After the Snow Ball

Chapter 5

"Nancy! Jonathan! " Mike shouted.
Both Nancy and Jonathan turned around at the same time to see Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max running towards them.

"Do you feel threatened, or is it just me?" Jonathan said, watching the kids run towards them.

"Yep." Nancy nodded, her eyebrows raised.

"Nancy...Jonathan..." Mike panted. "We....need....you....to...."

"Chaperone us, when we go camping this weekend." Max finished, considerably less out of breath than the others.

Nancy looked at Jonathan. "No way." They both said in sync. They turned back to Jonathan's car.

"Mom says you have to!" Will said.

Jonathan groaned and turned around slowly.
"Nance, you don't have to come if you don't want to." He said.

"Oh yes she does!" Mike said proudly. "Our mom said so."

Nancy rolled her eyes at her brother.
"I wouldn't have let you suffer a weekend of annoying eight graders alone anyway." She turned back to Mike. "Is Eleven coming?"

"Hopefully. We're heading over there now." He replied.

"Okay. Bye." Nancy said plainly, before getting into the passenger seat of Jonathan's car.

-

Following the usual forest path, Mike and the other sped through the woods, before reaching Eleven's house.

"Okay, remember to watch for the tripwire," Mike instructed, lifting his leg over it. "it will set off an alarm, and Hopper will possibly shoot us." Mike knew the guys already knew, but Max was new, and he was too nice to let her feel like an outsider.

They ran up the steps, Mike performing the secret knock. Feeling immense feelings of Deja vu, Mike watched the door open to reveal Hopper, who grunted at the kids.

"Eleven!" He shouted into the house. A few seconds later El appeared by the door, her brown hair just resting on her shoulder.

"Mike." She said, smiling. She waved at the others behind her, giving Max the subtlest glare possible.

"So...are you free this weekend?"