CHAPTER NINE
( the avoided handshake )

MADDIE SAT IN her room that same day. Dustin, Mike, and Maddie had gone looking around for El but with no sign of her, they all headed their separate ways. Maddie hummed to the soft sound of her music playing from her record player. Her dad was no where to be found, so like most days, Maddie had the house to herself.

Maddie continued humming to the music playing, lightly drumming her fingers against her notebook once it was set down on her bed. She tended to write down her feelings into this book. It was a place she could let it all out so she didn't have to deal with it.

Though, Maddie turned her head to the side a bit when the a light from her walkie talkie kept flashing on and off, meaning someone on the other line was talking.

Maddie sped towards her walkie and turned the volume up just to hear Mike screaming. "Maddie, Maddie, Maddie, Maddie, Maddie, Maddie, Maddie, Maddie—" Maddie turned her side on. "Mike! Jesus! Stop, please. I didn't have my volume up, what's up? over."

"Come to my place, now! Over and out." Maddie was a bit shocked by the sudden end of the conversation but quickly packed all she thought she needed in her bag anyways. She hopped out the window and grabbed her bike before biking to mikes quickly.

"I JUST... I can't believe she didn't come back." Mike frowned as he paced back and forth. He was stood in front of Maddie and Dustin explaining his worries for Eleven.

"She's gotta be close." Dustin replied, trying to make Mike and Maddie feel better. Maddie was worried sick. She had no clue where El was or if she was even safe. "She said it wasn't safe. She just messed up the compasses because she wanted to protect us. she didn't betray us." Mike continued, feeling like an asshole for yelling at her.

Maddie nodded. "I agree." Dustin sighed. "Mike, calm down." Mike continued pacing. "I shouldn't have yelled at her. I never should've done that."

"Mike this isn't your fault." Dustin frowned. "Yeah, it's Lucas'." Mike replied. "It wasn't his fault, either." Dustin shot back, shaking his head. Mike quickly stopped pacing and turned fully to Dustin. "It wasn't his fault?"

"no." Dustin replied instantly. Maddie bit her lip in anxiety, she didn't really care who's fault it was. She just wanted to find El. "So you're saying he wasn't way out of line?" Mike countered. Dustin nodded his head. "Totally, but so were you!"

"What?" Mike gasped. Dustin continued. "And so was Eleven." Mike rolled his eyes. "Oh, give me a break!" Dustin looked at Mike annoyed. "No, Mike, you give me a break! All three of you were being a bunch of little assholes! I was the only reasonable one." Mike looked at Dustin confused, he was missing a person. "What about Maddie?"

Maddie gasped. "Don't bring me into this!" Dustin instantly knew his answer. "She was half and half. Half reasonable and half asshole. At least she didn't hit anyone or throw anyone into a wall." Dustin shook his head, that wasn't the point. "But the bottom line is... you pushed first. And you know the rule. you draw first blood..."

"No! No way! I'm not shaking his hand." Mike responded. Dustins voice raised fast. "You're shaking his hand!" Mike scoffed. "No, i'm not." Dustin glared at Mike. "This isn't a discussion. This is the rule of law. Obey or be banished from the party. Do you wanna be banished?"

Mike shook his head. "No." Dustin nodded. "Good." Dustin turned away and began grabbing his coat and bag. Maddie followed suit and grabbed her backpack, ready to follow what Dustin was doing. Mike sighed. "Where are we going?"

Maddie turned and looked at Mike. "To Lucas' of course! Now, grab whatever you need and let's go." Dustin was quick to add to Maddies explanation. "And then we're gonna find Eleven." Mike sighed but grabbed his bag anyways and the three where off.

THE THREE BIKED towards Lucas' front door before throwing their bikes down. They all walked up to the door and Maddie nudged Mike, making him sigh and ring the doorbell.

Lucas was quick to open the door but held a frown on his face as he looked at the three, mostly at Mike. "What do you want?" Mike didn't respond. Maddie rolled her eyes at his stubbornness and Dustin smacked his arm. Mike groaned lightly. "I drew first blood, so..." He held out his hand for Lucas to shake and Lucas just opened his door wider, inviting the three in.

They all walked in and Lucas began pacing back and forth. "Okay, i'll shake." He crossed his arms over his chest and Mike stuck his hand out, but Lucas wasn't finished. "On one condition. We forget the weirdo and go straight to the gate."

"Then the deals off." Mike yelled instantly and lucas nodded. "Fine!" Dustin shook his head, looking between the two. "No, no, not fine! Guys, seriously? Do you even remember what happened on the bloodstone path?" Both boys shrugged. "We couldn't agree on what path to take, so we split up the party and those trolls took us out one by one. And it all went to shit. And we were all disabled! So we stick together, no matter what!"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, i agree. But this is the party, right here in this room." Mike shook his head. "El is one of us now." Lucas looked at Mike, his lips turning downwards sarcastically as he looked up. "Um, no, she's not. Not even close! Never will be. She's a liar, a traitor—"

"She was just trying to keep us safe! She didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident!" Mike snapped back. Lucas looked at him shocked. "An accident?"

