Author's note: I just wanted to do Dustin some justice after Stacey. Enjoy!
April 29, 1987, Wednesday
If there was something annoying was school. Even worse was chemistry. And it was annoying to see how his friends were interested in that garbage. He didn't want to know the difference between cations and anions, much less because noble gases thought they were the best. He just wanted to go home and listen to his funeral songs while lamenting the life he wanted to have, but hadn't even gotten close. That's because he was only sixteen.
Knowing that party well, you'd never think it was Dustin I'm talking about, but it was Dustin himself. You don't know what happened in the next two years and how Dustin stopped being the cute little boy we knew so much to someone who lived only because he was already alive, but if he could, he wouldn't have chosen that option. I mean, deep down he still was kind, but he didn't feel like showing that side. Not at all. He just wanted to do his chores and then listen to his songs until he fell asleep.
Of course, his friends had noticed his change in behavior. They were not that dense, but Mike and Lucas were busy with their respective girlfriends, and Will still faced some demons. Result: they didn't know how deep in depression he was. If they did, they'd be so worried they'd do everything they could to fix it, but no one noticed, and Dustin made no point in saying or showing.
He was not such a handsome kid and he was nerdy and chubby. Dustin was aware of this as well as he knew it would be difficult to have the eyes of some girl, but he had never let that upset him. He was confident that day, and then it struck him that his love life might be a little more complicated than he had imagined. The slap in the face, the shock, and Dustin found himself crying, when Nancy saved him. And it was not just for one night. She was being a lot cooler and made a point of talking to him whenever she could, but Dustin knew he could not be carried by Nancy forever and that it only tied her life. Not to mention that he would never have a chance with her. Then, he stood back until Nancy went to college and did not realize the drastic change in his behavior.
It hurt too much to see the girl he liked with his best friend. At least if she had fallen in love with someone else, it would not be so bad, but Dustin had to put up with affectionate exchanges. It was as if they did on purpose to remark the fact he had lost. That's why it had changed.
Mike had talked to his mother about it, but she said it must be puberty. Sometimes we are more affected than others and more than we want, so they were reassured and eventually lost a friend. They just did not know it yet.
Dustin simply thought there was no more reason to live, since he would never succeed wherever he went. At least he thought so. And that killed him little by little.
"Mr. Henderson," Mr. Clarke said as soon as the bell rang, and everyone started to store their materials, "can I talk to you for a moment?"
Mr. Clarke had been promoted to high school teacher for the joy of the boys. And to our joy too, because without his participation, this story would not happen.
"We'll meet you outside, Dustin!" Mike said as the whole group prepared to leave. It was their last lesson and they planned to go to Lucas' house to play on his new Atari 7800.
"Um, guys, I have to, um ... help my mother with this thing. So, we'll talk tomorrow."
None of them noticed Mr. Clarke's reproachful look, but soon it would not go unnoticed.
"Oh, okay." Mike said in surprise. Dustin had never refused to play video games before. Even if he was in this new ... morbid phase, he always would.
The boys decided to leave then, but Max stayed a little longer staring at him until she decided to leave.
"What is it, my Lord?" Dustin spoke the same way as before with his teacher, which made the man happy. Perhaps not everything has been lost.
"Dustin," Mr. Clarke sighed, thinking of a way to mention, "I've noticed a change in your behavior lately, and I wanted to make sure it's okay."
Dustin didn't know how to respond. He didn't want to worry Mr. Clarke, but to say that it was all right was to lie because he was not well. In fact, he wanted to stay in the middle of the street and wait for a truck to hit him, but he could not do that. If he survived, he would have to live with the consequences.
"It's not alright." Dustin was sincere and waited a second to continue searching for the right words, "You know," he decided to be honest, "I like Max, but she chose Lucas. I'm sure that in time this will pass."
For a moment the teacher felt sorry. Dustin was a wonderful boy and he didn't deserve it. Not that Lucas wasn't. He didn't want any of his boys to suffer, but broken hearts are a part of life.
"I understand." Mr. Clarke didn't want to make Dustin more embarrassed than he already was, "It's life ... You have to find new activities and soon this phase will pass."
New activities ... But what the hell was he going to do in Hawkins? Cinema, arcade, the playground ... and that was it. They also had some ballads, but Dustin was a minor for it. Unless he went to the forbidden part of town. But as said it was forbidden. I mean, it was not forbidden. Only the delinquents lived there and so it was not very safe.
