NORMAL.

You'd think Carla Wheeler would have finally found it after moving on from the Upside Down and Demogorgans and the Mind Flayer. That after being over and done with everything supernatural for almost a year, she would have fallen into a routine that was somewhat normal. 

And, she had....almost. 

She'd wake up every morning at six o'clock to get ready for school, usually wasting half of that time with Steve—who chose to stay in bed, stubbornly trying to keep her there, too. At seven o'clock she traveled to Hawkins High, where she'd spend the exact same six hours each day, studying and learning, wandering the halls with Robin or worrying about college in her free time. Then, most nights, she'd spend her nights working at the library, as she had that summer, getting picked up by her boyfriend at nine o'clock to head to his house or her own to repeat the schedule all over again. 

That was Carla's new normal. Monsters and fear had been replaced with school and stress. Late nights spent fighting supernatural creatures had turned into late nights studying for exams, or writing college essays.

However, hidden within the routine schedule that Carla liked to call her normal were small bits of odd. 

The headaches started first. 

Carla doesn't remember when she exactly started getting the headaches. They started off dull; a faint throbbing in the back of her head that she brushed off as extra stress or her body reminding her to drink water. 

But over the past few weeks, they'd grown more persistent and stronger; a constant banging on her skull, only managing to go away during the few hours of sleep she was able to get, returning the second she was jolted awake by a nightmare.

The nightmares had started up again, too.

At first, they had been something of a warning sign to Carla. When her nightmares started up again, so did the Upside Down—it was like the Upside Down teasing her with what was to come, what she couldn't stop from happening. The girl had grown awfully anxious for the rest of the week, almost waiting for a mysterious event to happen, for a phone call from Joyce telling her it was back.

But, that phone call never came; neither did any mysterious event. Despite Carla's constant nightmares about the Upside Down, the supernatural never showed up. Which—after reassurance from Steve—led the Wheeler to brush them all off as simply a bad dream.

She stopped telling Steve about the headaches and the nightmares after about a week—there was no point in worrying him, or telling him for that matter, if nothing was wrong, right? Carla could deal with a measly pounding and little sleep; she didn't need Steve Harrington worrying his ass off about her over that. 

Which is why she doesn't wake him up as she suddenly jolts awake from the third nightmare of the week. 

The Wheeler girl instinctively sat up as her mind escaped its nightmare ridden haze. Screaming and gasps for air had become a past time, stopping after the first few—as if her body was simply growing accustom of the similar images it was tortured with night after night. The only reaction she seemed to received was an uneven rise and fall of the chest; easy to cover up, if Steve ever woke up, too.

Carla looks to the side, letting out a sigh as she registers the time—three o'clock in the morning. Another night of no sleep. After last summer, in which she barely received any rest to support her aching figure, the Wheeler girl had grown used to the heavy feeling of exhaust. It didn't make it any easier to deal with, though.

Realizing she wasn't going to be going back to bed without persuasion from Steve—who she was not about to wake up, after he happened to take the late shift at Family Video in place of Robin, who had pep rally practice—Carla decides to get up. She might take an Advil while she's at it. 

The Wheeler starts to push herself out of Steve Harrington's bed. She isn't sure when it started, or who started it, but for the past months, she'd been starting to spend the night at his house. He took her to school, he picked her up from work.....it just made sense. 

Besides, Carla wouldn't lie and say she didn't like being in his bed every night rather than her's. Because she did; really did.

The girl shifts herself towards the edge of the bed, but her eyes trail back to her boyfriend's sleeping figure as she does so. Steve always looked so peaceful in his sleep—peaceful to the point that Carla always felt shitty whenever she had to wake him up, whether it be from a nightmare or because he missed his alarm.

His inhales and exhales are even, and Carla can see his bare shoulders slightly moving with every rise and fall of his chest. His hair is tousled from sleep, eyes closed as he rested—completely unaware to the turmoil that plagued his girlfriends head every time she tried to do the exact same thing.

Carla's sure she would have watched him sleep for longer if it hadn't been for the sudden pounding in her skull, reminding her of why she'd woken up in the first place. 

This causes the Wheeler to finally step out of bed, feeling a slight chill as she leaves the warmth and comfort the covers provided. Tugging her shirt down—she slept in one of Steve's shirts, which fell slightly baggy on her and her underwear, which didn't provide much warmth let alone coverage to her legs—Carla padded her way away from Steve, trying her best not to awake him.

However, she doesn't immediately head for the door. Trying to ignore her headache's pounding for relief, the Wheeler treads towards her bag, which sits against Steve's dresser. Sitting neatly inside of it is a letter—El's letter. 

Starting the second Eleven Hopper got to California, she'd been sending Carla weekly letters, updating her sister-figure on how her new life was going. She'd gotten similar from Jonathan and Will, of course, but not like Eleven's.  

El's letters managed to give Carla a sense of comfort, whether it be the not so sure grammar El used or the curious descriptions she gave of everything. Either way, it always made the Wheeler feel better after a nightmare; at least one of her friends was doing okay. 

