"Hey, it's thirty past seven!" Tobias, the man that owned the mechanic shop, called as he walked into the back garage.

Rocky rolled out from under the car. "Already?"

"Times flies." he nodded, tossing Rocky his bag as he quickly yanked his gloves off. "How's she looking?"

"Just needs a oil change and she'll be ready!" he called, running through the little shop to go for the back shower, a single one incase of a oil spill on someone or if Tibias was staying over night. It was just him for the longest time, until he met a boy with a passion to get a job that could help his Mom with the bills and enough to buy burritos for breakfast.

"Come by after school and i'll have it ready." Tobias spoke from the other side of the door.

"Seriously!" Rocky called in excitement. "Hell yes!"

"Your grade has really improved." Mrs.Shelly smiled as Rocky approached her after class. "The extra practice before school helping?"

"I think it's the one on one." he cleared his throat, looking down at her wedding ring. "So, you're married."

She gave him an odd look. "Excuse me?"

"No, I me-" Rocky laughed at himself, sitting down in the chair across from her. "I was just curious if I could get your advice on something?"

"Okay, what do you need?" she nodded, adjusting her glasses.

"So, I have this friend, back home. She's a redhead." he exhaled with a minor head bop. "And, we're just friends, completely. But, I don't know, lately i've just been thinking...like-maybe, if I had stayed in Indiana, we could have kinda been a maybe thing."

"A maybe thing." Shelly nodded.

"Yeah, she's my maybe thing." he nodded back. "And, the more I think about it, the more it makes me go crazy thinking about if it was true. Like, obviously long distance is terrible, you should see my sister and her boyfriend, it's a nightmare, but what if I was there, you know? Would we have been together? Would we have listened to Kate Bush and talk about how much we hate the world? I don't know, do I wanna know? I don't know. Do I want us to be a thing? I definitely do not know."

"Woah, okay." the woman waved her hands at him to calm him down. "It sounds like you might be over thinking this."

"That's what my Mom says." he exhaled. "So, your thoughts? Opinions?"

"I'd say just do what you think is right." she shrugged her shoulders at him. "If you really want to know if you two have more then a friendship, if you'd have stayed in Hawkins, then go test that theory. If you're too scared it'll mess things up and you don't want to know what would have happened if you didn't move, stay here."

Rocky inhaled, nodding his head. He heard a chatter of laugher from out side the school. "Have a good spring break, Mrs.Shelly."

"You too, sweetie!" she called. Rocky hurried down the hallway, thinking about all she said, thinking about what he felt and what he didn't feel. As he pushed the doors open, he no longer had a single thought in mind rather then the scene that was playing before his eyes now.

"Oh, hell no." he dropped his bag immediately, pushing through the crowd of students that swarmed.

"Oh my god." Angela laughed down at El. "I am so sorry. I hope Mr.Fibbly's okay."

"Hey!" Rocky called out, walking past El. The first one he reached was a boy with brown hair, one he'd already lined out once. He shoved him, colliding his fist with his jaw afterwards. When he stumbled back, he crashed into Angelia as they both fell onto the ground, she scrapped her hands and elbows. Rocky turned to El, reaching down. "You're good?"

"Good." she took his hands.

"What'd I tell you about those guys? Don't let them get away with that sort of thing." Rocky gave her a serious look.

El looked down as Angelia stood up, the boy holding a bloody nose. "Angelia!"

Rocky smiled as El stormed her way. "There you go El! Sh-

He was cut off by her yelling out, her arm out reached. Nothing happened, absolutely nothing. Rocky winced. "I didn't mean that."

"Get out of here!" Rocky threatened the group as he stood infront of El. He shoved Angelia hard as she stumbled into the blonde boy. "You mess with her again and I'll ruin that pretty face of yours."

"You can't talk to me like that!" Angela gapped in disbelief.

Rocky smiled. "Just did."

"What's going on here?" one of the teachers El had pushed through the mob of laughing students. Rocky backed off to make it seem like he hadn't been the one to bloody up noses and elbows. "Jane. Jane. Did someone do this?"

Rocky watched El as she looked down. "I tripped. It was just an accident."

Rocky frowned. El looked over at him, resulting in flicking her eyes toward Angelia. The teacher clearly caught on, nodding her head. "All right, Angela. You come with me."

"What? Why?" Angelia asked in disbelief. "I didn't do anything. Tell her, Jane! Tell her!"

As she was dragged off, Rocky shoved the blonde boys back as he stumbled. "You mess with my sister again and I'll kill you."

He looked to his friends bleeding nose, the way it was crooked slightly. "We're just messing around."

Rocky knocked him hard in the face.

"We'll fix it together." Will's voice broke as he leaned down next to El, helping her pick up her project.

"Hey." Rocky leaned down, holding her chin. "You're gonna be okay. Those kids...they're boring and pathetic so they have nothing better to do then pick on you. I'm not gonna let them mess with you."

El wipped her eyes, holding her project. Rocky helped her up as Will got the rest of pieces.

"Just drive it on up to the ferry and it'll bring it down to Indiana." Tobias spoke as Rocky got into the car. "How's it feel to fix it up for your state?"

