Shadows of the Night •a Stranger Things story•

You Have to Stop

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Ronda Jones makes her way toward the Hopper trailer home, climbing the short steps to the front door. Her foot nudges a letter on the door mat. Ronda picks it up, realizing it's addressed to Chris. She raps her knuckles across the door. It takes a minute for Chris to open the door, and Ronda does a little dance on her feet to stay warm. The door opens, letting in a small glow from inside.

"Ronnie," yawns Chris.

Recognizing the expression on Chris's face, Ronda ducks inside the room and hands the letter over to her friend. Chris takes it and looks at who sent the letter, her eyes widen, but she doesn't say a word. Ronda shivers a little, the trailer home isn't much warmer than outside, but Chris isn't bothered by it at all.

"I wanted to stop by...uh, Nancy and Jonathan think they have a way to get justice for Barbara," the girl says softly.

Forgetting about the letter for a moment, Chris looks at her friend. "What?"

"I dunno yet...I—I'm gonna meet them soon to hear what their plan is." Ronda chews her lip nervously. "You don't think they'd try to expose everything, do you?"

"I hope not," huffs Chris. "Nancy isn't an idiot...and Jonathan wouldn't put his brother in jeopardy like that." The redhead twirls the letter in her hands, wincing as she twists her arm.

Ronda sees this. "Is your arm okay?"

Chris nods quickly. "Yes. Keep an eye on Nancy and Jonathan for me? Go get some closure for Barb." Chris's attention goes back to the letter, she has it on the kitchen table now.

Ronda squints at her best friend, recognizing that this isn't very like Chris to be so passive and uninterested. "Is that an important letter, Chris?" The girl nods. "Open it."

"I-it's okay. It can wait—"

"Chris. It's important. Open it." When Chris doesn't budge, Ronda reaches for the letter. She grabs it, and before Chris can retrieve it from her and protest, Ronda is already opening it. She unfolds it and starts reading it out loud. "To Chris Hopper. I know you've been reaching out to Nine through some sort of connection. I've heard about you from the Hawkins Lab. There are a lot of theories about you and what really happened with subject eleven." Ronda sounds more and more lost as she reads, and Chris's body fills with dread. "I don't know how you came to find Nine, or how he found you. They've been very careful, trying to keep him a secret. He has family in Hawkins..."

Chris closes her eyes painfully tight. When there's a long pause of silence, she isn't sure whether Ronda has left or not. Chris opens her eyes. Ronda's face is painted in a rosy, flushed color, matching her round glasses. Ronda's only been this angry at Chris once before, and that was when she kept the secret about Barbara. Now, she's done the same about her little brother.

"Is this him?" she wonders, gesturing with the letter. She grips it tightly in her hand. "Is this him, Christine?"

She bows her head. "I...I think so."

Ronda's jaw clenches and Chris watches as her eyes flash dangerously. "How long have you known? How long have you been reaching out to him?"

"A few days now..."

Rolling her eyes, Ronda shakes her head. She scoffs loudly, not bothering to look at Chris. "For months. Months. I've been looking for him. The second you find him, you don't even think to tell me?" Ronda glares at her. "I haven't stopped searching for thousands of hours!" she yells.

"I...I know, but I didn't know where he was until the letter arrived. I don't even know if we can trust Lisa...and wherever he is—"

"Don't make excuses again," Ronda snaps. She waves her hands around. "You lied to me. Again. You have to stop."

Chris sniffles, tears pooling in her eyes. "I know."

"I'm telling Robbie. I'm telling everyone. You don't get to hide this. You don't get make me keep your secrets anymore." Ronda makes her way to the door, ignoring Chris calling out to her. She opens the door, not bothering to look back. "I'm going to fix the mess you made with Barb. And then I'm going to fix this one too. Stay out of my way."

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