CHAPTER TWELVE
HEATHKIT HAM SHACK

Kimmy was sat on her bed as she colored in the corner of one of her many school books, bored out of her mind as she had failed to attend school that day due to her awkward start to the morning.

She felt horrible for each of her new friends, though she thought it may be best to leave contacting them until the day after, knowing they'd probably all wish to be themselves while grieving.

She didn't really know what to do with herself. She didn't have anywhere to go, or anyone who wanted to see her in that moment.

Well, that was until a blaring ring from the phone in the hall cut through the air, causing the girl to flinch before jumping up from her seat on her bed and rushing to the bedroom door.

Kimmy hesitated as she went to answer the phone, placing a hand to her mouth in hope to calm her breathing before picking it off the receiver.

"Hello?" She asked breathlessly, instantly placing her hand to her head as she scrunched her eyes closed in frustration.

"Hello- hi, uh, can I talk to Kimberley?" The voice asked nervously, Kimmy instantly knew who it was. "Can you tell her it's Aaron calling? Aaron Harrington?"

Just as Kimmy went to answer him, the boy spoke up again.

"I'm sorry to be a bother, but can you tell her it's urgent?" He emphasised, sounding stressed as he began to ramble. "Sorry, sorry- that was rude. But-"

Kimmy snapped up, straightening her back as her brows raised. Asking the following question with a hint of surprise in her voice. "Aaron?"

What was he doing calling her after his friend had just died? And how could he sound so... unbothered by it?

"Kimmy? Yeah, it's me. Listen, you're never gonna guess what happened." He paused, though Kimmy wasn't sure if it was for emphasis or simply because he was so excited over what he was to share next. "Will is alive! I swear, Eleven found him."

Kimmy was silent. She didn't know what to say, what could she say? Tell him he was crazy? No. But Kimmy had seen his dead body with his own eyes, as had Aaron.

When Kimmg didn't say anything in response, Aaron spoke up once more sounding more hesitant than before.

"I know it sounds weird but we heard him on the walkie." Aaron emphasised, doing his best to convince the girl.

However this attempt did not work, as Kimmy was completely convinced that the boy had gone crazy and had formed this story as some sort of coping mechanism.

"Are you sure it was Will?" She asked eventually, hesitance fairly evident in her voice as she asked. The last thing Kimmy wanted to do was outwardly tell the boy she didn't believe him. "I mean, it's easy to tap into-"

"I swear it's Will!" He injected sounding desperate. "We're going to the school to use Mr Clarke's HeathKit ham shack-"

"What the hell is that?" Kimmy blurted without meaning to, her voice raising in confusion as she felt her brows furrow on their own accord.

"It's a stronger radio, it basically- never mind it's not important." Aaron huffed, catching himself before he went on a spiral. "We need you to meet us at Mike's, we need help with the weirdo."

Kimmy's brows furrowed further, the faintest of frowns pulling on her lips as she listened to him. "What, right now?"

"Yeah! We need your help, it is urgent!" Aaron stressed, Kimmy didn't need to see his face to know it was scrunched up in frustration. "Just- leave now and be as fast as you can. Okay?"

Kimmy sighed and went to agree despite not knowing what exactly it was she was agreeing to. "Okay-"

"Okay, great." Aaron cut her off once more, the tone of his voice telling Kimmy he was a lot calmer already. "I gotta go. Thanks, I owe you."

"What-" the ring of the phone line cut Kimmy off, leaving her utterly perplexed as she stood holding the phone to her ear for several more moments before shaking her head and rushing off to find her shoes.

Kimmy wished she could have gone back in time a few hours and warn herself that the stress she would endure due to Aaron's frantic phone call would be wasted and that there was no need.

Seeing as the urgent call for her was simply to dress up Eleven.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" She asked with an unamused expression on her face, glancing at the five staring back at her with a puzzled expression.

Mike looked to her with wide eyes, his brows scrunching as he huffed and walked over to her, placing a pile of make up he had found in her arms as he looked to her with a look of frustration.

"We need to go to the school to use the HeathKit ham shack to contact Will again," Mike emphasised, Kimmy did nothing in response, her confusion sinking further as she already knew this. "An Eleven has to come with us for it to work."

Kimmy was left more confused than when she had asked, how on earth had she tied into this plan? She did not know for the life of her.

"Right," she muttered after a brief pause. "And what exactly am I supposed to do about that?"

She watched Mike sigh, scrunching his eyes closed as he thought over his next words. "I just told you that we need Eleven to come with us to the school."

Despite his efforts, the boy wasn't helping Kimmy in the slightest. "Yeah, and what does that have to do with me-"

"We need you to make her look normal." Lucas interupted with a calm expression, shrugging his shoulders seemingly unfazed before Aaron smacked his shoulder looking to him with a look of concern as he spoke up.