Dustin had changed his style a little. He wasn't so flashy anymore. He had changed his blue, white and red cap to a gray jeans one. His clothes were white, black, and gray. Maybe they wouldn't realize he didn't belong on that side.
Dustin walked toward his house. He wasn't riding his bike anymore. He would rather use the walk to think. And he was thinking of the southern part of town. He had never dared to step there, but he needed new adventures. Away from his friends. He needed some time alone and might find something there. Dustin wanted to try hard, but there was still that little part that was afraid. There were rumors and myths of what was going on there. Deaths too. But damn, he had faced several Demogorgans. What was a guy with a gun near that? Clearly a very scary guy, but he had to go. Even if they killed him, he wouldn't mind much.
It wasn't very nice, but Dustin thought he could go unnoticed and get to know better that part of town. He was afraid of what he would find, but at least it would be an adventure he might tell a girl one day and conquer it.
His thoughts automatically led him to that area. There was nothing different along the way. It was only half way, a beautiful walk.
He knew he was in the right place when the town began to look darker. And every now and then he saw a guy or other with a beard, half torn clothes and/or chewing open-mouthed gum. They always stared at him. It was like a small town in Hawkins where all the locals knew each other and so knew very well when there was an intruder.
There were both new and clearly rusty trailers. It was not all bad, but it seemed that some people made a point of having their belongings spoiled like fashion, style. There only lived those who didn't have the money to live in a nobler neighborhood and they became really delinquents. Maybe he could join the gang? You never know. Dustin was open to new options. He wasn't so scared anymore. He wasn't as ghastly as the stories they told. But it was still day.
There was a moment when Dustin just couldn't bear to walk anymore. He walked enough to get there and wandered the streets for hours trying to find excitement. It was all very still and fallen. Nothing came close to the stories he had heard. And when he saw a cafeteria, he did not hesitate.
It was a dark place. The walls were black both inside and out. The slogan of the place glowed in neon and was the most electric lighting they had. The light came from the candles, there were no windows. Dustin prayed the food was made with something electric so that it was faster.
He sat down at one of the booths and drummed his fingers at a pace as he thought of his life. Nothing exciting, always the same things.
When problems with the Upside Down began, Dustin was entering puberty, so he didn't realize he wanted more than that life. When things finally stopped, he was bored. And even more, he went to a place very far on foot to find nothing he could afford. Was it a sin to ask for more than the life he had?
"What do you want, brat?" He received that question followed by a knock at the back of his neck.
"Ouch!" He put his hand on the sore spot and massaged it, hoping the pain would pass. What a heavy hand!
"Boy, are you going to ask or not? I do not have all day."
The truth is that Dustin was so focused on his thoughts that the waitress had to call him a couple of times. And yet, only with the touch did he respond.
Dustin finally decided to face anyone who was rushing him. It was a girl. She appeared to be her age physically, but her posture was much older. It was as if she thought herself superior. Her arms were crossed, and her expression was impatient, but none of it matched her style. The girl wore jeans and a blouse with sleeves that reached her black elbows. She had made a sharp outline that hid her eyes by the mascara. Her red hair was trapped in a backward bum. She must have had more than five earrings in each ear, not counting the piercing on her left eyebrow and septum. She was all ... gothic.
She lifted her eyebrow, just the pierced one, to Dustin, tired of waiting, as he studied her. The truth was he was delighted. Somehow, she was the representation of what he expected to see there and underneath it all, she was very pretty.
"Ahh," He had not even looked at the menu, "do you have milk-shake?"
The girl rolled her eyes.
"What flavor?"
"Cream."
He gave a nice look at the place. The walls were painted gray, but the sofas were black. It was like picking up a regular diner, darkening it, and then it was ready to be a Southern Hawkins diner. It seemed to be half fallen. As if it had been there a long time, but no one bothered to reform.
Dustin just saw the place, was tired and decided to come in, but maybe it had not been a good idea. They did not seem to have sanitary surveillance there. But it didn't matter. He was there to have adventure, even if his adventure was to have a great bellyache. He was thirsty at last.
The girl came back clearly annoyed. He didn't know if it was because the job was boring, because she couldn't anyone asking for a simple milk-shake anymore or because his presence was simply annoying. He expected none of them.
