CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
MYSTERY GIRLFRIENDS

Kimmy was supposed to arrive at the Harrington household early the next morning so she and Aaron could walk up to Dustin's to surprise the boy who was arriving home from camp that day.

Aaron was crouched on the couch in the living room, looking out the window as he waited for the girl to arrive nervously. Truthfully the boy was concerned that she wasn't coming anymore, she was now ten minutes late, and she was never late.

Steve scoffed from where he stood in the kitchen as he watched Aaron place his hands to the window and around his eyes so he could see better.

"This is a new extreme, Aaron." The older boy shook his head when he walked into the living room and sat down next to where Aaron was crouching on the couch. "You're waiting at the window for her now? Come on, you're not a dog."

"Shut up." Aaron retorted, not bothering to look at his brother as he waited expectantly for the girl. "I can wait at the window if I want, I have nothing better to do."

"Yeah," Steve scoffed, pausing as he took a spoonful of his cereal before talking again. "That much is obvious."

"Steve, how much times do I have to tell you?" Aaron sighed frustratedly, turning away from the window to face his brother. "Do not eat food anywhere but the kitchen, you will spill it and I don't want to clean it!"

Steve rolled his eyes, still not making any effort to move. "Don't be so dramatic, why would you have to clean it up?"

"Are you being serious right now?" Aaron asked his brother, a look of disbelief on his face. "Look me in the eye right now and tell me you would clean it up yourself."

Steve scrunched his face up in thought, shrugging his shoulders after a moment. "No, probably not."

"Exactly." Aaron sighed, placing a hand to cover his eyes in slight frustration. "So please get off the couch when you're eating that-"

The doorbell ringing cut the boy off, Aaron standing from the couch so abruptly that he fell over and tripped on his feet, Steve laughing from his spot still on the couch.

Aaron stood and rushed to the door, waiting for a moment so it didn't look like he'd been waiting for her to arrive like he had been.

The blond tried to fix his hair that had gone slightly scuffed when he'd fallen, Aaron smoothing his hands over his hair and running a hand through it to try fix it. Aaron stepped back and looked to Steve.

"Does my hair look fine?" The boy whispered, pointing to his hair as he spoke.

Steve rolled his eyes and nodded. "You look fine, Aaron."

"Okay," Aaron whispered nervously, turning back around to the door and trying to regain his composure.

Kimmy was stood on the other side of the door, sticking her hands into the pockets of her shorts and smiling to the boy.

For the first time Aaron thought forever, the girl had her hair tied back into two low, loose ponytails. Aaron had only ever seen the girl with her hair down or in two loose braids.

"Hi." Kimmy nodded hesitantly after a moment of silence, clearly no sure what to do. "What time are we going to Dustin's?"

"Soon." Aaron replied, motioning for the girl to come into the house. "Steve said he'll drive us on his way to work. Hopefully we don't pass anyone we know, he'll be wearing that god awful uniform-"

"Shut up, Aaron!" Steve yelled from the living room.

The blond ignored his brother, leading the girl into the kitchen where his brother was not.

"Do you want a popsicle?" The boy asked her calmly after taking one for himself. "I don't know how long we'll be at Dustin's, probably best to get something to eat before we go."

Kimmy shrugged reaching out to grab the popsicle he was offering her, however Aaron took it away and put it back in the freezer before she had the chance to grab it. Leaving Kimmy very confused.

"Do you want breakfast?" Aaron blurted before Kimmy had the chance to ask what he was doing. "Um... I haven't had any yet and I don't know the next time we'll eat... like I just said. And, we can eat our popsicles on the way to Dustin's?"

Kimmy seemed reluctant to answer, hesitating at what Aaron was offering.

Aaron began to panic, going to back track on his words but Kimmy replied before he could.

"Um, okay." Kimmy nodded, sounding unsure of herself as she spoke. "If you're sure, are you having?"

"Yeah," Aaron nodded, walking away from the girl as he spoke, going to get the twos breakfast. "What do you want?"

"I'll just have whatever you're having." Kimmy replied instantly, Aaron knowing she would eat whatever Aaron gave her even if she didn't like it just so she wouldn't bother him.

"Are you sure?" Aaron double checked, not wanting her to have to eat something she didn't even like. "Look, come over here and you can pick what you want-"

"No, seriously, I'll just take whatever you have." Kimmy shook her head, remaining in her spot. "Save you the extra mess."

Aaron went to tell her it wasn't a problem but stopped himself from doing so, knowing she'd just stick to her same answer.

Aaron sent her a small forced smile, nodding his head as he turned away from her and went to get her breakfast.

