"Rocky!" Max shouted in fear, looking around as Vecna filled her head.

"She's moody because she's a redhead, duh." Rocky's voice rung in Max's head, taking her back to last year at the Byers when they were trying to help Will out.

"See ya, California!" he waved, leaving the Hopper house.

Then, they were in the hospital, he held a bag out to her. "Cheez-It?"

Starcourt, the way he held her even with his face busted in. Back at school when he ran into her after running from the high school to check on Will. When he left for California. When he hit Billy. When he shifted the gears for her while she drove Steve's car. When he yanked her out of the hole in the ground before the Demo-Dogs got her. The way his hands felt in her hands. The way she wanted to hate him so badly. His smile. His eyes. The way he looked at her.

Then, she fell into his arms as Running Up That Hill echoed in her ears.

"Hey." Rockys hand on hers made her jump, yanking her head phones off. "Jumpy, California?"

"Can't imagine why." she mocked slightly.

"We'll, we're at your shitty drawing house." he got out as she followed. Max looked back at him. "What?"

"Nothing." she gave a dumb look, the two following after Nancy as they made it to the door.

"Yeah, that's not creepy." Steve stared up at the house.

"Shut up, Steve." Rocky mumbled, his eyes widening just slightly at the creeping shutters.

"Here." Steve passed him a hammer. "Get the right side, i'll take left."

"Yeah, put Laugh and Love to work." Robin hummed. Rocky mocked her over his shoulder as he began to pop nails out of the bolted up door.

"I mean, what exactly are we suppose to be looking for in this shithole?" Steve looked back slightly.

"It's Carrie Whites dream house, don't disrespect it." Rocky huffed as he yanked the hammer back.

"Shut up, Rocky." Max defended herself.

"We just know this house is important to Vecna." Nancy spoke up as she watched the nails clatter at the boys feet.

"Because Max saw it in Vecna's red soup mind world?" Steve glanced over at her as he pulled another nail.

"Would you shut up?" Rocky rolled his eyes. "I mean, she's right there."

"I'm not saying anything bad." he defended himself.

"You're not saying anything good either." Rocky gave a look, yanking the hammer harder.

"Maybe it holds a clue to where Vecna is. Why he's back. Why he killed the Creels." Dustin listed on with a shrug to each one. "And how to stop him before he comes back for Max."

"Sounds like a damn good plan." Rocky exhaled as he backed away from the door, flashing Max a grin over his shoulder. "Wanna do the honors?"

"We don't think he's in here, do we?" Lucas spoke as Max walked forward.

"Guess we'll find out." the redhead shrugged, grabbing the board and yanking it back, revealing the large door. Rocky watched Max's body stiff up slightly, putting an arm around her.

"It's locked." Steve yanked on the door knob. "Should I knock, see if anybody's home?"

"No need." Robin spoke up, holding a brick. "I found a key."

"Robin, you and I are getting more and more alike as the days pass." he smiled at her as she chunked it through the window stain. "I too throw bricks through windows."

"Yeah, he does." Max rolled her eyes as Steve reached in, unlocking the door and pushing it open.

Rocky looked to Max after they all walked in. "If you want, you can wait in the car. I'll make Dustin stay with you."

"No." Max shook her head with a clear of her throat. "No. No, i'm good."

"Wanna hold my hand?" Rocky gave her a teasing look, so clearly joking. Yet, she laced their hands together anyways. Rocky's eyebrows shot up, taken off guard. He went to say something arrogant, to mock her, but he didn't. He just held her hand.

"Looks like someone forgot to pay their electric bill." Lucas spoke as he tried to turn on the lamp in the corner.

"Guess rats don't know how to count money." Rocky agreed with him, a cringing look around at the old, creepy house. Dustin flipping a flashlight on, tossing it toward Rocky as he caught it.

"Nice catch." Dustin grinned.

"Where'd everyone get those?" Steve looked around as everyone began to flip their lights on.

"Do you need to be told everything?" Dustin asked in disbelief. "You're not a child."

"Rocky didn't have one." Steve pointed toward the boy.

"Rocky did have one." he mocked. "But, she was outta batteries."

"Back pocket." Dustin sighed, passing Steve the backpack.

"They just left everything." Nancy shined her light around the fully furnished house.

"I guess a triple homicide isn't good for resale value." Robin looked around.

"Rocky." Max tugged on his hand. "You see that, right?"

He turned to stare up at the old grandfather clock. "Yup, no visions for you, California."

"Is this what you saw?" Nancy walked closer to the pair. "In your visions?"

"I mean, it's just a clock. Right?" Robin moved past them, wiping her hand across the dust. "Just a normal old clock."

"Not to her." Rocky pointed out when he felt Max's hand tighten in his.

"Why's this wizard obsessed with clocks?" Steve shook his head. "Maybe he's, like, a clockmaker or something?"