She put the glass in front of Dustin and he didn't hesitate to try it. He was still recovering from the long walk, needed refreshing. At the time he tasted he spat. He didn't think, just spat. It was nothing as heexpected. It was much stronger. It was just weird.
"What did you put in here?!" She barely had time to leave, and again she rolled her eyes at him.
"Vodka, duuh."
"I ordered a milk-shake!" It was obvious. He made it clear what he wanted. Why the hell would she put vodka there?
"Cream, right? We only make cream with vodka here. If you don't want vodka, you'll have to ask for another flavor."
Okay that this girl was not very well with life, but that was not his problem. Dustin did not have to suffer from it.
"I do not want vodka, or anything! I just want a normal milk-shake!"
"We only have alcoholics here." The girl shrugged and turned away, tired of arguing.
Dustin didn't even know that milk-shake with alcohol existed! He didn't want to drink it. He had never seen what was fun about alcohol. Just wanted to freshen up. He should have just asked for water. And even more unhappy was the fact that it was obvious he was under 21 and she had not even asked for his identity.
"You can't just do one without vodka?"
The girl held herself so as not to yell at him. She hated that job, hated her life, and particularly that day he had woken up with the wrong foot. And suddenly there's that brat who knows nothing!
"Look, boy," she walked briskly toward Dustin, "there are rules here, do you understand? I can't serve what's not on the menu! If you want something light, you'd better go back to your little corner of the rich!"
"But why do you care about the rules if you don't even respect the law?"
The girl leaned against the table, coming face to face with Dustin.
"Just drink this shit and go!"
She entered the kitchen irritably and left Dustin alone in that place. It was weird. Like the towm, the place was empty. Was she the only employee there?
Dustin was annoyed. He was there to relax and in the first place that he goess in he gets in trouble with a beautiful girl! He snorted, leaning against the couch. What had he been doing there? Maybe it had been a bad idea. Then he looked at the glass right in front of him and thought it would not hurt to drink a little. It was not every day that you get such good alcohol without being the right age. It was, after all, an adventure.
He didn't like the taste, but something about it was different. At least it was an adventure without his friends, and without Max and Lucas stuck together. The more he thought of his friends, the more he sucked the drink through the straw and in time began to lose control. It was a big glass of milk-shake and Dustin had never been drunk before, so that was enough to get wasted.
When the waitress came back, she hoped she would not find him there. She didn't care if he paid or not, she just wanted peace. In the meantime, she found Dustin soft, lying on the couch and laughing alone.
"Boy, what did you do?!" She stopped in front of the sofa side, where Dustin had left his legs out and ended up being pulled.
Dustin wrapped the girl's body with his legs and pulled her, causing her to fall on him. He laughed at what had happened while she stood up. She was leaning on her hands as Dustin gripped her waist to keep her from getting up.
"You are very beautiful!" He smiled, and she could not help but be delighted. Dustin had a very handsome smile, but soon she realized that some teeth were missing.
"What?!"
"What's your name?" She tried to break free, but Dustin could be strong when he wanted to. "Mine is Dustin."
The girl snorted but lowered her guard a little. Her arms were already getting tired of holding her weight so much.
"If I tell you, will you let me go?" Dustin smiled a little and nodded. She rolled her eyes once more. "It's Hannah."
"It's as beautiful as you ..." Dustin felt in paradise. That feeling was great and a beautiful girl, even weird, was on top of him. Was there something better?
"Let go of me, Justin!" Her moodiness returned in seconds and Dustin did as she asked.
"Okay, but it's Dustin!"
"Whatever!" Hannah replied standing up and rearranging her blouse that came out of the place with her fall.
"So, Hannah," Dustin sat down to talk to her better. "Can you serve me anymore?"
Hannah looked at him in surprise. Although drunk Dustin was pretty funny, she doubted he would have the courage if he were sober.
"I could ... but I won't!"
"C'mon!" He spoke in a way the words could barely get out of his mouth and Hannah laughed. "I bet you're too old to sell a drink! We are even!"
Dustin threw himself back on the couch and Hannah took the opportunity to make a milk-shake free alcohol for him. It wasn't on the menu, but she needed him to go away soon.
"Drink that!"
Dustin took the drink willingly thinking it had alcohol, and he was so drunk that he didn't realize that it didn't.
"Where do you live, Justin?"
He mumbled something she could understand parts of, drank it all and then collapsed on the couch.