"Okay, party, so Dustin's coming back home today and we gotta make a blast out of it! We're gonna go over to him, all of us, I mean, and surprise him! And then, maybe we can go to the pool? It's super hot outside and it's gonna be so much fun! We never went together to the pool, did we?" I looked at the gathered kids in my living room.
"It's gonna be awesome! Haven't gone to the pool before, actually. Since in Cali it was so hot, we'd just go to the beach all the time." Max grinned, leaning on Lucas.
"Hell yes! Let's go, let's go-" Lucas cheered, but was interrupted by Mike.
"What about El?" he asked, frowning.
"What about her?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"She can't go in public. It will attract attention to her and that's not good. You know Hopper's rules." Mike whined, making us sigh a bit.
"What Hopper doesn't know won't hurt him. Look at me, I'm out here doing whatever the hell I want. Nobody knows El, except for us, so what's the big deal? I'll cover for her, if needed." I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Do you even care about her and her safety?!" Mike yelled, making me glare at him.
"If anyone understand El the best, it's ME not YOU, Mike! We have the same background, the same problems, the same powers. But she is still a godamn 14 year old girl! She's a teenager, she should go out of the house and have fun! What's the big deal?! Chill and enjoy life!" I rolled my eyes, getting everything ready to go get El from home and raid Dustin's house.
"Mike, come on, calm down. You know Fox is always there for us. She won't let El get hurt or be in danger." Will tried to pacify him, hugging me.
"Yeah, fine, whatever. Let's just go get her and greet Dustin." he grumbled, getting out of the house ahead of us.
"Sheesh, lover-boy is moody..." I sighed, getting in the car to drive them all to El, pick her up, then go to Dustin.

Very soon after we got in the house, Dustin and his mum got here too, and while Dustin went to his room, letting nostalgia hit him a bit, I and El started making his toys make sounds and move towards the living room, where we lay hidden.
Poor baby was super confused and scared at what was going on, and when he was inspecting the now non-functional toys, we sneaked up behind him and yelled "SURPRISE" or whistled at him, while Lucas was holding the "WELCOME HOME DUSTIN" cardboard.

Thing is...He got to scared that he used the spray in his hand to attack Lucas and all the spray went in his eyes.

Poor kid.

I laughed like an idiot.

Oops?

Trying to calm him down, I went to hug him tightly, while everyone else was either laughing (the boys and El) or trying to help Lucas see (Max).

Problem is, he was so excited about showing us his new inventions from the science camp and to use Cerebro to chat with his girlfriend, that the plans of going to the pool kinda...Failed.

What a pity...

We had to take a looong time to go up a hill, but while walking there, Will seemed to stop and rub his neck a bit, while looking around a bit lost.
I went to him and hugged him softly, petting his hair, looking concerned.

"Are you okay, honey?" I asked him gently, like you would talk to a baby fawn.
"Yeah...Yeah, I guess I am. Don't worry, I'm fine." he reassured, nodding vigorously, making me chuckle at how adorable he was being.
"You know you can talk to me if you need it, okay? Any time, about anything." I reminded him, making him smile in glee and take my hand, going up the hill to the rest of them.

One by one, they all started leaving, and I, too, had to, but I felt bad seeing Dustin's ruined dreams. I, unlike the others, believed in Suzie, otherwise he wouldn't have tried so hard to reach out to her.

