"Whoa! Ariana, slow down!" Steve yelled, but Ariana ignored him, driving as fast as she could.

All she could think about was the kids and their perilous situation. She needed to get to them in time.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Ariana spotted Nancy firing her gun at Billy, who was driving recklessly toward her. Without hesitation, Ariana crashed her car into Billy's, preventing him from harming Nancy and the kids.

She brought the car to a halt after the collision and sighed with relief. "

Are you okay?" Steve asked Ariana. She turned to him. "Ask me tomorrow."

Suddenly, a noise emanated from above the mall, and they all stood up in alarm. "Oh, shit," Ariana muttered as they saw the Mind Flayer perched atop Starcourt.

"Get in!" Nancy yelled as Jonathan pulled their car alongside.

They all quickly exited Ariana's car and piled into Jonathan's vehicle. He floored the gas pedal, putting distance between them and the menacing mall.

The Mind Flayer, however, started following them. "Shit! Nance, go faster!" Ariana urged.

Nancy accelerated as fast as she could.

Ariana glanced at Steve. "Next summer, we're going on a vacation," she said, sighing and resting her head on Steve's chest.

Suddenly, a walkie-talkie came to life, but none of them recognized the voice.

"Dusty-bun, you copy?" the girl on the other end asked.

"I copy, Suzie-poo," Dustin responded.

Ariana, Steve, and Robin exchanged knowing looks. They realized who the girl on the radio was.

"Suzie," they all said.

Dustin and Suzie started talking to each other but soon started to...sing. Ariana looked at Steve in confusion as Dustin and Suzie began singing "Never Ending Story."

"Are they fucking singing while we're being chased by this goddamn monster?" Ariana asked.

After what felt like an excruciatingly long two minutes, they finally finished the song. Ariana noticed that the monster had changed direction.

"It's turning around," she reported.

"What?" Nancy asked.

"Maybe we wore it out," Lucas suggested.

"I don't think so. Hold on," Jonathan said, determined. He turned the car around and began to follow the monster.

_______

The others cautiously exited the Mall, hoping to escape, but their relief was short-lived as they saw Billy walking toward them.

"Shit! Go, go, go!" Juliette yelled, and they all sprinted back inside the mall.

Max hurriedly ran back and pressed the button to close the gate.

Once inside, they navigated dimly lit hallways. The flickering lights and Eleven's injured leg slowed their progress. They arrived at an elevator, impatiently pressing the button and waiting.

Suddenly, Billy forced the door open, and Max turned to face him. "Billy," she muttered, making everyone turn around.

"Billy, please, you don't have to do this," Max pleaded, but he slapped her, knocking her unconscious.

"Max!" Juliette shouted, and Billy began to walk toward her. She attempted to punch him, but he, now under the influence of the Mind Flayer, was much stronger.

Billy knocked Juliette out, and she collapsed beside Max.

When they woke up, Juliette noticed Max lying next to her, and Mike on the other side of the room. She sat up, shook Max and Mike awake, and pulled them to their feet.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked, concern etched on their bruised faces.

Mike scanned the room and then asked, "Where's El?"

They exchanged worried glances and rushed back inside the Mall. Upon reaching the food court, they found Eleven on the floor, and Billy standing before the Mind Flayer.

Suddenly, a tentacle surged from the Mind Flayer, but Billy intervened. Max watched in horror as the Mind Flayer relentlessly struck Billy multiple times.

In a final strike, the Mind Flayer struck Billy, causing him to collapse to the ground.

Max called out after Billy, tears streaming down her face, as the Mind Flayer fell motionless.

Everyone watched as the Mind Flayer remained still, signifying victory. It was over.

They had won.

Mike rushed over to Eleven, offering her comfort, while Max approached Billy, covered in blood and coughing it up.

"Billy..."

He stopped moving. Max checked his pulse and found nothing. She called his name through her sobs, shaking him in an attempt to wake him up.

Juliette ran over to her grieving girlfriend, hugging her tightly as Max sobbed in her arms.

"I'm sorry," Juliette whispered.

Following the arrival of the fire department and government authorities, everyone was outside, undergoing medical checks in the waiting ambulances. Ariana sat beside Steve in one of them.

Juliette comforted Max, ensuring she was alright.

Everything had changed that night.

___________
THREE MONTHS LATER

Ariana, Steve, and Robin pulled into Family Video, on the hunt for a new job since Starcourt Mall was no longer an option.

"You put your mom down as a reference?" Ariana asked Steve.

"Yeah, why not? She's, like, super well-respected," he replied with a grin.

"You're such a dingus," Robin teased as she opened the door.

Once inside, they began their interview with Keith.

"Just to be clear, we weren't fired, you know. The mall burned down and, like, killed a bunch of people," Robin explained.

