TEENAGE NIGHTMARE
CHAPTER FOUR — PART ONE.
THE BULLSHIT BOY AND THE GOOD GIRL.

        Nearly twenty minutes later, Franny woke up to the sound of a door creaking and a sliver of light interrupting her drunken slumber. She lifted her head from the pillow, squinting at the tall figure that appeared in the doorway. Unable to make out any features, she let her head fall back to the pillow with a tired huff.

" Occupied. " Her voice was muffled as she turned her head to look over and see that, while the bed was a mess of covers strewn every which way, Billy was no longer there; she absentmindedly wondered how long she had been asleep.

" Franny? " The person called, and she knew he sounded somewhat familiar; the aforementioned girl sat up, turning her head towards the door. He walked further inside, but instantly turned away with a sound of surprise as he shielded his eyes. " God— shit, Franny, you're naked. "

Her eyes instantly shot down to see the covers in her lap, her torso bare as the voice had said. Her face immediately heated up and she stood with the comforter covering her body as she stumbled slightly at the sudden movement. When her eyes adjusted, she noticed the shaggy brown hair and the slumped stature of the figure before her.

" Byers? " She asked, holding the blanket tight to her body as he stepped inside, closing the door and dropping his arm from his eyes, looking to her with a worried look. " The hell are you doing here? "

" You were supposed to be with Will and his friends, they told me you left them to come here. " Jonathan stated, still a bit distraught at having seen Franny topless. " What happened to you? "

Franny's head was throbbing, and the music blaring downstairs seemed to echo even louder in her ears as she looked to Jonathan with droopy eyes as she mumbled an apology, " Sorry, Byers. "

Jonathan opened his mouth, but Franny didn't wait to hear whatever he was going to say. Instead, she gave him a blank look and glanced around the room to find any of her missing clothes. She locked eyes with him and gestured around, " Can you. . uh, I don't know where my clothes are. "

" You want me to—um, okay, " He said, scratching the back of his neck before walking across the room; Franny felt her face burning, especially when Jonathan came back to her with an embarrassed look on his face and a sadly small pile in his arms. She felt like laughing, oddly enough, and that's how she subconsciously knew that she was not okay and that she would definitely regret everything she didn't remember in a few hours. She still took the undergarments from Jonathan, using her finger in a twirling motion to ask him to turn around.

He complied silently, and Franny dropped the comforter to pull on her underwear and quickly snapped her bra back on before she actually realized he hadn't found her actual clothes.

" Byers, where are the rest of my clothes? " She asked, and Jonathan could hear the alcohol in her voice, grimacing as he lifted an eyebrow, not wanting to turn around.

" Couldn't find them. " He said, and Franny let out a sigh that turned into a hysterical laugh; Jonathan wondered what the hell had gotten into her, but didn't voice his concern when her laugh faded.

" Well, this is great. I'm gonna have to walk out of here half naked. " She said, closing her eyes and lifting a hand to her head, trying to soothe the rough aching.

" And in Star Wars underwear. " Jonathan commented quietly, to which she glared at the back of his head. " What? How was I not supposed to see that when I picked them up? "

" If you're done being helpful, you can leave, Byers. " She told him, and he was quiet at that; after a moment, he began to take his jacket off, pulling the green fabric off his arms and pushing it out to her without looking at her. Franny took the jacket thrusted at her with surprise, looking at Jonathan for a moment before tugging it on. He started to leave after he knew she had put it on, and, as he began to disappear out the door, she mumbled, " Thanks, Jonathan. "

" No problem, Franny. " He said, and then he was gone. She wrapped the jacket over her body, trying to cover as much as she could before peering out the door, down the hall. All of the sudden, her head rushed and she felt something in the back of her throat, her stomach clenching. She placed a hand to her mouth and forced herself to take a step out into the hallway, frantically looking back and forth down the hall. Does she head downstairs and risk puking her guts out on the way out the door or does she run to the bathroom and prolong her stay even longer?

At the acidic taste of bile in her mouth, she chose the latter and her feet padded against the hallway floor as she ran to the bathroom, which was creaked open an inch. She burst through the door, running into a body and pushing past them to fall to her knees in front of the toilet. Her knees bashed against the tile floor, and she felt a stinging feeling erupt in them, but she was too busy wrapping her hands around the toilet and emptying her insides to care.

