"Hawkins' missing person's case of Will Byers has been officially closed as of this morning. William Byers' body was found in the quarry of Hawkins, late hours of last night. It is assumed on the night of Byers' disappearance, he fell into the quarry and drowned. The family is yet to speak to the press about this devasting news, and many people in the town are praying for Will Byers and his family. That's all for now, back to Janet in the studio."

I throw my radio across the room, not wanting to hear any more of it. Will is dead. How can Will be dead? I feel heartbroken. I feel like I want to cry, but no tears come. I walk over to my dressing table and look at the mess Carol made of my face. The bridge of my nose has a cut on it, along with the cut on the right side of my forehead and all the scratches down my face. I pick up my makeup bag and slap on all the makeup I can to try to hide the collection of scratches, bruises, and cuts.

When it get's to as good as I can get it, I sigh, putting away all my makeup. I pick up the bag and bend down to put it in one of my drawers. I feel a sharp pain travel through my body. I stand up, quickly, letting my makeup bag drop to the floor, the makeup rolling out everywhere. I look at my ribs in the mirror to see the usual nude colored skin tone is now a mix of black, purple, blue, and green. It is a massive bruise in the place where Carol wouldn't stop kicking me. I knew I had to go to school. If I didn't, no one would want to stick up for me. No one would let me sit with them at lunch.

I sigh, picking up my school bag and standing out at the bus stop, managing to avoid my Dad. Just as I sit down on the bench, I see a familiar car pull up in front of me, but I refuse to look at the driver. Steve. He gets out of the car and sits next to me. We both sit in silence for a while. "Sorry," he mumbles out, breaking the silence. I continue to ignore him, turning my head the other way. "Lizzie, there's not much else I can say, right now."

"You promised," I seethe, still not looking at him. He stays quiet and I know for a fact he has nothing to say. "You promised you wouldn't say anything because you knew it would ruin our friendship. And like you said, Tommy will pin the blame all on to me because he's a pussy who can't face up to his mistakes."

"Yeah, I know," Steve nods his head. "It wasn't my place to tell Carol, and I'm sorry about that. I didn't sleep much last night, knowing that I've ruined what our group had."

"You haven't really," I shake my head, finally turning to look him in the eyes. "You've lost one member of the group, Steve, it's not such a big deal."

"We've lost the most important member of the group, Elizabeth," he exclaims, sounding very serious about it. "It is such a big deal." I sit there in silence for a little longer. "Can you forgive me?"

I begin to think about it. Can I forgive him for what he's done? Can I trust him again? My thoughts get a bit too much for me and I begin crying, again. "You just piss me off, all the god damn time, Harrington!" I let out, as the tears fall down my cheeks. He inches closer up the bench to me, throwing his arm over my shoulders and hugging me, tightly.

We sit like that for a few more moments and I realize how much Steve means to me and how many more times he could do this and I would still forgive him. "You're still my girl, right?" He asks me, resting his head on mine, placing a kiss of the top of it.

"What sort of question is that?" I question him, pulling out of the hug. I can see the worry in his eyes. "Of course I am!" He immediately smiled at the response. He stands up, holding out his hand for me. I take it, letting him pull me up. We both get into his car and he picks up a tape from the glove compartment and Black Dog by Led Zeppelin begins blasting through the speakers. Steve turns to me and begins belting out all the lyrics, making me laugh each time.

When it gets to the chorus, I join in, belting out every single word. At that moment, I forget about all the shitty things in life. I remember what life was like before Carol and Tommy came into the picture - when it was just Steve and me, against the world. Life was so drama free back then. Look at me now. When we arrive at school, I feel my world crashing down, again. "Steve, I can't do this," I shake my head at him.

"Do what?" Steve asks me, turning off the ignition.

"Face Tommy. Carol. Nancy," I explain to him. "Oh my God, I just can't do it." I shake my head.

"You'll be fine, Liz," he assures me, putting his hand on my thigh.

"You don't understand, Steve!" I say, getting annoyed again. "Yesterday, I thought I had lost you forever!" I explain to him. "You have no idea how heartbroken I was. I was fucking devastated, Steve."

"No, Liz, you don't understand," he flips it all onto me. "You don't understand that if it came down to Tommy and Carol or you, I would choose you in a heartbeat every single god-damn time." I sit in silence, stunned by what he has just told me. "You think you don't mean anything to me, but you do. And that's why I want to know what the whole outburst yesterday was about."

"I don't know," I splutter. "I don't even know. I've always been fine with you dating Nancy, it's just when I found out you had sex with her, it hurt. I don't know why. I don't have a reason to be hurt, it just made me feel so upset."

"But I've had sex with other people before, you know that," Steve explains to me. I don't even know what's going on right now.

"I know, I'm just so confused, I don't understand where all these emotions are coming from," I mutter, a bit unsure of the ground I am stepping on. "Can we talk about this another time? I don't have a clue what I'm feeling right now and I just need to get through today before anything else happens."

