DISCLAIMER: VERY LONG CHAPTER. im so sorry 😭😭

Funerals were something Monica rarely experienced in her lifetime. The only funeral she had been to was for her late cat Pepper right before elementary school ended. Her breed consists of a dark brown Burmese with the most gorgeous golden eyes. Although Pepper was the only cat Monica ever had, she was extremely loyal and frisky. Monica's whole fifth-grade year was ruined the day Pepper got run over by a moving Chevrolet Camaro. At that moment, her whole life was ruined by the time that cat was six feet under. Until this past week.

When reuniting with Nancy back in her pastel pink room, Monica told her mostly everything that happened to her. They sat on her bed, side by side once again. She recounts the traumatic experience of randomly being placed in the Upside Down, hearing Will telling her to run and running away from the Demogorgon. She even grabs the picture of Barb that Jonathan took and shows it to her.

"Right there. That's the monster." Monica points to the edge of the photograph where the Demogorgon stood, regardless of how blurry the photo was. Nancy squinted her eyes, leaning closer to the picture before she was able to see it with her own eyes.

"I've seen that before."

"Where?"

"Back in Steve's backyard. I was trying to see if there was anything that maybe could lead me to find you and Barb. And I saw it when walking through the forest." Nancy took a pause while recounting that day. "I thought I saw a bear or something... but if you're right, then we need to save Barb. And Will."

Monica sighed when hearing the name Barb. The only thing that she decided to leave out was that Barb was no longer alive. If Barb was alive, she must be the Messiah or escape death which was impossible. It wasn't like Monica saw her literally eaten alive by the Demogorgon and left her to die. The last thing Monica wanted is to lose Nancy like she thought she had.

"We need to be prepared." Monica told Nancy while holding her hand. "I already told Jonathan so we need to meet up. When is Will's funeral?"

"Tomorrow."

"Perfect."

—

"'I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.'" The priest delivered his sermon.

It was the day of Will's funeral and, like in most funerals, people you'd never least expect it showed up. There were people from the Byers' extended family, of course, but also there were people at the funeral who was never there before the disappearance. As if they felt guilty for not spending good enough time with Will.

Jonathan never talked about his dad to Monica. They were more interested in photography than beating around a dead horse. But she knew that his father had to be a heartbreaker at least, given the fact that this was the first time she ever saw him. At Will's funeral, he sat right next to Joyce and Jonathan. Another tell was in Jonathan's annoyed face as if he couldn't stand being within his presence.

Linda forced Monica to look more "presentable" when she chose her first outfit. It consists of her usual black long-sleeve shirt, her brown, worn-out flared jeans with her bomber jacket and the old dress shoes she had since elementary. Her mother had bought shoes ten sizes too big so Monica would grow into them. 

Her hair was in its natural, messy state with no makeup. Her mother would tell her how much of a "dropout drug dealer" she looked according to her standards. So instead, she was forced into her mother's black turtleneck dress, sheer tights, and Monica's dress shoes. It was simple with ruffles at the ends. The sleeves were poofy as well. Monica's hair was slicked back in a bun and wore minimal makeup. From the moment Monica looked into that mirror, her exact thought was: I look like a pilgrim.

Monica stood right next to Linda who wore a dress but one with a square neckline, shorter sleeves, and shorter overall. Her hair was slicked back as well but in an updo. At a first glance, she looked like a top CEO of a company, strong and confident. It suited her well in Monica's eyes.

Nancy and her family stood right next to Monica. They had been inseparable since yesterday, especially telling each other what happened. Even in a world full of chaos, Nancy never failed to brighten Monica's day.

It was now time to throw their roses into the coffin. Nancy took that time to whisper into Monica's ear. "That's Jonathan, right?" She pointed toward Jonathan.

"Yeah." Monica whispers back. "We'll talk after, okay?"

Linda saw them talking and quickly jab Monica in the head with a soft shush. She winces at the hit to her head which led Nancy to smirk.

"You look good in a dress by the way. Just to let you know."

Monica blushes before whispering right back. "You too."

After the service, Monica and Nancy met up with Jonathan Byers to discuss theories and what to do to stop the Demogorgon. They sat on the ground while Jonathan held a paper of the landscape map with three red "X" marks on it.

