That night, Steve had taken Andrea and Dustin home. Andrea, who had fallen asleep before even leaving the mall, was placed in the backseat before being taken back into her bedroom by Steve. Dustin helped make sure she was comfortable before the two left the girl to her slumber.

Andrea had slept through the night before waking up. Although, from the wake of the day she had felt off. She had gotten up for maybe thirty minutes in the morning before she looked in the mirror and called it a day, yet again.

So, she lied in her bed for a few more hours. She hadn't cared that she hadn't changed out of her clothes the night before. She hadn't cared that her hair was probably a mess. She could not even make herself care that they had gotten a secret Russian intermission.

She could care less.

Andrea tried to call her friends, no answer. She tried to call any of them again, no answer. She fell back into her bed as she placed her hands on her eyes letting out a groan of frustration. It was like no one truly cared for anyone anymore.

The day was going away quickly and Andrea knew that, but she did not care. For some reason she couldn't find it in herself to care about anything. To her it was all nonsense that shouldn't be at the top of someone's priority and if it was? Well, then you really were a daft person.

A knock at her door alerted her of someone's presence. Andrea rose from her bed and walked over, opening her door only to come face to face with her mother.

Despite the worry shining in her eyes, she had a smile, "Hey, Annie baby, are you feeling alright? You haven't been out of your room all day. Steve even called to check on you, honey."

Andrea looked at the ground before looking back up at her Mom and nodding, "Yeah. I'm fine, Mom. I just think that I had a bit of an overload yesterday with everything that was going on. I'm fine."

Mrs. Henderson pursed her lips together before nodding her head slowly as she stroked her cat, "Well, why don't you come and eat something? I made you some cinnamon rolls. You need to eat something and then you can go lie back down or do whatever you think is best."

Andrea gave a soft nod and whispered a small, "Thanks," before she slid out the door.

She drug herself into the kitchen of the Henderson household. She felt like screaming when part of her shirt got caught on the counter. She got herself situated at the table and began to eat a cinnamon roll. Trying to ignore the continuous flip of her emotions.

Andrea finished off her food before cleaning up whatever mess she had made and walking back into her room. She knew that the mall would be closing soon so she decided just to get an ice cream and see if maybe that would make her day even a little bit better.

She changed into a pair of shorts and a short sleeved flannel, leaving it partially unbuttoned. Her hair was a mess like she had never seen before so she decided that she did not want to fight that battle today and she took her water and sprayed her hair back.

It was pouring down rain when by the time Andrea had made it into the mall. She shoved her way through the crowd of people. She had a scowl as she walked through the mall. She decided that she must be having a hormone rush and that was what was wrong with her.

And god help anyone who pissed her off at that moment.

Andrea walked into Scoops Ahoy, hearing Dustin and Steve talk behind the counter. Robin was looking around and despite being nearly soaked, Andrea waited with her arms crossed across her chest for the other woman to turn around.

"Oh! Andrea," Robin turned around and looked at her, "Are you okay?"

Andrea ignored the question as she held a straight face, "Can I just get my strawberry ice cream?"

"Yeah... what's wrong?" Robin questioned before cracking some kind of comment, "Was it dingus again? He really doesn't do that well with the ladies does he?"

Andrea let out a huff giving Robin a glare, "Can we please just stop the talk? I really do not care."

Robin seemed alarmed by the girl's sudden outburst, "Sorry. Here's your ice cream."

Andrea took the ice cream before she began to walk to sit in the corner of the store. She sat down and was fairly surprised by the fact that there weren't many people in the store. All she could hear was that stupid recording playing over and over again.

And Seven knew that she was not going to sit and eat her ice cream while listening to that stupid audio yet again. Andrea couldn't help but get angry. She was not in the mood to be listening to this yet again. So, she stopped it herself.

She ignored it as the blood began to drizzle down her nose. She heard the rustling in the back before watching as Robin alerted everyone of her presence. Dustin stormed out from behind the back of Scoops Ahoy, clearly angry with his sister.

"We need to listen to that," Dustin spoke, clearly annoyed as Steve followed behind.

"I can't imagine why, didn't you already solve what it means?" Andrea spat as she leaned back in her seat.

"It's still something important!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Oh cut the bullshit," Andrea shot as she got out of her seat, "No one cares."

"We care!" Dustin yelled as he looked at his sister, "What has gotten into you?"

"I'm tired of this, Dustin! The entire thing is so you can all change who you are. So you can come out on top - newsflash, it won't happen," Andrea snapped as she shook her head.

"Dustin, let me talk to her," Steve tried to move past Dustin, "Andy, you know how it is."

"How what is?" She questioned as she turned her head rapidly, "How what is, Steve?"

"How it is to go from the bottom to the top. I want to be back on top! Everyone once loved me," Steve looked at Andrea, "We've got to do this."