"Good." Rocky nodded as his hands gripped the stirring wheel. "Just get it on the boat and head back?"

"I'll send the Mrs. to pick you up and bring you home." he nodded his head. "Thanks for doing this."

"Yeah, anytime." Rocky nodded, pulling his sunglasses on as he drove off as the orange sky shined through the untinted windows. He exhaled when he was alone. "Anytime."

The good thing about Tobias shop was it hadn't been far from the ferry's, Rocky never got to actually drive one over yet since he still didn't get his license for one more month, but a hardship let him get around decently. Plus, with Jonathan's car broken and Rocky refusing to fix it until he knew he wouldn't ruin it again, he didn't do much driving unless it was for Tobias.

"Indiana?" one of the workers on the ship asked, leaning down at the window.

"That's the place." Rocky nodded.

"Hate to see the other guy." the man joked when he took notice of Rockys knuckles, red and busted. Rocky's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "You just dropping it off?"

"I-" Rocky started, stopping suddenly. He thought about what Mrs.Shelly said, the testing the theory if he was genuinely curious. Rocky inhaled. "No, i'm going with it."

"Got it." he nodded.

"Sir." Rocky called before he could walk off. "Could you maybe give Tobias a message for me? If you get the chance?"

"What is it, kid?" he held the clip board until his arm.

"Can you tell him to tell my family i'm going to see Max?" he asked, nodding his head. "Please?"

"All right." he agreed. "Hope he's expecting you."

Rocky sighed as he walked off. "She."

Max exited the school with a sigh, pulling her head phones on her ears as she avoided everything. She'd let Dustin down after he asked her to join Hellfire, genuinely just wanting to go home. She pushed through the students, heading for the sidewalk to get back to the trailer park.

Before he caught her eye.

Rocky tossed his sunglasses into the open window of the car, waving at her. "Hey, California!"

Max hadn't been happy much these last few months, rather miserable even. But, then there was Rocky, and things weren't better, but a little part of her lit up and felt relived. "Rocky."

She ran to him, he caught her in a tight hug. Max sighed in relief as she hugged him back, the music from her headphones playing when they fell around her neck after they collided. "Why are you here?"

"Missed you." he hummed, holding onto her a moment longer, feeling how tense she'd been. Even if he couldn't help it, even if they spoke every night, he felt guilty for leaving her here so long. "Well, everything accept your evil red hair."

"Shut up." Max laughed, pulling back. She sighed with a smile. "You have no idea how glad I am you're here."

"Oh yeah?" he smiled. "Careful, Max. I think you're starting to care about me a little."

"Don't get your hopes up." she rolled her eyes, but leaned in to hug him again anyways.

"You know you can talk to me." Rocky whispered to Max as they laid side by side in her bed, quiet from how small their new trailer was.

"Please don't be like everyone else." she begged, looking over as him from how she was propped up on her elbow. "Everyone wants to me to talk and I just want to...not."

"Okay, so let's not." he smiled at her, his fingers grazed hers slightly. "We can talk about how horrible the school lunches are."

"Oh my got, they're so bad." Max fell back on her back with a head shake. "I'd rather starve."

"I really never wanna know what that mystery meat is." Rocky rolled onto his stomach to grin over at her. "You look different."

Max cracked a grin. "Different how?"

"More grown up." he nodded, he reached over to remove a strand of red hair off her forehead. "It doesn't feel that long since i've seen you."

"It's been a while." Max sat up some. "You look different too. Not older, but, you have the California look."

"I went to all those places you told me to." Rocky nodded. "You really set me up for sabotage with that car wash. That was terrible."

"I knew you'd fall for that." she gave a dry laugh, the moonlight from the window above her bed lighting up her face enough for Rocky to see her smile. "Hey, Rocky?"

"Yeah?" he hummed as she sat up a little.

"I'm really glad you're here." now she was sad, her eyes said that much. Rocky opened his mouth, going to say something before the barking of a dog filled his ears. Max sat up. "Almost forgot."

"What's that?" he followed her. Max opened the fridge to grab a small plate, Rocky took a second to burn out her moms cigarette so it wouldn't set anything on fire. The redhead lead the way, making sure Rocky was behind her. "You have a dog now?"

"Something like that." she lead him toward a little one behind the fence. "He's sweet, I don't think he gets feed much."

"Hey, little man." Rocky smiled as he crouched down to rub his head through the fence. "You're a cute one, aren't you?"

"Loud." Max corrected, feeding him through the fence. "Still haven't figured out what his name is."

"He kinda looks like a..." Rocky trialed off, examining the dog. "-Zucchini?"

"Zucchini?" Max asked loudly with a laugh, a look of disbelief. "Absolutely not."

"Come on, I think he likes it." the boy looked back at the dog. "Is that your name, Zucchini? Are you him?"

Before Max could say anything, a car pulling up made them both look over. A long haired boy got out, leading a cheerleader up into his house. Rocky looked up at Max before standing up to be on her height. "I'm really glad i'm here too."

Her statement earlier, he finally got the chance to say something back.

•

kylie speaks

never settle for anyone
less then someone
who jumps on
a ferry to come pick you
up from school