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BROOKE STUMBLED INTO HER home the night before expecting Hopper to scold her or something for being tipsy but instead, he threw her a candy bar and a glass of water, saying that El is mad at him for coming home so late.

Her head pounds as she swings open her bedroom door. Her eyes squint at the dim light. Hopper and El sit at the small table with waffles topped with whipped cream and candy being shoved into their mouths. "Jesus, I think I might puke at the sight of that," Brooke rubs her eyes.

Thankfully, she wasn't drunk enough to forget last night. She vividly remembers meeting Stella and seeing Casey, she remembers talking with Steve and then the fight he had with Nancy. Worst of all—she remembers Steve bringing her home and how she completely contradicted every thought she has had about him since last November.

Brooke flops onto the couch and drowns out Hopper and El's conversation. She can hear the blood flowing as she picks up her head. The conversation between the other two is getting too loud for her to drown out now. Just as Brooke pushes herself up to calm down El, the plates of waffles go flying at Hopper.

Brooke freezes. "Oh! Shit! Shit!" Hopper quickly pushes out his chair and curses. Living with someone who has powers is convenient and inconvenient. El can just move things if Brooke asks but that also means when El gets mad, shit like this happens.

El quickly stands up and Brooke jumps over to her. "Friends don't lie!" El yells. The younger girl pushes right past Brooke who doesn't even get the chance to calm her down as she slams the green door. Brooke flinches and then Hopper kicks the table next to her and she flinches again.

Her heart beat speeds up as she catches Hopper's angry look. Hopper notices the worry in Brooke's face and he mentally curses himself for letting himself get to that point in front of both the girls.

"Get ready for school," Hopper quietly says while cleaning himself off. Brooke nervously sucks in her cheeks and bites down on them. "What happened?" She finally spits out.

"El visited Mike, she says he needs her or some shit," Hopper groans and wipes more whipped cream off himself. Brooke gets why El has to stay inside, it's for her safety. The fucking government is after her like she's a lost dog that they purposely gave rabies.

Hopper walks out of the house and Brooke sighs as she walks back to her room to get ready for school. She's too hungover to give too much of a shit on what she's wearing—as long as it matches she's okay with it.

Brooke goes to the front door, ready to drive with Hopper but the green door behind her makes her turn around. She remembers the day they found El, a little bit after Brooke had started living with Hopper in his trailer. The scared and bald girl that Brooke had been wondering if she was truly dead stood in front of her—with a bit more hair.

They set up the traps together and went over ground rules. The Don't Be Stupid Rules.

Her knuckles knock against the door, "It's Brooke. I'm leaving for school. I'll see you later, okay?" There's no response. Brooke sighs softly and leaves the house. Hopper flicks the cigarette onto the ground, "Ready?"

Brooke just shrugs and gets in. "How's the hangover?" Hopper teases her. "You mad about it?" Brooke asks hesitantly—past situations with her own father playing in her head. "You walked in on your own—that's gotta mean you were okay," Hopper laughs but Brooke grips the handle above her head at the speed he takes to get to school. At least he's not mad at her.

BASKETBALLS AND SNEAKERS SQUEAK as Paisley and Brooke walk into the gym, Nancy in front of them. She had been going on about how she has to apologize and that she was drunk right before they entered. Brooke just thinks she's trying to justify her actions from the night before.

Brooke looks around the gym at the sweaty and gross boys. Billy Hargrove looks over at them but his eyes aren't on Brooke, they're on Paisley. "Is Hargrove looking at you?" Brooke nudges her. Paisley looks over at him and he is indeed staring Paisley down. She freaks out, "Is there something on my face?" Paisley starts patting over her face because why else would he be staring at her?

Brooke checks, "No. You're good." Nancy and Steve walk past them and Brooke and him catch eye contact for a second before turning away from each other.

Brooke looks around again and she spots Casey taking a break on the bench. Billy Hargrove starts making his way over as Brooke walks away from Paisley.

