ৎ ָ࣪ 𓄹 ﹙𝟬𝟬𝟲﹚˖ ᨒ .ﾟ ꗃ 𓄸
❛ PERFECT ATTENDANCE ❜

GRACE MADE IT TO MIKE'S HOUSE EARLIER THAN USUAL, which didn't fail to strike Karen's attention. She wondered why the girl was there so early, and her only response was because she didn't realize how early it was, when in reality, she was anxious and hoped that Mike didn't abandon El.

         "Well, since you're already here, why don't you join us for breakfast? Mike would love that." The woman smiled at the blonde standing on her porch. Grace already enjoyed breakfast of her own, but didn't want to sound rude and decided to take Karen up on her offer. Plus, she was always a sucker for waffles.

         "Hey, blondie. You're here earlier than usual." Nancy spoke from her seat at the table, causing Mike to rush down the stairs. He sent the girl of his dreams a small wave, becoming nervous. Mike didn't want her to show up so soon, or at all really, because he planned on skipping out on school to get rid of El.

         "Lost track of time, I hope it's not a bother." Grace smiled apologetically at Mike's sister, hoping she wasn't intruding on their family meal time.

         "It's fine. Right, Mike? Isn't it fine?" Nancy sent her younger brother a knowing smirk, his glare hardening once he realized what she was trying to do.

          "Perfect." Mike answered sheepishly, his anger subsiding when Grace grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the toaster. "Where's El? Did you feed her?" The blonde asked in a small panic.

          "I've got it covered." Mike shook his head, stuffing his coat with waffles that he got out of the toaster before his parents or siblings could spot him. Grace wondered if that was what he seemed to have covered. Karen called both of them to the table, the two smiled at the woman then sat down. The blonde girl took her time eating the waffles on her plate, not wanting to be the first one done, while Mike did the complete opposite, stuffing his face.

         "Slow down, Mike. That's disgusting." Nancy shook her head, her eyes rolling back. She had a serious problem with her brother being a horrible eater, which made her food a lot less enjoyable.

         "Do a lot of studying last night?" Mike shot back at his older sister in annoyance, his words disoriented since his mouth was full of food.

        "Yeah, actually, I did." Nancy seemed to falter a bit, but agreed with Mike's accusations.

         Grace didn't need an explanation to know that he was hinting at Steve Harrington, an asshole despite his charming looks and perfect hair.

Everyone in the small town knew that Nancy was dating Steve, and the kids weren't oblivious to all the late nights he snuck into her bedroom window.

         The blonde had caught him on her way home one night, and since they were technically neighbors, it was a long and awkward bike ride.

        "What was your test on again? Human anatomy?" Mike childishly asked, wanting his sister to get in trouble, tilting his head. Mike's taunting question earned him a harsh kick to the shin. He rolled his eyes before kicking his sister back just as hard.

"Hey, what's going on?" Karen looked at her two children in annoyance. She knew they couldn't behave, but the least they could do was get along when company was over. Karen found it very, very inconsiderate of her children to fight like that in front of Grace.

"Nothing." Both Wheeler's replied in slight annoyance, not wanting to get in trouble.

         Meanwhile, Grace had to cover her mouth with her hands in order to hold back her laughter. Both Mike and Nancy sent her looks, and she looked down.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆⠘ *‧☽ ‧* ⠘☆ﾟ‧ ───

          AFTER THE EVENTS IN BREAKFAST, the two kids made their way to the basement. Mike was giving Eleven a talk, and Grace couldn't care enough to listen. Instead, she was picking at her finger nails, hating the thought of germs and dirt. She would simply pass away if her nails were ever dirty, despite it being quite dramatic of her. She's a drama queen. Sue her!

"Understand? Really, it's no big deal. We'll just pretend to meet each other again. And my mom, she'll know who to call." Mike stated with a small smile, trying to reassure El that his plan would work.

"No!" Grace almost shouted when she finally came to terms with Mike's plan. He was trying to get El sent back to an orphanage, which would cause many problems considering she didn't necessarily come from one. The blonde would be caught in a huge lie.

"No?" Mike asked his best friend in surprise. He knew she wanted the girl to stay, but how long could he get away with hiding a human in his basement? A girl, at that. His mother would end him.

"No." El shook her head, finalizing Grace's sudden protest. "No. . you don't want my mom to get help?" Mike asked the girls, looking between the two of them in slight confusion.

They both shook their heads, and Mike sighed as he watched Grace pull Eleven into a comforting hug with sad, longing eyes. He didn't know what it felt like to lose a sibling, and Grace lost all of hers.

The minute she was reunited with one, he was about to send her away. Mike felt guilty, realizing how selfish he was being. But he didn't want to get in trouble, though he knew knew Grace was worth the punishment he would have to go through.

"You're in trouble, aren't you? Who are you in trouble with?" Mike asked El, and the girl looked at Grace for reassurance before speaking.

"Bad." Eleven answered, a look of fear in her eyes. Grace wondered how much her sister had to go through to get away, and hoped her experience wasn't as traumatic as the one the blonde went through many years prior, due to her escape. If it weren't for her adoptive parents, she would be in same position as El.

"Bad people? Do they want to hurt you?" Mike was growing more curious, but scared as well. When Eleven nodded, making a gun gesture towards all three of their heads, Grace felt like fainting then and there. She was away from them for years, and now that El was here she knew that they would be back for her as well.

"Understand?" Eleven asked Mike, but he was far too shocked to mutter a response.

"Michael and Grace, where are you? We're going to be late. Let's go!" The woman called out to the kids. "All right, I'll be back. Just stay here, okay? Stay here." Mike told Eleven, pulling Grace with him.

"Don't you mean, we'll be back? There's no way I'm letting you stay here alone." The blonde couldn't help but raise a brow at Mike. She knew he was planning on skipping out on school, she always seemed to know what Mike was up to most of the time.

"I can't let you miss out on school because of me. You have a perfect attendance." Mike told the girl in front of him, knowing she was a perfectionist. It would kill her to miss a day of school, even though school was literal torture for her. Most information went into one ear and right out the other for her, but her nerdy friends always seemed to help her catch up in academics.

"It's not like I'll learn anything. Besides, it would be for El. Don't blame yourself for ruining my perfect attendance, nerd." Grace stated in a teasing matter. She had a wide smirk on her face as Mike held his chest in offense, like he was shot in the heart.

"I take pride in being as smart as I am." Mike stated, sounding a lot like Dustin. That boy was the proudest nerd to exist.

"Just let me stay, Mike. I won't take no for an answer." Grace began to move closer to Mike, trying to intimidate him which seemed to work as his face became a bright shade of red, and his hands quickly began to turn sweaty. She liked the affect she had.

          "Its hard to say no to you, anyways. You won't listen if I told you to go to school." Mike whispered with a gulp, too nervous at their closeness.

He didn't really know how his mother would react to catching the two of them skipping school together, but he knew it wouldn't be good for them.

          "Great. El, can I polish your nails?" The blonde smiled cheerfully, going back down to the basement and pulling nail polish out of her backpack.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE 📝 . . .
What do you guys think about Grace so far ? I would like to hear your thoughts on her.