"Thanks for giving me a ride home." Reagan said quietly as Jonathan pulled up in front of her house. Jonathan pursed his lips together, almost afraid to say anything. Yesterday when he did speak his mind, he ended up saying the wrong thing. But the boy knew that she needed him to answer her, so Jonathan gave a polite but curt nod of his head. Reagan was a little disappointed when he didn't say anything, but instead of getting too offended by it she just smiled over at him. "You're a little weird, Jonathan Byers. Do you know that?" She asked him teasingly.
Jonathan rolled his eyes as a small smirk appeared on his face. "And you're not? Because I have photographic evidence that proves otherwise." He pointed out. He only realized too late that he just called her weird, and the smirk dropped immediately from his face as he reached to cover his mouth to prevent him from saying anything else stupid. Reagan laughed, mostly because he had just become incredibly nervous and it showed. "I'm not mad, Jonathan. I do happen to think I'm a little weird. It often makes me uncomfortable to feel that way... but not around you." Her voice was sincere when she spoke to him. She only realized too late that she had spoken too honestly, and got embarrassed by it.
She opened the car door, leaving Jonathan to look at her in a soft awe. Reagan stepped out and smiled small back to him. "I'll see you in school tomorrow. Yeah?" She asked him. Jonathan nodded his head quickly, thinking about how he never really had someone say that to him before. He usually never had the type of friend at school who would look out for him in case they saw him. "Yeah. I'll see you." Jonathan offered her a smile as she closed the door. He watched her until she made it to her front door, and watched as she disappeared inside.
Once Reagan shut the front door, she immediately heard her name. "Reagan?" Steve called down, but he didn't wait for her reply. Instead the boy came running and practically flew down the stairs until he had his hands put roughly on both of her shoulders. "I can't find it. I've looked through your room, which I'm sorry about. I know you don't like me in there. But I've checked everywhere. I even went through the garbage. I even cleaned my room to see if you might have lost it in all of that mess. I checked the kitchen. I checked the backyard. I checked the basement. The laundry room. I even checked between every single couch cushion in this house. I know you said not to worry about it, but the last time you lost your inhaler–"
"Steve!"
Her twin brother paused in his panic once she yelled his name. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was not in the mood to deal with him like this, and Steve gently removed his hands from her shoulders. "Sorry." He apologized. "Sorry– I think... I don't know why I went off like this. But you weren't in school today and I just thought the worst and the school nurse wouldn't even say if she had seen you or not and... I'm sorry. Maybe I'm traumatized or something. I mean we were only ten when you lost it before and you had to go to the hospital. And you know... hospitals freak me out." Steve swallowed a lump in his throat. It was only when he had stopped talking that Reagan noticed how truly worried he was. He almost looked like he was ready to cry.
"I'm fine, Steve. It's okay. I found it." Reagan reached into the pocket of her yellow jacket to bring out her inhaler. She showed her brother, which earned a great big sigh of relief from him. "That's good. That's really good. Where do you find it?" Steve questioned, knowing he had looked practically everywhere in his house. "Jonathan Byers had it." Reagan admitted, a little hesitantly, knowing those two never truly got along.
The relief on Steve's face soon replaced itself with disdain. "Why did he have it?" Steve asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Reagan could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't too happy about it, and she just averted his gaze. "Reagan, why did he have it?" He repeated his question but once again she gave no immediate answer. "Reagan!" Steve shouted.
"I... He's the one I skipped school with. Yesterday and today. We were looking for Will." Reagan explained simply. Under any other circumstances, Steve might've calmed down. He might have taken a breath to think about things. But after the worried state his sister put him in, the boy's temper got the best of him. "You're sure that's the only thing you were doing with Jonathan Byers?" Steve asked, frowning down at her.
