(      darkest before dawn      /      act four    )
episode three   |   stranger things

❛  ARRESTED ❜

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     OUT OF EVERYONE IN THE PARTY, Aurora assumed that Max would be the first one to be arrested. She was always the one getting into trouble and with Billy. . .it just seemed like the logical choice. Out of everyone in the party, Aurora had been voted least likely to be arrested. But she always loved to prove people wrong.

      When the police showed up, they all went straight for Angela, and questioned her. Making sure she was okay, but Aurora could feel everyone's eyes on her. She should've been plagued by embarrassment, shame or fear, but all she felt was content. Angela was nothing but horrible to Eleven ever since they had gotten there, and at least know she wouldn't be messed with again.

      Aurora wasn't even in trouble—at least she hoped not as the six piles back into Argyles van, in the exact same seating arrangement when they had driven there. Eleven was shaking, either from the cold or from fear but she didn't show it and frankly, Aurora didn't want to check if she was okay.

      "I know this may be, like, upsetting and shit, but that future prom queen is gonna be fine," Argyle spoke as they began moving. "I mean, it was just a couple punches."

      "A lot more than a couple," Jonathan grunted from the passenger seat. Argyle made a sound of agreement, before Jonathan explained further. "But, like, she only broke her nose. . .I hope. That's what it sounded like, at least, so don't worry Aurora."

      "The only thing I'm worried about is that I didn't hit her harder," Aurora mumbled as Mike messed with her hands. They were beginning to hurt slightly, her knuckles were cracked, but the blood had dried.

      Argyle broke into laughter in the front of the car, turning to look at the four kids with a grin, "you hit her pretty hard blonde girl."

      "Really hard," Jonathan agreed. "But, in the grand scheme of things, it's just a little blip."

      "You shouldn't have hit her," Mike spoke, as Aurora began to tune out the two clearly high—or drunk, probably both—teens in the front of the car. "There are better ways of solving things than punching people."

      Aurora narrowed her eyes at him, "well I did. And I would do it again if I protected someone I cared about, I don't care about better ways, because mine was probably more effective."

Mike let out a sharp laugh, but there was no humor in it. "Effective? Since when did you care about being 'effective'? What happened to the girl who hated violence? Who would lecture anyone who so much as joked about fighting?"

Aurora tensed, her jaw clenching as his words hit home. "That girl doesn't exist anymore," she snapped, her voice colder now.

"Clearly," Mike shot back, his voice rising. "But maybe she should! Because this version of you? I don't even know who the hell she is."

Aurora turned to him fully now, her body coiled tight like a spring. "You think I wanted to change? You think I woke up one day and decided, 'oh, let's just throw away everything I used to believe in'? No, Mike. That girl—the one who hated violence, who thought the world could be fixed with kind words—she didn't survive. She couldn't."

Mike exhaled shakily, watching as Aurora pulled her hands away from him. "I'm not saying you didn't go through hell, because I know you did! But punching someone? That's not you, Aurora. You're better than this."

"Maybe I'm not," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Because past months that I haven't seen you, I've changed."

Mike glanced at her, his expression softening as if he wanted to say something more. But he didn't. The silence between them now was louder than any argument they could have had.

Aurora turned her gaze to the window, watching the dark trees blur past as the car sped down the road. She wasn't sure if she was more angry at Mike for bringing up the past, or at herself for realizing how much she'd lost along the way. He was right on some level, but Aurora didn't want to admit that to him. She didn't want to admit that she missed the person she was before all of this—before the upside down, before the Demogorgon, before Eleven.

They didn't talk for the rest of the drive, and in some way Jonathan and Argyle sensed the tension between the two and kept silent. They pulled into Jonathan's driveway, Aurora climbing out of the car as fast as she could. Whispering a thanks to Jonathan and Argyle, Aurora wished Will a happy birthday once more before running to her house. Reaching into the fake cactus on her right she pulled the spare key and unlocked the house. Rehiding it before she shut herself inside the house. She finally allowed herself to breathe for a moment after.

Then she realized the house was empty, silence encased Aurora like a hug. "Aunt Mary?" Her voice echoed with no response.

The blonde hurried around the house, glancing anywhere Mary should've been, but wasn't. "Mary!"

      The lack of response had Aurora running out the front door, jumping across the gnomes and lawn decorations Mary insisted on leaving all over their lawn. She threw open the Wheelers door, her hair wild and messy as she panted. The dinner party in front of her paused, watching Aurora with confused expressions.

Her brows furrowed as she took note of Murray sitting at the table across from Mrs. Byers and her aunt sitting next to the older woman.

Mary smiled, "good! I was wondering when you were planning on joining us, Aurora."

      Aurora narrowed her eyes at the table, "what's going on?"

      "Take a seat! Murray dropped in today, it's such a small world," Mrs. Byers grinned.

      Aurora reluctantly took a seat next to Mike—conveniently the only open spot—and toyed with her filled plate as the three adults talked. Jonathan and Argyle clearly high out of their minds made a few comments here and there, but the adults never took notice of their state of mind.