Paisley panics, "Brooke!" She harshly whispers through gritted teeth as Billy gets closer. It's no use, Brooke is already halfway across the gym. Billy stands in front of Paisley, shirtless and sweaty, "Hi," He smiles.

He's attractive but his show from last night makes Paisley standoffish from him already. She hides her facial expression and smiles at him, "Hi."

"Windward!" Brooke excitedly yells. Everyone looks at her but Casey just chuckles, "Brooke, you're not seeing me at my best," He gestures to the sweaty shirt.

Brooke thinks the opposite if anything. The sweat compliments him somehow. "Were you dressed as a writer last night? I never asked what your costume was," Brooke thinks of the best question she can on the spot. "Oh, yeah. At least, what I think a writer looks like. I'm not good at writing," Casey waves it off. Brooke looks towards Paisley to see if she needs help from the new King of Hawkins. Paisley widens her eyes symbolizing she does indeed need help, Billy just won't stop talking.

Brooke glances back at Casey, "If you're ever free—uh, let me know during lunch or something?" Casey narrows his eyes with a smile, "Yeah, I will, don't worry." Brooke is painfully aware at how bad she is with flirting or an attempt at it. She's never really tried in the first place so she feels like she can forgive herself.

"Yeah, so if you ever wanna go out. You can find me," Billy steps closer, "Wiping the floor in here, huh?" Billy smirks. Paisley feels pushed into a corner, "Yeah," She has no idea how to react. Boys have liked her but she just feels forced into it each time. Each date or rose shoved into her hand on Valentine's day.

Billy gets called onto the court again and then Steve comes stomping in.

Brooke once again makes eye contact with him, he even nods but Brooke doesn't say or do anything, she just walks out and Paisley quickly follows her. "You couldn't have saved me a bit sooner?" Paisley struggles to keep up with Brooke's fast pace. "Hey! Brooke? What's your problem—"

"Steve Harrington took me home and now he thinks we're like—friends or something," Brooke shrugs. Back to hating Steve because she's in her right mind. None of that drunk words are sober thoughts bullshit.

"And you're mad about it?" Paisley scoffs. Brooke keeps walking as she spots Nancy and Jonathan get into Jonathan's car, not even bothering to include them on the plan. She speeds up her pace but they pull out and leave the school before she gets to them.

"Shit!" Brooke stomps. They left her and Paisley. "Well, there goes our ride home. I'll just call my dad later," Paisley says, completely unbothered by it.

"DO YOU THINK THEY'RE coming back to school?" Paisley asks as they stand at Brooke's locker. The bell to let everyone out is about to ring and the two still aren't back from whatever the hell they're doing. "No, Paisley. We have to catch a ride with your dad. Why don't we just walk?" Brooke loves Cory but sometimes it's just freeing to walk and think. She wants to tell Paisley all she can from last night with Steve and she hasn't had a chance to. Brooke has been scared some girl will hear Steve's name and start frothing at the mouth like a wild animal.

"It's cold, Brooke," Paisley pouts. The bell rings and the kids all start to leave. "I'll go call my dad at the phone—"

"I'm walking. Can't you just join me?" Brooke pleads. Paisley does feel bad but the cold, it's just not enticing. "I think I'll ride home with my dad. Billy asked me out earlier and I'm scared he'll jump me on the way home if I walk," Paisley says. Brooke's jaw slightly drops at how unbelievable she is being.

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Yeah, I'll walk," Brooke storms off. "Brooke, don't be like that—"

"It's fine. I have a pack of cigarettes that won't smoke themselves!" Brooke shouts down the hall. It feels like everyone decided to exclude her from things today. She feels—hurt, by Jonathan and Nancy. Plus, she doubts Johnny spun the moves on Nancy so well that she just had to leave school for him. It has to be something with Barb or the Upside Down.

Paisley sighs watching Brooke storm off. Her head dropping to her hands but she knows she'll probably be just fine tomorrow.

