𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑬𝑬

❛ It is a miracle, Wheeler. ❜

❦

Barb hasn't gone home, Malia knows that.

The ginger girl didn't want to. She didn't want to leave her best, and only friend,
at a fuck boy's house, which is completely understandable.

Malia stares through the large glass windows while being curled up on the couch at Barb. She wants to go out there and comfort her, and possibly convince her to go home because Nancy wasn't going to be finished anytime soon, but she didn't move from the sofa.

Malia Garcia sucks at comforting people, it's a universal fact.

So, instead she lowers herself down and pulls a blanket over her body, ignoring the guilt working it's way to her brain while she drifts off to sleep.

What feels like only a few minutes later, Malia is shot awake by a quick but loud shriek. She sits up and her head snaps around in all directions while she tries to seek out the source of the noise.

Her eyes wander outside and towards the pool, where there's no sign of Barb, causing Malia to slowly rise off the sofa and towards the large glass window.

Maybe she finally went home.

Malia sighs heavily, squeezing her eyes shut and lifting both her hands to run them through her hair. Slowly, she opens her eyes, causing them to land on a swift movement in the tree line.

In surprise, she takes a quick step back from the glass, her eyebrows furrowed. While her chest pumps up and down, she makes her way back to the sofa where she quickly lays down and throws the blanket over her body.

"What the fuck," She whispers to herself before drifting into a sleep, her breathing still quick.

❦

"MALIA!"

A loud shout causes her to drop off the thin sofa and onto the wooden floor, a low groan passing her lips.

Steve let's out a laugh, "Wakey, wakey, sunshine."

Malia groans again, this time lifting up a single hand to flip him off, "Fuck you, Steven."

He chuckles before bending down to her level and bringing both hands to her are and claps them together, "GET UP! We've got school."

Her jaw clenches and she roughly smacks his hands away from her face before slowly standing up, causing him to smirk at her disheveled appearance.

"Rough night?" He teases.

She glares at him, "I'm sure it wasn't as rough and. . . loud as yours."

His mouth drops open and he crosses his arms over his chest in annoyance, "Speaking of Nance, have you seen her this morning?"

Malia raises an eyebrow, "Why would I have seen her?" She starts to walk over to the kitchen while fixing her hair, "She's your girlfriend, your supposed to keep your eyes on her, not me."

"I was sleeping." He grumbles, resting on the counter.

She pulls opens the fridge, searching for some sort of breakfast, "So was I, dumbass."

He takes a deep breath, straightening up again and stretching his limbs, "Fuck, I'm such a bad boyfriend."

She throws him an apple, smirking, "Didn't want to bring it up."

He runs a hand over his tired face before taking a large bite out of the apple and begins to beckon her towards the front door, "Come on. We gotta get to school and I have to speak to Nance."

"Steven," She deadpans, motioning down to her clothes, "I am not going to school in the clothes I slept in last night."

He clicks his tongue, pulling the door open and pushing her out of it, "Too bad. You don't have a choice."

After sending him one last glare, she slips into the passenger seat and he throws her coat at her before slipping the keys into the ignition. She squeezes her eyes shut and lays her head back against the headrest, listening to Steve rant about how bad of a boyfriend he is.

He talked the whole way to school, and Malia stayed silent, not even making a single annoyed noise while he complained.

As soon as he parks his car in the parking lot, she throws the door open and slips out, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

Unlike his best friend, he gets out slowly before slamming the door shut and staring across the car roof at Malia, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Damn, Mal. Do I really bore you that much?" He snorts.

"No," She says, trudging through Hawkin High School's front doors, "And, Steve, you aren't a shitty boyfriend. . . not really. You just need a little work, that's all. Plus, have you seen Tommy? Carol is only with him because he's popular, and you can't convince me otherwise because I'm sure it's not for his looks and personality."

Steve let's out a laugh, "You suck at comforting people."

She hums, pushing the girl's bathroom door open, "I know!"

❦

Malia walks across the cafeteria with her brother by her side while he interrogates her about the night previous.

"So, you were at Steve's?" He questions, for the millionth time.

"Yes, Tom." She sighs, "I was at Steve's, like usual."

He nods firmly, muttering to himself about how he's going to explain her absence to their mother.

At the other side of the canteen, Nancy spots Malia and rises from her seat beside Steve, causing his eyebrows to furrow in confusion.

"Nance, where are you going?" He questions, watching as she throws her bag over her shoulder.

"To speak to Malia." She says, watching as his face contorts into shock and confusion, "To ask about Barb."

