It was the end of the school day and Mike was putting away his social studies textbook back into his locker. He then put his math book in his backpack along with his notebook. He zipped it up and shouldered it.

He had a couple minutes before El would come to her locker because she needed to talk to their social studies teacher about the project that was due on Friday. It was currently Wednesday. His partner was Dustin so it wasn't so bad but a part of him wished he was paired up with El.

Before he shut his locker, Mike took a look at the two pictures hanging up in his locker by tape. His favorite was of him and El. They were making funny faces at the camera. They had been watching Star Wars all day and eating food. El's shoulder length, curly, hair was crazy and so was Mike's straight, black, hair. He cherished the picture.

The second picture was of The Party. Mike was in the back with El on his back and next to him was Lucas with Max on his back. Kneeling in front of them were Dustin and Will. Mike also loved this picture.

He shut his locker door then leaned against it, waiting for his girlfriend. He heard a laugh. El's laugh. His head turned to the direction it came from and saw El walking towards her locker, one locker away from his, but she wasn't alone. Chad Davis walked beside her, talking. They were talking about something but El paused in the middle of her sentence to peck Mike's lips before continuing on. Mike listened in.

"So I'll be over around 7:00 okay?" Chad told El and Mike's eyebrows scrunched together and his stomach churned. He knew what the feeling was. Jealousy.

"Mike?.." El said, seeing her boyfriend glaring at the floor. He didn't answer much less look up. "Mike!" His head snapped up.

"Yeah?" Mike replied. El placed her hand on his arm. Chad was watching with an unreadable expression.

"Are you okay?" El's eyes were full of concern. "You were glaring at the floor, Mike."

"Yeah. I'm fine, Eleven." Mike said smiling warmly at her when her thumb caressed his arm.

"Eleven? Who's Eleven?" Chad asked, confused.

"My name." El said. "El is a nickname."

"Oh." Chad nodded.

"Okay, Chad is my partner. He is coming over at 7-0-0." El said and now Mike understood why she was talking to him, not that she can't, but Mike's known Chad since fifth grade and he was a person that you would call a jock. Football and girls were his number one priority.

"El?" Chad spoke up. El turned towards him. Chad's eyes flicked to Mike then back to the curly haired girl. "Can we work on the project at my house?"

"No." Mike and El said at the same time though Mike's was a little more harsh. El's reason was that her dad, Hopper, would not allow El to go to some boy's house alone that wasn't one of The Party members.

"Um, okay." Chad looked back at Mike who's fingers were now laced with El's. "It's just us right?"

"Um, yeah. Mike's coming over around 7:45 though." El told Chad.

"Okay, 7:00 then." Chad confirmed.

"Yup." El smiled as he began walking away. She turned to her boyfriend who had an emotionless expression. El stood in front of him, put her hands on his cheeks, and stared at him with concerned eyes. "Mike?"

Mike hummed, turning his head to her, and looking down. He was 5 "10" now while she was stuck at 5 "4".

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes." He replied, smiling. He turned around and bent down a little. "Hop on."

"Yay!" El squealed while she put her hands on his shoulders and jumped up. His backpack was in between them but it didn't really matter. El was so light that two backpacks and a fourteen year old girl wasn't even heavy for Mike.

Mike placed his hands under her knees to hold her up while he walked over to the bike rack where their friends were waiting for them.

"The lovebirds finally decided to show up!" Lucas teased.

"Shut up, Lucas." Mike said as he let El slide down his back. They all got on their bikes -Max rode her skateboard- and El got on behind Mike, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Where to first?" Max asked as they started riding away from the school.

"I've got to drop El off." Mike told his friends.

"Okay, you guys want to head to my house?" Lucas asked and everyone nodded except for El and Mike who biked in the opposite direction.

When they pulled up to the cabin, El hopped off the bike and pulled Mike in for a quick kiss. She pulled away and smiled at him. Mike smiled back and time seemed to freeze.

Mike chose this time to admire how beautiful his girlfriend was. Today, she wore white pants, an oversize blue T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Her frizzy, curly, hair rested on her shoulders and her smile was bright.

El took into notice that Mike wore a new light blue T-shirt with dark blue shorts, long socks, and tennis shoes. His hair had grown just a little longer. El leaned in and pressed her lips to his for another passionate kiss. She pulled away and before she walked inside, after unlocking the door, she turned around and made the I love you sign with her hand. Mike smiled and made the gesture back to her. She then opened the door and stepped inside. As she was slowly shutting the door she watched Mike pedal away.

She turned around to see Hopper strapping his police belt to his waist. He looked up at her. "Why didn't you go to whoever's house your friends were going to?"

"I have a social studies project due on Friday." El sat her backpack by the table.

"Okay, kid. I was called so I won't be back till late." Hopper said.

"Okay." El nodded.

"You can have Eggos for dinner and be in bed by 10:00. No one over after 9:00 unless it's Mike then he has to be out of the cabin by 9:45." Hopper instructed. Hopper had grown to love the boy as a son since he knew he wouldn't be getting rid of him anytime soon. Mike had also grown to love Hopper as a father figure since Mike's father seemed to only like his chicken.

"Okay. Bed by 1-0-0-0, no one over after 9-0-0, and Mike has to be home at 9-4-5." El confirmed with a nod.

"Okay, see you later, El." He hugged his daughter.

"Bye, Dad." El smiled at her adoptive father as he waved at her from his car. El shut the door and locked it before going to her newly done room. Hopper had re-done it for a thank you gift for saving everyone's lives. She had a new white plaid quilt for comforter, a pink night stand with a lamp sitting on it with a book next to it, a nice dresser with clothes piled into it. She had new yellow curtains covering her window and new pink throw pillows on her bed.

