Freaks

Chapter 18

"Someone order a pizza?" Mrs Wheeler asked as we finished packing up the donations into Steve's trunk.

"Pizza?"

Everyone whipped round, watching a Surfer Boy's pizza van speed up to the house, horn honking as it went.

It was like a clown car as bodies piled out of it, Mike and Eleven the two faces I knew. Will and Jonathan I recognised.

"You're one of the new ones too huh?" I joked with the boy with the luscious long hair as everyone sprinted into hugs with their loved ones.

"Yeah, dude." He grinned, "Maybe we should hug to make it even."

"Sure." I laughed, opening up my arms and hugging the stranger. It was heart-warming to say the least.

"I'm Ari." I introduced myself to him as we finished our short hug.

"Argyle." He gave me a fist bump, which I returned awkwardly.

I turned back to my friends, watching everyone reconnect. I locked eyes with Mike, "Come here you little shithead." I laughed, chasing him down and swinging him round into a hug.

"Hey Ari." He answered, trying to escape my clutches, but I was steadfast. Until I noticed someone who I knew I needed to meet.

"Eleven..." I puffed, letting go of Mike.

"Hi." She said timidly.

"I'm glad we finally get to meet in person and not in someone's head," I smiled, "I have so much I have to ask you."

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We unloaded everything out of Steve's car, well, mostly Robin, Dustin and I. Steve maintained that driving was his contribution. We were taking everything to the hall in the school, they were setting up donations for people that had lost stuff in the so called, 'earthquake.'

"This is really not fair." I puffed a stray hair from out of my face, struggling with my boxes, "You should be helping." I glared at Steve.

"For God's sake," He snatched a box from me as we entered the school, "You are such a complainer."

I glared at him as Robin placed her box on the donations table, "So, uh, these are blankets and sheets," She pointed between the boxes, "And some...some clothes and...and some kids' toys."

"Wow. It's already so organised," The volunteer looked through the boxes, "We appreciate that. Do you want a tax receipt for it?"

"Uh...no." Robin looked between the rest of us, "I don't think that we need one. Thank you, though." She quickly scanned over the rest of the hall, "But is there anything else we can do to help?"

The volunteer smiled a little at us, "That would be great. Lemme get a manager to help set you guys up at a station." She disappeared off looking for an older volunteer.

"Can you believe this?" I looked at the mounds of donations across the hall, and the hundreds of people that needed help, "There's a real sense of community in this town sometimes."

"A community that turned it's back on you and Eddie the minute they couldn't explain something." Dustin spoke sharply, not even looking round.

"They were scared," I paused, "I don't blame them."

"Hey guys!" A lively woman came bouncing towards us, blue bibs in hand, "Thank you for offering your help. Hawkins really needs it right now. Why don't you guys follow me?"

She set me up at a toy station, all I really had to do was look through and trash the ones that were busted and broken. Easy work, but it was right next to the missing persons board. It was heart-breaking to see how many posters were pinned up there. It was even more heart-breaking to see Eddie's defaced poster hung there with the rest of them.