disclaimer: there will be a lot of time skips to keep in pace with the actual show. also, there's major character plot armor in this chapter. a/n — this is seriously one of the longest chapters i've ever written (edit: did not age well at all)

*** tw!! mention of suicide!

It was a slow and early morning for a Wednesday. Steve's friends, Tommy and Carol, at his late night shindig decided to ditch after noticing the couple upstairs were "kicking it off" without them. After having fun with themselves first, of course. The house, that morning, after last night was a complete mess of red cups and cigarette butts on the concrete floor in the backyard. A usual lame party hangover.

Upstairs in Steve's bedroom, Nancy lay bare naked, but with a bra in the pile of blankets, with Steve asleep next to her. All she could do was look at the white ceiling, wide awake for the past 30 minutes. Not because she just had sex for the first time with an attractive guy, but felt "disgusted" with herself despite that. It bugged her how ashamed she felt even though it was something she hoped to do for quite some time. As if it was going to fill the void and make everything seem "normal". But instead, it made everything worse. It felt worse from how she treated Monica yesterday.

"... you're acting like I'm your girlfriend or something..."

Of course, she felt bad that she didn't really enjoy her time with Steve but, to be honest, he was her least concern at the moment. All she wants to do was to end their short fight and hang out again. But instead, she lies in the midst of Steve's usual cologne with his nude body toppled over her while he snores right in her face.

There was a slight hangover feeling when Nancy softly pushed Steve away to sit up straight, rubbing her head in a groan. It wasn't long before she realized that her mom must've been having a heart attack for the past hour and that she should go.

After taking a quick shower, she threw on a nearby sweater that Steve had lying around and locked her eyes on Steve's sleeping stance. She was weirded out by how unattractive she actually found him in this state. Felt guilty about how out of place she felt during the whole experience. The haunting thing for her was the possibility of it never feeling right. Not with Steve. Or any other men, in general.

She nudged him awake and told him that she needed to go home before her mom finds out. He groggily nodded a yes while drooling on his pillow. Nancy leaves his room and house disgusted with herself.

As she left, there was a sense of eerie anxiety that failed to be there before. It was as if she felt something was watching her like a stalker. Even if it seemed like nothing, something felt off. Something is terribly wrong. For the past few seconds, all she could stare at was the rustling bushes around the pool area. But mostly to her surprise, an ordinary bunny popped out of the bushes and hopped away. She then released a breath and walked her way home. Little did she know that one of her best friends was being slaughtered as she uttered a breath. She just couldn't see it in her own world.

—

Monica failed to realize wherever she was when she was lying there unconscious, minutes after the Demogorgon collected her as a treat. Alongside Barb, she would be in shock when discovering her potential fate. They both were stuck in the bottom of the pool as slimy, thick vines roots surrounded them and an awaiting starfished, flesh-eating monster to eat them alive. The creature crawls its way to Monica, sniffing her scent as it makes alien noises. It acted as if it was a dog tasting its meat before chowing down. Once the monster got closer and closer to her frozen skin to the point where its drool placed over her face, it magically seemed like it lost its interest in her and made its way over Barb.

Unfortunately, Barbara's fate was unlike Monica's and the Demogorgon made its dinner choice. The sounds of its starfish "mouth" chomping with its microblade teeth feasting over Barb's porcelain flesh and Barb's screams finally scared Monica awake from her sleeping trance and sat up in a panic. Staring at Barb as pieces of her organs were ripped apart in a gush of blood by the Demogorgon, Monica's ability of hearing was nothing but a simple ringing. Her body sweats out of heat despite the below-zero weather. She pants, rushing to the pool ladder out of fear. There were, even more, screams as the monster seemed to be finished with its meal with the sound of a burp. It notices Monica's attempt to escape and tries to use one of its vines to trap her ankles. Luckily by a millisecond, she missed and sprinted out of its "lair".

