•Chapter Twenty•

                                    

                                          
Elena sat on one of the boxes that stood in front of her house, the house looked cold and empty. "What's wrong, baby?" Billy asked as he came up behind her, laying his hands on her shoulders. "This house holds memories of my best moments and a few of the worst. And now we're not living in it anymore." Elena sighed, leaning against his stomach, looking up at him. 
                          
"This is a new chapter for us Elena. I've never thought I'd get to leave this shit hole. But now we're leaving." Billy smiled, his hands softly caressing her cheek. "And I think Susan is pretty happy that you let her move into the house. She's finally away from Neil." Billy said as he crouched down, looking into her eyes. "I used to hate this place too you know, but now it holds so many good memories." Elena sighed. "We can make new ones, better ones. Without the past of abuse." He said, putting his hand on her thigh. 
                          
"I'm not ready to let you go." Steve said to Elena, his eyes has been bloodshot the whole time but he didn't want to admit that he was crying silently in his car when no one was looking. Elena's eyes teared up. "I'll come visit. And you can come visit!" She said, her voice slowly waving off. "But it won't be the same. Not the late night getting highs and eating at McDonald's at three am." Steve sighed, sitting down onto the grass on the front porch. "And who am I supposed to annoy now?" He sighed. "We're not going to die." Elena laughed slightly but sighed. She was gonna miss that shithole and the people, or as she liked to refer, her family.
                          
"It's all out. The truck is ready to go." Hopper said as he sat down next to Elena on the stairs of her house. Elena nodded as she fiddled with her hands, a cigarette in her hands. Silence was between them, as they sat next to each other.
                          
Hopper and Elena had gotten close. He almost was the fatherly figure she had lost years ago, the father she needed. And Hopper felt the same, he knew he had El but Elena was something else for him. El had his whole heart, but Elena still had some place deep inside him. 
                          
"I'm gonna miss you, kiddo." Hopper said, trying his best to keep his voice steady and his eyes dry as he looked at the group talking a few feet away. "I'm gonna miss you too." She sighed, wrapping her arms around him. He stiffed but soon relaxed, wrapping his arms around her too.
                          
"Henderson!" Elena yelled, a big smile across her face as the curly haired boy came her way. But he looked sad as he stood in front of her. "What's up, bud?" She said softly, nudging him. "Nothing." He muttered. "You're a bad liar." She said, crossing her arms. "It's just..." He sighed "I'm really going to miss you. You're like a big sister I've never had." He muttered, his cheeks getting red and she could see a tear running down his face. "Dustin..." She only muttered wrapping her arms around him.
                          
"Enough with the depressing shit. We're still here until tonight, Alright? We're gonna make the most of it." Elena said, everyone looking at her. Everyone had been moping around today, and honestly it made her depressed too. "What are we going to do first? Arcade? Lunch? I don't fucking know ice skating, doing cocaine, god damnit something to make you all happy!" She was getting frustrated with the sad faces. She wasn't very fond of leaving too but they didn't have to make it even more difficult for her.
                          
"Let's go grab lunch and then we all can go to the arcade." Joyce said as she looked at the group, who seemed to agree. "Then what are we waiting for?" Billy said smiling, clasping his hands together.
                          
Steve, Elena and Billy were all in one car, laughing as it filled up with the smoke and the joint got passed around. "This is the last time." Steve sighed in the backseat, a big grin across his face. "The last time of us getting high together and actually enjoy something." "We ain't gonna die! You can come visit us all." Billy said, putting one of his arms behind him so he could reach the boy in the back, nudging him. 
                          
"Seriously? When you're around a cop?" Hopper said, but he couldn't contain his smile as he saw how the smoke left the car when they got out, all of them laughing at each other. "I don't know what you're talking about Hop-Hop." Elena grinned, grabbing his arm as she pulled him inside the diner, the kids, her fiancé, her best friends behind her.