"You don't. No one cares about where you are as a person. Just accept yourself for what you are. Don't keep trying to change because you'll lose yourself," Seven exclaimed as she threw her ice cream away.

"We've got to try! It's just so hard adjusting and being this little guy," Steve exclaimed.

"Oh yeah?! I started out as that little guy. I wasn't on top. I was the freakish experiment," She snapped in a whisper.

"Don't bring that up, that's not like this," Steve shook his head at her, "You know, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you don't feel the same way for me. Maybe you are just like Nancy."

"FUCK YOU!" Andrea yelled as soon as those words left his lips.

The regret and guilt flooded over Steve's expression as Andrea went to leave the store. Robin, Dustin, and the few customers that were in there stared in shock as she stormed out.

"Andy, hey, wait..." Steve tried to catch up with her.

But to him, she had disappeared in thin air and he knew what she had done.

Andrea slipped through the crowd, her nose bleeding as she made sure no one she knew came after her. Making sure none of them realize it was her. And she went back home, she told her mom she was staying with a friend and she left to go back to the first place she lived when she escaped.

The back of an old clothing store.

She sat out in the rain that continued to pour down over Hawkins. Her curls fell heavily around her face as she tried not to cry but inevitably failed.

Had she just lost him?

The next morning she was awoken by a tap on the window. She opened her eyes just enough to see Mike Wheeler standing outside. The girl let out a small groan as she exited the store not bothering to adjust any of her appearance.

Her eyes were red and swollen and her nose had dried blood on it.

Mike looked startled upon seeing her, "Are you okay?"

"Get on with it," Seven shook her head as she sighed.

"There's something important we need to talk about. Max, Eleven, Lucas, and Will are all at my place. We can talk there," Mike offered.

"Depends, you shits going to all gonna scatter?" Andrea questioned, clearly annoyed.

"No," Mike denied before offering a hand, "Come on."

And despite the hole that resided within Andrea, she took his hand and left.

Everyone had clambered into the basement of the Wheeler house. All of the kids and Andrea, with the exception of Dustin, sat around Will.

"I didn't think it was anything at first," Will began to speak as he explained everything, "I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it. The first time I felt it was at Day of the Dead."

"Power went out that night, too," Mike realized as he looked at Will.

"And then I felt it again," Will nodded as he continued to explain, "At the field near the Nelson farm the next day. Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers."

"What does it feel like?" Max asked Will.

"It's almost like... you know when you drop on a roller coaster?" Will was trying to figure out how to explain.

"Sure," Mike agreed.

"Yeah," Max nodded.

"No," Both Eleven and Seven spoke as they looked at one another.

"It's like... everything inside your body is just sinking all at once, but... this is worse," Will looked worried, "Your body... it goes cold and - and you can't breathe. I've felt it before whenever he was close."

Max looked confused, "Whenever who was close?" She questioned.

"The Mind Flayer," Will spoke as he looked alarmed.

"We closed the gate," Eleven said.

Andrea felt an overwhelming sense of dread. How come Will had not been telling anyone about this?

"I know, but... what if he never left? What if we locked him out here... with us?" Will questioned as he looked at everyone pointedly.

Andrea sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "We're in for it."

The entire group watched as Will began to step over different people grabbing coloring items. He moved over to the table and placed them down before he started coloring as everyone piled over.

"This is him, all of him. But, that day on the field, a part of him attached itself to me," Will explained before he smudged the picture, "My mom got it out of me... and Eleven and Andrea closed the gate. But the part that was still in me, what if it's still in our world?" He placed a handprint on the back of the paper, "In Hawkins."

"It's possible, maybe it didn't have time to get back or it had something planned all along," Andrea began to fiddle with her bracelet.

"I don't understand. The demo dogs died when they closed the gate," Max was still not understanding.

"Because they weren't inside. We shut off the gate, meaning the mind wouldn't work on them," Andrea whispered.

"If the brain dies, the body dies," Max shot back at Andrea.

"We can't take any chances, what if she's right?" Mike was leaning against the table as he spoke, "We need to assume the worst. The Mind Flayer's back."

"Yeah. And if he is, he'd want to attach himself to someone again. A new me," Will explained softly.

"A new host," Lucas pointed out as they all began to look worried.

"How can you tell if someone is a host?" Eleven asked the million-dollar question.

And with that, Eleven admitted her concerns about Billy Hargrove. She said she had seen him in the void and he wasn't right. She even admitted to finding him. So, that's where they went to first. The workplace of none other than Billy Hargrove.

Everyone stood behind a set of cars. Watching the man for nearly an hour trying to see any signs that he may be the new host but he seemed normal. The only thing that really alerted Andrea was how washed out his skin was and how covered up he was.

Billy Hargrove did not cover-up.

"I don't know. He looks pretty normal to me," Max began to speak as she looked through the binoculars.

