TEENAGE NIGHTMARE
CHAPTER FIVE — PART ONE.
THE BACK TO SCHOOL BLUES.

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           JP had gotten shit-faced drunk enough times in his life to be able to retain every memory from the night before, no matter how hard he tried to forget them. He remembered speeding to the nearest gas station and buying himself a six pack, the clerk not bothering to even ask him for his ID; he must've already looked too messed up to question. Between that and at some point waking up in Nancy's backyard, all that really stuck with him was the fight he had with Franny and the unnerving feeling that he had royally fucked up.

           " Are you sure you're okay? " Nancy asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at JP, who had opted to sitting down against the chain link fence that surrounded the school's courtyard. " You look like shit. "

           " Not all of us can look as pretty as you, Nance. " JP sarcastically jabbed, lifting his head briefly to look at the brunette, who wore a glare on her face. He sighed quietly and hung his head between his knees, leaning his forehead on his arms. " I don't know, honestly, but I'm pretty sure I messed up. Bad. And I have no clue how to make up for it. "

           " I'm sure Franny's okay, the two of you will figure it out. " Nancy insisted, and JP knew she was trying to be supportive, so he decided not to tell her that he had never had an argument with either of his siblings like that before. He hadn't even seen Franny that morning since he hadn't gone home, he didn't have a clue what happened after he left the party, after he left her.

           " Right. " He agreed emotionlessly, flicking his fingers and moving towards his pocket, digging out a pack of cigarettes that he must've also bought from the gas station; not pausing to question it, he pulled one out and quickly looked to Nancy with raised eyebrows.

            She blew a bit of air out of her nose in annoyance, always having hated watching him drown himself in alcohol and cigarettes instead of trying to face his problems head on. Still, she unzipped her purse and grabbed the red lighter, tossing it to it's rightful owner. JP had agreed to let Nancy hold onto his only lighter as a sign of good faith that he wouldn't smoke a pack every day like an addict.

          " So, did Prince Charming pop a tire or what? " He asked, attempting to change the subject as he lit the end of the cigarette, throwing the lighter back to the girl as he inhaled the nicotine. " You nearly pissed your pants riding MJ today. "

         " Ha ha, very funny. " Nancy replied dryly, but her expression changed rather quickly, her mocking smile fading into uncertainty as she glanced away briefly; they were skipping English currently, but neither of them minded, it was the easiest class they had, and they surely wouldn't miss anything from one day. " I'm not sure, I think something happened at the party. Steve hasn't answered any of my calls, and he didn't show up to pick me up, either. "

          " How'd you get home? " JP questioned, a pang of guilt hitting him as he realized he left not just his sister drunken and alone at the party, but also his best friend.

           " Jonathan. "

            " What? "

            " I don't know why you have such a problem with him, he's nice, he's just a bit quiet— " Nancy insisted, and JP took the cigarette from between his lips, blowing smoke out in the form of a humorless laugh.

             " Maybe because he's a creep that took pictures of you, Nance. "

             " He apologized for that, JP, and you let Franny talk to him! " Nancy pointed out, the volume of her voice making JP wince as his ears rang, head pounding.

             " His little brother tutors her, what am I supposed to do? " JP reminded her, and Nancy shook her head dismissively.

             " You're not my dad, JP. "

              " Thankfully. " JP commented bluntly, making Nancy shoot him a small glare that quickly turned into a grin, which he reciprocated. There was a small pause before he told her, " I'm just trying to look out for you, Nance. You're the only person that gets me. "

             It was true. Ever since freshman year when the two of them sat next to each other in Geometry, they had become unexpectedly close. One look at either of them and you'd assume that they were barely even acquaintances, but their peers didn't see the countless times JP had climbed through Nancy's window after experiencing a nightmare about his mother, or the various phone calls they exchanged where JP would attempt to give Nancy some sort of relationship advice. When Nancy started hanging out with Steve, Tommy H. and Carol followed along like lost puppies, which, by association, meant JP had to hang around them. They joked a few times about JP and Nancy hooking up behind Steve's back, and, in response, JP and busted Tommy's lip and promptly shut Carol's mouth with a simple glare.