"So the one you saw..." Jonathan says to Monica, without acknowledging Nancy's presence, referring to when she was in the Upside Down. Jonathan wasn't good at talking to people, let alone strangers who hang with the "normal" high school kids with shitty humor. Besides Monica and his family, he quite frankly didn't like being around people. It was hard to socialize anyways.

Nancy interjects while leaning closer to him. "And the one I saw... that would be Steve's house."

Monica looked over at Nancy and nodded in agreement. Jonathan then proceeded on. "This is where we know it's been, right? Steve's house."

He points to the next red "X". "That's where they found Will's bike. That's where my house is."

"So close." Nancy notices. Monica raised her brows while looking at the map.

"It's within a mile away from each other. Maybe it's some connection." Monica concluded from the paper.

"We should start looking there." Jonathan also concluded. "Whatever this thing is, it's... it's not traveling far."

"You wanna go out there." Nancy confirms, given what those two were saying. She also felt left out of the conversation.

"It's better than telling the authorities. I mean look where that turned out for us." Monica bluntly states with a shrug.

"And if we do see it... then what?" Nancy queried with her eyes glued onto Monica. She quickly glances over at Jonathan who remained silent for a few seconds mostly other than a sigh.

Jonathan then looks up and over to Nancy, jaw clenched. "We kill it."

The main plan, if you could call one, was to find the bastard, kill it, and find a way to get to Will. It wasn't perfect in the slightest but it was the best one they got. While Monica was nearly on board with the plan, Nancy however wasn't. Monica couldn't blame her though. It was pretty goddamn stupid.

Jonathan reached into the glove compartment of his car for his pistol and spare bullets. Nancy's brow raised when looking at him pulling it out. "Are you serious?"

Jonathan scoffs, annoyed by her response. "What? You want to find this thing and take another photo? Yell at it?"

"No. No, we need bigger weapons if we're taking this down." Monica adds with her arms crossed.

"Well we don't have much time and I'm not losing my brother." Jonathan was out of the car with the gun stuffed into his black trench coat.

"This is a terrible idea." Nancy complained before looking at Monica for support. "You dealt with this thing one on one. Obviously, you agree, right?"

"I think... we should try to actually find it first before anything. It's the best plan we have."

Nancy simply rolls her eyes and pouts, looking away. "Fine. I'll do it."

"Good. Whatever happens, we can't tell anyone, got it? Especially our parents. My mom's been with enough." Jonathan stated which Monica agreed with. Both of their moms dealt with enough to fully comprehend that there was actually a monster on the loose, kidnapping innocent people and eating them.

Monica sighs. "I can't wait for this damn demon to die already."

—-

Later that day after the funeral, Monica was at home getting ready to hunt down a Demogorgon and save Will. Wearing her usual black attire and converse, she struggled to find what she could use for a weapon. Bringing a kitchen knife to kill something as big as the Demogorgon wasn't as ideal as she imagined it to be. She thought her mother had at least something more intimidating due to ignorant people trying to break in and steal.

There was a last place to look which was in Linda's room. Monica couldn't remember the last time she went in that room other than to clean it. Linda had an unspoken rule about Monica touching her things without permission. It was common courtesy after all. So was lying as well. Two rules that Monica was about to break.

Her mother was busy washing the dishes that were overdue for a cleaning, considering the circumstances. As nervous as Monica was, she had no choice but to lie.

"Ma, did you leave the window open? It's freezing." That part was true. It was cold but not to that extent. Linda brushes it off, drying off a plate and placing it on the dish rack.

"No, it's not. You're being dramatic."

"I'm not. It's freezing. I'm being serious... I  might faint... from hypothermia." Monica makes up on the fly. She hoped her lies weren't easy to detect.

What Monica couldn't see from Linda's back turned to her view was her rolling her eyes. "Fine. Close it. But if I hear you complain about how hot it is..."

"I won't. Thank you."

"Yeah."

Monica could hear Linda's raspy voice and her extreme willingness to let things go, seeing how all of this was a lot on her. And it was. It slightly broke her heart that she had to lie to her own mother. But alas, it had to be done for this plan to have any chance of succeeding. Hopefully, Linda would have the heart to forgive her and let the lying thing go. Yeah, no she's totally going to murder me.

