1983 || Stranger Things

ᴛᴇɴ | ᴍɪʀʀᴏʀ ᴍɪʀʀᴏʀ

      Julie didn't fall asleep until she physically couldn't stay awake anymore. Her dreams were plagued with nightmares worse than the reality she had faced, and she really wanted someone to be with her.

      She couldn't ask any of her friends to come over, because she didn't really have any, and because they wouldn't believe her that she was face-to-face with a literal monster. Julie couldn't tell Joyce, because she didn't want to bombard her without Jonathan knowing.

      In times like these, Julie really needed her brother. Before Julie and Billy's dad ran their mom away , married Susan and devoted all of his time to her and Max, Billy was the sweetest kid you'd ever meet. If Julie was ever upset, Billy would drop everything to make her feel better. Whether it be joking with her, or hugging her, or going surfing with her, Billy would never let Julie go to bed upset.

      But Julie had gotten used to going to bed upset in recent years. Billy was different now. He was hostile, aggressive, and had taken on the persona of their father. In Julie's eyes, it was their father's fault for ruining such a sweet boy, but it was Billy's responsibilty to turn his life back around, and Julie hoped he could do it.

      When Julie woke up that morning, her face had fresh tears dripping down it and her blanket was slightly damp. She pulled the covers back dramatically, crawling out of bed and stretching. Julie stood quietly and sauntered to her dresser, tugging on a pair of jeans and a dark green sweatshirt, lightly braiding her hair over her shoulder.

      Julie walked over to her door and carefully unlocked it, stepping back into the real world. Joyce wasn't home, Jonathan wasn't home, so Julie made breakfast for herself and ate it quietly. The teen sat on the couch with her headphones on and distracted herself with the music.

      Not much later, Jonathan pulled up to the house with Nancy in the car beside him. Julie rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag, lacing up her dirty converse and walking out the door.

      "Hey, Jules." Nancy greeted while Julie clammered ungracefully into the backseat.

      Julie wasn't in the mood to interact with anyone, so she sent Nancy a small smile and put her headphones back on. Julie pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, looking out the car window as her ears were filled with the sweet sounds of Madonna and Whitney Houston.

      The drive was short, and before Julie could consider asking where they were going, Jonathan parked the car in front of an army surplus store. Julie tossed her walkman in her bag and exited the car, walking beside Nancy, who squeezed her hand supportively.

      "What are we looking for, exactly?" Julie inquired, looking at the selections in the store. Her eyes were drawn to a nail bat, that was similar to her barbed wire bat. She grabbed it and slung it over her shoulder.

      "Anything to kill the son of a bitch." Jonathan said, and Julie nodded.

      Jonathan took one section of the store, and Nancy and Julie took another. "Are you okay? After everything that happened?" Julie asked Nancy, picking up a bear trap.

      Nancy shrugged. "It was so scary. Jonathan made me feel better, though. Are you okay?" Nancy said, looking at Julie and analyzing her.

      Julie nodded. "I'm fine." she said simply, and Nancy left the matter alone.

      "We figured out that the monster can detect blood. It makes sense. We want to go back out there, with you." Nancy revealed what she and Jonathan had figured out that morning.

      Julie sighed, taking some more tools that they could use. "I'm not letting you guys do it alone, so I'm in." she agreed, and Nancy smiled in relief. "Hey, do you have my necklace? I put it in your bag before I followed you last night." Julie said, looking over at Nancy.