...

A few hours later and the party were at Dustin's house, waiting to surprise him.

Kimmy and Max we're looking out of the kitchen window, waiting to see when the car that Dustin was in would be pulling into the driveway.

Actually, it was Kimmy's assigned job, but Max had insisted it was really a two person job. Kimmy suspected the girl just didn't want to have to hear Mike complaining in her ear.

"I thought he was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago?" Kimmy sighed tiredly from her spot at the kitchen window, leaning her head in her palm.

"I know, me too." Max agreed, moving away from the window to sit on a seat at the kitchen table, Kimmy moving to do the same.

"I don't think we should be doing this, really." Kimmy shook her head, talking in a quiet voice so the people in the other room wouldn't hear. "You know Dustin, he'll lose his shit."

"I know!" Max laughed in response, motioning to the kitchen door. "That's exactly what I told Lucas, but he told me that he knew Dustin better and that he'd be fine. Dustin will not be fine! He'll have a heart attack when he comes home to find us here!"

"Exactly." Kimmy nodded, she too now laughing. "I seriously think we'll have to take him to the hospital."

"Well all I know is that we aren't going to the hospital with him." Max continued, grabbing a piece of her red hair and messing around with it. "It won't be our fault, we said a million times it was a bad idea."

"Yeah, we'll be shopping and they'll be trying to resuscitate Dustin after he passed out from shock- oh fuck." Kimmy cut her laughs off as she stood from her spot at the table and rushed to the window at the sound of a car door slamming, only to find that Dustin was currently getting out the car and was making his way to the front door. "Shit!"

"Guys!" Kimmy yelled at the party as she left the kitchen. "He's here, sorry we got distracted-"

"How the hell did the two of you manage to mess up the easiest job that was given?" Lucas scoffed at the two.

"Shut up, Lucas." Max scoffed, rolling her eyes as she moved to hide behind the wall just like everyone else had done, Kimmy following her friend and doing the same.

The second that everyone was hidden behind the wall, a slam of the front door could be heard, then Dustin mumbling to himself until finally the slam of his bedroom door.

"Okay, go." Mike whispered to Eleven, the girl nodding and closing her eyes. Seconds later her nose was dripping blood.

It didn't take long for the toys that the group had set up for Eleven to move from the boys bedroom to the living room where they were all waiting.

"Okay," Dustin sighed to himself, fear clear in his tone. "You're okay. You're dreaming."

The boy was obviously right behind the wall the group was hiding behind, walking right past where they were hiding.

"Now." Kimmy heard Mike whisper to Eleven, the girl instantly snapping her eyes open and the toys stopped moving.

The group then creeped out from behind the wall, Kimmy going first and Max following close behind her.

The group were as quiet as they could be as they creeped up behind the boy who was now crouched in front of his toys, picking them up and examining them peculiarly. The boy also had a can of hairspray that he had obviously grabbed to protect himself.

Mike handed each of his friends a party noisemaker to blow to surprise the boy, Lucas grabbing the poster the group had made for the boy.

Kimmy noticed that Mike and Aaron had gotten into a minor argument over the fact that Aaron didn't want to take one of the party noisemaker that had been in Mike's hand the entire time.

Eventually Mike gave in, meaning Aaron didn't have to put one in his mouth - that would probably have the boy throwing up.

The group crept right up behind Dustin, Max motioning for everyone to stop as she counted down from three on her fingers.

When the girl nodded, each of them blew their noisemakers hard to make a loud noise to try surprise the boy.

Obviously, Dustin was surprised. Snapping around and screaming, spraying the hairspray in his hand at the boy stood directly in front of him. This boy being Lucas.

Lucas dropped the poster in his hand and began to scream. Dustin in too much shock to actually realise what he was doing.

To put it lightly, Dustin freaked out. Just like Kimmy and Max said he would.

"Dustin!" Kimmy yelled over the two boys screaming, carefully walking over to the boy and pushing the hairspray can down gently. "It's just us!"

Dustin seemed to blink in realisation, a sheepish expression on his face. The boy Kimmy was now stood next to turning around to apologise to Lucas, however Max had already dragged the boy with hairspray in his eyes into the kitchen to try help him.

"Sorry," Dustin mumbled but soon a wide smile took over his face. The boy reaching foreword and engulfing Kimmy in a tight hug that had the girl laughing in surprise. "I missed you guys."

"We missed you too." Kimmy laughed as the boy let go of her, Dustin going to greet his other friends who were standing expectingly in front of him.

However the boy halted, a look of remembrance on his face as he suddenly stopped himself.

