DANCIN' ► DUSTIN HENDERSON [1]

3/3

DUSTIN LET OUT a shaky breath as he took one crawl forward, releasing the strong magnetic hold that had been placed on him was gone. Tears blurred his vision as he peered up towards the front of the room, his entire heart breaking into two as he saw nothing there.

"No," Dustin spoke at first, quietly. Then, the panic inside him set off, causing him to scramble to his feet. "No no no no no no!" He screeched, bolting to the front of the classroom. He gasped as bricks fell into a cluttered pile on the floor, the damage still evident on the wall.

"Jasper!" He cried, placing his hands on the doorway as he peeked out into the hallway hopefully. He was only met by the dark puddles of blood surrounding several bodies. "No! Jas! Jasper! Please!"

Mike got to his feet as well, his own tears cascading down his freckled cheeks. His heart broke into shattered pieces as conflict tore at his skin. All this time he had been worried about losing El, and he never realized he would be losing his redheaded best friend too.

All three boys began shouting her name now. "Jasper! Jas!" They all cupped their hands around the mouths, screaming past the point of soreness in their throat. Even tears fell down the dark cheeks that belonged to Lucas.

They had lost Jasper. The red haired, feisty girl who was really the one who held the party together. She was fearless, and she never seemed to take herself too seriously. Other than El, she was the only girl that had ever felt affection and non-judgement for the boys. And now they've lost her.

Dustin didn't bother facing Mike and Lucas as he fled from the room. His legs were blindly taking him places he didn't know. He continued running until the cool air of the night whipped against his face. Ambulance sirens wailed in his ears as vehicles pulled into the school. Yellow and red lights blinded him, but he didn't bother looking away.

"Dusty?" A worried voice cried. His mother dashed over to him, throwing both her arms around him. "God, I was so worried."

Dustin weakly hugged her back, trying not to notice the tears leaving a large stain on her tan jacket. He pulled away, tipping his head down to let the brim of his hat hide his tears.

"Dustin!" Another voice called. Ruby Marrow bolted forward, crouching down to look up into his eyes. Panic sparked in their hazel color, causing her to grab both of the boy's forearms. "Where is she?" She questioned.

Dustin was thankful she had asked it the way she did. Because if he heard her name again, he might not have been able to pull himself together. "She's gone," he murmured at least, his voice broken from the pain.

"What?" Ruby gasped, tears immediately springing in her eyes. "No, she can't be," the girl brushed her hair back in fear and grief. "Dustin, where is she?"

"I said she's gone!" He yelled, slamming both his hands on her arms and squeezing them angrily. "Probably dead!"

Another figure stood in front of the two, looking at the Henderson boy with a ghostly look of shock. Jim Hopper removed the hat from his head, letting it slip through his fingers and fall onto the pavement. "She's gone?"

Dustin looked away from the Marrow sibling, who was now fighting back her own merciless sobs. Every muscle in his body ached with pain as he forced himself to nod his head at the chief. "Her and El...they're gone."