THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS had been like the beginning of a nightmare, one that max already lived and almost didn’t make it through. though during daylight she would convince herself veronica had just packed her bags and left this fucking helltown, max couldn’t stop thinking about him during the night, his voice seeping through every thought, every memory… which is probably why she was standing in front of the liquor aisle, one bottle of evan williams in her hands, eyebags almost as dark as her maroon shirt. “will!” she turned around slowly, feeling somewhat caught. “oh, you know, just shopping for essentials. i might set fire to something later.” and there she went, deflecting again, with a sardonic smile and a shrug. might drink yourself to dead just like your mom is trying to, said a voice in the back of her mind. at least it was her own.

CLOSED !  starter for @upthathills​​

will liked helping his mother out at the general store; even though he already had a gig at the arcade, he found it soothing to restock the shelves and organize them how he saw fit. it also made her feel more secure, knowing his whereabouts, even though they lived together and he made sure he came home every night — not that he had too many other places to be, anyway. as he lifted himself off his knees, carrying a crate full of colored paper that belonged in the craft section, he noticed ahead of fiery red hair bobbing over the shelves and his eyebrows pinched together before he began following it. “max?” he said. “hey. what are you here for? anything i can help with?”

ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE capable of bringing a genuine, unrestrained smile to max’s lips was eleven. even in the crowded, dim light atmosphere of the hideaway, her presence was like a lighthouse. “are you sure you can handle my liquor?” she teased, turning her attention completely towards el and hoping the other bartender could handle their own for a while. “i’m honestly surprised hopper is even letting you out with all the shit that’s going down. not that you should listen to what anyone says, anyway.” she leaned on the counter, eyeing the paper pag suspiciously. “what’s that?”

— closed starter for MAX MAYFIELD ( @upthathills )

The Hideaway isn't exactly one of her favorite places but she did enjoy coming around every once in awhile. Spotting the reason for her visit, her only reason as she passes by drunken rambling and the heady aroma of cigarette smoke. " Excuse me, bartender, I would like one beer please. " Calling out over the shiny countertop of the bar, seating herself on the edge of the barstool. Her chin is held in her propped up hand as she lulls with nonchalance and a hint of humor on the corner of her lips. " Actually I hear your ' liquor ' is very good. I will have one of those please. " El jokes as she eyes her best friend before she places a paper bag on the counter.

MAX DESPISED MANY THINGS, but closing time at the hideout was a special kind of damnation. always filled with people who drank one too many beers, and always brimming with sticky substances to clean from the floor and tables. thankfully, the person she was sharing her shift with was not a complete asshole. in fact, one might even say max was fond of eddie munson, though fighting interdimensional creatures with someone tends to be a foolproof bonding experience. “oh yes, i’m slowly becoming hawkin’s best bartender slash waitress slash bathroom cleaner. what else could a girl want in life?” 

she pushed a glass of beer towards her last costumer, and her face twisted into a grimace as she started to wipe the bar. when had she become a grown up? she felt so old at times, like her childhood was a million years ago, in the sunny california beaches she used to love so much. and yet, the desire to curl up like a terrified child was still there every goddamn night. instead of trying to put all of that into a satisfying — and not concerning — answer, max shrugged.

“it’s gotta be a hell of a pitch to convince me to join your nerd club.” she said, throwing her cleaning rag at eddie’s direction. perhaps a couple of years ago the words would be cutting, but now the teasing was lighthearted, accompanied by a smile. 

LOCATION: the hideout. CLOSED TO: max mayfield ( @upthathills​ ).

“ – LAST CALL! bar's closing in five." 

THE CLINKING SOUND of glasses being shoveled into the shelves over head were mixed with the dull radio. the deranged blaring of ozzy’s voice flooded to even the back of the bar while loose strands of curls that weren’t tied up in an elastic bobbed to the rhythm. rounded eyes scanned the last bit of patrons, most of them trashed beyond their means as they readied to close out their tabs for the evening. eddie’s gaze shifted over to the auburn hair that fell along her shoulders, smirking to himself as he tossed the towel he was using to dry the clean glasses over his shoulder. ”hard to believe that little red is moving up the ladder,“ he teased. it was gentle, most of the time he was despite the rumors that he was some sadistic maniac. the soft side to the metal head came out primarily to those he knew well enough – max happened to fall under that category. 

”WHEN DID YOU get so old and wise? you can buy alcohol now, serve it – better than me, might i say.“ there it was again. the flash of a toothy grin before it was tucked away behind reserved lips. "still can’t get you to join hellfire though. i’m still working on my best sales pitch just for you." 