          " Well, if you're so worried about Jonathan and I, then you can come with us later to the Hollands' house. " Nancy decided, making JP raise an eyebrow at her, a quizzical look on his face.

          " Barb's house? Why? " He asked, cautious to his words, knowing that the nerdy redhead was still a touchy subject to Nancy; rightfully so. JP understood that the death of her friend had hit Nancy hard, and he didn't forget it for a second.

          " I think it's time I finally tell them what happened to their daughter. "

X X X

        Back at the Walker's house, Franny had woken up on the couch with an old, scratchy blanket draped over her. The girl sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep (and, less successfully, the hangover) from her eyes before she pushed the blanket off her legs, moving to stand. The tv had been turned off, and all the lights were off, save for a lamp near the end of the couch. Franny could see the morning sunlight breaking through the windows, passing through small slivers where the curtains didn't reach.

          She walked to the kitchen, reading the time on the stove as 6:42 AM, her eyes quickly finding a torn piece of paper attached to the fridge by a  cloud shaped magnet.

WENT OUT TO GET MILK, SEE YOU AFTER SCHOOL IF YOU WANT TO TALK it read, signed off by her father's sloppy handwriting. She sadly smiled at the note, placing it down on the island table top before heading to her room to change. After trying to make herself as presentable as possible, a simple Queen t shirt hanging loosely from her frame paired with a pair of cuffed jeans, Franny went to the bathroom, where she expected JP to be routinely vomiting into the toilet.

          When she saw that he wasn't there, she remembered that his motorcycle hadn't been in the driveway when she got home. She suddenly felt extremely alone when she realized that the house was empty, unlike any other school morning. It felt void, like she was dreaming and it wasn't real, but she was aware that it was very real, and so was everything that happened last night.

          Still, she forced herself to grab her bookbag, accepting the fact that she would have to walk to school on her own, silently praying that she'd get at least a day of calm before the storm. As she closed the front door behind her, though, she had an unsettling feeling that it wouldn't go in her favor. Then, just as she moved to put her earbuds in, a rumbling noise caught her attention as a familiar car pulled up beside her, a pair of pretty brown eyes and a grin leaning over to call to her from the driver's seat.

         " Hey, Walker, need a ride? " Steve Harrington asked, making Franny lower her earbuds, a confused look on her face. He lifted a hand away from the wheel as he urged her on, " C'mon, get in! "

           Franny slowly walked over to the car, leaning over the passenger door to raise an eyebrow at the boy, who looked very joyful for a boy that had just been called bullshit the night before. Instead of asking him how he was so happy, Franny asked the only thing she could really manage to hear herself say.

           " Why? " His eyes looked over her face thoughtfully, his fingers absentmindedly tapping the steering wheel as he tilted his head to shrug.

            " Because we're friends. "

             " Really, since when? "

              " Since we're both friendless. " He replied, and Franny lowered her eyebrows, shaking her head lightly.

              " I have a friend. " She persisted, to which Steve made a questionable face.

              " A thirteen year old boy doesn't count, Franny. "

              Franny didn't respond, instead rolling her eyes at him. Truthfully, she wasn't all that sure that she could still call Will her friend. After she had irresponsibly left the boys to trick or treat on their own, resulting in Will having one of his episodes with no adult around, she felt a heavy weight on her shoulders. She waited a minute by the car, eyes drifting to look around the interior; it was clean, which she thought was odd for someone like Steve. With a huff, she pulled open the door and slid into the seat, dropping her bag down by her feet and buckling her seatbelt.

             " By the way, " Franny said, turning away from her buckle with a click, glancing over at Steve, who was leaned back in his seat, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the console, a half-smile on his face; the fact that he had been staring at her making her reluctantly pause, " this doesn't make us friends. "

              " Whatever you say, Walker. " He returned, turning his attention back to the road as he pulled off, heading towards the school.

