Her Perfect Mistake // Max Mayfield

18. The Flayed

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler!" Bella said as she made her way to Mike's basement. It surely wasn't how she planned the day to start, but considering the circumstances, she wasn't left with much of a choice. Mike had asked her to sleep in the basement, just in case she needed medical attention. The girl agreed, but only if she slept alone, as far from Max as possible.

Either because of all the adrenaline in her veins or because of something else, the blonde girl didn't feel pain anymore. Or at least not the physical pain. She hated being distanced from her girlfriend and her best friend, but she also couldn't turn a blind eye to what they did.

Everyone sat around the table in Mike's basement. Bella was the only one that was standing on the floor, right next to the bathroom. The teens asked if she wants to stay next to them, but the girl reasoned that she doesn't feel good, and she needs to be closer to the bathroom.

"We need to find Hopper and Joyce." Max's voice echoed in Bella's mind. Everyone nodded and looked at Eleven.

"Can you do it?" Mike questioned and the girl nodded. Not long after that, everyone was in search of a blindfold for El.

"Wheeler, why can't you just tidy up this basement sometimes? It's like a bomb fell in here." Bella sighed as she went through one of the boxes.

"I am sorry." he mumbled. Bella never heard him sound so... sad. Eleven not being with him clearly had a huge impact on the boy. The blonde girl on the other hand was furious. Max knew how scared she was from facing the Mind Flayer, but she threw her with him anyway.

"Got it!" Bella exclaimed while holding a blindfold. Everyone stopped searching and sat down in front of El. Bella turned on the TV and gave El the piece of fabric, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No." the brunette shook her head and Bella nodded.

~~~

Bella sat in front of her friend while she searched for Hopper. It has been a while, and the silence was painful to everyone in the room. Blood started dripping from El's nose.

"I found him." the brunette said.

"Where is he?" Max questioned and Bella rolled her eyes.

"Woods."

"Woods?" Bella repeated. 'What is he doing in the woods?' Bella thought, her mind getting flooded with questions.

"He is with... Will's mom." Eleven answered.

"My-- my mom?" the boy leaned forward in worry.

"What are they doing?" Annabelle questioned once again.

"Ill... annoy." the girl in front of her answered, "They are going to Ill-annoy."

"Mike! Breakfast!" Bella heard Karen, Mike's mom, knock on the door. The boy quickly stood up and yelled back, "Not now, Mom!"

"Illinois? Illinois, like the state?" the raven-haired boy asked while Eleven removed her blindfold.

"Ill-annoy." the brunette stammered and Bella got up, sighing, "C'mon, El. Let's clean you up."

~~~

Bella was alone with El in the bathroom. The brunette couldn't look her friend in the eyes, and instead just focused on the mirror in front of her. The blonde dampened a towel and held it close to Eleven's nose. She cleaned the blood the best she could, before sighing.

"I am sorry." Bella whispered while looking at Eleven's neck. There were marks from Billy's hands there.

"Why?" El whispered back, finally moving her eyes towards her friend.