05.

"ᵖᵃʳᵃⁿᵒⁱᵃ ˢˡⁱᵖᵖⁱⁿᵍ ⁱⁿ,
ᶜʰᵉᶜᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵃˡˡ ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵒᶜᵏˢ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿ."
—ᵏⁿⁱᶠᵉ ᵘⁿᵈᵉʳ ᵐʸ ᵖⁱˡˡᵒʷ ᵇʸ ᵐᵃᵍᵍⁱᵉ ˡⁱⁿᵈᵉᵐᵃⁿⁿ

Before Amber had gone home she had made sure the kids would be alright on their own to get home. Once Lucas, Mike, and Dustin said they would be going back to Mike's together she felt slightly relieved. The older girl then offered Max a ride home. Max had gone on to ranting to Amber about how bad Billy had gotten and how her step-father got worse once Amber left. But while Max was telling the girl this, only some of it was processing through her mind at the time because the other half of her mind was stuck on what she saw in Will's head.

That night that Amber had hoped to go to bed early had been proven unsuccessful as she tossed and turned in her bed. Her mom had left after dinner to head to her shift at the hospital and it had left Amber alone. It put the girl more on edge as she had gone to bed. Every single time she closed her eyes, after a few minutes, she saw the darkness, and the upside down from Will's point of view. Then that haunting voice calling out her name. She couldn't understand what was fully happening, all that she knew was that things were going to get worse before they got better again. And because everything had seemed fine and back to normal for over a year, it meant that it was only the calm before the storm.

The girl had sat through her classes feeling miserable. Every single time she tried to pay attention, her eyes would start to close. And she would jolt awake, slightly scared of the darkness. She was tired but there was nothing that could help her at that moment. The upside down was just something that was constantly looming and she hated knowing she couldn't do anything to get rid of it. Even though all of them had been under the impression that Eleven had closed the gate which was why she disappeared, clearly somewhere the gate was opening or someone left it ajar.

Amber had been excused from her last two classes of the day to spend her time in the library. She had placed her headset on as she played music. Distracting her thoughts to get her work done even if she felt like a walking zombie at that moment. It had been the second day with Jonathan being a no-show. She had wished for nothing but to have her friend there with her in this slightly troubling time but she had no idea where he had been. She had only assumed today's absence was due to what happened with Will yesterday, but what she was unaware of was that Jonathan and Nancy had taken a little field trip of their own to answer to some of their questions.

Amber's attention had been abruptly pulled from her school work when her headphones were taken off of her head. Turning to see Steve Harrington holding one of the sides close to his ears to listen to what she was playing. He held an unamused look as he looked at her but she had sent a glare his way for interrupting her in the first place.

"Fleetwood Mac. Really?" He asked as he handed the headphones back to her before sitting down across from her.

"Harrington, I'm this close to stabbing you in the eye with this pencil." Amber began as Steve held his hands up in defense.

"Geez. I thought I was having a bad rest of my week. But you clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Steve said.

"You can't wake up on the wrong side of the bed if you didn't even fall asleep to begin with." Amber stated, Steve sent a brief look of concern her way before it disappeared knowing that he shouldn't ask about it right now if it would just irritate her more.

"Well, Nancy ditched the rest of yesterday with Jonathan and I guess today too." Steve informed Amber who turned to look at him confused.
"That's why I haven't seen that shithead in the past two days? He's been with Nancy?" Amber let out, slightly annoyed by the information she just received. But what had made her more annoyed was the next thing Steve had said.

"I think I'm going to apologize to her for yesterday. Maybe try and work things out with her and see if she'll take me back." Amber looked at Steve like he had five heads.

"You gotta be shitting me. Like hell you are, Harrington. What would you even be apologizing for?" Amber asked.

"I told her that maybe she's bullshit, yesterday once she came in during p.e. class." Steve said.

"But, didn't she also call you and everything bullshit? Shouldn't that cancel out. You're just gonna forget it all just because you still want her? You would apologize when she should be the one doing it? I know I didn't get any sleep but I'm just trying to see if I can understand your logic right and I'm thinking even if I did have a few hours of sleep I would still be so lost right now." Amber rambled.

"But...but I love her." Amber sighed as she looked at the boy who seemed to think too deeply into it.

"Harrington. Do whatever you think is best. But I personally think you have nothing to apologize for this time around." Amber told him. Steve sent her a small smile before he leaned back in the chair.

"So... would you want to help me with Click's paper?" Steve wondered as Amber scoffed and threw the pencil at him that he dodged quickly.

"No, but I'm actually being serious. I need help with the paper. It's no wonder I can't even write my college essay when I can't even do one for a class I'm currently in." Steve let out a breath in defeat.

"I think it's because you get your words all mixed up. You always know what you want to say, it's just how it comes out that doesn't always seem to work well." Amber told him.

"What? Did you find my thrown out essay?" Steve asked.

"No. I've known you since preschool. And even now, when you talk I just brace myself for what you'll say because I know it will get a bit lost in translation." Amber answered as Steve scoffed but then nodded his head in agreement.

"I mean, I guess you're right." He gave her that.

"Well, get out your notebook and pencil because once that bell rings, I'm out of here. I don't care what you say Harrington, I will not be staying longer at school than I need to on a Friday." She told him as she pointed a finger at him.

"Alright. Alright. I get it. You would rather pass up the amazing opportunity to spend more time with me." Steve held a goofy smile on his lips as she glared at him. Then they got to work writing Steve's tragic paper. But Amber did in fact stay longer than she had said because she had become determined to make sure Steve's paper was polished and actually worked. He had done a lot of it himself and she had only given him a few pointers by changing some sentences around. But other than that, he did a good job. He just didn't seem to believe in himself too much when it came to school. The girl was sure that this paper would get him a B and that satisfied Steve enough for them to pack up their belongings and head out to the parking lot that only held a few cars left.

"I guess I'll see you Monday, Hayes. Thanks for the help on the paper. I owe you one." Steve said.

"It's all good. It wasn't horrible spending an extra hour and a half with you, I suppose." Amber told him with a playful smile before she got in her car to head home. Hoping she could spend a few hours with her mom before she went to work again.