In Linda's room, it was the messiest it had ever been: random clothes and pamphlets everywhere on the floor. It was treading on Monica's territory of messiness. Within each step, Monica tiptoes to be sure to not trip. She checked the closet, and her drawers, removing some of the clothes to find no possible weapon. Once she looked under her queen-sized bed, she found and pulled out a long, black leather box. Unlocking it on both sides, a classic shotgun was inside. There was also a box nearly full of spare shotgun bullets. In an instant, her mouth formed into a smirk. "Perfect."

Monica grabbed the gun, closed the box, and put it back in its place quickly yet swiftly to not cause a disturbance. She looked at the door to make sure that Linda wasn't looking. She wasn't. So she sneaked out through the open window while closing it after she was out of the house. "Sorry, mom. But I have to do this."

With a shotgun, Monica surely was thinking about how difficult it was to carry. But one thing was for sure, it made her feel a badass walking across her house to the Wheelers to meet up with Nancy. She could see her swinging a bat in the comfort of her own garage out in the open, earlier that day, which she found adorable. Maybe even hot to see her so aggressive... but it didn't matter.

When reaching her open garage, her mood slightly changed when hearing that sparky, annoyingly charming voice of Steve "Good Boy" Harrington.

"Listen, I'm really sorry. I mean, even before you threatened me with the baseball bat." Monica rolls her eyes as soon as she hears those words slip out of his mouth. Of course, he treats everything as if it was all about him. Poor little Steve. It felt like acid to her, just listening to his bullshit.

Hopefully, he's apologizing for his existence. That deserves an apology more than anything.

"I panicked and... I mean, I was a total dick."

No... Really? I would've never believed that. It doesn't take a genius to know that Steve comes off as a shallow jerk. Although, "shallow jerk" would be the nicest name she would call him.

"Yeah... you were." Nancy responded back, agreeing with Steve. "Did you get in trouble with your parents?"

"Totally, but... who cares? Screw 'em. Any news on Barb? Monica?" At that moment, Monica's stubborn hate toward Steve slipped when he said that. 

It was nice to see Nancy treated with the proper respect and love she deserved. But in the same breath, she couldn't buy it. He was mostly conceited like his friends in Monica's eyes. It won't be long before she'll have her heart broken.

"Not with Barb. But... the police... They found Monica alive. I saw her today... at the funeral."

"That's good. Is she okay or?"

"Yeah. Yeah, she's okay."

"That's great. At least there's that." He chuckles between his sentences. "So Barb's still missing? Parents heard from her? Or..."

"No."

And Barb's parents never will, unfortunately.

"Oh." There was an awkward silence between them. "Well, hey. Why don't we uh... why don't we catch a movie tonight, you know? Just kinda pretend everything's normal for a few hours,"

It's almost hilarious how oblivious he is to everything around him. It drove Monica insane.

"All the Right Moves is still playing. You know, with your lover boy from 'Risky Business'?" Barf. And he's singing. Great, just making my headache worse. I wish I had some aspirin.

Monica couldn't see, since Nancy's back was facing toward her, how she was reacting. But in reality, she was forcing herself to keep a straight face at his rendition of "Old Time Rock and Roll" while using the bat as an imaginary mic. "I just... I don't think I can. I've been really busy with this whole funeral thing and... with Monica... my brother... it's a lot."

"It's a lot for you too. You don't have to be there for everyone all the time. You deserve a break too."

Which was true. It was also the reason why Monica felt so guilty, knowing how much Nancy was desperate to find her. In the phone call, it was written all over. It wasn't like she wasn't grateful though since her voice, her in general, was one of the only things that kept her going. That and Will.

"I know. But... it's been hard on them, you know? Can't leave them behind."

"Alright." He tilted his head downwards, licking his teeth. "I should go."

"Sorry." I'm certainly not, Monica thinks to herself. "I'll call you later. Promise."

After Steve finally leaves, it was Monica's cue to walk in like in any cheesy sitcom show scene. Only this time, it would be a show of monster hunters. "That was gross."

Nancy smiles cheekily, feeling a sense of butterflies. "Hey. How much did you hear?"

"Enough to blow my brains out." Monica rebuttals with a smirk. She glances at her yellow bat. "A bat?"

"What? It was the only thing I could find."

"Oh, I'm sure." Monica giggles. "It was kinda cute seeing you swinging it."

"Sounds like I'm terrible at it." Nancy commented. "At least I have a weapon."

"Do I?" Monica raised her shotgun up for display. "I found it under my mom's bed. Who knew?"

