❝ in the seventeen years i've been on this earth, i've never met anyone as f#@!%^g stupid as you. ❞
in which two kids on the opposite sides of the social spectrum find solace in one another during a strange period of time.
ESTELLA COLLINS STAND ALON...
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CHAPTER EIGHT ; PARTING WAYS also known as; ( the flea and the acrobat ; part one)
★☆
"MIKE, YOU CAN'T DO THIS," LUCAS EXCLAIMED, THROWING HIS HANDS UP IN THE AIR. His lips were downturned and his eyes were open wide, which meant he was growing exasperated. He stood opposite the raven-haired boy with irritation clear in his voice, adamant on going against their current plans. The quartet of preteens stood in the centre of the Wheeler basement, next to the table where the upside down Dungeons and Dragons board sat. It had taken a while, but they had finally realised what the Upside Down Eleven had mentioned was, and now Mike was determined on recruiting their teenage friend to join their new mission. "You can't bring her into this, you should've seen her last night when you left all of us!"
"Yeah, she was kind of a mess," Dustin agreed, his missing teeth emphasising the lisp he already had. "It took ages to calm her down, this would just get her all freaked out again."
Mike's grip tensed around his Supercom, one that he had despised only a day earlier after hearing Eleven create a stupid static sound, only to find out that she was communicating with Will. Will, who was still alive. He was the only one thinking straight, the only one who knew what to do, except his friends were both acting against him. It was true, he hadn't seen Stella since the previous night; he didn't know how she was feeling in that moment. But maybe, just maybe, this could give her a little more hope. "We've got to tell her, she's gotta know he's okay!"
"If Star has to know he's okay, why don't we tell your mom? Or Will's mom? Ever think about that?" Lucas snapped in response, only for Mike to roll his head back and huff. He knew Lucas was right, but they had to have Star with them, they needed her. If anyone would know what to do, it would be her. She was so clever and so understanding; like a mother who let them get away with more.
"I know, Lucas, but if we're gonna do that, we need her with us, not oblivious to what we've discovered!" Mike retorted, glancing down at the gadget in his hand and huffing, before starting to signal his next door neighbour.
★☆
WHEN STELLA COLLINS WOKE UP, SHE HAD NEVER FELT MORE DISSOCIATED. She felt trapped within her body, the events from the previous night playing on her mind like a broken record. She had barely slept, she only tossed and turned with the thought of never seeing Will Byers again plaguing her thoughts. Now, as she lay awake unsure and uncaring of what time is was, she couldn't move. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't convince herself to get out of bed.
Staring up at her ceiling, she couldn't help but start thinking about Joyce and Jonathan Byers. If the party were affected badly by Will's passing, those two would be absolutely distraught. Joyce had always been kind to Stella and her family, constantly offering to take over shifts for the teen during exam season or if she had a big assignment approaching. Stella appreciated the woman, and felt utterly awful regarding her current situation.
