When Friendship Becomes Forever

Chapter 18

El

TW: Mentions of forced kissing

The next day arrived slowly; first with a glimmer of sun that weaved its way through my curtains.

And it was in a matter of seconds that everything came crashing back to me.

I remembered too much; more than I wanted to.

I remembered last night, I remembered yesterday.

The dark, the tears, the look on Max's face when she saw me with Mike.

Mike.

I remembered the way he kissed me, the way he hadn't looked away, or even at me.

All he could see was my lips.

I wanted to forget it all so badly; it was like a fever, swarming me with heat and pain and disassociation of anything but the memories.

The phone in the kitchen rung and I left my bedroom quietly to answer it, still dressed in my clothes from yesterday.

"Hello?" I spoke quietly into the phone, brushing the hair from my eyes.

"Hey," the voice on the other end replied.

"Hopper isn't home at the moment. I can take a message," I said half-heartedly.

A slight laugh echoed and I frowned.

"El...its Nancy,"

I gasped slightly; I had been so caught up in my mind that I hadn't recognised her voice.

"Hey," I said back, smiling sadly.

There was a brief moment of silence between the two of us, unsure of what to say.

"Can...can we talk?" Nancy asked finally.

"Sure...what...what about?"

She sighed.

"Not here. Can I meet you somewhere?"

"Yeah,"

"The roof. Twenty minutes. Thank you,"

I smiled slightly to myself.

"Yeah. No problem,"

The line cut and I was alone with my swarm of thoughts once again.

Shaking my head to rid myself of the fuzzy feeling, I walked back to my bedroom to get ready for the unexpected meeting with Nancy.

...

Twenty minutes later and I was dressed and ready, climbing the stairs to the roof of Hawkins High.

I hadn't been here alone before, although I supposed Max probably had.

After all it had been her idea for us to go there in the first place.

Nancy was already there, her hair frizzy and clothes crumpled.

"Hey," she said as I approached, and I noticed that her eyes were red from tears.

"Hi,"

I took a seat beside her, the cement roof heating up from below me.

It was peaceful up there, the only sounds audible were that of the cars far beneath us and the faint voices of people walking the streets of town.

They were unaware of us, and the whole other world we could see from only a few feet up.

"I was really stupid," Nancy started, her strained voice interrupting my thoughts.

I glanced over to look at her.

"I made some really stupid mistakes. And...I didn't bring you here to comfort me, or tell me that what I did wasn't stupid because it was. I loved her, El. I still do. I'm probably never going to stop loving her. These past three years have been...freaking insane. But...I really thought I had become a better person because of it. But I haven't. All I've done is become a different person. And I don't even have myself to thank for that," she spoke, her voice breaking.

I didn't need to ask what she meant.

Robin had showed her how to become a new person. How to truly be herself.

Just like Max had for me.

"You know...before I met Max I...I didn't really know a whole lot about the world...let alone who I was as a person, I guess. It was kind of forced, a lot of it. Of who I was. But Max changed that. She...showed me how to be myself, and who I was and what I could be. She taught me more than anyone else has in this world."

Nancy smiled a little.

"Yeah. She is pretty freaking..."

"Tubular," I whispered, tears falling down my face.

Nancy reached out for my hand and I let her take it, her warm skin almost comforting.

"Yeah. Tubular."

Neither of us spoke for a moment, the repetitive nature of the silence familiar and relaxing.

"I was so alone...for so long," I whispered and Nancy gripped my hand tighter.

"I don't understand why...it hurts so much now,"

She sighed heavily.

"Neither do I. But you aren't alone anymore. There are people that love you, and care for you and about you so much. You aren't alone El. If not anyone else, you have me."

I smiled gratefully through my tears.

"Thank you,"

(A/N: Heyyyy! So I know that I said if I couldn't update on Friday I'd see you Monday but I'm impatient okay? Lmao. Hope you guys like this chapter :) Stay safe and totally tubular and I'll see you in the next one xx)