Steve looks at me with worry, not saying anything. He nods his head, looking away. "Yeah, sure," he agrees. He turns back to look at me. "Do you need taking home tonight?"

"Probably," I nod my head, grabbing my bag from the footwell. We both step out of the car and all eyes are on me. Some snickers, all whispers. Everyone knows about Tommy. I sigh and push my way through the crowds.

"Steve!" A voice calls, we both look around to see Nancy, trying to catch up with us. "I need to talk to you." She turns to me. "Both of you." My heart stops at that moment. This is about yesterday.

Nancy takes us down to the alleyway in between the main school and the gym. She explains everything about her concern for Barb, Steve and I exchanging confused looks throughout the majority of it. "So, wait a sec, I don't understand," Steve shakes his head. "You went back to my house?"

"To look for Barb," she tells him, clutching onto her bag. I can just sense the unease she is feeling right now. She's really worried about her.

"Yeah, okay, why didn't you just talk to me about it?" Steve questions, putting his hands deep inside his pockets. "That's crazy."

Nancy pauses, trying to come up with an answer. "I don't know, I... I was scared," she tells him, looking down at her feet.

"You seriously think you saw a guy in a mask just hanging out in Steve's yard?" I ask her, it not seeming to add up. My tone comes across a little hostile, earning a look from the other two.

"I don't think it was a mask," she shakes her head, trying to elaborate. She is still trying to be kind, despite my hostility.

"But he had no face?" Steve questions her, not one-hundred-percent believing her.

Nancy looks scared. It's laced on her features. She looks at Steve, then me, then back to Steve. "I don't know," she cries out in a whispered tone. "I don't know, I just... I have a terrible feeling about this."

"Oh, this is bad," Steve says, something dawning on him. "This is really bad."

"What?" I ask him, as he leans against the brick wall behind him as if it keeping him from falling over.

"The cops," Steve begins. "They're going to want to speak to all of us now. Tommy, Carol, Liz, Travis, everybody who was at the party."

"So?" Nancy replies, not entirely sure what he is meaning.

"My parents are going to murder me!" He raises his voice, getting worried. His parents aren't as chilled out and laid back as my parents and if they found out he had a party - with alcohol - they would most likely slaughter him on the spot.

"Are you serious right now?" Nancy retorts in disbelief at his reply.

"You don't understand, his Dad is a grade A asshole," I step in, trying to soften the blow for Nancy a little bit. Nancy shoots her head in his direction and he nods his head, gesturing his hand to me.

"Barb is missing! And you're worried about your Dad?" She snaps, starting to get more in his face.

"Okay, just..." I begin trying to figure something out. "When you talk to the cops, just don't mention the beers." Steve nods his head, agreeing with me.

"Ditto," he speaks up. "It's just going to get all of us into trouble and Barbara's got nothing to do with it, okay?" He tries to convince Nancy, but she doesn't budge.

She scoffs, shaking her head at him. "I can't believe you, right now." She turns to walk away before saying another time, "I can't believe you!"

"Nancy," Steve calls for her, but she just continues to ignore him, walking away. "Nancy, wait." She ignores him another time, riling Steve up. "Nancy!" He shouts at her. "Come on, let's just go," he tells me, taking me to my next class. Spanish.

Steve and I have missed the final bell, so it's most likely that we're going to get detention. We walk through the door and Mrs Garcia sighs, loudly. "Señorita Peterson. Señor Harrington. Llegas tarde. Tome asiento - los veré dentenidos immediatamente después de esta lección," she utters in the language I know very well. Steve looks at me for help. "Señor Harrington, ha estado tomando español desde el sexto grado, debe saber lo que estoy diciendo sin necesidad de buscar ayuda."

"Lady, just by speaking more Spanish, it isn't going to help me out," Steve exclaims, waving his arms around.

"Señorita Peterson, preocúpese por el Señor Harrington," Mrs Garcia states, like she wants to quit her job.

I turn to Steve getting ready to translate everything she said. "Miss Peterson. Mr Harrington. You are late. Take a seat - I will be seeing you in detention straight after class. And then she said. Mr Harrington, you have been taking Spanish since the sixth grade. You should know what I am saying without needing to look for help," I translate for him and he nods his head.

"Taking my seat," he says, pointing to two vacant seats.

"¡En español por favor!" Mrs Garcia barks at the two of us, making us snicker as we make our way to the two vacant seats. As I sit down, the principal opens the door. "Miss Peterson, if you would follow me." I look at Steve before standing up. I leave my bag on the floor, getting ready to leave. "You may want to bring your belongings." I stop in my tracks before nodding, heading back to get my bags.

I follow the principal to the gym, where there is a table with two cops and my Dad sat there. My heart drops at the sight. Nancy wasn't kidding when she said the cops were getting involved. "Ah, Miss Peterson, take a seat," one of the cops tells me as I enter the gym. I look back at my Principal, but she's leaving and closing the door behind her as I do. I quickly take my seat, placing my bag on the floor. "Miss Peterson, do you know why you're here?"

