TEENAGE NIGHTMARE
CHAPTER TWO — PART ONE.
THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK.

The next day, JP drove Franny and Charlie to school on his motorcycle. It was nice, and it had cost most of JP's life savings, but it was unfortunate for Charlie, who had to ride in a detachable sidecar while Franny sat behind JP. He'd gotten picked on a couple of times by his friends, but it was all in good fun. Mostly. Riding the 'death trap' that Franny often insulted never got any easier, especially not with JP constantly swerving along the roads to scare his younger siblings. They had made it to school in one piece this time, though.

           " Hey, Fran, " JP called, nudging the kickstand our with his boot-clad foot before climbing off to join his sister on the sidewalk; Charlie was muttering about the embarrassment of riding in the sidecar when he struggled to get out of it. Franny looked to her older brother with a raised eyebrow, hands pulling down on the straps of her book bag anxiously. " try to loosen up some, okay? Ever since school started back up, you've been a little. . off. "

          " Well, my only friend is a middle schooler that tutors me. " Franny reminded him with a thin smile, " So, not really all that psyched to be back here. "

          " Robin isn't a middle schooler. " JP pointed out, and Franny rolled her eyes.

          " Robin also only comes to school three days a week and we only talk in English. " She said, and, before JP could say what she had expected him to, she added, " Just because we were in band together doesn't mean we're besties or anything. "

          " Well, then make some friends. " JP stated the idea like it was the easiest thing in the world; she wanted to tell him that he also only had one friend, but, for some odd reason, most of the kids at school still liked JP, even after he announced to them all that they were, collectively, a group of assholes.

         " Right, because everyone wants to be friends with the buzzkill. " Franny said, and JP slung his arm around her shoulders, walking down the sidewalk as Charlie trailed behind them.

         " Nance is a bit of a buzzkill, you two would get along great. " JP insisted, and Franny only scoffed.

         " Where Nancy is, Steve Harrington follows. " She declared, quickly realizing that she was proving her point as the three Walkers began to walk towards the aforementioned couple, who were standing beside Steve's car, hands interlocked with small smiles on their faces.

         " Not Like either of you care, but I'm leaving now. " Charlie suddenly announced, making both of his older siblings look back at him and laugh as he started to walk towards the middle school; at their laughter, the boy held up his middle finger before disappearing from earshot.

           " If anything, try to be Harrington's friend. " JP told her, eyebrows drawn together as they got closer to the two; Franny glanced over at him with a questionable look. " After him and Tommy stopped being 'bros', he's been glued to Nancy's side like a lost fucking puppy. "

           " Sounds like you're jealous, JP. " Franny pointed out, tugging her bookbag straps forward as she grinned over at her brother, who grunted in disgust.

          " Hmph, not for the reasons you're insinuating, sis. " He insisted, " I miss being able to hang out with the one person that understands me— without Mr. Hairspray trying to suck her face off. "

          Franny sarcastically drawled, " Yeah, I'm sure that's awful. "

          " Harrington also just needs a friend that isn't an asshole. . or Nancy. " JP commented, and, as Nancy and Steve finally noticed the two of them walking towards them, he plastered a smile on his face and waved back to the girl.

           " Yeah, nope, I'm not sure if he even knows who I am. " Franny decided, pulling out her Walkman and unwrapping the earbuds from it. JP turned to give her a questionable look, but Nancy stopped him.

          " Hey, you get that Calculus homework done? " The bright brunette asked as JP dropped his arm from his sister, instead flicking the math book in Nancy's arms.

          " Indeed. " He replied, barely acknowledging Steve, who nodded at him in greeting; JP tapped the side of his head before adding, " Not just a bunch of movie quotes up here. "

          Nancy laughed at that, making JP practically beam, and Franny watched as Steve looked between the two with a tense smile. The brunette exhaled pointedly and shoved the earbuds in before pressing a button on the Walkman. The quiet noise she made had Steve turning his head to look at her with raised eyebrows, but she had turned away from him as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go began to blast in her ears. His attention was drawn back when JP snaked his arm through Nancy's, gently tugging her from Steve's side.

