Fallout || Stranger Things [2]

nineteen || wine and wonder

"I really don't want to be here."

Billy sighed, tapping a knuckle on the steering wheel of Jolene parked outside a house halfway down their snowy neighborhood. "Are these guys duds or what?" A stream of smoke spilled out of his mouth, cigarette pinched between his lips as he evaluated the warmly lit suburban dream home. "Seems very...book clubby."

"The dud-iest," Nina groaned, resting her head back on the seat. "They only listen to classical music, their kids don't eat sugar and most of the night Jordan just sits there smirking as they compliment his books without knowing he wrote them."

He tipped his head side to side in thought, taking another drag. "Well, he did only say that you have to go."

Nina's eyes widen, whipping her head to the side in panic. "No, no way. You cannot leave me here. It's New Year's. We won't get to leave at a reasonable time when Jordan can politely see himself out from hours of ego-boosting. It'll be all night."

"So why would I want to stay?" he asked with the same taunting tone he used on Max. He laughed after a moment, taking a last deep puff of the cigarette before snubbing it out. "Let's see what this suburb freak show has to offer."

Nina and Billy hauled ass out of the Jeep, shuffling to the door as the winter wind nipped at their skin. They approached the neatly kempt and ordinarily plain house. The door swung open before either could reach to knock, Jordan's bright face appearing.

"She didn't talk you out of bringing her here," Jordan mused, lighting a fresh cigarette as he stepped aside and ushered the teens into the foyer. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth to kiss the top of Nina's head. "How was rehearsal, hun?"

Nina shrugged, shimmying off her jacket to drape it over a nearby coat hanger. "It was all right."

"All right?" Billy asked with a quirked brow before shaking his head as he looked to Jordan. "I saw the last five minutes and she was awesome. She showed up every upperclassman there."

The brunette groaned, glancing around the house as chatter billowed in from the living room. "More like pissed them off."

Jordan huffed, waving a hand as he took a drag. "I doubt that honey."

"No, like I felt it," Nina reaffirmed with lackluster, sighing as her eyes wandered to the kitchen. "Please tell me they have something in there with sugar."

"Wine," Jordan replied with a shrug. His eyes widened after a moment, finding a blinding smile on his youngest daughter. "Wait, no I didn't mean it like that. You may not have wine." He patted his loose suit jacket before producing a pouch of skittles and holding them out to her. "But I brought reinforcements for you. There's a kit-kat if you can make it to midnight."

Nina let out a quiet cheer, wiggling happily as she tore open the bag. She bounced off, likely to find a place free of emotional auras to distract from her candy.

Jordan squeezed a hand onto Billy's shoulder, nodding towards the den. "Obligatory introductions?"

"Sure," Billy agreed despite his distaste for suburbia, allowing Jordan to guide him into a room neatly clustered with plainly dressed husbands and wives. His leather jacket suddenly felt hot on him as he tried to muster a welcoming smile.

"Everyone," Jordan addressed in a cheery tone, "this is our family friend Billy. He's visiting from Indiana University for the holidays."

"Indiana!" a woman expressed. "That's so lovely. What year are you in?"

Billy was socially parked in an empty space on the sofa, dozens of middle-aged eyes focused solely on him as Bach hummed on a radio in the corner. "Just a freshman," he replied, unable to remember a time he had willingly been in a room with so many adults.