SKATER GIRL , STRANGER THINGS

thirty

The Party had A/V club after school, meaning Flora would be the one to pick them up. As they'd ridden their bikes to school, that meant Flora would have to skate all the way there.

Luckily, nowhere was too far for Flora when the kids were involved, skating quickly with her walkie talkie tucked into the hem of her jeans via the attachment area. She'd learned to go nearly everywhere with it.

Before she had reached the school, the walkie roared to life. "Flora! Flora! This is Dustin! Something's happened at school and now we can't find Will! Over."

Flora paled, immediately quickening her pace. "I'm on my way, I'll be there in five. Keep looking, okay? Over."

She was there in less than five, racing into the school to find Will. She found Lucas first, eyes filled with concern. "Have you found him yet?" Was her immediate question.

"No, but Mrs Byers is also on her way. We haven't checked the basement, could you?" Lucas wondered, not admitting that the kids were all too afraid of going into the school's basement.

"On it!" Flora called as she began to leave, making her way to the large basement door.

It took quite the force to open, making Flora think that Will won't be there. She kept the door open, hearing the kids calling for Will in the background as she delved down the steps, trying to see Will in the darkness.

She hadn't finished looking thoroughly through the basement before the girl heard Joyce Byers, the woman clearly freaked out.

"Dustin!" She'd called, obviously seeing the boy.

"Mrs. Byers?"

Joyce was obviously confused as she looked around the near empty school. "What's going on? Where's Will?"

And then she heard Lucas, immediately making her way out of the basement. "The field!"

Flora raced to where the group was, seeing Joyce, Dustin, Lucas, and the girl she'd learned was the sister of Billy Hargrove.

"Come on!" Lucas urged, throwing open the doors and letting the group all run onto the field, where Mike stood with Will, whose eyes were rolled back into his head, the boy shaking.

"I just found him like this! I think he's having another episode!" Mike exclaimed as Joyce ran over, taking Wills  face into her hands.

"Will! Will! Will!" She repeated, "Sweetie, wake up! It's Mom!"

Will was still unresponsive, Joyce continuing to call out for her son as the others watched on, Flora nervously picking at her nails.

"Will, please, just wake up." Joyce muttered, "It's Mom! It's me!"

And then Will awoke with a gasp, eyes shooting open as his head jerked forward.

Joyce then immediately escorted Will from the school, speaking to him in harsh whispers. This left Flora with the kids, trailing from the school.

"Okay, that totally freaked me out." The girl said, Flora racking her brain for a name. She knew one of the boys had mentioned it previously. "Did that not freak you guys out?"

"We're kinda used to it," Flora murmured, "You're... Max, right?"

"Yeah," The redhead replied slowly, "Who are you?"

"That's Flora." Mike inserted himself into the conversation, "She's our honorary Party member and Defender."

Flora side-eyed Mike. "I'm a bit more than that, Wheeler." Not only had Flora helped the boys with many campaigns (getting advice from Eddie) she had also been a part of them, playing some type of dramatic role.

Lucas rolled his eyes, eager to be back on the topic of Will. "Two episodes in two days."

"It's getting worse." Mike addressed, knowing of all of Will's episodes.

"You think it's True Sight?" Lucas wondered, eyes on the Wheeler boy.

"What's True Sight?" Max wondered, unknowing of the group's terminology.

As Joyce began to drive away from the car park, Lucas looked to Max. "It's nothing."

"Go get your bikes." Flora ordered the trio, the boys scampering off at her words.

"Don't worry, they're just being boys." Flora smiled to Max, "I really dislike your brother by the way."

"Billy?" Max raised her brows. "Everyone seems to love him."

"Not before or after he nearly ran them over." Flora gestured to the boys. "And especially not after I punched him on Halloween."

Max brightened. "That was you? Okay, I know I've just met you but I think you're really cool."

Flora giggled. "Awesome. That's six kids under my wing. But I've gotta go, I don't think the boys are very impressed right now."

As Flora began to make her way to the boys, she saluted to Max. "To the next time we meet!" Max saluted back, skating the other way on her skateboard as Flora took the kids home.

"So, what's been going on?" Flora asked the three boys, confused. "I feel like something is going on what you're not telling me."

Dustin was the one to speak, although hesitantly. "I discovered a new species of Pollywog."

"I don't have a clue what that is, but awesome!" Flora cheered for the boy, unaware of its true nature.

"You also seem to be leaving out Max." Flora then noticed, looking at the shameful boys.

"We can't have another girl in the Party." Mike muttered, sadly. "Not without El."

"I'm sure El would like Max, don't you think?" Flora then wondered, only getting silence from the boys.

"Okay, I get it. Its an awkward subject. Just wait a year or two and it'll be even worse. You'll think girls are the worst things ever, but everyone goes through it." Flora laughed, bringing a small chuckle from the younger kids.

"Flora." Mike soon said slowly, eyes on the older girl. "Girls already think we're the worst things ever."

"I don't see why." Flora immediately responded, "You guys are like, my boys. Y'all are far from being the worst things ever. Just wait until next year, we'll be in high-school together and you'll get to see what it's all about. Except most people who annoy me won't be there anymore, but still. Its kinda weird that we'll both be there at the same time."

"What's worse is that I'll be there with Nancy," Mike groaned, "Nancy and Steve."

Flora faltered. "They broke up."

Mike then changed his wording. "Well by then it'll probably be Nancy and Jonathan, won't it?"

"Probably sooner." Lucas guessed, "At least I won't have to be around Erica anymore."

Erica was Lucas' younger sister, a girl Flora had babysat once or twice. "Erica's cool." Flora shrugged at Lucas.

"Not to me. She calls us nerds." Lucas complained.

"Listen, she's not exactly wrong." Flora laughed, getting hit by Mike, Dustin and Lucas as they neared their houses.