the love club

✧

"DARLING YOU'VE GOT TO let me know!"

"Should I stay or should I go!"

Will and Rue jumped up and down around their room, singing along to the song "Should I Stay or Should I go," by The Clash. When their feet hit the ground, it caused the items on the desk by the window to shake, nearly falling off. But the siblings didn't care, and they got lost with the beat of the music. Their voices were much louder than the stomping of their feet. Will and Rue were lucky they're home alone, or else Jonathan would have told them to stop it.

The song faded to an end, and they both fell on their beds, panting as they stared at the roof. They had bright smiles on their flushed and red faces.

"After listening to this song a million times . . ." Rue heaved, covering her eyes with her arm, "I know why you love this song so much."

"It's great, I told you," Will huffed, as the next song on their mixtape played on their boombox. The two sat up, hesitating to go back to what they were doing before they broke into their small concert.

Rue watched as Will slowly moved to the desk by the window, where the bright sunlight shined into the small shared bedroom. The sun was golden, and the sky was turning pink. A beautiful sunset covered the sky in Hawkins that summer evening.

Will spun on the chair, chewing on the back of his pencil crayon as he stared at his drawing while Rue looked over her mom's birth certificate and papers, which she only got a hand of thanks to Jonathan and Nancy.

'Africa,' by Toto, started to play. The two kids were passing time before they had to go to the movies with their friends.

"I hear the drums echoing tonight but she hears only whispers of some quiet. . ."

Rue's head softly bopped along to the song, her green eyes reading thoroughly at every sentence. She knew what her mother did in the accident. Emilia shielded Rue and somehow passed her powers to her. It was brilliant, but the papers said nothing about how to control Powers. How is she going to stop herself from waking up to Will's cries as his bed floated five feet in the air?

"So, Rue . . ." Will started. And without looking at him, Rue already knew he had a shit-eating smirk on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Who do you have a crush on?" He asked, still looking down at his drawing, adding the last touches.

Rue's ears turned red as she rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she scoffed. "You already know."

"Yeah, you made it pretty clear a few days ago," he teased, and Rue blushed heavily at the memory she made with Max, thanks to Skylar Butcher. "But I'd like to hear it from you personally."

"You're a pain, you know."

"What do you mean? I'm the baby of the party!"

"Mhm," Rue hummed, putting the papers back in the box and shoved it under her bed. She stood up from her bed and walked over to her brother. Rue looked down at the drawing he made; inspired by a picture Jonathan took back in the snowball of Will, Rue and Max.

Rue glanced between the printed picture that lay next to the drawing. It almost looked the exact same. From Will's little awkward grin to Max and Rue's bright smiles, in the picture, Rue was staring at Max while the ginger faced the camera. The only difference was that in Rue's green eyes, her pupils were shaped like two little black hearts, signifying she had heart eyes for the ginger.

"First of all — "

"Shut up, everyone knows that's how you look at her."

Rue playfully rolled her eyes and smiled, hitting the back of Will's head. "I was gonna say you're getting really good."

Will blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, thanks," he mumbled shyly, yet his face beamed with pride. He was happy with how his drawing came out.

"You should make it your profession," Rue went back to sit on the bed, and Will spun the chair to face her. "You know, how I have baseball," she finished.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "I don't know. . ."

Her lips curled into a smile, resting her head on her hands. "You're a really great guy Will. How come you don't have a girlfriend?"

Will went red, and his eyes shot down to the carpet. He forced out a laugh, shaking his head. He looked everywhere but Rue until his eyes landed on the clock sitting on the night table between their beds. "We start getting ready."

Rue pursed her lips, nodding as she stood up. "Okay,"

（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）

Tons of people were walking in and out of Starcourt Mall. The warm summer night breeze brushed by Rue's hair, which she let down for the first time in a while. "Ouch, Will!" she groaned, hitting his leg when he pulled at it, trying to add tiny braids. Rue only let him because they were bored and had nothing else to do. Besides, it might give her simple hair down look a little more edge.

"Sorry!" He softly rubbed the spot where he tugged.

The two sat on a bench by the bike stands, waiting for the rest of their friends to show up. And only minutes after Will had finished the fourth tiny braid, Max had put her yellow bike into the stand, grinned as she quickly spotted her best friends.

"Hi!" she beamed, skipping towards them, who greeted her with open arms. Max sat next to Rue, her eyes lingering on her face longer than it usually would. "Are you wearing eyeliner?" she asked.

Rue's cheeks went red, and she turned away, only for Will to push her head back, saying something about him not being finished.

"No worries," Max laughed at Rue's flustered reaction. "Like I said before, It looks badass."

