𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞

𝟐𝟎.

Max Mayfield

I knock on Lucas' door and wait for a moment before he opens it, leading me inside.

"Look before you get mad- we're missing two cookies because Erica keeps eating them."

"I'm just making sure you didn't burn them. I mean- unless you want cancer? Don't worry, I don't mind." Erica rolls her eyes, chewing what I assume is the snickerdoodle.

"Psycho." He mumbles, bringing a small, yet ingenuine smile to my face.

I still can't believe I broke up with El. I mean- after all this time, I thought things would go well between us.

They might, though. El just has to break up with Mike and then you can give her another chance.

But who said she plans on dumping him?

"Max, you seem off. What's wrong?"

"Huh?" I look up at Lucas, quickly shaking my head in denial. I approach Erica and lean against the counter, shifting my gaze between her and the plate of cookies.

"So, you think we'll get cancer if we eat these or... is it fine?"

"It's fine." She assures me, lightly slapping the crumbs off her finger tips. "I'm kinda surprised Lucas didn't burn the whole house down."

He walks in with his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

"Okay say one more thing about my cooking skills, and you don't get any more snickerdoodles tomorrow!"

"Baking. And nuh uh. You're letting me have as many as I want. Unless... you want Max to know what I found under your bed?"

My eyes widen and my attention snaps towards her.

"Erica- I swear, don't."

"What did she find under your bed?" I ask Lucas in a whispery manner.

"Nothing!" He defends.

"Is it gross?" I ask his sister, she nods matter-of-factly.

"Scale of 1-10."

"A hundred." Erica says, causing me to grimace in disgust.

"Eugh... I don't even wanna know."

"Ha! Now you can't tell Max!" Lucas yells in victory, his face quickly falling when Erica opens her mouth to continue.

"I can tell mom. Dad. Tina. Literally anyone." She threatens, and silence fills the air for a few seconds.

"Okay, okay." He surrenders finally, raising his hands.

"Fine. You can have some more cookies tomorrow as long as there's still enough for the party!"

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." She sighs.

. . .
Wed. 25th December 1985 | 12:46pm
Max Mayfield

I sit on the sofa as loud chatter and a cozy light illuminates Mike's basement. A pile of presents is laying on the floor near the stairs, ready to be opened. Mike and El are beside me on the couch whilst Dustin, Lucas and Will are all sat crosslegged on the floor.