           " Sorry, Harrington, but Nance and I have got a test first period and I'm not wasting any extra study time. " The dirty blond boy declared, looking to Steve with a grin. Steve dropped his eyes to JP's arm locked with Nancy's but he forced a smile, nodding at them.

          " 'Course, see you guys later. " Steve called, but he quickly leaned forward to kiss Nancy on the cheek before she bid him goodbye, the two friends turning and heading towards the school.

           Franny had also began to walk towards the school, absentmindedly staring at the ground as she passed Steve, who gave her a puzzled look when she just walked past him. He leaned forward to grab her wrist, but he stopped when he heard an engine rev obnoxiously, loud enough to be heard over the music in Franny's ears. The girl stopped, too, turning around and pulling out of her earbuds and sharing a look with Steve. He shrugged, and the two of them, much like the rest of the student body that had been standing around outside their cars, stared over at the sound. A Camaro pulled into the parking lot quickly, swerving aggressively and just barely missing a few tailgates as it's driver parked.

          Franny felt a frown on her face at the sound of giggling, and she glanced over to see Carol and a few of her friends, all with the same odd hairstyle in different shades, staring at the car as the door flung open. They were gawking at the owner, who came into view as he stepped out of the car, a scowl on his face. Adorning an outfit of full denim, the boy with a mullet of blond hair shut his door, pulling a cigarette from his mouth.

           " Who's that? " Franny asked, assuming Steve would know; she didn't acknowledge the fact that that had been the first time she'd spoken to the boy in a while.

          " No clue. " He admitted, a frown on his face as he watched the new kid walk past Carol and her cronies, who all but swooned. " Looks like an asshole. "

        " Never judge a book by its cover, Harrington. " She reminded him, raising her eyes at him briefly so that he understood her words, then she turned on her heel and placed her earbuds back in, leaving Steve to stand on his own.

X X X

          Charlie was having a hard time listening to Mr. Clarke's lesson, more so than usual. He couldn't help but keep looking over to make sure Will was okay. He was chewing on his pencil habitually, eyes flickering between the drawing of the human brain on chalk board and Will's eyes locked onto Mr. Clarke. After the arcade, he'd had a twisted feeling in his stomach that Will wasn't telling them something. Before Charlie could lean over and ask, Mr. Clarke was interrupted by the door opening, the principal walking in apologetically behind a girl with fiery red hair.

          Charlie noticed that she did not look happy to be there, and she was trying her best not to hold eye contact with anyone. Even with her sour attitude, Mr. Clarke smiled welcomingly.

          " This must be our new student. " He announced, looking from the girl to the principal with a raised brow.

          " It is, she's all yours. " The principal confirmed, giving the girl a quick glance before he nodding to Mr. Clarke, closing the door on his way out.

          Charlie rested his face on his free hand, watching the girl with furrowed eyebrows as she darted towards one of the only empty seats in the room, near the back and far away from Charlie and his friends. Mr. Clarke made a noise of amusement that stopped her, though.

          " Alright, hold up, you don't get away that easy. Come on up, don't be shy." He called, making the redhead press her lips to a thin line; Mr. Clarke nodded to Dustin, " Dustin, drumroll. "

            The curly hair boy instantly dropped his book to his desk, drumming his fingers along the cover. Mr. Clarke looked happy, but the girl's face was not one of enjoyment.

             " Class, please welcome — all the way from sunny California — the latest passenger on to join us on our curiosity voyage, Maxine! " Mr. Clarke announced, and the girl visibly cringed.

             " It's Max. " She muttered, almost so quiet that Charlie barely caught it.

             " Hm? " Mr. Clarke asked, and the redhead looked up at him pointedly.

             " No one calls me Maxine. It's Max. " She repeated, and, in an instant, the five boys all turned to look at each other with wide eyes and expressions of realization. Lucas turned around in his seat and looked between them before mouthing what Charlie was thinking: MADMAX.

              None of the boys spoke in protest or agreement, instead all eyeing Max as she walked to her seat. She either didn't notice them staring at her, or she was trying her best to ignore them. Charlie was fairly sure it had to be her, they hadn't known a Max before now, and Hawkins was too small to not know everyone that they went to school with.

            So, while Charlie and the boys were busy ignoring the rest of Mr. Clarke's lesson to let their brains scramble about their new discovery, Franny was being introduced to the other new kid in Hawkins.