"All right, accident or not... admit it, it was a little awesome." Dustin added in. Awesome wasn't the word Maddie would have used for what happened but it was a start. Lucas just looked at him like he was insane. "Awesome?"

"Yeah, she threw you in the air with her mind!" Dustin replied like it was obvious. Lucas began shouting again. "I could have been killed!" Mike was quick to counter. "Which is exactly why we need her. She's a weapon! Do you seriously wanna fight the demogorgon with your wrist rocket? That's like R2-D2 going to fight Darth Vader. We're no use to Will if we're dead."

Maddie took a step towards lucas, all three boys had forgotten she was even there with how quiet she had been. "Lucas... we need you. We really really do. But, we also need El. Please help us."

Lucas shook his head. He was finding it the hardest to say no to Maddie, especially with how calm she was compared to the rest of them. "If you three wanna waste your time looking for a traitor, go ahead, cause i'm not spending my time on her anymore. No way! I'm going to the gate. I'm gonna find Will."

Lucas walked through Dustin and Mike, pushing the two out of his way. They all watched him leave back into his room before Maddie sighed, grabbing one hand of each boy to lead them out.

"Come on, we are wasting time standing here when he won't change his mind. Let's find El." Maddie frowned. The three walked out of Lucas' house and picked up their bikes (Maddie had made sure to shut his door behind them).

The three biked in silence, the tension of being down one of their members hanging over them all. "This is weird without Lucas." Dustin admitted, looking back and forth between Mike and Maddie as he biked between them.

Maddie frowned, he was right. But it was also weird without El hanging onto her waist and Will not riding on her side. It just felt weird that half the party wasn't even there and Maddie didn't like it.

"He should've shaken my hand." Mike replied, trying to hide how it also made him upset Lucas wasn't there. Dustin shrugged a bit as he continued riding his bike. "He's just jealous."

Mike looked at Dustin confused. "What are you talking about." Dustin sighed. "Sometimes, your total obliviousness just blows my mind." Dustin looked at Mike, who continued to look back at him confused. "He's your best friend, right?"

Mike looked down. "Yeah... I mean, I don't know." Dustin didn't take the words to heart. "It's fine. I get it. I didn't get here until the forth grade. He had the advantage of living next door. And by that time Maddie and Will where always hanging out at Wills just the two of them." Maddie frowned at the memories, they'd hadn't done that in a while. "But none of that matters. What matters is that he is your best friend. And then this girl shows up and starts living in your basement, and all you ever want to do is invite Maddie over so the two of you can pay attention to her."

Mike scoffed. "That's not true." Dustin just looked at him. "Yes, it is. And you know it. And he knows it. But no one ever says anything until you both start punching and yelling at each other like goblins with intelligence scores of zero. Now everything's weird."

"He's not my best friend." Mike muttered, looking over at Dustin. Dustin just chuckled. "Yeah, right." Mike sighed. "I mean, he is, but so are you. And so is Will. And so is Maddie."

Maddie smiled a bit towards Mike when their eyes met. She had never given much thought to who her best friend was. She'd always put all of the boys from the party into that role, never seeing a problem with them all being her best friends.

"Can't have more than one best friend." Dustin replied. "Says who?" Mike questioned right back. "Says logic." Dustin countered. Maddie shook her head in disagreement while Mike just faced Dustin as he biked. "Well, I call bull on your logic, because you're my best friend, too."

A small smile spread across Dustins lips as he realized Mike was being serious. "Okay." Maddie looked at the two. "I don't know what all the fuss is about, you've all been my best friends this whole time." Mike laughed a bit while Dustins smile only grew, maybe you could have more than one best friend.

But the joy was short lived as the three stopped their bikes, shoes scrapping the ground as they looked at the supermarket. There where cops, Callahan and Powell, speaking with people who worked at the shop and customers either standing around staring at the shattered doors or leaving.

"Woah." Mike gasped, seeing the commotion. Maddies first thought had been to Eleven. "You don't think..." Dustin started, looking between the two. "Uh... definitely." Mike replied and the boys looked to Maddie for the final say. She nodded. "One hundred percent."

They all turned their bikes a bit at that and began past the store, just looking at what had happened.

DUSTIN, MADDIE, AND Mike found themselves back in the woods they had found El in all those nights ago. They were yelling out for her, hoping she'd just be wandering around.

Maddie was slowly losing hope. She just wanted to know El was safe at this point. Of course she wanted her to come back with them, but knowing she was alive and okay was far more important to her.

"El!" Maddie shouted, continuing to look around as Dustin and Mike yelled out as well. They all stopped though, as the sound of leafs and sticks cracking and snapping could be heard from close by.

"Hey, stop. Do you hear that?" Mike shushed, holding silent for a moment. "What?" Dustin questioned, he hadn't heard anything. But Maddie heard it as well and was now on high alert. "El!" Mike screamed again, hoping it was her.

"El?" He questioned again, a bit quieter. But Mike turned his head and in fact did not see El, but instead...

Troy.

AUTHORS NOTE!
ahh I've finished all my editing and I'm now back to just writing this story so I'm super excited!