Strange Love • Steve Harrington

Too Long!

I just knew im safe. Away from Lonnie and Freddy. The Foster people left and Aunt Joyce showed me around.

"Its small, but its cozy." She smiles. We walked to an empty room. "And this is your room." She opened the door. The nice blue walls, I actually had a window, a desk, and a bed, one that wasn't on the floor. A room I can call mine. I turned to giving Aunt Joyce a hug.

"Thank you." I whispered to her. She hugged me tight.

"Anything for you my dear." She wiped her tears and then mine. "Im so sorry for what has happened. You didn't deserve it." She caressed my hair. "I heard what happened, they wouldnt let me take you in because you were lost in the system, i did everything in my power-"

"I don't know how to repay you."

"No. Wendy youre my family. I want you here." She helped me put in my bags in my new room. When we were struggling to get one more box, a man came up. "Ah! Bob!" Aunt Joyce gave him a kiss. "Bob this is my niece, she's gonna be staying with us, Wendy."

"Nice to meet you Wendy." He shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you too Bob." Bob looked in my car.

"Is that a guitar?" He was Fascinated by it.

"Yeah, i saved up my money and I finally got it a month ago." Bob handed me my guitar. "Thanks."

"Here ill take this." Bob carried my last box to my room. We went to take a break and we're just chatting.

"Jonathan and Will are gonna be over the moon when they see you."

"They still remember me?"

"Jonathan does. Always asking where you, when he can see you." She smiles down.

"Will? He was a baby when we got separated."

"Will remembers you clear as day. He likes when I talk about you time to time. He would be so excited to see you."

"I bet they're big now. I cant imagine how they look like."

"Lonnie never-"

"He doesn't talk about them. He didn't really have any photos around. Sad."

"They're good here. They don't go to see him anymore, thats fine by me." Then we heard a car engine. "Speaking about the devils." The door opened wide.

"Hey mom, whos car is in the front?" Will asked. Jonathan without a question, he dropped his bag and hugged me, twirling me around.

"Hey Johnny." I hugged him back.

"Wendy." We let go.

"Wendy?" Will questioned.

"In the flash." I smiled. I went to give him a hug. "Hey there Will."

"Its been so long!"

"Too long!" I laughed. I stared at the two boys. Man they look nothing like they did years ago. Jonathan was more shy than he was before. Will, he was little so I don't know.

"Are you staying here?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes I am." Jonathan gave me another hug.

"Alright alright, let her have some air boys." Joyce broke up the hug. "Starting tomorrow Wendy is gonna start school with you, sorry if it a little bit earlier than you were expecting."

"Hey dont worry. Im fine with it." I told her. "Uh im gonna unpack so if you dont mind."

"Can we help?" Will asked me.

"Sure champ." I rubbed his hair. Jonathan and Will followed me to my room and helped me unpack.

"Its gonna be so cool that you're gonna live here with us!" Will said as he organized my comics by series.

"Right!" Jonathan and I fixed my clothes. "So keep me up! Is there anyone special?" Jonathan blushed.

"Nope."

"Come on! Not just one?"

"There is this one girl. But she has a boyfriend." I gave him a look. "I know."

"Its alright Johnny. She's gonna fall for you, dont worry." We both laughed. "Is your High school bad?"

"Depends where you're gonna fit in." I nodded my head. "Dont worry, imma help you." We stayed up all night organizing my things. I saw my fashion books. I opened to my ideas. One day i will be on top and have my own fashion line. One day everyone will be wearing my clothing.

"Anyone i should be looking out for?"

"Nah, I mean there's a lot of people at school that think us Byers are weird."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"No clue." He whispers to me. He grabs my guitar. "Here, play me something."

"I mean if youre asking." I played a short tune. I showed Will how to play and shortly after we went to bed. I went to my bed and started to design some new clothing items i had in mind. Living here wont be bad after all.

Wendy couldn't sleep. She stayed up blasting her tapes in her walkman and got her stuff ready for tomorrow. She didn't know what kind of impression she wanted when stepping into Hawkins High. She was already going to be labeled a weirdo because she's a Byers, and without a doubt, her dress in all black, rock band shirts and growing out wolf haircut, a freak. She didn't care though. Let them call her whatever.

Wendy started to sketch on her new notebooks that Joyce bought her, scratching the front with a tip of the pencil and going over it with a sharpie. She started to come with ideas on how she wanted her new room to be, posters of Joan Jett and her celebrity crush Johnny Depp, a corner where her prized possession guitar was gonna go. This is the life she wanted. She will do right by it, no more Rebel Wendy, this is her last shot and and she's not going to mess up.