Chapter Text
Max Mayfield was fearless. She’d endured the torment from her brother. The 3 AM fights with her drunken mother. She’d fought man-eating alien dogs under a pumpkin patch. She drove a car like a professional stunt woman. She’d faced too much to be afraid of something as simple as a nightmare. Max was not some child who feared the monsters under her bed.
And yet now, her heart felt as though it may beat out of her chest. She cowered, back to her closet as the sounds of breaking glass and clattering furniture erupted outside her bedroom door.
“You WILL show me respect!” She could hear her father yell, followed by another sharp thud. “This is my fucking house! My fucking rules!” She heard a body slam against her door, along with panicked footsteps..
Max covered her ears, pulling her knees up to her chest, desperately trying to muffle the voices she was hearing. She heard a woman yell, and another series of threats spewed out in that drunken slur Billy’s father had.
These types of nights were becoming more common. Neil would drink, and then he would yell, and then he would fight. Her mother would try to intervene, to no avail. And Max, Max just listened. It was all she could do really, it was that or face him, and she wasn’t keen on doing that.
When the noise did stop, it happened all at once. Perhaps a muffled sob threatened to rupture the thin veil, but it was quickly suppressed by its owner. Max lifted her head cautiously, hoping that the worst had passed.
“MAXINE!”
Billy.
“Max! Open the door. We need to talk.” Billy yelled, rattling the locked doorknob. Max scrambled to her feet, desperately looking for an exit. Billy was pissed, at her, at Neil, at her mom, at the fucking world. But Max was right there, which meant his anger was hers to deal with. The banging on the door grew louder as Billy continued fighting with the knob, threatening to rip the door right off its hinges.
The window, it was her only way out. Max climbed on top of her bed, quickly grabbing her skateboard not even bothering to put her shoes on. She threw the board through the open window before desperately squeezing out herself. She landed in the bushes, the sharper sticks scraping her when she landed, yet she prevailed, making a dash for the street. She could still hear them yelling, the violent creaking of her bedroom door erupting through the open window. Maybe he would break it down this time, maybe he wouldn’t. Max wasn’t sticking around to find out.
Her hands were shaking, failing to hold onto anything. Her legs wobbled on her board, threatening to throw her off, send her tumbling into the woods where she’d never be found. Other days she would’ve considered it, gazing out the window of Billy’s car, wishing to be anywhere else.
The cold night air whipped at her face, freezing the tear tracks on her cheeks till they burned. A scorching feeling in her lungs made it hard to keep moving, every pump of her leg weaker than the last.
She wasn’t sure where to go, the Sinclairs wouldn’t likely appreciate some strange girl showing up on their porch at 1 in the morning, let alone without footwear. She veered a hard left, turning onto Maple Street, the dim street lights barely illuminating the neighborhood.
Her heart was still racing, even as she came to a stop in front of her destination. She could still feel tears dripping down her face, still struggling to steady her hands. She knocked gently on the front door, still completely unsure if she should stay. She looked down at her bare feet, seeing the dirt and scrapes that covered them now. She couldn’t hold it in any longer, giving into the harsh sobs that she’d held down for so long. She’d barely heard the door open, only faintly recognizing the figure before her through her clouded vision. Max whimpered, grabbing onto the woman with a grip she didn’t think she could muster, hiding her face in her chest.
“Max? Max! Max?! Hey, hey hey, what happened?” Nancy stammered, wrapping her arms around the redhead. Max sobbed, burying her face in the itchy brown cardigan Wheeler had thrown on before answering the door. “Max?” Hun, what happened?” She asked, looking down at the current state of the kid. She was in nothing but a t-shirt and pajama pants, no coat, shoes, anything. She was cold to the touch, shivering in Nancy's arms.
“Did you skate here?” Nancy asked, receiving what felt like a nod against her midsection. She could feel Max shaking, the heavy sobs that lifted her shoulders, the awkward shake in her legs that barely allowed her to stand. Nancy looked up and down the street, not a single headlight nor car horn revealing itself. Nancy sighed, pulling Max closer, a gesture that the smaller girl did not refute. “Come inside, let’s get you warmed up.”
Max had seen the inside of the Wheeler house before, once when Mike left the door open on his way out and she’d gone to close it. The house was homey yet empty, as though everyone both lived here and didn’t. She tried to wipe her feet on the door mat, wincing as she aggravated the small cuts that decorated them. She followed Nancy in, leaning her board against the wall and sitting on the couch as the older girl had gestured.
