CHAPTER NINE
CATCH-UPS

Kimmy had been correct to assume that the invitation to the Wheeler household which Aaron had received from Mike Wheeler himself, had in fact not meant he could ask Kimmy to come along with him.

Kimmy felt extremely out of place as she watched the two twelve year old boys bicker back and forth over the girl while being stood directly in front of her.

"This is ridiculous, Aaron." Mike sighed, his face scrunched up in anger. "You can't just invite some- some stranger into the party without having a discussion with all the members."

"I never said she was a member of the party, did I?" Aaron shot back, equally as mad. "All I said was that it's only fair that Kimmy can come around when it's about the weirdo. I don't know why you're having such a fit over it-"

"It's my house!" Mike injected, his voice a slightly higher pitch than usual. "You can't just invite people over-"

"I didn't mean to intrude, Mike," Kimmy piped up apologetically in a small voice. Causing both pairs of eyes to snap over to her as their voices faded. "I'm sorry about all this. I can go home-"

"Thank you-"

"No," Aaron snapped, his brows knitted together in annoyance as he glowered at the boy in front of the pair. "We should she? If it weren't for Kimmy, we wouldn't have found the girl in the first place! She has the right to be invited to our meetings-"

"Actually, Aaron," Mike begun, his brown eyes rolling in annoyance as he turned all his attention on to the boy who's hair was a dirty blond. "She doesn't have the right to be invited to our meetings. She's not a member of the party!"

"So what?" Aaron retorted, his face scrunching up into a very much pissed off expression. "If this today has anything to do with the girl she found- which I'm guessing it does - then she has as right to be here as anyone else. The girl isn't your property, Mike-"

"I'm not saying she is my property!" Mike shot back, his cheeks flushed a deep red colour out of embarrassment. "That's beside the point! I'm sure Kimmy's a nice girl, but we can't go around inviting just anyone into the party-"

"Why not?" Aaron injected with a rough tone. "She's my friend, and she knows about the girl. Give me one reason why she can't join the party."

Mike rolled his eyes and huffed, "because-"

A large feeling of dread washed over Kimmy in that moment. She knew she wasn't wanted in the small, tightly knit friend group. That didn't feel the best. But she couldn't have expected to be accepted with open arms, to be honest it didn't really bother her that the boys weren't too keen on letting her join their party.

What did bother her, was Aaron's reasonings.

He was trying to push her into his friend group so she wasn't alone, because he felt bad for her. Perhaps he was worried she'd try something if she was left with her thoughts - if she was left alone.

He was scared she'd kill herself, and he'd be the one to blame. Because he had known she was struggling and did nothing to help.

That thought made Kimmy feel sick with guilt.

She didn't want him to lose his friends, or possibly tarnish his friendship with the small group in anyway just because she had issues.

Which is why she spoke her next words with such ease, cutting Mike Wheeler off in the process.

"It's alright, Mike I understand," she injected with a forced smile, fighting down the disappointment which she could feel building up within her. "It's your house and I shouldn't have come over uninvited, sorry about that. I'll see you guys around."

Mike sent her an awkward smile and a small wave. "Uh- yeah sorry," mike muttered after her, stumbling over his words slightly. "See you around, Kimmy."

Kimmy sent an exaggerated, forced smile back at him. Hoping to show the boy she wasn't as bothered about it as she really was.

Aaron sent her an apologetic look, frowning at her as she walked away.

Kimmy sent him a toothy smile, hoping to put the worries which were no doubt building up inside him to a rest. However, Kimmy suspected this didn't really work, because his frown remained. Only now his eyes had a slight tinge of guilt within them.

Upon seeing this, Kimmy turned quickly. Making her way from the house before she could embarrass herself any further.

Kimmy felt absolutely horrible that Aaron had taken it upon himself to carry the burden of her well being. They had only known eachother for a couple of days.

Pushing the thoughts from her head, she let out a sigh and began making the lengthy walk home.

...

The next day, Kimmy was sat in her math class with a glum look on her face. The class was more or less empty, seeing as the bell had only rang a number of seconds ago. But Kimmy had gotten to school early that morning, hoping to leave home before her parents awoke.

Because of the events the day prior, she was stuck wearing a turtle neck, seeing as that was the only way for the young girl to effectively cover the bruising without arising suspicion.

She had taken her usual seat at the front of the class, sitting in the left seat as she placed her backpack in the empty right space of the desk which sat two.