The underworld, known as the Upside Down, was the polar opposite of the normal, "sunshine" town that was Hawkins, Indiana despite it looking the exact same. The blue-tinted atmosphere left the area with a feeling of bitterness. With each step she took while running for her life, the sound of her foot leaving the ground was like it was a gigantic splash in a small puddle. Everything was moist and wet like the aftermath of a rainy morning. The only thing that was different was the rotting smell of ripped blood mixed with bodies decaying around. But in the situation that Monica was forced into, the gross smell was the least of her concerns from being chased by a lively, frisky Demogorgon wanting to devour her.

Barb's last moments of screaming to Monica for help while being eaten alive kept on and on, repeating inside her wounded brain. All Barb will remember is that the one other friend "adjacent" to Nancy had left her in a crisis to fend for herself. She had nothing to think about but that, frame by frame. Blood splattered all over the pool, the same pool that she was thrown into with Nancy and Steve. People she'll probably never see again because she was about to be killed. She'll never see Nancy's sweet smile and listen to her nerdy puns again. At that moment, if she told her the truth, she would've taken it all back. Everything. But now all she could do was run. Run away from her problems like always.

She passed house by house for a couple of miles to reach her own house for a phone or anything that could save her life. All the houses looked the same but with vines wrapped around them with roots crawling up like it was left behind. Everything in general looked old and abandoned passing by it. Once she got to the door of her house, she realized that it was still locked. So with the fear-strength she stored in her core, she grabbed a rock nearby and threw it against the front door, hoping it wouldn't signal the monster. She ran quickly inside, sprinting straight to the house phone. Just call for any help. But the line remained dead since no one seemed to be around in the real world. Tears and snot streamed down her flushed face, losing more and more hope as time passed by.

"Please, please, please work..." She softly cries out before hearing a roar nearby outside. She slammed the phone back by the hanger and opened any possible weapon. She grabbed a frying pan, sprinting towards the bathroom to lock it inside right after. She pants in the terrible air of the Upside Down ferociously before taking a hiding spot inside the cold tub. Hugging her freezing frying pan, she sobs out absolutely terrified. The type of feeling she'll never get away from for the rest of her life. If she even had a future left to call it 'the rest of her life.' All she wanted to tell Nancy was how she really felt but now it may never be a reality. Tell her mother how much she appreciates and loves her. Instead, she simply whispers to herself, praying for a miracle. Hugging the cold frying pan while the Demogorgon growls in a grumpy state of hunger. A deadly hunger.

—

Back in the real world at Hawkins High, Nancy walks out of her class to her locker with lingering thoughts of what actually happened last night. Even though it wasn't real, she felt the presence of eyes just watching her every move and breath. Not only because it turned out that she wasn't "the typical girl next door" but just disappointed with the possibility of not enjoying it in a "normal" way. The whole time, all she couldn't resist was thinking about... Monica and her gorgeous face. How her heart broke when seeing how she damaged Monica's. How much she wanted to tell her how much she appreciated her. Dare to say how much she ... loved her fully to her core. To kiss her like there was no tomorrow. But she couldn't. So she simply placed those feelings onto Steve and his hairsprayed hair instead. But she knew inside it was really Monica she wanted.

Steve, appearing out of blue, slammed open her locker to ease her attention back on him. Nancy nervously smiles with a "Hey!", while attempting to laugh it off.

Although she tried to hide it, Steve could tell the discomfort. "Is everything okay?"

Nancy answers with a yes. "I just... I feel like everyone's staring at me."

"Oh, I didn't tell anyone."

"Well, what about Tommy and Carol and them?"

Steve raised his eyebrow with the type of smirk that he thinks he has all figured out with the likes of Nancy. "You're being paranoid. It's kinda cute."

Nancy entered herself into a manufactured smile, hoping that he won't go any further which would make her like him less. She clears up her throat to apologize and brush it off to a different, safer topic. "Have you seen... Monica anywhere? I haven't seen her in class today and I... I think she's sorta mad at me. Maybe even hate me?"

"Wait, who?"

