet as she sat on the car's hood, wondering if the owner was ever going to show up and force her to move. She had her back turned to the pool, yet she could still hear all the laughing, music, and splashing. If she was honest, she was jealous that all those people were having fun, and she got stuck as a lookout for the possibly possessed lifeguard.

"I wish that I had Jessie's girl," she hummed softly, keeping her eyes on her swinging feet. As she stared at her shoes, she thought about cleaning them because they were no longer white.

Rue glanced at Max, but she quickly looked back down at her feet, her face blushing like mad when Max had caught her staring.

They got put into pairs to begin setting up for the "Brilliant idea," Mike had made. His words — not Rue's. But she had to admit it was clever.

Max was shifting in her standing spot. She was gripping on the super-comm as she kept her eyes at Billy. Max sighed as she lowered the binoculars from her eyes and put them on the car next to Rue. "God, I hope it's not you," she whispered, hoping that it wasn't her brother who was in trouble and it was all just a misunderstanding.

Rue watched her shyly and smiled when she made eye contact with Max.

"Is that my shirt?" Max asked, her soft voice clearing the air of the tension that crept up on the two. Her cheeks were pink as she waited for Rue to answer the question she already knew the answer to.

Rue tried to hold back the silly smile that grew on her face, "Maybe. . ." she looked away, dropping her head so her hair could cover the blush on her face. Rue sucked in a breath, trying not to overthink the situation. She wondered if Max was mad at her, and if she was Rue couldn't tell by how calm she acted around her. Like nothing had happened.

Rue looked up at her, and once they'd made eye contact, it was like something snapped.

"Rue, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

Max had said it first. She knew she'd have to tell Rue eventually; this feeling wasn't going to go away. And yesterday, when she was with Eleven, apparently all she talked about was Rue, and how she couldn't lose Rue because she means a lot to her.

El had shut her up and told Max that maybe, just maybe, she liked Rue, more than a friend. That Max liked her the same way Rue liked her. Almost instantly, she stopped talking for the rest of their walk. The thought, filling her mind for most of the day. What if I like Rue?

What if, she kept asking herself.

And eventually, that "What if" turned into, "Oh my fucking God, I like Rue. . . I like my fucking best friend."

She could pretend that she doesn't like Ruth. She does and always has. Since that Halloween night, when Max had gone to check on Rue. She didn't know why she did it then, but now she knew. She liked Rue. That awkward girl who let some of the cutest things slip out of her mouth.

Rue blinked, tilting her head, "What?" she asked, "You're sorry?"

Max pursed her lips and sat next to her on the car. "I'm sorry, about the mall. . . I shouldn't have ditched you like that. I was just so excited about El — you know — helping her out, helping her feel like a normal girl, I forgot about my favourite girl."

Rue tried to hide her red face with her hair. She was Max's favourite girl. She felt like giggling as Max softly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I forgot about you, which was horrible and I'm so sorry. And then the whole smoothie thing — that's all my fault. I saw you with Sky and I got jealous. . ."

Rue frowned, sliding closer to Max. "There's nothing to be jealous of," she said, moving her hands to sit on top of Max's. They both looked down at their hands, and Max slowly turned hers around so she could lock hers with Rue's. Neither of them said anything at first, only staring at their hands that fit perfectly together.

She was scared that Max could hear the beating of her heart. Rue could feel it banging at her chest.

"Um," Max started, "Why were you sorry?"

"Oh," Rue squinted at the sun. She turned to look at Max, who was already watching her, confusion written in her blue eyes. "I thought you were mad at me," she mumbled, like a child in trouble by their mother.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Max frowned, "I could never be mad at you. I've told you this,"

Rue shrugged, not knowing what to say. She sucked in a shaky breath, wondering if what she was about to say would end gracefully or ruin everything. "Max, I have something to tell you. . ."

Max nodded, "I'm listening,"

"I don't like Sky that way — I know I already told you but — I — I . . . " Rue trailed off, wanting to chicken out. She didn't know how she was still looking at Max and not running away to drown herself in the showers.

Max grinned teasingly, poking Rue's side with her free hand. "I know," she said, finding it adorable the way Rue's face dropped, and she began to stumble over her words. "El told me."

"W-what?" she stammered, unknowingly holding onto Max's hand tighter. "She — she told you what?"

"El told me you like me and —"

Rue cut her off, groaning and embarrassedly hiding her face in Max's neck, "No!"

Max giggled, feeling warmer than she had before. "It's okay!" she held Rue closer, pressing her freckled check on the top of her amber hair. "It's okay because — I —" She stood up, leaving Rue to stare at her with wide eyes. Max shoved her hands in her pockets, watching her reactions as she said, "I like you too! Like — a lot,"

Rue froze. She had stopped breathing, and her eyes were wide. She didn't move, and Max was worried that maybe, El was wrong.

Rue suddenly stood up as well, a full smile on her face. "Really?"

"Yeah," Max's voice cracked slightly, "I was going to tell you over the phone actually but —"

Rue wrapped her arms around Max, holding her tightly as she giggled like a lovesick fool. Her beautiful laugh echoed in Max's head, and butterflies had escaped in her stomach. She began to giggle as well.

