Shadows and Monsters- A Jonathan Byers/Stranger Things fanfiction

Chapter 9: The Monster

Jonathan and I listened to the radio in his car while driving to my house. I can honestly say that this was the most excited I ever was to get back home. I just wanted to go to sleep the night away and forget about the fact that I just had spied on Nancy and her new group of friends. I leaned my head against the half opened window to feel the cool air on my face and I closed my eyes. This always seemed to relax me. A couple minutes later, Jonathan called my name thinking that I was falling asleep and I felt myself starting to.

"Julia.. Julia." He put his hand on my shoulder, gently shaking me.

"You're home now." He added. I sat up and batted my eyes, making sure I was awake. My house was dark and empty. I got sort of sad looking at it this way for some reason tonight, wishing I had somebody to go home to. I turned to face Jonathan.

"Thank you for taking me home, Jonathan." I grabbed my backpack and opened the door.

"Anytime, See you tomorrow." He smiled.

"See you tomorrow." I shut the door and headed towards my front door.

The next morning, I woke up to hearing my dad making loud noises. I heard the television on and I went downstairs to see what he was doing. I still had to get ready for school, but I was confused as to what was going on.

"Dad? What are you doing?" I asked. He was sitting on the couch laughing while watching the TV.

"I'm just relaxing before I go to work." He answered, not making eye contact with me.

"I thought you had to be at work like now?" I asked, still confused. He turned and faced me.

"I don't have to be at work until noon, so I'm visiting your mother this morning, then going to work." He turned off the television and headed back up stairs to assumably get dressed.

"Will you let me know how she's doing?" I asked, hoping he would and promise that he would this time. I headed upstairs as well, so I could get ready for this Friday of school.

"Yeah I will, I promise."

I got ready for school and heard my dad leave. I watched out my window as he reversed out of the driveway and head towards the hospital.

At homeroom, I watched Nancy come in and sit next to me. I tried to act calm and not word vomit all over her about what occurred the night before.

"Julia..?" She tapped my arm and I turned to her.

"Have you seen Barb?" I couldn't open my mouth so I just shook my head, no.

"I haven't seen her since the party last night." She went on.

The bell rang and I bolted out of the room. I felt like I could finally breathe. My anxiety skyrocketed within those seconds of "conversation". This wasn't my fault, right? I didn't see anything? She probably just stayed home. Maybe she got sick or something.

I went through the notions of the first three periods up to lunch. I decided to eat outside again. My head was spinning and I needed to be out of the bland and exhausting building that is Hawkins High. I grabbed my lunch and quietly opened the door and walked towards my spot, but someone was already there.

"Jonathan?" I couldn't believe he had taken my spot. "You're under my tree." I teased. I sat next to him.

"I thought I would find you out here." He rightly said.

"Barb isn't..."

"I know." He interrupted. "I thought maybe we could develop these now?" He held up his camera and I nodded. Maybe Jonathan got a picture of Barb leaving, reassuring us that our anxiety was just that and that we were jumping to worse case scenario.