𝘿𝙍𝙄𝙁𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 - Max Mayfield

45. Dear Kyle

"And that's why we're no longer together"

Eleven and Aiden sat in her room in the Byers new house as he'd just given her the explanation as to why he'd seemed different. El was beyond sad at hearing the news... She was heartbroken.

"Six months ago?" El asked and Aiden nodded. How had she been out of touch for so long? She didn't know any of this had happened. Eleven didn't even know what to think right now. All she knew was that her best friend was currently hurting a lot. She remembers being told how Mike was while she was gone,she could only imagine that was now feeling the same way.

"Come here" El gently pulled him into a hug, rubbing circles on his back. "I'm sorry"

"It's not your fault," Aiden softly replied.

"I should've been there to at least make you feel better"

Eleven really did feel guilty for being absent while Aiden had to bear all this on his own.

And Max...

Why would she do this? As far as El knew, Max loved Aiden a lot from what she'd seen. So what happened that made her switch and say all those mean things to him? It didn't make sense to her.

"It'll be okay," El pulled away from the hug to look at him. She then lightly poked Aiden's forehead with her index and middle fingers, causing him to smile. "You're the strongest person I know... You'll get through it"

"Thanks, El"

"Anytime" she smiled at him. "How's Hawkins?"

Aiden's smile faded and he let out a sigh. "Not great.. deaths have been happening all over the place and we think it might be the Upside Down again"

"How do you know?" El asked.

"It's Hawkins," Aiden chuckled. "it's always the Upside Down messing with us"

"Is it the mind flayer?" Eleven asked.

"Not exactly," Aiden replied.

"Oh," Eleven remembered. "You can't tell me because it'll-"

"Mess with the plot,yeah" Aiden said. "I know it's getting annoying to hear"

"No," she shook her head. "i understand"

"Thanks, El" Aiden grabbed her hand. "Want me to stay with you for a while? We could eat all the eggos we want and watch TV"

"Yes, please" Eleven smiled and nodded.

"Okayyy,now where's the fridge?"

Twenty minutes later,they were seated next to each other on the couch, eggos on their plates while their eyes were fixated on the screen.

"Y'know,now that I'm used to it..." Aiden said after a while of El laughing at the show in front of them. "I think 80s TV is better than what we'll have in the 2020s and 2010s"

"What's TV like in the 2020s?" El looked at him.

"It's kinda hard to explain" Aiden took a bite of his waffle. "It's kinda uncensored but also very watered down cause everyone's triggered by everything"

"Sounds confusing" El furrowed her eyebrows.

"Believe me,it is," Aiden laughed. He at least felt better hanging out with El. It was some form of relief and even though he didn't grow up in Hawkins,he felt some kind of nostalgia hanging out with Eleven again; just the two of them, like it was when she was hidden away in Hopper's cabin.

Unfortunately, nothing good lasts too long in this dimension.

Aiden started to hear ticking and his head immediately turned, looking for where it was coming from. He soon spotted a familiar grandfather clock on one of the walls close by.