"You know... she was the same girl we gave a ride to yesterday morning? Didn't like your hair..."

"Oh... right." He didn't remember her. "She must have just skipped class to smoke or something. I'm sure she'll be fine. She'll come around."

Nancy simply nodded in subtle agreement. She wanted to believe that Monica was fine and just needed some space but... thoughts still wanted to linger in her mind to the point that she couldn't let them go. But it wasn't as serious until the next class where she found an empty seat right next to her which was supposed to be Barbara's seat. Now two of her only friends were missing.

Lunch came rushing through as if time was speedrunning to the next day. Nancy grabs her lunch tray, teetering towards the table where Steve and his classless friends sat as loud and snobby as they were. The thoughts about her friends missing out of the blue couldn't fail to cause anxiety. Even with Steve trying to reassure her worries, the possibility of Monica skipping was near impossible, considering she saw her going to school every time unless she was sick, which was over a year ago. With Barb missing as well, it didn't seem like a mere coincidence.

"Hey, did you guys see Monica and Barb when you left?" She asked while Tommy stuffed food in his mouth.

"Who?" he smirks as if it was all an edgy joke. Waiting for the punchline.

"They're my friends I invited to the party last night. They're not here today."

He proceeds to chuckle as he responds like the idiot he was. "I seriously have no idea who you're talking about."

Steve interjects, feeling slightly embarrassed of his supposedly "friend's" response with such... immaturity. "Come on, don't be an ass, man. Did you... Did you see them leave last night or not?"

"No. They were gone when we left." Tommy finally answers.

Carol spoke up with the same devilish smirk, looking across them. "Probably couldn't stand listening to all that moaning. Oh Steve!"

Tommy and Carol begin to poke fun at them and their first time by randomly moaning "Oh Steve!" multiple times in front of the lunchroom. Surprisingly, no one was noticing how bizarre they were acting but at the school, they were known to be assholes. Nancy saw this as an opportunity to leave right as she saw Johnathan walk by the open doors of the cafeteria. Maybe he can help, she wonders as she leaves the cafeteria. Steve did try to get her to come back but it was too late.

As Nancy catches up with Johnathan in the halls, she gently taps him on his shoulder to catch his brief attention. They weren't very close despite the fact that their brothers are best of friends. She barely ever gave him his condolences over the situation with Will which she didn't think wouldn't be resolved in more than 2 days. And yet those days passed and now two of her best friends are missing from school. Who knows who would be next on the list?

"Hey, Jonathan?... It's Jonathan, right?" Nancy spoke right before he turned around.

His eyes were worse than ever before based on the times she glances at Monica conversing with him in the past. He looked like he was crying nonstop when no one was watching to see him "weak". His skin became so white in comparison to a few weeks before Will's disappearance. Clearly, even if he acted as if he had it under control, he couldn't bear the stress. It almost made Nancy question why she considered bothering him in the first place. It was sad to look.

"Yeah, what do you want?" His answer was slightly cold and grumpy like he wasn't sleeping regularly, if even at all.

Nancy took a second to snap out of her constant guilt about Johnathan and his sudden appearance. "Have you by any chance seen Monica around recently? Today?"

"No. Why? She's not here?"

"Well, no. She wasn't in class today. You should understand that it's not like her to not show up to school. We sort of... left on... bad terms when I spoke with her last night." Nancy rambles, attempting to make it less of a big deal than it actually was. More than Nancy could ever understand. "I'm sorry for wasting your time with my overreacting. It's just... with everything going on..."

"I know. You don't need to apologize."

"No, but I do. I'm sorry for not reaching out sooner. Will... he's a great kid. I'm sure the police will find him."

"Thank you. I'm sure Monica is just at home, going for errands. Try giving her a call. Tell her I said hi."

Nancy grins as the bell rings. "Thanks."

—

A day passed by and nothing happened. Will, Barb, and Monica were nowhere to being anywhere close to being found nor willingly coming out of hiding. The local TV news was nonstop with updates on the case, stating how everyone was looking for him. 

