CHAPTER SIX
BREAK-INS

The next day, Kimmy was sat at the top of the stairs just outside the school, hoping to finish her english homework which she had forgotten about the night before.

Though, she found herself distracted as she worried about her mother back at home. She was sprawled out on the couch, countless empty bottles practically drowning her body as she slept soundly. Or, at least that's how Kimmy left her.

Seeing as it was only around seven in the morning and was laying more or less how Kimmy had left her the night prior, Kimmy suspected this was an aftermath of somepoint last night. Not that morning.

The young girl had no idea where her father was that morning, she didn't care. As long as he wasn't bothering her - she couldn't have given a fuck, to be frank.

Kimmy quickly began clearing the floor as best as she could, picking up can after can until she ran out of time and had no choice but to leave for school.

And there she sat, twenty minutes later, hoping to god she could cram in time to do her homework. Because if by some miracle she didn't manage to finish it, then she wasn't attending her class. Simple as that.

And that was looking like a very likely outcome considering she couldn't keep her eyes on the paper in front of her and was either worrying about her mothers current state, or watching her fellow pupils from afar.

Currently, she was doing the latter. Watching her classmates with a blank expression and curious eyes, hoping to find a distraction.

And it wasn't long until she found it.

Catching sight of the small group she had been with the night prior. Only, today there were only three of them.

Mike Wheeler was missing from the group.

Kimmy watched from afar, not wanting to approach the group.

Lucas looked as if he was trying to defuse the situation, as Dustin had a worried expression on his face. However, where Dustin looked worried, Aaron looked as if he was on the edge of a full-blown panic attack.

Even from the distance Kimmy had been watching from, she could tell that Aaron's hands were shaking violently as he partially flung them up and a sour expression crossed his face at something Lucas had said to him. Most likely telling him to calm down.

The trio remained like that for a few of the moments which followed. Until, Aaron seemed to have had enough and after a few stressed words with his friends, Lucas and Dustin turn and walk into the school building before they are given the opportunity to be given a late tardy. While Aaron turned in the opposite direction and began walking quite rapidly, away from the school building. 

Kimmy looked down at her homework, realising she wasn't even halfway done and obviously wouldn't be finished by the time classes begun.

She then looked back up at Aaron, he wasn't too far away but he soon would be with the speed he was walking at.

In a split decision, she gathered her books and stuffed them into her bag, before slinging it over her shoulders and standing so abruptly her balance wavered.

However, Kimmy payed no mind and began chasing after her friend.

She went to call for him, but decided against it, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. Instead opting to increase her speed, to the point she was practically running after him.

She was huffing and heaving by the time she caught up to him, the only thing she needed now was to catch his attention.

Kimmy reached forward, tapping him much harsher than she had intended on the shoulder. She had plastered a smile on her face in order to calm her nerves and give off a more confident presence.

However, when Aaron snapped his head around to meet whomever had poked him, his expression was horror stricken. Eyes wide as he met her gaze, though this flattered upon realising who had been behind him.

The slight look of horror remained.

"You don't have to look so horrified to see me." Kimmy joked with a toothy grin hoping to ease the tension and snap him from his thoughts.

"I'm not horrified to see you." Aaron blurted almost instantly, still looking very much horrified.

Kimmy rolled her eyes and began walking in sync with him at his side, literally able to feel the way his hands were shaking at his sides. Causing a great surge of concern to rise in her chest.  

"Are you alright?" She questioned carefully.

"No!" Aaron blurted almost instantly, his brows furrowing as he began to wave his hands frantically in the air as he went on. "Mike didn't turn up to school today, and no one seems to care! I've tried to talk some sense into them but they seem to think he's just late or something- he's never late. What if the same person that took Will took Mike and the girl. Oh my god- what if-"

"Aaron, listen," Kimmy interjected, hesitantly placing her hands on his wrists over his jacket gently to stop the movements, however this didn't stop the shaking. "I'm sure Mike's fine. He had a plan-"

"I get what you're saying- honestly I do." Aaron replied, already sounding much calmer than he had been before. Though, still on the brink of panic. "But what if something is wrong? And I knew there was, and did nothing?"

Kimmy didn't reply. Only staring back at him with a scrunched up expression only pushing her feelings of confusion further.

She didn't know what to say to the panic-stricken boy. The last thing she wanted to say was the only thing coming to mind; calm down. She didn't though, knowing how much it would irritate her, especially in this state.

"You better get going, Kimmy," Aaron assured, motioning with his head to the building behind them. "You'll be late."