"I believe so, yes," I nod my head, sitting on my hands. The other cop urges for me to continue. "This is about Barbara's disappearance, right?"

"Yes, we just need to ask you a few questions and you to fully co-operate by telling the complete truth and giving as much information as possible," the other cop explains. I nod my head again, trying to stop my throat from closing up. "Where were you when you last saw Barbara Holland and when was it?"

"Around about 11 pm, two nights ago," I tell the cops, trying to think back as far as I could. "At Steve Harrington's house."

"Okay," he nods, watching as the cop directly in front of me writes down notes on what I am saying. "Who was at Steve Harrington's house on that night?"

"Um, Nancy Wheeler, Carol Thomas, Tommy Holmes, Steve Harrington, Barbara Holland, Travis Wilkinson, and myself," I list, thinking back to that night. The cop note taking nods his head for me to continue. "That's it."

"Were any of you under any influence of intoxicants?" He questions me, getting sort of suspicious of me. That is not good news. "Drugs, alcohol," he elaborates.

I pause for a moment. If I lie and Nancy tells them that there were the beers there, I could be put on the list for the prime suspect for lying. If I tell the truth, Steve will get into so much trouble with his parents and they'll never trust him again. "No," I lie. I could feel my father shifting in his seat, uncomfortably. He knows I was drunk that night. He knows I lied to the police. He knows I just broke the law.

"What time did Barbara Holland leave Steve Harrington's house?" The one in front of my father asks me.

"I'm not sure, I stayed the night in Steve's pool house, I went to bed around 11," I explain, telling the truth this time.

"At 11 pm?" The cop questions me, raising his brow in disbelief. "You're telling me that you were at a party and went to bed at 11 when you were staying over at the hosts' house anyway?"

"It wasn't a party," I lie, digging myself a deeper and deeper grave for myself. I can practically hear all of the inmates cry from the cell I am going to be staying in if I don't stop lying. "It was more of a casual get together."

"What do you know of an argument between Nancy Wheeler and Barbara Holland on that night?" I am asked.

"I wouldn't say it was much of an argument but not much," I shake my head. The two cops nod their heads and I begin to explain. "Nancy told me she had told Barb to go home when she was going upstairs with Steve."

"Are Steve and Nancy romantically involved? Dating? Just messing around?" One of the cops asks me and I furrow my brows at the question.

"Sorry, but what has this got to do with Barbara?" I ask them, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't really see the relevance."

"Just answer the question," he replies. "And remember, it's a criminal offense to lie to a police officer when investigating."

I sigh, unfolding my arms from my chest. "Yes, they are dating. Have been for a few weeks now," I explain to the cops. They both straighten up and look at each other. "What? I don't understand how this has got anything to do with Barbara."

"We are led to believe Miss. Holland may have been slightly jealous of Nancy and Steve being together," he finally replies to me. "We think she may have run away and she doesn't want to be found."

"How can you insinuate that?" I ask them, standing up in anger. "Just because Nancy has a boyfriend, doesn't mean Barb was jealous of her. She was happy for her and Steve."

"Elizabeth, sit down," my Dad snaps, quietly. It's not often he snaps, so I do as he says and take my seat.

"Your face," one cop motions to all my scratches and bruises under all my makeup. "You've worked hard to cover that up. How did that happen?"

"A fight," I admit, being wary of what I am saying.

"When did this fight take place?" He asks me, getting ready to write notes down.

"Yesterday, and completely unrelated to the party," I reply, getting annoyed at their questions. "You're not asking me many questions about Barb and the actual party. Isn't that what you're supposed to be doing here?"

"What started the fight?" He questions, twiddling the pen in his fingers, almost like he was asking these questions for his own entertainment.

I pause, looking at my Dad, then back at the cops. "I slept with Carol's boyfriend, Tommy."

"That is all, Miss Peterson," he says. "Thank you for your co-operation. You may go back to class now." I nod my head, and stand up, with my Dad. As soon as we exit the gym he starts on me.

"Elizabeth, are you crazy?!" He yells at me in a whispered tone. "You just lied to the law. You know I'm fine with you drinking at parties! Why would you lie?!"

"Steve would be in so much trouble with his parents," I explain to him, shrugging my shoulders. "It's a little lie that has nothing to do with Barbara."

"Elizabeth, Steve would be in trouble with his parents - which will take them two weeks maximum to forgive him," Dad tells me. "You are going to get into trouble with the police - which will take them a lot longer than two weeks to forgive you. You could be given a criminal record."

"Dad!" I shout, getting him to stop talking. "I'd rather be in trouble than my best friend." With that, he sighs, shaking his head at me.

"All this aside, I'm disappointed in you, Elizabeth. You betrayed your best friend's trust by having sex with Tommy," he says, still shaking his head. "You can find somewhere to stay tonight, I don't think I can look at you anymore." With that, he walks out of the school doors and leaves me stranded in the hallway. I go back to Spanish, sitting back in my seat, next to Steve.

"What was all that about?" He asks me.

"The cops."