OKAY, now, this is kinda of my first fic, and by kinda I mean that I made one years and YEARS ago about a fictional pairing that I was absolutely in-love with. I don't think I've improved? I haven't written anything since then so don't expect this to be any good, honestly lmao.

This whole story is set after season 3 has ended (about a year after just about, the main character left after the events took place and has now come back after graduating at another school), I've changed everything around so nothing in in season 4 really happens, except for the boys meeting Eddie Munson. After the fight at Star-Court happens, the portal is fully shut for good and there's literally no more Upside-down things happening haha, I just want my boy Eddie Munson to be alive and happy, is that too much to ask? Anyway, the main girl (you? if you want to take it that way I guess) used to be best friends with Eddie WAY back in the day, so I'm going to play on the old 'best friends to enemies to lovers' kinda thing, this is all mainly for my own personal pleasure so uhhh yeah lol.

Also, also, I'm sorry if my writings shit, it all makes sense in my own head so I'm sorry lmao, the first chapter might not have much going on JUST yet and I'm also sorry for the long explanation of nothing, and also this small message. SORRY X100. (Now onto the actual story) - (OH as well, I'm Australian, so I'm sorry if I get things a little wrong, mom will be mum and I'll try to get things as accurate as I can in terms of towns or states)

God.

Driving back to Hawkins was giving you so much nostalgia, and most of it wasn't the good kind that you wish you could have, no instead all you can think about is what had happened before you decided that you couldn't stay here any longer and decided to pack up and continue your schooling closer to Cincinnati where your Aunt Kathy lived, at least there you knew your life wasn't at stake all the time.

You felt a wave of guilt wash over you as you remember the day you packed your car, tears building up in your eyes as your parents were trying to get you to stay and not leave them, but you couldn't tell them what was going on, your friends were always being pulled into these 'saving the world' fights with strange monsters and you just couldn't cope anymore with it all. Sure the last time you remember even fighting anything grotesque was this giant meat-monster in the middle of Star-Court with your friends Steve and Robin and some kids you only meet about a few months earlier before being crammed full of information that you still can't believe is all true, including the part where a girl can throw things around with her mind. Not like you've ever told anyone else about it, how could you? They'd probably think you're mentally ill and throw you into the looney bin.

But no, this time was different, the last portal fully closed for good, that giant meat-monster that nearly consumed you all had died and so long did so many people. Everything was finally... fixed? Or so you hoped, you hadn't heard of anything else crazy happening since you left 'if after a year nothings happened... maybe they did finally put a stop to it', you thought to yourself as you drove past streets that you've walked through ever since you were a small child. 'I don't really need anything else crazy happening to me anyway, I think I'll honestly just explode if Steve comes up to me freaking out about yet another... thing, coming out of some weird ass portal and trying to kill everyone else in Hawkins'.

You turn left onto Blackthorn Court, seeing a picturesque pale blue single-story house at the end of the small roads mini round-about. That house was your home for 12 years, 12 adventurous years where your family thought you were the happiest girl in all of Hawkins, there was so much you have never told them and probably never will 'Probably for the best hey?'. You ended up parking your car in the driveway behind your fathers car, he still had the old 1970's Ford Torino, perfect family car that looks like it has never touched asphalt before, your father always took great pride in how well kept his precious baby was.

Taking a couple of deep breathes to calm down your racing heart, you finally got out of your car and shut the door behind you and deciding to leave your bags and other belongings still in the car in case things went sour with the parentals. 'It's okay, you got this? Whats the big deal? Of course they're going to be happy to see you, I mean, you never called them while you were away but... they'll understand... right? … right?' Standing in front of the dark oak front door, you take another couple of deep shaky breathes before finally bringing your fist up and knocking quietly, "Oh- Coming! Wait right there!" shouted a familiar voice, your mother always sounded so chipper all the time, you always wondered how she could be so happy.

'Well, that went better then expected..' finally bringing in the final bag from your car to your old room, taking in the familiar sounds and smells of what used to be your own perfect little sanctuary, everything in your room was exactly as it was when you left, minus a few things that you had taken with you. Photo's of you with your friends, photo's from the school newspapers from when you were the head cheer leader to when you were also head of the artist guild winning Hawkins local art contests, you really thought that all that popularity really made you happy. "Well... guess I better start unpacking then.." you say to yourself under your breath, you still couldn't believe that you mustered up the courage to come back, maybe it would have been better if you hadn't come back at all, like it seemed like anyone really noticed, except for your parents by the looks of it.

Opening your draws and wardrobe you began unpacking, when you started putting away some boxes full of old paint suppliers on the top shelf of your wardrobe you noticed there was already a small shoe-box hidden away in its back corner. The box itself was too far away for yourself to actually grab it so you took a chair from the dining room table and brought it back to give you a boost, placing the newly acquired dusty box on your lap as you sat on your bed, 'hmm, doesn't look familiar? What would I have needed to hide away for so long?'. Opening up the small shoe-box you happen to find a mix of things, old Polaroids of you and another small boy, well, not really small by the looks of it he was still a bit taller then you, but he was young. Buzz-cut hair with a couple of small fresh cuts on his cheeks as if he was in a fight not only a couple of days earlier, smiling wide with his arm around a smaller version of you, hair in pigtails with band-aids on your arms and hands 'god I was such a little tomboy wasn't I?' you couldn't help but laugh at yourself.

