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"I found him" El tells us as she's trying to find Hopper. She sits with a bandanna covering her eyes as we all watch in silence and only the static off the TV
"Where is he?"
"Woods" Blood starts to come out of her nose
"Woods?" Lucas repeats
"He's with Will's mom"
"My - My mom?" Will leans in closer
"What are they doing?" I ask from between Mike and Will
"Ill annoy. They're going to Ill-annoy"
Mom starts to knock from the top of the starts "Mike, Sam. Breakfast!"
"Not now, Mom!" Mike yells back and turns back to El "Illinois? Illinois, like the state? The state of Illinois?" El takes off the blindfold
"Settle, she doesn't know where Illinois is" I tell Mike quietly
"Ill-annoy"
I look back over to El "Come on, let's clean you up" I stand up and El follows me with Max close behind. We walk into the bathroom, close the door and I wet the end of a small hand towel and start to clean up her nose. When I finish, I look down at the bruises on her neck from when Billy chocked her. Max sees it too. El lifts up her chin and looks at them in the mirror, letting her fingers run over the damaged skin.
"Does it still hurt?" Max asks
"Only when I talk"
"Well, it's a good thing you're not Mike, then. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You'd be in constant pain" We all chuckle a bit and the bathroom falls silent. I pull out a cigarette, light it and look at the two girls.
"Can I try it?" Max asks me as she's grinning from ear to ear
"The cigarette?" Max quickly nods her head "No way"
"Come on Sam. Please" Max looks at me with pleading eyes
I roll my eyes and stand up straight and Max's eyes light up. I turn the cigarette around and Max starts to lean in, before she could get close enough I quickly pull the cigarette under the tap and turn on the tap of water, soaking the cigarette.
"Oh man, I am so sorry" I say sarcastically and look up to Max and she has disappointment written all over her face and her jaw has dropped to the floor "Gee, my hand just slipped under this water stream that I also slipped and turned on" I give Max a quick fake but friendly smile and shove the cigarette down the drain of the sink. I move to the doorway of the little bathroom and hear the boys talking outside.
"I-" Max begins
"Sh" I hold a finger up to her and she stops talking instantly
