chapter three , holly jolly

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Nancy Wheeler felt like everyone in Hawkins High was staring at her.

For total transparency; she slept with Steve last night. Yeah, after Kennedy Theroux nearly drowned in the pool Steve and Nancy got their freak on. Nancy went home, got a scolding from her mom, and the following day at school Nancy felt like everyone somehow knew.

She didn't quite know who to confide in. She wasn't close with Carol and the redhead had a big mouth. She hadn't seen Barb yet and they hadn't spoken since Nancy told Barb to go home. That really only left Kennedy herself, and they had the first period together.

Kennedy was sitting at her usual spot, which happened to be in front of Nancy. The Wheeler leaned over to say something but paused as she realized Barb was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, Nancy looked back at Kennedy. "Hey, Ken. Where's Barb?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know," Kennedy hummed as she tiredly tapped her pencil on her desk. Kennedy didn't look like her usual self. She was still sickly pale and had bags under her eyes. She was wearing an oversized jacket and jeans, and her hair was barely brushed. She looked miserable.

"You haven't seen her anywhere?"

Kennedy finally turned toward Nancy, looking at Barb's empty chair. "Maybe she told her mom about her hand and had to get stitches." Kennedy offered the idea, trying to give the Wheeler some peace of mind. Kennedy hadn't seen Barb since the bathroom conversation, but Kennedy also hadn't been looking for her either. In fact, Kennedy had been avoiding anyone and everyone.

She left Steve's house early that morning. She called a cab to take her home, got some clothes on, and then hopped on the school bus. No, she didn't usually take the bus to school, but she did today. That's when you know it's bad.

Nancy looked at Kennedy for a moment, seeing the girl's face, "Yeah, you're probably right." She answered finally. Kennedy turned back to the front, opening up her notebook as their teacher began to speak. Nancy slouched in her chair, looking over at Barb's usual spot.

༺❀༻

Kennedy Theroux suddenly didn't like lunch.

She sat next to Carol, her fork stirring her food around as she looked over. "That's why science doesn't make any damn sense to me." Tommy ranted to the table as he looked toward his girlfriend.

Carol shook her head. "No, I swear. Look at this." She put her foot on the table, revealing a spot on the back of her foot. "It's totally frostbite,"

Tommy ate as he spoke. "It's a heated pool." He informed the redhead. Nancy Wheeler gave a small yellow as she took the spot next to Steve Harrington. Kennedy said nothing, wishing she was home in bed rather than here.

"Well, if it's not frostbite, then what is it?"

Steve scoffed, "I don't care what it is; it's disgusting!" He said with a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "Get it off the table, we're eating here," Tommy slowly moved his spoon toward the mark on Carol's foot, causing the girl to smack his hand in disgust.

Nancy looked over, "Hey, Tommy. When you left, did you see Barb?" She asked as she leaned over slightly.

"What?"

"Barbara. She's not here today."

Tommy rose a brow as he held a spoonful of mashed potatoes in front of him. "I seriously have no idea who you're talking about." He said before him and Carol began to laugh.

Kennedy took a carrot off her plate, turning and throwing it at Tommy. "Can you seriously not be a douchebag today?" She asked bitterly, glaring the Hagan boy down.

"Come on, don't be an ass, man," Steve followed, looking across the table. "Did you see her leave last night or not?"

Carol went quiet, surprised by Kennedy's small outburst. Tommy looked over. "No. She was gone when we left."

"Probably couldn't stand listening to all that moaning." Carol hummed as she began to make an imitation of Nancy. "Oh, Steve!"

Kennedy scrunched her face as Tommy and Carol began to loudly moan, Tommy even making weird thrusting movements in his chair as he slapped the table. Nancy sunk in her chair, hating every minute of it. Steve turned to his girlfriend, Listen, I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just," Steve shrugged as he spoke, "She's probably just skipping, or something."

"Yeah." Nancy nodded as she looked across the table. She looked at Kennedy, who had a knowing look on her face.

Barb wouldn't skip.

Nancy looked over Steve's shoulder, seeing a familiar face walking through the hall. It was Jonathan Byers, adjusting the strap of his bag as he walked. He stopped for a moment, staring at Nancy Wheeler, then at Kennedy Theroux. Kennedy hadn't seen him yet, but he could tell she wasn't looking for him either. He adjusted his bag, walking away quickly.