" God damn, Fran. " The person spoke, having oddly not run away at the sight of someone vomiting, just merely flinching; she noticed his voice was barely over a whisper although he was trying his hardest to mask it. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. " I tried to tell you— "

" Yeah, 'I told you so', Harrington, I get it. " She interrupted, head hanging low as she barely looked up at him through her hair, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. " What the hell are you still doing in here? "

As soon as the words left her mouth, she saw it. He was crying. Steve 'The King' Harrington was crying at a party. His eyes weren't raw and red, so he must've just started, but there were fresh tears rolling down his cheeks that gave him away. Oh, how bittersweet the moment was, how the tables had turned. Franny was glad that Steve knew how to experience emotions other than cockiness, but she didn't like watching him cry. Not one bit. It made her more sick.

" I think I'm the one that should be asking you questions, Walker. " He deflected her inquiry, not-so-subtly wiping the tears from his face as he raised an eyebrow at her. " You're half naked, puking in the toilet, and—who the hell's jacket are you wearing? "

" Byers'. " Franny answered plainly, leaning against her arm, which was rested firmly on the toilet seat; she furrowed her eyebrows at his question, and became even more confused when he made a face of distaste. " What? "

" You slept with— "

" No. " She answered, her eyes dropping from his when she everything seemed to hit her all at once. She'd really gotten drunk, for the first time, and slept with Billy Hargrove, arguably one of the most arrogant people she'd ever met. And, now, she was sitting on the bathroom floor, practically naked before Steve Harrington. Her heart dropped in her chest and she felt sick for a whole other reason.

Noticing the way the blood drained from her face, Steve moved forward an inch, eyebrows creased together as he demanded, " Did Billy do something? I swear to god, I'll kick that mullet-wearing asshole— "

Franny didn't have time to say anything, not like she would willingly tell Steve Harrington any of her problems, much less the most recent one. Instead, she keeled over the toilet again and heaved, making Steve blink and move towards her, kneeling beside her. He gathered her hair in his hands, holding it behind her as she dry heaved a few more times, nothing coming out. She let her head linger over the toilet, feeling a shudder run through her body when her subconscious seemed to kick back in. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from full on sobbing in front of Steve, allowing a small tear to roll down her face.

" You okay? " Steve asked, and, for the first time in what she was sure was forever, he sounded genuinely concerned. Franny leaned away from the toilet, to which he reactively let go of her hair. She brushed the single tear away and just looked at Steve with an exhausted expression.

" You don't have to ask me that. " She insisted bluntly, sitting her elbows on her knees, looking up at him as he leaned against the sink. Her stomach was still in knots as she reminded him, " We're not friends. "

       After a beat of silence, Steve instinctively replied, " That doesn't mean I don't care about you. "

Before, if he'd said that, Franny's heart would've burst from her chest. Now, it just hurt. Franny gave him a sad smile, shaking her head at the floor before saying, " No, I'm not okay, but I'll get over it. I always do. "

Steve seemed at a loss for words, not knowing how to comfort her while he had just went through his own personal nightmare. She noticed the glassy look in his eyed, and she felt the need to ask him the same question. He looked like he needed to be asked.

" Are you? " She questioned, and, upon seeing his face of denial, she rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh, " Please, I know King Steve doesn't cry, but I'm looking at Steve Harrington right now. "

He wasn't sure if she meant that in a comical or a deep way, but he took it as the latter when she stood up; standing a solid five or so inches taller than her, Steve had to look down to meet her hazy blue-green eyes.

" No, but I will be. " He repeated, and Franny laughed quietly, lowering her eyes away from Steve, who also laughed in return. His gaze drifted to the small window that was beside the shower, it was big enough for a person to get through, and he got an idea.

" You scared of heights? "

After convincing Franny that they could both fit through the window, Steve had crawled through first, standing steadily on the roof of the expensive house. He helped Franny though, catching her when she nearly lost her balance. They had shuffled over and found a safe enough spot to sit down. Franny was unsure of why she was going along with it, why she was sitting on a roof, staring at the stars with Steve Harrington. A part of her told her it was just to keep herself from realizing exactly what she had done in the past few hours, another, quieter part told her that it was because it actually sounded enjoyable.

" So, " Franny started, folding her hands over her stomach and wondering if she'd regret asking him this, " where'd Nancy run off to? "

Steve also had his hands on his stomach, fingers fiddling absentmindedly as he stared up at the scattered stars across the night sky. He closed his eyes and exhaled quietly, causing Franny to look over at him for a reaction. She didn't want to push him, but something told her the tears and the absence of said girlfriend were connected.