             Franny hated history. There was nothing to learn about when everyone would only repeat history and fail to change it. She didn't need to memorize the presidents in order, and she sure as hell didn't care to craft a project about which war was her favorite. But, for the first time in a million years, Franny managed to stay awake during Ms. Yen's words as she talked about something other than the fact that her ex-husband had been in the Vietnam War.

             " Seems that we have a new face. " She declared, lifting her eyes from her paper briefly to look over at the boy standing at the front of the class, not a single school supply in his hands. It was the same boy from the parking lot, his mullet was a dead giveaway, and his eyes were scanning the other teens in the room with a bored expression. " William Hargrove. "

            " Billy. " He corrected aloud, not even bothering to look over at Ms. Yen's offended expression.

             " Okay, Billy, " She repeated with slight distaste, which was refreshing compared to the amount of girls drooling in their seats over the boy. Franny was far more interested in the doodle she had been completing in her notebook, putting her finishing touches on her drawing of JP's motorcycle. " You can take that seat in the back, in front of Miss Walker. "

           Franny clenched her jaw, feeling everyone's eyes flash over towards her at the mention of her name. The seat in front of her was empty because no one wanted to sit there, afraid that she would tattle on them for cheating on their tests. While she would never cheat on a test, especially when they were as easy as Ms. Yen's, she'd never tell on someone for it. In her mind, karma was very real, and she was a big enough bitch for both of them. So, Franny sat in the back corner, with no one in front of her and Hank Wright sitting beside her. He didn't mind, though, because he was usually passed out, sleeping.

          Billy didn't say another word, and Ms. Yen continued talking about whatever she had originally been explaining, but it still took a few minutes before the other kids focused back on her. Billy took his time strolling back to the seat, pausing near it and eyeing Franny, who didn't give him the satisfaction of meeting his eyes, before he finally sat down.

         Franny let out a relieved breath and continued shading the motorcycle, placing her head on her hand as she lazily dragged her pencil across the paper with her left. Since she didn't have much social experience, Franny was always observing people and reading them from far away, and, she was proud to say she was quite good at it. It also meant she was painfully aware of when people were staring at her, whether they wanted her to notice or not. So, when she felt her cheeks begin to heat up, she lifted her head to find Billy Hargrove turned around in his seat, a smug look on his face as he glanced down at her drawing.

           " That yours? " He asked, and Franny blinked at him, questioning why he was even speaking to her.

           " Uh, no, my brother's. " She answered, searching his face for some sort of sign, but her train of thought was interrupted as the crystal blue eyes before her locked back onto hers.

           " That guy you were with earlier? " His sentences were brief, and Franny couldn't decide if she appreciated that or not. She also couldn't recall when he would've seen her with JP, then quickly realized he meant Steve.

           " Tall, lanky guy with a foot of brown hair? " She asked, and Billy gave her a curt nod, a small smile overcoming her face as she shook her head lightly. " No, that's Steve, he's, uh. . . "

           " Boyfriend? "

           " No, no way— "

           " Miss Walker, Mr. Hargrove, please don't make me switch your seats already. " Ms. Yen declared, and being called out made her face heat up even more, and she shrank back into her seat.

           " Sorry, Ms. Yen. " She said, and the woman seemed satisfied enough, turning back to the board; Billy didn't even turn around when Ms. Yen said his name, instead, he kept his eyes on Franny, a smirk on his face as she looked back to him. She lowered her voice to a whisper and asked, " What? "

            He didn't say anything and turned around in his seat, leaving Franny to tap her pencil against her notebook, trying to will her embarrassment away for the rest of class.

            She was beyond grateful when the bell rang, and she was the first to sprint out of the classroom and into the hallway, hoping she'd get lost amongst the swarm of teenagers. Franny managed to see Jonathan Byers standing at his locker, looking more sullen than usual, and she made a beeline for him.

           " Hey, Jonathan, " She greeted, and he looked mildly surprised when he turned to face her; he gave her a halfhearted smile in return.

           " Hey, Franny. " He responded, but his eyes easily drifted past her; she followed his gaze and glanced over her shoulder to see him looking at Nancy and JP, who were conversing near her locker.