"Where are you going?" Kimmy questioned, or rather blurted. Feet remaining rooted in spot. "We have math second period-"

"I'm not going." Aaron muttered firmly yet somehow nervously.

Kimmy nodded, her suspicions from earlier confirmed. Though, this didn't stop the next question tumbling past her lips.

"So, where are you going?" She repeated, despite the need. She knew exactly where he was going.

"I'm going to Mike's." He replied with his brows furrowed, though not with confusion. With the tone of his voice, by passers may have thought the conversation was taking another direction - or that he was mad at her. Kimmy reassured herself with a single glance at his face. He wasn't mad. He was nervous, stressed - concerned. "Obviously."

Kimmy didn't say anything but nodded softly, smiling back at Aaron as he gave her what she presumed he was under the impression was a nice way of him saying goodbye.

He then turned away, picking up his pace once more. And once more, Kimmy trailed after him. Jogging once more to walk by his side.

Now, Aaron had a look of confusion as he looked to her. Opening his mouth to voice his opinion before Kimmy beat him to it.

"I haven't done my english homework," Kimmy shrugged, a nervous smile pulling at her lips - hoping he wouldn't object to her next words. "May as well tag along."

Aaron stared at her for a moment, as if debating on whether or not to argue with her or not. Kimmy assumed he was so run with panic that his mind didn't really give him an option.

"Alright," he murmured quietly, picking his pace back up the second his eyes were off her face. "We have to be fast though, okay?"

Kimmy nodded before she also picked up her pace, practically running to the home of Mike Wheeler, hoping to put the stress-run boy at some ease.

...

After what had felt like hours later, Mike Wheeler's home was in view. And Kimmy couldn't have been more grateful if she tried.

Within the first five minutes of chasing after Aaron, she was regretting not sticking out her English class.

The two were stood directly outside the back door of the house, right were the basement was. Each lost in thought at what their next move should be, until Kimmy couldn't take anymore of standing outside like a pair of stalkers and decided to open her mouth and talk for the first time since they had left the school ground.

"So," Kimmy begun, though it was rushed and she was breathing so heavily she was surprised Aaron could hear her.

She knew he had though, because he turned to face her. His cheeks slightly pink and he was also breathing heavier than he usually would - no where near as much as Kimmy was.

"What do we do now?" She mumbled, desperately hoping to control her breathing before it got to the extent it became embarrassing.

With the way Aaron looked at her she could tell he was uncertain, though she was sure that was much more in concern for himself as well as Kimmy and not so much Mike anymore.

"I'm not really sure," he admitted in a nervous tone after a short pause. "I hadn't really thought this far ahead."

Kimmy sent him a blank stare, genuinely under the impression that she had misheard him for a moment. 

"Here's a crazy idea," Kimmy attempted to joke, hoping to at least lift the mood. "How about we just knock on the front door-"

"No, we can't!" Aaron cut off in a whisper, as if scared he could be heard through the walls. "Mrs Wheeler has my mom and dad's number, they cannot know I'm skipping school."

"She might not call if we explained-"

"No we can't Kimmy, okay?" He was panicked now, she could hear it in his voice. "You don't understand, my dad would literally murder me."

Kimmy just about laughed. She would never understand? Kimmy wanted to snap back, informing him that in fact, she did understand. Probably a lot more than he'd ever suspect.

But she didn't. Instead, she kept her mouth closed.

Quickly, Kimmy averted her eyes in hope something would catch her eye and spur up an idea in her mind on its own. Something did catch her eye, though not something that could have helped much. Or, helped at all really.

Aaron's hands were back shaking ever so slightly, his eyes were dead set on the ground as he messed around with the watch on his wrist.

He was messing around with the watch on his wrist.

Kimmy didn't know Aaron well, she didn't claim to either. What she did know, was that he was a twelve year old boy who was literally a walking and talking ball of stress. And that whenever he would mess around with the black digital watch which always sat on his wrist it was obviously an indication he was either distracting himself, overwhelmingly nervous or terrified.

She just hadn't figured out which one of her three answers were correct.

Kimmy frowned at the sight, feeling complete unease as she watched him grow more and more flustered and frustrated with himself as each second ticked by them.

Obviously the topic of his parents had struck a nerve. Even if the conversation had only lasted for a moment and it had not been Kimmy's intention to spur any of these emotions from him.

"Wait," Aaron abruptly announced. "We could just sneak in-"

"Aaron, I am not breaking into his house!" Kimmy whispered at him in a firm voice, hoping to bring him to his senses.