" Well, apparently, everything's bullshit. " He said, a bitter bite to his words, and Franny lowered her head back against the roof, a puzzled look on her face as she absorbed his words.

" What does that mean? "

" Nancy said it, tonight. This town, our relationship, me. All bullshit. " He sighed, eyes glued to the sky, too afraid to look Franny in the eye, too afraid that saying it out loud would make it real. " She told me she didn't love me. "

              Franny didn't really know what to say, so she just said the first thing that she thought she should say, " Sorry. That's rough. "

              " Yeah. " Steve sighed, and Franny bit her lip, finding it too hard to shake her head without making it ache, so she just stared up at the stars.

She quickly changed her mind, though, and leaned up again, eyes drifting over Steve's sullen face with her eyebrows knitted together, and she repeated, " Bullshit. "

   The boy looked over at her, forehead creasing in short confusion before he exhaled through his nose and agreed, " Bullshit. "

Franny turned her attention back to the sky, wondering if she should tell Steve what happened to her tonight since she knew his sob story. It didn't really feel fair, but she wasn't sure if she could say it out loud. Her morals had been shattered and she felt as though she still hadn't realized it, not entirely. She felt guilty for not feeling worse, but she assumed that was because she was feeling a bit numb at the moment. She felt more guilty for leaving the boys than she did for ruining everything she ever did to solidify herself as a person.

            " You want to know what's really bullshit? " She asked, and Steve raised his eyebrows, looking over at her questionably.

           " More bullshit than me? "

           " Totally. "

           " Well, shit, must be pretty bad. "

           " Yeah, it is. " She confirmed, averting her eyes and hoping he would do the same when she spoke, " I. . I think I had sex with Billy. "

           Steve didn't speak, and that's how Franny knew she shouldn't have told him. He was sitting up on his elbows, staring over at her in disbelief, eyes wide. He was half waiting for her to break out into a laugh, insisting that she got him good. Instead, she felt more tears building in her eyes and sniffled quietly, unable to look over at him.

           " I don't. . I can't remember all of it, but I know I did. " Her voice cracked, chewing on her bottom lip again, somehow not drawing blood, while tears rolled down her face, " I shouldn't have, I know I shouldn't have. . I—oh, my god, I'm so stupid. "

           " Hey, " Steve called, his eyes finding her tear-filled ones with a sympathetic expression. " you're not stupid. A little impulsive, sure, but you're one of the smartest people I know. "

           " You didn't think that when your friend Carol made fun of me for getting tutored by Byers' brother last year. " She mentioned spitefully, watching as Steve clenched his jaw at the memory.

            " She's not my friend, not anymore. " He insisted, his eyes still searching her face, lingering a little too long to go unnoticed as he shook his head lightly, " I'm sorry. "

            " Damn it, I am an idiot! " Franny declared, pressing her hands to her face as she finally seemed to get what she had done. However, instead of letting her continue, Steve cut in again, trying to convince her otherwise and aggravating her further.

            " Fran, stop saying that— "

             " You're the reason I'm an idiot! " She shouted, glaring over at him and letting out an aggravated noise while he just shut his mouth, not used to being interrupted this much, " I have spent so much time just wanting you to see me, I wanted you to notice me so badly that I let Billy fucking Hargrove in my pants! And I'm sure someone saw me in Byers' jacket, and somehow they're gonna know we were out here together— then I'm the fucking joke of Hawkins, not as the stuck up goody-two-shoes anymore, though, just the slut that bounced between three guys in one night! "

            " Fran— " He seemed taken aback from her outburst, his eyes momentarily looking towards the window to make sure no one came looking for them before he looked back at her with concern etched onto his tear-stained face. He had no idea she had felt that way about him, and hearing it like this was not how he imagined it. He couldn't tell what he thought of her, what the truth was, not now, she'd just think he was lying to comfort her.

            " No, Steve. " She said in a deadly serious voice, staring at him through pools of tears that blurred her vision of him, " Stop trying to make me feel better about it, because there's nothing to feel better about! I did that, I slept with him, I did this to myself, and that's exactly what's going to happen. Try to look me in the eye and tell me that's not true. "

             Steve bit the side of his cheek, staring at her for a few more seconds before lowering his head and attempting to speak, " Franny, that's not– "

            " That's what I thought. " She concluded quietly, pulling the jacket tighter to her torso before she began inching down the roof. Steve leaned forward at her movements, eyebrows furrowed as he watched her maneuver to the edge, swinging her legs over.