"Hey, Dustin...I know she's out there. I'm sure she'll answer soon. But please go home, it's getting late and your mum's gonna worry. I don't want you staying alone around here, okay? Come, I'll drive you home. Also...Wanna go to the pool tomorrow? We wanted to go today, to celebrate you coming home, but seeing you so excited and happy changed our minds." I got up, extending my hand for him to take so we can go home, and he nodded, a bit upset.
"Okay, Fox...Are we gonna be all of us?" he asked, as I put a hand around his shoulder while he put his around my waist, slowly going down the hill to my car, with Will holding my other hand.
"Well...Hope so. I don't know about Mike and El...I guess with the new relationship and all, they're a bit...Too obsessed with each other. And Mike worries about El's safety." I tried to say in a way so as Dustin won't get upset.
"But Lucas and Max weren't like this! ...I think. And you and Billy aren't like this either!" Dustin protested, pouting slightly.
"Haha, well...Lucas and Max are a bit more...Mature, to say it like that. They know their stuff and aren't awkward and shy, like Mike is...And El is new to this world, so it's no surprise. And I and Billy are 18, so it's no surprise. We have experience and are emotionally and intellectually more mature than you are...And now that we graduated, we have more free time, despite out part time jobs, so we can hang out whenever we want and it won't interfere with the Party hang outs and whatever." I shrugged, reassuring him. "If Suzie were here, you'd have liked to impress and spend a lot of time with her too, right~?" I teased slightly, winking at him and laughing slightly when he turned red.
"But...I don't really like it...I mean, I get that we're growing up and all that...But it's not nice to forget or ignore your friends..." Will said in a low voice, pouting.
"Awww, baby, I'm sorry...It's okay, I understand it's a difficult change, but it's gonna be okay. Tomorrow we'll go to the pool and it'll be super fun, okay?" I kissed the top of his head, getting him in a side-hug.
"Well...Then let's do it!" Dustin cheered as he got in the car.

"I'm sorry they didn't come too, Dustin..." I looked at him with a sad smile, but he shook his head.
"Nahh, s'all cool, at least they won't be too busy snogging and ew whatever." he shrugged as both Will and Max dragged me to the pool.
"Uhhh, c-can we, l-like, w-walk slower? I-I'm a bit shy, o-okay?" I stuttered a bit, looking left and right.
"Oh, shush, Kat! You're gorgeous and you gotta show off that body of yours! And that swimsuit brings out your eyes, okay?" Max encouraged, tugging on my arm.
"Yeah, Kat, don't be shy! Just, don't think and focus on the fun we're gonna have once we jump in the water!" Dustin cheered as we got to our lounge chairs and put or stuff there.
"O-Okay, yeah, s-sure, it's gonna be oka-" I began, nodding to myself and trying to encourage me, but that went down the drain once Max tugged on my arm and said, louder than I wished to, "Hey, look, Billy's here!" which made me let out a soft yet shrill yelp, hiding my face with my hands and trying to hide behind Max, who, as soon as she saw her brother strut towards us, pushed me pretty harshly towards him, getting the gang to jump in the pool, making me stumble and have him catch me in his arms, chuckling.
"Awww, look what I found, a Fox falling for me, how cute." he teased, not letting me go from his embrace.
"O-Oh, h-h-hey there! I-I didn't s-see you here! Wh-What brings you here?" I manage to stutter, looking away from him, letting my hair cover my face.
"Kat...I work here." he deadpanned, making me slap my face.
"R-Right...I forgot..." I tried to say, but he shook his head.
"Nah, you didn't forget. You're just shying out again...And you're adorable as hell." he teased, playing with a strand of my hair.
"N-No, I-I'm not." I whispered, not able to say anything out loud, which made him chuckle.
"How am I gonna work now when you look so fucking hot and I can only stand there and watch you. You're so cruel, Kitten. SO cruel, that you don't even know what you're doing to me." he flirted in a low, sensual voice in my ear, making me yelp and hide my face with my hands once again.
"D-Don't s-s-say that! I-It's s-so embarrassing!" I blurt out, barely audible, making my legs tremble.
"You have no idea how much I want to tease you right now...But alas, my shift started and I have to make sure all these fat cows come here as frequent as possible, so we can make money. I promised you we'd go on lotsa trips till we move back to Cali, and I'm not backing down from that promise." he kissed me deeply, one hand on the back of my head, while the other on my waist, while mine rested on his chest, shaking slightly from embarrassment. "To think we'd be together for so long and you'd still blush like this from a simple kiss...Fuck, I'm a lucky son of a bitch..." he muttered in the kiss, making me giggle slightly.
"I love you too, Billy." I smiled up at him, but when I looked up, he had one of those evil smirks on his face, which made mine falter and try to walk backwards, but to no avail.

He had me trapped.