No one was looking for her best friends or even knew for that matter. No one but Nancy took it seriously. She left several voicemails to Monica, pleading to her to talk so she'll know that she was okay. She even called Barb's parents at school that day to see if she came home. Her mother, however, had no idea where she was which could have caused more fear in her family. "Nancy, will you please have her call me as soon as you find her?" That was the promise that Nancy accepted. And she wasn't going to stop until she fulfilled that promise.

Nancy even checked for any evidence back where the night went "supposedly" wrong: Steve's house. More specifically his backhouse by the pool where she managed to sneak in by walking through the trees behind the opened fences. As she walked through the pool area, there were thousands of leaves sprinkled everywhere, including by the water. But no sign that tells her if Monica and Barb were okay, even alive. Well, other than that Barb's car was parked still in the same place.

When she proceeded to leave the backhouse through the trees, she jumps, startled by the noise of something moving nearby. Quickly and frisky like a feline. She called out to see if anyone was there. But instead, she turned around to see a blurry image of what appeared to be a wild, large bear growling. Her heart fastens as she makes no question of running for her life. Hoping that she wasn't next like her friends. It was at that moment that she knew for sure that something strange occurred that night. Something that she couldn't bear to understand.

By the time Nancy got home, there were slightly muffled sounds of two people talking in the kitchen which caught her ear. Her father, Ted Wheeler, wasn't usually home by this hour and so rarely gave the workday off early. The only viable option for anyone that Nancy soon realized would be in the house would be only her mother and Holly Wheeler, her little sister. Based on the sound of the muffled voice, she soon realized that it was a gruff, deep voice like an officer. The closer she got to the kitchen, she then saw that her mother, Karen Wheeler was being interviewed by Chief Jim Hopper along with his partners that followed him wherever he went. Talking about the Byers case once again, Nancy believed. But in reality, he was there to ask questions for someone else. Barbara Holland.

Her mother began to notice how Hopper was staring at Nancy walking in and turned around. To see the confused yet nervous look on her daughter's face. "Honey, hey! How was school?"

"Fine..." Nancy quickly answered. "What's going on, Mom?"

—

"This argument you and Monica had? What exactly was it about?" Powell, one of the officers that Hopper had with him queried as they sat to discuss the details of what happened that night. They all sat in the Wheeler house by the dining room table. Another officer, Callahan, sat right next to Powell, across from Nancy and her mother present. Hopper stood, leaning against the wall as he watched.

Nancy corrects him by brushing off the argument even though she still felt terrible about it. "Well, it wasn't really an argument... She just wanted to leave and I didn't, so, I... I told her to just go home. She got upset and left with Barb... I assume."

"Then what?" He pushes further.

"Then... I went upstairs to put on some dry clothes."

"And the next day, you went back and..." Powell took a pause before continuing. "... saw a bear, you're thinking?"

"I don't know what it was, but... I think... I think maybe it took Monica... and Barb—You need to check behind Steve's house—"

Callahan spoke up. "We did. There's nothing there. No sign of a bear. No car."

"What?" This caused pure confusion in Nancy. She knew she wasn't lying in seeing something she maybe wasn't supposed to see; but why couldn't the police see? In both to herself, her mother Karen, and the police officers, what was proven today was that she was simply a fool. A childish fool. "I know what I saw."

"Look." Callahan eased in amusing her concerns. "We figured that Barbara and Monica came back last night and then they took off, ran away somewhere—"

Nancy immediately cut him off. "No. Monica wouldn't do that. She hardly liked Barb and if she would... she would've told me. Why aren't you taking this more seriously?"

"Well Nancy Drew, maybe they were more upset about the fact that you were spending time with this boy than you thought? Uh, Steve Harrington?"

That part was correct, Nancy knew that for sure. Monica hated Steve but there was no way they would leave that suddenly. No phone call. No letters. Nancy knew that in her heart that Monica would've cared more. No matter how much the police didn't listen to her. "What? No! What does this have to do with this conversation? You should be looking for them—"

"Maybe Monica was jealous because she saw you go up to Steve's room?"

