Every Breath You Take

Chapter 21

12/17/84

All the guys had left except Lucas. He and El we're going home at the same time so Lucas waited outside of Mike's house with El. It was always a little awkward when it was just the two of them. El wasn't the kind of person who had to talk all the time for it to not be awkward but Lucas were the opposite. The only people he could be quiet around without it getting awkward was his family and, well, Max.
"Sooo...what do you think about what we talked about earlier?" Lucas asked.
"What?" El asked and looked at him.
"You know, about Max" He said
El was quiet for awhile. Lucas figured she was thinking about a response since conversations still is a new thing for her. Then he saw Hopper's car.
"I think you are stupid" El said and walked towards the car.
Hopper waved to Lucas before driving away.
"I'm not stupid" Lucas said to himself. He wasn't stupid. Besides, El had grown up in a lab. She didn't know anything about relationships. Out of all of his friends Mike was the best one with relationships so why wouldn't Lucas listen to him?

When he got home everyone was asleep. The house was pitch black. He went straight up to his room and stood in front of the mirror.
"Max, i'm sorry. I want to break up. Noooooo" Lucas practiced breaking up with Max in his mirror just like he had practiced to ask her to dance before the snowball.
He stood there for what he thought was hours but he couldn't find a good way to say it. It didn't come naturally out of his mouth like he'd been thinking about it for a long time. He had to force out every word and the more he said it, the harder it got. He wasn't sure this was what he wanted to do but he knew he had to. Mike and Dustin were right, if she didn't care about him he shouldn't have to care about her. It would just be easier that way.

Max were, once again, laying down on her bed. She didn't have any energy left. Her arms felt like heavy stones.
Max had eaten one meal today, which was oatmeal. Which doesn't even make it a real meal.
Her stomach hurt and constantly made growling sounds but at the same time, the thought of eating disgusted Max. Instead, she tried to sleep. Which she couldn't do either.
She laid awake listening to the sound from the tv. Then it stopped and She knew Suzan and Neil had gone to bed. Billy was on a date so he wasn't home to bother her either. Now everyone was quiet. Finally.