‘Hops’.

Eddie called her Hops. It was enough to catch her attention, eyes flashing over his way as they softened just the slightest. It was an obvious nod to Hopper, and while it likely seemed normal to anyone else, it was the first time someone had called her something other than Eleven, El, or Jane in a very long time. To most people, it likely seemed like a regular nickname (like how Steve often referred to Eddie by his last name), to the teen, it was a way of including her in something a little bigger.

His words helped, too, El taking in every word he was saying. It was oddly comforting to know that people all over had problems, and she wasn’t special in that regard. She had been ‘special’ her entire life, and if she was honest, it was exhausting always being the special one. She had been one of Brenner’s favorites because she was special. She had made her first friends because her powers made her special. She had even made her first bullies by being special, and knowing that Mike had only cared about her because she was special hurt more than she had expected it to. She just wanted to be normal for once in her life, and do something normal without having extra expectations because she was special.

“ . . . I broke up with Mike.” Glancing down to the ground for a moment, Eleven pulled her gaze back up to the gate. Whatever had been heading their way was practically at the entrance, but it had slowed, almost as if it had no intention of passing through. It was keeping distance, waiting, and possibly waiting and watching her like she was watching them. A few beats of silence passed, but then she began to speak again. After all, Joyce was always trying to get her to open up to more people and improve her communication with others.

“He was talking about a superhero he liked. I asked what he liked about me. He could not think of anything but me being a superhero. And it hurt a lot. So I told him I was breaking up with him, and I walked here.”

Saying it out loud, Eleven thought it sounded stupid. She and Mike had been through more than most people their age, and the idea that he didn’t like anything about her other than just how she had saved him and their friends several times couldn’t be true. She wasn’t just a trophy, and she desperately wanted to believe Mike saw more in her than something to show off.

But if he did, then why did he stutter and hesitate so much?