Ahoy? | Steve Harrington

chapter two: The Mall Rats (p2)

wearing the same outfit as last chapter
[y/n] pov:
"So what should we do first?" Max asked El.

"You've never been shopping before, have you?" I asked the girl looking at all the lights and stores. She shook her head 'no.'

"Well then I guess we're just gonna have to try everything," Max said. Max and I dragged El to 'The Gap,' possibly one of my favorite places to shop.

As we entered the store the beeping of the cash register was heard and the familiar scent of money hung in the air. (Money only smells familiar to her since she works and deals with cash a lot.). El was looking at everything with a glint in her eyes, this was definitely her first time in a big store. She stopped at a blue shirt with random paint splatters on it.

"Do you like it?" I asked her.

"How do I know... what I like?" She asked us.

"You just try things on. Until you find something that feels like you," Max said.

"Like, me?" El asked.

"Yeah. Not Hopper, not Mike. You," I said with a smile. We tried on clothes, we laughed. We even danced around the store with mannequins. Then we got serious.

El tried on the blue shirt with the paint splatters, mustard yellow baggy pants with suspenders, and a matching yellow beret. She pulled on the suspenders and made us all laugh.

Then there was the white outfit with paint splatters. I held up a red belt while Max held a yellow one as we tried to figure out which one would look better. She put the yellow belt on and spun around, falling a bit as Max caught her.

While El was looking at clothes, Max and I were trying on different sunglasses. She finally found a red pair she liked and I found a white pair I liked.

El was now wearing a black outfit that had different patterns and colors all over it, but it was really cute. They ran to the front of the store waiting for me as I paid.

We walked out of the store like we were in a movie. Max and El with linked arms, and me walking while pushing up my sunglasses. (if you wear glasses, pretend these are your regular glasses.)

We all ran to the photographer place, and I sat on a stool behind the photographer and let the girls take pictures together. They took a few picture together then ushered me to take some, too.

"Come on! It'll be fun," Max said in a sing-song voice dragging out the 'n' in 'fun.'

"Okay, okay. I'll take three and that's it," I smiled and posed with the young teens. After maybe five pictures I paid and we left.

We went to a shoe store and El tried on these heels that were red, green, yellow and blue in different sized squares. Max and I were helping her walk in them and when she fell we all laughed. As Max helped El up, we all noticed some girls (younger than me but a little older than them) were giving us rude looks. Those snotty little brats, I thought, Get the stick out of your ass why don't you! Never heard of fun!

We hid behind a pillar, watching the group of girls talk to a boy. The main girl of the group was a red-head with obnoxiously teased hair. El focused on her cup of Orange Julius and made it explode all over her and her group. We all laughed.

"See, what'd I tell you? There's more to life than stupid boys," Max said.

"True that," I high-fived Max.

~ time skip ~

We were now in Scoops getting ice cream. El had a vanilla cone with whipped cream and sprinkles, Max had plain strawberry ice cream in a cone and I had (favorite ice cream flavor) in a cup/cone with (any topping if you want one.)

Steve gave us our ice cream and I went to pay before he stopped me.

"You work here, no need to pay," He shoved my hand back.

"Don't care. Still paying. Take the money," I shoved the money in his face. He laughed and put the $12 in the cash register.

"Wait a second. Are you even allowed to be here?" He asked El. We all looked at each other and laughed for the eight-millionth time that day.

"You wanna trade?" Max asked and we all switched. I handed my ice cream to El, who handed her ice cream to me, who then handed my old ice cream to Max who gave her her strawberry ice cream. (you have the vanilla w/sprinkles, El has strawberry and Max has yours.) As we were walking out of Starcourt, I heard Mike's voice.

"Oh, you've got to be shitting me," I said annoyed. Today was supposed to be boy free! I didn't even give my boyfriend a kiss, and that's how committed I was to girls day. I caught the girls' attention and we all walked over to the three boys, Lucas, Mike and Will.

"Isn't this a nice surprise," Max said. Mike dropped his bike seeing El.

"What are you doing here?" Mike asked El.

"Shopping," She said glaring at her boyfriend.

"This is her new style. What do you think?" Max asked.

"What is wrong with you? You know she's not allowed to be here," Mike said.

"Okay, first of all, NOBODY talks to my sister that way! Not you, not Billy, not anybody. Got it? And second, you can't control El. She's not a game at the, excuse my French, fucking arcade that you can just play! What is she, your little pet or something?" I raged. Lucas and Will stared at me with bulging eyes. Mike looked like he was about to shit his pants.

"Yeah, am I your pet?" El asked still glaring at the boy.

"What? No!"

"Then why do you treat me like garbage?" El looked a little upset.

"What?" He looked confused.

"You said Nana was sick," She said.

"She is. She is. She is sick!"

"Yeah, sick— she's sick," Lucas jumped in.

"She's sick," Mike said.

"She's super sick," Lucas said, "That's why were here, actually."

"Yeah, we were shipping. Not for us, but for her, for Nana." Max and I did not look impressed.

"For Nana."

"Also, we're here to get a gift for you," Mike said, "Just we couldn't find anything that suited you and I only have like, $3.50, so it's hard."

"Super hard," Lucas nodded, "Its- it's expensive."

"You lie," El said, "Why do you lie?" Mike was at a loss for words and we heard the wheels of the bus squeal, obviously braking hard and abruptly. El walked up to Mike, centimeters away from his face.

"I dump your ass," She said and walked off. Max and I followed her with shocked looks on our faces.