"Judith Anrod Mackenzie!" Dustin yelled that morning as he jumped onto him. "Happy birthday! Get up! It's your birthday! Very much your birthday!"

"Dustin." Jude huffed, head into the pillow. "Old people need to sleep."

Dustin getting off of him took Jude by surprise until he felt his body lift off the floor. He let out a shriek as Dustin carried him. "Jesus Christ! When did you gain a hundred pounds?"

"Oh my god! Put me down!" Jude spoke in disbelief.

"No can do, Birthday Boy." Dustin walked as fast as he could through the house. "Almost there!"

"Dustin!" Jude hollered out before he was let down.

"Happy Birthday!" Lucas, Will, and Mike smiled from the kitchen. A cake was infront of him, a one and a four in the center with candles lit. Jude tried not to flush.

Dustin noticed. "I see you blushing, Lady Killer!"

"I don't do that!" Jude defended himself as Dustin awwwed loudly and hugged him, the trio adding in as they all teased Jude.

"Make a wish." Will spoke quickly as he patted Jude. The curly haired boy, who's curls were all over the place this morning, thought for a moment. What could he wish for? What was there to want in such a perfect situation like this? Perhaps... perhaps he'd wish one thing he always though, always kept stored in the back of his head.

He wished El was safe.

"Go get it." Lucas mumbled after Jude blew his candles, turning back with a weird look.

"Don't do the ant thing again." Jude gave an alarming look, still hadn't recovered from last years birthday. "I still have bites!"

"It isn't the ant thing." Lucas rose his hands in defense. A small meow came from the hallway, Mike walking in with Winkel in his arms.

"Winkel!" Jude gushed as he took the black cat from Mikes arms. "Oh my god, why do we have Winkel?"

"I know how much you love him and I didn't want him to have to go to a shelter." Mike grinned as he rubbed Winkels ear, making him purr in Jude's arms. "So I took him off your neighbors hands."

Jude gushed. "Michael!"

Jude pulled Mike into the side hug, still holding Winkel with his other hand. "I would have died if Wink went to a shelter."

"I know." Mike grinned as the pulled away, the rest of the party began to talk in high pitch voices and pet Winkel. "And I really don't want you to die so I had to get him for you."

"The case of Phineas Gage is one of the greatest medical curiosities of all time." Mr Clarke spoke that day in class, the light off while the projector was before them. "Phineas was a railroad working in 1848 who had a nightmarish accident. A large rod was driven completely through his head. Phineas miraculously survived. He seemed fine. And physically, yes, he was. But his injury resulted in a complete change to his personality. So much so that friends that knew him started referring to him as 'No longer Gage.' At the time, this was known as the American Crowbar Case. Although it wasn't a-"

Mr Clarke was cut off by the door flying open, Dustin running in. "I am so sorry, Mr.Clarke. Really, I am so sorry. Please continue with the class."

Jude slapped his shoulder when he sat down. "Why didn't you meet us this morning? We waited for you at the end of the road."

"Although it wasn't a crowbar, it was a rod, as I said." Mr Clarke went on, ignoring the minor distraction that flooded in moments before.

"We have to meet. All of us. At lunch, AV Club." Dustin turned to his friends quickly as he looked at the four.

"Why?" Mike asked with an odd look.

"I have something that you won't believe." Dustin's eyes widened.

Dustin turned around to look at Max in the back row. "AV Club. Lunch."

"Dustin!" Mr Clarke spoke up quickly.

"Yes, my lord?" the curly haired boy turned around quickly.

"Would you care to join the class now?" he asked, though it was clear it wasn't a question.

"Please, yes." Dustin nodded quickly as he pulled his book from his bag.

"The case of Phineas Gage."

"Phineas Gage."

"Page 104."

"104. 104."

"Focus."

"Focusing."

When Jude opened his locker, about twenty happy birthday notes spilled onto the ground. Some had lipstick kisses on them, others with X's and O's. Jude grabbed them in embarrassment, dropping a few in the process, attempting to shove them all into his locker.

"So the guy was right." Max's voice rung, waking toward Jude as he looked at her. "Some lady killer."