El looked around the room to find it very messy. She picked up all the dirty laundry and dropped it into the hamper. Then, she picked up all the clean clothes and folded them before putting them away. She picked up her teddy bear from her nursery she never got to live in at Mama and Aunt Becky's house and set it against the pink throw pillows.

Her stomach suddenly growled so she grabbed an apple from the counter and started to do her math homework on her bed.

A couple hours later she was laying down on her bed and reading a book when she heard a knock on her door. It wasn't the secret knock her friends, Mike, and Hopper had. Well, Mike could just barge in. He didn't really have to knock. El cautiously walked towards the door. The person or people knocked again making El jump.

"Who's there?!" El asked, her voice shaking. She was scared it was the badmen and they were going to take her away again.

"It's Chad." El sighed in relief.

Before she opened the door she asked, "Is anyone else with you?"

"No." He replied.

"Did anyone in white vans follow you?"

"No." He answered.

"Okay." El unlocked the door, opened it slowly, and looked around outside. She pulled him inside quickly then shut the door and locked it.

"Why are you being so weird?" Chad asked, setting his backpack down by the couch.

"Um. No reason." El said quickly, getting her school stuff from her room. "Let's get started." El sat on the left side of the couch while Chad sat on the right side.

Line Break-

It was around 7:25 when El stood to make dinner. She popped two Eggos into the toaster and got out two plates and syrup.

When the Eggos were done, Chad and El sat down at the table and began to eat. Halfway through dinner dinner Chad asked, "So where's Hopper?"

"Got called. Won't be back till later." El replied, taking a bite of her Eggo.

A few minutes later Chad was staring at El. "You're beautiful." El's head snapped up. She had only heard Mike say that and she liked it that way.

"Uh, thanks." She said awkwardly. She put the dishes in the sink while Chad grabbed his backpack.

They stood a few feet away from the door. "Before I go.." Chad crashed his lips on to El's. He kept a firm grip on her so she couldn't move. His lips were rough and cold not at all like Mike's. Mike's were warm and soft. A few seconds later Chad pulled away. El's face was red from anger.

They turned to the door to see Mike standing there. His eyes filled with tears, and his mouth parted open. He bounced on his feet before turning around and running to his bike.

"No, Mike, wait!" El shouted, running outside only to see him hop on his bike and ride away from the cabin. El turned to Chad, rage written all over her face. "You Bastard!" She screamed.

"El, I-" He tried to explain himself.

"Why would you do that!?" El shouted, tears filling her eyes.

"I thought you felt the same way!" Chad shot back.

"I already have Mike!" El said but her face fell once she came to the realization that she might not have him anymore. "Not anymore thanks to you."

"You don't need him anyway, El! He was just going to break your heart anyway!" Chad shouted.

"And you weren't!?" El glared. "Mike is everything to me, Chad! I'm not letting him go."

"You're fourteen. A freshman. How do you know? You guys are probably already not getting back together!"

"How could you say that?" El whispered. "Your just like Kali. Jealous because you don't have what Mike and I have."

"El-"

"It's Eleven or Jane to you." El glared. "Now, leave."

It started to rain so El grabbed her rain coat and put on her shoes. "I need to find Mike." Then she ran down the driveway from the cabin.

Chad followed her secretly, keeping a distance. He wanted to see them break up so El could be his.

El ran to the Wheeler's house and knocked. Karen opened the door. "Hey, El."

"Hi, Mrs. Wheeler. Is Mike home?" El asked.

"No, sorry, sweetie." El nodded and ran down to the next house and knocked.

"El!" Mrs. Sinclair hugged El. "What brings you here?"

"Is Mike here?" El asked.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't know where he is."

"Okay, thank you." El left and ran all the way across town to the Byers.

How much energy does she have? Chad thought while catching his breath. It was about down pouring now. El knocked and a teenage boy answered.

"Jonathan, is Mike here?" El asked frantically.

"No, sorry, El." Jonathan said.

"It's okay. Bye!" El ran to the woods to a place called Castle Byers. She knocked. No one answered so she stepped inside. Chad hid behind a nearby tree and waited patiently for El. A couple minutes later she ran to Hawkins Middle School.

"Mike!" She shouted over the roaring wind and pounding water droplets. She looked across the parking lot to a grassy area to see Mike sitting underneath a tree, crying. "Mike." El ran over to him and tapped his shoulder. He looked up at her with a hurt expression.

"What?" Mike snapped, making El take a step back.

"I'm sorry." El covered her mouth as a strangled sob made it's way out of her mouth.

"El.." Mike sighed, wiping his eyes and standing up. Chad rubbed his hands together. Here comes the breakup! He thought.

"No, Mike. Listen to me." El said. "I'm so sorry. Chad kissed me. I didn't kiss him or kiss him back. I'm sorry." El let another sob out. Mike wrapped his arms around her, much to Chad's surprise.

"Friends don't lie." Mike whispered, rocking them back and forth. El sobbed and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I don't want to lose you." El sobbed. Mike ran a hand through her soaking wet curls.

"You aren't going to lose me." Mike said, pulling away slightly to look her in the eye.

"What. Why?" El asked, hiccuping. "I kissed another boy!"

"No, El, another boy kissed you without your permission." Mike said, tightening his arms around her.

"But-"

"El, it was just a little misunderstanding." Mike said. "I couldn't ever let you go even if I tried."

"Promise?" El asked.

"Promise." Mike nodded. "I love you, El."

"I love you too, Mike." El said. They leaned in and their lips fit together in a passionate kiss. They stayed like that, kissing in the rain, for a while.

Chad walked away feeling defeated. That's not how it was supposed to go..

Hope you enjoyed.