As if more butterflies could fit in Rue's stomach.

"Love the hippie style, it really fits you,"

"What's with all the compliments?" Rue huffed, trying to stop her heart from bursting out of her body and run off to the street. Her voice was wearily, and she felt like she just ran a marathon.

Max shrugged, "You look pretty, tonight. Like you do everyday, just thought I'd let you know."

"You look pretty everyday too," Rue said out of breath, almost as if she's been dying to say those words for years.

The smirk on Will's face grew as he finished the last tiny braid to sit in Rue's hair. He watched as Max's face also flushed red, almost as red as her hair.

"Hey guys!" Lucas called, appearing between Rue and Max, wrapping his arms around the two girls. "How are you? Long time no see!"

Will rolled his eyes at Lucas's oblivious actions. He'd have to tell him later.

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into nearly an hour. The sun had set long ago, and the group was becoming restless as they waited for Mike Wheeler.

"Can't we just go without him?" Max groaned, swinging her interlocked hand with Rue's in the air, back and forth.

Rue and Lucas nodded, wanting to go inside before it was too late, but Will shook his head no. "Just wait a little longer."

"If we wait any longer we'll miss the whole movie!"

Luckily, Mike Wheeler had shown up just after Max's exclaim. He rushed to put his bike on the rack, his friends walking up to him with annoyed looks on their faces.

"You're late," Lucas crossed his arms over his chest, scowling at him.

"I'm sorry," Mike apologized, trying to lock his bike.

"Again," Lucas added.

"We're gonna miss the opening!" Rue spoke up.

"Yeah, if you guys keep whining about it. Let's go!" Mike said, rushing to the mall doors.

"If you guys keep winning about it. Nyeh-nyeh-nyeh," Rue mocked him, and Max laughed, pulling her to follow.

They all walked inside, keeping a fast pace. Loud chatter filled their ears as the party tried to stay close to each other as they hurried through the mall. "Let me guess, you were busy - " Lucas mocked kissing noises at the end of his sentence.

"Oh yeah, real mature, Lucas," Mike rolled his eyes.

"Oh, El!" He suddenly exclaimed, "I wish we could make out forever! And never hang out with any of our friends!" Lucas started to sham Mike, making Rue and Will laugh.

"Lucas, stop," Max told him.

"Poor El," Rue frowned, and she, Lucas and Will burst into childish giggles while Max smiled.

Mike sighed, walking backwards to face everyone, "Yeah, it's so funny that I want to spend romantic time with my girlfriend," he said sarcastically.

Rue rolled her eyes, walking a bit faster to be at the same pace and Mike.

"Michael," she put a hand on his shoulder, "How many times do I have to tell you?" she said softly before a smirk grew on her face. "Making out with a girl twenty-four-seven is not romantic. It's called being horny."

The rest of the party laughed as she sympathetically patted his shoulder.

"Well, I barely get time to take her on a date if she's with you all summer!"

Rue shrugged, "Better hold on tight, then," she winked, stepping back to lock her hands with Max again, "Looks like I might steal your girlfriend."

"Fuck off, Ruth."

"Fuck off, Ruth. Nyeh-nyeh," she mocked him, sticking her tongue out.

"What are you five?"

"What are you five?"

"Stop it!" He exclaimed. Mike utterly despised when she mocked him like a little girl. And worse of all, when Rue taught his little sister, Holly, to do it, too. He couldn't get a day without Holly mocking everything he said.

"Stop it!"

"Ruth, I'm serious!"

"So am I!"

He rolled his eyes, having enough with her. "Nyeh! Nyeh!" He got all in her face, only for her to do it back.

"Nyeh,"

"Nyeh!"

"Nyeh — " they kept going back and forth, acting like actual five-year-olds as they walked through the mall, earning stares from shoppers.

"Guys!" Will cut them both off.

The party rushed down the escalators, pushing by a bunch of people, "Excuse us! Sorry!"

"Sorry," they kept saying, finally getting off. They bumped into a group of girls.

"Hey! Watch it!" One of them spat, eyeing the only two girls in the group of boys.

Max scoffed, flipping them off, "Bite me!"

"Yeah, watch it, nerd!" They all heard Lucas's little sister call at them as they all tried their best to hurry towards the only ice cream shop in the mall.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Lucas scoffed when he spotted Erica sitting with her friends, enjoying their ice creams.

Erica clicked her tongue, "Isn't it time you died?"

"Psycho!" Lucas spat.

"Butthead!" She shot back.

"Mallrat!"

"Fart face!"

