six

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MAX WAS DROPPED OFF at the arcade by billy.

"if you're late-" billy speaks up.

"i'm skating home, i know." max cuts him off.

"watch the attitude, shitbird." billy insulted.

max rolled her eyes, and walked into the arcade.

she went to her favorite game, to find that it was out of order.

keith walked up to the girl. "sorry about that, road warrior."

"what happened?" max asks.

"short circuit in the motherboard." keith replies as he touches the machine. "a real bummer. but fret not, i got another machine up and running in the back."

keith leads max to the back of the arcade.

"hold these." keith tells max, and hands her his cheese puffs.

max hesitantly takes the bag of cheese puffs, and holds them.

max looked in the room, to see y/n standing there, and boy, max was not happy.

max's face automatically turned cold once she sees y/n in the room, still mad at her.

"you better get that date now, l/n." keith orders y/n.

"i told you i would." y/n reminds keith.

keith holds out his hands to shush y/n.

keith then shuts the door, leaving max and y/n alone.

"what is this shit, stalker?" max demands.

"i just needed a safe place." y/n apologizes to max

"a safe place to what?" max asks. "be creepy?"

"over my dead body." y/n shot back.

max was a little taken aback by y/n's reaction, she didn't like to admit it, but she kind of liked y/n's fiery personality. how she wasn't quick to back down from something.

max pushed that feeling away, because she was supposed to be mad at y/n right now.

"i'm gonna tell you the truth about everything that happened last year." y/n gets straight to the point. "but if anyone finds out, you could be arrested."

y/n then deeply sighs, and looks away for a second, then back at max. "possibly killed."

max rolled her eyes. "killed?"

"i need to know. do you accept the risk?" y/n sternly asks.

max rolled her eyes again. "oh, my god! this.. this is so stupid."

"can you stop being so fucking stubborn?" y/n harshly says. "do you accept the risk?" y/n repeated, walking closer to max, their face only a few inches apart.

"yeah." max speaks up. "sure. fine,"

max leaned forward a bit towards y/n, to be sarcastic.

"i accept the risk."

max sets her skateboard down, and sits down.

"let's hear it." max demanded.

"last year.." y/n begins. "will didn't get lost in the woods. he got lost somewhere else."

-

y/n was starting to conclude her story that she was telling max, about what happened last year

"and that was last we ever saw her. after that, she was just gone." y/n explained. "i can't believe it's been that long. feels like yesterday."

"yeah. i mean, i bet." max agrees. "wow. it's crazy."

"i know." y/n agrees.

"it's crazy, but.. i really liked it." max commented.

y/n furrowed her brows. "liked it?"

"yeah." max continued with a sarcastic smile. "well, i mean, i had a few issues."

"issues?" y/n asked.

"i just felt it was a little derivate in parts." max adds.

"what are you talking about?" y/n asks max in confusion.

"i just wish it had a little more originality, that's all." max says.

"you don't believe me?" y/n asks her.

"y/n, come on. seriously? how gullible do you think i am?" max asks y/n in frustration.

"why would i make this shit up, mayfield?" y/n sternly asked

"i don't know. to impress me or something?" max suggests. "or you're just, like, insane." max commented.

y/n got up in frustration, while scoffing. "i tell you all of this. i mean, top-secret stuff. risking my life! and this is how you react?"

max scoffed with a smile. "risking your life?"

"oh, so this is funny to you?" y/n asks.

"yeah, i mean.. kind of funny." max replies. "stupid, but funny."

max then got up, getting ready to leave.

"where are you going?" y/n asks max.

"story times over, isn't it?" max sarcastically asks.

max began to storm out.

"what's wrong with you?" y/n asks. "i gave you what you wanted."

"i wanted to be a part of the group, not a part of some joke." max replies.

"it's not a joke." y/n tells her sternly.

"you did a good job, okay? you can tell the others i believed your lies if it gets you experience points or whatever." max continues.

max started storming out again, but y/n grabbed max's arm, stopped her tracks.

"we have a lot of rules in our party, but the most important is, 'friends don't lie.' never ever! no matter what." y/n states.

"is that right?" max asks, then starts leaving again, with y/n following right behind max.

"then how do you explain this?" max asks as she hands y/n the 'out of order' sign.

y/n sighs. "i had to do that. to protect you."

"to protect me from who, exactly?" max started raising her voice. "the bad government baddies from hawkins lab?"

"lower your voice." y/n warns.

"or maybe it was to protect us from the demogorgon, that got will from another dimension?" max adds sarcastically.

"max, i'm serious, shut up!" y/n warned her again.

"oh, no, no. you know what it was? it was eleven. the girl—" max continued.

but she got cut off by y/n gently placing her hand on max's face, shutting max's mouth, causing max to widen her eyes.

"stop talking!" y/n sternly tells max raising her voice, then looks behind max, and back at max. "you're going to get us killed, max!"

max removed y/n's hand from her face, and lowered it, but max was still holding onto y/n's hand. "you're serious?" max asked y/n in a softer voice.

"i really wish i wasn't." y/n replies with fear in her voice.

"prove it." max demanded.

"i can't." y/n responded.

"so what? i'm supposed to just trust you" max asks.

"yes." y/n simply replied.

then max heard billy's car engine coming up. she looked out of the door to see billy waiting.

"shit, i gotta go." max speaks up.

max grabs y/n's hand. "don't follow me out. okay?"

"do you believe me?" y/n asks max.

max didn't respond to y/n, she really wanted to, but billy would be so pissed, so max just ran to billy's car.

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