Reagan scoffed at his tone of voice, mirroring her twin and crossing her arms over her chest. "I can't believe you would say something like that." She replied. "Really? Because I definitely can believe. Come on, Reagan. You're not an idiot. I'm the idiot, you're supposed to be the smart. Do you think Jonathan Byers really likes you? He's just some freak who's never been with anyone. You're probably just the first girl who ever paid attention to him. And he's trying to take advantage of that. He probably thinks he can just get with you because you're his kid brother's babysitter. He doesn't actually like you. He just wants to get in your pants." Steve told her.
"Is it really hard to believe that someone would like me?" Reagan asked, her brother ignoring the hurt look on her face. "Reagan, you're a nice girl, but that's the problem. If you're too nice to guys like Jonathan Byers, they'll take advantage of you. And that's what he's doing, Reagan. He's using you." He insisted. Reagan shook her head,"No, Steve, he wouldn't do that–" "Yeah? Are you so sure about that?" He snapped at her, meeting her eyes. It was only then that Steve noticed that he had made her cry. Before he could say anything else, Reagan moved past him and made her way up the stairs.
"Reagan. Come on. Reagan!" Steve called after her, but the only response he got was a slammed door.
"God, Steve, could the music be any louder?" Carol asked as Steve passed her in the kitchen, the two packs of beer in his arms. The redhead was causally sitting upon his kitchen counter, her arms draped around her boyfriend's neck. "Yes, it can. Tommy?" Steve smirked as his friend moved away from his girlfriend. Carol rolled her eyes and hopped off the counter before moving over to Reagan. "Men." She sighed before giggling, nudging her friend's shoulder with her own. "You look nice tonight." Carol complimented.
"Hmm?" Reagan said, finishing her sip of Coke. She had tuned herself out earlier after Carol and Tommy had started making out on her kitchen counter. Carol rolled her eyes before moving in front of her. "I said you look nice, you dimwit." Carol repeated. Any other night, Reagan would've loved that compliment, but all she could do that night was give Carol a very unenthusiastic 'thanks'. "Come on, Reagan. You should be happy. This is a big accomplishment. I'm just sad no one but my boyfriend and your brother are here to see this." She said, linking arms with Reagan. "Wait a second. I could call Marcus from the football team. Tommy's friends with him. He'd totally come over here if Tommy or I called." Carol suggested.
Reagan shook her head,"No, Carol. It's fine. I don't want to talk to Marcus from the football team or anybody else you had in mind. I'd really just appreciate if I could spend some time with my best friend tonight." Reagan told her. Carol chuckled,"Oh, sweetie. Do you really think I'm going to spend time with you tonight? Tommy's here. And unlike some, I actually like the idea of spending my time with a boy." Carol replied as she unlinked her arm from Reagan's. She then walked away from Reagan, finding Tommy and heading outside with him to the pool.
Steve returned inside after setting up the drinks outside by the pool. He looked at the look on Reagan's face, furrowing his brows. "You okay?" He asked her. Reagan looked up at him and rolled his eyes. "Like you care." She told him, moving past him to go outside.
It wasn't long until Steve joined his friends and his sister outside, this time with two girls in tow. Nancy had a smile on her face, looking excited to be there. Barb had a look on her face that resembled the look on Reagan's face. Both the redhead and blonde looked at each other briefly, sharing a knowing look. Neither of them were in the mood for a party. Reagan sat on one of the pool chairs, watching as Tommy and Carol stood by the two talking. Eventually, like he always did, he tried picking his girlfriend up and pretending like he was going to throw her into the pool. This, like always, got Carol pissed off at him.
"You're such an asshole, Tommy!" Carol pushed him back as he giggled. She then looked over to where Reagan was sitting, seeing that the blonde clearly wasn't having a good time. Reagan looked up, noticing Carol's eyes on her. The two looked at each other before Carol rolled her eyes and linked arms with Tommy. Reagan frowned, looking down at her hands again. Steve finished off his first beer of the night, though to be fair after the conversation he had with Reagan earlier he had sneaked into his father's liquor cabinet for something a little stronger which he had stolen away into a flask.
