ok before i begin this one shot: pls remember this is an au where el actually goes to school

thank you and enjoy
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el thought she was at least somewhat good looking.

until this one day at school.

the school day was finally over, el had just left her math class and was heading to her locker.

once she arrived at her locker she saw her boyfriend standing there waiting for her.

"hey el" he said

"hi" el said with a huge grin on her face.

"why so happy?" mike asked.

"cause i get to see you" el responded while giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"ok i'm sorry about this, but i got a dentist appointment so i can't walk you back home. i promise i'll call you later!" mike said while starting to walk away.

"hey! i want a goodbye kiss at least!" el said while pouting.

mike walked closer to her and gave her a goodbye kiss.

"love you beautiful" mike said as he turned away.

"love you more dork!" she yelled after him.

el shut her locker and was just about to leave when troy walked up to her.

"hey baldy" he said

"what do you want troy?" el said annoyed.

"i overheard your conversation with wheeler just now. something about him going to the dentist? that's bullshit, he's clearly cheating on you. i mean i would, you really aren't even that pretty. i don't know what he sees in you. plus you barley talk in class, and have this weird thing where you get bloody noses everyday? honestly baldy, he deserves way better than you" troy said before stepping on el's foot and walking away.

it was true, el would secretly use her powers in class and that would start blood to come from her nose. also her hair doesn't grow very fast so when she first met troy she was almost bald. now her hair is shoulder length. maybe troy was right.

el ran to the bathroom to look at herself. once she looked in the mirror all she saw was her flaws.

how can someone like mike actually love me?
maybe troy is right, i really am ugly.
mike deserves way better than this ugly piece of crap.

el grabbed her stuff and ran out of the school, she ran back home to find herself home alone. that's when she wrote a note, left it on her bed, and ran away.

TIME SKIP!

mike didn't have time to stop by el's on his way home, so he went home, did his homework, and got ready for bed. usually el would call by now but she hasn't. he thought she was busy so he went to sleep.
not knowing that el is missing.

Time: 2:30am

RING, RING

"ugh it's 2am, who the fuck is calling!" mike said as he rolled out of bed and walked to the phone.

"hello, this is mike" he said into the phone.

"kid, it's me hop"

"is everyone alright? is el ok? is she hurt?" mike said with worry.

"i don't know, she isn't here. is she over there with you?"

"no..." mike said.

"oh shit. kid, when was the last time you saw her?" hop asked.

"school"

"hang on a minute, i see something..." hop dropped the phone and went into el's room to find a note on the bed labeled mike.

"kid, get your ass over here now!" hop said before he hung up.

mike put the phone back on the wall and ran upstairs.

while he was fixing himself he thought to himself
the bad men, they finally got her. shes in danger.

mike left a note on the counter and grabbed his bike and drove to hoppers cabin.

once he got there he knocked and hop answered right away.

"kid, read this" hop handed him the note and led him to the couch.

mike opened the note and it read:
dear mike,

you don't deserve a piece of crap like me.
i'm ugly, annoying, can't say a single sentence without messing up, i'm different, and i have nightmares all the time.

you deserve way better. WAY WAY WAY BETTER.
so i'm leaving this note for you to read because now you would see i'm missing.

i don't wanna be found. please don't look for me.
i wanna die ugly and away from everyone. especially you. i know you never truly loved me, just you felt bad since i haven't had a normal life.
please go meet someone ten times better than me, which won't be hard.

-el

mike didn't realize it, but he had started crying.

"kid is everything alright?" hop asked.

"she's out there. she didn't get taken, she ran away" mike said.

"any clue on where she is?" hop asked.

"no. but we have to start looking. she could be anywhere" mike said while he jumped up and ran outside.

i will find you el. and i will prove to you that you are not ugly, or anything you said. you are the most beautiful girl i've ever met.

TIME SKIP:
time: 2:00pm

mike has been looking for el since 3am, and still no luck.
he has called the party to help, and they can't find her either.

till 2pm came around, and mike started to hear whimpering.

"el?!" mike yelled.

"ARGH" he heard el yell back.

"EL!"
mike started running towards the noise. he rounded a corner and saw el laying on the ground with blood coming out of her leg.

"el oh my god! are you alright?!" mike said as he sat down next to her.

"why do you care about me?" el said in between cries.

"because you are the most beautiful, caring, selfless, smart, did i say beautiful, girl i've ever met. i don't know why you think you're ugly, dumb, or a waste of space, but you aren't. you're the only girl i've ever fallen in love with, and you will be the only girl. please el, i can't lose you. not ever again" mike said with tears coming out of his eyes.

"mike..." el said before she tried to sit up to kiss him, but soon got pushed back down due to the pain in her leg.

"ouch!" she yelled.

"what happened?!" mike said with worry.

"something bit me, when i fell asleep. i've been here bleeding and in pain since midnight" she responded.

"midnight! i should've came and saved you sooner!" mike said before picking her up bridal style and running her back to the group.

"oh my god is that el?" max yelled when she saw mike running with a girl.

"it is!" will yelled.

the party ran towards her but realized mike had tears coming out of his eyes.

"we need to get her to a hospital, NOW!" mike yelled while she laid el down on his lap in the car.

the party got into the car and hopper drove them all to the nearest hospital where el had to be separated from mike. that of course ended with mike and el in tears.

she got sent into surgery and that left mike pacing the waiting area over and over again.

"she will be fine kid" hopper said to try and calm mike down.

"that's not entirely it, she thought she wasn't pretty enough for me. she thought if she ran away, my problems would be solved. i love her, she can't think those things!" mike said with tears forming in his eyes.

no one said anything and left him to pace.

till a nurse came in.

"family of jane hopper?" she said.

hopper and mike both stood up.

the nurse let both of them go in and see her.

"hi dad" she said while she gave him a hug from her bed.

"that was stupid of you, running away like that..." hopper said.

"i know, i'm sorry" el said.

hopper turned around and saw mike waiting for his turn.

"i'll leave you two alone" he said as he left the room.

"el!" mike yelled as he ran and laid with her in the hospital bed, making sure not to hit any wires.

he put his hand in hers and moved her closer to him.
she was as close as possible since she was attached to some wires.

"i'm sorry" el said out of the blue.

"for?" mike said as he looked over at her.

"causing all of this. this wouldn't have happened if you never met me" el said as she started to tear up.

"el, you're the best thing to ever have happened to me. if i never met you, i would be lost. you're so incredibly brave, funny, beautiful, smart, drop dead gorgeous, and many more. please don't ever think that way ever again. i care about you way too much" mike said as he put both arms over her and hugged her.

el laid her head on mikes shoulder and started to drift asleep, but before she could, she told mike something.

"i love you more than eggos" she said before she drifted asleep.

"i love you more than nancy... don't tell her i said that" mike said with a huge grin.

that caused el to laugh super loud and get a complaint from the room next door, which made mike and el laugh super hard.

el had her arm over mike so he was embraced in a hug, and her head on his shoulder when she drifted asleep. mike saw her stir a little so he grabbed her hand and gave it some squeezes.

"el it's alright, i'm here, i always will be, i promise i'll never leave your side ever. i love you way to fucking much for you to understand" mike said while he played with her hair with his free hand.

he could've sworn to see a smile come from her lips.