MAX WAS, for the most part, content in being a black sheep. she didn’t go to parties, she didn’t dance, and she most definitely didn’t mingle. the only way she got drunk was with a bottle of cheap whisky, completely alone in her kitchen, a perfect reflection of her own mother. but this was not a random party thrown by an asshole. it was dustin’s party. and so, against her own volition, max had to go, even if just to make sure none of her friends would get into too much trouble. 

and trouble definitely seemed what dustin was up to as soon as she entered his kitchen. “jesus henderson, do you wanna have the worst hangover of your life?” she rolled her eyes. to anyone else the bitting tone might indicate annoyance, but there was clear fondness in the way max’s lips quirked with amusement. “give me that.” she threw the concoction down the drain with no remorse before putting a rum and coke together. the motion was almost mechanical by now, with all her nights spent working at the hideaway. ‘it might still taste like shit but at least we will not taking you to the hospital tonight. seriously. i refuse to be the driver if anyone passes out.” 

dustin  never  went  to  any  cool  parties  in  high  school  ,  and  he  definitely  never  threw  one  himself  ,  mostly  because  his  mom  never  would  have  let  him.  plus  he  always  had  bigger  fish  to  fry  —  like  helping  his  best  friends  save  the  goddamn  world  from  evil  interdimensional  monsters.  

now  ,  though  ,  he  had  his  own  house.  it was small and didn't have much furniture yet but it was his. so  he  could  do  whatever  the  hell  he  wanted.  and  tonight  ,  he  wanted  to  drink  too  much  or  do  drugs  for  the  first  time  or  ,  better  yet  ,  both  of  those  things  !  perhaps  he was just looking for  a  distraction  from  the  anxiety  and  uneasiness  that  had  been  rushing  through  him  recently , but he would never admit that to anyone.

regardless  ,  he  propped  his  front  door  open  —  so  people  could  come  and  go  as  they  pleased  —  and  made  a  beeline  for  the  drinks  he’d  lined  up  on  his  kitchen  counter.  he  gave  himself  permission  to  mix  a  bunch  of  random shit  together  without  even  reading  any  of the labels  and  took  a  long sip.  it  tasted  like  he’d  mixed  all  the  cleaning  supplies  his mother forced him to purchase ( though he knew he definitely wouldn't use them very often )  ;  it  felt  like  he  was  drinking  bleach.  he  looked  up  ,  gagging  ,  right  as  someone  entered  his  house.  they were early. just great.  “  uh  ,  hey , does  all  alcohol  taste  like  shit  ?  or  is  it  just  bad  because  i  mixed  them  all  together  ?  “  he forced to laugh. even though  he felt  like  the  dumb  kid  who  combined  all  the  soft  drinks  together  at  a  gas  station , he sniffed his drink before taking another ( smaller ) sip , fighting back a grimace.

“I DON’T DANCE.” was max’s only comment, though she took the shot without putting up a fight, in one smooth motion. the burn was barely an afterthought. “don’t worry, i’m sure someone will get tired of dustin’s party mix in a couple of minutes and manage to change it.” max almost wanted to defend her friend’s music taste in front of the other girl, but she couldn’t. maybe after a couple more drinks.

"Just sayin', the party isn't gonna really start until you take a shot with me," Jolene speaks, filling up two shots glasses rather full with cheap tequila she had brought with her to the party. The girl never paid too much for her booze, the way she saw it, any kind got you loose at the end of the night anyways. "I've always heard tequila makes everyone a better dancer, even with this shitty music playing right now," she giggles.

𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 . . .

dependent max mayfield, as penned by lia. affiliated with hwkinsfm.

(  ELLIE BAMBER  |  CIS WOMAN  |  SHE/HER  |  TWENTY  )  —  it's  just  been  another  long  week  in  boring  -  ass  hawkins.  isn't  that  right,  MAXINE MAYFIELD  ?  shit,  i  guess  they  can't  hear  me  over  RUNNING UP THAT HILL  by  KATE BUSH  playing  through  the  headphones  of  their  walkman.  it  looks  like  they're  gonna  be  late  for  WORK  at  THE HIDEAWAY.  did  you  know  MADMAX  has  been  in  hawkins  for  FOUR YEARS ? yeah,  their  family  and  friends  describe  them  as  BRAVE,  but  i've  seen  them  be  CLOSED OFF  too !  i  would  also  say  they  remind  me  of  headphones blasting music so loud you can't hear your thoughts, wild red hair blowing in the wind, driving too fast on an empty lane, bright lights in the dark night, a skateboard held together by tape,  but  is  that  weird ?  i guess  nothing's  too  weird  for  this  little  town,  huh ? 

name: maxine mayfield

nicknames: max, madmax, zoomer

age: twenty

gender: cis woman

sexuality: bisexual

occupation: waitress/bartender at the hideaway

aligment: chaotic good

family: sam mayfield (father), susan hargrove (mother), neil hargrove (ex-step father), billy hargrove (ex-step brother, deceased). has recently adopted an orange tabby simply named cat