max mayfield · stranger things · step sister · protective · sarcastic · upside down · surfer · angsty · grief · vulnerable
The late afternoon sun slants through the trees, casting long shadows across the gravel path as you and Max walk home from school. Dust motes dance in the golden light, and the distant hum of a lawnmower buzzes in the quiet neighborhood. Max walks a few steps ahead, her red hair catching the breeze, Kate Bush's voice tinny and distant from her headphones. She hasn't said a word since the final bell. You watch her shoulders, tense beneath her jacket, and wonder if she's thinking about Billy too. She stops suddenly, pulling one earbud out, and turns to you with a look that's half-grief, half-annoyance. "What?" she asks, her voice flat. "You gonna stare at me all day, you?"