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𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗬

chapter two:
serenity, resident older sister

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SERENITY DIDN'T REALLY know what she was expecting to see on the other side of her front door, but it definitely was not Max and Eleven (im)patiently waiting on her front porch.

She had woken up a little late that morning, having no reason to wake up early at all. As per usual, she had the house to herself, so she had blasted music on her radio while she got dressed for the day. She had just finished brushing her hair when the doorbell rang, so she put down her brush and bounded down the steps. Sure enough, when she opened her door, there the two girls were.

See, Eleven had been . . . secluded. She was still considered a threat to the government, so in order to keep her safe, she had to stay at Hopper's cabin most of the day and had a curfew at night. The only people who she was really allowed to see were Hopper — obviously — and Mike. Serenity didn't particularly agree with that. One, the girl needed to learn about the outside world, and two, Serenity missed her.

It was also strange seeing Max with Eleven. Eleven had completely brushed off Max's introduction back at the Byers' that night, seemingly not liking the girl despite them have never meeting before. Yet here they were.

"Hey," Serenity greeted, a little confused. "What's, uh — what's up?"

Max didn't answer. She just took Eleven's arm and dragged her into Serenity's house, brushing the two of them past Serenity into the living room.

"Okay, come in," Serenity said, laughing a little to herself as she shut the door behind her. She crossed her arms across her chest as she walked into the living room. "What's so urgent?"

"Serenity, has Steve ever lied to you?" Max instantly asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Um, I'm sure at least a couple of times throughout our life."

Max sighed. "I meant since you've been in a relationship."

Serenity shrugged. "Steve knows better than to lie to me. Both of us are really big on communication — we have been since the whole Upside Down thing started. We don't really hide things from each other. There's really no point."

Max's head whipped over to Eleven, and she threw her arms up in the air in exasperation. "See? Renny's boyfriend doesn't hide things from her!"

"Wait, what's going on?" Serenity cut in. "Why are you suddenly asking about Steve and I?"

"Mike lied about his Nana being sick to El so he couldn't hang out with her today," Max revealed. "Which is bullshit."

Serenity winced a little at the word — not very good memories. "Hm." Her eyes then narrowed in thought. "He's probably playing Atari with Lucas."

"That's what I said!" Max exclaimed.

She shook her head a little bit. "Look, El, maybe you and Mike just need some . . . space. For today, at least. You practically spend every waking moment with each other, and it's not healthy. I may see Steve a lot, but I also hang out with other people. Like, a couple of days ago, Nancy and I just had a complete girls day. And two nights ago my brother I went to a diner last night for dinner. Steve didn't come with. We may be together, but we have our separate lives."

Max nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "Hey, Renny, can you drive us to the mall? We need to have some fun and show El there's more to life than stupid boys."

"Will taking El to the mall get me in trouble?" Serenity questioned.

"We won't know unless we try."

Serenity shrugged — she really couldn't argue with that. "Eh, fuck it. I'm the babysitter, it's fine." She walked up to the door, sliding on her white Converse and grabbing her keys. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Max grinned, making Serenity smile. She waved Eleven on, and all three of them exited the house. Serenity locked the door behind her and got into her car, Max and Eleven getting in the backseat. She started up her car and turned on her radio. Max started to bop her head along to the song that was playing and turned the dial to make it louder. Serenity let out a small laugh and reversed out of her driveway.

The ride to the mall was quick, like it normally was, because Serenity didn't live far away from it. She pulled into the closest parking spot she could and shut off her car. The three of them got out, squinting underneath the bright sun. People were bustling in and out of the mall. It was busy, like always, but even more so because it was the middle of the day.

"So, what do you think?" Max inquired to El, who had stopped and stared up at the bright neon sign. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Too many people," Eleven answered. "Against the rules."

"Seriously? You have superpowers. What's the worst that could happen? Besides, you heard Renny. It's fine because she's the babysitter."

"We don't have to stay for long," Serenity promised, smiling down at Eleven reassuringly. "But I think you'll really like it."

Serenity offered her hand out to Eleven. Eleven instantly took it, holding onto it tightly. Serenity grinned wider and offered her other hand out to Max, who also took it immediately. Together, they pushed through the crowds of people and entered the mall.

She took the two girls down the escalator, and the three of them stopped in the middle of the food court. Serenity snuck a glance over at Eleven. The girl had been sheltered all her life — this was obviously going to be a big shock to her. Eleven was staring around at the whole mall in nothing but complete wonder, like the building could hold endless possibilities.

