"When did that happen?" Max referred to Rockys barley healed busted knuckles, sat near the pharmacy together as she wrapped up the scratch on his wrist.

"I can't remember." he said honestly, looking at them with frowned eyebrows. "Either from punching Bo Walker in the face, or from accidentally hitting the wall in a fake fight with myself in the mirror."

"Oh, what a sight." Max said sarcastically as she finished off with a tie to the small wrap. "What'd this Bo Walker guy do?"

"Made a kid in the front row feel bad by mocking his family." Rocky said in return as he looked at her. "Just another day at Hawkins High."

"That bad?" Max winced slightly.

"You gotta pick your crowd." he shrugged in return. "But, don't worry, anyone messes with any of you next year and i'll take care of them."

"How haven't you gotten, like, expelled completely?" Max asked honestly.

"Never go for anyone on school grounds unless it's an emergency." Rocky spoke in return as she listened closely to him. "The school has no proof of anything I do outside of school."

"You really think that solves anything though?" Max questioned with a cross to her arms.

"Yeah." he defended himself. "Usually knocks them into shape pretty quick and they back off. I mean, look at Steve Harrington, he hasn't said much to Jonathan after I hit him."

"You know, Billy actually left me alone for the most part, after what happened last year." Max pointed out as Rocky cracked a grin. "When you kicked him in the balls and hit him upside the head with Steve's bat."

"Fun memories." Rocky wiggled his eyebrows with a cheeky grin. "I can do it again, if you want."

"I think we'll be okay." she squinted slightly with a tilt to her head.

The hum of the freezers echoed in El's ears, the blind fold over her eyes. The group all stood around her in the freezer isle, Rocky messed with his bandage. Lucas popped the New Coke can, making Max shh him.

"How do you even drink that?" Mike gave a look of disbelief his way.

"Because it's delicious." Lucas looked at him oddly in return.

"What?" Max and Mike asked on sync.

"It's like Carpenters The Thing." Lucas explained. "The original is a classic, no question about it. But the remake-"

He paused to take three dramatic sips of the drink before sighing loudly. "Sweeter, bolder, better."

"Absolutely not." Rocky shook his head. "What about cherry coke?"

"You think cherry coke is better then original or new coke?" Lucas gapped in disbelief.

"What, you don't?" Rocky seemed in shock.

"No." Mike cringed. "That's worse then saying new coke is better."

"Why would you want to taste cherries when you have a coke?" Lucas shook his head with slightly narrowed eyes. "That's probably what's wrong with you."

"Probably, my dad gave it to me in a bottle once." Rocky said honestly as the party gapped. "What? I turned out okay."

"Hey!" El yanked the blind fold off.

"Sorry." Rockys eyes widened.

"Sorry." Lucas gave a worried look.

El stared as Mike hesitated. "Did you find him?"

"The movies?" Lucas asked in disbelief when El told them where Dustin had been, the group walking down the isle with a cart of fireworks. Max smacked Rockys hand as he continued to mess with his bandage. "Dustin's so freaked out about the gate, he decides to go watch a movie?"

"Positive he didn't say great?" Mike rose an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like, 'this movie i'm watching is great.' " Will explained in questioning.

"When have you ever known Dustin to say a word so little as great when describing something?" Rocky asked his brother honestly.

"Sounded like gate." El said from under Mikes arm.

"Which would explain how the Mind Flayers still alive." Mike agreed with El's words.

"Yeah, we just have to shut it again." Nancy sighed as they headed out of the store.

"Then the monster dies." Will agreed.

"But if not, we always have Lucas' fireworks." Max spoke sarcastically as she helped him roll his basket of fireworks out of the store.

"Keep mocking it, Max." he looked in disbelief.

"At least we don't have to miss forth of July." Rocky patted Lucas on the back, following close after as they walked out.

"Jesus." Max and Rocky said on sync ad the car took out the Russians swarming Star Court.

"You flung that thing like a Hot Wheels!" Dustin laughed as he ran toward the group.

"Oh, hell." Rocky and Steve said on sync at the sight of each other. "What are you doing here?"

"Stop talking when i'm taking!" Rocky yelled at him.

"I'm trying!" Steve defended himself.

"Try harder!" Rocky gave a stupid look, as if it was the easiest thing known to man kind.

Lucas then found Erica. "What are you doing here?"

"Ask them. It's their fault." Erica threw a thumb toward Robin and Steve.

"True, yeah. Totally true. It's absolutely our fault." Steve nodded with his hands on his hips.

"I don't understand what happened to that car?" Robin spoke up, looking back at the, now crashed, red convertible.

"El has superpowers." Dustin threw a thumb her way.

"I'm sorry?" Robin looked in disbelief.

"Superpowers . She threw it with her mind. Come on, catch up." Steve rolled his eyes at her.

"That's El?" Erica gapped.

"Who's El?" Robin spoke up.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Nancy questioned the new girl.

"I'm Robin. I work with Steve." she nodded her way.

"She cracked the top secret code." Dustin grinned, slapping Lucas.

"Which is how we found out about the Russians." Steve slapped Robins shoulder slightly.

"Russians? Wait, what Russians?" Jonathan gave an alarming look.

"The Russians!" Steve yelled, motioning toward the car.

"Those were Russians?" Max gapped.

"Some of them." Erica nodded.

"I heard a lot of Russians were redheads." Rocky looked to Max. "Carful, she might take you out next."

"What are you talking about?" Lucas gave a wide eyed look down to his sister.

"Didn't you hear our code red?" Dustin looked toward Mike.

"Yeah. I couldn't understand what you were saying." Mike huffed with wide eyes.

"Goddam low battery." Dustin sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you with the low battery?" Steve yelled over in Dustin's direction.

"Well, everything worked out, didn't it, Steve?" Dustin rolled his eyes.

"Worked out? We almost died!" Erica gave him a look of disbelief.

"Me too!" Rocky held his wrist up. "Tell them, Max."

"He could have gotten a hook hand." she nodded with just as dramatic of a look.

"A hook hand? Like a pirate?" Steve looked in confusion.

Rocky stared. "I wanna hit him."

"Do not hit him!" Mike gapped in his direction.

A thump had made them realize El was gone, fallen over a few feet away. "El."

•

kylie speaks

I HATE THAT WE ARE ON
YHE LAST EPISODE AND
GOTTA WAIT A MONTH
FOR BBY TO COME BACK