"Oh, I have to show you guys something!" Dustin gushed excitedly, the boy with curly hair walking away towards his room, motioning for Kimmy, Aaron, El, Mike and Will to follow him.

"Okay," Dustin sighed as the group sat down on the floor of his bedroom, waiting patiently for whatever it was the boy had to show him. "Two seconds."

The boy then carefully grabbed a big bag he had and carefully took it out of his bag, lifting whatever it was carefully, turning to show the group with a wide grin.

"I call it... The Forever Clock!" Dustin exclaimed as he showed the group a spinning tower he had made out of popsicle sticks, something he had made while at camp. "Cool right? It's powered by wind. Very useful in the apocalypse."

The boy then shoved it into Will's hands, the boy obviously confused by this as he looked down at it with a puzzled expression. Dustin turning away from the group and grabbing something else he had made while away.

"Then I give you... The Slammer." Kimmy's eyes widened drastically as the boy shoved a moving hammer in her face, pretending to wack her with it before moving it away with a laugh. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Once again, the boy turned away, reaching down to grab another big bag, dropping it to the floor and opening it with an excited expression.

Kimmy would be lying if she said she wasn't even a little excited about what Dustin was about to show them.

"This is my masterpiece. I would like you to meet..." Dustin then completely opened the bag so they could see, Kimmy blinking in confusion as she looked down to all the wires and metal with a puzzled expression. "Cerebro."

"Okay..." Kimmy trailed off with an unsure smile, still trying to look supportive even though she had no idea what he was talking about. "And what exactly is... Cerebro?"

"An unassembled one of a kind battery powered radio tower." Dustin exclaimed excitedly, Kimmy wondering why he would think that Kimmy would understand what he was talking about.

"Okay..." Kimmy smiled, trying to look excited but her voice of hesitance let her down.

"It's a ham radio." Dustin sighed when he realised that none of his friends knew what he was talking about. "The Cadillac of ham radios. This baby carries a crystal clear connection over vast distances. I'm talking North Pole to South. I can talk to my girlfriend whenever and wherever I choose."

Dustin grinned proudly at the last part, looking smug as he slipped in the fact he had a girlfriend.

Kimmy's eyes widened drastically, to the point it was probably comical. She then turned to see if her friends had heard the same thing she had, a look of great surprise also pulling on their features.

"Girlfriend?" The five of them asked all at once, completely taken aback.

Dustin looked to them smugly crossing his arms over his chest as he grinned, nodding in response.

"Are you being serious?" Aaron asked him, looking like he didn't believe him.

"Yes, I'm serious!" Dustin exclaimed, standing on his feet as he was suddenly offended. "Look, we can even go talk to her on my new radio if you don't believe me."

"Alright." Aaron shrugged. "Let's all go talk to her then."

"Alright." Dustin nodded, clearly not realising that Aaron was insinuating that he didn't believe this girl really existed.

"Here," Dustin pointed to the long bags filled with poles behind him. "Everyone take a bag."

The group did as they were told, slinging the heavy bags over their shoulders as they waited for further instructions.

"Okay, let's go." Dustin smiled excitedly at the group, zipping up his bag and picking it up, walking out of his room briskly leaving the five to follow.

"What's her name?" Mike asked curiously, holding onto El's hand tightly as he walked.

"Suzie." Dustin nodded as the group followed him. "With a 'z', she's from Utah."

"Girls go to science camp?" Will then asked, sounding extremely confused at Dustin's story.

"Suzie does." Dustin replied calmly. "She's a genius."

"Is she cute?" Mike then asked, causing Kimmy to turn around and send the boy a pointed look, urging him to shut his mouth as she motioned to the girl whose hand he held.

"Think Phoebe Cates," Dustin replied smugly, Kimmy couldn't see his face but she could just tell he was grinning. "Only hotter."

She watched Mike roll his eyes at Dustin's description, Kimmy holding back a laugh at his taken aback by expression.

"Hey, what's going on?" Max asked from her spot at the kitchen where she was still trying to clean Lucas up.

"We're going to talk to Dustin's girlfriend." Will shrugged at the two, his words causing the couple stood in the kitchen to straighten up and turn fully around to face the group with looks of surprise.

"Girlfriend?" They both asked at once, both of their voices cracking due to such surprise.

Kimmy snickered at the response of the pair, listening as Max and Lucas ran to catch up.

...

Hours later, and the group were climbing the to tallest point in the town. Kimmy wanting nothing more than to leave as she climbed the grassy hill.

"Aren't we high enough?" Will groaned from behind Kimmy, panting from exhaustion.

