Aftermath

Part 5- Secrets... Revealed

February 27, 1987

And so it went. The days were long for everyone. School was in session. Nancy and Robin had gone to Summer School for what they missed during Disaster Relief, and were now looking at colleges. Steve and Robin still worked part-time, and they each got a raise for staying in Hawkins and keeping their jobs.

Steve had mastered the art of hiding other's secrets, but his crush, best friend, and babysittee were more worried than ever. Lucky for them, they would know what had been bothering him very soon.

The odd one out, Maxine, hadn't quite been ready to visit the others, last time her brother had checked. She was going to therapy and rehab twice a week, so she was always really frustrated and exhausted.

This morning, though, she knew was  shorter day for Family Video, as it closed early (around 5) on Sundays and Mondays, and that day was a Sunday. She got up early and told Steve she was ready to see the others. He was overjoyed at this- he didn't have to lie anymore, they would stop giving him weird looks, and Lucas and El would be super happy!

So he picked her up at their house and they drove to the Wheelers' place. Maxine took a deep breath as Steve exited the car. He had
already called "Little Wheeler" to make sure the kids would be there, as they usually were at that time. He said he was going to talk to Mike, as Karen and Ted knew him at that point.

A few minutes later, everyone- the boys, El, Nancy, and Robin- came outside with Steve. The only one who wasn't there was Eddie, but they would talk to him later.

Max exhaled slowly and stepped out of the car. She leaned on it for support, looking towards the door. It was loud for a moment, until they collectively noticed the 16-year-old-girl staring at them.

All was silent for a moment, before El and Dustin made a mad dash towards her and enveloped her in an enormous hug that spoke volumes.

"Oh, God, Max... Is it really you?" El said between sniffles.

"Yes, Eleven... It's me. It's Maxine."

That made the short-haired girl in front of her jump up an raise an eyebrow. "Maxine? I thought you hated your name."

"Yeah, well, um... I thought it would be better to start fresh, you know? I mean, I have some great memories with you guys, but some pretty shitty ones too..."

Steve looked at his sister, concern in his eyes. He had, of course, gotten the whole speil weeks ago, but it was heartbreaking to hear it again.

It took a moment for what everything to click in the others' minds, and when it did, they ran over and pulled the gir into a mass group hug.

They talked with her for a while, when Robin had a realization. "Wait... Steve, is this why you've been acting so strange lately? She showed up in your car... "

That caused an outburst directed toward Steve. "Guys, GUYS!" yelled Maxine. "It's not his fault! I specifically told him I wanted to wait to see you, and he only knows because his parents adopted me!"

No one knew what to say to that, so they just said their goodbyes and made plans to meet up the next day.

Micheal Wheeler's stood out the most to the redhead. "Glad to see you're alright, Zoomer," he'd said. It didn't sound like much, but you could see it in his eyes that he meant it as an apology.

The older girls had given her bear hugs, along with Dustin and Will. El's lasted longer, with a quick "Goodbye," and Lucas's was the most heartfelt thing ever said. All it took was three words to fix a broken relationship: "I love you."