"Not normal, Lucas." Aaron scolded with a shake of his head as he motioned to the small girl without even looking at her. "She's right there, she has ears. Just because she's a weirdo and can't speak doesn't mean she's not normal. She's just... a weirdo. Like, super weird, but still-"

"Alright, we get it," Mike injected with a roll of his eyes, turning to the boys as he spoke before shifting back to Kimmy just as quickly. "We need her to blend in. So just, do her make up nice or something. You know, like girls do."

Kimmy furrowed her brows but said nothing, she wasn't the best at make up. She'd only done her own on a few occasions and to say it was bad would be an understatement. She wasn't allowed to have any of her own, but she had played around with some of her mothers old products a few times.

"Uh- okay," she replied unsurely, watching as Mike urged Eleven to follow Kimmy into the bathroom. Kimmy turned and began walking rather awkwardly towards the bathroom which was down in the basement.

Kimmy placed the pile of clothes and make up on the shelf just above the sink, pulling on her sleeves hesitantly as she waited for the girl to make her way into the room and close the door behind her- sure to leave some space between the edge of the door and the door frame.

"So," Kimmy begun, somewhat nervously as she picked up the make up which she had placed down previously. "Uh- this is probably strange to you, but I'm basically away to paint your face."

To say the girl looked horrified would be an understatement, her eyes widened and she backed away in fear.

Kimmy was quick to correct herself, shaking her head as she sat on the edge of the bathtub. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just mean that I'll do your make up for you. Or, I'll try."

Kimmy waved her hand urging the girl to sit next to her so she could start, which she hesitantly did.

However, Kimmy was correct to assume her skills in the beauty department would let her down. Five minutes later, Kimmy huffed slamming the large powder brush on the floor as she rose from her seat, making her way to the door as she threw it open.

"Mike!" She called, waving her hand at him to come over. Instantly, Mike rushed over, leaving the three boys to look to him curiously as they rummaged through a box of old clothes.

"I can't, I give up. You'll have to do it." Kimmy huffed, walking over to the side of the room where Dustin, Lucas and Aaron had once been but were there no longer. Instead they had trailed behind Mike to catch a glimpse at the girl. "This is crazy, why does she need the make up anyway?"

Kimmy went to say something else but halted as the boys at the door began hysterically laughing before Mike slammed the door in their faces.

"Oh, my god." Dustin huffed through laughs. "Holy shit."

Kimmy rolled her eyes at him, turning to look through the box of old clothes as the three slowly made their way over to her, helping the girl look through the box in hope to find something somewhat presentable for the girl to wear.

"You know, it wasn't that bad," Aaron murmured to her quietly, the two other boys messing around with a blond wig they had found. "I actually think you did pretty good. Especially for your first try."

Kimmy looked to him with a sheepishly amused grin. "Don't lie, Aaron," she snickered. "It was shit."

Aaron shrugged, the faintest of grins pulling on his own lips as he scrunched his nose in thought. "Alright, it was quite shit."

Kimmy let out a quiet laugh as she pushed his shoulder back and moved to rummage through the box once again.

...

Around an hour later, the six twelve year olds were roaming the halls of their middle school in search for the HealthKit ham shack. Kimmy had no idea where they were going or what the HealthKit ham shack even looked like, so she settled on following behind.

Now, Eleven didn't have ugly splurges of make up on her face as she had when Kimmy had done her make up. Instead, Mike she made her look somewhat presentable.

She also had a blonde wig on in hope to make her look somewhat more presentable, the same blonde wig which Dustin and Lucas had been messing around with earlier.

Kimmy was actually surprised that her wig hadn't fallen off on the bike ride over, where she was sat on the back of Mike's bike while Kimmy was sat on the back of Aaron's seeing as neither the two had a bike of their own.

"Okay, remember," Mike announced to the group as he turned with his hand pointed in almost a lecture like way. "If anyone sees us, look sad."

Mike turned away, unknowingly leaving Eleven puzzled as she turned to Kimmy and Dustin with a perplexed look on her face.

Kimmy and Dustin shared a glance before making exagerated sad faces as they pretended to cry, eventually the girl got the jist. Sticking her bottom lip out as she drew her pointer finger down her cheek to immigrate crying.

The next corner the group took, Kimmy knew was the groups destination despite never being told. She knew just with the way Mike began hastily walking towards one door in particular.

The Audio Visual Room.

Though just as he turned to door handle, he realised that it was locked as he was met with nothing but the dirty brown wooden door in the face.

"It's locked," Mike sighed as he stepped away after his many attempts to open the very obviously locked door.

"Really?" Aaron muttered to Lucas in a teasing tone from infront of Kimmy, a smirk pulling at his lips as he spoke. "I could have sworn it didn't take seven tries of the door to realise that? Usually only takes one, guess not."

