AFTER THE EVENTS of door slamming and careful consideration of the possibility of wind slamming the door. They ruled it that Eleven was telekinetic and that they needed to quickly regroup. But, that was for after supper.

Now, the four of them would sit at the dinner table with the rest of the Wheelers. All of them pushing around at the food on the plates in front of them.

"So, Mariella, any news on that artists competition you entered a few weeks ago?" Karen, Michael's mother would ask. She was fond of Mariella, secretly she hoped that she would date her son at some point.

"No, not yet anyway. It's been slow and all," Mariella explains, shrugging before shovelling some food into her mouth in hopes to exit the conversation.

"Oh, well, I'm sure you did brilliant," Karen nods, a smile on her face. She could see so much in this girl. Karen
hoped that she didn't end up like her own mother. Emma and Karen went to school together in their younger days and Emma was brilliant. Yet, she let her brilliance go to waste by deciding to submit to the expectations of her father.

Time would pass again with silence, the occasional scraping of a fork and shuffling.

"Something wrong with the meatloaf?" Karen would ask, noticing the lack of eating from the four kids.

"Oh, no, I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch. I don't know why." Dustin would explain, voice wavering a bit a sheepish grin on his face.

"Me, too." Lucas chuckles, shrugging.

"I don't have that much of an appetite, it's amazing though." Mariella shrugs, it was true — she hadn't had much of an appetite ever since the night Will went missing. She's been too worried.

"Yes, it's delicious, mommy." Nancy adds, smiling at her mother.

"Thank you, girls," Karen smiles at both girls, graciously.

Nancy looks up from her plate, "So, there's this special assembly thing tonight for Will at the school field. Barb's driving." She says, looking to her mother and father with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Why am I️ just hearing about this?" Karen answers, cutting her meatloaf and looking at Nancy with a pointed look.

"I thought you knew," Nancy defends, brows furrowing.

"I told you, I don't want you out after dark until Will is found." Karen says, worriedly.

"I know, I know! But, it'd be supper weird if I'm not there. I mean, everyone's going" Nancy exaggerates, attempting to convince her with guilt.

Mariella rolls her eyes while looking at the boys, taking a sip from her cup. Af if to say, 'oookay, there'.

Karen sighs in defeat, "Just... Be back by 10:00," She gives in while Nancy nods happily.

"Why don't you take the kids too?" She suggests while using her fork to point over to the four of them.

"No!" Mike shouts out while Dustin hums out "mmm-mm!" And Mariella and Lucas shake their heads furiously.

"Don't you think you should be there? For Will?" Karen asks, shocked at their reactions.

"I just... Don't feel-" Mariella starts but is cut off by Mike spitting out his milk, it going all over his face.

"Ew, Michael!" She complains before following his gaze and noticing Eleven creeping down the staircase.

Looking towards Dustin with worry when Karen is about to turn around. His eyes widen before slamming his hands onto the table causing all attention to turn to him.

"Sorry... Spasm," Dustin shrugs shrinking into his seat, nervously as Mike looks at his milk stained shirt, his hair has milk droplets in it too. Lucas looks at them while shaking his head and Mariella with her eyes squinting.

Holly, Mike's little sister, then leans into her seat and begins whimpering, scared by the loud noise Dustin created.

"Oh. It's okay, Holly. It's just a loud noise." Karen sighs while putting her utensils down in an attempt to comfort her youngest child.

"Nice." Nancy whispers to the group, shaking her head with an annoyed look in her eyes. The group sighs.

♧

After escaping dinner, they creep down the stairs, descending order being Mike, Mariella, Lucas, then Dustin. Mike holding a tray of meatloaf.

"That was the most awkward thing ever," Mariella concludes as they reach the bottom, beginning to pull her sweatshirt over her head.

"El?" Mike calls out, walking over to where she sat in the tent they all had set up and placing her tray of food in front of her.

"No adults! Just us and some meatloaf," He smiles as she stares up at them blankly.

"Don't worry. They won't tell anyone about you. They promise. right?" He adds, reassuring the apprehensive girl.

"We never would've upset you if we knew you had superpowers." Dustin grins, earning him a kick to the leg from Mariella. "Ow!".

"What he's really trying to say, with a lack for better word, we were just scared earlier." Mariella corrects with a pointed look at Dustin, shaking her head before smiling cheekily at Eleven.

"We just wanted to find our friend." Lucas adds, shrugging. He still felt oddly about this girl, he wasn't too keen on her staying at his best friends house.

"Friend?" Eleven asks, craning her neck curiously. She was confused by the unfamiliar word. She had never heard it.

"Yeah, friend. Will?" Lucas states, nodding while questioning her on her confusion.

"What is 'friend'?" She asks again, desiring an answer which she would comprehend.

"Is she serious?" Lucas whispers to the group, Dustin shrugs.

"Um, a friend..." Lucas starts, unable to string words together.

"Is someone you'd do anything for!" Mike buds in, excitedly.

"You lend them your cool stuff, like comic books and trading cards," Dustin adds with a huge smile.

"They're the people you fall back on when times are tough," Mariella says while pretending to fall into dustin while he catches her.

"And they never break a promise." Mike states.

"Especially when there's spit," chimes Lucas.

"Spit?" Eleven furrows her brows, knowing the term but not how it ties into a promise.

"A spit swear means..." Lucas starts while spitting into both hands.

"You never break your word, it's a bond." He finishes while shaking both Mariella and Dustin's hands. Dustin looks at his hand, disgusted while Mariella shudders to herself and claps Mike on the back, rubbing the spit onto his shirt. He looks back to her and rolls his eyes.

"That's super important, because friends... They tell each other things. Things that parents don't know," Mike shrugs, thinking about how he knows he could trust each and other one of the Party members to keep a secret.

"We keep each other's secrets whenever we feel like we can't trust anyone," Mars chides in while smiling and leaning into Dustin.

Eleven looks at them while narrowing her eyes, suspiciously. "Are you... My friends?" She asks.

Mike looks to Mariella who looks to Dustin who looks to Lucas before Mariella smiles and nods.  "Sure! Yeah! Of course," She grins.