𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞

Ⅰ 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒇

CHRISANNA LEANED AGAINST THE KITCHEN COUNTER. The edge of the cheap marble pressed against her skin. She scribbled down equations for a math test in an aged notebook as she waited for the old kettle to boil. "Hey Mom, do you want a tea?" Chris called, her eyes not moving from the page.

"No I'm okay honey," Claudia called back, running her hands along mews as the cat sat in her lap.

Dustin burst through the hall, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!" Dustin ran around the small living room, throwing the lounge cushions around. "Another stupid penny!" Dustin complained flinging the coin across the room.

"Dusty, watch it! You almost hit Mews," Their mother scolded as Mews whined in her lap.

"Can I please check under your cushions?"

"Dusty."

"What are you looking for Dust?" Chrisanna questioned, watching her brother run around like a headless chicken. Dustin rolled his eyes, annoyed at the nickname she used.

"Quarters, for the arcade," Dustin explained quickly before facing their mother again. "Mom, please? It's an emergency!" Chris rolled her eyes tossed her book on the counter and headed for her room.

Chris's room was a crisp white with one lilac wall on the left with an old oak table the Wheelers gifted her. Old books and vintage novels lined her cupboard with everything she needed for school spread across her desk. Even though Chris had been living in Hawkins for a little over six months most of her belongings hadn't been unpacked, sitting in boxes against an empty shelf, it was mainly stuff from when she was younger and tokens from the family in New York so it didn't bother her too much.

Chrisanna scrounged through her cupboard next to her bed, pulling out a small brown purse. Chris pushed herself up and headed for Dustin's room up the hall. Chris knocked on his sliding door not wanting to disturb him on the radio.

"-Old Man Humphrey's got that kinda cash? Uh hold on," Dustin paused his conversation, looking up at his sister looming in the hall. "What's up, Chris?"

"You have to do the dishes for the rest of the week," Chris announced before tossing the small purse at him. "Ten dollars in quarters, seven days of dishes."

"What the hell? Ten dollars?!" Lucas yelled through the radio, his voice crackled slightly.

"You are the best!" Dustin yelled with a massive grin before Chris went back to the kitchen. Claudia watched her with a proud smile. "Thank you!"

෴

CHRIS WALKED THROUGH THE SCHOOL PARKING LOT. She scribbled down notes in a book. Chrisanna bumped shoulders with someone sending her stuff spiraling. "Shit sorry," Chris apologized quickly, not looking up as she reached for her stuff.

"It alright I knocked your stuff over," The girl apologized quickly. She grasped Chris's math's homework, glancing over the questions. "Uh just a heads up, number seventeen is wrong."

"What? No, no, no, no..." Chris rambled taking the paper and moving off to the side.

"Yeah you're supposed to use cos and not tan," The girl explained. "Here." The girl pulled a pen from the side of her bag scribbling down the correct answer on a sticky note. "I'm Alex, by the way," The girl introduced.

Chris smiled taking the sticky note, "Chris."

"Alex!" Another voice called from a car, a hand waving out the window.

"I've got to go, but nice meeting you," Alex picked up her bag that she dropped, sending Chris a final smile. "Good luck with your math." Alex walked off and Chris waved her away.

Chris turned back around, shoving her books into the satchel her mom had given her. A revving car made her head snap up. A blue Chevrolet Camaro blasting 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' by Scorpions sped into the parking spot Chris was walking by. Chris stumbled back quickly, barely avoiding the car.

The boy driving stepped out dressed in denim jeans and a jacket, a cigarette between his lips. He looked over at Chris, who was still standing in front of his car.

"You got dirt on my jeans," Chris huffed, kicking the rocks off her old converse shoes.

"Sorry 'bout that sweetheart," He smiled taking the cigarette away. Chris rolled her eyes walking around the car and Steve's that she spotted on the other side of the parking lot.

"Hey Chris," Nancy called waving her over.

Chris jogged over throwing her arm over Nancy's shoulder. "Hey Nance, Hey Steve," Chris smiled gripping the strap of her bag. Nancy slid her arm around Chris's waist.

"Hey Anna," Steve smiled, his eyes glaring at the guy that almost hit Chris. "Hey, didn't hit you did he?"

"Nah, he missed," Chris confirmed with a smile. "But he got dirt all over my jeans." Nancy chuckled, smiling at her.

"Let's go before-" The bell rang out from the high school, making Steve sigh. "-Before that happened."

Chris smiled, untangling her arm from Nancy. Chrisanna walked alongside them both until Nancy split off to catch up with Jonathan in her first class. Steve and Chris continued down the hall, dodging past rushing students and obnoxious jocks.

"Did you get the paper done?" Chris asked as the two neared their first class.

"Yeah, I guess," Steve shrugged, dodging a freshman who was rushing through to a classroom. "Nance went over it, she said it was good but... confusing."

