Love Is A Battlefield (A Stranger Things/Steve Harrington Fanfiction)

Chapter Five: I Liked You Better

Dad wasn't there when I got home, so I dismantled my carefully planned alibi and went to bed. Once again the nightmares came, but this time, Eleven was there too, standing in the rain in her big yellow t-shirt.

When I bolted awake at 5 AM, Dad still wasn't back, so I guessed that the search had not been successful and that they'd been out all night. I figured it wouldn't be. They're not gonna find him, no matter how many search parties they put together, because I have a very strong hunch that where he is now is not of this world. I just hope that he can hang on until I can find a way to get to him and hopefully find another hole for us to escape from.

Unfortunately now however, I still had to go to school as if that was even a fraction as important as what was going on in Hawkins.

I quickly got dressed, throwing on a pair of Jeans and a grey turtleneck, once again pulling my hair up into a ponytail as I rushed out the door to my truck.

When I got to school, I quickly found Barb and Nancy walking down the hallway going through Nancy's notecards for Kaminsky's Chem tests, which were notorious for being impossible.

"When Alpha particles go through gold foil, they become..." Barb read.

"Unoccupied space." I said, stepping up beside them. They both looked at me with wide eyes.

"Um excuse me! Calm down there Riles, you don't need to shout!" Barb exclaimed. I smiled. 

"You're talking!" Nancy said. "Does that mean today is a good day or..." I shook my head.

"Nope, I guess it just means...I'm tired of being afraid." I said. She smiled, sympathetically.

"Well I'm proud of you. Its nice to hear your voice again." 

"Thank you. Its nice to be using it. Hopefully after some time it will stop sounding like I swallowed a rose bush." I said, tightening my ponytail. "But anyway, you were studying?"

"Right, yes, 'A molecule that can-"

Barb's words were cut off by Steve Harrington running around in front of us, snatching the notecards out of  Barb's hand.

"Hey!" Tommy H. and Carol came up behind us, Tommy H. Sticking his finger in Barb's ear and tugging at my ponytail.

"I think you've studied enough, Nance."

"Steve-" She started.

"I'm telling you, you know, you got this. Don't worry." He said, "Now onto more important matters, my dad has left town on a conference and my mom's gone with him, 'cause you know, she doesn't trust him."

"Good call." Tommy said.

"So are you in?"

"In for what?" Nancy asked.

"No parents? Big house?" Carol prompted condescendingly.

"A party?"

"Ding, ding, ding!" I rolled my eyes.

"Its Tuesday." Nancy pointed out.

"Its Tuesday, oh my gosh!" Tommy and Carol laughed.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked, causing them all to look at me in shock.

"Would you look at that? Silent Sally speaks!" Tommy said, stepping up closer to me.

"You do realize a child has gone missing, right?" I continued, looking at Steve in the hopes that he was the rational one of the three. "Sounds kind of dangerous."

"Well don't worry about it blondie, you weren't invited." Tommy said, pulling my scrunchie out of my hair. I just looked at him, unphased by his stupidity.