THATS SO 80s - Steve Harrington

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Okay... I feel like, I shouldn't be here right now. Why can't I stay in the car?" I asked Max as we walked up to the house together.

"Because... I need you." Max responded. "And the boys clearly want to be alone."

"Will Ms Kelley not like... Question me being there or something?" I rushed out, feeling anxious as we walked over to the door of her house. We're currently going up the driveway to Ms Kelley's house to try and steal some files.

"No. Maybe. I don't know, I'm hoping not." Max responded. "I mean, I'll just say something like... You're stuck with me for a few hours, visiting from Cali so you have no place to go. I don't know, I'll make it up on the spot."

"Is it bad that you're a good liar?" I asked as she knocks on the door. She shrugs and the woman, Ms Kelley, answers.

"Max?" Ms Kelley questions before she shifts her eyes to me. "And you are...?"

"Juno. Juno Hopper, nice to meet you." I held out my hand and she shakes it.

"Hopper?" Ms Kelley stares at me. "As in..."

"Yes," I respond.

"It's nice to meet you. Come in, come in." Ms Kelley ushered and we piled in, Max and I glancing at us. We are now sitting front of Ms Kelley. "So... What brings you guys out here?"

"Um... Well, you know, with Juno's trauma, and coming back here..." Max begins to lie, fiddling with her hands. "I figured she could talk to you about it. She's had a lot going on and she's not a very open person, and I'm sorry if this is too much on a weekend—"

"Not at all." Ms Kelley shakes her head. "I can only imagine what you went through, Juno." My eyes widen slightly. Well, shit, I didn't expect that. "You can tell me anything you want to. I'm all ears."

"Really?" I asked a little slowly.

She nodded. "Hm-hmm." She glanced at Max. "Are you okay with Maxine being here?"

"Uh—I—" I looked over at Max who gave me a subtly shake of her head. "N-no. Max, do you mind waiting upstairs or something?"

"Yeah, no problem," Max responded. She touches my arm. "You've got this Juno, just be open to her. She's great at listening." Max then got up and left, walking up the stairs.

That left me alone with Ms Kelley who waits for me patiently. I took a breath deeply. "I've had counselling before, uh, back in Cali. But they never helped me." I admit quietly, fiddling with my hands. "What—What I've been through... I don't know how to explain it to someone. No one will believe me."

"It's okay, Juno. I'm here to listen." Ms Kelley says, nodding her head. "Take all the time you want."

I took a minute before I spoke, trying to stall time for Max. She was going to go through students' files, specifically to find Fred and Chrissy's. "I just..." I really didn't know where to begin. I scratched my forehead for a second. "Um. I'm sorry this is really hard for me to... To let out." I took another minute to think, looking around in her room.

"As a kid, I always thought something was wrong with me because my Mom left me and my Dad. And I know why she did, my father was a raging alcoholic, having to deal with my sister's death, and raising an ADHD child was all too much for her. Even that, for me, was trauma. Having to put myself through that but—but Dad got better. He did. For a while, everything seemed to be okay. But then, shit happens, you know? And he just dies. Because he was trying to be a fucking hero. Sorry, I swore—"

"It's fine, Juno, express yourself." Ms Kelley reassured me in a calm voice and I nodded.

"I... Never expected him to die. And I love my new family, but I can't help but think of my Mom, my Dad, and my sister Sarah. We were such a happy family." My voice cracks. "I miss that. I do. I want to hate Dad for going into that stupid mall fire and helping save me and everyone else involved. I... I've been having trouble sleeping because all I see is just the mall burning up in flames... And I've seen other things that are hard to explain. It shouldn't be normal for an almost 18-year-old to have bags under their eyes this bad. Do you this is?" I showed her eye bags.