DANCIN' ► DUSTIN HENDERSON [1]

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ALTHOUGH JASPER AND DUSTIN'S REUNION had been a sickeningly sweet one, Mike and Eleven's almost matched theirs. The Wheeler's eyes were filled with such profound shock and love as he embraced the girl he thought he lost forever. Jasper couldn't help but allow a grin spread to her cheeks as she watched them fondly.

The brunette had her hair slicked back, as well as gothic clothes and makeup. It was a strange look, and everyone pondered how she had gotten it, but she somehow made it work.

"I never gave up on you. I called you every night," Mike pulled away from their hug, tears glistening in his eyes. "Every night for—"

"353 days?" She cut him off, looking into his gaze emotionally. "I heard."

"Hey, why didn't you call me every night?" Jasper whirled around to face Dustin, stucking her bottom lip out in a fake pout.

The curly-headed boy's eyes grew huge, his jaw dropping. "I—"

"Relax, Dusty," she giggled, prodding at his shoulder. "I'm just messing with you."

"You say that, but," Lucas's brown eyes glinted with mischief, casting his friend a teasing look. "He sure did call you a lot. All on your private channel. There have been so many times where I caught Dustin talking to you—"

The Sinclair boy was interrupted by a harsh slap on the shoulder from Dustin, following by a terrifying warning glance. Max chuckled lightly at the bickering boys, but Jasper was too busy smiling fondly at her best friend.

Hopper had taken Mike into another room, presumably for the angsty Wheeler teen to yell at him. The chief's near hostage of El had put many people on edge now that the truth had come out.

"Jas," a shaky voice uttered, and the redhead turned around and was met with a tight embrace from El. The Hopper girl's arms hung limp at first from shock, but quickly recovered and wrapped around the brunette's torso.

"Hey, you," she cried slightly, overjoyed to be reunited with her girl friend. "How did it go? Did you see your mom?"

"Doesn't matter," El shook her head, rubbing at her wet eyes. "I'm home now."

"El!" Lucas and Dustin greeted the girl, the two boys pulling her into a group hug.

"We missed you," Lucas murmured.

"I missed you, too." El replied.

"We practically talked about you and Jas everyday," Dustin grinned proudly.

"Um, El, is it?" Max approached the brunette, and Jasper could sense the nerves radiating from the ginger. "I'm Max. I've heard a lot about you." She stuck out her hand generously, expecting El to shake it.

Instead, the brunette looked coldly at her open hand before shoving past the ginger. Jasper's mouth fell open in a large oval as she watched the pain of rejection sew across Max's face. "Hey," the redhead leaned over to whisper in the Mayfield's ear. "I'll talk to her later when this is all over. Don't worry."

Max gave the girl a tiny pained smile in reply, but nothing more.

"Can I see him?" El questioned Joyce, the older woman's troubled face marked with age lines and indications of stress. The brunette had seen Will in the visions Jas had sent El, and she couldn't help but express concern for him.