𝐖𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍. ˢᵗᵉᵛᵉ ʰᵃʳʳⁱⁿᵍᵗᵒⁿ ¹

041

041. 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗶 𝗸𝗲𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿?

    "𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄," Dustin pleaded, from the passenger seat. "Just one, seriously, and that's it. I promise."

    Lori rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, hands tapping along the top of the steering wheel. Music was playing through the speakers of her car, playing tracks from a random cassette she found in the glove compartment that morning. Dustin sat beside her in the passenger seat, his backpack on the floor between his legs— filled with the books he stole from the library a while ago— and a fresh batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies sitting on his lap, in a shiny glass dish covered over with plastic wrap.

    A few full days had passed since the interdimensional-havoc ordeal ended. It was the weekend now, and Lori was still thinking about the whole thing constantly, but now she was fine sleeping alone. Sort of. The terrible flashbacks still plagued her mind incessantly at night, but every time she got scared, she looked to Steve's window. And every night before going to bed since they got home, he flickered the lights of his bathroom three times— just to let her know that he was safe, that she was safe, and that she could head to sleep.

She'd also slept in Maureen's bed a few times, and Maureen didn't question it— nor did Lori explain. But it was getting better, the whole aftermath of it. Slowly.

    That morning, Maureen had baked a fresh set of baked goods. And, having a meeting during the afternoon, she asked Lori if she could bring them over to the Byers House— a sort of sympathy gift for Joyce. Of course, Maureen only knew the fake story— that Will had gotten lost last year, now recently he'd gotten lost again— and bless her heart for feeling bad for Joyce. She'd been through a lot with her family, Maureen learned— mostly from Claudia. But even so, she felt bad about doing nothing, and wanted to "pay her respects" or some shit like that. Even though nobody had died. Long story short— she just felt bad.

    Now, Lori drove down Main Street, ring-cluttered fingers tapping her steering wheel to the beat of the song, with her cousin in the passenger seat. The moms had talked, as they always did, and Lori had just swooped by to pick him up on the way to Will's.

    She let out a sigh. "Fine, just one though. Only one, Hagar."

    A grin split onto his face, and he unpeeled the side of the plastic wrap, eagerly. Lori glanced towards him, a small smile sliding onto her lips from his own. She laughed lightly and looked back to the road.

    He bit into one of the cookies, letting out a groan of satisfaction. "Oh my god," he said, with his mouth full of chocolate chips. "I didn't know Maureen was such a good baker."

    "She's not," Lori said through a chuckle, "She got the recipe from a book."

    "Magic touch, Lor," Dustin shook his head in astonishment, indulging in the cookie. "Magic touch."

    "Whatever," She rolled her eyes, the small smile still on her lips.

    "So," he took another bite, pausing to chew for a moment, "Where's your boyfriend? I thought you guys were, like, inseperable now."

    "We are not inseperable," she glanced over to him, smiling through the lie about her and Steve. "And he said he's got things to catch up on with his parents. They just got back into town this morning."

    "Well judging by the fact that you spent the night at his house the other day— and are going there later tonight," Dustin said. "You guys have been practically tied at the hip since we got back."