Shadows and Monsters- A Jonathan Byers/Stranger Things fanfiction

Chapter 29: Where Have You Been?

    "Eleven?" I whispered into the phone. 

                                                                                                 ~

   1983  went before we knew it. I spent Christmas with the Byers after an awkward dinner with my father.  I surprised Jonathan with a new camera and he had made me a new mixtape and got me a fancy pen to journal with and a big mood ring. He thought he could "read me better", which made me roll my eyes. 

  Jonathan and I often spent a lot of time together after Will came back. Mrs. Byers invited me to dinner every night. She was beaming and her true self again. She even started seeing some guy named Bob. It was so nice to see Mrs. Byers so happy. Jonathan didn't mind him, but didn't see him with his mom. I even went to some family movie nights because Jonathan would refuse to go without me. But as time went on, my phone started ringing less and less, conversations with Jonathan were less frequent, and I stopped going over for dinner. Jonathan wanted to be with his family and I respected that.  I never argued with him because I'm not that type of girl, but I saw how attached I had gotten and even my dad noticed one day saying;

   "I haven't heard the name Jonathan in a long time mentioned by you in a while." He said.

   "Mm." 

  "Good riddance. You don't need him around." 

  I felt myself slipping into a deep depression around the fall time, almost a year after Will's disappearance. I felt like I did almost a year ago, but worse. On top of my shitty family life and Jonathan, I missed Eleven. I felt like I had lost a friend and someone that I really cared about. Mike told me that she had just vanished. He never said that she was dead or killed, but just gone. Not having answers to where she was and what happened to her killed me. The thought of her was taking over my life. 

  Halloween was coming up and I had no plans whatsoever. Hawkins High didn't really do anything during the day for it (except for some shitty decorations). They pretty much left it up to the students who they knew would be throwing some sort of night time drunken soirée. School was interesting now as a junior. There is a lot of new pressure of college and what was next. I still didn't know what I wanted to do after graduation, but normally I don't even know what I'm doing once I wake up in the morning. Speaking of which, it was almost time for. I was laying in bed thinking this deeply when I had heard a knock at my door. I got up and threw my rob and slippers on, making my way down the stairs.

    "I'm coming!" I looked out the window to see a familiar car.

    "Good morning Julia."

    "Good morning Hopper."

  Chief Hopper checked on all of us kiddos when he could after everything we had been through. He was close to the Byers like myself and I could tell he deeply cared for us all. How could you not form a connect to the people you went through such a crazy experience with? It was unforgettable.

    "How have you been doing?" He asked. I could tell him the truth that I think he already knows, or lie and save us the trouble on this cold October morning.

   "Could be better, could be worse. Can't complain too much."

   "I just wanted to stop by. I was in the neighborhood." He claimed. I knew he was probably avoiding work in some way.

   "Has your dad been... you know?" Hopper motioned a drinking action referring to my dad's drinking problem that I told him about. I figured if I were to tell anyone about that, it might as well be Hawkins' Chief of police. 

   "It's been pretty tame around here for a while. I'm not holding my breath though." I tried to laugh and play it off.

   "Hopper.. HOPPER." I could make out Flo's voice on his walkie.

   "Yes, what is it? I said before I was busy."

   "Merle called. He wants you to check on his pumpkins. He says they have been contaminated by his vengeful neighbor Eugene. You're welcome."

Hopper sighed. "I'm sorry kid. I have to go. Duty calls." He rolled his eyes and pulled me into a hug. He kissed the top of my head and made me feel like everything was going to be okay again. 

    Once Hopper left, I went back upstairs and threw on some loose jeans, a sweater, and sneakers. I took the bus to school which was still weird for me since I hadn't in a while. I was listening to Michael Jackson on my Walkman trying to block out my surroundings and even the thoughts in my head. 

  When I got off the bus, I ran into Nancy. We talked whenever we saw each other at school now, wither it be a quick hello or sitting with her and Steve at lunch a couple times a week. I didn't mind them or their company. Nancy had been helping Steve with college stuff lately. He isn't the brightest bulb, but Nancy helped when she could like helping him edit his essays. She also knew the gist of how Jonathan and I were now, but I made her promise not to get involved in the situation. 

"Hey Julia. How's it going?" She cheerily asked. 

"Same as usual." I spouted out.  A loud roar startled us and made our heads jerk towards it's direction. A blue Camaro pulled into the parking lot and drifted into a spot. A boy got out of the driver's side with long strawberry blonde hair with what looked like his little sister, a girl with the prettiest blue eyes and long red hair in the passenger seat. Everyone was staring at them. They were the new kids and he was staring back... at me. 

"Who is that guy and why is he staring right at you right now?" 

~Thank you guys so much for waiting and continuously supporting this fic. I tried time and time again to write something good, but without the show I couldn't write anything good mostly with the fear of ruining or being incorrect about the upcoming storyline. BUT I HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS NOW AND WILL BE UPDATING OFTEN WHEN I CAN <3 IM SO EXCITED!