Dotson and Harrington |Steve Harrington|

Strange Figure |chapter 9|

Jackylen didn't bother to clean up the pieces this time. It wasn't worth waiting her energy on picking up silly pieces of glass when she could be heading back to school for her test.

She went back to school as normal and took a test that she thought she did pretty well on. When school had let out only a few hours later, Jackylen started heading back to her car once again to hang up the poster she was planning on to do prior.

As she was walking by, she started to witness the scene between Steve Harrington, Tommy, Carol, Jonathan, and an unknown redhead. They started to take his bag to get out his expensive camera and his pictures. She watched as they tore up the pictures, but saved one of them for later.

She watched as Jonathan's camera smashed on the pavement, causing it to shatter into a million pieces, leaving glass everywhere. She watched as Nancy tried to help. As Steve walked by, she handed Nancy the picture that was untouched. Jackylen just brushed it off and started walking towards her car, and waiting for Nancy.

She was fiddling with her thumbs as she turned on the radio, asking the current song. Unknowingly Nancy went back to school with the group to talk. But once she realized she had a plan to search for Barb, she bolted out of the doors to the car. Once she got in, Jackylen let out a great sigh.

"Where the hell have you been?" Jackylen asked, starting the car and driving off. "And what happened with Jonathan and his camera?" Nancy sighed and started to rummage through her bag.

"If I answer your questions, and you don't freak out about something, then will you help me with something?" Nancy asked.

Jackylen hummed in response and slightly looked over at Nancy. She pulled up a picture and a piece of a ripped picture.

"This," Nancy says, holding up the ripped piece. "Is a figure in the woods of the night at the party at Steve's house. I think it took Barb."

"Took Barb? What do you mean took Barb? The police told me, during the last period, that she probably ran away."

"No. Barb never runs."

"What was the thing you didn't want me to freak out about?" Nancy took a deep breath in and out before taking out the unripe picture.

"This is a picture of you... getting out of the pool when we feel in... Jonathan took it..."

"Jonathan?" Jackylen asked, taking the picture from Nancy.

As she tried to drive, she also tried to examine the picture. It was her trying to fix her hair, flanel soaking wet, showing her black laced bra underneath. She kept silent as she tossed the picture into the backseat with anger.

"You're freaking out," Nancy said, starting to get a bit anxious.

"What was the favor you needed?" Jackylen asked, avoiding the painstakingly obvious situation.

"We need to go to Steve's house and look for the thing that took Barb."

"Hello no!"

"Why not!"

"Because I'd that thing did take Barb, then we might get taken too."

"Please do this for me. I owe you please Jackie." She sighed and glanced at her.

"Fine!" She caved. "I'll help."

"Yay! Thank you," she squealed, grabbing onto her arm and shaking it back and forth.

"Nance! Nancy, I'm driving!" Jackylen reminded her.

"Oh sorry," Nancy apologized, setting her arm down. After a few minutes of silence Nancy looked around.

"You know, Steve's address is-"

"I remember where Harrington's house is," Jackylen interupted. After a while of driving, the two teens finally reached Steve's house.

Even though it was a bad idea, the two girls decided to split up. They decided that Nancy would check out Barb's car, while Jackylen looked in the woods behind Steve's house. Before the two split up, they looked around, but Nancy wasn't interested in the sensory. But her friend.

"Jackie..."

"Yea?"

"Whatever happened to your cheek?" Jackylen whipped the dripping crimson blood off her cheek and looked away.

"It's nothing Nance. Let's just find this thing," Jackylen said, brushing it off.

Jackylen went through Steve's side gate and looked around. She could see the pool had orange and yellow leaves all sink to the bottom overnight. Jackylen slowly started to walk over to the lawn chair that she was sitting on only a few nights before.

She picked up the beer can as she reminisced about the time at the party. The laughter, the smoking, the drinking, and the sarcastic attitudes. It wasn't like the parties she had in Wisconsin.

The ones she remembered were louder than possible and too many people overflowing any house they were held at. By the time everyone returned to school over the weekend, everyone was practically hung over from so much alcohol. People would be high on their rockers on the weed.

A smile started to appear on Jackylen's face, remembering the simple times. But that was quickly taken away by the sound of twigs cracking underneath the weight of something. As startled Jackylen was, she dropped the can and turned around.

"Barb?" Jackylen called out.

Jackylen started to walk towards the forest to look around, stepping and fallen branches and leaves of all colors. She looked around to see if there were any shadows. But then the unexpected happened.

As she turned around, she saw a figure running past. A large figure, which looked to have a flowered like face, standing on its hind legs like a bear, on occasion. As she saw the figure, she didn't know what to do. She stood there, cold to the touch, frozen in her thoughts.

But as the figure growled a bone chilling screech, Jackylen started to run to Steve's yard as fast as she could. She pushed past any branches in her way until she finally reached the safety of Steve's concrete backyard and the chlorine pool. She bent down and put her hands onto her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

She told there, panting, trying to catch an inch of breath while simultaneously trying not to have a hysterical freak out. After a few minutes, she finally caught her breath and headed back towards the car.

While she was speed walking, she noticed that Nancy was already next to the car. Jackylen wasted no time getting out her keys and unlocking the door.

"Jackylen is everything-"

"Now is not the time Nance," Jackylen briefly explained, starting the car and driving down the long road.