Just as she was taking her books out, someone stood to her right cleared their throat, hoping to catch her attention. Kimmy furrowed her brows as she halted her moments, glancing up only to find an extremely nervous Aaron Harrington staring back at her.

He looked more nervous than usual, and that was saying something.

"Uh- hi," his voice quiet, yet shaking slightly from built up nerves. Waving unnecessarily as he spoke. "Is someone sitting here already?" He asked hesitantly, pointing to the seat her backpack was occupying.

"No," Kimmy replied sceptically as she moved her bag off of the seat, unsure on why he was acting so weird. "No one's sitting there."

Aaron nodded frantically before dropping down into the unoccupied seat, taking his own backpack off and leaving it disregarded on the floor under their shared desk.

He was messing around with the watch on his wrist as he hunched over slightly, a nervous expression playing on his features as he mumbled to himself under his breath.

Upon closer inspection, Kimmy could also tell his cheeks were flushed and he was breathing heavily, which was why with her brows furrowed in confusion, she asked the following question.

"Aaron, did you run to class?" She asked bluntly, looking to the boy who immediately snapped his gaze onto her. His eyes wide as he nodded in response.

"Yeah," he let out in between huffs. Reaching up and pulling the black hat he always wore off his head. "I had to make sure I got the seat next to you. I have to tell you something."

Kimmy was admittedly taken aback by his response, surprise taking over her as she became unsure of what to say to him in response. And instead settled on nodding at him, urging him to go on.

"Okay, so-" Aaron paused, stopping himself as he shook his head. "Wait we are still friends aren't we?"

The boy now had Kimmy's full attention. Her brows knitting together as nerves rose in her stomach.

"Why wouldn't we be friends anymore?" She rushed out, completley driven by dread as she allowed her mind to spiral.

What would she do if he said no?

Had she done something to make him think she didn't want to be his friend?

"Because of yesterday," he answered almost instantly very evidently stressed, clearly missing the panic which was now flashing on the girls features. "I did not know Mike would be like that- well, I mean- he is quite strict on the party rules but I didn't know that he'd do that. I swear I didn't. And I get if you're mad at me but I hope you don't like, hate me or something. I'm sorry, really I am-"

"What? Aaron- wait. Slow down," Kimmy injected with a wave of her hand. "What are you talking about?"

"What so you're not mad at me?" Aaron asked carefully, sounding a lot less stressed now, though he still sent her an uneasy look. "We're still friends?"

Kimmy sent him a puzzled glance, "I'm not mad - I'm definitely not mad at you. I've no reason to be."

Upon hearing this, Aaron's shoulders visibly slumped in relief. However he didn't say anything, it were as if he didn't know what to say to her response. Like he had planned for the conversation to take a drastic turn for the worst reguarding the twos friendship.

Kimmy didn't know what to say either, her gaze lingering on him for a moment as he recollected himself and slowly got his books from his bag.

Kimmy soon averted her gaze, instead facing the front of the class as she awkwardly fiddled with the corner of her notebook. Waiting for class to begin as more and more students began filling into the class.

"He's not always like that, you know?" Aaron murmured softly, still not looking at the girl as he spoke. Despite his indirectness, Kimmy knew who he was talking about; Mike Wheeler. "He's just- he doesn't react well to new members of the party, especially when it's sprung on him like I did. That, and he's stressed about finding Will - I mean we all are, but I think he's kinda- I don't know, having his doubts that we'll find him."

Kimmy frowned at what she heard, concern tugging on her features as she watched the boy ramble on.

"But we will find him," Aaron added with a harsh nod. Though Kimmy did not miss the look of sadness and fear laced within his dark green eyes; Aaron was beginning to have his doubts. "It just might- take longer than we expected. That's all."

Kimmg nodded, plastering a fake smile on her lips as she nodded, the following words falling from her lips with such ease that it felt wrong to name them a lie. "You'll find him," she reassured, despite the face she didn't totally believe the words she had just spoken. "He'll be fine."

Aaron turned to face her then, an almost grateful looking smile on his lips as he nodded in response.

Kimmy then turned away from him once again, though she wasn't really sure what to do with herself. He wasn't staring at her and she wasn't staring at him, but she could still see him out of the corner of her eye, and he soon caught her attention.

It appeared the boy could not sit still for the life of him. Now, whether that be due to nerves or if it were simply out of habit, she wasn't entirely sure.

