TOTALLY TUBULAR 「 MAX MAYFIELD 」

CHAPTER TWO: THE WEIRDO ON MAPLE STREET

It was still storming when the kids arrived at the Wheeler home. Dustin, Lucas, Mike and Steph were staring at the young girl who was sitting on the couch in Mike's basement. She was wearing Mike's jacket and Steph was shocked people let the girl have a short hair, let alone a buzzcut! Steph knew her father wouldn't exactly let her cut her hair, pretty much any shorter than it was.

He didn't want his daughter looking like a fag, he'd said. Along with a few other distasteful words, I won't repeat. "Is there a number we can call? For your parents?" Mike asked the girl. She didn't answer.

"Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?" Dustin asked. Steph hit him lightly on the arm, shaking her head. "Did you run away?" Lucas asked. "Are you in some kind of trouble?" Mike asked. "Is that blood?!" Was the first word Steph had said since the group had gotten to the Wheeler's. Steph reached out to touch it, but Mike slapped it away.

"Stop it! You're freaking her out!" Mike said. "She's freaking me out!" Lucas said, and Steph nodded in agreement. "I bet she's deaf," Dustin said and clapped his hands loudly. The girl jumped at the noise. "Not deaf." Dustin shrugged. "Alright. That's enough, alright? She's just scared and cold." Mike defended her.

The lightning flashed in the basement window as Mike went over a basket of clothes and got out some for the girl. The thunder rumbled and the girl flinched at the noise. The three looked at her as she did so, Steph feeling the same. Despite the mask she was currently putting on, storms terrified her.

"Here, these are clean. Okay?" Mike told her, handing the girl on the couch the clothes he'd gotten. She took them hesitantly. She brought them up to her face and wiped it off. Then set them down and took off the jacket. She went to lift up her shirt when all of them exclaimed at once.

"No, no, no!" Steph said, putting her hands on the girls to stop her. "Oh my god. Oh my god!" Dustin said as he, Lucas and Mike faced the other way. "See, over there? That's the bathroom. Privacy, y'know?" Steph asked, pointing to Mike's bathroom. Dustin and Lucas were too busy to notice and take in what she had said, and why she knew where it was.

The girl picked up the clothes and they walked to the bathroom. Steph went to close the door but she quickly stopped it. "You don't want it closed?" Steph asked, confused. "No." The girl said. "Oh, so you do talk! Okay well, how about we keep the door just like this." Steph said, leaving it cracked as the girl stared at her through the crack.

The girl still freaked the hell out of Steph but she'd rather her being helping her than the boys. Speaking of, who were looking at the two girls curiously.  "Better?" Steph asked her. "Yes." The girl replied. Steph smiled and nodded, walking back to the boys.

"This is mental," Dustin said, and Steph nodded in agreement. "At least she can talk." Mike defended. "She said no and yes, your three-year-old sister says more!" Lucas argued and Steph agreed with him even more. "She tried to get naked," Dustin said.

"There's something seriously wrong with her. Like, wrong in the head." Steph whispered to the boys. "She just went like-" Dustin said, pretending to pull off a shirt like the girl attempted to do before Steph stopped her, knocking his hat off in the movement.

"I bet she escaped from Pennhurst," Lucas spoke. "From where?" Mike asked, confused. "The nuthouse in Kerley," Lucas explained. "You got a lot of family there?" Dustin retorted. "Bite me," Lucas answered, causing a small giggle to escape Steph.

"Seriously though! Think about it." Lucas told them. "That would explain her shaved hair and why she's so crazy," Lucas added. Steph silent agreed, not wanting to call her crazy. "Why she went like-" Dustin said, doing his gesture again. "She's an escapee is the point. She's probably a psycho." Lucas said.