Chapter Text
Max had ended up lying there in the dirt for hours.
It had to have been at least five, maybe more, since she ran from Lucas. The sun had already sunk below the horizon, casting long shadows over her. The temperature had dropped from the heat of the day.
But finally, she sat up. Her face was stiff with dried tears. Her hair clung to her forehead, greasy with sweat and a headache caused by dehydration from crying. She should have brought water with her.
She barely felt real. It was like her body had been hijacked, like she was nothing more than a spectator watching from the outside. Every movement—every breath—felt disconnected, slow, like someone else was controlling her limbs while she just... existed.
Her muscles ached with a dull, tired pain, remnants of her long run from school. It wasn’t the sharp kind of pain that screamed for attention, but the deep, lingering exhaustion that settled into her bones. She didn’t even remember stopping. Just running.
Now, she was here. At the quarry.
The wind stirred every few minutes, sending ripples across the water below. They were small, barely there, like the whole world was holding its breath with her. She watched them, unfocused, as if waiting for something to break the stillness. But nothing would.
Reaching up, she pulled the hair tie from the end of her falling out plait. Her ginger hair unravelled in uneven waves before she slicked it back into a mid ponytail. She hissed through her teeth as her injured arm protested the motion. That’s when she realized—she didn’t even remember why she had chosen to go there. Not really. It was just... instinct. Her feet had carried her, but her mind hadn’t caught up.
She glanced at the water again. The moonlight reflected off the water, if only every day could be this beautiful . Max took a deep breath in then out, standing up and readjusting herself. Starting the slow, long, trek back to her house. She really didn't want to go home– and to be honest, her mom wouldn't have noticed– but she felt disgusting and needed a shower.
And if she was being honest, the walk home was mildly enjoyable. She never had the mental energy to force herself out the house to go on walks or skate anymore, but today she remembers why she always used to. It's calming and usually pain free, but today’s an exception.
Hawkins is oddly quiet at night for how chaotic it's known to be, you can't even hear a car in the distance tonight. The only noise is coming from diners and the occasional house she passes on the way.
She had made a point of not going past any of the parties houses– it's not worth the risk. On the same train of thought, she reminisces on how she used to be able to show up at their houses at any time of day and be welcomed in.
But in what now felt like minutes she was snapped from her thoughts as her feet turned to where she lived, slowing down a bit to get to her house. unlocking the door quietly so as to not wake her mother, even if she knew that lady was a heavy sleeper, and bolting straight to her room after kicking her converse off by the door.
Max’s room was her safe place, where she spent most of her time, no matter what, and her bed was calling her, but she couldn't just yet. She threw her jacket to the ground and opened her drawers to grab a clean set of pyjamas and reached to the back to get new bandaging for her arm. Steadily walking to the bathroom and laying down her pile of items on the toilet seat before flicking on the light.
Turning on the shower to let it heat up while she undressed and brushed out her auburn hair, seeing how tired and disgusting she looked in the mirror. She can barely recognise herself some days.
Unravelling her bandaged arm and stepping into the shower felt like heaven, the water grazing her body was an unexplainable feeling. The feeling was interrupted by the familiar sting of water on fresh cuts, she knew this pain by now but it would never get less annoying. Then why do I keep doing it? was something she would often ask herself. There isn't a reason to give.
She does her best to ignore it and enjoy the scalding hot water as she scrubbed off what felt like layers of dirt from her skin, lathering up shampoo in her hair and rinsing it off to feel clean again.