She watched as he began fidgeting and decided out of pure boredom that she would simply watch how long it took for him to move onto the next movement until class begun.

His left leg was shaking, bouncing up and down. Which actually was getting on Kimmy's nerves a bit as she could feel it against her own at their shared desk, although she decided it would be best if she kept that to herself.

She then noticed his shaky hands which were crumbling and then straightening out the paper in the corner of his notebook over and over again. He was biting the inside of his cheek, rather harshly by the looks of it, and his brows were furrowed.

However, it were as if Aaron hadn't even noticed what he was doing. Well, obviously he was aware, but no one would have known. Because his gaze wasn't cast down towards his notebook, or even at his feet for that matter. Instead his gaze remained dead ahead, with the look on his face no one would have known if he was in deep thought, or if he had just zoned out.

Upon closer inspection, Kimmy decided the later was most likely. He had definitely zoned out.

Kimmy went to ask him something just to get the two talking to each other again so there wasn't an overwhelming silence that would continue to drown the pair who sat so close next to each others, yet not a word was spoken between the two.

Though it were as if the universe were against the girl on that day, because the second she opened her mouth her teacher came storming in and began addressing the class.

Kimmy furrowed her brows in disappointment, wondering what Aaron had wanted to tell her so badly before he had distracted himself and lost his train of thought.

She supposed she'd have to catch him later and ask him herself.

...

That lunch hour, Kimmy was sat in her usual spot; on the stairs near the large garbage cans.

Her face was scrunched up as she looked down at the sandwich in her hand, picking at his with her fingers as she took the smallest of nibbles. She was practically forcing it down her throat, despite the fact she felt as if she would throw up with every bite. Simply because she needed it. She could not afford to skip out on lunch, not in her current state. In fact, she needed to gain weight. Although many would take being called slim or thin as a complement, Kimmy knew when the words were thrown at her it was anything but.

She was skin and bones, extremely thin and not in the way that attracts others. She was severely under weight, due to her issues with food in the past. Issues that remained to that very day, however she buried the thoughts deep within her and pretended that she didn't.

Pretended she was getting better - that she was better.

"She should be around here somewhere-" a voice exclaimed enthusiastically, ripping her from her thoughts as she visibly flinched violently. "Hey, don't drop that-"

"Why on earth would your first thought be that she was here?" Another voice retorted, ignoring Aaron's later words. Kimmy could practically hear the eyeroll in his tone of voice.

"Because," Aaron emphasised with a huff, "she doesn't like to sit in the cafeteria-"

"Why not?" The voice injected again, his voice higher by numerous pitches due to his curiousity. "Who doesn't sit in the cafeteria?"

"Lucas shut up!" Aaron scolded in a whisper. "She has ears you know. And, I don't know, maybe the cafeteria is just too noisy or something?"

Kimmy's lips curled into an circle as the realisation sunk in as to who the boy talking to Aaron was; Lucas Sinclair.

Lucas must have deemed Aaron's answer as good enough, because he didn't push further.

Seconds later and the two boys came into view, and Kimmy couldn't help but feel extremely awkward after what she had heard them saying. More specifically because it was about her.

"Hey, Kimmy," Aaron announced rather loudly, a toothy smile on his lips as he waved. "Thought you'd be here."

"Hi," Kimmy replied unsurely, waving to the two boys as they sat down next to her. The trio sitting in a circle almost. "Um- what are you doing?"

Aaron looked to her as if she had just spoken utter gibberish. Like her question had been completely unnecessary and out of the blue. Whereas Lucas looked as if he agreed with her, he even nodded slightly as he grinned upon noticing Aaron's taken aback expression.

"What do you mean, 'what are you doing'?" Aaron retorted in a puzzled tone. "We're eating lunch with you, obviously."

Lucas was rolling his eyes before Aaron had even finished his sentence, before opening his mouth to voice elaborate for the his friend who had evidently misunderstood Kimmy's question.

"To tell you the plan," Lucas answered, ignoring Aaron entirely as he focused his attention on the perplexed girl sat before him. "For tonight."

This didn't exactly help Kimmy, only causing her brows to furrow deeper as she tilted her head slightly. "What- plan for what?"

Lucas opened his mouth to explain further before he stopped himself, his features pulling down into their own look of confusion as he turned to the boy next to him.

The boy next to him who wore a calm expression, watching the two talk as he ate his homemade sandwich.

"What- Aaron?" Lucas asked in a disappointed tone, already knowing the answer to his question before he asked it.