Lucas ran out of things to say. He frowned and blew raspberry at her. Max and Will rolled their eyes, pulling him away.

"Oh, now that was mature," Max said.

Finally, they made it to Scoops Ahoy, where Robin Buckley leaned on the counter, just like she did last time Rue and Max came.

They marched up to the counter, and Mike rang the bell rapidly to annoy her.

Robin rolled her eyes at the sight of him. She pushed her tongue at her cheeks before calling. "Hey, dingus! Your children are here!"

The back window slid open and revealed a tired Steve Harrington. With one look at the five kids, he sighed, knowing what they're there for, "Again?" he sighed, "Seriously?"

Mike smirked, hitting the bell once again. However, Mike's smirk flew off his face when Steve said, "No, not tonight."

"What—?" Mike started, his eyes wide, "but—"

"No!"

The party looked at each other for a few seconds before spreading out. They parted to make room so Steve could catch a glance at Rue, who was distracted, staring at the banana boat a toddler messily ate.

"No, no, no," Steve shook his head at the sight of Rue Newby Byers.

Max hit Rue's shoulder, causing her to snap her eyes away from the kid, "Huh—? Oh!" She beamed, skipping towards the counter.

"Hey, Stevie," Rue hummed, leaning on the over. She placed her elbows in front of the register, and she rests her face in her hands.

Steve shook his head, closing his eyes. "No, no, no," he kept saying.

Rue pouted, lowering her hands from the counter to hug herself as she stared up at him with puppy eyes. "Can you let us through? Steve, please. . . for me," Rue smiled at him kindly, her green eyes beaming as she gazed into his brown ones. Rue could tell that he wanted to stay strong, but she knew that she was his only weakness.

"No, no no no!" he shook his head, his hat almost falling off his head.

Rue pouted deeper, looking up at him through her eyelashes, "Pwease?" she asked innocently, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Damn, what the fuck . . ." The teenager sighed in defeat. "You're lucky I love you, Rue."

She beamed, smiling brightly, "Awe! I love you too!" Rue skipped around the counter to hug him. The rest of the party ran to the back of the Scoops Ahoy.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Steve said, trying to keep a mighty tone as Robin grinned at their interaction amusingly.

"This is embarrassing," She said, "she bats her eyes at you for a second and you're on your knees."

"It's because I'm his favourite," Rue told her.

Steve playfully rolled his eyes, "Come on, come on!" he pushed them out to the door that led to all the back rooms of the stores in the mall.

Rue was the last one out. She dug the pocket of her dark green hoodie before handing Steve a cassette of a new mixtape she made for him. "Here."

"Thanks, Newby," He took her mixtape, then jokingly pulled on one of the tiny braids in her messy hair before she took off after her friends. Steve huffed, watching them run. "I swear if anybody hears about this—!"

"—We're dead!" They've heard him say it hundreds of times now, and it was getting old. He said it every time they needed to sneak around, which was a lot more than they'd like to admit, not counting the times when they hung out in pairs.

They walked down the hallway, and when they reached the familiar door, Mike opened it first, peering his head out. He looked both ways before whispering, "All clear,"

The group rushed out and snuck into the theatre that played "The Day of The Dead." Despite Lucas and Rue pointing out that the theatre next door was streaming "Back To The Future,"

"See, Lucas, we made it," Mike told him as they all tried to find seats.

"Sorry," Rue whispered to a couple she squeezed between, "I'm sorry!" she mumbled when she stepped on a middle-aged man's foot. "Sor—"

"Rue, come on!" Max tugged on her hand, pulling her to sit down next to her.

"We missed the previews," Lucas hissed.

Max smirked, turning around to face him as he sat a row behind them with Mike and Will. "We still made it, fart face," She mocked, hitting his knee.

Will began pulling snacks from his bag, quietly passing them down the line. "M&M's?" Mike whispered-yelled, kicking the back of Rue's seat.

She nodded, reaching her hand back and taking the bag Mike dropped in her hand.

They soon settled down as the movie began to play. Max huddled close to Rue, and they shared the pack of colourful chocolates as the film played.

They were only about ten minutes into the movie when the movie flashed off, and the theatre went dark. Everyone was yelling in defeat. "Come on!"

"Boo!"

Rue groaned, throwing her head back on the seat. The projector was acting up again. It happened a week ago when Nancy took her and Max to see The Breakfast Club.

Only about two minutes later, the power came back on, and everyone started to cheer. Rue grinned, happily munching on the M&M's as she watched the movie began again, hoping the projector won't choose to shut down through the middle of it.

（ ₊˚. ✰┊📼 ! ）

i'm mentally already in winter break