"Holy shit."

"Don't worry. I know you're strong enough to hold your own. Even though I've beaten you in arm wrestling... oh gosh how many times?" Monica loved to tease the people she loved the most.

Nancy playfully pushes her while giggling as well. "Screw you. You cheated on most of those."

"You keep telling yourself that. It's a sad look, really." Monica smirked, looking at Nancy to endlessly tease.

"Where were we supposed to go again?"

"To the forest somewhere. I know where."

"So what are we waiting for?" Nancy smiled without teeth, happy for something to feel normal. She missed Monica so much that it hurt. And more and more she saw her, that pain slowly went away.

"Alright, Nancy Drew. Let's go."

"Wait!" Nancy notices something attached to the shotgun. "You do realize that there's a shoulder strap, right?"

"What? Holy shit." It really was a brown strap attached to the shotgun and she couldn't even notice. She hoped her eyesight wasn't failing her. It'd be a shitty time for that to happen. Real shitty. "Oh. Makes sense."

"You're an idiot."

"Well, idiots do make the best one-liners."

"Shut up."

"Right back at ya."

—

As both of the girls caught up with Jonathan Byers, he was standing with a gun in hand, aiming at the beer cans that stood at a good shooting distance. Each of three cans were placed on top of a tree stump. His face was clear and so focused in actually shooting the target despite how many times he failed to do so.

"You're supposed to hit the cans, right?" Nancy cheekily joked as her and Monica observed how bad he really was at aiming.

Jonathan smirked, although he didn't fully open up to Nancy due to her connection to Steve and his friends. But with Monica, she seemed to be more... authentic and as herself.

"No, actually, you see the spaces in between the cans? I'm aiming for those." He teased as he pointed at it.

"Ah." Nancy responded.

Monica rolls her eyes, getting out her shotgun to try it out. "If that's the case, then you're doing a great job. But it's my turn."

"Uh, first of all, where did you even get that? Second, do you know how to use it? Correctly?" Jonathan queried, concerned for everyone's safety. It was a shotgun after all. Lethal.

"Yeah, you could get someone hurt." Nancy agreed.

Monica struggles to reload the gun. "I saw it in a movie once. And one time when my mom shot at an intruder at age 5."

The metal on this gun was rusted and covered in dust when finding it so she was worried if it even worked. It looked pretty ancient enough to be from the early 70s. Regardless, after finally putting some bullets in, Monica aimed directly at the can in the middle and fired. It moved enough to tip over but not enough to blow it off the tree stump. "What the fuck?"

"It's probably because you're too far. But you did hit it though from where I'm standing." Jonathan stated. "Better to save those bullets for later. Worst case scenario."

"Lousy gun." Monica quietly insults the gun with a grumpy tone.

Nancy let out a chuckle that sounded like a scoff. Jonathan turned to her with a smirk. "You ever shot a gun before?"

"Have you ever met my parents?"

"I haven't shot one since I was ten." Jonathan mentioned as he reloaded. That was something Monica definitely didn't know but wasn't something incredibly bad. Not to mention how much of a 'big kid' he was around Will. He goes into detail about his father taking him hunting on his birthday one time and making him kill a rabbit. "I guess he thought it would make me into more of a man or something. I cried for a week."

"Jesus" was all Nancy utter when hearing that.

"Who knew that gun violence could be so depressing?" Monica broke the ice. "For what it's worth, I'd hate you if you like shit like that."

"No. The reason why I cried was because I was a fan of Thumper." Jonathan jokes right back, causing Nancy to chuckle as well as Monica. "I guess... I guess he and my mother loved each other at some point but... I wasn't around for that part."

He gave his pistol to Nancy to shoot. "Just... point and shoot."

Nancy started to open up to Jonathan and talked to her own parents. "I don't think my parents ever loved each other."

Monica always had the fear of being in a loveless relationship with a guy she'll never love. From a young age, she saw girls around her getting attracted to teenage boys or germ-infested boys in their classes, wondering when that feeling would come in. It never came.

Once Nancy was finished venting about the nuclear family, she shot and successfully hit the can with ease. Monica smiles. "Good job. You're a better shot than Jonathan."

"Yeah? What about you? What twisted thing is in your family?" Jonathan challenged.