"What?" Aaron asked in a soft voice, looking to his friend with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I thought you said you told her about tonight already?" Kimmy could hear the disappointment in Lucas' tone as she watched the two interact.

"Yeah, I did I swear-" Aaron started with a confused expression, before pausing abruptly and shaking his head. "Oh, shit- yeah, no I forgot."

Lucas stared at him unimpressed as Aaron sent a sheepish look back.

"Well," Lucas urged on in a teasing tone after Aaron went back to eating his sandwich. "Would you care to enlighten her?"

Kimmy watched as Aaron scrunched his face up and mocked Lucas' words in a higher pitch before turning to the girl who's expression of perplexity had remained.

"Okay, basically..." Aaron trailed off, searching for the right words before quickly talking again. "Basically Mike has kept the weird girl as his hostage-"

"He's keeping her in his basement-" Lucas confirmed with a nod of his head.

Kimmy's eyes widened drastically staring back at the pair utterly appalled. Though, neither appeared to notice.

"So anyway," Aaron continued as if he had said nothing out of the ordinary. "We all walk into Mike's room yesterday and the girl's still there, no surprise."

Kimmy bit the inside of her cheek as she listened to the blond, doing her best to keep up as he was speaking at a million miles a minute.

"And then Mike's all like; 'no she knows about Will she's psychic.' Obviously the party thought he had gone mental." Aaron continued, attempting a very bad impression at Mike's voice. "But then guess what? She is psychic! She's like a superhero!"

Kimmy couldn't help but look to Lucas for confirmation, noticing he was nodding along as Aaron spoke.

Kimmy shook her head, completely lost at what the boy had just dropped on her.

"Wait- what?" Kimmy asked after a moment of silence, her hands shooting up as she waved them in order to shut the boy up. "She's a super- how is she a superhero?"

"Well, she's not a superhero," Aaron admitted hesitantly with an exagerated eyeroll. "But she has superpowers-" he paused once he caught the look of disbelief Kimmy was sending him. "I'm serious! Lucas tell her what she did-"

"She locked a door with her mind," Lucas piped up after a moment, speaking in a much less excited tone than Aaron had. "Honestly, like- without being anywhere close to the door."

"With her mind!" Aaron emphasised with a toothy smile. "Isn't that crazy?"

Kimmy simply stared at the two with her jaw open slightly, at a loss at what to say.

"Jesus," she muttered, before shaking her head and gathering her thoughts. "Oh my god, she's literally a superhero."

"I know!" Aaron agreed happily. "It's awesome-"

"So," Lucas began, cutting off the blond boy as he checked his watch. Obviously the trio were much further into the lunch hour than they had anticipated. "She's going to help us find Will. And Aaron and I think you should come with us."

"Go with you- you want me to come with you all to look for Will?" Kimmy asked, a slight tinge of concern etching onto her voice.

"Yeah," Lucas replied calmly. "You know, because if you hadn't been out that night then we wouldn't have found the girl in the first place."

Kimmy wanted to agree to the two's invitation, but she couldn't bring herself to. Instead she hesitantly asked her following question. "Are you sure? I don't want to-"

"We're sure." Aaron assured instantly nodding his head as he motioned to the boy next to him who was also nodding along.

"Alright," she murmured, already preparing herself for the worst. "So, what time are we-"

"Right after school." Lucas confirmed with a nod. "We would have told you about it yesterday so you could get your own weapons and stuff, but Aaron thought you'd probably be asleep by the time we left Mike's last night."

Kimmy nodded slowly, "weapons?"

"Yeah," Aaron answered, now back to eating his sandwich. "To protect ourselves. Don't worry though, you can share with us." He assured while waving his finger between the two. "We have plenty."

Kimmy must have looked at the two as if they both had three heads, a look of utter confusion playing on her features.

However, this didn't stop herself from sighing before reluctantly speaking up. "So where are we meeting?"

"School gates," Lucas muttered as he too went back to eating his lunch. "Right after school's out."

Kimmy nodded in response, biting the inside of her cheek as she just prayed she wouldn't come to regret accepting the twos invitation.

...

FINALLY caught up after the story got deleted!!
So technically this is the first real chapter lol😭

Anyway I will probably wait to upload the next chapter for a while because I'll most likely wait until this chapter has more votes/ reads like the previous chapters!!

Hope everyone has a great day/night!!

What is your favourite 80s movie?

-AJ :)