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“STEVE'S COOL, REALLY, I PROMISE." Having been ditched by all his other friends the previous day, Dustin Henderson decided to spend the next day with the people that appreciated him more, Cole and Steve, to share his brand new discovery with.
Jim Hopper was really protective over his kids, and he didn't let the younger two go out many places, mainly because they never return for a couple of days whenever they left the cabin and Kali would probably laugh in his face if he told her she was grounded, and so the only way Dustin could persuade him to let him take Cole out was to lie about where they were going.
Naturally, Cole was anxious about lying to his dad. He was a lot more comfortable where he was in his life now, but that didn't mean he didn't worry a lot still. Lying was something he wasn't yet used to, but Dustin told him people did it all the time, especially adults. However, Eleven told him that friends don't lie, and Hopper was his friend, right? The entire situation confused him, but he'd follow Dustin Henderson to the end of the world if he told him to. He trusted Dustin a lot more than most people and he looked up to him the most. He was like a big brother at this point.
Seeing the unsure expression on the silent boyʼs face, Dustin shook his head. "Don't listen to what Kali says about him," he told him, knowing the girl wasn't that fond on Steve. "She's just mad because he got Nance before she did."
When Cole cringed in response and shook his head, Dustin raised his hands in defence. "I'm serious, dude. Your sister is the stubborn, green-eyed monster of jealousy." Then, after realising who he was talking about, he flinched and looked back at Cole. "Don't tell her I said that."
Cole chuckled, looking up to Dustin with admiration.
"Seriously, though, Steve is cool," he went on, knowing the boy liked to know the situation before he jumped into it. "He is to me what I am to you."
Still not quite sure, as he trusted Kaliʼs opinions more than anybody in the world, Cole nodded and followed Dustin through the loud mall. He never liked crowded places, or big areas, they reminded him of the lab. All the people walking around like mindless zombies, knowing exactly where to go, all the screaming kids, all the screeching and shouting — it made his heart race. But Cole was getting better now. Cole was starting to forget about the lab. However, there were still things that triggered him, and all he had to do was work out how to fix that.
Over the months, Dr Owens, who was a friend of Coleʼs dad, had been giving Cole trauma and anxiety therapy. He was learning a lot in his sessions, although he didn't speak at all still. But Cole knew how to fix the situations when he felt panicky and clammy inside: he had to shut his eyes, block out all the noise and focus on one thing. One thing, and it all disappeared.
Today, Cole focused on the smell of ice cream. Cole didn't like the texture or the feeling of it on his tongue, but he loved the smell of vanilla — so much that Joyce bought him these calming candles for his room. He focused hard on the smell, pictured exactly what it would look like and imagined falling asleep to it. Then, he felt his heart slow again, his palms go dry, his bones straighten. And, just like that, the panic was over.
