FIXATION

EIGHT

EIGHT: FAIRYTALES & GHOST STORIES
november 3rd, 1984

"Rose. You haven't said a word since we left."

"Yeah. I'm thinking."

Rosalie was thinking about everything. She was thinking about Barb, and the bad men Dustin mentioned, and The Upside Down, and Dart and how all these things had been happening in Hawkins, her home town - and she had no idea. Last year while she was searching for her best friend, driving to nearby towns with Ivy, she had no idea. However, come to think of it, the government's cover up of the school being so destroyed after last year's battle with the demogorgan never truly made much sense to Rosalie. They told the students there had been a fire, but she most definitely remembered seeing blood behind the sheer tarp that kept her from fourth period. It was last year, right before the kids had been released on winter break. She had heard rumors of the middle school side being much worse, but she remembered how hard the school janitors worked to clean the floors a week before spring break. Rosalie thought of all the people who knew nothing about this other world; her gym teacher, Mrs. Needs, Billy the Bully, her mother. Oh shit. Her mother. She hadn't even began to consider explaining all of this to her mom when she got home. The thought of having to talk about all of this, to have to relive what small encounter she had just had.. Well, that was one thing she wasn't looking forward to.

"Seriously, Rose. You're freaking me out."

She continued staring out of space, inhaling deeply in hopes of collecting her thoughts, "well.. Steve, I'm thinking." The dark trees continued to pass by and she could hear the small breeze that entered the car from the crack of her window. They had been driving for ten minutes, and she had just began to speak.

"About what?" Steve asked stopping at a street light. His eyes glued to her and she couldn't shake away the feeling of zoning out. Her brain was filing away all the information she had been given over the past twenty-four hours, a process that was time consuming. She was baffled. First, she had spent all morning convincing herself that Steve was lying about Barb, then it turns out he was telling the truth. Which meant Barb really was dead. Her best friend was dead. And from what sounded like it, she had died a traumatic death. The idea of Barb being dead wasn't what shocked Rosalie - she always knew deep, deep down her friend was in a better place - she was shocked because of how Barb died. While her mind ticked, her eyes remained dry. There weren't enough tears left in her body to be shed for Barb.

Her eyes shifted from the trees up to the bright red light that kept the car from moving forward. Now she leaned back in her seat, tugging the lever back so she was at a more comfortable incline. With her hands on her eyes, her world grew dark and she took another deep breath. "I don't know. Everything. I guess."

Steve didn't speak until the light flickered back to green. "Are you okay?"

"Maybe, yes." She answered then shut her eyes and chose her words carefully, "I.. I guess.. I'm just worried."

"About Dustin?"

She cracked a small smile thinking of the goofy young boy. Her hands fell from her eyes and she turned to look at her friend, "no. Dustin will be okay. He just needs to get a good night's rest before we pick him back up. What time did he say his mom goes to work?" She could feel her mind slowly returning to its normal pace.

Steve's eyebrows furrowed and he snickered as if Rosalie told some funny joke. While she pushed her chair back in a more upright position she stared at Steve, waiting for him to clue her in on what was so funny, "I think it's safe to say that I'll be dropping you back off at your place tonight." Her eyes squinted with confusion, because what he was saying made no sense to her at all.