Nancy smirked at her boyfriend as he tossed the can away. "Is that supposed to impress me?" She challenged him. "You're not?" Steve asked nonchalantly, placing a cigarette in his mouth before looking at her. "You are a cliche, you do realize that?" "You are a cliche." Steve responded, lighting his cigarette. "What with your... your grades and your band practice."
"I'm so not in band." Nancy chuckled lightly as she shook her head. "Okay, party girl. Why don't you just, uh, show us how it's done, then?" He said, offering her a small knife. "Okay." She replied confidently, standing up and grabbing a can of beer. "You gotta make a little hole right in the bottom–" "I got it." Nancy smiled back at him.
Tommy finished his beer,"Yeah, she's smart, you douche." He chuckled as he crushed his beer can on his head before throwing it away. Nancy poked the hole before putting her lips to the bottom of the can. Soon everyone at that party aside from Barb and Reagan were chanting 'chug' as Nancy drank. Tommy hollered as Nancy dropped the can in victory, with rounds of laughs coming after wards.
She looked back to see that her best friend was less than happy. "Barb, you wanna try?" Nancy asked, hoping that getting her in on the fun would change her mood. "What? No." Barb replied but Nancy was already making her way over. "No, I don't want to. Thanks." The redhead tried insisting, but her friend didn't easily give up.
"Come on," Nancy smiled as she moved towards her. "Nance, I don't want to." Barb told her, but she wasn't hearing any of that. "It's fun! Just give it a–" "Nance..." Just... Just give it a shot." Barb reluctantly took the beer can from her hands after that, standing up from the chair.
Everyone watched as Barb tried to poke a hole using the knife, but her grip slipped and the knife pierced her skin. Barb dropped the beer can, earning a chuckle from Tommy. "Gnarly." Tommy commented, looking over. "Are you okay?" Nancy said. "Yeah." Barb dismissed. "Barb, you're bleeding." She pointed out, taking a step towards her but Barb just put out her hands in front of her in order to stop Nancy.
"I'm fine." She insisted.
Barb looked over to Steve and Reagan. "Where's your bathroom?" She asked. "I'll show you." Reagan stood up immediately, seeing it as a chance to leave this party. She walked past her brother and looked to Barb, before leading her inside. The tall redhead followed the short blonde inside. The two didn't really say anything to each other until they reached the bathroom.
The taller girl entered first, turning on the faucet and running her hand under cold water. She winced a little and frowned before looking to Reagan who was leaning against the doorframe. "Bandaids or something?" She asked. "Oh, the cabinet. Let me." Reagan said, reaching up to the cabinet on the wall. She looked through but couldn't find any gauze. "Maybe I should grab you something else." Reagan suggested, disappearing out of the bathroom.
She soon returned with a blue washcloth and gave it to Barb. "Apply pressure and you should stop bleeding. If you don't, you might need to go to the hospital to get that looked at." She said. Barb smiled small as she wrapped the cloth tightly around her wound. "Thanks. You know... I didn't realize you were so nice. Or so... human." Barb commented.
Reagan furrowed her brows, not sure what Barb meant by that. "Oh, sorry. I mean– normal. Like... like I could talk to you. You're not like your brother or Tommy. Or even Carol. I– I'm sorry for thinking you were like Carol." Barb told her quietly, feeling bad if she offended the girl who was helping her. Not even Nancy went with her, and she was Barb's best friend. "If you don't mind me asking... why are you friends with them?"
"Because Steve is friends with them. And I do everything with Steve. He's my twin brother." Reagan explained. Barb nodded her head as she turned off the faucet. "But that doesn't mean you have to be friends with the same people." She pointed out. Reagan nodded her head,"I know... I just thought... it was safer this way."
Barb nodded her head,"I can't blame you there. You're popular. And it's high school. But– and here's my advice– I really wouldn't want to be friends with someone who makes me miserable." Barb told her gently, before she sighed and looked down at her hand. "I can take it from here. You can get back out there if you want." She said.
"Thanks, Barbara." Reagan smiled small before turning on her heel. "Reagan–" She stopped the blonde before she could leave,"Call me Barb." The redhead smiled brightly as her. Reagan chuckled before nodding her head before making her way back outside.