"Yes," Kimmy sighed, she also panting from exhaustion. "This is definitely high enough-"

"No," Dustin shook his head, miles in front of the rest of the group as he spoke happily. "The Cerebro works best at a hundred meters."

"Oh, my god." Aaron groaned at Dustin's words, sighing tiredly. "This is crazy, I'm not made to deal with this sort of thing, I'm about dying-"

"Me too." Lucas grumbled, sighing as he tried to keep his breath steady. "You know, I'm pretty sure people in Utah have telephones."

"Yeah, but Suzie's Mormon." Dustin retorted, still climbing the hill much more calmly than his friends.

"Oh, shit." Lucas gasped. "She doesn't have electricity?"

"No, that's the Amish." Max corrected from next to Lucas.

"What the hell are Mormons, Dustin?" Aaron huffed from next to Kimmy, the brunette glanced at him, holding back a laugh as she realised the boy was about two seconds away from dropping the bag he held and going home.

"Super religious white people. They have electricity and cars and stuff but..." Dustin trailed off, sighing dramatically before continuing. "Since I'm not Mormon, her parents would never approve."

"Oh, my god," Aaron scoffed at the boys words under his breath, Kimmy the only one close enough to hear.

"It's all a bit..." Dustin paused, thinking of the perfect word to describe his relationship with the mystery girl. "Shakespearean."

"Shakespearean?" Max repeated, scoffing in disbelief.

"Yeah, like Romeo and Juliet." Dustin shrugged nonchalantly. Kimmy's brows knitted together, she didn't know Suzie, but she was sure her relationship with Dustin was not as drastic as Romeo and Juliet's was.

"Right." Max nodded, Kimmy could tell from her tone that Max didn't really care, she just wanted him to be quiet.

Dustin turned around then to further explain to his friends what he meant. "Star-crossed lovers-"

"Yeah, I got it." Max smiled at the boy, trying to look sincere.

"Hey guys!" Mike yelled from behind the group, everyone turning to face the two in slight confusion. "This is fun and all, but, uh..."

Mike trailed off, unsure what to say. Kimmy knew where the two were going with their point.

"I have to go home." Eleven finished his sentence for him, smiling up at her friends calmly.

"What?" Dustin gasped in a disappointed voice, motioning behind him at the top of the hill. "But we're almost there."

"Sorry, man." Mike shrugged, grabbing a tighter hold of El's hand and pulling her back down the hill. "Curfew. Come on, let's go."

"Good luck." El smiled at the group before she turned away and allowed Mike to drag her down the hill behind him, the girl giggling as she did so.

"Curfew at four?" Dustin scoffed, checking his watch with a saddened expression.

"They're lying." Lucas spoke with a slightly annoyed tone.

"It's been like this all summer." Will told the boy with an irked expression.

"Yeah," Aaron nodded, turning to face Dustin with a slightly saddened expression as he noticed Dustin's clear disappointment. "They make up some stupid ass excuse, and then bail so they can go make out."

"It's romantic." Max sighed, trying to excuse the twos behaviour as she watched the couple leave.

"It's gross." Will corrected the girl next to him.

"It's bullshit." Dustin snapped sadly. "I just got home."

Kimmy frowned at Dustin as she caught sight of his defeated expression, moving to pat her friends shoulder reassuringly.

"It's okay, we're all still here." Kimmy smiled at the boy when she watched his lips rig up slightly as he hesitantly nodded. "And, we want to talk to your girlfriend."

"Yeah," Dustin nodded, turning to look to his friend with an appreciative look. "Their loss, right? Suzie awaits!"

Dustin then began walking up the hill again much faster than everyone else was, this causing the group to groan in slight annoyance.

"You don't actually believe Suzie is real?" Aaron asked Kimmy in a whisper. "Right?"

"Of course I think she's real." Kimmy scoffed at Aaron, shaking her head at him. "Why would he lie about that, Aaron?"

Aaron rolled his eyes at the girl but didn't say anything else, shrugging as he walked along side her.

...

Well, clearly getting ahold of Dustin's girlfriend was clearly not as easy as the group thought it would be. It was now dark, and Dustin was still trying to get ahold of the girl.

"Suzie!" The boy yelled into the radio once more, much to the displeasure of his group of friends with him. "This is Dustin. Do you copy? Over."

The boy received nothing but static in response, Dustin letting out a frustrated sigh.

The five that were with Dustin were almost asleep, each of them struggling to keep their eyes open.

Will was lying on his back with his eyes closed and Kimmy actually thought that the boy had managed to fall asleep.

Lucas and Max were also lying down quite close next to each other, Max leaning her head on his shoulder as she drifted in and out of consciousness, Lucas had his arm resting above her shoulders.

