forbidden mileven // mileven

19) We're Leaving

Eleven's POV

Hopper drove up to the school right as I walked  out. I opened the car door, trying to hide the smile on my face. Hop had no reason to be mad, Mike didn't walk out with me.

Hop didn't know that he was right inside the door. He didn't know Mike kissed me on my way out.

"Why the smile, kid?" Oh shoot.
"I made a friend today." What? A friend? The only girl that talked to me was Max, and I rejected her offer loud and clear.

"Oh really? What's her name?" Why did he assume it was a "her"?
"Max. Max Mayfield." Okay..Maybe this will work.

"Great! Do you want to have her over? I can call her parents." No I definitely didn't want to have her over.

"Not tonight. I got tons homework. Maybe some time though." Geez, my grammar was awful. He winced every time I messed up.

I just lied to Hopper. Friends don't lie. He had kept me safe for a year, hidden me from the bad men. Then he adopted me. I couldn't lie. Now I had to be friends with her. Dang it.

I laid my head back on the seat and looked in the rear view mirror. The back of the car was full of bags. Both of our pillows were sitting back there too.

"Hop? Why are there bags in backseat?"
"Oh..uh..about that. I can't have you and Wheeler together. It's too easy for y'all to be together. I can't allow it. And it's too hard for you to see him every day, knowing you can't have him. So..we're..leaving."

"WHAT?! HOW COULD YOU? WHY?" I was outraged. This was ridiculous.
"Calm down, El. It's fine. It'll be fine." How could he be so calm about this?

"How long have been planing this?" His eyes darted along the road, his face dropping guiltily.

"Since the night of the Snowball. After we got home I called Joyce to talk about it." Ms Byers was in on this? How could she betray me?

"She agreed about this?" I could tell I wasn't doing any better with my speech. It was really hard. Especially when everyone else was so far advanced compared to me.

"She thought I was being too rash. I wanted to leave that night. I told her I'd wait a couple days. This morning, when you were so excited for school..I knew it wasn't because you were going to school. You were excited about seeing him."

I looked down, admitting he was right.
"I couldn't let you see him anymore. I had to do something. We're going to see your mama. We're going to see Aunt Becky."