Secrets // Steve Harrington

Chapter Thirty-Eight - Dart

Word Count: 2,881 words.

Warnings: None. 

"There's money on the counter for food and I left the phone numbers – "

"In the drawer that you always leave them in," I finished for her, smiling. "Don't worry Mrs. Henderson, I know where everything is."

She nodded, opening the front door. She turned back to me before leaving. "Maybe I shouldn't go out. I mean, with what happened with Will..."

I took a breath. I had only heard the day before about that. The boys had gone out trick-or-treating and Will had had what the doctors were calling a metal break. Dustin had told me that he was screaming things about the Upside Down and about how he was coming to get him. The Monster.

The doctors could be right, it might have simply been a traumatic side-effect from being presumed dead. Of course, the doctors had no idea that he had been trapped in an alternate dimension and so their opinion meant little to me.

"Trust me Mrs. Henderson, Dustin will be fine," I assured her.

She nodded. Almost not entirely convinced. "Alright then. Dustin!"

The curly-haired kid came running around the corner, holding onto the doorframe to look at his mother. "What do you want?" he asked, impatient.

I gave him a tilted expression, scolding him with my eyes. He shrugged as his mother replied.

"Just... be good for Thalia," she told him.

"Rest assured Mrs. Henderson, he won't be any trouble," I replied for him. "I am fully capable of telling him he's being an ass."

The kind woman laughed lightly, taking a deep breath before leaving out the front door. I waved her goodbye before closing it and turning to Dustin.

I perked a brow. "What the fuck was that about?" I asked.

He only sighed, gaze moving from me to the door of his room and back again. In fact, he did that several times.

"I'm just upset. About what happened to Will," he tried to explained.

"Uhuh," I dragged, taking a step closer. "What are you hiding?"

His eyes widened, now looking at only me. "Nothing," Dustin denied a little too quickly.

I leaned my hand against the doorframe, pinning the kid with a narrowed glare. "Dustin," I warned.

"I'm not hiding anything," he assured and lied. Terribly.

"That's exactly what a guilty person would say," I countered.

There was a loud bang from the kid's bedroom and I jolted slightly, taking a step away from the door to enter the hallway and face his open door.

"What was that?" I asked.

Dustin rushed past me, hurrying into his room and shutting the door. I heard it lock. "It's nothing!"

"Dustin!" I warned, taking large steps towards his door. I knocked harshly. "Open the door." I kept my voice calm.

"I'm not hiding anything." I could hear him moving around in the room, items clattering against the ground.

"Why lock the door then?" Sighing, I rest my hand against the door. "Let me in Dustin."

"Let's just order pizza!" he tried.

"We'll order pizza when you show me what you're hiding," I explained.

There was silence on the other side of the door. He was clearly thinking about it. When the door unlocked, I was already moving inside, turning to look at the kid who help the door handle.