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AUDREY'S EYES FLUTTERED OPEN, BRINGING HER BACK TO THE LAND OF CONSCIOUSNESS. There was a strange feeling within her, an unsettling thud that she wished she could understand. Not only that, but her hand was still throbbing from the previous night and what she had prayed was only a dream, had been a reality.
She rolled over in bed, groaning as she threw her arm out to block her eyes from the sun, peeking through the window. It took her a few seconds for her mind to register the fact that she hadn't made it home and was not in the comfort of her own sheets. Once she noticed, however, she shot up from the covers, frantically looking for a sign of where she may be.
As soon as she scanned her surroundings, her nerves calmed down and she knew that she wasn't in a stranger's home, but Jonathan Byers'. It confused her as to how he knew where she was or where to find her but she didn't worry over the fact too much, only wishing to thank him.
She glanced at her once uncovered wound, to see it wrapped in white gauze, and the pain as strong as a heartbeat now just a light patter.
"You're up." A voice called out from the doorway. Audrey looked up to see her best friend, leaning against the frame as he watched her. "We gotta head out now so we can get your stuff."
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"Hey, Tommy, when you left did you see Barb?" Nancy asked as she sat down at the lunch table. The gang was already there, Audrey with her legs kicked up on the table as she leaned her head on Steve's shoulder.
The group had previously been talking about a rash on Carol's ankle and as fantastic as that was, Audrey was grateful for a subject change.
"What?" Tommy said.
"Barbara. She's not here today." Nancy continued, frowning at the idea of her friend not being around.
"Barb's missing?" Audrey asked, only to be ignored. Even though last night had been the first time the two talked, Audrey enjoyed her company and she cared for the girls' wellbeing.
"I seriously have no idea who you're talking about." Tommy continued to play dumb, chuckling slightly. Audrey smacked him on the back of the head and he looked at her incredulously, appalled at her actions, to which she responded with sticking out her tongue.
"Come on, don't be an ass man." Steve sighed, tired of his friends making fun of his girlfriend. "Did you see her leave last night or not?"
"No, she was gone when we left." Tommy defended, gesturing to Carol.
"She probably couldn't stand listening to all that moaning." Carol teased, starting to mimic Nancy the previous night as Tommy banged on the table to add dramatic effect.
"I hate you all and I am embarrassed to be associated with you." Audrey deadpanned, moving away from her best friend and hiding her face in her arms. Nancy watched the girl with a shocked look, never having expected her to say something like that about her own friends.
"She's kidding, Nance," Steve assured, rubbing her back. "And about Barb, I'm sure she's fine. Probably skipping or something."
"Yeah," Nancy replied, unsure.
Steve watched his friend warily, finding her demeanor to be more odd than usual. Her head was still down on the table and she was so still one might believe she was dead.
"Adds, is everything alright?" He questioned. Audrey lifted her head up to meet his eyes and her face immediately broke out into a smile. Everyone at the table's spirits seemed to lift at seeing the girl's signature expression except for Steve. He saw right through it and knew she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"Never better." She grinned. "Hey, I'm gonna head to the bathroom alright? Don't wait up."
Audrey stood up from her seat and made her way over to the restrooms, clutching onto her chest tightly. The pain in her hand began to get worse and the thoughts of everything that had happened this week began to overflow. As soon as she made it into a stall, she poured the contents in her stomach out into the bowl, coughing as she slumped down onto the floor.
And that was the last straw.
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Audrey had regained her composure after a few hours of sitting in the bathroom. She felt bad for skipping class but knew she couldn't possibly face her peers looking like a tomato. After checking over her makeup and fixing the wrinkles in her shirt, she slung the bag over her shoulder and headed for the exit doors.
The first thing she noticed was her friend, Steve, along with Carol, Tommy, and Nicole, standing before Jonathan Byers, looking down on him like a piece of scum.
It seemed Nancy Wheeler had noticed at the same time as her and they both paced over to the group, curious as to what was going on. As the two approached, they saw them flipping through what looked to be pictures and Nancy was the first to speak up.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Oh, here's the starring lady."
"What?"
"This creep was spying on us last night." Carol sneered, passing the picture over to her. "He was probably gonna save this one for later."
Audrey looked over her shoulder to see a picture of Nancy, in the middle of removing her top, revealing her undergarments. It looked as if the picture was taken while someone was looking through the window and her stomach churned in disgust.
"See, you can tell that he knows it was wrong but that's the thing about perverts." Said Steve as he approached the guilty boy. "It's hardwired into them, they can't help themselves.
"Holy shit. That last picture was creepy but this is just messed up." Tommy voiced, anger boiling up inside him at the next shot.
They passed it over to Audrey and as soon as she saw it, she wished she hadn't. It was a picture of her, lying in the grass unconscious. Her eyes welled up with tears as she felt betrayed and violated. Last night was her in one of her most vulnerable states and her own friend had taken advantage of it.
"Jon..." Audrey whispered, looking him dead in the eyes. Jonathan met her gaze, a frown on his lips. "Is this true? Did you do this?"
The Byers boy just gulped, confirming her suspicions. He never intended for her to see the picture.
Steve's jaw ticked and he knew that it had gone too far. Not only had the boy messed with his girlfriend, but his best friend and he wasn't about to stand there and do nothing. He snatched his camera from the trunk top and held it above the ground, aiming it as if he would give it to him.
"Here you go."
Jonathan reached for the camera and Steve dropped it, allowing it to smash into several pieces. He feigned surprise and watched as the boy's face contorted in fear at the sight of his camera.
"Come on, let's go," Steve ordered, wrapping his arms around Audrey's shoulders in comfort as he led her back towards the school. Jonathan scrambled to pick up the scraps of his camera, feeling beyond humiliated as Nancy stood there, not knowing what to do.
"You coming Nance?" Steve asked, rubbing his hands up and down Audrey's arms. Nancy nodded and turned away from the boy, following after her new friends.
And there they left him. The freak with the creepy obsession. Or was he just an artist?
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thoughts?
-gigi <3