So, it wasn't unusual to see Carla rereading the most recent letter from El after a bad nightmare. Just as she was going to do now. 

Grabbing the letter from her bag, the Wheeler quickly makes her way out of Steve's room, careful not to wake the boy. She instead walks down the hallway to the Harrington bathroom, flipping on the light switch with her free hand. 

The quick change of darkness to brightness doesn't do anything for the benefit of her headache, and she cringes as the throbbing increases for a moment, ever so slowing down as her eyes adjust to the new light.

Eyes adjusting, Carla is quick to spot a glimpse of her appearance in the mirror. Her hair is slightly messy from whatever sleep she did get and there are slight bags dimly coloring her pale skin. She looks exhausted. 

Carla doesn't look at herself any longer—she knew she looked tired, that was nothing new. Instead, she opens the bathroom cabinet, scanning past toothbrushes and different facial products to grab the bottle of Advil and a paper mouthwash cup.

Setting the letter down away from the sink, Carla turns on the water, filling the cup up with enough to down the medicine. She flicks open the bottle, letting two pills into the palm of her hand before shutting it again. Titling her head back, Carla swallows the two pills, drowning out the sour taste—she hopes it'll help her headache before school starts.

Turning off the water, Carla grabs El's letters, leaning against the sink as she readies herself to read it once more. Her lips slightly upturn at the not-so neat handwriting on the front, addressing the letter to her, before she opens it, unfolding the paper.

Dear Carla,

Today is day 185 in California. Feels more like ten years, as I heard Joyce say.

Carla finds it hard to believe she's spent over six months without Jonathan, El and Will. It feels like it was only yesterday that they were driving away from Hawkins, yet at the same—as El wrote—it's felt like forever since they moved. 

Joyce also says time is funny like that. Emotions can make it speed up or slow down. We are all time travelers if you think about it. For example....this week is going very fast! I think because I am so busy.

Carla can relate to that. She feels like ever since senior year started, she'd been a stressful busy, having little free time between writing college letters, working at the library, studying for final exams and trying to find time to go out with Steve and check on the kids.

She can't thank God enough that today was the final day before spring break—one of the most looked forward to days at Hawkins High since the second semester started.

I have to make something called a visual aid for school.  I hope Mrs. Gracey will give me an A.

I have some excited news for you! Joyce finally got a new job. She gets to work at home—isn't that amazing? I think she's selling things through the phone. She says she loves the freedom of it.

Carla is sure Joyce is lying. If there was anything about the woman, it is that she always needed to be doing something—sitting at home didn't seem like her cup of tea. 

Will is still painting a lot. But just like last letter, he still won't tell me what. I think it is for a girl he likes. I think he has a crush because he has been acting weird. What do you think? 

Carla slightly smiles at that. She hopes that Will's painting is for a girl......or a boy, for that matter. She truly doesn't care who he likes; it's more so the possibility that he could be finding someone that made the Wheeler happy.

Jonathan is still acting weird, too. I'm sure he's talked to you about it in his letters but I think he's just worried about college. He's still waiting for his big letter. It must be stressful hoping he and Nancy get in together. I hope they get to go. 

Carla was sure that anxiously waiting for his college letters, as well as Nancy's, was nerve wracking. She also knew that college was not the only reason Jonathan was acting 'weird'. 

After smelling an aroma of what she could only guess to be some kind of pot on his most recent letter, Carla wrote and ended up discovering through a casual reply that Jonathan had started smoking weed as an anxiety reducer.

But, I don't know how he'll get to college because his car is still broken. Argyle is still taking us to school like I told you. He's very fun and he drives a pizza truck. It doesn't smell like pizza though, which I find odd. He smokes smelly plants with Jonathan, too. 

Carla also happens to know that Argyle was the person who introduced weed to Jonathan. The Wheeler wasn't one to blame anyone's personal choices, nor did she doubt that Argyle seemed to be a pretty relaxed guy, but she can't help but feel smoking was rather out of character for the Byers boy. 

Jonathan says the plants he uses are super safe because they come from the earth, but to not tell Joyce.  I can tell you though.

It's the next part of the letter that makes Carla feel better, though. 

Before you ask about my week, I'll tell you. It has been awesome. I think I have finally adapted and it only took me till March. I think you will be very happy about that.

El's right, Carla is. She misses the girl, of course, but the fact that Eleven was doing good in California made the miss a little more worth it. 

Math is still my best subject. But my grammar is getting good also. Can't you see? I think I'll end the year with good grades. Maybe you can come up here to celebrate with me? 

Carla smiles. It had been a few months since she visited Lenora Hills, which wasn't entirely her fault. Not only was she buying her own plane tickets—which took at least a month or so's worth of work to afford—but she was also having to allow time for Mike and Nancy to travel too.

Carla had gone herself at the end of October. Nancy had gone during November. They'd all traveled down there for Thanksgiving, (with Steve, of course). The Byers came to Hawkins for Christmas.

Since then, the Wheeler girl has only kept contact through phone calls and letters. She felt slightly guilty about not visiting, knowing that El missed her, but she hadn't found a good time between wracking up money and school. 

