Strange Happenings

3

3rd Person POV

El was excited. She missed Hawkins badly, the city was too crowded and noisy for her. She was also excited to see Mike.

They had been together since junior high, but they had kissed long before that. They even had already said 'I love you.' Their relationship was mutual, but it wasn't epic. El hadn't realized this, but Mike had. Mike knew what epic love was supposed to feel like, and maybe he had had those feelings for El once, but he was afraid he had grown out of their relationship like he had every pair of jeans.

Their relationship was simple, not very deep, but there was a definite level of caring shared between the two. Eleven didn't know the change in their relationship. She knew that she like Mike, and that supposedly meant they had to date. Mike felt safe and sure for El, he was a constant in her life. When she moved to the city her anxiety had spiked dangerously, but she had Mike to ease her through it on the phone every now and then. Finally, order would be restored for El. She could have her constant back.

It was time for the Byers to leave. Their stuff had already been packed away in trucks and started the trek to Hawkins. It was time for the family to do so as well.

"Will! El! Let's go!" Joyce shouted.

The two teens were trudging their way down the steep stairs of their apartment building.

"You excited to see Mike?" Will asked.

"Yes," El was very formal with words still, "you?"

Will grimaced slightly but nodded. He wanted to see Mike, but he was scared. Before he moved away they had had a big fight, and despite the few visits over the years, they never really addressed what went down.

"There you guys are," Joyce greeted and quickly ushered them into the car. She had an agenda, everything had to go as planned if they wanted to have a comfortable journey to Hawkins.

El and Will sat in the back, Will behind Jonathon in the front seat and El behind Joyce. Not too cramped but cozy.

El started to fidget with her hair, looking down at her fraying ends with dismay.

"Will?" Her soulful eyes shifted to his face, "will you braid my hair..." she fumbled for words, "too long."

Will nodded and El shifted to make it easier for him to braid in the car. It was a usual occasion for Will to braid El's hair, whether before school or just to lounge around at home. She didn't like long hair, it was too inconvenient for her to move freely. Will knew she should cut it, she knew it too, but El couldn't bring herself to do so.

El was afraid. Afraid of being that starving girl with the shaved head that made her look like a boy. She wanted to be pretty and society said long hair was the acceptable social norm. Long hair was pretty, despite being a nuisance.

Will was sifting through her hair, separating pieces and situating them just so. Braiding El's hair was something he liked doing. He could focus on the task and not his shitty life, plus he really loved El.

"You have a hair tie?" Will asked and was instantly handed a soft blue scrunchie. "All done."

El beamed and sat back comfortably in her seat. She ran her hands over her hair lightly, feeling the pattern in her hair.

"Thanks Will!"

Will just smiled and leaned back in his seat too, he closed his eyes.

Time to go home, he thought happily.

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Idk if I want it to be modern or not lol