"Or maybe Steve's just a moron." Rocky mocked.

"Think you cracked the case." Dustin hummed.

"Hit it right on the head." the middle Byers winked his way.

"All I know is the answers are here. Somewhere." Nancy looked around. "Okay, two groups of two and one of three. Robin, upstairs."

Before the group of three was decided,  Rocky and Max were already headed down the hallway together. He heard the faint sound of Running Up That Hill coming from her headphone, only for it to stop. He reached over, hitting the button on the walkman that was on her belt loop. "Should be longer."

"Forty-six minutes is kinda long." Max shrugged.

"Not long enough." he pointed out, shining his flash light around. "You're not annoyed with it yet?"

"Not yet, but I might get sick of it listening to it over and over." Max said honestly as Rocky flashed a mini grin. "And suddenly it's not my favorite song anymore. Will it still work? Or will Kate Bush, like, lose her magic power or something?"

"Well, you have a bunch of different cassettes we can look for your second favorite song in if that's the case." Rocky pointed out with a grin. "Besides, when this is over, i'm gonna kiss Kate Bush so good for saving your life. Maybe it'll be on TV or something."

"Woah, kiss Kate Bush on tv, huh?" she nodded with a sarcastic look. "Sounds a little personal."

"I show my gratitude in very different ways, Maxamine." her rose his eyebrows in her direction.

"Do you remember when we met, for like, the first time?" Max gave a curious look. "When Will was having one of his episodes?"

"When I ran right into you?" Rocky gave a faint snort. "How can I forget? You called me an Asshat and told me to watch where I was going."

"I saw it, when Vecna had me." her words made Rocky gave a questionable look. "And then I saw you when you hit Billy for me, and all those times you helped me with the Demo-Dogs. I guess it was just weird."

"Weird how?" Rocky gave a curious  look.

"Because we never had, like, a full conversation together back then. And then when summer came around, we really did. I guess it's just weird to think, like, back then I really just didn't think we'd ever be friends." she explained with an odd look in her eye. "You were just this older guy that ran me over in the hallway and were related to my new friend. I didn't know anything about you aside that you kinda looked like the Karate Kid."

"The Karate Kid, huh?" Rocky gave a dry laugh. "The same Karate Kid calendar you have?"

"Shut up, no." Max laughed. "That not what I meant."

"So you didn't see me for the first time and instantly fall in love with me because I looked like Ralph Macchio?" he gave a look of disbelief. "Now i'm not convinced."

"I should have never said anything." Max grinned, looking to her left as the lamp began to blink. "Rocky-"

"I see it too." he stopped her worrying. Max slowly rose her hand to touch the lamp shade, it fell black again. A light at the end of the hallway caught his attention, turning his head. "Max."

She turned, leading the way slowly as they walked into the hallway, the lamp at the end of the hallway blinking quickly.

"I got him! I got him!" Robins yelled from the other side of the house made them run, hurrying around the corner to see her shoulders fell and a black flashlight. "I-I had him."

"You'll get em next time." Rocky shut his eyes for a double wink, nodding at her.

"Oh, woah." Steve gapped as his flashlight began to shine, flickering slightly. "Oh, I think he's moving. He's moving."

Steve hurried down the hallway to follow the light, the group all close on his heels, heading up the stairs together. As they made it to the top, the light went blank. "Shit. I lost him."

"No, you didn't." Max moved past everyone to push the door at the top of the stairs open.

"Ah, more stairs." Rocky took a breath as he followed her. "Perfect."

"It's an attic. Of course it's an attic." Robin tried to sike herself up.

"Hold up, guys. What's if he's leading us into a trap?" Dustin spoke up honestly. "Guys, guys! Shit."

The light bulb in the middle of the attic blinked back at them. Rocky's flashlight began to do the same. He looked back at Dustin. "Should we?"

"Flashlights." Dustin nodded as they all flipped theirs on, shining them up at the bulb together.

"Okay, what's happening?" Steve questioned as they all got brighter by the second.

•

kylie speaks

okay, i'm gonna try to
explain this in the best
way i can. i LOVE rocky,
i LOVE writing this book,
and i LOVE all of you. the
endless support i've gotten
makes me feel so welcomed
and i'm so happy you all have
found joy in rocky's book. but,
while i know you all want to
see updates, i want you to know
that i have six other stranger
things books i'm having to
update as well, i've also got a
job during the day. i don't mind
you guys talking about the next
update in the comments but if
you don't mind, can we please
avoid telling me to update over
and over? i really am happy you
like the book enough to want to
read multiple updates but i have
to treat all my books and all
my readers equally which is why i don't get to update every single day like i know you guys would like to see. i'd also love to
do that but i can't favor rocky over everyone else. i hope you understand where i'm coming from and know i'm not trying to ignore all the update comments