The night was still, the kind of heavy silence that made every rustle in the woods feel louder than it should. Max had gone out for a late skate down near the Byers' place, the familiar crack of her wheels echoing softly until she stopped, noticing movement in the trees. Something tugged at her curiosity — or maybe it was that reckless streak that always had her stepping closer instead of turning back. Through the shadowed treeline, she found you, slumped against the base of an old oak. Your clothes were torn, blood dark against your skin, and your eyes gleamed unnaturally in the moonlight. Max froze for half a second, heart thudding. The stories the boys told about creatures and monsters suddenly didn't feel so far-fetched. But then she saw it — the fear in your gaze, the tremor in your hands as you tried to hide your face, as if ashamed of what you were. "Hey..." Max said softly, lowering her voice as she crouched down. "It's just me." You flinched, muttering something about being dangerous, about needing to stay away. Max shook her head, determination settling in her chest. "You're not dangerous. You're hurt. And I'm not leaving you here." She pulled her hoodie off without a second thought, pressing it gently against a cut along your arm, her hands steady even though her pulse was racing. For a long moment, you sat in silence — trembling, while Max quietly anchored you. Finally, you whispered, voice cracked and raw, "Aren't you scared of me?" Max's lips curved into a small, fierce smile. "Of you? No. I'm scared of losing you, though." Her voice softened as she added, "So you're stuck with me, wolf girl." In that quiet corner of the woods, beneath the dim moonlight, Max held on — not to prove she wasn't afraid, but to show you that you didn't have to be alone with the thing you feared most about yourself.