Carol turned her body toward Kennedy, "Hey, are you doing okay? You really should've stayed home today."

She was right. Kennedy wished she was home, eating ice cream and watching television. But here she was, sitting at lunch with friends. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. You look like something crawled up your ass and died." Tommy deadpanned. Carol turned her body, slapping Tommy's chest as she glared at him. Kennedy rolled her eyes, taking an angry bite of her food.

The redhead looked back at her best friend with a worrisome look. "Oh, god. Don't tell me your ex tried talking to you again," She blurted with wide eyes.

Steve Harrington piped up, "God if he did, I'll personally knock his ass out." He muttered as he looked around the cafeteria.

"No, he didn't," Kennedy said as she reached across the table, pulling Steve's lunch tray to catch his attention. "So you can stop looking for a reason to fight him." She hummed with a raised brow.

"Didn't he break up with you in the middle of homecoming? Seriously, Ken, you need better standards. He was a total ass!" Carol ranted. Nancy looked over, listening quietly. "The number of times you came to Steve's house crying over that metal head freak, there must be a world record and you definitely broke it."

Kennedy frowned as she rolled her eyes, "Well, I stopped crying about him, didn't I?" She hummed as she looked at everyone at the table. Tommy nodded with a mouthful of food, Carol shrugged as if saying fair enough, and Steve sunk in his chair slightly, not saying anything. Kennedy gave a sarcastic smile. "Exactly."

༺❀༻

The school day was finally going back to normal.

Kennedy was hanging around Tina for most of the day, as they had a lot of classes together. She couldn't really avoid the brunette, so she just accepted her fate and went along with it. Kennedy was quiet, though. She thought about how if Will had never gone missing she'd be babysitting him tonight. But he was gone. Lost somewhere in Hawkins. And Kennedy wasn't sure how to handle it.

The Theroux girl was walking through the school parking lot after school. There was a football game coming up that she was staying after school to see with her friend group. Nancy Wheeler clenched her jaw tightly as she walked up to Kennedy Theroux. "Kennedy. Hi."

Raising her brow, Kennedy turned to see the brunette walking over. "Hey, Nance. What's up?" She asked with a small smile. Nancy shifted on her feet awkwardly.

"I think something happened to Barb. And I don't know who else to turn to."

The Theroux blinked as she stared at Nancy Wheeler. She thought about what happened last night. She thought about Barb. She thought about the screaming in the pool. Something was off, and Kennedy could feel it. Finally, Kennedy's expression softened and she nodded along, letting Nancy walk with her. "Okay, fine. Have you tried calling her parents?"

"Yeah, but Barb told them she was staying at my house so they haven't seen her since yesterday," Nancy explained, hugging herself.

"What?" Kennedy asked, looking over.

Nancy exhaled through her nose. "When Carol and Tommy ran off, Steve and I ran off, and I kind of told her to go home. But she clearly never made it home!" She rambled as she shook her head. "God, I'm such an awful friend!"

Kennedy nodded in thought, trying to think rationally, "Okay, so assuming you know where she parked her car, let's just go see if it's there." She suggested, the two walking through the parking lot. "At least then you can figure out if she even left."

Nancy nodded her head in thought. "That's a good idea." She said softly, looking over at the parking lot. "What the-" Kennedy and Nancy looked over to see Steve, Carol, Tommy, another redheaded friend of Kennedy's named Nicole, and Jonathan all standing around.

"This doesn't look good." Mumbled Kennedy, the two girls moving to walk over.

Steve was leaning against the car, glaring at Jonathan when he caught sight of Nancy and Kennedy walking over. "What's going on?" Asked Nancy as she stood close to the Theroux.

"Here's the starring ladies." Tommy hummed with a smirk.

Kennedy scrunched her face in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about, Tommy?" She asked as she looked over at Jonathan.

"This creep was spying on us last night." Said Carol, chewing her gum. Kennedy's stomach sank as she looked at the prints in the girl's hand. Carol pulled one out, handing it to Nancy. "He was probably gonna save this one for later." Nancy looked down, seeing the photo. It was her in Steve's window, pulling off her top. Kennedy looked over at Jonathan with wide eyes. Steve looked over Carol's shoulder, his face turning completely red with anger as he saw the next photos under the stack. Carol scoffed in disbelief, "Or maybe this one. " Kennedy looked over in confusion, watching as Carol holds out a stack of prints. She grabbed them, looking up at her friends before back at the photos in her hands.