Aaron and Lucas began to snicker though no one payed the two any attention, instead Dustin pushing through them with a worried expression on his face.

"Do you think you can open it?" Dustin asked Eleven, a hopeful look on his face. "With your powers?"

Eleven didn't get the chance to reply because just as she opened her mouth, Mr Clarke walked around the corner with furrowed brows. "Boys."

The six children flinched violently, snapping around to meet their teacher's gaze with worried expressions.

"Assembly for Will's about to start." Mr Clarke begun with a sorrow filled voice and a saddened expression.

"We know." Mike replied at once, a faux look of concern on his face as he rummaged through his brain to find a reasonable excuse. "We're just, you know..."

"Upset." Lucas finished for him with an airy laugh, however he quickly corrected this and forced his lips down into a frown.

"Yeah," Dustin stammered, clearly panicked. "Definitely upset."

"We're just far too upset to go to the assembly, Mr Clarke." Aaron sighed with his face pulled into a sad expression and his brows furrowed in disappointment. "I hope you... understand, why we can't go-"

"I get it, I do." The man cut him off by saying, the sadness never leaving him as he looked at the children before him. "I know how hard this is, but let's just be there for Will, huh?"

Silence.

No one said anything, Kimmy presumed they were all too worried they'd slip up if any of them opened their mouths.

"But listen," the man carried on when no one answered him, digging through his pockets before fishing out some keys from them, throwing them to Mike. "After, the HeathKit is all yours. For the rest of the day, what do you say?"

Kimmy tilted her head to catch a glimpse at the boys she was stood with, only to find each of them very poorly trying to hide their grins.

Dustin nodded his head rapidly, going to say something before the man turned his attention away from him.

"I don't believe we've met." Mr Clarke stammered in surprise as he looked to Eleven, horror already sinking within Kimmy as she truly began to panic for the girl. "What's your name?"

Eleven seemed taken aback that the man had actually turned and spoken to her, pausing for a moment before going to mutter her name. "El-"

"Eleanor!" Mike cut off loudly, frustration clear in his voice. "She's my, uh-"

"Cousin!" Lucas jumped in abruptly, hoping to continue the lie.

"Second cousin." Dustin unnecessarily elaborated.

"She's here for Will's funeral." Mike sighed, though Kimmy was unsure if he was sighing for affect or if he was truly relieved.

"Well, welcome to Hawkins Middle, Eleanor." Mr Clarke said warmly, though Kimmy could tell by his face that he looked awkward reguarding the situation. "I wish you were here under better circumstances."

Eleven looked around the group unsurely once more, before hesitantly answering the man. "Thank you."

Kimmy bit the inside of her cheek as she watched the interaction, wanting nothing more than to walk away and get the assembly over with.

This wish was crushed as the man felt the need to open his mouth once more.

"Uh, where are you from exactly?" He asked with a puzzled look on his face, the sadness now gone from his voice.

Eleven's eyes widened, fear coating her features as she shook her head. "Bad place-"

"Sweden!" Dustin cut off with an exagerated smile.

"I have a lot of Swedish family." Mike shrugged in attempt to look calm, though Kimmy could see the way he was tense with worry.

"Cold," Lucas added with a concerned look on his face. "."

"Subzero." Dustin shrugged with a smug tone, showing off his useless knowledge on the country.

"Yeah, she hates it there." Aaron shrugged nervously, his hands burried in his pockets, though Kimmy could tell this was to stop him from fidgeting. "They all hate it there. Uh- her family I mean. Obviously not everyone hates Sweden, but I know for a fact she and her family do, because I spoke to them about it. I know for a fact that her family who are right at this very moment at Mike's house and nowhere else hate where they live. Which is Sweden-"

"Aaron," Lucas whispered, cutting off his rambles with a frustrated stare. The same frustrated stare that the other five were sending him.

"Sorry," Aaron mumbled sheepishly to Mr Clarke. "I don't know why I said all that."

The teacher didn't say anything in response, simply looking to the boy with an almost worried expression before shifting his gaze away from him.

Kimmy watched as Aaron's once tense shoulders instantly dropped as the attention was moved off him.

"Shall we?" Mr Clarke asked quietly, ushering the group towards the direction of the hall.

"Yep!" Lucas replied instantly, each person as eager as the next to move past that conversation.

...

The group arrived at the assembly not even two minutes later, though the assembly had begun about ten minutes ago.

Dustin flung the door to the gym open before freezing as all eyes moved to the group, causing the other children behind him to crash into each other.

"Abort." Dustin whispered frantically, moving to walk back down the hall which he had come from before Lucas stopped him. "Abort, mission."

Sheepishly, the group made their way up the bleachers, each sitting as the principal continued as if nothing had happened.

