DANCIN' ► DUSTIN HENDERSON [1]

2/3

MIKE THOUGHT HE HAD BEEN HALLUCINATING when he caught a glimpse of Jasper Hopper as Jonathan rapidly drove away from Hawkins Lab. But now, with the redhead climbing out of Hopper's car, he knew he wasn't seeing things. "Jas?" He cried out hoarsely, trying to hold back tears as he saw her signature grin that he missed so much.

"Mike!" She called out, rushing over and wrapping her arms around the much taller Wheeler boy. She ruffled his raven-colored hair affectionately, laughing at the way he scrunched up his nose in response.

"Where have you been?" He questioned, still in disbelief that one of his close friends was seemingly back from the dead.

"It's a really, really long story but I promise once this is all over we can all catch up, okay?" Jasper nodded, and the two reuniting friends embraced once more.

Dustin watched the two from the hood of the car fondly, unaware of a snickering Steve Harrington lurking behind him. "Dude, you are in it so deep, you know that?"

Dustin flinched at the sudden voice, flashing an irritated gaze at Steve. "Hey, shut up, will you?" He grumbled, whirling around and briskly walking away.

Steve watched him go, chuckling underneath his breath, because the best part? Dustin didn't even attempt to deny it.

"Hey, where the hell did you go?" Hopper demanded once Jasper finished speaking with Mike, beckoning her aside. "Where's El?"

Jasper tipped her head slightly, suddenly remembering the brunette. "She went to her mom's house. The one you lied about to her." Her blue eyes bore fiercely into Hopper's, a mirror image of her blue gaze stared back at her. "I mean, seriously, Dad? Why did you think it was a good idea to tell her that Terry was gone?"

Hopper exhaled deeply, looking up to the sky impatiently. "It was for her own good, okay? And what the hell were you two thinking, anyway? Splitting up like that?"

"She was with me," Ruby emerged from Jonathan's car, folding her arms. "Somebody decided to keep me out of the loop about what was really going on at the lab, so we went on a little mission ourselves."

Hopper scoffed, annoyed at the double amount of 'Marrow sassiness' he was facing now. "Seriously? 'Mission'? Where did you girls go? And Ruby, I didn't tell you about the lab for your own safety."

"Last year I went into the Upside Down with you and Joyce to find Will," Ruby pointed out, her boots crunching the pebbles underneath as she closed in on the chief. "You weren't so concerned about my safety then."

"And we went to Ohio, by the way," Jasper inputted.

"Ruby—Wait, what?"

"Forget it, Hop," the dark-haired deputy sighed, holding up a careless hand. "We'll talk about it later."

The chief let out a hasty string of sputtered, incoherent words, following the two Marrow girls inside. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, but on top of everything, knowing his fourteen year old daughter went on a spontaneous road trip to Ohio was the most normal surprise he's gotten all day.

The group split into smaller sections once everyone was huddled inside. Hopper began anxiously dialing numbers and making calls, requesting for military backup. The man would occasionally raise his voice in frustration, loud enough for the entire household to hear.