𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲

xxiv. leaving.

AT THE end of August, James sat down in front of El, "um... Ellie..." He said and she glanced up, her arms were crossed and staring out the window. He smiled and sighed softly, glancing down. "Um... I-I'm leaving for college next week." He says and she just looked at him in the eyes.

"Yeah? Wa-wait, college? What's college?" She asked faintly and he sighed. "Um... college is like a continuation for education, after high school, and it's where I'm going." He said and she looked down, she looked very upset. Tears went down her cheeks, wiping all of them quickly. "You're leaving me?" She asked suddenly as she looked up at him and he pursed his lips, sighing softly.

"I'm not... okay? We'll call each other everyday, send letters to each other, alright?" He smiled and she just looked down. "So... I'm staying with Joyce?" She asked, sounding upset and he nodded. She sniffled softly, "why can't I go with you?" She looked up at him with glossy eyes. "I'm sorry, El... With college already and leaving with Steve, it'll be too much to take care of you on top of all of that." He said and she scoffed, looking away.

"Of course, you'd pick Steve over me..."

James rolled his eyes. "You picked Mike over me for the past six months, El, ever since that stupid Snowball dance." He tells her and she looked at him with a glare. "Go away." She says and he sighed, getting up and storming out.

The day before he left, El knocked on James' bedroom door. "James?" She said and he looked over at her. "Hey..." He says and she ran over, throwing her arms around him. "I'm sorry." She swayed them back and forth and he sighed. "It isn't easy for me... and it isn't easy for you." She said and he rubbed her back, closing his eyes. "I just miss him so much..." He said softly and she sobbed.

"Me too..." She said and James hugged her even tightly, keeping his eyes closed to refrain from crying. James pulled back, grabbing onto her hands, "I'm sorry... that I'm just leaving. But hey, I'm just a call away, you can mail a letter to me anytime you want, okay?" He smiled and reached up, wiping away her tears with his thumb.

"Yeah..." She nodded and softly sniffled. "I just love you." She said and put her arms around him again. He smiled, "I love you too, El..." He sighed, rubbing her back again and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. "I'm sorry I got mad you're letting Steve go with you to college..." She said and James sighed. "And I'm sorry I can't take care of you..." He said and she pulled away from him.

"Need help packing?" She asked as she smiled, wiping away her tears again. James did pack with El's help, using a suitcase and a dufflebag. And after that, El stood at the end of the bed, staring at a picture frame. James glanced over her shoulder and saw which picture it was.

Him, his mom, his dad and Sara. He sighed, taking the picture frame from her. "The girl? Dad was talking about?" She asked and he nods. "Sara... my baby sister. She's, uh, gone..." He looked at her and she frowned. "Like dad..." She said and he looked down at the picture. "Yeah... like dad." He says and stared as memories fill his mind.

He set down the picture and hugged El close to him who raised a hand, "oh! I have something for you." She said and he furrowed his brows as she exits the room, shortly after she came back, holding a picture. "To remember us by, and compare when you come home, see how much we grow up." She said with a small smile at the boy.

It was a picture printed out of her and Max from the photo place at the mall. "Max got them printed out that day..." She smiled and glanced up at James who smiled. "I love it, bud, and I really am gonna miss you... stay out of trouble for me, okay? Be good for Mrs. Byers." He says with a smile and she nodded her head, sighing softly.

"I will..."

The next day, he put his and Steve's luggage into the back of his car and turned to the Byers family, they all stood there along with the kids and Robin. "This is the part where you all thank us for being there for you guys, no big deal," he said with a wide smile and Dustin was the first to rush over and hug him and Steve. "I'm gonna miss you guys..." He said and Steve chuckled. "Okay, okay, you're ruining my image, Henderson, get off."

"We'll miss you too, Dustin." James chuckled and looked to the other kids, he waved at them with a small smile and the wave turned into a middle finger when he looked directly at Mike. "Wh-what is that for?" Mike said in disbelief.

"You know what, Wheeler." He said before his sister came running into his arms. "Please don't go without me, please, you're all I have now, please, please, I'll be so good you won't even notice! I'll do the same as dad made me, stay in your place all day and never leave." She said and James sighed, rubbing her back as he glanced up at Joyce.

Joyce knew why James wasn't taking El with him. She would just be a constant reminder of his dead dad, and he didn't need that during his studies. "I'm sorry, El," he sighed and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry, bud, but I have to go... without you." He said and she pulled back.

"Can you promise to call me every night? If not, at least every week?" She said and he smiled. "I promise you, El, I'll call every night..." He rubbed her shoulder and she nodded softly.

He looked up and saw Jonathan and Nancy walk over. "Who woulda thought... the freak, the princess and the loner find each other in the woods and... just like that," Jonathan smiled and Nancy glanced at her boyfriend before looking at James.

"Yeah... I'm gonna miss you guys... a lot." He smiled and pulled both of them into a group hug. Nancy and Jonathan both hugged back before pulling away and Robin was next after them. "I hope college is an exciting experience for you, James." She said with a smile at him and he smiles back.

"And dingus, whatever you do, have fun, I guess? I'm not sure why you're going..." She said with a confused look at Steve. "Because we can't stand to be apart, isn't that right, Stevie?" He patted his boyfriend's shoulder with a big smile and Steve rolls his eyes. "More like he's dragging me with him... anyway, it was a fun summer working with you, and you have fun... with the rest of high school?" He says and she just chuckled.

"Yeah... bye boys." She said and she went to hop onto her bike to drive herself home. Next was Joyce who instantly pulled James into a hug. "I see so much of your dad in you..." She whispered, rubbing his back and it felt so uncomfortable to hunch back to hug the really short woman. He sighed softly, rubbing her back before pulling away.

"Please take care of El..." He said and glanced over at the girl standing with her friends. "Yeah, of course." Joyce simply nodded and smiled. "You guys better head out now, it's a long drive..." She said and James nodded, sighing as he looks at Steve. "Yeah..." He said before they walk to either side of the car and James started the engine.

He glanced in the rearview mirror to see El was crying and being held by Joyce. He started driving out of the gravel driveway and out onto the cemented road, heading to the nearest exit out of town and when they passed the Leaving Hawkins sign, Steve let out a soft chuckle.

"We're actually doing this..."

"Yeah... you and me, Harrington."

"You and me."

  

  

  

   

  

   

   

  

   

authors note the end of part three :)
i was gonna write it so that he could leave on the same day as the byers but it said three months later after that night on the 4th of july so that meant some time in september but you know, college semesters usually begin in august or in september depending on the college

+ the last words james ever heard his father say to him is "i just want you to be safe" after basically telling james he supported his son and steve being together... do. not. fucking. touch. me.

+ i couldn't resist writing el calling hopper "dad" because you know james would already make her feel as if it was her family and well because they all have a bond and such. plus i really wanted to see that in st3 🥺 watch, in st4, she'll be like "dad?" when she finds hopper 🥰