They were photos of Kennedy. It was when she went swimming by herself. At first, it's just photos of her looking around, but then there's a photo of her taking off her shirt. Leaving her in her bra. Then her jeans. Kennedy was in her underwear, stepping into Steve Harrington's pool. There were photos up til shortly before Kennedy nearly drowned. She felt sick. Hell, all Kennedy felt was sick these days. She closed her eyes tightly as she turned away from Jonathan completely.

"Looks like sleeping with you wasn't enough." Steve commented. Everyone looked at Steve in confusion. Her eyes were wide as she looked back at Jonathan. How did Steve know? "What, did you force her into it?"

"Steve, stop-"

He ignored Kennedy as he stood up from the hood of the car. Jonathan avoided both everyones' gazes, staring at the pavement. He was ashamed. Steve Harrington clicked his tongue, "See, you can tell that he knows it was wrong, but," Steve rolled up the paper in his hands, sighing. "Man, that's the thing about perverts, it's hardwired into 'em. You know, they just can't help themselves." Jonathan watched as Steve tore up the photo in his hands. Kennedy clenched her jaw as she looked down. "So, we'll just have to take away his toy."

"Steve," Nancy whispered.

"No, please, not the camera." Begged Jonathan, being pushed back by Tommy.

Carol wrapped an arm around Kenned, trying to comfort the girl with auburn hair. Kennedy knew Jonathan might not have enough money for a new camera, and knew that wouldn't solve anything to begin with. But the way she felt knowing he was there that night. Hell, he was there both times something weird happened, and these photos were now in her hands. She couldn't even look Jonathan in the eyes.

Steve held off Tommy, stopping him as he walked over slowly. The cameras in Steve's hand. Carol rubbed her hand up Kennedy's back soothingly. Steve held out his arm, "Here you go, Man." Kennedy watched as Jonathan reached out, the girl closing her eyes as Steve let go of the camera.

Kennedy could see Steve's face. He was fuming. At any moment steam would be coming out of his ears. "Come on, the games about to start. Everyone slowly began to walk away. Jonathan rushed to his camera, and Kennedy sunk down to grab the photos. After all, she didn't want any of them being taken away by the wind for someone else to see. Nancy kneeled down, picking up one. "Ken," The blond looked over, seeing a photo of Barb at the water, kicking her feet.

"Hey, Nance!" Steve called out. Nancy and Kennedy shared looks. Kennedy stood up as Nancy grabbed as many of the photos as possible to put in her bag. The two girls began walking down the hill.

Nancy looked over, "Are you okay?" She asked softly.

The Theroux didn't know how to answer. Recently, it felt like she was anything but okay. She swallowed a lump in her throat, looking over. "I'm fine," She lied.

Nancy stood at the lockers with Steve and his friends. Carol and Tommy were on a bench across from Nancy and Steve. Carol's head in Tommy's lap. Nancy listened to Carol talk about Mr. Mundy, but she couldn't get it off her mind. She couldn't get Barb off her mind. Kennedy was willing to help Nancy, and maybe that was what she should be doing instead of a stupid game.

The brunette looked down the hall, seeing Kennedy at the corkboard where Will's missing poster was. The auburn-haired girl tilted her head as she stared at it. Nancy watched as Kennedy took the poster down, only to replace it with a different one with better-printed photos and more information. Kennedy must have made the posters herself, Nancy realized as she noticed how different the poster was from the ones the Byers had been putting up.

"I bet Mr. Mundy's still a virgin." Tommy's voice brought Nancy back to reality.

Carol scoffed, "Oh, he's so a virgin!" She shouted as she played with her hair. Nancy looked back down the hall. Kennedy was turning toward the exit, glancing behind her. Her eyes landed on Nancy Wheeler, the two girls staring at each other for a moment.

"Maybe you should blow him, Carol. Help your grades a bit."

Finally, Nancy sighed as she stood up from the locker, walking towards the blond. Steve watched in confusion, "Whoa, Nance, where are you going?" He asked her. He was sitting on the floor, his jacket to his side.