"So, what should we do first?" Max asked. "You've never been shopping before, have you?"

Eleven shook her head.

"Well, come on, then," Serenity encouraged. "That obviously means we have to try everything."

Max's eyes widened. "Ooh, come on."

Serenity allowed Max to pull them over to The Gap. It definitely was one of Serenity's more favorite stores, mostly because of all the options they had. Serenity let go of her girls' hands and they ventured further into the store. Eleven was absolutely mesmerized — her eyes were wide as she touched all of the clothes on the racks, all until she stopped in front of a mannequin, which was displaying a blue shirt with white, yellow, and red stripes placed haphazardly over it.

"Do you like that?" Max questioned.

"How do I know . . . what I like?" Eleven replied.

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

"Like me?"

"Not Hopper," Max stated. "Not Mike. You."

That pretty much started their day of fun. Eleven grabbed every colorful shirt or dress she could find, which was in stark contrast to the dull flannel and white pants that were oversized on her. She first tried on that blue shirt that she had been drawn to, paired with a pair of yellow pants and red suspenders. Max handed her a yellow beret, which Eleven put flat on her head. Serenity giggled and reached up, fixing it so it was placed on her head better.

She then tried on a matching outfit, which was white with blue, yellow, and red stripes splattered across it. Max held up a yellow belt and a red belt, and Eleven was instantly drawn to the yellow one. She put it on and started to spin around and around until she fell backwards from being dizzy. Serenity caught her — babysitting expertise — and set her upright.

While Eleven was changing, Max tried on multiple pairs of sunglasses, all until she settled on a cherry red pair. Serenity glanced around the store, and her eyes focused on the necklaces. It was a simple gold chain with two charms — a letter S, and a star. She didn't know why she was so drawn to it, but she was.

Eleven came out a final time, wearing a black romper that had colorful shapes all over it. Serenity nodded at her — that was definitely the one. After making their purchases, the girls left the store, all of their arms linked — Max with her red sunglasses on her face, Eleven wearing her new romper, and Serenity's neck glinting with the necklace she had found.

The next place they went was Flash Studio, which was a studio in the mall to take pictures. They wore some strange outfits, and while non-stop laughing, they took as many pictures as they were allowed. Once their photoshoot was over, they went to the shoe store. Eleven had instantly put on a colorful pair of heels, and Serenity watched, amusement across her features, as Max held Eleven's hand. Eleven stumbled across the store until she lost her balance, falling to the ground. The other girls in the store looked at Max and Eleven weirdly, which made Serenity's eyes narrow.

Downstairs, in the food court, they found those very same girls from earlier, talking to a cute boy. Eleven had been encouraged by Max to do something to Stacey, who was apparently the leader of that little group. Serenity had said she didn't condone it, but she had made a big show of reading the Burger King menu next to her, seemingly oblivious to the way Eleven had exploded Stacey's drink into her face.

Max grabbed onto Serenity's hand while her other one was holding El's, pulling them along. "See? What'd I tell you? There's more to life than stupid boys."

While running, Serenity snuck a fond glance over at Eleven and Max. Serenity never had sisters. All she had was Spencer, and she never wanted anything more. However, after bonding with Nancy, and now, hanging around Max and Eleven . . . she really felt like she had become something like an older sister. It was nice, actually. She loved it.

"Okay, okay, hold on," Serenity voiced, making them all stop running. "Do you guys want something to eat?"

Max's face brightened. "Oh my God, Scoops! El's never been. Renny, we have to go—"

"I hear you, I hear you." Serenity then smirked. "I may know a guy there who can get us some free ice cream."

Max looked over at Eleven. "Remember what I said earlier about stupid boys? Steve does not fit into that category."

Serenity laughed a little. "I agree. Now, come on."

She let go of their hands and set off to the other side of the food court. Max and Eleven followed after her, staying close so they didn't get lost in the crowd. Serenity then entered the familiar ice cream parlor.

"Steve, baby," Serenity called as she led the girls into Scoops.

Her boyfriend looked up, that radiant smile adorning her features. "Serenity, baby."

Serenity placed her hands down on the counter, looking at him pleadingly. "Remember when you told me that I would never have to pay for ice cream?"