      "I'd be temped to stay! But, you know you two have that...uh," Murray began, waving his hand around.

      Mary nodded, "right! That business trip, I totally forgot, Joyce."

      Mrs. Byers nodded as Will spoke up, "business trip? What business trip?"

      "Oh my gosh," Mrs. Byers began with a small smile, "I almost forgot to tell you guys! This thing came up at Mary's work, and she invited me to come along with her. It's a conference, in Alaska. We leave tomorrow."

Aurora narrowed her eyes at her aunt, "really? That's the lamest excuse I've heard all week. What's really going on?"

"Aurora! Mind your manners," Mary gasped. "I was going to tell you, but I simply forgot about it. It's just a few days."

"Just like you were going to tell me about dinner over here?" Aurora scoffed, before pushing away from the table and storming out of the house.

It took Eleven a few seconds to catch up to the girl, standing in front of her own house. "Rory! Wait, what is wrong?"

"Why did you lie?" Aurora questioned calmly.

Eleven tilted her head in confusion, "what?"

"Why. Did. You. Lie?" Aurora was more forceful with the question, "at Rink-O-Mania, you told Angela that Mike was your boyfriend. Why?"

      Eleven sucked in a breath, "I don't know."

      Aurora scoffed, "no, Eleven. You do know because Angela already knew about your supposed relationship, so again. Why did you lie?"

      "Because I wanted to fit in!" Eleven shouted, "I wanted it to be like Hawkins, I wanted to be normal. I heard Angela say she had a boyfriend and so I said I had one too. I just wanted to make friends, Aurora."

"God, El. That's the stupidest reason I've ever heard! You wanted to make friends by spinning an imaginary life that you live! You make friends by being who you are. I ignored it when you lied to Mrs. Byers and my aunt about school, I ignored it when you lied to our friends. But I won't ignore it when it involves me. So," Aurora stepped closer, "next time you use my boyfriend for you of your lies, it's not going to be just Angela with a broken nose."

Then the blonde spun on her heel and stormed into her house, she got as far as locking to door before her power overwhelmed her and she collapsed to the floor.

⋆ ★ ⋆

      AURORA CHOSE TO BARRICADE HERSELF IN her room, once she woke up on the floor. Not even responding when Mary knocked on her door at seven in the morning to say goodbye. It was seven-thirty when she finally left her room, finding a hundred on the counter and a note from her aunt telling her she needed to stay at the Byers home until she got back.

      Aurora pocketed the cash that was supposed to be for Jonathan and got ready to head over to the house when someone knocked at the front door. She opened the door to find two cops standing in front of her.

      "Hello?"

      One of the cops looked her up and down, "are you Aurora Briar?"

      "That depends on what this is about," Aurora crossed her arms over her chest.

      "There was an incident involving a you at the Rink-O-Mania last night. We have a warrant for your arrest, so is your mother or father home?"

      "My aunt went out of town this morning, my guardian is Jonathan Byers, he's my neighbor."

      One of the cops nodded and walked across the lawn, as the other began to read Aurora her rights as they placed her in cuffs. The other kids on the street watched as Aurora was led to the cop car, they helped her in as Mike and Eleven both ran to the car door.

      "Rory! Rory, please just stay calm okay, everything going to be okay," Mike tried to calm her down.

      "I'm sorry," Eleven whispered.

      The sirens sounded, as the car started to move as Aurora tuned out the two people on the other side of the door. Maybe this was for the best because then they wouldn't have to worry about her anymore. Because then Aurora wouldn't have to worry about them leaving her anymore.

      Thankfully, Aurora didn't see anyone she knew as she was escorted into the police station. Her fingerprints were taken, she got a mugshot done and then she was led into a dark room with one mirror covering a wall. Aurora knew just as much that at least two more cops stood behind that mirror—she also knew it wasn't a mirror.

      "Were you at Rink-O-Mania last night?" Officer Shawn questioned.

      Aurora kept her lips shut, not willing to give than any answers. Shawn sigh, "we have witnesses that report you walking up to the victim before swinging at her, unprovoked."

      They had been at this for almost ten minutes and Aurora hadn't said a thing, but that sentence set her off. "It wasn't unprovoked and she's not a victim. Angela is a bully who gets off on make other feel less than and when she finally got caught on her bullshit she decided to make it my sisters problem. I know you have security footage of the rink, so you almost have access to the footage of Angela dragging Jane out of her seat, making her stand in the middle of the rink while they all yelled things at her and when she finally broke down crying Angela pushed her. Yeah, and then on top of all of that she threw a drink on her too. So, that's also assault."

      Shawn leaned forward, "but yours was aggravated assault, Ms. Briar, which is a much larger sentence."

      "I'm waving my fifth amendment right," Aurora spoke, leaning back in her chair. "I should be done processing so you can go ahead and take me to juvy now."

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( LET ME SPEAK : )

okay this chap is super short and really boring
im so sorry guys👹 but i need this like out
bc the next chapter is gonna be more interesting

credit goes to fivehxrgreeves