"Is she okay?" An unfamiliar voice makes Paisley jump. She turns around and sees Robin Buckley, a girl she hasn't talked to since 5th grade, gripping her bag and pointing towards the direction Brooke went in. "Oh—sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just asking if Brooke is okay. You're her best friend and all," Robin rambles. Of course Paisley has noticed Robin since 5th grade. She just got—prettier. Robin has always been pretty though, at least in both Brooke and Paisley's opinion.

"I—Brooke is just being Brooke," Paisley reassures the girl. Her blinking becomes non stop, a nervous tick of hers. "Um, are you—okay?" Robin asks, slightly tilting her head to look at Paisley better. "I'm fine. Great, actually. How are you, Robin?"

"Oh, you remembered my name?" Robin is taken back. "Yeah, I mean, Brooke talks about you," Paisley tries to recover. She can't somehow reveal the fact that her heart used to flutter whenever Robin would let her borrow a pencil—because a simple remembrance of someone's name would be sure to reveal that.

"Oh, really?" Robin smiles, "That's—that's cool. Um, are you sure you're okay? You just seem nervous and I don't mean to make you nervous. I like your denim jacket though. I have one similar. I'm not making you nervous, am I?" The last thing Robin wants is to be seen as the town creep by making a girl nervous.

Paisley chuckles, "No, no," She's lying, "It's just been so long since we talked that I have no idea what to say but I have to go home. I'll, uh, talk to you another day though? Is that okay?" Paisley starts to back away with a genuine smile on her face.

"Yeah! Another day!" Robin all too excitedly yells.

THE SUN IS STARTING to set. Brooke sits with her feet against the bright orange pole and her back against the wall of the gas station, a Coke and M&Ms in each of her hands. The cigarette sits steady in her mouth as she adjusts herself to inhale it and drag it away. The sky fades into orange and pink as she pops another candy into her mouth. "Bullshit," Brooke curses as she thinks once again back to Jonathan and Nancy.

Her bad case of feeling left out of things is really starting to kick her in the ass.

Brooke spots a group of older men pull in and start to over the the gas station. They each stare too long for Brooke's liking which results in her making a face at them.

"She's got an attitude," The bald man with a toothpick crouches down next to her, "That's how I like 'em." Brooke sits up straight and thinks about shoving the cigarette into the man's eye but she just puts it out on the floor next to her. "You like them underage as well then?" Brooke scoffs.

"Underage is bullshit. How old are you?" The man reeks of alcohol and Brooke hopes he wasn't the one driving. "Young enough that you'll get put in jail, bastard," Brooke goes to stand up but the man stands with her and grabs her wrist. Brooke tugs and she can hear the other men laughing, "Let fucking go, perv."

"I'm not no perv. I just wanna talk," He smiles and the first thing Brooke notices is the missing teeth. She tugs harder and harder but he won't let go. Brooke glances at the Coke bottle. How much trouble can she get in if it's self defense?

They're all laughing at her like it's a game, like they do this normally to underage girls. "We have room one more," He says. "Fuck you!" Brooke smashes the bottle against the man's head and he immediately stumbles backwards. His gross friends gasp but quickly look at Brooke who is holding the now sharp end of the bottle.

"Oh, this'll be fun," The tall brunette man launches himself at Brooke but she shoves the broken bottle towards him. "Fuck off, man. I'll stab you," Brooke threatens. "That's a lie and you know it!"

Brooke knows full well it isn't. She'll do what she has to do and deal with it later. They're all staring at her like meat, it makes her sick to her stomach.

"Hey! What's going on?" Brooke almost wishes the men would've kidnapped her at the sound of Steve Harrington coming over in attempt to be her knight in shining armor. "Nothing of your concern," The brunette says. The bald one finally manages to get up, "You smacked me on the head with a damn bottle. That's assault!"

"And you're trying to fuck a 17 year old girl. Who's the worst story here?" Brooke continues to hold out the bottle at the men. The biggest man, at least 6'3 nods at Steve, "She yours?" His country accent thick with his words.

Brooke and Steve glance at each other and back at the men. "No," Brooke answers.