When she saw everyone splashing around in the pool, Reagan laughed as she walked over to the edge. Steve noticed her and swam up to her, moving his wet locks out of his face. "Wonder Twin. Join us." Steve chuckled. Reagan hesitated for a moment, thinking back to what Barb had just told her. Her friends did make her miserable, even Steve sometimes too. But the girl always forgave him for whatever idiotic thing he did. And in that moment, Reagan truly believed she could forgive him for anything. Even that fight they had.
She crouched down to her brother's level. "Or else what?" She questioned. Steve smirked, knowing Reagan well enough to know she no longer seemed mad with him. "Or else this." Steve couldn't hold back his laugh as he gripped onto his sister's wrist and pulled her in. Nancy giggled at her boyfriend's antics, but laughed harder when Reagan resurfaced. The blonde's wet hair had fallen completely in her face, but that didn't stop her from splashing her brother relentlessly.
"I'm freezing." Carol complained as she hugged the towel around her body. Reagan chuckled as she quickly shook out her wet hair. Tommy looked over at his girlfriend and smiled. "Well, I hear their mom's room has a fireplace." Tommy said as he led his girlfriend away from the group. Carol smiled over to her boyfriend as she followed him, making Reagan roll her eyes. It wouldn't be the first time she was ditched by Carol.
Steve frowned,"Are you kidding?" He asked his friends. "Okay, well, you know, you are cleaning the sheets." Steve told them before looking to Reagan. She already knew what her brother had in mind. He had invited his girlfriend over to his house when their parents weren't home. Steve took a step closer to her and raised his brow. "You going to be okay down here? You sure you want to be swimming on your own?" He questioned.
Reagan rolled her eyes,"I'll be fine. You know you don't have to be worried about me all the time just because you're five minutes older than me." She pointed out. Steve smirked before shaking his head,"Six minutes." He corrected before turning to Nancy. "You all right?" He asked his girlfriend, and Nancy gave him a simple 'yeah'. "Yeah? Come on, let's get you some dry clothes." He told her before looking back at his sister. "Have fun by yourself, weirdo."
She rolled her eyes once again at his comment, watching her brother and his girlfriend disappear knowing what they were going to do. Reagan decided to keep her mind off of it though. It was typically the way things went though. Her best friend had her boyfriend. And her brother always had some girl. They were always happy with someone else and she was always alone.
It didn't take long for Reagan to find her swimsuit and change. She had made up her mind that she wasn't going to go back in the water again with her clothes on. It was a cool night though and it didn't help she had chosen her two-piece to wear. The girl was already damp though, so she didn't mind it all that much. Some fog had gathered near the water. She walked close to the edge of the pool, staring down.
The song shifted, reminding Reagan that there was still music playing outside. Carol had turned it down but she could still hear it very clearly. It was something by that band, A Flock of Seagulls. But Reagan didn't recognize which one it was until the chorus came.
"I ran." She whispered to herself, moving to sit down. She slipped her feet into the water gently, letting herself adjust to the temperature. "So far away." She sighed as she looked at the water. The music played in the background as she closed her eyes. "I couldn't get away." Reagan said softly as she slipped into the water.
Not too far away, Jonathan had snapped the picture at the perfect time. He had captured Reagan, in her swimsuit, with her eyes closed, slipping into the water. Even if there was faint music playing, the world had become quiet in the time she was underwater. No noise got to her or him. Jonathan watched in a peaceful silence at the girl he had become acquainted with.
It was like for the first time, he was really seeing her.
Reagan resurfaced, surprising a tall redhead who had stepped outside. "Oh– I'm sorry." Barb said, realizing that Reagan was in the pool all by herself. The blonde quickly shook her head,"Oh, no. You didn't interrupt anything. I–" Reagan stopped when she realized that the other girl was crying. She quickly slipped out of the pool, grabbing her towel and wrapping it around herself.