Monica went blank. There wasn't anything that was wrong with her mother other than the unspoken fact that she was into more girls. One girl. Who was Nancy Wheeler. Maybe talking about her emotional suppression will do the trick. "Well... in my family, I was practically raised to not talk about certain things. If it pisses themselves off, not like abuse, but making them upset, you don't talk about it. I always worked to make my mom happy and I'll continue to do so but... it sucks to not be able to breathe sometimes. It's like I'm a slave to my own mom. She doesn't own me but God, it feels like it."

Everything Monica had said was the truth but still, in a unique way, she came off as acting. As if she was still hiding even at the time she was in the comfort of her friends. Being a homosexual can bring out the worst in the best people which is the last thing Monica ever wanted to deal with. Killing a Demogorgon seemed less stressful than coming out.

Jonathan could tell that she was holding herself back but left it alone. Nancy, on the other hand, her best friend, felt confused since she told this story before. And better than what Monica stated here. It was fake. But alas, at the same time, she felt bad for getting pissed for demanding the truth. She just wondered what "huge" thing for Monica to keep it away like that. What if it's the same as mine?

"We should go." Nancy suddenly says before immediately walking off the amateur "shooting" range. Thrown both Monica and Jonathan out of the loop.

Monica raised her brow, seeing her walk out as if Nancy was annoyed. Of course. I'm a terrible liar. I suck.

Jonathan turns to Monica after watching Nancy walk off. "She's nice. I like her."

The "I like her" comment reminded Monica of what she had said yesterday out of the blue. That being the promise to punch him for taking those incriminating photos from the party. So she looked up at him since she was slightly shorter than him and let out a chuckle. "Huh. That reminds me of something."

She punched him in the face, causing him to groan while falling over. Nancy heard the prowl of Monica's right-hand knuckles meeting his face. That's how someone could tell when someone knew how to punch correctly.

"Shit!" Nancy was startled, which was something Monica found cute about her.

Monica giggles, looking at her. "I'll tell you later."

—

They all walked straight through the forest as most of the leaves that were attached to the trees crunched and broke apart from them stomping over them. Monica was beside Nancy, leading the group as the best of friends that they could be. Jonathan, meanwhile, had an ice pack compressed to his now black, bruised eye after Nancy pleaded to Monica to stop by the store to give him one. He knew he deserved the punch to the face. It still hurt like hell though and them laughing at his pain didn't help.

Monica had told her about the photos he took that night which made Nancy feel less sorry for him when Monica punched him. "Do you even have the pictures still?"

"No. I ripped them to shreds and threw them away. Like a normal person." Monica remarked in a joking tone.

Nancy scoffed with a clear smirk on her face. "That's good. I wish I had seen it. I hope it wasn't terrible... even if he was being a total perv. We did get something good out of it."

"Yeah, he's a bit weird sometimes."

Jonathan remained silent as his jaw clenched. He moped around with each step like how a child would after their parents embarrass them in front of dozens of people. More and more, he felt bad for even taking the photo in the first place.

"Hey!" Nancy directed it towards Jonathan. "Jonathan, right? What made you take that photo? Not for perv reasons, I hope?

"No, ew." Jonathan scrunched his nose and cringed from the inside out. If anything, Monica was like a sister to him and Nancy... she's there. "It wasn't like that."

"Then make your case, buddy." Monica encourages as they continue to make their way through the trees.

"I don't know." Jonathan sighed through his words. "My guess... I saw a girl, you know, trying to be someone else while the other girl held all of her true emotions inside. But for that moment... it was like you two were alone, or you thought you were... and you both, you know, could be yourselves."

The exact thoughts loop around Monica's head: Okay, he had a point. Nancy was pretending to be cool and I'm burying my emotions inside until it blows up in my mind. But I didn't realize it was that obvious to point out. It's embarrassing, really.

"That is.. such bullshit."

"What?" Monica and Jonathan said in unison.

Sternly, she stood up against Jonathan's assumption while her crystal blue eyes were telling a different story. They were wide yet blinking with a sense of feigned innocence. She was also glancing over at Monica subconsciously.

"I am not trying to be someone else... Just because I'm dating Steve, you guys don't like him..."

Jonathan scoffs snobbish, backing away. "You know, forget it. Just thought it was a good picture."

"Wait, wait, wait a minute. What the hell does this have to do with Steve?" Monica asked, knowing fully why she mentioned Steve.

