𝐖𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍. ˢᵗᵉᵛᵉ ʰᵃʳʳⁱⁿᵍᵗᵒⁿ ¹

042

ONE MONTH LATER

━━━━━ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ━━━━━

"𝐃𝐎 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐃?" Helena Gibson let out a groan, as she adjusted the dress in the mirror. "I mean, seriously, it's bad enough that I have to chaperone, but wearing this?"

She twirled around, facing Lori on the bed. Lori sat cross-legged on her bed with a collection of cassettes, records and CDs sprawled out before her— absentmindedly sorting through her old ones to make room. A red gift bag topped with tissue paper sat next to her. It was the beginning of December— the tiniest specks of snow dotted the grass outside, houses were decorated with Christmas lights and festive embellishments, and the days before break were getting shorter. It smelled like winter outside and it was colder now, and the troubles of Halloween were getting farther and farther from mind.

Things were beginning to slow down. Lori went back to school, started riding with Steve every morning to Hawkins High and ignored every stupid meaningless stare as they walked down the halls together, Dustin came around frequently when he wasn't playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends, and Lori and Maureen started hanging out together more— even if it was just lying on the couch reading late at night, while Lori flipped through TV channels. Steve's face was all healed, no more bandages. She ran into Hopper more now, usually when she dropped Dustin off at Will's and he happened to be there with Joyce. She'd called him a few times, too, checking in on Eleven and all that. She'd stuck his number to the pinboard next to her bed. She'd even began talking to Helena, too. Things were changing, bit by bit. And Lori, for once in her life, had no complaints.

It was December now, and the Hawkins Middle School's Snow Ball was tonight, just an hour away. Halloween was far behind them.

"It's stupid, right?" Helena grumbled, placing her hands on her hips. "God, so first they make me chaperone the kids dance, and then my mom makes me wear her high school formal dress?"

"It's definitely vintage," Lori's chest pattered in a laugh, as she pushed a cassette to the side. "Circa nineteen-sixty-one."

"This can't actually be happening." Helena turned back to the mirror, in the corner of Lori's bedroom. "All this for one joint. One single joint."

Lori couldn't help but laugh harmlessly, glancing up to Helena. Helena has called a few weeks ago, after everything was over— wondering why the hell Lori had missed a few days of school. And Lori, unable to tell her the real truth, just said she was sick. And that was that for the last weeks, Helena didn't ask questions— although she wondered, really wondered why the hell Lori was suddenly hanging out with Steve the Hair Harrington. Or why she was suddenly only pissed off, like, seventy percent of the time now. She asked questions, but Lori always brushed them off.

It was brought to Lori's attention— through Helena's constant rambling and hilarious over-sharing— that Helena had been caught smoking weed by her parents. And the punishment was chaperoning the Middle School ball, alongside the other High School Students forced to volounteer by their parents. She'd asked Lori if she could get ready at her house— and that she also did not have a ride. It was okay, though. Lori and Helena were becoming quite close friends.

"Who knew a single blunt of good ol' Mary Jane could cause such a horrible denouement," Lori said sarcastically, smiling to herself— just joking about it. "It won't be that bad."

"Says you," Helena adjusted the bow at her hip, grimacing. "You get to makeout with Steve the Hair Harrington in his fancy car all night while I serve fruit punch to a bunch of prebubescent little shits."