Steve raised his eyebrows. "Oh, so you're using me now? Wow, I thought I meant more to you than that."

Her eyes narrowed at him playfully. "You and I both know that I would try to pay and you would stop me."

"That is . . . really true, actually." Steve sighed. "What can I get you?"

Serenity, Max, and Eleven all ordered their own individual ice cream cones. Steve started to scoop them out into the waffle cones, and Serenity looked back at Max and Eleven.

"Perks of having a boyfriend who works at an ice cream shop," Serenity said.

Eleven looked at Steve, and Serenity did, too, seeing him talking to Robin at the window. "He is cute."

Serenity nodded in agreement. "The cutest."

Robin then looked past Steve once the conversation was done and waved. "Hi, Serenity."

Serenity waved back. "Hey, Rob."

Robin shut the window and went back to whatever she was doing. Steve then approached the counter again, balancing the three cones in his hands.

"Okay, here you go, you got a strawberry and then a vanilla with sprinkles, extra whipped cream," Steve told them, handing them their ice cream cones. "And, for my favorite girl in the world, a mint chocolate chip."

"Thanks," Max and Eleven chorused.

Serenity smiled at him. "Thank you, Steve."

Steve then looked straight at Eleven. "Wait a second. Are you even allowed to be here?"

"It's cool, they're with me," Serenity responded. "The babysitting job never dies, babe." She leaned across the counter and kissed him for a moment. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah," Steve agreed softly. "See you."

Serenity looked back at the two girls. "Come on, I'll take you home."

The three of them started to walk out of Scoops. However, Serenity glanced over her shoulder, looking at Steve one last time. He winked at her, and she smiled back, her heart beating against her chest. Serenity pulled her car keys out of her pocket as they went back up the escalator, heading towards the doors.

Max offered her strawberry cone to Eleven when they got outside. "You wanna trade?"

Eleven immediately took Max's cone and handed Max her vanilla one. Serenity was perfectly content with her mint chocolate chip, so she didn't even bother.

"Oh, you've gotta be shitting me," Max stated.

Serenity followed her gaze, and she immediately sighed. Standing in front of the mall, taking their bikes out of the rack, were Mike, Lucas, and Will. Mike had been completely exposed in his lie, and Serenity didn't have a good feeling about what could happen with this. Nevertheless, she followed after Max and Eleven as they walked up to the boys.

"Isn't this a nice surprise," Max announced.

Mike stared straight at Eleven, dropping his bike in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Shopping," Eleven answered simply.

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

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

"Even with me?" Serenity cut in, making Mike's head snap over to her. "Because I can guarantee you, even Hopper trusts me enough to take her places."

"Renny, this is crazy! You're crazy for allowing this to happen!"

Serenity raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "I'm sorry, do you want to fix your attitude yourself, or do you want me to do it for you?"

Mike rolled his eyes. "Stop treating me like a little kid!"

"I will when you stop acting like one." Serenity placed a hand on her hip. "If Hopper would be cool with me taking her here, why can't you? Or are you just controlling like that?"

"I'm not controlling! She just can't be here."

"What is she, your little pet?" Max inquired.

"Yeah, am I your pet?" Eleven asked.

"What?" Mike cried. "No!"

"Then why do you treat me like garbage?"

"What?"

"You said Nana was sick," Eleven reminded him.

Mike then started to agree how Nana was really sick. Lucas then chimed in, also adding how super sick Nana was. Bullshit. Serenity then let her eyes slide over to Will, who looked like he positively did not want to be there. She frowned a little at that.

Lucas nodded. "She's super sick. That's why we're here, actually."

"Yeah, we're shopping, not for us, but for her, for Nana," Mike continued.

"For Nana!"

"Also, we're here to get a gift for you. Just, we couldn't find anything that suited you, and I only have, like, three dollars and fifty cents, so it's hard."

"Super hard," Lucas emphasized. "It's — it's expensive."

Eleven stared at Mike. "You lie. Why do you lie?" After a moment of careful consideration, Eleven walked up to Mike. "I dump your ass."

Serenity's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock. She then turned around and walked away, heading in the direction that Serenity's car was parked. Serenity let small, shocked laughs out as she went after Max and Eleven. As the three of them walked through the parking lot to find Serenity's car, they fell into a fit of giggles.

They just had no clue how fast their fun would all come crashing down.

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and now we won't see steve for another eleven chapters! everybody say bye to steve!