wasteland, STRANGER THINGS

eighteen.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:

THE MALL RATS

The next morning, Cassie woke up to see El pacing back and forth in the living room.

"What's wrong?" Cassie asked.

"Nothing." El groaned and walked over to the phone.

"Hey. Is everything okay?" Hopper also asked.

"Yes." El replied and dialed the Wheeler's number.

When Mike answered, El went back to her room.

"Do you know what's going on with her?" Hopper questioned.

"No. Did you say or do something?" Cassie's eyes narrowed.

"Woah, why is it my fault?" Hopper put his hands in the air.

"I don't know." Cassie mumbled.

El walked out of her room shortly after and hung up the phone.

"Hey. What's going on?" Hopper tried again, to no avail.

El just went back into her room and slammed the door shut, but not before Cassie followed her inside.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Cassie frowned.

"Mike is lying to me." El sighed.

"Well, what did he say?" Cassie urged on.

"He said Nana was sick, but Hopper told me she wasn't." It was El's turn to frown.

"Um, okay, well how about you hang out with me and Max today then?" Cassie offered.

"Okay." El nodded.

❁

El and Cassie were at Max's street, they could see the redhead on her skateboard in the distance.

El stared at the skateboard before it was heading in Cassie and El's direction. El stopped the skateboard with her foot and held it in her hands. The three walked closer to each other.

"Hi."

"Hi!"

"Hi?"

"Can we talk?" El suggested.

Max glanced at Cassie, then nodded. The three girls headed their way into Max's room, where El was explaining her situation to Max.

"And then he said he--he missed me. And then he just hung up." El continued.

"He's a piece of shit." Max declared.

"What?" El frowned.

"Mike doesn't have jack shit to do today and his Nana obviously isn't sick." Max began to pace, "I guarantee you, him and Lucas are playing Atari right now."