The night started to flash back in her mind... their argument. The way she broke Monica's heart when she shut her out. Calling her a bitch and too obsessive... like a girlfriend being jealous. All she could think about at that moment was her face breaking... her beautiful, glistening face. How she wanted to... 

She was getting ahead of herself. A tear rolls down her pink, freckled skin.

"It... it wasn't like that. Steve and me, we're... we're just friends. We— we just talked." Nancy regretted calling the police... Like how she regretted being a bitch to Monica.

"Now was this before or after you changed out of your clothes?"

After the humiliating interrogation, the officers once left giving her mother regards as Nancy sat there still in the dining room. Tears continued to roll down her face as it flushed pink. She had never been so embarrassed as to what she had felt right now. Then Nancy soon realized that she had to face the wrath of her mother. The same mother she barely talks to for anything. She must face the dreadful music yet she couldn't give a damn. She just wanted her friend back so everything could return to normal.

Mrs. Wheeler sprints over Nancy in a rage, causing her daughter to simply walk away to avoid the conversation. "You lied to the police!"

"I didn't lie!" Nancy quickly responded.

"How naive do you think I am? You and Steve were just talking?!"

For a second, Nancy stopped herself in her tracks of going upstairs to grasp what her mother said.  Nancy couldn't believe it. Her eyebrows furrowed while being in a whirlpool of rage and sorrow. "We slept together! God, is that what you want to know?! It doesn't even matter!"

"It does matter!"

"No! It is all bullshit! It has nothing to do with Monica and she's missing. And something terrible happened to her. I know it. I know it! I will not let the last moments of our friendship end in vain!" Nancy finally snapped, sobbing in between her words. She sniffled before continuing to vent her frustrations. "And no one is listening to me!"

—

Storming into her room in a fit of uncontrollable tears, Nancy threw her bag onto her bed and sobbed ever so quietly. Her breath became into pants of sniffling as her nose grew red and puffy. She ran her fingers through her brown, dry hair while letting out a frustrated sigh. Why wouldn't anyone else look for her? Why do people not care?

Zoning out, she stares nothing but at the porcelain drawer with a bunch of snow globes and music boxes. Both of them were seemingly bringing up old memories of them hanging out during their old sleepovers. Singing at the top of their lungs, dancing, and being nothing but their goofy selves. How naive they were, she thought. She would love nothing else but to want that back. She stood to walk over the bulletin board, full of the capsulated memories of old pictures and awards from school. Her fingers started to run over the polaroids and stared intently. She blinks in the midst of painful silence.

She then made the decision to grab the telephone once more and dial-up Monica's number. To end with yet another voice message.

"Hey... Monica, it's me again. I know you're not there right now but... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I did... and said.... For being such a jerk to you. I hope we can still be friends one day. Even with Barb, you were always my best friend. No one will ever come between us. I know that nothing will change because you're the only person in my life that seems to make sense to me right now. I'm not sure about anything else but you. I want you here... alive and with me. I want us to be best friends again and... to... I don't know... but you need to help me out here,"

"You need to let me know that you're okay. I'm going crazy without you and I don't know what to do. Please." No response but the usual bleep when the line isn't busy. She kept mumbling the words, "please" thousands of times, waiting for a response.

Suddenly, a voice erupted in an echo on the other line. Monica. "Nancy? Nancy? NANCY!"

"Monica?! Monica, is that you?! Oh my god!"

"HELP ME—"

—

In the upside down, it was mere hours that passed by compared to the upper world where the sun shined and plants were alive. During those hours, Monica's now chilled body remained hiding in the bathtub with a frying pan in hand. Meanwhile, the Demogorgon constantly growls nearby from the house as Monica was terrified of her "possible" future. If she had one that didn't end in death. Those hours passed and the monster's growl began to fade away. Until the phone began to ring causing an abrupt scene. It was then to Monica that this could be the last piece of hope she had left. She removed herself from the bathroom of her abandoned house and grabbed the telephone up to her ear. She then was welled with tears when finally hearing Nancy's sweet voice but quickly concerned with how stuffed up she sounded. As if she was sobbing through her words for any luck.