"Billy...Billy, no...Don't do that..." I warned him with an awkward laugh, but he only shook his head and picked me up.
"Sorry, babe, this is revenge for making me have a raging boner at work." he chuckled, throwing me in the water as I let out a pitched shriek of shock, before swimming back to the surface.
"YOU'RE SO DEAD, HARGROVE!" I yelled at him, but he paid me no mind and went to his lifeguard chair. "Jerk..." I muttered, swimming to the kids and having lots of splash wars, jumping in the water, having swimming competitions and so on.

By the end of the day, we went home, changed and went to Starcourt, the new Mall, going straight as Scoops Ahoy, 'cause I promised the kids I'd get them Ice Cream, and they promised me a surprise, since I didn't have the chance to go there until today.

Will guided me to the ice cream place, and as I was looking around, admiring the interesting decor, I hear a very familiar "Welcome to Scoops Ahoy, how may I-...Kat?!" that voice called out to me, snapping me from the trance I was in and gasping.
"STEVE! Oh my God, no way! ...How can you serve ice cream and not salivate?! Like...Whoa!" I laughed, going over the counter to hug him.
"I guess I treated you guys to so much ice-cream in the last year of highschool that I got used to it." he shrugged, smiling. "It's good to see you again." he smiled at me.
"That's a really nice working environment...But how do you deal with the people?! I couldn't work in such a place. The animal shelter is doing me good, at least." I chuckled, leaning on the counter.
"Well...I get free ice cream whenever I want so...Worth it." he winked, making me laugh.
"Free ice cream for your friends too~?" I trailed on, batting my eyes jokingly.
"Mhhh...Depends? Maybe? I will see~." he shrugged mockingly, looking away.
"Fine, fine, you win, King Ste-...Oh my god, who's THAT?!" I asked, seeing a girl in the back, holding a white board with "You win" with 0 lines, and "You suck" with...A lot of lines. "You are, like, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen...Along with Nancy. H-Hi, I'm Kat...Uh, Katrina. Nice to meet you!" I smiled as I went to her extending my hand in her direction.
"Look in the mirror, you'll see something even better. I'm Robin, likewise." she smiled softly. "How come someone as pretty as you knows someone as boring as him?" he chuckled, making me grin.
"He gave me free ice cream and took care of me when I was going through a rough time. He's like the mother I never had." I laughed, ruffling his hair a bit.
"Is this your new way of flirting, Harrington?" she rolled her eyes at him, making him put his hands up in defense.
"Is it working...?" he asked in a low voice, looking like a lost puppy, which made both of us laugh at his reaction.
"It's not a bad start, I guess. Did it work on you, Kat? Don't tell me he charmed you! Have I lost my chances?!" she mock-gasped, making me giggle and shake my head.
"Hahaha, no, no...He's my friend only...No offense, Steve!" I looked at him apologetically. "But, if I wasn't already taken, I'd have dated you. I can feel you're an amazing person." I smiled at her widely.
"I'll take that as a compliment, thanks~! So...Who's the lucky guy?" she smirked, nudging me a bit.

From there, we went in the back, eating ice cream with the kids and gossiping about life and what not, before biding our farewells and going to look around the many shops at the mall and then back home.
It was fun, I can't lie, but sometimes, so much social interaction can be draining.

"Hey, baby, how are you?" Billy said in a low voice over the phone.
"Oh, hey sugar! I'm good, I'm good, just looking over some cases from the shelter. I can't get rid of homework even now, huh?" I laughed, holding the phone closer to me. "How are you, honey?"
"I just called to hear your sweet voice. I missed you. We've been so busy with work this week...How about we go on the first trip on the 4th of July? The town's gon' be packed with people and all that stupid festival shit..." he trailed on, letting me fantasize with a huge grin on my face.
"Oh, yes, that sounds like an amazing plan! I was never a fan of all the people on 4th of July, going at the mountains would be so fun!" I cheered, falling on the bed and rolling around excitedly.
"Just you and me, my car and my guitar, singing Scorpions and AC/DC by the camp fire, making out in the tent and swimming in the lake nearby. Perfect trip, hmm~?" his voice lowering by an octave, sounding as suave as ever.
"I can't wait! Ahhh, it's gonna be so much fun! And it's like, in almost a week! Oh my god, I love you so much, can't wait! The whole weekend, just us!" I couldn't tone down my excitement no matter how much I tried.
"And I love hearing you being happy. You're giving my heart a huge boner. When we see each other again, Imma hug you so tight and not let go the whole day." he chuckled softly.
"I'm not complaining. Cuddling with you always helped me relax and sleep well. It's so warm and urghhh I miss you, babyyy." I whined a bit before giggling, imagining his done-with-life expression.
"My Kitten is so cute, missing me like this. Don't worry, babe, I'll make it up to you, I promise. I gotta go now, duty calling. Love you." he said before hanging up and leaving me thinking of the trip.