Kimmy was sat between Dustin and Aaron, though the words which were flowing from the man's mouth in the centre of the room fell short with the girl as all she could suddenly hear was a blur.

The only thing she found herself able to focus on was the constant harsh bouncing of Aaron's leg as well as his shaky hands as he messed around with his black watch.

Kimmy nudged him, though he payed no mind. Instead the bouncing of his knee and the shaking of his hands got worse.

"Are you alright?" She whispered to him, watching as the boy snapped his head to her with a startled look on his face.

"Yeah," Aaron whispered back, a hesitant look on his face. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He certainly didn't sound very convincing, not to Kimmy at least.

"Your knee is bouncing and your hands are shaking." She mumbled in response, hoping she didn't come off too harsh. "You're messing around with your watch, you only do that when you're nervous."

Aaron looked taken aback, he was.

"What?" He replied in a quiet voice, brows tugged down as a look of worry tugged on his features. "I don't do that when I'm nervous."

Kimmy tilted her head to the side as if to say she didn't believe him, her face clearly displaying confusion. "What? Yes you do. You ramble too, like you did back there with Mr Clarke."

"Uh- I, I didn't realise." Aaron mumbled, though he didn't look annoyed. He simply looked taken aback, like he was deep in thought, trying to memorise anytime he may have done so in the past.

Kimmy looked to him a brief moment longer before turning her attention from him and towards the middle of the room.

Neither the two of them said anything until a few long moments later, when the assembly was announced as over and everyone could leave.

As the group were climbing down the bleachers, Kimmy suspected neither of them would utter another word to each other the rest of the day. The girl convincing herself she had made things awkward by pointing Aaron's quirks out to him. However Kimmy didn't see them as quirks, nothing bad at all.

Well, Kimmy was soon ripped from her own thoughts as Aaron froze in his spot next to her, a wide eyed expression on his face as he looked to Mike who was walking rather quickly ahead of them.

"What the fuck is he doing?" Aaron muttered with utter dismay, turning to face Kimmy as he grabbed the sleeve of her jacket and pulled her back. "Don't follow him, Kimmy! He's nuts walking up to Troy like that, he's going to get his ass handed to him."

"Hey!" Mike called as he stormed up to the boy ahead of him. "Hey, Troy!"

Kimmy watched with a wary expression as Mike's confidence drastically faltered as the boy turned to face him, a sneer present on his face.

"You..." Mike trailed off, seemingly doubting himself before speaking up again. "You think this is funny?"

"Jesus," Aaron mumbled, pulling Kimmy back even further by her sleeve and he too took several steps back, evidently terrified of the older boy. "He is literally asking for a black eye! What the hell is he doing?"

"What'd you say, Wheeler?" The older boy scoffed as his face scrunched up in anger.

"I- I saw you guys laughing over there." Mike stammered before shaking his head and forcing himself to push his worry down. "And I think that's a real messed up thing to do."

"Didn't you listen to the counselor, Wheeler? Grief shows itself in funny ways." Troy scoffed, laughing as he spoke. "Besides, what's there to be sad about anyway?"

Kimmy felt Aaron tense next to her, jolting almost as he listened to the boy bad mouth his friend. Had Aaron not have been scared shitless of the boy, he'd have probably said something. In fact, he'd definitely of said something.

He'd never outwardly said anything to the girl, but Kimmy knew that Troy have him bother and she knew that he'd been the one to burst his lip when she'd noticed in the woods.

Kimmy turned to look at the boy, and the second she caught sight of his face she was no longer interested in listening on the argument taking place before her. While everyone else she had caught sight of looked surprised at the outburst, some even laughing, Aaron looked... scared?

He looked even more horrified as the boy pushed Mike to the floor, taking another step back.

It was then that Kimmy turned her attention towards the commotion, she only really caught the end of it, but she physically jolted in surprise.

Troy was stood in the middle of the gym pissing his pants.

The entire gym began roaring with laughter, even the corners of Kimmy's lips pulling up at the sight. It was only when the girl in the blonde wig rushed past with a bloody nose, Mike, Lucas and Dustin rushing behind her, did Kimmy tear her eyes from the boy and come to her senses.

"Come on," Kimmy laughed, pulling Aaron along behind her as she rushed to keep up with the curly haired boy ahead of her. "We're falling behind. Did you see that? What Eleven did? Jesus, that was so cool."

"Yeah, I saw," Aaron mumbled in a daze, still sounding dazed as he allowed the girl to pull him along while his eyes refused to move from the scene in the middle of the room.

...

I have an 11K word chapter written of extra chapters of Kimmy and Aaron that I'll publish at the end of the story. But I need to stop writing in that chapter and actually write the story 😭.

What's your favourite movies?? Most of mines are 80s to be honest.

Anyway hoped you all enjoyed, have a good day/ night!!!!!

-AJ :)