There's No Place Like Hawkins//Stranger Things. SH

SEVEN

Holly, Jolly

The next morning, Catherine sat behind Nancy during first period, both girls noticing that their friend Barb was absent from her seat next to Nancy. Nancy turned around in her seat to see her friend slumped over her desk. With a frown on her face she asked, "hey, Cat. You seen Barb at all today?"

The girl shook her head, sitting up slightly in her seat. "No, not since I left the so-called party last night."

"Why did you leave so early anyway?" Nancy asked, curious as to why she had disappeared so early into the evening.

"Because I knew Barb wasn't going to stay and I wasn't about to become the fifth wheel while you hung out with your boyfriend and his friends."

Nancy nodded her head in understanding before tuning back around in her seat and tapping the shoulder of the girl who sat in front of her. "Hey, Ally." The girl, Ally, turned her head to Nancy. "Where's Barb?"

"Um, shouldn't you two know?" The girl answered as Nancy shared a look of concern with Catherine, the girl slowly falling asleep at her desk.

"You haven't seen her anywhere... at all?" Nancy asked, leaning forward in her seat slightly. Ally shook her head, turning back in her seat so she was facing the front of the classroom.

***

At lunch Cat followed Nancy to the table where Steve, Tommy and Carol were sat at. Seeing as Barb was nowhere to be found, and she didn't want to sit alone, this was her only option. Sit with her best friend's boyfriend and his bullies for friends.

The girls placed their lunch trays on the table, although Cat's held a lot less food than Nancy's, as both girls took a seat. Nancy sat next to Steve- as usual- while Catherine sat on the end of the table on her friend's other side. She sighed as she saw Carol's foot on the table, the girl showing the others the bite on her ankle. The sight was enough to put Cat off of the little food she had and she pushed her tray away from her, deciding that skipping one meal wouldn't hurt.

The two girls caught the tail-end of the conversation about Carol's ankle. "Well, if it's not frostbite, then what is it?"

"Ugh," Steve groaned. "I don't care what it is, it's disgusting! Get it off the table. We're eating here." Carol lifted her leg off of the table, kicking Cat's leg as she adjusted her legs beneath the table top. Cat flinched slightly, sending a glare towards the girl opposite her.

"Hey, Tommy." Nancy spoke to the boy opposite her boyfriend. "When you left, did you see Barb?"

"What?" the boy asked through a mouthful of food. Cat stared at him in disgust.

"She's talking about our friend Barbara." Cat explained. "You know, tall, red-head. Wears glasses." Nancy nodded at her friend, showing that that was who she was talking about.