           " Where are you going, Walker? " He called, moving to stand in a crouched position; Franny looked over her shoulder at him with a saddened expression taking over her face.

            " I'm going home, Harrington. " She informed him, glancing away briefly before adding, " I hope everything works out between you and Nancy, really. "

             With that, Franny hung from the gutters and dropped to the freshly cut yard, landing in a crouch to prevent herself from hurting her ankles. JP's motorcycle wasn't there anymore, so she started to walk down the sidewalk, willing herself to remember that her house was just a few blocks away. Steve sat atop the roof, now alone, with an astonished look on his face, running a hand through his hair as he tried to take in everything that had happened.

X X X

Franny had gone to the Wheeler's house, where she had assumed the boys had gone after trick-or-treating. She was sure Charlie would be a little pissed about having to walk home, but it wasn't that far of a walk anyways. She wondered if Nancy had gone home, but she quickly tried to push any thought of Nancy, JP, Steve, or even Billy to the back of her mind.

She stood at the front door, knocking gingerly on it. It was nearly two in the morning by now, and she was slightly surprised to see Mrs. Wheeler in the doorway, curlers hanging tightly in her blonde hair and a blue cream spread around her face.

" Francesca, I wasn't expecting you, " She admitted, a smile growing on her face, but her skin barely moved with the hardened face mask. Franny would've felt embarrassed at standing in front of the woman in only her undergarments and Jonathan's jacket, but she assumed it was dark enough for it not to be questioned.

" I'm just here to pick up Charlie. " She insisted, and, as if he heard his name being said, her little brother popped up, Mike alongside him as they approached the door. " Hey, time to go home. "

" I'm staying the night. " Charlie replied flatly, and Franny gave him a tired look, not wanting to argue with him, especially not in front of Mrs. Wheeler in her current state.

" Charlie, come on, we— "

" Will had an episode. " He cut her off, and that's when Franny noticed the red rings around his eyes that had apparently adorned everyone's faces tonight; he gave her a distraught look. " I'm staying here with him. "

" Wait, what? " She asked, shaking her head slightly as she tried to step inside the house, " Is he okay? Can-can I see him? "

" He's fine. " Mike interjected, seeming a bit defensive towards the teen. " He's sleeping right now, so you should probably just go. "

Franny opened her mouth to protest, looking over at Charlie, who closed his eyes briefly before nodding in agreement, " Yeah, Fran, he's right. Just go home, I'll see you tomorrow. "

She didn't speak after that, her throat becoming drier by the minute and feeling an impossible flood of tears burning in her eyes again. She felt like she had already cried out all the tears she could possible have. Franny took a step back and looked over at Mrs. Wheeler apologetically before nodding towards Charlie and Mike. The door slowly shut as she turned to walk back down the driveway, heading back down the street to her own house.

JP's motorcycle wasn't parked out front, but her father's truck was sitting in the driveway. Franny felt her heart drop, and she was sure that the night couldn't get any worse.

" Hey, sweetie. " Her dad called, looking up from the television as he shot her a smile from his seat on the couch; Franny barely had a second to walk into the living room before the dusty-blond man noticed the streaks down her face and the disheveled look on her face, then his eyes widened in concern when he saw her lack of proper clothes. " What happened, Franny, are you okay? "

          He quickly stood to his feet, having still been dressed in his dress pants and a nice baby blue button up. Franny felt her throat close up as she met her father's eyes, closing the distance between them with a tight embrace and burying her face into his shoulder. Joseph Walker's arms wrapped around his daughter's back as he felt her sobbing into his chest,  and he sat his chin on top of her head as he soothingly rubbed her back.

          Joseph didn't repeat his question, because it was very clear what the answer was. He didn't push for details, and simply sat down on the couch, still in the embrace, pulling Franny down with him as she continued to cried, for another half hour before she fell asleep in his lap.

X X X

note.

my poor baby fran. also, I'm aware that it might seem like I'm focusing in mainly on her rn, but if so it's because this is the bulk of when her character starts changing, even if it is only chapter four. JP doesn't develop for a while, and Charlie will come shortly after.

as always, any questions, comments, predictions, or feedback are greatly appreciated!