"Don't act stupid. I'm sure you two love to get together and shit on him behind my back. That's not that shocking."

"Yeah, it isn't... You know why... it's because he's a jerk, Nancy. With nothing going for him."

Their conversation started to spiral out into a secretly explosive argument. An argument that Jonathan stayed out of.

"That's not true. He's actually a good guy."

"Oh, really? Well, let me ask you a very fair question, Mrs. Harrington-Wheeler... What exactly does he do successfully? Quickly."

For that, Nancy was left speechless while trying to come up with something... ANYTHING that she liked about him. Something that he's good at. And there wasn't one. 

Not to say she found absolutely nothing but she rather found him to be annoyingly charming. Something that she did like but not on him. But alas, it was still early in the relationship for it to be a problem. That's what she tells herself.

"Exactly."

"Don't do that. You know he's not like that. He just hangs up with the wrong people that's all."

Monica rolls her eyes while walking away. "Still not a reason to like him."

"What's your problem?"

"MY problem? Jesus, do I have to like him or something?"

Jonathan tries to interject that they should keep going but fails to get their attention. Which was something that he could've predicted from a mile away.

"No. But you're my best friend."

Friend was a word Monica had a love-hate relationship with. She liked the idea of being a friend if it made her closer to Nancy. But that was it. The friend is just there, supporting them with their choice and watching them get married to some lousy, hair-receding man. Nothing else.

"Yeah, and as your best friend, it's my job to not let you end like most pretty suburban girls like you end up. You think you're rebelling but you're not,"

"You're just doing what every suburban girl does until that phase passes and they marry some boring one-time jock who now works in sales and they live out their pathetic little life at the end of a cul-de-sac. Exactly like their parents who they thought were so depressing." Monica ranted while remaining in full eye contact with her. "But hey... it wouldn't be such a surprise, now would it?"

Nancy looks back at Monica with full scorn. "Fuck you."

"Guys! Let's just go. We're losing time." Jonathan belted, which finally got their attention.

With a grit of Monica's teeth, she let out a "Gladly".

—

Night broke out and they all were still searching for anything to detect them in the right direction. The forest was nearly quiet other than the occasional sound of a cricket. The moonlight was lightly shining against some trees and leaves that were still wet from the last rain shower.

Monica, after their fight, went with Jonathan for a while to let Nancy cool down. Jonathan came up with the idea which was more of an excuse to not listen to them fight again. It's like watching two cats yakking and clawing at each other.

He humored her by saying, "You know, I'd kill for a smoke right about now."

"Yeah." Then Monica remembered how she still had the red lighter. But no cigarettes. "I do have a lighter though."

"That actually might come in handy." Jonathan states this as a fact.

"Yeah, sure. It obviously worked out for me before. Waving the little thing at the monster is for sure to work. "

Meanwhile, Nancy continues to sulk about the argument with Monica. It bothered her so much. What her and Jonathan had said about Nancy was something she deeply dreaded of becoming. Exactly like her parents: boring and unloving. Not consciously but her body shutters at the thought of being with someone like her dad.

Maybe every boy she ever dated, she had the same common problem which was she couldn't connect with them... with intimacy no matter how hard she tried. She even cried to her mother about her concerns, feeling as if she was a "freak". But her mother relieved her worries, saying how some people are late bloomers with love and that she'll find a man... someday. Nancy was and still is desperate to find that moment to bloom, despite her feeling like that for someone else.

Something in the distance murmured as if it was running away which caught Nancy's ear. Monica and Jonathan were still in conversation and too oblivious to recognize the sound. She decided at that moment to see what was causing that noise. The more she got closer, the more the noise sounded like an animal whimpering.

When it was clear in her view, the whimpering was coming from a deeply injured deer that was actively bleeding out. It was hardly moving except in the eyes with a slight blink.

"Oh, God. You poor thing." Nancy slowly kneels down to the ground to get a better look at its wounds. She didn't want to be scared shitless. "You've been hit by a car... You must've been so terrified."

She could tell that the deer was on its dying breath and questioned herself whether to simply leave or maybe put the animal down. She, of course, had kept Jonathan's gun in her pocket after have been practicing her shooting and flashlight in hand. So she did the option to... kill the deer. 

Nancy slowly got back up with the gun in hand and loaded, slowly shaking as she raised her gun to aim at the poor deer. Eyes shut, she proceeded to slowly start to pull the trigger and... Whoosh.