Spinning around, Nancy looked down. She stammered, looking back at Kennedy as she tried to make an excuse. "I totally forgot. I told my mom I would, um, I would do something with her and Mrs. Theroux." She lied.

"Well, what do you mean? The game's about to start." Steve countered as he stood up, walking after her.

"I'm sorry." Nancy muttered as she rushed towards the auburn-haired girl. Steve and his friends watched as the Kennedy pushed the door, opening it for Nancy. The two girls walked out of the school together.

Steve sighed in thought. "What the hell's wrong with her?"

"Maybe she freaked out when you went all psycho on the psycho." Tommy joked, clasping his hands together.

"Oh, give me a break."

"What'd you expect, dating Miss Perfect?" Carol asked bitterly, blowing a bubble with her gum. "Should've dated Kenny."

Steve scoffed, not wanting to entertain Carol's antics. Tommy spoke up, "Didn't you say she's sleeping with that kid?" He asked finally.

The Harrington boy nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

"Why would she do that? Did he pay her?"

"Haven't you heard the weirdos are always the best in bed?" Carol asked as she played with her fingers. "Maybe she was missing her ex and got the next best thing." Tommy and Carol began to laugh. Steve just looked back in the direction the two girls went.

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To both girl's disappointment, Nancy was right about where Barb's car was. They walked over to it, looking for any sign of the red-headed friend. Kennedy walked around it, checking the tires to see if they had been slashed, or any damage to the car. It was fine. Perfect condition. Barb was always a bit of a clean freak.

Nancy looked around, "Barb?" She called out. The woods behind Kennedy seemed to hush at the sound of Nancy's voice. Like the whispers that usually circled the trees had stopped to listen. "Barb!"

"Hey," Nancy spun around, looking at Kennedy. The auburn-haired girl waved her arm. "Let's head to Steves, alright? Trace her steps."

The Harrington pool was almost more eerie during the day. Especially after what happened last night and knowing Jonathan Byers had been lurking in the shadows. With the woods staring the two teenage girls down, both of them felt uneasy as they crept inside. "Barb?" Nancy called out, holding onto her bag tightly. Kennedy walked further, avoiding the crack on the pavement. Nancy snapped her head at the sound of rustling. She looked back at Kennedy.

"It wasn't me," Kennedy retorted, shaking her head quickly. Both girls headed off to what looked like a trail from the Harrington house into the woods.

Kennedy felt sick (again). She couldn't pinpoint it but something about this made her skin crawl. "Barb?" Nancy called out. Kennedy looked around, watching her shoes crush leaves and sticks under her. "Barb!" Something seems to whiz past Kennedy, causing the girl to gasp. Whatever it was, freaked Nancy out. The
Theroux yelled as Nancy tumbles to the ground, tripping over a branch. Kennedy stumbled backward, pulling up the brunette as the two booked it from the Harrington House.

Both girls sat in silence on the grass, staring at Barbs just a few feet away. Nancy felt tears running down her face as she sucked in a breath. Kennedy felt like the world was spinning around her and she wasn't able to catch up. Like reality had started to set in for the Theroux and she wasn't sure if she was ready.

"Barb never made it to her car," Nancy whispered, her voice cracking as she did. "So that means-"

"Yeah," Kennedy cut her off, looking at her lap. Nancy let out a quiet sob. Like a somber melody that pleads for help. Kennedy didn't know what to say. What was there to say?

Nancy leaned her head back, "It's all my fault." She cried, shaking her head as she stared at the sky staring back at her. "I never should've let her go off alone."

Kennedy sucked in a breath. She was horrible at comforting people. But recently she's been trying to adapt. So, Kennedy turned her torso, staring down Nancy Wheeler. "Hey. Look at me." Nancy slowly turned her head, watching Kennedy. The girl with auburn had a stern look on her face. "You did something shitty, but you didn't do this to Barb. Someone else did." She told Nancy. Her words were hard as stone like she wasn't going to let Nancy's cry puncture her statements. "You are going to walk home, and you're going to get the police We're going to find Barb. and we're going to find out who did this, and we're going to kick their ass. Alright?" Nancy pursed her lips together as she tried to compose herself. She nodded as she watched Kennedy hold out her hand.

Nancy took it.

༺❀༻

Kennedy was dropped off at home by Steve Harrington.

Okay, I know you're confused, so let me explain.