          " Uh, so, is it cool if I come over today? " He seemed a bit puzzled by her question, and she quickly clarified, " Will and I are supposed to have a tutor session today, just wanted to make sure he was still okay. "

          " Oh, yeah, should be fine. " He confirmed, nodding to her for extra assurance; Franny gave him a smile, but she noticed his eyes drift again, but this time, his eyes flashed in panic. He reached forward and grabbed Franny's arm in an attempt to shield himself from whoever was approaching, but Nancy's voice chirped in her ear.

          " Hey, Jonathan, Franny, " She said politely, holding a thin orange flier in her hand, holding it forward towards them. Franny took it in her hands, shifting so that Jonathan could read it over her shoulder. " just thought you guys might want to come. "

          " Yeah, I don't think so, " Franny decided as soon as she saw the words 'get sheet-faced'. She placed the flier in Jonathan's hand, offering Nancy a small smile. " not really my thing. "

          " Uh, agreed. " Jonathan said, meeting Nancy's saddened expression with an apologetic look. " Sorry, Nancy. "

          " No, it's okay, I get it. " She insisted, tilting her head and hugging her books to her chest as she added, " Keep it, just in case you change your mind. "

          She then turned around and headed back to JP, who was quickly joined by Steve. Franny could see JP's jaw tighten when Steve swooped in between the two, and she silently wondered if Jonathan saw it too.

          " Well, I guess I'll see you later, Byers. " She said, hearing him mutter a quiet goodbye before she turned and walked down the hall to her next class.

X X X

          At recess, the boys were gathered at a corner of the blacktop, spying on Max, who was using her time in a more useful way than they were. She was riding around on her skateboard, doing little flip tricks and some stuff that wasn't entirely difficult, but still impressed Charlie. He knew he couldn't do that.

         Charlie wanted to point out that they were kind of wasting their free time, but he stayed quiet, knowing they couldn't be convinced.

          " There's no way she's MADMAX. " Mike declared firmly, Will nodding in agreement.

            " Yeah, girls don't play video games. "

             " Franny plays. " Charlie reminded them, and Will gave the boy a pointed look.

              " Franny sucks. "

              " Well, yeah, but she still plays. " Charlie meekly defended, knowing well enough that his sister did indeed suck at playing video games.

               " Maybe Max is an exception. " Dustin insisted with a hopeful smile on his face.

               " Yeah, but there's still no way she'd get 750,000 points on Dig Dug. " Mike stated, and Charlie was wondering why he was so against Max being MADMAX.

               " But her name is Max. " Lucas obviously pointed out, also getting annoyed at Mike's denial.

               " Mike, it makes sense. " Charlie added, making the Wheeler boy look over at him expectantly, " We would know if there was another Max, and why would anyone else use the name Max if that wasn't their name? "

              " Plus, the timing is perfect. She shows up the the day before our top scores are broken, how could it not be her? " Dustin agreed, shamelessly staring at Max as she kicked up her skateboard; if Charlie didn't know any better, he would say Dustin had a crush.

             " Exactly, she's gotta be MADMAX, she's gotta be. " Lucas persisted.

              " And she skateboards, so she's pretty awesome. " Dustin commented, which set Mike off.

             " Awesome? " He questioned, eyebrows creased together as he looked between the group of boys incredulously, " You haven't even spoken a word to her. "

             " I don't have to, I mean, look at her. " Dustin told him, then, when they went to do just that, she had disappeared, causing Dustin to curse, " Shit, I've lost the target! "

             The boys all scanned the area, when Will finally spoke up, pointing towards the stairs leading back into the school, " There. "

             Max had started walking up the stairs, her hair setting her off from the other kids that were surprisingly eager to get back inside. It wasn't nearly hot enough outside for them to be sweating, but Charlie wouldn't mind some AC either. The boys watched closely as Max dropped a crumpled up piece of paper into a nearby trashcan before heading inside.

            As soon as she disappeared into the school, the boys ran over to the trash can, surrounding it as Dustin went head first inside. Again, Charlie wanted to point out that Dustin was a little too obsessed with Max, but he kept quiet as the curly haired boy popped back out with the ball of paper in his hand, a victorious grin on his face.