So!
Much!
F U N !

"Okay, so, let me get this straight! You two went yesterday at the mall and had fun...And then you met up with the Idiot Party...And you broke up with Mike for lying to you?" I asked, completely shocked and amused.
"Yeah...I dumped his ass." she nodded, completely innocent but also furious.
"Well...You did the right thing, El. Max gives good advice, it seems. Also, I agree with her, Mike's gonna come back running to you and begging on his knees to have you back. So don't worry, he will apologise and explain pretty soon what's the matter." I shrugged, petting her hair.
"Yeah, well, let's forget about boys! Let's play spin the bottle, but with a twist! We write names, and you and El can look into the person's mind and see what they're doing! Sounds fun?" she asked excitedly, bouncing on the bed.
"Sounds good to me! Max, will you write the names?" I brought some sticky notes, gluing them on a cardboard.

Steve, Nancy, Mr. Clarke, Mrs. Wheeler, Dustin, Mr. Wheeler...And Billy.

"Why did you write Billy? What if he senses my presence?" I asked, a bit worried.
"Don't worry, he'll just tease you. You can say you were testing your powers or something, he's completely charmed when you talk or use them." she shrugged.
"Well...Don't you think he's been acting a bit...Strange, lately? He hasn't called me in a few days and...I don't know. I went to visit him at the pool, but he told me his shift just started and I should be careful of what's about to come. It's kinda creepy." I muttered, looking down.
"Kat, he's never been in love, until he met you. He can be weird, I know, but I'm sure he's fine. Come on, spin the bottle now!" she tried to hype me up, so I smiled briefly and used my powers to spin it, landing on Mr. Wheeler. "Uh...Do I really have to...?" I sweatdropped.
"Ew, no, okay, he's gross. Go again." Max gagged, spinning the bottle herself.
"Well, ain't this fate...?" I ushered slightly, getting the scarf and preparing to go into Billy's mind.

Sighing a bit, I started walking in the water, but I soon found his Camaro, but the windshield was smashed. I inspected it slightly, before hearing some whimpers, and rushing in that direction, Billy was crouching and reassuring someone on the floor. "Don't be afraid, it will be over soon. Just stay very still" he told the girl whimpering...But I couldn't see her, only hear her screams of despair that somehow made him turn around and look me directly into his eyes...His eyes were watery...He'd been crying...

Anxiety took over me so badly that I started panicking, seeing his form vanish in front of me whilst I tried to reach out...
This isn't good at all.

I ripped off the scarf from my eyes, used the back of my hand to wipe the blood tear from my face and jumped to my feet.

"I'm going to your house. Something isn't right...Not at all." I muttered frantically, trying to get them to come with me.
"He's not cheating on you, I promise." Max tried to reassure me, but I shook my head, my eyes watering a bit.
"I'm not scared about that, I know he's not...I'm...I'm scared for his life...I think he's in danger...And...L-Let's just go, okay? Please." I pleaded, making them look at each other and nod, rushing the my car as I drove them to Max's home.
"He's car isn't here..." El said, looking around, sensing my anxieties.
"There's was a girl's scream...She seemed to be in agony...She was frightened...Crying...And Billy...He seemed scared...He had been crying...He seemed just like after each time Neil was a fuckass with him." I bit my lip, rushing to his room and looking around.
"Let's search around then...If you say you're worried, then might as well..." she sighed, going for the nearest drawer the open it. "DON'T OPEN THAT ONE-" I tried to warn her, but to no avail.
"Urghh, gag me with a spoon..." she groaned, slamming the drawer shut.
"Yeah...Experienced that first hand. Gross, I know." I shuddered, looking away.
"He likes it cold..." I muttered, putting my hands in the water-filled bath tub that had ice bags floating on it.
"You don't think...?" El asked, frightened, before Max cut us off.
"It must be for his muscles. He works out like a maniac." but her comment wasn't reassuring in the least.