              After a few minutes of silence, Franny leaned over and changed the radio station before turning up the volume. His radio had a CD player, but she didn't ask him if he had any CDs laying around, and was arguably satisfied with Jessie's Girl. Steve glanced over at her when she began drumming her fingers to the beat of the song, tapping against the console, dangerously close to his own hand. He didn't say anything, not even when she started humming the melody, staring out the window absentmindedly.

              Steve let the quietness go on for most of the drive. It wasn't an awkward sort of quiet, but a peaceful one. They didn't have to speak, as much as both of them were certain they needed to, and it was calm. The two of them just enjoyed the idea of each other's company, not being alone with whatever was stirring in their heads.

               Then, he managed to build up enough courage to ask her, " Did you mean it? " And, when she slowly turned her head to look at him with a puzzled face, he quietly sighed, unnervingly tapping his fingers against the wheel again, which Franny observed easily. " What you said last night. "

              " Which part? " She responded, raising an eyebrow at him, to which he lightly shrugged, not willing to look over and catch her eyes.

               " I don't know, all of it? "

               Franny waited for a minute, thinking over her answer in her head. She turned to face the windshield, watching as they pulled into the school parking lot. Steve carefully weaved through a few students crossing the lot, and Franny dug her nails into the console beside his hand subconsciously.

               " I think so. " She finally said, then, when she noticed Steve's jaw clench, she added, " If you mean the part where I told you that I had. . that I've liked you for years to straight to your face, then yes. I remember that part. "

               Now, Franny was the one that couldn't look at him, feeling the ache in her head fade but be replaced by a knot in her stomach as she felt his eyes on her. He had pulled into his usual parking spot, nearly taking his keys out of the ignition before she spoke, making him look over at her. He looked like someone had just knocked the wind out of him.

               " Oh. "

               " Yeah. "

              And, with that, Franny was the first to get out of the car, gently shutting the door as she stood, the realization of what she was about to walk into suddenly hitting her like a wave of bricks, making her physically take a step back. Steve rounded the front of the car, standing across from her, eyebrows creased in concern.

             " You good, Franny? " He asked, and she started to nod her head before decidedly changing her answer, shaking it and placing a hand against his car to steady herself; Steve walked towards her hurriedly as she let out a strained breath.

             " I can't do this, I can't just go in there and sit through first period like nothing happened. " She insisted, closing her eyes and letting out a quiet scoff, " Everyone knows, they have to, I can't deal with the rumors and shit, I can't— "

             Her eyes shot open and her words stopped when she felt something touch her hand. She instantly looked down to see Steve's hand covering hers, and she looked over at him with knitted eyebrows.

            " Hey, you don't have to, if you don't want to. " He reassured her, noticing her reaction and slowly retracting his hand from hers before offering her a halfhearted grin, adding, " You can come watch me kick ass at basketball in the gym. Front row seats, baby. "

            " Anything sounds better than sitting with a dozen people that hate me. " She decided, which surprised herself a little bit. Normally, she would never skip out on class, but she guessed that it wasn't a normal day.

X X X

          Charlie was plenty convinced that he wanted to go out with a bang. He always dreamt of changing the world in some sort of incredible way, like curing cancer, or being the first gay president (maybe, he still had to come out of the closet for that one, and the world had to be a hell of a lot more accepting before that would happen) and he had decided that he would die in a ridiculously extravagant way, too. He didn't know if he could beat Phineas Gage and his iron rod through the brain, which didn't even kill him, though.

            While he was busy daydreaming about the possible ways he could die in an extraordinary way, Mike was watching Will with a careful eye. Both boys had been significantly worried about their friend, and, after his episode on Halloween, Mike and Charlie has agreed to keep an eye out on him. Something wasn't right, and it wasn't hard to see that.

            Another thing out of place was Dustin's empty seat. Charlie, personally, hadn't talked to Dustin or Lucas after they split to take Will to Mike's house, but he hadn't expected him not to come to school and not tell them why. When class had begun and they were still lacking the fifth member of their group, the boys had all become slightly more concerned for Dustin. It was unlike him to go ghost for this long.