Max could hear Nancy rummaging through the kitchen, the faucet turning on and off a couple times along with a few unintelligible murmurs. She stared at the floor, trying to let the quiet ambience of the Wheeler house drown out the looping memory of her own family.
When Nancy did come back, she was holding a glass of water, a first aid kit, as well as what looked like one of her fathers jackets slung over her shoulder. She approached Max slowly, almost like some cornered animal, setting the glass of water on the coffee table.
“May I?” Nancy asked softly, holding up the jacket. Max nodded, allowing Nancy to drape the warm clothing over her shoulders. Nancy then sat down in her fathers arm chair, giving Max the sofa to herself. She set the first aid kit on the table, gently nudging it towards the skater. Max watched her carefully, making note of any small gestures or expressions she made. She didn’t know Nancy very well, yet something about her made Max want to trust her, kind of like Steve, but different.
“Thank you.” Max muttered, quietly grabbing the glass of water. She took a sip, almost choking when the moisture returned to her throat. She set the glass back down, wincing at the sound of it scraping against the table. Grabbing the first aid kit, she curled into the jacket and began disinfecting the cuts on her legs and feet. She could feel Nancy watching her, most times she would make some sarcastic remark or call her out for it, but this time she would allow it. After all, she’d shown up in the middle of the night looking almost homeless and crying. She still was crying, silently so as to not disturb the sleeping household.
“Max?” She heard Nancy ask, glancing over at the journalist. “What happened?”
“Just uh, just a rough night.” Max replied, clearing her throat. “I’m okay.” Nancy's brow furrowed, a common sign of disbelief. Max winced as the cold alcohol wipe grazed her injuries, burning at first then tingling. She shook off the discomfort, grabbing for the band-aids next. She couldn’t help but smile at the look of them, decorated in small pictures of dogs, stars and rocket ships.
“Holly won’t let us buy anything else.” Nancy chimed in, “Which is why my dad wore blue puppies on his fingers for weeks.” Max chuckled, coughing a little when she did. She pocketed a few of the colored strips, opting to put them on later. The two sat in silence for a long moment, allowing the redhead to continue accessing her damage, whilst Nancy kept silent company. Max’s eyelids were heavy, finding herself blinking more often than usual. Now that her adrenaline was wearing off, exhaustion was beginning to creep in.
“Do your parents know you’re here?” The brunette asked, a more prompting tone to her voice.
“I doubt they noticed I’m gone.” Max muttered, trying to shake the thought from her mind.
“Did you sneak out?”
“Not on purpose.”
“Are they looking for you?”
“Possibly.”
“Do you need a ride home?”
“I don’t know.”
Nancy paused for a moment, before asking her next question.
“Do you want to go home?”
Max froze, her gaze locked on the floor, the disinfectant dripping on her hand. She had to go home, it wasn’t a matter of whether or not she wanted to. Why even ask that kind of question, her answer wouldn’t change the outcome.
“Yeah.”
“Ok.”
Ok? Max looked up, meeting Nancy's eyes. There was something else there now, was it pity? Maybe sadness? It was hard to tell. Nancy stood up again, leaving Max alone with her thoughts. What if she’d said no? Would something have been different? Nancy came back again, a small piece of paper in her hand. She walked to the door, grabbing the family car keys off their peg.
“I’ll drive you home. It’s too cold to skate back.” Nancy offered, her voice still gentle, but hiding something else. Max only nodded, standing up slowly, trying to keep the weight off the worse of her legs.
The car ride back was short but silent. Max staring out the window at the dark streets of Hawkins, once again picturing herself skating down them and never coming back. When they did arrive at the Hargrove house, Max hesitated getting out of the car. She felt the pit in her stomach growing, her heart beat starting to quicken. She almost jumped when she felt the hand on her shoulder, turning to look at Nancy.
“Here.” She said, holding out the same shred of paper.
“What’s this? A medical bill?” Max asked, trying her hand at her signature sarcasm. Nancy smiled, rolling her eyes.
“Next time you wanna drop by, call ahead.”
“Oh. Right.” Max relented, taking the slip of paper. She climbed out of the car, gazing at the front door to her home. The lights were off, maybe everyone was asleep now. Wishful thinking of course but right now it was all she had.
“Thanks for the ride.” Max said, preparing to close the door.
“Hey Max?”
“Yeah..?”
“Stay safe.. Okay?” Nancy said, her voice turning soft again.
“Okay.”