Monica would love nothing more than to tell her that she was alive and ask for help; but in order to be alive enough, it would be idiotic for her to signal the monster. Other than so, the fact that she finally made verbal contact with anyone from the outside world was more than a miracle itself. She just wanted Nancy's sweet words over and over again. That sense of slight peace would sadly end when the monster growls outside, nearing close to the house.

"Nancy? Nancy? NANCY!"

This was when the line started to break up. "Mon– Monica, is that you?! Oh my—!"

"HELP ME, NANCY! PLEASE! FIND ME PLEASE!"

"O–KA-Y! I WILL— JUST TELL ME WHERE YOU—" The phone line shuts down once again, causing the phone to bleep on Monica's end.

"Nancy? NANCY!" The monster was just this close to the front door and had the strength to destroy it and everyone inside it. Monica looked over in terror and made the quick decision to make a run for it. Like she has been doing for the whole night.

Pushing open the backdoor, she continuously ran for the woods in any chance the woods could hide her well, if at all. She pants as she keeps exhaling the borderline toxic oxygen in the air with each step she takes. Although far behind, the Demogorgon was chasing her like a cat would with a tiny mouse.

While running the fastest she ever ran in her life, she noticed hearing a little boy's voice that felt familiar. Will Byers. "Run! Run, Monica!" was what she heard him screaming which terrified her even more. The possibility that Will Byers was out here for this long in the freezing cold, trapped with a monster that rips people apart, made Monica feel more of a coward for wanting to leave the hellhole sooner. If he lasts any longer...

In the nick of time, no matter how warped it was in the Upside Down, she finally found a weathered tree with its trunk as a gaping hole big enough to fit a person. This hole was something uniquely strange like the rest of the Upside Down; inside, it looked like the inside of an uncracked baby egg as the barrier was similar to rubber. Rubber that could break apart nonetheless. There, she took this as her absolutely last chance of surviving to live to the tale and going inside. The slimy barrier was the hardest to break through but the last of the strength Monica had in her body was used on pushing forward. Fortunately, she pushed forward enough to reach back into the real world of Hawkins.

She dropped down onto the soil that was surrounded by trees and fallen golden leaves as she then backed up from the hole she crawled out of. She watched it close out of existence, hearing the Demogorgon growl for the last time. Well, the last time in her mind. Monica began coughing up saliva in hopes that she would escape the taste of rot and death that the Upside Down encapsulated perfectly. But it remained. Like the nightmares she will have after today for the rest of her life. Alone in the woods once again at night, she coughs and heaves like there isn't any air at all. She felt like she was in a beautifully constructed nightmare. Even if it was for a few hours. At that point, she even thought that she was still in it.

Sounds of police sirens blaring in the distance did however slightly relieve her worries. But it shortly ended when the siren started to pass her by in the near distance, fading. She noticed that there were multiple cars speeding by but she was too traumatized to process and get enraged over it. Instead, she had the idea to rather follow it. She needs all of the help she could possibly get and she would like nothing more than to be out of these woods.

Lumbering with each step she took on the wet concrete street, Monica wrapped her arms around her sweating body to give herself warmth. She was nothing but shivering and shaking throughout her whole limbs. Her feet being in unbearable pain from running all night and her ears ringing wasn't the only pain she managed to get into. And it was more than external. She couldn't imagine the night getting worse.

***

When Monica finally caught up with the police cars, they were surrounded by a nearby river. Dozens of officers crowded near the water as if they were witnessing something strangely shocking. Like a man about to jump off a building. It was a sight that couldn't be unseen. Two of the officers in the water pulled... a boy's body out... The same body that Monica babysat since middle school. "Will Byers."

He was dead.