Rummaging through the box some more, you come across some hand-made bracelets, tickets to the Hawkins local 4th of July fair, an old mixtape with childish writing all over it that you could hardly understand what any of it said and a small plastic ring that was threaded through a bit of string, almost like it was a small necklace. "Huh..", "I wonder why I kept all this stuff... it's been years since we were friends-", "Milly darling have you had lunch yet?" your mother startled you, standing in the middle of your door way looking at you with a smile, you couldn't help but fumble everything back in the box and closing it shut resting your right elbow on the box and your chin in your hand as if nothing suspicious was going on, "Oh, whats that you got there Mills-", "Nothing!" your mother jumping back slightly, "N-Nothing mum, uhh no I haven't had lunch what were you thinking?"

"The old Star-Court mall? They rebuilt this place? After what happened.." staring out of the passenger window as your mother tried to look for a parking spot closer to the entrance, "Oh yes, they built a small memorial plaque right near the entrance, they rebuilt maybe a month or so after the big accident- there's one!", your mother quickly drove forward and turned into a park before anyone could blink, you always knew she was the craziest driver you've ever experienced, well, kind of.

"So what?" you said exiting the vehicle and following your mother towards the gigantic building, "Everyone's just... forgotten about what happened? Forgotten about... everyone?", you softly said to her, rubbing your arm as you looked down at your feet as you both walked, "Well, no honey they didn't forget everyone, there's the plaque there" she pointed towards a small bronze sign that had the words 'Not forgotten, always remembered' in bold lettering with the names of all those who had died during the 'accident' that happened there the year prior, "wow..." you were actually lost for words for once in your life, "That's so... piss weak" you scoff, "EMILY" your mother said sternly, slapping you across the arm.

Following your mum around the giant mall was... tiring, you couldn't help but drag your feet as she tried taking you to every 'girly' clothes shop there holding up random outfits against you and going 'Oh this would look SO nice on you!' as you gave her a death stare. It's not that you don't fully LIKE the clothes, okay maybe you don't, but since leaving Hawkins you felt... more you, you didn't feel like you HAD to wear pink or 'girl' clothes or wear makeup all the time and make sure that you were this 'perfect princess' that everyone imagined you were. No, being away from it all was like you started a new life, you wore what ever you liked, started listening to old music that wasn't really to anyone's liking but your own, you could just be... you. Eventually you told your mum you wanted to look around by yourself, she reluctantly agreed, this was the first time in just over a year that you were back and she felt like she wanted to spend every moment with her daughter, "well, I guess I better do some grocery shopping while I'm here then... meet you at the car in an hour, okay?"

There wasn't really anything you wanted to look at in particular, you just wanted to get away from your mum, it was like she was smothering you and you just needed some air. 'God I hope I don't run into anyone that I know, I can't be fucked dealing with that anymore', walking past some shops with your hands in your jeans pockets looking down more-so then you are up at people, maybe having your head down will decrease the risk of anyone noticing your face?

"Milly?... Emily Jordan?" 'Oh great..' looking up from your feet you noticed a VERY familiar face, it happened to be none-other then Steve (The Hair) Harrington with his arm around a very pretty girl, one of many for Steve, "Is that really you? Wha-?" he was fully shocked, as if he had seen a ghost out of no where.

"Yeah it's... definitely been a while hey? I only got back this morning, decided that after graduation I would come back, I hadn't heard about anything... crazy... happening around Hawkins in a long time so, thought that maybe it was safe to finally come back" You and Steve sat at the busy food court of the mall, his new fling leaving a little while ago after getting board of Steve not paying attention to him, you guess he didn't notice, or care for that matter. "Oh yeah, well, nothing else HAS happened really, after the whole scenario, Jonathan, his mum, Will and El all moved to California, since then, nothings really happened. Why'd you leave though? Kinda shocked the rest of us y'know?" Steve now leaned back into his chair, "Yeah well, everything was kind of just thrown at me, I couldn't handle the pressure after everything was finished, I couldn't sleep, kept having reoccurring nightmares of that... thing, and school wasn't helping at that point, so I just... decided to leave", you slouched back into your chair as well, folding your arms across your chest, saying all that to Steve right now just made you sound so selfish all of a sudden.

After a minute or two of silence, Steve perked himself up, "Well, Robin will be happy you're back! And the guys too, Max especially, since El left she hasn't really had anyone to talk too, the boys are starting to get worried about her lately", and you could understand why, you were there when that... thing attacked a possessed Billy, killing him right before Max's eyes, the whole situation playing before you as if it happened just yesterday. "Yeah..." is all you could muster, you got up from your chair, still not making eye contact with Steve, "Look.. I've got to meet my mum back at the car... I'm back now for a while, so if you catch word of any parties or something, let me know" you finally look him in the eyes and give him a weak smile, trying to ask somewhat normal with your old friend. "You know I will" he chuckled, it always made you feel better seeing that classic Harrington smile.

"Ready to go home chicky?" your mum came strolling towards you with a cart full of food, you were leaning against the family car, only waiting a couple of minutes in the dry Hawkins summer heat before she came along. "Yeah.. think I've had enough of people around people for today" you say back to her, using your right hand to shield the sun from your eyes as you looked up at her, screwing up your face and having one eye look at her as it was still too bright. The car ride home was filled with your mum filling you in with everything that had happened the past year with your younger sister and her friends from the Hawkins Womens Club which was filled with the more elite women of Hawkins, at least your mum seemed to think so. As soon as you were back into your room you crashed on your bed, falling face first into your sheets and laying there for a couple of seconds before turning your head over to look back over at the box filled with old memories of a friend you no longer had. You wonder if they kept anything you had given them, or whether they forgot you all together.