What do you think? I think you're an idiot. (Dustin Henderson x Reader)

14: Trauma.

Y/n's pov

"I know you guys are staring at me." Max spoke up from the other side of the room at the desk.

The boys all quickly averted their eyes.

"What was that?"

"What, sorry?"

"You said you needed something?"

Lucas and Dustin picked up books and Steve tossed a rubber band ball.

"Just, hanging out." Steve said.

I smacked his arm for him to shut up.

Max sighed. "How you think your eyes boring into the back of my head is protecting me from Vecna, I don't know." She picked up two stacks of letters and got up, walking over to the couch we all resided on.

I quickly stood up, taking my stack from her with a thanks.

The two of us stood in front of the boys, who still wouldn't look at Max.

"You can look at me now." She rolled her eyes slightly, looking over to me with a knowing look.

"Thank you."

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

The boys all put down their papers in relief.

Max gave Dustin a letter. "For you."

Then Steve. "For you."

"And, um," she handed one to Lucas. "And you."

"Oh, and um, give these to Mike, El and Will." She gave three more to Lucas.

"This one's for you." I smiled softly, handing Dustin his.

"And for you." I gave Steve his, earning a smile as he took it.

"And this one's for you." I handed one to Lucas.

"Oh, and these are for for Edgar and your mom." I handed another two to Dustin.

"And give this to Erica." I handed one to Lucas.

"And then give these to Will, Jonathan, Joyce, El, Eddie, Mike and Murray." I handed the rest to Dustin. "And please give these to my parents."

The three of them started to open their letters, but Max quickly put a stop to that. "Hey, woah, what are you doing?!" She protested.

The three boys looked up at her, baffled.

"No, don't, that's not for now. Don't open it now." I said.

"Don't-? Okay." Dustin nodded and put his envelope back.

He looked up to Max. "I'm sorry, what is this?" He asked, holding up the envelope she had given him.

"It's um." Max swallowed and looked to the ground.

"It's a failsafe." I helped her out. "For after."

"You know, if things- if they don't work out." Max stumbled on her words.

Dustin looked up to me with the saddest expression before him and Steve looked to each other.

"Wait, woah, Max, Y/n, things are gonna work out."

"No!" She cut Lucas off. "No, I don't need you to reassure me right now, and tell us that it's all gonna work out, because people have been telling me that my entire life and it's almost never true."

"It's never true." She repeated herself.

"And of course this asshole curses us." I scoffed.
"Should have seen that one coming."

When I was about seven years old, one year before I moved to Hawkins, I had an older brother named Barry.

One day we were camping and we got into this big fight, I cant even remember what it was about, and he stormed off into the woods.

I found him the next morning at the bottom of a cliff, his neck bent in all the wrong places. After that, my parents found me sobbing over his body and the police got involved and we had a funeral.

That's why we had moved to Hawkins, to start fresh. And all my close friends knew about it, and all my moms close friends knew and my friends families knew, so no one ever talked about it. But I had always felt like it was my fault. So, of course this asshole curses me, after I nearly got eaten by a demodog in a junkyard and got drugged and kidnapped by Russians and am carrying the guilt of my brother's death.

Max took a deep breath, looking over to the radio set on the table. "If we go to east Hawkins, will this still reach penhurst?" She asked, looking back at the boys and me.

"Of course." Dustin and I nodded in sync.

"Wait, why are we talking about east Hawkins?" Steve asked skeptically.

Max looked at him and he knew right then and there just what she was asking.

"No." He said.

We all gave him a look. "No." He said more sternly.

"Steve..." I trailed off, raising my eyebrows.

"No!" He repeated himself.

Max picked up her Walkman and backpack, heading for the door as I grabbed my backpack and supercom, jumping up after her.

"Max." Steve ran after us, his jacket on and keys in hand. "Y/n! Seriously!"

"Seriously I'm not joking, okay? I'm not driving you anywhere!" He flailed his arms about.

"Steve, if you think we're going to spend what is likely the last day of our lives in the armpit that is Mike Wheeler's basement, then you're out of your mind." She grabbed my arm, hurrying me up.

"So either take us where we have to go or you're gonna have to tie me down which is technically kidnapping of a minor, and if I live to see another day, Steve, I swear to god, I will prosecute." Max tried the door handle.

"She will." I nodded at Steve.

Max tried the locked door handle again to no avail. "Open the door." She ordered.

"Uhhh, no." Steve shook his head with a perplexed expression.

"I know a good lawyer." Max stated.

"I can confirm. She does." I looked back at the older boy. "You're gonna want to open that door, Steve."

Steve was left with a confound and frustrated look on his face as he shook his head and scoffed, finally giving in to the badass that was Max.

He fished his keys out of his pocket. "Henderson." He pointed at Dustin. "That super walkie of yours better reach penhurst." And with that, he got into the drivers seat, allowing the rest of us in.

Word count: 1001