Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly III

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The sun shines through the day and a chill hangs in the air. The Wheeler house stands tall and silent as a young girl climbs up the stairs of the house, in awe of everything she's seeing. She looks around the hallway, the floral wallpaper adorning the walls. Her eyes quickly see a door and she pushes it open cautiously.

Inside the pink-wallpapered room, she looks around, taking in everything she's never seen before. Knick knacks and objects, they're all irregularly shaped and have no functions, but El doesn't mind. There were so many things in this room that she'd never seen in her life. She approaches a dresser and opens a small pink-ish white box on it. She opens the lid and becomes startled when she hears a soft lullaby playing from it. She watches as a plastic toy ballerina spins to the music. She closes the box and looks to her right.

On her right, hangs a very distinct bulletin board. It had ribbon threaded through and it's incredibly messy. Paper memories hang, capturing wonderful moments from Nancy's life. El stares at multiple photos; Nancy as a child, Nancy and a friend of hers. She's smiling wide in all of them, seemingly living a typical childhood.

El only stares in longing.

-

There is no distinct chatter in the Hawkins school cafeteria. Everything is loud and rowdy as Nancy walks alone. Her hands hold a full lunch tray, and she looks around the cafeteria before spotting a group of people.

Making her way to the table, the conversation becomes more distinct from it. "That's why science doesn't make any damn sense to me." Tommy groans.

"No, I swear. Look at this. It's totally frostbite." Carol says. Her ankle is on the table, showing something red on her ankle to the group.

Nancy plops her tray onto the table at the same time that Tommy retorts back, "It's a heated pool."

"Well, if it's not frostbite, then what is it?"

Steve cuts in, using his hand to make a shooing motion, "I don't care what it is. Get it off the table. We're eating here."

Nancy directs her attention to Tommy. "Hey, Tommy. When you left, did you see Barb?"

"What?"

"Barbara. She's not here today."

"I seriously have no idea who you're talking about." His girlfriend laughs beside him.

Steve tries to come to his 'girlfriend's' defense, "Come on, don't be an ass, man. Did you... Did you see her leave last night or not?"

"No, she was gone when we left."

Carol chews her food and barges in, "Probably couldn't stand listening to all that moaning."

Tommy chuckles at his girlfriend's actions, as she starts imitating a moans.

"Oh, Steve! Oh, Steve!" It escalated more as Tommy pounds on that table. The two are incredibly loud but no one seems to care. Steve and Nancy watch them in silence and embarrassment. They finally stop, seeing the annoyed look on their faces.

Steves assures Nancy. "Listen... I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just... she's probably just skipping or something."

"Yeah. Yeah, probably." She stares to the side, looking at the hallway outside the cafeteria. She makes eye contact with Jonathan, who's walking down the hall. He momentarily pauses and they maintain eye contact. He looks away quickly and walks away. Nancy stares at the spot he once occupied before turning back to the people at her table.

-

A hand reaches for something on the ground, trying to grasp something. Lucas picks up a rock, inspecting it. Dustin and Mike can be found doing the same thing. The three boys are standing in the school courtyard, in a more secluded place, behind sheds and trees.

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