My sight was averted to a cupboard that had some blood on the handle, and inside, I found a bloody lifeguard whistle and a red fanny pack...Damn, that's bad.

"I...I think we gotta go to the pool and find out whose bag this is..." I say unsure of what to do, and they approved, going to the car with rain coats.

There, two lifeguards greeted us in the most ignorant and rude way.

"No one in the water until 30 minutes after the last strike. And don't try and argue with me. You wanna get electrocuted, go climb a tree." the guy said, rolling his eyes annoyed.
"Yeah, we don't care. We're not here to swim. Or get electrocuted. We found this. Does that belong to anybody?" Max asked, showing them the fanny pack.
"Oh, yeah. That's Heather's. I'll get it back to her." he said eyeing the bag.
"We could give it back to her." Max implied, making him shake his head.
"You could. 'Cept she's not here. Bailed on me today." sighed, irritated at Heather.
"Heather...Heather Holloway?" I asked, blinking at him confused.
"Yeah, her. Y'know her?" he asked, almost intrigued.
"Been to highschool together. Thanks for the tip, I'll go give it to her, I know where she stays." I explained, guiding the girls away from there.
"Her picture is on the board...Do you think you can find her? What if she's not at home?" Max asked, blinking at her picture.
"Let's see." El muttered, ripping the picture and going to the showers, where we turned on all showers and waited for her to try and locate the girl.

It didn't take El too long to find her, describing the weird red door that I remember she had at her house, but soon, she started panicking and freaking out, taking off the diver goggles.

"She...She asked for help...She was in a tub with ice..." she tried to explain, and my heart dropped.
"This ain't good at all..." I sighed, driving to where I remembered Heather staid. "Here we are...I guess. Do we...Do we knock or do we go in via powers?" I stumbled a bit around my words, looking left and right at the girls, but El used her powers, not saying anything. "Okay. If there's someone inside, the door was open, we already knocked, and we are trying to give Heather the bag back, okay?" I revised the plan with the girl who only nodded.

We tip toed down the halls, until we heard laughter down the dining room, and what I saw there shocked all of us.
Billy sat at the table with Heather's parents laughing and chatting around.
An uncomfortable silence took over as they looked at us...But I looked Billy in the eyes and I saw a certain emptiness and complete deceit.

This...This isn't Billy.

Billy's eyes have life. They have a sparkle for life, for happiness, for freedom, for fun.

This...Is simply...Dull.

