Alice the Amazing ⇒ STRANGER THINGS

[52] Number 37

TW for mentions of sex.

March 1986

After her experience at the Creel House, Alice couldn't focus on much. All she could think about was that spooky voice calling her and those horrifying visions.

She tried various methods of distraction: she threw herself into her schoolwork; she took extra shifts at Samuel's dad's music store, Bingsley's Beats; she worked overtime painting sets and preparing costumes for the school's production of Oklahoma!

It wasn't enough. Every night when she closed her eyes, she saw flayed Billy taunting her, calling her weak. Blaming her for what happened to him.

It got to a point where Alice was barely sleeping at night. She fell asleep in class on more than one occasion. The worst was when it happened so much, the school called her mother.

"Alley Cat, I don't understand!" Mrs. Henderson said one afternoon in mid-March, pacing in front as the girl in question sat on the sofa. It was supposed to be a nice, supportive chat, but it turned into one of Mrs. Henderson's interrogations. "What's keeping you from sleeping?"

"Just some nightmares," Alice said, picking at her nails. "And it gets really stuffy in my room, like I can't breathe."

Mrs. Henderson ceased the pacing and gave Alice a knowing look.

"Now Alley Cat," she said. "I know that you have a boyfriend now, and the power of young love is such a strong, passionate thing—"

"OH MY GOD MOM, whatever you're about to say, I beg you, please don't."

"And so you may feel enticed to sneak away to see him past curfew, but it's not worth your health."

"Mom," Alice said, face as red as a Lite Brite, "I am not sneaking out every night to hook up with Steve!"

That was a true statement and would hold up in a court of law—she didn't sneak out every night.

"But if you are—"

"I'm not!"

"—I read this great article in Midwestern Moms magazine that I wanted to share with you. It's 100 fun activities for couples to do that don't revolve around s-e-x."

Alice covered her face with her hands and let out a stifled scream. Her mother thought she was some kind of nympho! This was the most embarrassment she'd ever felt.

Alice wanted to crawl out of her skin when Mrs. Henderson opened her magazine and started reading the list out loud.

"Number 1! Take a pottery class and make each other vases. Number 2! Go on a walk outside and hold hands. Number 3! Have a romantic picnic and list your favorite things about each other."

The list kept going, and going, and going, until—

"Number 99! Cook each other's favorite foods. And number 100! Learn how to say 'I love you' in three different languages."

Mrs. Henderson closed the magazine with a satisfied snap!

"Aren't those ideas lovely?" she added.

"Can I go now?" Alice said. "I want to try and take a nap before dinner."

Mrs. Henderson freed Alice from the mortifying conversation. Alice—eternally grateful—practically sprinted down the hall.

Before she could disappear into her room, Dustin poked his head into the hall, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"You gonna call Steve and invite him to pottery class?" Dustin teased.