Truth is, Nancy is extremely worried about her best friend's whereabouts. It's very unlike the ginger girl to miss a single day off school, yet she isn't here, causing Nancy to become scared.

She rushes off, hopping over people's legs and excusing herself while she pushes past others. Finally she reaches the twins and clutches her bag strap tighter anxiously.

"Malia?"

The darker haired girl's eyebrows furrow and she slowly turns, coming face to face with Nancy.

"Yes?" She tilts her head.

"Holy shit." Thomas hisses, his fist presses against his mouth in surprise, "You two friends now?"

"No!" They both shout in response, causing his hands to shoot up in surrender.

"Okay, okay." He rushes, "Sorry. Please, Nancy, continue."

She nods at him before taking a deep breath, "Malia, did you see Barb leave the party last night? Steve told me you stayed over."

Malia's mouth falls open slightly and she purses her lips before nodding, "Yeah. . ." She hesitates, "Well, I didn't physically see her leave, no. But she was sat by the pool and when I went to check on her, she was gone. I just presumed she had left. Why?"

Nancy bites her lip, debating whether or not to tell Malia why she was so curious, "Uh, she's not— she's not at school today."

Malia hums, "Maybe she's just ill after last night or it might have something to do with her hand." She shrugs, "It was a deep cut."

Nancy glances away but only for a split second to think of more questions, "When you last spoke, did she seem. . . you know, different?"

"She was angry and, probably, upset." Malia's tone becomes harsher, "I mean, what do you expect? You kinda abandoned her to have sex."

"We didn't—" Nancy begins.

Malia laughs in disbelief at her attempt to deny the events that she literally heard, "I slept in the room below Steve's."

Thomas stares at his sister, then his eyes flicker to Nancy's wide ones and he takes a step back from the duelling pair.

"I, uh, I'm gonna go." He motions to his table of friends, "See you after school, M." And with that, he turns on his heel and quickly walks away.

Malia notices the genuine worry on Nancy's face and her eyes soften slightly. She bites her lip and takes a deep breath.

"Look, Wheeler," She mentally curses at herself, "I can tell your worried, like really worried. So. . . I'll help you find Barb, because she was surprisingly nice to me and I want to make sure she's alright as well, okay?"

Nancy's eyes widen and she stares at the girl in front of her in surprise.

Malia grumbles, "I know, I know. But this is a one time thing."

A small smile works it's way onto Nancy's face and even though she hates Malia, she is happy to have someone on her side.

"Okay, it's best if we try her parents first." She nods, noticing for Malia to follow her towards the canteen's door, "We can call them on the school telephone."

"Sounds like a plan." Malia hums.

The pair walk side by side. A spectacle neither of them expected to ever happen, not even in a million years, but still the both of them aren't at all uncomfortable next to the other. Annoyingly, it felt somewhat natural.

Nancy unhooks the phone from the box and begins to dial in Barb's parents number, while Malia leans on the pole next to her, waiting for someone to answer.

"Hello?" A woman's voice rings out.

Nancy breaths a sigh of relief, "Hi," She glances up at Malia, who rapidly motions for her to continue, "Hi, uh, Miss Holland, it's Nancy."

"Oh, Nancy, how are you?"

"Good. I'm good," She nods, tapping her finger anxiously against the phone, "I was just wondering, uh, is Barb there?"

"Mmmm.... No, she hasn't come home yet."

At her words, Malia's eyebrows furrow and she straightens up slightly, digging her hands into her pockets.

"But she did come home, right? After the vigil?"

"No. . . she said she was staying with you last night."

Nancy's eyes grow wide, "Uh, right, yes. She did. . . sorry. I meant, did she come home this morning?" She glances at the ground, her mind racing for another lie, "I think she left some textbooks and she was gonna go pick them up."

"Oh, um, no, I haven't seen her." Miss Holland replies.

Nancy bites her lip and shares a slightly horrified look with Malia before continuing, "Do— do you know what? I just remembered. . . she's at the library."

"Nancy, will you please have her call me as soon as you find her?"

"Yeah." Nancy replies quickly, her eyes starting to tear up, "Yeah, I will. Sorry to, uh, bother you." She places the phone back on it's perch before slowly turning to face Malia.

"Shit, shit, shit." Malia hisses, "Where else could she be?"

Nancy shrugs, "I— I have no clue. She's only ever at school, my house or hers. She has no where else to go."

Malia takes a deep breath, "Okay." She nods, "Meet me after school in the parking lot, alright? We can talk more there."

Nancy nods, "I can't believe we're doing this. Us. Together. It seems like a miracle."

Malia starts to walk away and towards her chemistry class, "It is a miracle, Wheeler. A horrible miracle."