"Thanks for sharing. Didn't know," Keith sarcastically said, putting the papers down.

"Three favorite movies. Go!"

"Uh...The Apartment, Hidden Fortress, Children of Paradise," Robin listed her choices.

Keith turned to Ariana.

"The Outsiders, Sixteen Candles, Grease," Ariana stated, to which Keith nodded.

He then pointed to Steve. "You, go."

"Favorite movies?" Steve asked.

"Did I stutter?" Keith asked.

"Uh...Animal House, for sure. Uh...Star Wars," Steve began.

"A New Hope?" Keith asked.

"A new what?" Steve asked, confused.

"Which Star Wars?" Keith clarified.

"The one with the teddy bears. Duh," Steve chuckled.

Ariana and Robin both sighed as they watched Steve try to think movies.

"Oh! The one that just came out. The movie that just came out. The one with DeLorean and Alex P. Keaton, and he's trying to bang his mom. Yeah, those are my top three. Classics," Steve concluded.

Keith turned to the girls. "You two start Monday."

Then he turned to Steve. "You start never."

Ariana turned to Steve, who looked dejected. She suddenly had an idea. "Will you, uh...will you give us a minute?" Ariana asked Steve.

"Why?" Steve asked.

"Steve," Ariana said firmly, and he put his hands up in defense walking away.

"Alright, you have to understand Keith, I know his taste is a bit odd, but he has other qualities," Ariana began.

"He's the douchebag of the highest order, Ariana," Keith said.

"Okay, so he was a bit of an ass in high school, but he's changed," Ariana argued.

"How so?" Keith asked.

"He's caring and respectful. He may be a little much, but..." Ariana trailed off, glancing at Steve, who was picking up a fallen sign with Robin's help.

"He means well," Ariana concluded.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Look, if you get Steve a job here..." Ariana sighed.

"I'll tell all the girls we had sex over the summer and it was the best time of my life."

Keith smiled. "You would do that?" he asked.

"Yes, but you gotta get him a job here," Ariana insisted.

Keith sighed. "Fine, he can have a job here."

Ariana smiled and turned to Steve, giving him a thumbs up. Steve grinned in response.

They all walked out of the store. "Well, that was easy," Ariana grinned.

"What did you say to him?" Robin asked.

"It's not important," Ariana replied.

"I gotta get to the Byers' house to say goodbye. Can you drive me over there?" Ariana asked.

Steve nodded. "Yeah."

_______

Juliette sat alone in her empty room, her mattress bare, and her belongings packed away in boxes. The Byers were leaving Hawkins due to all the recent events, and Juliette had no desire to move. She wanted to stay in Hawkins...with Max.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she called out, and Max entered her room.

"Hey, are you okay?" Max asked as she sat down next to Juliette.

"No, I don't want to move. I don't want to move away from you," Juliette confessed, wrapping her arms around Max.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'll miss you too much."

"It's going to be okay. I'll write you every day. We can have late-night calls. We're going to make this work." Max reassured Juliette, smiling at her.

"And we have Christmas, Thanksgiving, all those other holidays, and spring break," she added.

"Do you promise we can make this work?" Juliette asked.

Max nodded, cupping Juliette's face and kissing her on the lips. She wiped away her tears. "I promise."

"Now I'm crying," Max said, chuckling. "I'm going to miss you so much, I won't know what to do with myself," Juliette said.

Max leaned her head against Juliette's. "Me too."

A sudden knock at the door made Juliette sniffle. "Who is it?"

Ariana walked in, and the girls' faces lit up.
"Ari," Juliette exclaimed, rushing over to hug her.

"Hey, Juliette," Ariana greeted, hugging her back.

"What are you doing here?" Juliette asked.

"I came to say goodbye, of course," Ariana replied. "Come on, the others are waiting to put your mattress in the truck."

The girls walked outside, and Eleven spotted Ariana, rushing up to hug her. "Ariana!"

"Hey, kid," Ariana greeted her. Eleven started crying, and Ariana tried to comfort her.

"Don't cry, it's going to make me cry." They both shared a laugh.

"Promise you will call?" Eleven asked.

Ariana nodded. "Of course. Sisters forever." She held out her pinkie.

Eleven looked confused. "What's that?"

"It's a pinkie promise," Ariana explained. She took Eleven's pinkie and linked it with hers. "It's a promise that will never be broken."

"Pinkie promise," Eleven repeated with a smile.

The rest of the gang took their turn to say their goodbyes. Juliette and Max hugged each other tightly while tears flowed. Ariana hugged the Byers goodbye.

As they all got in the car and began driving away, the rest of the gang watched the Byers leave Hawkins, leaving behind their chosen family.

This had been a summer none of them would forget, though not for the right reasons.

END OF SEASON