"Did something happen? Can I help?" Reagan asked as she approached the girl, but Barb just stuck out her hands. "No, no– just no. Okay? Leave me alone. I'm sure you're very nice but I need to be alone right now so don't make me say something that I regret. Because I'm not angry with you." Barb said defensively. Reagan furrowed her brows,"Are you angry with Nancy?" She asked gently.
Barb paused before scoffing. "I'm angry with everyone in your house right now." She replied, reaching her uninjured hand up to wipe her cheeks. "Can I just... can you just leave me alone? I just need some time to think and then I'll leave. I promise. My car's parked not too far away from here." Barb told her.
The girl seemed upset, and Reagan wasn't sure if the best thing to do was to help her or to leave her alone. She just nodded her head, deciding that respecting Barb's wishes was the best thing. "Sure. I'll just–" Reagan went over, shutting the music off. "So you can think in peace." She explained, seeming a little awkward now that she was leaving the redhead all alone. Reagan felt bad about it, but she wouldn't know until later that it was the wrong choice.
"Nancy, do you need a ride home?"
Nancy was taken by surprise at the sound of Reagan's voice. She had honestly not expected anyone this late at night to be awake. Even Steve had fallen asleep after what they did. "Uh, no, Reagan... but thanks." Nancy replied as she moved towards the stairs. "You're not going to walk home, are you?" Reagan questioned, taking a step out of her bedroom. Nancy paused, looking back at her.
It wasn't like Reagan was wrong. Barb had been her ride and she had told her to leave. "You're all ready for bed, I couldn't ask you to–" "You're not, Nancy. I'm offering. And I bet Steve has already fallen asleep so it's not like he'll take you." She told her, slipping back into her room. Reagan kicked off her slippers and put on her glasses before joining Nancy.
"I didn't know you wear glasses." Nancy commented as she looked at the tiny blonde. Reagan smiled and nodded her head,"I avoid them when I can, but I shouldn't avoid them while driving." She pointed out as she moved down the stairs. Nancy watched as Reagan grabbed her jacket and the keys, letting her lead the way out of her house.
She realized that despite dating the girl's twin brother, Nancy really didn't know anything about Reagan other than the fact she was Steve's twin sister. Nancy could tell already that she was nice by the way she was willing to leave her house in her pajamas just to drive her brother's girlfriend all the way home.
"Your little brother is Mike, right?" Reagan asked as they exited her house. Nancy nodded her head politely. "Yeah." She answered. Reagan smiled,"Will mentions him all the time. I've heard many an epic tale from their Dungeons and Dragons games over at your house." She mentioned. "I almost forgot. Your Will's babysitter." Nancy remembered, frowning when she realized what the Byers family was going through probably wouldn't be too far off for Reagan.
Reagan nodded her head,"Yeah. I babysit other kids though too. But Will's the first kid I've babysat. I've been babysitting since I twelve and it meant so much to me that Joyce let me take care of him every now and then. But when Jonathan got a job too... it became a weekly thing." She said, reaching her brother's car. Technically it belonged to her as well, but Steve always used it more than she did so she always referred to it as his.
She unlocked the car, slipping inside the driver's seat and opening the door for Nancy. "You must be really worried about him." Nancy said as she moved into the passenger seat. Reagan nodded her head,"But we'll find him. I know it. And he's going to get home safe." She said, starting the car. Reagan seemed sure when she talked about it, but Nancy could tell by the look in her eyes that Reagan wasn't as sure as she sounded.
The car ride remained mostly quiet. Honestly, it was a nice quiet for Nancy, and when she did talk to Reagan she learned things about the girl. It was nice to strike up a friendship with her, especially since she was dating Reagan's brother. Nancy almost felt bad when the car ride ended.
"Thank you, for driving me home. You didn't have to do that." Nancy said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "You look like you needed it." Reagan shrugged her shoulders, looking over at her. Nancy nodded her head, a small smile appearing on her face. "You look like you needed it too." She said, before exiting the car. Reagan was surprised by Nancy's comment, but felt like it was a good one. And who knows. Maybe it was the start of a beautiful friendship.