"Normal? Since when does he cover up like that?" Andrea shot at Max.

"Normal?" Lucas looked over at Andrea seemingly agreeing with the girl, "How many times have you seen him with a shirt on?"

"I mean, it's a little weird," Max tried to ignore the signs.

"More than a little," Mike shot at the girl, "He was in a tub with ice. The Mind Flayer likes it cold. Plus everything else-"

"But, he's lounging at the pool," Max exclaimed, "Which is, like, the least Mind Flayer thing ever."

Andrea couldn't help her wide variety of emotions, "You do realize maybe he's trying to blend in, dumbass," She shot before recollecting herself while everyone looked startled.

"Not necessarily," Will tried to take the attention off of Andrea's outburst, "The Mind Flayer likes to hide. He only used me when he needed me. It's like... like you're dormant. And then, when he needs you, you're activated. Andrea's right on this one."

"Okay so, we just, wait until he gets activated," Max decided as she looked back at the pool.

"No," Mike shook his head, "What if he hurts someone?"

"Or kills someone," Will added as he turned his head in Max's direction.

"Who's to say he already hasn't," Andrea muttered with a scowl.

"You can't take that chance," Mike agreed with his friends, "We need to find out if he's the host."

"Where are you going?" Eleven asked Mike as he walked away.

"I have an idea, boys only," Mike began to speak before taking the guys with him.

"Seriously?" Max shot angrily.

Andrea sighed, "Bullshit."

"Just trust me on this one," Mike called back.

Andrea had her arms crossed firmly across her chest as she stood alongside Max and Eleven. The two girls were seemingly annoyed with the fact that they were to be left behind.

"I'm sorry for earlier," Andrea apologized as she looked over at Max, "I didn't mean to snap at you."

Max looked over at her, stopping her conversation between her and El, "I know. You never snap at anyone."

Andrea looked back over at the pool falling into a moment silence. She couldn't believe herself. She had gotten into her first real fight with Steve, she had gotten into a fight with Dustin, and now here she was yelling at whoever managed to piss her off first.

This wasn't her.

"What's wrong?" Eleven asked as she looked over at her sister.

Andrea shrugged her shoulders, "It's nothing."

"Obviously, it's something," Max looked over at Andrea with an expression that made her try not to laugh, "Is it Steve?"

Judging by the expression Andrea made, the two girls seemingly knew, "What happened?" Eleven asked.

Andrea continued to fiddle with her bracelet, "We got into a bit of a fight. Dustin and I were into it and some things were said..."

"Like what?" Max asked, "Maybe I can help some."

Andrea almost scoffed but she caught herself. She knew that Max and Lucas had a rocky relationship but she knew a lot more than Andrea did.

"I was mad because they keep trying to do stuff to make them popular again. I was tired of it, I didn't care. Steve said I didn't know what it was like to fall down and I told him that I started at the bottom and he told me that was different..." Andrea trailed off before adding, "Then we continued arguing and he said that I didn't... I didn't love him and I was like Nancy."

Max made a face, "That's a low blow."

"I know I shouldn't have said what I said, I know that. I just feel like I've lost him and I don't want to lose him," Andrea began to rock on her feet.

"Do you, do you love him?" Max asked.

"What's love?" Eleven asked.

"A strong feeling," Max answered.

"How can I answer that? I don't even know what love is or even what it feels like," Andrea fell still as she looked at Max.

Max paused for a moment before saying, "Then tell me how Steve makes you feel."

Steve was the sparkle within Andrea Henderson's eyes. He was her best friend and most importantly he was the person she always felt safe around. He made her oh so nervous but none of that ever mattered to her because he made her feel like the was the only girl in the world.

He made the world slow down just so that he could be there with her.

"He makes me feel safe. When I'm with him, I don't feel like I have to worry. I can be myself. He makes me so nervous at the same time but it doesn't affect me that much. I get so happy just when his name is mentioned and sometimes it's just like the world slows down when he's around..." Andrea took a deep breath.

Max had a little sparkle in her eyes that slightly scared Andrea, "Andrea, love makes you feel all of those things. I can see that you love him. So can he, he's just an idiot. This is all new for you and you've never had to deal with emotions like this and you haven't lost him. You never will."

The blonde-haired girl looked at Max, her green eyes flashing in realization, "Oh my god. Max..."

"Yeah?" Max asked, trying to hide her growing grin as she looked at Eleven.

"I love Steve!" Andrea placed a hand over her mouth, "I love him and I'm fighting with him?!"

Max let out a small laugh, "Calm down, it's okay. It's normal for couples to have arguments. They aren't meant to be perfect all the time. Besides, I'm sure when we finish this Steve will be crawling at your door begging you to let him in."

Andrea let out a small laugh as she shook her head at her friend's words. How could she have missed this all along?

Andrea Henderson was madly in love with Steve Harrington.