 Besides, Mike was taking his visit up during spring break—someone would be checking on them. 

While I am very happy in school, I am definitely ready for spring break. I'm so excited to see Mike, it is hard to breathe. 

I wish I was seeing you too. I know you have work and you're always with Steve, but do you think you can come visit again soon? You can even bring him if you want. As long as he doesn't mind our sister talk.

Carla lightly smiles again. She wishes she were going with Mike. 

Well, that is how my week is. How is Hawkins? Have you gotten any college acceptance letters yet? I really hope you get into one. Then I can be the one flying to visit you at school. That would be fun. 

Carla had already written her reply and sent it in the mail, hoping it got to the Hopper sooner than later. She'd talked about how work and school were going, she'd talked about college, she'd reassured that Max was doing okay and that she missed El, she'd talked about her and Steve. She'd lied to El and said she was doing okay, too.

I miss you a lot. Write to you next week.

Love, El.

Carla closes her eyes and sighs. Just because everything was normal didn't mean she didn't miss some aspects of the past three years. At least then she didn't have to talk to some of her favorite people through letters.

The feeling of a liquid dripping out of her nose stops her from thinking about her friends. 

Her eyes open to look at her own reflection, and her eyebrows knit together as she notices deep red blood pooling out of her nose, quickly dripping right off of her face and onto El's letter in her hands. A nosebleed?

"Fuck." Carla whispers under her breath as the blood makes contact with Eleven's handwriting, one hand quickly moving to cover her nose to stop the flow. She's completely confused as to why she's having a nosebleed—the last time she got one was when she dream walked into El's head and that didn't even count in her opinion. 

Keeping a hand on her nose, Carla shifts to grab a tissue from atop the toilet, pressing it against her nostril to collect whatever was there. After a few seconds, she pulls away, throwing the tissue away without bothering to look at how much blood there had been.

Carla couldn't even remember the last natural nosebleed she got—especially so out of the blue like this. What was going on?

"Baby?"

The Wheeler slightly jumps at the sudden voice, turning around to see Steve standing in the doorway. His voice is gruff and he's still shirtless, showing that he had just walked out of bed. Despite his tired features though, there is a hint of concern—why was his girlfriend up so early? 

Carla is quick to wipe over her nose in case there's any remnant of blood on her nose—as well as any confusion or concern evident on her face. "Hey. Did I wake you?"

"No, I just noticed you weren't there." Steve responds, voice still heavy with sleep. Carla turns around to grab El's letter, and as she does so, the Harrington boy comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in closer. "Why are you up so early."

"Couldn't sleep." Carla can't help but lean into his embrace—if the world was ending, Steve could hug her and she'd be convinced it wasn't. "Just came in here to get an Advil for my headache."

Steve's brows furrowed as he whispered into her neck, "Those still bothering you?" 

"Not really." Carla lied through her teeth with ease. She didn't like lying to Steve, per say, but it was nothing. "I'm fine."

The Harrington boy presses a light kiss to her neck, muttering, "Come back to bed with me?"

"Yeah." Carla exhales, giving a curt nod. 

Carla ends up back in bed beside Steve, but she doesn't fall back asleep.

mara's misc!

AHHHHHH IT'S HERE!!!!!

i literally wrote this chapter in like a day which is crazy for who i am, as well as since it's literally all filler and my own shit. new season new me ig????

no because my motivation for carla is suddenly back somehow, but i'll knock on wood before i jinx that bc knowing my luck, i will have no motivation in a week. 

i also just had my day made by two random girls at a redlight. im omw to dance and i looked in their car bc one of them was bopping to music and then the girl looks at me, then at her friend who looks at me too, before they start full on bopping and singing which made me smile and laugh and then they waved and smiled big at me as they drove off??? like wtf that made my day

but carla's nosebleed??? i won't spoil bc i don't even know want i want to do to her but s4 will not go easy on my girl.

also some starla content. her and steve def live together half the time at this point and he's def the person to make sure she's eating and going to sleep during senior year and all her tests (not like carla is sleeping but)

tbh if you have any questions about the time between s3 & s4 relative to carla & her and other characters, feel free to ask and ill def answer.

also everyone give a big thanks to kelsea ballerini for pushing me through this chapter with her music. (and a thanks to my girl mvybanksss for getting me into her). im listening as i write this and if you haven't to listen to her too (specifically to her albums subject to change and rolling up the welcome mat: for good). don't judge bc she's country i promise she's good 😭

today i had state testing (fun fact i was actually supposed to do it yesterday but the testing portal was down for the entire state so we had to post pone) and got to write an argument essay in an hour so im def in a writing mood.

i also won my homeroom classes march madness so now i get a slushie (ive never watched a single march madness game on tv and guessed on everything)

also don't correct me i purposefully changed el's letter to fit carla instead of mike. it felt weird  for her to be writing about how she's finally fitting it and adapting when she would have been writing to carla every week. but, i didn't want to write a whole new convo so i just shifted and added some wording.

im almost finished with the next chapter as we speak so expect another update soon!!

hope you enjoyed! see you back with chapter 2 <33