"Yes." Brooke glares at Steve. Yes? No way he just said yes. Doesn't matter if she's about to be kidnapped—the answers is and always will be no.

The men scoff at the opposite answers. The brunette man steps closer to Steve and Brooke shoves the broken bottle at him, "Backup." He throws his hands up, "Woah, come get her!" The man laughs at the anger coming off of Brooke.

"I got her," Steve grabs Brooke by the wrist and she fights back but his grip only gets tighter. He keeps his eyes on the men to make sure they aren't following them. His false sense of being calm wavers when Brooke yells.

"I hope you have a concussion, asshole!" Brooke throws the bottle at them as one last thing to piss them off but Steve just tugs her all the way over to his car in the corner spot of the parking lot.

Brooke roughly pulls her wrist from Steve's grip but Steve just willingly lets her go, ready for whatever curse words she's about to throw at him. "What the fuck, Harrington? I should've let that guy stab you! Why'd you say yes?"

Steve leans against his car, "Okay, well, you didn't let him. Maybe there is a little angel on your shoulder, Martel." He tries to joke to ease the tension but Brooke just continues the glare into him. "Okay, they were going to hurt you, Brooke."

"I can obviously handle myself, Steve," Brooke drags out his name. "No shit but you can take on four dudes?" Steve whispers in case they somehow hear him. "I've fought grown men—before," Brooke says. Steve doesn't realize she's referring to her own father. Never full brawls but enough that makes Brooke think at night.

"Those guys look like they could crush you—"

"Why do you suddenly give a shit about me? You break up with Nancy for one day and suddenly I'm the girl you choose as a rebound?"

"You aren't anywhere close to a rebound, Brooke. You're not even in the ball park of that so don't you worry!"

Brooke steps back. She squeezes her cheeks together to the point where she can feel her teeth cutting into them. Brooke closes her eyes, trying to calm herself down. The Demogorgon flashes through her head and she opens her eyes. Steve pretends he didn't seem to notice her panic in her eyes but, Steve did. He just doesn't want to anger her more by caring.

"We aren't friends, Harrington. You don't need to protect me," Brooke says. She wants to walk away but somewhere in the back of her mind, she is stuck in place waiting for an answer from him. Steve laughs to himself a bit, thinking how stubborn Brooke can really be.

"I don't need to—you're right. Maybe I mistaked you for someone who doesn't just care about herself last night," Steve roughly opens the car door, "Bye, Brooke."

She doesn't say a word. Brooke just backs up so that Steve doesn't run her over. When he finally leaves the area, that's when Brooke notices how dark it is now. All the adrenaline from the men and Steve dies down as she exits the gas station property. The heels of her palms wipe away tears before they can reach her cheeks.

BROOKE REACHES HER HOME only to faintly hear yelling the closer she gets. Brooke panics as she hears things crash within the house. She runs towards the door, her mind sending her back to her old house and how the yelling could be heard from the curb.

Her hand twists the doorknob but something is blocking her way. Brooke takes a deep breath and starts smacking her shoulder into the door but it isn't budging. "Fuck!" Brooke curses. A door slams and Brooke can hear Hopper yell at El to come back.

She hears the piercing scream before the windows to the right of her shatter. Brooke holds her hand over her head to protect herself. The scream stops and the glass clatters to the ground. Brooke hesitates to move her hands from her head but eventually she does. Her chest heaving as she tries the door again.

"Hopper!" Brooke smacks her fist into the door. She hears grunting on the other side and then another crash before the door opens. Hopper stands in front of her panting and a bit frazzled from what just happened.

"Brooke—"

Brooke collapses into Hopper's arms. She finally feels safe enough with someone to just crumble when she gets home. Brooke never wanted to put that burden on Danny. Their parents never really bothered to care. The one time she remembers is when Will was found dead. Hopper takes a second but he hugs her back and closes the door.

"Alright, kid. You're okay," He whispers even though he's trying to calm himself down from El's actions. Hopper doesn't even know what happened while Brooke was out. He just held her, no questions asked.