Jude laughed with a cracked grin. "Only when I feel like it."

Max leaned on the locker. "Well, I don't get it."

Jude gave a look of offense. Max rose her eyebrows at him. "What? Are you not use to girls not acting like you hung the moon?"

Jude shuffled on his feet with an odd look. "I wouldn't say that."

"I'm just saying. I've been watching you." Max pointed a finger at him.

Jude pulled a weird look. "Didn't you just get mad at us for watching you?"

"I think you need to be humbled." Max ignored him as she rose her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "You think you're better then your friends."

"I don't-" Jude began.

"Yeah, you do." Max pointed out. Maybe Jude did. It didn't think he was necessary better then them. But it did fuel his ego knowing a lot of girls at Hawkins liked him. "You humbled yet?"

"A little wounded." Jude said honestly, finally getting all the letters picked up and in his locker. "And insulted."

"Good." Max grinned with a nod. "Let's go to the AV room now."

Jude pulled an odd look, following after the redhead as they made it to his usual group of friends, escaping into the room where Dustin closed the door quickly. Pulled his box in the middle of the table, the lid shot open and a small slug like creature sat on the inside. "His name is D'artahnan."

The boy reached inside, holding the creature in his hands and comforting him. Jude and Mike shared an odd look. Dustin looked over at Jude. "Cute, right?"

"The cutest." he said sarcastically.

"D'artagnan?" Mike gave a look of disbelief.

"Dart for short." Dustin nodded his head.

"And he was in your trash?" Max asked, looking around.

"Foraging for food." Dustin nodded his head. "Wanna hold him."

"No, no." Max shook her head, but Dustin insisted and placed it in her palms. "Oh, God, he's slimy!"

She passed him to Lucas. "Ugh, he's like a living booger."

"Ugh, oh, God!" Will cringed, basically throwing the creature into Jude's hands.

"Gross." Jude cringed but held him in his palms. "Y'all scared him. Assholes."

Mike leaned down to look at him over Jude's shoulder. "What is he?"

"My question exactly." Dustin grinned as he pulled four books from his bag. "At first, I thought it was some type of pollywog."

"Pollywog?" Max gave a questionable look.

"It's another word for tadpole. A tadpole is the larval state of a toad." Dustin explained to her.

"I know what a tadpole is." Max rolled her eyes.

"All right, then you know that most tadpoles are aquatic, right?" Dustin asked as he laid the book infront of them. "Well, Dart, he isn't. He doesn't need water."

"Yeah, but aren't there nonaquatic pollywogs?" Lucas took his eyes off the book to look at him.

"Like...Indirna Semipalmata?" Jude asked, hoping he remembered that correctly.

"Yup, that's one of the two. Ones from India, ones from South America." Dustin nodded. Jude grinned slightly when he got it right. "So how did one end up in my trash?"

"Hitch hiking." Jude said sarcastically.

"Maybe some scientists brought it here, and it escaped?" Max suggested a more logical theory.

"Do you guys see that?" Mike leaned over Jude's shoulder more as he stared at Dart. "Looks like something is moving inside of it."

Jude carefully laid him down back on the table, standing by Mikes side again as they looked down at it. Mike reached to move the light to shine on him better, Dart letting out a shriek. They all yelled out, Jude taking a minor tumble backwards and nearly taking Mike down with him.

Dustin caught Dart as he began to comfort him again, holding him close. "And there's another thing. Reptiles, they're cold-blooded. Ectothermic, right? They love heat, the sun. Dart hates it. It hurts him."

"So, if he's not a pollywog or a reptile..." Lucas trialed off.

"Then I've discovered a new species." Dustin grinned, the bell ringing above them loudly. Jude grabbed his bag, giving Mikes shoulder a friendly slap as he moved past him. The Wheeler boy looked in disbelief at it, never getting the "bro-tap" in his life from Jude of all people.

"Dustin, I think you should name it after me." Jude hurried after Dustin. "Since you founded it in your trash, on my birthday."

•

kylie speaks

jude: *bro-slaps mike*
mike: *confused bc thought
they just do gay affection*