Chris nodded, "Do you wanna go over it tonight?"

"Uh, I have dinner with Nancy," Steve explained shaking his head. Chris nodded in understanding, stopping just before they entered the classroom.

"Give me twenty bucks and I'll fix it," Chris bargained. Steve's eyes widened as a grin broke out on his face.

"You are the absolute best," Steve yelled slightly, already scrambling for his bag.

"Yeah. yeah, calm down Harrington," Chris chuckled taking the paper from Steve's hand. "Give me the money later, 'cause I gave Dustin all my change."

Steve laughed sitting at his desk, Chris sat next to him, "I feel like that's your problem Henderson."

෴

STEVE WAS SOME TIMES IDIOT. Chris and Steve leant against the lockers around the corner, watching passersby as Steve waited for Nancy. "Why do I ever listen to you?" Chris sighed, referring to Steve's stupid plan to scare Nancy.

"Because why not?" Steve questioned back, sliding his plain black glasses on his face. Chris shook her head, running a hand through her ginger hair.

"Sounds like a nice night," Jonathan agreed with sarcasm, a bright orange flyer in his hand. He walked beside Nancy, who was headed for her locker. Nancy had her binder tight between her arms, books resting against her chest, a copy of the same flyer resting on top.

"Jonathan, just come. I mean, who knows, you might even, like, meet someone," Nancy offered, still arguing his attendance. Steve rounded the corner taking Nancy by the waist and spinning her around playfully. Nancy screamed in surprise, kicking her legs softly.

Chris pushed herself off the locker, pushing Nancy's legs down and taking a place next to Jonathan. "Hi Jonathan," Chris grinned, rolling her eyes at Steve's antics.

"Hey Chris," Jonathan smiled, still holding the flyer in his hand.

"Oh, my God! Take those stupid things off." Nancy complained hitting Steve's chest softly. Steve complied, and quickly he slipped his sunglasses off, shoving them in his pocket.

"I missed you," Steve said lovingly, still holding Nancy by the waist.

"It's been like an hour," Nancy laughed, looking at Steve as if the world had dissolved.

"Tell me about it," Steve complained, resting a hand on her neck and pulling Nancy into a kiss.

"I feel very unneeded here," Chris mumbled sarcastically, throwing a quick glance at Jonathan. Jonathan let out a little chuckle before giving Chris a mumbled goodbye before walking off, wandering down the hall.

"Okay. Okay, okay. God." Nancy complained, finally pulling back from Steve.

"I gotta get to my next class," Chris announced, finally catching their attention. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye," Steve and Nancy called in unison as Chris wandered off.

෴

SOMETIMES CHRIS WAS IDIOTIC. Chris sat on her bed revising over Steve's paper, his handwriting making it slightly difficult for her to read it, but with a quick phone call before he left for dinner with Nance and a very long lecture bout how he needed to pass; She got it done, making sure it still sounded like Steve wrote it.

Chrisanna lay back in her bed with a sigh, her bright red hair popping out against the light blue pillow cases. Her eyes scanned her walls and she realized how empty they were. She hadn't taken the time to put up many posters, just one to the side of Madonna from a music video. Chris had shelves scattered about, but only one with pictures on them.

One of Chris and her father in her old house in New York, another of her and her mum when Chris was younger, before Dustin was even born, the next one over was a double spread.

One side of a seven-year-old Chris in a poufy white dress with one of Dustin's caps on and three-year-old Dustin in a zombie outfit and one of Chris's bandana, both decked out for Halloween. The one next to it was of the two outside their house, the same day Chris moved in, her boxes all over the yard.

The last one on the self was of Steve, Nancy and Chris. Chris and Nancy sat on the grass studying for a science test, Steve was laid out on the bench, wearing the stupid sunglasses Chris hated. Jonathan had taken the photo so he wasn't in the picture so Chris had cut out his photo from a different time and stuck it to the frame.

Chris sat up, pushing herself from the bed and lazily shuffled to her bag stuffing Steve's paper inside. Chris headed for the living room to dump her bag by the front door for the morning. Just as she turned her back to the door, it slammed open causing Chrisanna to jump.

Chris span to face the open door, Dustin waltzing through. "What the hell Dustin?" Chris scolded, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Also, where have you been?"

"Just the arcade," Dustin explained, dumping his bag next to Chris's. "You seen Mews?"

"Pretty sure he's with mom, why?" Chris asked, pointing behind her to their mother's bedroom.

"No reason," Dustin spoke quickly with a shrug before rushing off to his room. Chris shook her head closing the door, which Dustin forgot to shut. Chris walked to the kitchen and grabbed a snack from the kitchen before heading to her room as well.

෴

❝ there's a calm in my 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 ❞