It magically seemed like the deer's body was snatched out of her sight like it was a piece of fish bait being reeled back in to catch the prized fish. Nancy fell down backward, almost losing her balance. If she had a heart rate tracker, it'd have been through the roof. She pants as she looks down with the flashlight on. There was enough blood to leave a trail.

When she followed its trail, she was confused when realizing the deer was nowhere to be found. "The hell?" She mumbled to herself.

After searching the area, she stumbled upon a strange-looking tree. There was a giant hole in the bottom of the tree trunk. When she shunned the flashlight on it, splitters from the old tree were sprinkled everywhere which was covered in what Nancy hoped to be red, wet slime. She couldn't believe her eyes. Is this what Monica was talking about? A gateway to the underworld?

There were two options: 

1. Go back to Jonathan and Monica to play it safe 

or 

2. Risk her life to try to see if this is the real deal. 

And given that she already put her bag down makes her choice loud and clear.

Crawling through the excess, the slime, and the splitters were nauseating and stiff. In the hole, the foul stench of dead carcasses and dry blood filled her lungs as she crawled inside. She gags as she finds her opening out of the small cramped hole. But when escaped, Nancy noticed the atmosphere was absolutely being changed. The blue hue, multiple vines around hundred-year-old trees, and the dirty air that was toxic to breathe in. The Upside Down.

After taking in the toxic fumes, Nancy tried to see if she could walk through the hauntingly enchanted forest. She went past one single tree before her yellow flashlight started to act up. She hit it pretty tame before she was interrupted by a loud roar.

There, Nancy saw something alien. A horrible nightmare. Its teeth were gnawing at something. Most likely the deer is what she had thought. Other than the fact she could not believe her eyes. She, Nancy Wheeler, was stuck in a sucky place with a flesh-eating monster. The Demogorgon with the tiniest sense of patience. Not even for their meal.

—

Jonathan laughed at the joke that Monica had told about his dog, Chester. Dogs in general. She told him that cats can be as fun as dogs, if not more. Jonathan found it humorous just because of how serious Monica sounded.

"What? It's true. My cat Pepper would've totally kicked Chester's ass in play dates. My mom couldn't stand her hyper energy so much that I couldn't be more shocked that she didn't kill her first. Rest in peace kitty."

Jonathan shook his head in a fit of chuckles. "I'll make sure to tell Will you said that when we get him back."

Monica rolls her eyes, knowing his bluff. She then recognized that Nancy, for the last few minutes, hadn't spoken a peep. Not even a sigh. 

"Hey, Wheeler! You done moping or what?" She turned down to see no one behind her. "Nancy? Nancy?"

Jonathan noticed Monica not walking with him anymore and turned. "Oh what? You tired?"

"Shut up."

"What?"

Monica shushed him as she stood still in fear. It's only a matter of time before shit hits the fan. A voice in the wind, Nancy's, screams and yells for help.

"MONICA?!"

"NANCY!" Monica immediately started to run. With each breath she took, she sprinted to where she thought Nancy might be. 

Based on Nancy's screams, she wasn't so far. It didn't matter. Monica would run a thousand miles just to get to her before a Demogorgon could kill her cold-blooded. It'll kill her to see her ripped to shreds like Barb...

Like Monica, Jonathan followed her also searching for Nancy. Even if it was early on in their friendship, he did grow to like her. Which was a rarity of its own.

"MONICA! MONICA, I'M RIGHT HERE!"

But she wasn't. Monica searched the forest area anywhere close to where Nancy could've gone. It was as if she disappeared. Tears of frustration started to pour down as she continued to not give up.

"I'M HERE! JUST FOLLOW MY VOICE! NANCY!"

Jonathan shouted to Monica that he found something. 

Her bag was next to a tree. The same tree that had the highway of possible eternal death. Staring at that damned hole, she cursed to herself. "She's in there."

"What do we do?" Monica didn't respond but kneeled down to crawl through the hole without a thought. 

His eyes widen at her bold nature Monica usually doesn't have. At least that's what he thought.

"Nancy. Follow my voice."

As Monica proceeds to go through the dripping opening to the Upside Down, a human hand pops out. Nancy. Monica latches it quickly.

"Monica! HELP!" She slowly pulls her out with the little help Jonathan brought to the table.

