THE KIDS AREN'T ALRIGHT ｡ STRANGER THINGS

11 - A LITTLE EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS

The sunlight was dying as Daisy Lonsdale and Dottie Fields followed Jonathan Byers home that day. The teenagers had agreed to speak privately at his house, Dottie growing very worried that the families had some rabid animal circling their houses. After helping the poor boy gather the remaining pieces of his photographs off the carpark asphalt, they had decided it would be best to comfort him by spending the afternoon with him, considering everything he was going through right now.

The colours of fall blurred by the windows of the truck; orange and browns and it almost soothed Daisy's chaotic mind just watching the colours create a blurry image. The girls hadn't spoken about what had happened in the carpark with Steve Harrington. Dottie had kept shooting her friend little looks on the ride to the Byers house, hoping Daisy would say something, but the girl was too stubborn. "So, what actually happened back at school with Steve?"

"He was being a jerk," Daisy shrugged her shoulders, chewing on her bottom lip and tasting the horrible coppery taste of blood on her tongue. "You saw it, he smashed Jonathan's camera."

Dottie gave a vague nod. "I know that much. The busted camera was pretty evident. I mean, what happened when he walked away? I heard him say, you used to enjoy his company or something. What's that all about?"

The very question halted Daisy's thought process, her heart sinking in her chest. When Marigold had befriend Steve Harrington, they used to spend quite a lot of time around the house together. Her mother used to encourage the friendship, pleased Marigold was fitting in so well with a family that was quite respected in town. Between movie marathons and outings with Carol and Tommy H. Steve would somehow find himself in Daisy's bedroom, admiring her artwork on the walls and asking questions about what bands she liked or what movie she thought was cool. They had somewhat been friends, but not really. One night Daisy had joined them in the basement to watch Swamp Thing. Although, Marigold had abandoned them half way through the movie, faking she needed to call somebody on the landline. That night Daisy had nested herself beside Steve, a bowl of popcorn between them and her cheeks quite flushed with how close he actually was. That night could have been the start of something, but things crumbled a few weeks later when Marigold ran away and Steve lied about it.

"It's nothing," Daisy muttered out, trying to forget the good memories. Dottie yanked on the handbrake, the truck coming to the stop outside the Byers house, which looked less creepy in the daylight. "It's ancient history, actually."

Dottie was not so sure about that, but let the subject go. The girls hurried out of the car together, walking across the dirt and dry grass towards the porch. Daisy had noticed where somebody had attempted to clean up the smashed casserole last night, ants littering the very spot now. Jonathan was giving the girls a tight smile, not sure why they wanted to talk so privately. They had mentioned an animal that had spooked them, but he couldn't understand why it was so important. "Mum's been a bit...well, unstable since Will." he confessed, a little embarrassed about the girls being here. 

"Hey, it's understandable." Daisy assured him.

He gave a brief nod of his head before pushing open his front door. The three Hawkins teens inched into the dark house and found a rather surprising sight. "It's a little early for Christmas, don't you think?" Daisy blurted out.

Dottie was sending her friend an alarmed look, for Dottie had always been taught to be polite. "I think it's festive."

Jonathan wasn't even paying much attention to the girls now, his heart heavy in his chest suddenly. The entire house was filled with hanging Christmas lights, all blinking quite strangely. His mother, Joyce, was sitting on the low couch, looking quite distraught. He was dumping his bag by the door and rushing to her side. Daisy waited in the living room, eyeing the mess of tangled lights. The eldest Byers boy was trying to comfort his mother, but it wasn't really working, the woman muttering about Will trying to communicate with her through the lights.