Locke showed up at Theos door the next morning, his fancy car behind him. It was his first one after his birthday in December, yet it was painfully expensive and nice for a teenager who would likely just wreck it. Theo stared, her pants gone with the Hawkins tee dropping past her thighs. "It's too early to deal, Locke."

"My Mom's got a stomach virus." he stared up at her.

"Wanna hid out here?" she offered. "I was about to put some mac and cheese on."

"One extra ticket to Cali now." he held the plane ticket up in her face. "You in?"

Theo laughed in disbelief. "I have the kids."

"They aren't your responsibility. You should have fun in California for spring break, get a nice tan, meet some hot babes, learn to surf." he listed on like she enjoyed any of those things. "Come on. You really wanna stay here and watch Chad flirt with every girl that walks into your job? Without me? Sounds like hell."

"That does sound like hell." Theo looked to the kids in the living room, watching the early morning programs. "You guys wanna stay with Aunt Jay for the week?"

They both started to cheer and y'all Aunt Jay. Theo did the same, throwing one over her shoulder and lifting the other off the ground to take them to their room, getting packed. Locke went into her room to pack her bag for her. He popped a few of her favorite heavy metal tapes into a bag and grabbed the closest thing she had to summer clothes. By the time he managed to get her brush, makeup, and a couple shoes, she had the kids ready.

"Hey." Locke handed her the bag, seeing her writing a letter. "Your Mom?"

"Just letting her know they wanted to stay with her sister up in Muncie for the week." Theo inhaled, already feeling guilty. She stopped. "No, no. Locke, I really appreciate it, but I don't-"

"T." he exhaled, grabbing her shoulders and leaning on her level more. "There's nothing wrong with your Aunt watching her niece and nephew for the week, we'll be home on Saturday. It's just six nights."

"I feel bad leaving them." she admitted, looking over his shoulder at the two. "I don't want them to feel like i'm gonna be abandoning them more."

"Those kids think you hung the moon." he whispered back to her. "They're not gonna think you're walking out on them for doing something fun for once. Remember last year, Freshman year, and I had to leave you here for Spring break? I was so bored!"

Theo had to laugh. "Bored in The Hamptons?"

"Yes, and that should be saying a lot." he nodded, adjusting the polo he wore. "So, are you ready?"

Theo exhaled, nodding her head. "What part of California is it?"

"Come on, young ones!" Locke encouraged Theos siblings to follow him to his car as she locked up. "It's a smaller town, my grandparents aren't very social. I doubt they'll even be there, honestly."

"Where your Dad grew up, yeah?" Theo followed him toward the car as the two had already been in the process of getting in. Ellis could buckle herself, but Daniel still struggled.

"Yeah, Lenora Hills." Locke hummed as she got Daniel all snuggled into his seat. "It's kinda boring there, but I like it. It's a good getaway."

"Sounds like something you'd like." she got into the front with an exhale. "You and your hippy business that you've got going on."

"Oh my god, how many times do I have to tell you that believing in all natural medicine doesn't make me a hippy?" Locke huffed, because she hadn't let him live that down since he'd told her.

"That's not why I think you're a hippy, Locke." she pushed her sunglasses up on her eyes and leaned back in his seats, they were much more comfortable then the bus was. "I think you're a hippy because you talk to the trees."

"And you talk to your flannels." he mocked her.

Theo hummed as he drove down the pathway, his shiny car sticking out like a sore thumb. "Fair enough."

It was still early, too early. They were catching the second flight to California, the sky was just starting to turn orange.

"Woah!" Daniel yelled when a police car passed them ridiculously fast. Theo lowered her sunglasses to watch it go. "What are they doing, Theo?"

"Probably failing to find a criminal." she answered him, leaning back in the seat again and resting her glasses back on her nose. "Hawkins should be on Buzzfeed Unsolved with how many unsolved cases we have."

"I get the feeling a lot of Buzzfeed cases aren't as unsolved as we think." Locke took a turn, passing the leaving Hawkins sign, driving toward the orange horizon. "I don't know, I feel like maybe they actually know what happened and that way they have enough information to do an entire podcast on it."

Theo turned her head, watching him with frowned eyebrows. "I've never thought of that."

"I mean, why are they so interested in these cases but don't go searching on their own?" he went on, checking on the kids in the back. "You guys good?"

"Good!" Ellis called to him.

"So, you think the podcast makers do more research then what's already available?" Theo hadn't let the topic fall just yet. "Like, they actually know what happened but just aren't saying it?"

"Would it be so hard to believe?" Locke asked her honestly, coming to a slow stop at a red light. "I mean, someone in this town has to know that all these deaths don't seem as coincidental as they want us to believe."

Theo frowned her eyebrows together. "I think your hippy thoughts might be right."

The light turned green.