Kimmy actually had fallen asleep but she would always wake up after about thirty minutes, the girl slipping in and out of consciousness.

Kimmy was not lying down, neither was Aaron. Although the blond had his knees up whereas Kimmy had her legs tucked to the side slightly. Just like when the two had gone for ice cream, they were sat far closer than they needed to be. In fact, Aaron had actually let Kimmy rest her head on his shoulder as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Suzie, this is your Dustin." The curly haired boy tried again, sounding frustrated. "Do you copy? Over."

Just as Kimmy felt her consciousness slipping away once again, she snapped up. Max's abrupt voice taking her by surprise. The brunette placing her hands to her eyes as she tried to wake herself up properly.

"Dustin, come on!" Max spoke loudly, clearly frustrated. "She's not there."

"She's there, alright?" Dustin dismissed with a scoff. "She'll pick up."

"Maybe Cerebro doesn't work." Will sighed, sitting up from where he had been lying on the grass.

"Or maybe, Suzie doesn't exist." Lucas snapped at the boy, Dustin sending him a look of offence as he looked to her.

"Don't say that, Lucas." Kimmy dismissed as she yawned. "She exists-"

"Yes, thank you, Kimmy." Dustin nodded in her direction before turning back to Lucas. "She exists."

"She's a genius and she's hotter than Phoebe Cates?" Lucas scoffed, not believing Dustin one bit. "No girl is that perfect."

Max sat up swiftly, turning to look down at Lucas with a very much annoyed look. "Is that so?"

Lucas sat up next, looking to her with a panicked expression as he stuttered on what to say.

"I mean..." Lucas trailed off, panic taking over him as he realised what he had said. You're perfect. I mean, like, per-perfect in your own way. In your special- in your own special way."

Max smiled at him, chuckling as her cheeks went slightly pink. "Relax, I was teasing."

Lucas let out a sigh of relief, forcing a smile on his face as he nodded frantically at her.

"I'm obviously perfect, and Dustin's obviously lying." Max spoke frustratedly, Dustin sending her a look of irritation.

Aaron let out a noise of agreement, Kimmy instantly hitting him over the head lightly and shutting him up.

"Come on, Don Juan." Max held her hand out for Lucas to take, the boy grabbing her hand and standing instantly. The couple walking away from the group.

"Where are you going?" Dustin scoffed.

"Home!" Max yelled as she and Lucas continued walking, not bothering to look behind her as she spoke.

Will instantly stood next, rushing to leave while he still had the chance.

"Will!" Dustin yelled after him. "Where are you going?"

"Um... it's really late. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow we can play D&D, like we used to?" Will tried to excuse, offering Dustin a half smile.

"Yeah, sure." Dustin replied sadly, Kimmy worried the boy was on the brink of tears.

"Welcome home." Will sent Dustin a smile before turning and walking away.

Aaron stood, pulling Kimmy up with him. The girl  knew Aaron was trying to leave while everyone else was, but Kimmy felt too bad leaving Dustin himself when he was already so upset.

"Aaron." Kimmy scolded him in a whisper as he tried to walk away. "We are not leaving him alone."

Aaron sighed and rolled his eyes, reluctantly moving back to where the two had once stood so Dustin wouldn't know he had tried to leave.

"Yeah," Dustin turned to face Aaron and Kimmy with an irritated look as he mocked Will's words. "Welcome home-"

The boy was cut off as the radio rang loudly, distorted voices coming through the radio.

Dustin grabbed the radio instantly, falling over the bottom of the radio while rushing to answer.

Kimmy and Aaron walked up to him, kneeling in front of him curiously.

"Shit," Dustin sighed as he answered the radio. "Suzie? Suzie, is that you?"

Instead of a teenage girl replying, an older man speaking in a language Kimmy didn't recognise could be heard. Kimmy looking to Dustin with a startled expression as she began to worry.

Dustin instantly increased the volume listening to the man talk with a startled expression.

Suddenly, the radio cut off. The man's voice cutting short leaving the three looking to each other with puzzled expressions.

"What the fuck was that?" Aaron whispered to Dustin, his brows raised and eyes wide.

"I don't know." Dustin murmured, before he looked to the two with a startled expression. "Russian spies?"

Kimmy rolled her eyes at the boys words, not believing him for one second. Although, she'd soon come to regret not taking him seriously.

...

New chapter!!!

Also I updated the playlist at the very start of the story so yeah that's not important at all I just felt like saying lol.

Anyway super SUPER excited for season 3 to really start!!!

- AJ :)