i love you ➵ elmax

IV

El is leaving today. That's the first thing that crosses Max's mind when she wakes up the in the morning. Everything will go back to normal. She will have to face her parents again who clearly do not want anything to do with her. The party will be split up again and the rest will probably not want to spend time with her. She will be alone again.

The weekend was beautiful but so short.

After getting up and going upstairs to get ready the six friends go to the kitchen to have breakfast. Everyone has a rather sad expression on their face as they eat their food. "Guys," Will says. "I know we don't have much time left together but let's enjoy the time that we do have. Let's have an amazing last day together." The others nod in agreement.

"So what do you guys wanna do today?" Mike asks.

"Play D&D," Will says quickly.

"I wanna go swimming!" El exclaims.

"How about we go to the lake and take the game with us so the ones who want to play can do that and the ones who want to swim and can swim," Max suggests.

Everyone nods. After finishing their breakfast they change into their swimming clothes and hop on their bikes, making their way to the lake. When they arrive the boys unpack the board game and the girls run into the water. It's a beautiful day even though there are a few dark clouds in the sky.

"I like swimming," El says with a bright smile on her face.

"So do I," Max laughs.

"Let's see who reaches the other side first!" she suddenly says.

"Hey, wait!" Eleven laughs, following Max.

Max gets to the other side first but Eleven arrives just a second later. "You won," the brunette says, trying to catch her breath.
"But you did amazing, too," Max says flashing the other girl a genuine smile. They get out of the water and walk over to a place under a tree. Eleven turns around to look at the other side of the lake. "Mike!" she yells, waving at him. He waves back before focusing on the game again.

The girls sit down. "It's so beautiful here," Max says. The birds are chirping and once in a while they feel a cold breeze on their faces. They can see the mountains from here and the fresh air smells like summer. "Yes, it is," Eleven sighs. "I wish I could stay here forever."

"Me too," Max whispers, her satisfied expression changing into a sad one. She takes a deep breath before continuing to speak. "I don't want to go home. I hate it there. I just can't be there anymore."

Eleven looks at her in confusion. "But why?" she asks.

"Since Billy... left my parents have been ignoring me. They treat me as if I wasn't there and if I do show them that I am there they get mad. It's clear that they don't want me. I get that they're in pain. I am, too. I just don't understand why we can't get through this together. I have to fight all these emotions all by myself. I have no one," Max says.

"You have me. You have us," Eleven says, putting her hand on Max's shoulder to comfort her.

"The boys treated me the same way for a long time. Just two days ago we spent time together again. They missed you. So did I. But they didn't want anything to do with me. They always excluded me from everything, leaving me alone. I'm scared that things will go back to that as soon as you leave. You know what I need? This. Someone who listens to me. I feel like lately no one has been paying attention to me. I mean, I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to pay attention to myself either if I were somebody else. It's just feels nice when someone does. It's relieving to have someone that listens to my feelings. Not just the paper that I write on when my thoughts get too overwhelming. Someone who talks back, too. Thank you, El." Max faces Eleven during the last sentence.

"Max, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'll talk to Mike. That's not okay."

"No, it's fine."

"No, it's not. You deserve someone that listens to you everyday. I'm leaving today and I want to know that someone will be there for you when I'm gone."

"I'll miss you so much," Max says. It feels nice to have someone care that much about her.

Usually she always does anything to help others. It's always her who cares. It's always her who asks others if they're okay. And if they're not it's always her who comforts them.

She rests her head on Eleven's lap. El plays with Max's hair, looking at the water. "Change is so weird," she suddenly says. Max mumbles in agreement. "Everything always changes just when I think it'll stay that way forever. I never know if I should enjoy things or get closer to people if they just end up disappearing. I hope you won't leave, Max," the brunette says. "Will you leave?"

"No, no, I won't. I promise," Max says quickly, getting up to look at Eleven. "I will always be right there. You can call me on the phone whenever you need someone to talk to. I'll be there to listen. You can visit me anytime you want. I'll be there. I promise."

"Promise," El whispers. Max nods.

"Can I call you tonight when I arrive at my house?"

"Of course," Max says. "Anytime you want."

"Good," Eleven says, sighing in relief before smiling widely at the other girl.

They continue talking the whole morning when suddenly Max sits up straight. "Did you just feel that?"

Eleven looks up to the sky. "It's raining," she notices. More and more raindrops start falling from the sky.

"Come on, let's go. We have to get to the other side," Max says before getting up quickly and running into the water. Eleven follows her and they start swimming. When they reach the shore the boys who have already packed their things are sitting on their bikes, waiting for the girls. They get on their bikes and all of them drive to Mike's house.

The air smells like rain and the raindrops feel cold on their skin. The sky is colored in a beautiful grey and the wind is blowing in their faces. It's getting colder every minute and they are glad when they arrive at Mike's.