            " Eureka! " He exclaimed, unfolding the paper and flattening it along the side of the trash can while the boys crowded around him to read it.

           STOP STARING AT ME CREEPS.

            " Oh. " Charlie muttered, backing away from the paper as all the boys gained a dejected look.

           " Well, shit. " Dustin sighed, and Charlie shrugged in response.

            " You know, it was a little stalkerish. "

             " Not the time, Charlie. "

             " William Byers? " A new voice rang, and the boys all turned around to see the principal standing on the stairs, looking at them expectantly. " Your mother is here. "

X X X

           After school, Franny had gotten a ride with Jonathan, telling JP that she'd be home for dinner after Will taught her how to distinguish between single displacement chemical equations and whatever the other one was called, she had forgotten its name. The ride was mainly silent, and Franny didn't mind, especially since the radio was playing one of her favorite songs, Should I Stay or Should I Go.

            When they got to the Byers' residence, Jonathan parked the car and the two of them got out simultaneously. Franny followed him to the door, waiting for him to unlock it and push it open. When she walked in behind him, shutting the door, Franny inhaled deeply. The Byers' house smelled more like home than her own did. She didn't see Joyce in the kitchen as she passed it, but she did see Bob, who was too focused on the stove to notice the girl as she followed Jonathan down the hall. He must've been cooking dinner, but she was unsure of what it was.

            As Jonathan turned to go to his room, Franny went the opposite direction and knocked on Will's door. She could hear his bed creak as he jumped at the noise.

           " Jonathan? " He called, and Franny half-smiled.

            " Nope, better. " She replied, and then there was the sound of his feet padding against the ground, then the door opened with a creak, revealing Will already dressed in a pair of pajama bottoms, little Chewbaccas covering them. Franny chose not to comment on them.

            " Franny, hi, " He greeted her, sidestepping and allowing the girl to walk inside; she immediately went to sit at his desk, dropping her bag on the floor as she turned the chair around, sitting on it backwards. Will closed the door again and plopped down onto his bed. " what do you want to study today? "

           " Science, your speciality. " She commented with a grin, moving to open her bookbag when she noticed the half hearted smile on Will's face. She pulled out the hefty notebook, but her eyes never left his pale face. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

          Franny placed the notebook on the desk, leaning forward, laying her arms on the top of the chair as her eyebrows creased in concern, " Hey, you feeling okay? "

          Will's late reply was an answer in itself.

            " Yeah, I'm okay, " Will insisted, swallowing thickly when he realized that she didn't believe him. He didn't bother trying to convince her further.

          Franny chewed on her bottom lip, pushing herself off of the chair and moving to sit next to him on his bed, crossing her legs under her like he had done so that they were facing each other on the R2D2 covers.

          " Will, you're an awful liar. " She informed him, earning a quiet laugh from the sickly looking boy; she tilted her head at him, " Pardon my French, but you look like shit. Seriously, what's wrong? "

          " I. . " Will opened and closed his mouth, looking away like he was trying to figure out what to say and how to say it; he inhaled deeply before releasing it, eyes moving back to hers. " I feel like a freak. "

          " Well, " She started, unsure of how to go about the topic. Franny put her hands on her knees, asking, " what do you classify as a freak? "

          " I don't know, " He said, " an outcast. Someone who doesn't fit in. "

           " Then I'm a freak, too. " Franny insisted, making Will give her a pointed look that told her that's not what he meant. " Why are you saying that? Did somebody say call you that? Who was it? "

           " No, no, it wasn't that. . " Will quickly shot her down, shaking his head as he sighed, " I don't know, I guess it's just me. "

          " Will, you're not a freak. You're different, and that's okay. Nobody will ever have the same stories to tell that you do. " She assured him, leaning forward and grabbing his hand, squeezing it tightly. " I'm more than the idiot you tutor, too, so if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here, kid. "

            He nodded solemnly, giving her a grateful look, and she grinned back at him, uncrossing her legs and moving to grab her notebook, declaring, " Alright, time to get down to business. "

X X X

note.

So, this chapter you get a bit more insight on Franny, especially her and Will's relationship. I also want to point out that Franny's not like an idiot or anything as much as she thinks she is, she just could use the extra help and doesn't mind getting it from a thirteen year old.

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