"Really?" she asked again, wishing someone would pinch her to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Max laughed, "Yes! Really!"

Rue bit her lip, longing for the feeling of her arms wrapped around Max's waist. She didn't want to let go because she felt like she was in the right place. The comforting scent of strawberry and peach filled her nose, and she gripped onto Max tighter, scared that if she let go, she might wake up, and none of it would have happened.

"Rue, your hair's glowing,"

She hummed, nodding. Her mind was dazed, knowing the feelings she's had for months were returned. Rue felt Max remove her arms from around her and whined with a pout. Max held both of Rue's shoulders, gawking at her glowing hair.

"That's not normal. . ."

Rue blinked, "What's not normal?"

Max moved her hand up to touch Rue's hair. It felt soft — like always — but it tingled with power. "Your glowing hair."

"My hair's glowing?!" She quickly stepped away from Max, and she was about to trip over Mike's bike but inside her foot went through it. Rue's eyes grew wide, feeling his bike by her ankle, which had suddenly turned into a liquid for her to walk through. Her heart beat a little faster, and she had forgotten what El had told her if this happens.

Rue tried to play it off, about to lean on the car's side-view mirror to act as nothing happened. But her hand went through it as well, and she fell on the ground in the parking lot, scratching her left elbow. "Ow!"

Max stepped forward to help, but Rue crawled away, scared that she might walk through her.

"Wait — wait — wait," She held a hand up, motioning for Max to stop. Rue shut her eyes, trying to remember El's advice . . . what was it? Count?

Rue let out a slow and steady breath, counting. One. . . two. . . three . . . four . . .

"Max?" A voice cut her off. Rue opened her eyes and saw Max slowly walk towards her super-comm. "Max, do you copy?" Mike's voice called.

"Yeah, I copy," she answered, looking at Rue on the ground from the corner of her eyes.

"Okay, great!" Mike said, "it's gonna get dark soon. You and Rue can start heading in now — everything's ready."

"Yeah . . . um — sure . . . " she replied, turning off her super-comm. Max turned to face Rue, half-expecting to find her laying on the ground next to the car with her glowing hair. But instead, she saw her standing, an unexplainable look on her face as she wiped her nose and quickly tied her hair into a bun that was already falling apart.

Rue cleared her throat and grinned, "Come on, stars to my moon! We don't wanna keep them waiting, do we?" she skipped towards Max, instantly holding her hand. "You look very pretty today, did you know that?"

（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）

Everything had gone perfectly, according to Mike's plan. They were all hidden in supply closets and lockers. Rue had chosen to hide in the closet in fear the lockers would somehow shut, and she'd get stuck.

She was on her toes, and despite the dark situation they were in, she had to hold back the dreamy giggles that dared to erupt. Max liked Rue. . . Max likes Rue! Could anyone believe it? Rue couldn't, and she kept pinching her arm to make her it wasn't a dream to the point she now has a bruise similar to the one Mike has on his cheek. She had been overjoyed to the point her powers had gone hazy. But who cares? Max likes Rue!

Rue peeked from the crack on the door Will and Mike were through. Billy was taking a shower, and it was only a few minutes until they heard the water turn off. Mike waited a little longer before slipping out of the closet and slamming a locker nearby to grab Billy's attention. "Pools closed," he said, and Mike slammed it again and hurried back to the closet.

They watched as Billy stormed past them and into the room they planned to test their theory. "Hey, can't you hear? I said the pool's closed!"

The door to leave the locker room was locked shut, thanks to Lucas. And Billy figured it got locked when he tried to leave. He shook on the doors, trying to get them open. That was when it was Rue's turn to run out and flicker the lights. She covered her mouth with one hand, switching the light once more and ran back to her hiding spot.

"Who's there?" Billy began to move away from the doors.

Mike stepped away from the closet door and began to talk in his super-comm. "Billy!"

"Who's there?" He called again, ripping open shower curtains.

Will and Rue shared a look as he inched closer to the spot they wanted Billy to go.

"You think this is funny, huh?" Billy huffed, and Rue let out a giggle, causing Will to hit her shoulder and glare at her. But she couldn't help it! It was Max's fault for telling Rue she liked her. The poor girl was in ecstasy now.

"Billy, come find me!" Mike teased, "Come on!"

"If I find you it's your funeral."

"Come and get me! Come on!"

As Billy went into the gym, they all began to slip out of their hiding spots, watching as Billy spotted the dummy in the sauna. He started to clap and laugh, and Rue had to hold back from joining his cheerful attitude.

Mike smirked, "Come and get me, you piece of shit!"

Billy grabbed the dummy, clearly angry it wasn't whoever he was looking for. Eleven stepped forward quietly, standing a few feet behind Billy.

"Behind you!" Mike said.

Billy dropped the dummy and spun around. "Hi," El said stiffly, whipping her head up, throwing Billy against the wall and shutting the door with her mind.

Will and Mike hurried to block the door with chains and a metal pole, making sure he couldn't get out. They needed him to stay there as long as possible. Once the door was locked, they ran back to their friends. They huddled a few feet away from the door, and El pushed them behind her.