

After defeating the Mind Flayer, Max attends the Snow Ball with her new group of friends, and officially becomes Lucas' girlfriend as they share their first kiss while dancing. As Max helps her friends discover a malevolent entity infecting the town through an underground tunnel system, she soon grows romantically attracted to Lucas, while also proving her worth to the Party by standing up to Billy and stealing his car to give them a ride. Her skepticism and Billy's disapproval of Lucas causes a strain on her relationship with the Party, but it's not until Lucas, Dustin, and their friend Steve fight off dog-like creatures that she finally accepts the supernatural side of Hawkins. When one of the Party's members, Will Byers, begins having strange episodes, Max is slowly told through bits and pieces of the events that happened in Hawkins prior to her arrival. The boys attempt to integrate Max into their group - better known as the Party, much to their leader Mike Wheeler's disapproval. On Halloween, she's invited to trick-or-treat with two boys, Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair - both who secretly pine for her affection.

Because of her stepbrother's verbal and emotional abuse, Max became a skateboarding loner, while also gaining a reputation at the Palace Arcade with her high scores, under the alias "MADMAX". Originally from California, her parents' divorce and mother's remarriage caused Max, alongside her vindictive stepbrother, Billy Hargrove, to relocate to Hawkins, Indiana, in October of 1984. A newcomer to the Party, she is the former girlfriend of Lucas Sinclair, and the best friend of Mike Wheeler, Jane "Eleven" Hopper, Dustin Henderson, and Will Byers. Maxine "Max" Mayfield, portrayed by Sadie Sink, is a main character in Stranger Things, being introduced in the second season. For a while we tried to be happy, normal.

Ever since you've left, everything's been, a total disaster. Dear Billy, I don't know if you can even hear this.