"Oh, fuck me!" Theo yelled in disbelief as Locke drove through the gates, leading up to a large house on a hill. They got a rental car at the airport, Lockes Dad getting dropped off at his old buddies house for a reunion, promising the kids he'd be back later. "Locke, how many people are gonna be wearing polos here?"

"Theo, you look great." he pulled up infront of the house, even bigger then the one he had back in Hawkins, and that was saying a lot. She did look great in her red shorts and Mötley Crüe tee, and her signature fishnets she rarely left the house without. But, no matter if she looks good or not, Lockes entire family were a bunch of polo wearing, sweater vest loving people.

And while his parents were amazing people who loved Theo, regardless of her style or home environment, she still felt almost embarrassed to be around his family. It was difficult having Locke as her best friend. He meant the world to her, the most important human being to ever exist outside of her siblings, and he never judged her, but it didn't stop her from doing it herself. Even as her best friend, she never let him stay the night because she felt embarrassed.

She'd never say that to her Mom though, not that they ever saw much of her. But, when they did, she really was a good Mom. She made mistakes, like letting the twins Dad be apart of their lives for too long, but she also kicked him to the curb the second he did more then raise his voice every now and then. She loved Theo, loved her more then she loved the twins, even though parents aren't suppose to think that way. Theo loved her too, she loved her so much that it hurt sometimes. But, that didn't stop the duel anger that sat in her stomach when she thought about the fact that she was raising two kids that she didn't have, working a job that she hated, and not having her Mom there to support or guide her though her teenage years.

It was a lot, and it hurt her, but Theo still would never say any of that to her Mom. If she could change it, she would, and Theo had to remind herself that her mother didn't want this life.

"I thought you said your Dad was middle class before he went to college." Theo stared up at the house in aw, the plants outside shaped into sculptures, the driveway too clean to even look like it had been outside.

"He was." Locke shut the car door after getting their bags from the back. "They didn't buy this house until my Dad sold his first building."

That's what Theo liked most about Locke. Hailey, Thomas, and Brayden all had money like he did, and they let it go to their heads. Hailey thought she was better then everyone else, Thomas rubbed it in peoples faces, and Brayden used it to mock people that didn't have as much as him. Never Locke though, he'd never been that way. Maybe that's why him and Theo always were closer then the rest, because despite what she thought about people with money, he liked to prove to her that there was still hope for people that got big paychecks.

Theo sometimes thought about if she'd have ended up like Locke or her other friends if she was born into money. She liked to think she would be like Locke, but she knew deep down she'd have let it go to her head.

"You're in luck." he unlocked the front door. "Only one polo wearing jackass here."

Theo walked inside and realize he was talking about himself. "No ones here?"

"Told you they were anti-social." he dropped the bags and flopped on the couch. Theo wasn't dirty or anything, but she felt like she was compared the the nice interior. She was afraid that when she sat down, she'd infect the beautiful threading of the couches. Locke looked up at her. "What's your opinions on burritos?"

"Burritos?" she hummed, exhaling. "Well, I guess they are pretty basic on the food chain. Nice exterior, interior kinda messy but usually color coded-"

Locke chunked a throw pillow at her as Theo laughed. "Why are you asking me about burritos right now?"

"Because I know a place." he stood up. "And there's skating."

Mike wasn't sure how he forgot socks when they were gonna be skating. Maybe because they went immediately from the airport and it didn't cross his mind. It hadn't been a big deal though, his parents gave him enough money to buy whatever he needed to in his week stay. As he stood in the line, standing behind a couple, he couldn't help but listen in on their conversation.

"I'm just saying, what if we have a murder mystery on our hands?" she gapped at him. "You're just gonna continue to play Street Fighter with your friends?"

"We aren't gonna get a murder mystery. Why do you keep listening to that crap if you're just gonna get put in a bad mood?" her boyfriend asked her with a huff. "It was your idea to go on a date."

"Yes, and i'm having a blast." she gave him a very quick side hug. "But the missing people are waiting for me."

"Ah, well-" he held his shirt up, revealing the walkman on his waist band. "-what a shame it would be for you to listen to your murder mystery and skate with me at the same time."

Mike grinned at their encounter before it was his turn in line. "Can I see all your green socks?"

Will and El sat awkwardly together as they got their skates on, Will had just called her out on her lies and El was embarrassed by it. Her eyes shifted backwards onto the rink, seeing someone in red shorts spinning with her skates. "She's good."

Will followed her gaze, watching the girl as her spinning was slowing down.

"Okay, I got the closest thing to-" Mike started, stopping when his gaze fell on where theirs had been, the same girl they were gawking at finally stopping her spinning as she laughed and nearly fell into her friend.

Mike dropped his skates as Theo filled his eye sight.

•

kylie speaks

theo fan club really consist
of her freaky neighbor who
has been held back, awkward
closeted gay boy, bestie who
is basically her sugar daddy,
girl who doesn't know she's been kissing her ex, and secret
lover who isn't actually her
lover.