Alone, No More (Harringrove)

Chapter 1//Friends Don't Lie

CHAPTER 1
The feeling of walking through water overwhelmed Steve as he walked towards the school from his car. His jaw was tightly shut, while his cautious gaze scanned his surroundings; something he had began to do to protect himself. He felt as though something was about to pounce on him, but he couldn't move any faster than his classic saunter, and that made his lungs contract within him.

If only he could just walk faster...

Maybe he could run away...but from what?

A slender figure came into view and distracted Steve from his nervous breakdown. Nancy Always seemed to bring warmth into his life; even if she was no longer his. Her chestnut curls bounced around her sharp face as she jogged towards Steve, leaving her boyfriend, Jonathan, to huff and trudge after her.

Without a word, Nancy wrapped her arms around Steve's waist and squeezed. He responded by engulfing her in a much needed hug. Something about today hung around the two like mud on their shoes; Steve could even tell by Jonathan's close proximity to Nancy, that he felt it too.

"You doing okay today?" Nancy asked while pulling away from Steve, never releasing him from her firm grasp on his jacket. Her doe eyes, filled with mother-like concern, softening Steve's clenched jaw.

Steve sighed heavily, managing to calm his nerves by a bit, and looked the girl in front of him in the eye. He then allowed one corner of his mouth to rise.

"I'm trying to be," He said honestly. She offered him a sympathetic look, then let go of him to stand beside Jonathan, he promptly took hold of one of her delicate hands protectively. Not protectively from Steve, the two boys had become friends by force, but from what lurked in the shadows.

Steve felt immediately hollow as soon as she let go of his jacket, he longed for someone, anything really, to hold him and tell him everything was going to be okay. Even if it wasn't the most manly thing he had ever thought, he felt terrified to even leave his own home.

"Me too," Nancy said while looking at a leaf she had stepped on.

"Yeah same," Johnathan agreed as he tightened his hand around hers, but looked up to Steve. "It's so weird, but Will's already acting as if nothing happened".

Both Steve and Nancy looked to him now, that had caught their attention, Will had been through more than anyone else. And this wasn't the first time he had acted normally after something had happened to him.

"You're keeping an eye on him?" Steve's need to keep those idiots in line took over him as he asked the question, quickly realizing his pulse had quickened.

Jonathan nodded, calming Steve's nervousness. Nancy eyed Steve, noticing the way his eyes widened and went back to normal so fast, or the way he clenched both his fists and his jaw instinctively, even the way he watched the world around him as if he were being hunted.

She knew he was struggling, but Steve would never say anything.

The bell tolled from the school, making Steve jump out of his skin, and while Jonathan laughed at him like he was a circus animal, Nancy felt concern rise in her stomach.

She approached Steve once again and laid a hand on his shoulder; squeezing a bit. Both boys' attention on her now.

"Please take care of yourself, Steve," she begged him, holding his eyes for a moment more, then dropping her arm and walking away with Jonathan in tow.

Steve took one more look of the school yard, before pushing his legs to move to the school. Only a few people lingered in front of the school, mostly skids, and when he forced himself to walk past them, he could feel them leering.

Out of the corner of his eye could he see a Bon-Jovi wanna be, with a curly blonde lion's mane, and his button up top opened to his sternum. Steve groaned inwardly, hoping the buffoon hadn't noticed him.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" an annoying voiced nipped at Steve's ears.

"What do you want, Billy?" Steve ground out through a tight jaw.

The blonde bimbo had propped himself against the school's front door that Steve had almost been able to scurry through. A cigarette hung from Billy's cocky smirk while his eyes shone with excitement; his shirt barely covering his chest.

Seriously, thought Steve, this kid is on coke or something.

"Oh, nothing," Billy said in this airy tone through a wild smile. Steve was smart enough to know the only thing keeping Billy from hitting him, was the sheer fact that he had protected his little step-sister, Max. "Nice face, looks like I did a number on yah," he added, leaning in closer, reeking of smoke.

"How's your neck feeling?" Steve said in a hushed, yet menacing, tone, knowing full well that only Billy could hear him. Maybe he'd felt brave.

Billy's smirk never faded, instead a fire ignited in his eyes. He pushed off of the door frame and took a drag from the cig, all while keeping the same eye contact; not blinking once. He then blew the smoke into Steve's face, making him wince and turn away. Billy hadn't had a chance to respond, as Steve pushed past him and ran to his first class, coughing the smoke out of his throat.

Steve's first classes flew by, and soon it was lunch, where he sat at a metal picnic bench surrounded by pre-teens. The air was still heavy, even with the kids, as they all ate their lunch; it was so new to all of them, to be safely seated, at school, and un-bothered. Dustin, Lucas, and billy's step-sister Max were busy talking about some random game other than dungeons and dragons, while Mike and Will listened in on their conversation in silence.

Steve checked in on those two often, as so much had happened to them, he worried that they were still being affected...like him.

"So will El want to come for D&D night tomorrow, Mike?" Dustin asked, shoving his mop of hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, she's staying with us right now so she has no way out of it," Mike said. Dustin pumped his fist in the air and cheered. Confused, Steve looked at Mike now, wondering why El was staying with the Wheelers, when she could be staying with Hopper. Mike must have felt Steve's questioning gaze and avoided eye contact. 

"Perfect! I bought her some eggos to celebrate her being adopted," Dustin said to Mike. Mike offered a small, fabricated, smile and finished folding his paper lunch bag into a neat square.

Steve, being someone who needed to know everything, opened his mouth to ask why the girl was staying with mike, but Mike had seen his intentions and had differed plans.

"Steve are you gunna drive us to Will's tomorrow?" Mike interjected, panic only evident to Steve, as the others only look at him with excitement. Steve had never been part of their game nights, but the kids were overjoyed to have him tag along; most likely to have their own chauffeur.

"Uh yeah, I guess, but-" Steve tried to formulate a full sentence again, but was, once again, cut off. He started to get real pissed off with the kid. Mike was a bit of a sassy kid, but Steve had expected better of him!

"Great! See you tomorrow," Mike said, a look of warning etched in his young features. He then turned to his friends suddenly animated, the panic had melted away from his pale face. Steve planned, then, to interrogate the little shit after school. Maybe there was a reason Mike was nervous to say anything. "Lets go inside, I'm so cold"

"Yea, sure. I forgot my coat at home anyway" Lucas said while rubbing his jumper covered arms.
"See yah, Steve!" The kids said collectively, gathering their things.

They got up and made their way back into the school, while Steve burned holes through Mikes back. He knew all too well that when the kids hid something from each other, shit was about to hit the fan, and he had had enough with fighting beasts from other realms.

What was Mike hiding?