And, speak of the Devil.

" Dustin, glad you could join us. " Mr. Clarke cut himself off from his lesson as the door opened and shut, the curly haired boy rushing in with a sheepish grin.

" I am so sorry, Mr. Clarke, really, so sorry. Please, continue with class, don't mind me, forget I'm even here, " He panted, earning a briefly amused but disappointed expression from their teacher, who turned back to his lesson after Dustin scrambled back to his seat.

As soon as his butt hit the seat, he turned around and looked between all four boys with wide eyes and whispered, " We have to meet. All of us. Lunch, AV room. "

" Wait, why? " Mike asked, and Lucas shot Dustin an equally questionable look as Will and Charlie shared a face.

" Yeah, where were you this morning? Radio silence is not your thing. " Charlie pointed out, and Dustin shook his head rapidly.

" I have something that you won't believe. " He insisted, turning back around and leaving them without any details; Charlie wore a dry look at that, and Mike's mouth practically hung open in surprise, only shutting when they watched Dustin lean over and say something to Max. Mike looked, unsurprisingly, pissed off. Charlie wasn't sure why he hated the redhead so much, but every time her name came from either Lucas's or Dustin's mouth, he would immediately get a sour look on his face and go silent. While they hadn't really gotten to know her all that well, Charlie didn't think she was that bad, and, to be honest, he thought Mike was being a bit of a hypocrite; he was all for being best buds with Eleven, and even broke up the gang for a while after arguing with Lucas over her.

" Dustin! " Mr. Clarke exclaimed, catching the boy in the middle of his whispering to Max, who's eyes widened considerably; the aforementioned boy turned his head instantly, flashing the teacher a toothy grin.

" Yes, my lord? "

" Would you care to join us now? " Mr. Clarke suggested, ignoring the small laughter that erupted within the class; Charlie let out a snicker himself, turning to glance at Will, who was zoning out, staring at the window as rain drops trailed down the glass.

" Of course. "

" The case of Phineas Gage. "

" Phineas Gage. "

" Page 104. "

" 104. "

Mr. Clarke seemed satisfied as Dustin pulled out his book and began flipping through the page, continuing his lesson, but Charlie couldn't regain his interest anymore. His concern for Will was increasingly growing, and, if he and Mike continued to see it, there was no way Mike wouldn't realize that Charlie thought of Will as more than just his best friend. While he was still afraid that Will was hiding something from him, he felt guilty for being more worried about his feelings coming out before he wanted them to. Telling his siblings had been relatively easy, even though he nearly puked while trying to rile up enough courage. They had basically already known. He hadn't told his father yet, trying to tell himself that it was because he was rarely home long enough for them to have that talk, but, in reality, it was because he was afraid. He hopefully thought that telling Will and his friends would make it easier, but he wasn't sure who he was more scared to tell: his dad or the party.

Will finally dragged his eyes away from the window, blinking a few times before turning his head towards Charlie. The Walker boy suddenly straightened his slouched position, trying to pretend like he hadn't been staring at him. Will simply gave him a small smile that didn't reach his eyes, and Charlie attempted to return it.

Well, this was going to be harder than he thought.

X X X

note.

well, as you can probably tell, all three of our Walker kids are finally getting into their own problems. Franny is, obviously, about to go through a hell storm at school, and don't worry, she'll be getting into the Upside Down stuff soon. JP is struggling to deal with what happened at the party because part of him does believe that Franny was right, and he will become nothing more than a drunk, and he also feels guilty for leaving his sister at the party, so he's going to put it off by helping Nancy and Jonathan with their spiel. Charlie is about to be shoved right back into the crazy stuff again, but he's also trying to figure out how to tell his friends and who to tell first that he's gay. If you have any predictions on who he tells first (with the exception of his siblings), drop them below!

as always, all comments, questions, predictions, and feedback are greatly appreciated!