"It's not breaking into his house," Aaron assured much more confidently than he should have been. "It's breaking into his basement. Besides, it doesn't count we're his friends-"

Technically that wasn't true. Aaron was Mike's friend, Kimmy was more of an acquaintance.

"No listen to me," Kimmy snapped, more desperate than she could ever recall sounding. "We can't do that. Do you hear me? We cannot do that, Aaron."

Aaron was already walking away from her before she had finished speaking, inching closer to the door until he was a good distance away, where he could reach out and twist the door knob if he wanted. But he didn't, not yet at least.

"We'll be fine, Kimmy." Aaron muttered halfhearted, sounding just as unsure as Kimmy was sure he must have felt. "Mike will probably be in the basement anyway, he always is. And if he's not, we'll leave."

Kimmy went to protest, a sudden feeling of dread and fear pulling on her heart strings as she watched Aaron twist the door handle open.

Although, Kimmy noticed how he wouldn't touch the handle with his hand, only his jacket after he had hid any sort of skin on his palm and hand from sight.

A flood of complaints and curses tumbled past Kimmy's lips as she reluctantly followed him inside.

Both Kimmy and Aaron looked around for a brief moment while still stood in the same spot feet away from the door.

Kimmy huffed and turned to Aaron, hoping to usher him out of the house before she literally drove herself to a stress related heart attack.

"Aaron we should go." Kimmy whispered, reaching out and pulling him back by his sleeve.

Aaron tilted his head to face her, nodding frantically, as if only realising what they had technically done.

"Yeah," he mumbled in response, opening his mouth to continue before he was cut off by the slamming of a door.

It took a moment for it to register in Kimmy's mind that it hadn't been a noise from upstairs, but rather down in the basement. The backdoor behind them which had slammed shut in a gust of wind.

"Mike?" A muffled voice called from somewhere above the two, only increasing the feeling of horror which had engulfed Kimmy's mind and her body.

Then it was the footsteps, heading down towards the basement door.

Aaron and Kimmy each snapped their heads around to catch the others eye, each of the pairs faces blown wide with fear.

"Shit," they both whispered rather harshly at eachother in perfect sync. Aaron's brain obviously not failing him as much as Kimmy's was to her, as he reached closer to her and gripped ahold of her jacket before practically dragging her across the floor and into the small bathroom. Slamming the door shut just as the one at the top of the stairs opened.

"Mike?" The older voice called once more as the sound of heels clicking against the stairs increased- Mrs Wheeler Kimmy mentally noted.

"Holy fuck," Aaron whispered under his breath, placing his hands on his head before turning on his heel in order to face the girl behind him. "I don't want to panic, but I think I'm going to panic."

Kimmy didn't know what to do besides motion for him to shut up by putting her finger to her lips, seeing as she could her Mike's mother walk around the room just behind that door.

"Holy shit, I'm panicking." Aaron rushed out in a hushed tone, obviously paying no mind to Kimmy's previous actions.

Finally, the sound of footsteps followed by a string of incoherent curses could be heard. As well as the final slam of the door upstairs.

Again, muffled voices could be heard. The voices familiar to the pair, very evidently Mike talking to his mother.

"That's Mike talking," Kimmy mumbled, hoping Aaron could catch on. "Come on, we need to go."

Aaron once again, nodded furiously, and followed her out of the bathroom as well as the basement door.

Kimmy had no idea where they were going, but she didn't think Aaron did either. As long as he wasn't planning on dragging her back to school so the pair of them wouldn't miss their math class, Kimmy didn't care.

"Holy shit," Aaron exclaimed once the two were outside and practically speed walking away from the house. "I can't believe we just did that-"

"Well, I did tell you not to!" Kimmy retorted, rather dramatically placing a shaky hand on her heart as she hoped to calm the nerves which had only increased over the short period of time in which Aaron had managed to cause her such a great deal of stress.

"I know." He muttered in response, obviously doing just as Kimmy had been doing prior in hope to also calm his rising nerves.

"You should listen to me then." Kimmy pointed out with a teasing look. "Next time you get us into another disaster like that, I mean."

Aaron let out a huff and turned to face her, the edges of his lips pulling up at her halfhearted attempt at lightening the mood.

"I know."

...

I kinda want to promote this on tiktok like I see others doing but I literally have zero talent and any attempt I made at an edit would be a disaster.

Anyway if you couldn't tell I'll be updating much more frequently now.

Don't forget to vote and comment🫶🫶🫶

-AJ :)