Nancy Wheeler walked home to tell her mom about Barb, and Kennedy ended up walking back to Hawkins High. Carol was waiting impatiently for her best friend & scolded her for leaving the game with Nancy. Kennedy tried to explain it was important, but Carol didn't really care.

The game went fine, all things considered, and Kennedy was forced to hang out with everyone. There was little mention of Nancy or Jonathan, and Kennedy liked it that way. She wanted to ignore her problems, pretending they weren't around the corner.

But the world had other plans.

"So, how long have you and Jonathan been," Steve trailed off, shifting in the drivers seat of his car.

Kennedy looked over at him for a moment, then back out the window. "Three months." Steve let out a loud whistle, a dry laugh following.

"How? I mean, you don't seem like the type to-"

"To sleep with Jonathan Byers?" Kennedy snapped her head in Steves direction. He stuttered. He didn't know how to reply. "We were just doing it for fun. There's not much to it, Steve."

The Harrington hummed. "Sure didn't look like that."

Kennedy frowned. "What are you talking about?" She asked. Her voice was lowered and pitched in a tone of annoyance. She didn't want to be having this conversation right now, but she wasn't getting much of a choice.

"It just seemed like, I don't know," Steve shrugged as he took a turn down the road to Kennedy's house. "Like you actually like him." The Theroux girl frowned as she looked back out the window. She let the words sink into her skin like a branding. She wondered if it was true.

Kennedy climbed out of Steve's car. She looked around her driveway to see the multiple police cars. Jim Hopper stood there, a solemn look on his face. Kennedy walked over, ignoring Steves shouts for her. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her stomach was sinking. "Hopper? What's going on?" She called out as she stood in front of him. Hopper looked at the teenage girl, unsure how he was supposed to tell her the truth.

"Kennedy, we found Will just a mile away."

Her hazel eyes lit up. "Oh my god! Is he alright?" Silence. Hopper didn't make eye contact anymore. Kennedy's smile fell and her bright eyes dimmed. "Hopper? Is Will okay?" Steve climbed out of his car, watching as his closest friends face crumbled.

The world began to shrink around her. The pounding in her ears stopped. She couldn't hear anything. Kennedy let out a scream as she sunk to the floor. Steve ran to the Theroux, his arms catching her as she clutched into him. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. None of this was real. Will wasn't gone. He couldn't be. The little boy had so much to give and so much to take from this world. It wasn't real. It wasn't real.

But it was real. Hawkins police department searched Kennedy's home, as other than the Byers she was the closest person to the scene of the crime. Of course, they found nothing. Kennedy sunk into the grass, sobbing into Steve Harringtons striped shirt that she hated so much. The memories of the dream she had that night flooded her brain as she began to wonder. What if it wasn't a dream? What if she really did hear Will that night? What if she really was almost taken by whoever took Will?

Kennedy looked up from Steves chest, watching Hopper walk down her front porch. "Wait!" Kennedy stood up, stumbling as she rushed to Hopper. "That night. The night Will went missing? I had a dream, but I don't think it was a dream anymore."

Jim Hopper was confused. He already has Joyce Byers a few miles away going insane. Joyce was saying something was wrong with the walls. He didn't need Kennedy Theroux losing her mind too. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard screaming." Kennedy recalled, hot tears rolling down her face as Steve walked behind her. "I thought, I thought it was Carol trying to prank me so I came out to see her. But then I heard it again. I thought it was Will so I ran into the woods." Kennedy sobbed as she pointed across the street. The forest that lead toward Mirkwood after a long walk, the Byers house, or even the quarry where Will was found. All depending on which direction you walked. "I couldn't see him! I could hear him, but I couldn't see him. And then, and then something grabbed me." Kennedy felt Steves arm wrapped around her tightly as she tried to remember every detail. "But I woke up. And I thought it was a dream because I woke up in my bed but, but I have this."

Hopper watched as Kennedy pulled up her pant leg, revealing a dark bruise around her ankle. Steve had seen it last night at his party. His eyes widened as he saw it almost got darker. Like it was somehow infected. But that didn't make sense, did it?

Kennedy Theroux's statement was given to police officially and she was put under protection. Hopper decided if she had stumbled into Will being taken, the person who did this may come after her next.

Barbara Holland was classified as missing that night. And Will Byers was classified as dead.

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