Once Nancy was out, she was lying close to Monica's body, scared out of her mind. Just like Monica, they sobbed into each other's arms, strongly interlocked. Those few seconds of their lives felt like hours. Monica felt like her world was destroyed, knowing that there was a possibility that her best friend really was dead. Nancy, on other hand, felt scared of truly leaving her on bad terms like the party. One of her worst nightmares, despite being an ordinary housewife.

Monica mumbles on her brown jacket, crying still. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

—

After that, it was clear that the group needed a rest so Jonathan drove the two home. Home, meaning Monica staying over at Nancy's house. There was no way that those two were going to detach each other's side. 

The car ride was absolutely quiet which was no surprise. Monica leaned on the window, looking up at the night sky. Slowly blinking as he drove. Nancy kept touching her hands and fingers for a sense of comfort. She also rubbed them whenever she heard a bump in the road. Jonathan watched both of them sadly.

Once they got back to Nancy's room, they all were obviously shaken up. Jonathan had left them to their own company so it was only Nancy and Monica again. Like in the good old days.

They were quiet for a long time before Nancy spoke up. "I think... I'm going to take a shower... you can get changed into my clothes, if you want. In the drawer over there."

"Sure." Monica answered softly as she looked over at the drawer that Nancy pointed towards. It was the same drawer that had a white-framed mirror on the wall and an antique music box on top of it. Monica would love nothing more if she took off her clothes into something clean after the night they had.

As Nancy took a warm, hot shower, Monica opened one of the shelves and pulled out a white plain, buttoned-up shirt with a decor of blue flowers and matching pants. When changing, Monica hoped to be comforted with new clothes but the dread was still there. Even sitting in stillness, she was terrified for anything to pop up to kill her and Nancy. 

Nancy finally comes out in the same pajamas but in blue and her hair damp from her shower. Her eye bags were darker from crying. Her face was bare to let her slight acne show, even though she had gotten rid of most of it. She still was insecure about it while Monica didn't care in the slightest. It made her look adorable.

Monica noticed the similarities in their outfits and smirked. One of the worst yet beautiful habits about Monica is when she's overwhelmed, she tends to be random and tell jokes. At least when she stops crying.

"Jeez, how many of these did you buy?"

Nancy furrowed her brows before taking a second to look at her sleepwear. She chuckles while rubbing her fingers through her wet, brown hair. She sat back down right next to Monica.

"No, my mom... she bought them for me a while ago. I literally wore them dozens of times."

"Not the white one. I don't blame you. The fabric is making me itch like crazy." Monica whines playfully, making Nancy lightly push her.

"It's not that bad. You're just overdramatic." Nancy jabs right back.

"Overdramatic and right." Monica smiles with slight teeth.

They shared a laugh. Nancy's light laughter was the best sound that Monica's ears were ever graced with hearing. It was exactly what she wanted to hear.

Their eyes meet, both full of sparkle yet trauma behind them. They stared at each other for a short while before Nancy opened her mouth again. "Monica... I'm sorry. For the way I act today... and the way I act that night."

"No, it's okay. I should be the one apologizing. I was being a bitch." Monica admits.

"We both were, then." Nancy states to get that part settled. 

She swallowed before continuing. "I... I just... I don't want you to hate me. Even though I deserve it."

"What?" Monica says as if what Nancy said was ridiculous. "I would never hate you. Nancy, I'm your best friend and don't plan on leaving. I... do you want me to leave?"

I love you. But Monica stopped herself from saying the forbidden words that would change everything. Despite how painful it was, she had gotten used to holding it all inside. She looked down for a second to recollect herself and pushed her further into trouble.

Suddenly, Monica felt Nancy's warm hand on her face, raising it up to her level. Nancy's eyes were subtle yet focused on Monica's pink, plump lips. "No. Don't leave."

Monica ended as still as possible as Nancy started leaning closer and closer to her. Nancy's hands were smooth and cold from the shower as she cupped Monica's face which was growing pale from anxiety. So lost in the moment, Monica's heart rapidly beat realizing that the impossible is happening. 

Nancy kissed her. Her first kiss.

To Monica, her lips felt so warm and soft. Better than the many dreams she previously has. Nothing could be better than this. Monica closed her eyes and kissed her back.

But someone saw the crime of passion. Steve "Danny Zuko" Harrington.