"Kat. Max." Billy said in a very uncharacteristically pleasant voice.
"W-We are s-sorry to barge in like that. W-We knocked, but...Maybe you didn't hear us b-because of the storm and the door was locked." I said breathlessly, looking straight into Billy's eyes.
"I'm sorry, who is this dripping all over my living room right now?" Heather's father asked.
I'm sorry. Janet, Tom, this is my sister, Maxine. And this, is my girlfriend, Katrina. What on earth are you doing here? Is something wrong?" Billy explained, getting next to us and putting his arm around my waist, getting me close to him. "Beware." he muttered into my ear so nobody could hear or see, making my eyes widen in shock.
"We just wanted to make sure everything was okay." Max explained, stumbling over her words, seeing that I couldn't say anything.
"Okay? Why wouldn't it be okay?" Billy looked confused, bending down slightly too look at his sister.
"Where is she?" El asked quickly, staring into his eyes.
"I'm sorry. Where is who?" he asked in a low voice, staring back at her.
"Well, they're a little burnt!" a voice called out of nowhere, revealing Heather holding a tray of cookies...Her eyes wide, empty, like that of a dead fish or some robot.
"I'm sorry Heather! This is my sister, Maxine, my girlfriend, Katrina and, I'm sorry, I did not quite catch your name." he deadpanned, looking at El again, as if he saw something intriguing.
"El." she said simply, not breaking eye contact.
"El. Now, what is it you were saying, El? You were looking for somebody?" he asked again, in what looked like a mildly threatening voice.
"I-I saw - I saw you - " she started, but I quickly cut her off.
"We saw one of your co-workers at the pool. We found Heather's lifeguard fanny pack on the ground and we wanted to give it back. I was her colleague in highschool and I remembered where she stayed. We're sorry again for coming over like this. He...He said that she didn't come to work and we got a bit worried. We're sorry for the disturbance." I found my words again, sparing El the awkwardness and the inconspicuous words she was gonna say.
"Heather wasn't feeling so hot today, so we thought we'd take the day off to nurse her back to health. But you're feeling just fine right now, aren't you, Heather?" Billy explained, looking me in the eyes, his expression barely changing.
"I'm feeling so much better. Do you girls want a cookie? They're fresh out of the oven." she barely gave us an obviously plastic smile, but we shook our heads, handed her back the bag and left in a hurry back home.
"That was NOT okay. That was SO not okay..." I ranted, gripping the steering wheel like crazy.
"Are you sure it wasn't just you feeling a bit jealous?" Max tried, obviously a bit concerned for him too, but too scared to admit.
"No. I don't get jealous. Billy wouldn't do that...He...He never calls you by your full name, and never calls me by my full name either...He barely even uses my name...And his eyes...Did you see his eyes? They were lifeless, Max! That wasn't okay! We have to do something!" I tried to explain, my heart beating faster than ever.
"Hey, don't worry, maybe he just had to behave like that because of Heather's parents. You saw how everything was super formal. Wanna have a sleepover? El's sleeping at mine. Maybe it will help you calm down?" she suggested, but I shook my head.
"No, Max, sorry...I can't tonight. I'm worried too much. I'll just go home and take a long bath to calm down, okay? Call me if you need anything, I'll be there in a heartbeat...And mine are like a rabbit's." I tried to joke, but it only made me feel worse.
"Okay then, if that's what you think is right...But we'll have so much fun! Right, El?" Max grinned, getting El inside her house, but it seemed to me like El felt the same way I did.

"Mike...? Mike, do you copy? I...I think this is a code red...Or maybe I'm just too worried...Mike, are you there?" I stuttered in the walkie talkie, waiting for an answer.
"Fox? Yeah, I'm here, with Will and Lucas. What's going on?" he asked, worriedly.
"I...I...I think...I...Th-The Mind Flayer...I-I-I think it's b-back." I whispered between my forming sobs, hugging my knees to my chest, too scared to imagine.
"WHAT?! No...No way...! Will...He mentioned the same...Okay, let's call a meeting and we'll see. Come over at mine, I'll call the girls and we'll see what to do, okay?" he answered reassuringly, and I only nodded, forgetting he couldn't see it.
"Mike...I'm scared...I-I don't want it to be back...I...I think...I..." I began, before getting lost in my crying.
"Fox? It's Will. Fox...Do you think he possessed someone again?" Will asked me in a very soft and calm voice, just like I always did with him.
"Y-Yeah...Th-That's what s-scares m-me so much..." I managed to choke out.
"And...You think...It could be Billy...?" he asked in a voice as gentle as possible, but hearing someone else say that made me drop the walkie and start crying loudly.
"Y-Y-Yeah, I-I think i-it's h-him...A-And I'm s-so scared...I-I don't w-want it t-to be him...P-Please, Will...Please d-don't let it be him...Not him...N-Not him, of all people...H-He's been through e-enough...Please..." I begged, my head buried in my knees, sobbing like crazy.
"Fox, come over, it's gonna be okay, I promise you. Even if it is Billy, we will make sure we save him. We WILL save him, I promise. Fox, you promised you'd save me, and you did. I promise you now that we will save him, okay? I promise you." Will declared in a very sure yet sweet voice, and I nodded, shakely getting up.
"O-Okay, Will...I-I trust y-you...I'm coming over now...I...I hope you're right." I managed to calm down a bit and made my way to the car

Billy...Just...Just what the hell did you do...?

Why are you like this?

What happened to you?

Please...Just please...Please don't have Upside down world taking over again...

And please...

Don't let him be a victim...

I couldn't bare to lose him...