Disintegrating the Dark

by snowflake2410

After mysterious circumstances surround her beloved father's demise, wallflower Bonnie Ramirez-Hammond resolves to find out the truth-All while looking for a missing boy, evading demogorgans, and trying to maintain a budding friendship with the local D&D "Freak". No one said coping with grief was easy, but it sure is unique.

2. Ham Sandwiches and Hopelessness

Welcome back to another chapter! I am so thankful to see all of the people who favorite and followed my story, as well as the people who reviewed! Just a couple quick notes: The dress that Bonnie wears is the same one that Lori Loughlin wears at the end of "The Night Before". We get introduced to Bonnie's mom, who I see looking like Salma Hayek. Now the relationship between Bonnie and her mother is very complex, so I hope as I continue writing that I can accurately portray that.

Big thanks to The Bluest Lips and CC097 for your reviews. I loved reading them and they motivated me to continue to write these past couple days to get the chapter out to everyone.

A super big thanks to AgentofWriting, BSPunk, MrNOOB2000 (lol I don't know why but this name cracked me up so much, I love it haha :D), Myfiya, PadfootsFooties, SteampunkElf, ZoeThe1st, angelskky, freeminds4all, lifethroughanotherseyes, redriver1311, and skycord1990 for favoriting the Disintegrating the Dark! I feel so happy to see you guys enjoying the story so far.

Another gigantic thanks to BSPunk (so cool that you both favorited and followed the story! :3), BellaLuz64, CC097 (thank you for taking the time out of your day to read, review, and follow the story!), Charkle, M3ep6, Mistress Rayven, MoonlightFlower54, MrNOOB2000, Myfiya, SteampunkElf (all three of you huge thanks for favoriting and following as well, it made my day to see you all liking the story), The Bluest Lips (just like CC097 it meant a lot to see you taking time out of your day to read, review, and follow Disintegrating the Dark. I appreciate you doing that!), XXArmageddonXX, ZoeThe1st (Another favorite-er and follower! Yay! :') ), blastedcrow, morganclaire1, redweathergirl, and skycord1990 (Another club member of the favorite/follower people! Woo-hoo! *blows celebratory kazoo*) for following the story! If you can't tell, I am really appreciative of readers liking my stories.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of the Canon characters, only Bonnie and Rosa.

T.W.: Death. Reader discretion is advised.

I eventually made my way to the trailer park, where my mom's station wagon was parked. I could see that Eddie's van was gone, so that must have meant that he was still out and about. I dismounted my bike and set it down near the front of the trailer. I grabbed my bag, and went into the house.

"Mama? You home?"

I set my bag down on the table, and collected some dirty dishes off of the counter to put in the sink. My mother appeared from the bathroom, dressed in jeans and a tied up white buttoned shirt. Her curly hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and she seemed upset.

My mother is many things, but ugly was never one of them. She had curves for days, and the most perfect pink pouty lips. Her hair, as curly as it was, was always nice, even when it was let down. Her nails were always manicured and she only ever dressed down if we were going to spend the day cleaning.

My mom was born Texas, but grew up in Los Angeles, along with her parents and two older brothers. My grandparents immigrated from Mexico years before any of them were born, but from what my Mom told me, they spent summers down there with extended family members. My parents met at a concert in Chicago, where they exchanged letters for a year before my Mom decided to move from the big city to Hawkins. My grandparents weren't thrilled about it, and it caused a huge falling out. I've only ever met my uncles, occasionally going on vacations to see them in California, but I've never met my grandparents.

"Why did you go to the restaurant? I told you to come straight back home!" She reprimanded me in Spanish. Her hands were on her hips and she walked forward. I flinched. She only ever spoke in Spanish if she was really happy or extremely angry.

Given the circumstances, I'm guessing it was the latter. I stayed silent, not knowing how to answer yet. I couldn't outright tell her that I had just helped Dad with a kid who was either a runaway or possibly kidnapped at some point. She started to tap her foot impatiently. "Well? Are you going to answer me?"

Shrugging, I said, "I couldn't get ahold of Dad beforehand, so I went there to tell him I wouldn't be able to help afterwards. I needed to get some clothes anyways, so I didn't see the problem with stopping on the way back here to tell him I couldn't go fishing today."

My mom threw her hands up in the air and gave out a frustrated sound. "Míja, a boy is missing. Who knows what happened to him, or if someone took him? It's not safe right now. I want you coming home the rest of this week." She was back to English now, her anger dying down a bit.

My jaw dropped. "Mom! This isn't L.A. where crime always happens, this is Hawkins. It's always been safe. They'll find Will soon enough, and everything is going to go back to normal. He probably just got lost in the woods and is waiting to be rescued."

Mom snapped her fingers in front of my face, a genuinely pissed off expression forming. "Hey! This is serious. I said you are not going out. Not until they find Joyce's son safe and sound. That's final, and knowing your father, he will most likely agree with me. I don't want you going over to the diner at all until all of this is resolved. It's straight to school and back home. Do I make myself clear?"

I wanted to fight her, and tell her that Sheriff Hopper was on it and would find Will soon enough. I wanted to remind her that Dad was at the diner and would drop me off after, just like always. I wanted to remind her that she leaves me alone most nights anyways, so how would that be anymore safe than being behind a grill or staying over Dad's house instead of here?

But I didn't do any of that.

I swallowed anything that came to mind, and cast my eyes upon the carpet floor of the trailer. I nodded solemnly. "Good." I heard her say. "Now, go take out the trash and then do your homework. I have to get ready. Some people are going to go search with the Byers out in the woods tonight, so I have to cover Joyce."

I wondered how that would look, considering she called out of work again today, but I remained silent. After she left the room, I went to the overflowing trash can and tied up the black plastic bag in it. I swore, sometimes my mom wouldn't clean at all during the weekend because she knew that I would be here on Monday to pick up after her.

Still, my mind was brought back to the Byers and how Will was still missing. I wanted to believe in what my father had said, that they would find Will and it would all be okay. But, the intrusive thought that something really bad might have happened to the boy I babysat, and it was a person's doing.

What if someone had kidnapped Will and was keeping him for ransom?

My stomach became knotted with anxiety and fear of the thought that a person from Hawkins could be capable of such an evil thing. My mind went even darker to the possibility that Will might not even be alive anymore.

"No."

I firmly banished that thought as quickly as it had come. Will would be found safe and sound. He just got lost, that was all. I had to remain steadfast in my belief, which was that Sheriff Hopper was gonna find the missing child safe and sound. I just needed to make sure that my hope wasn't lost.

I took the trash bag and went outside to throw it away when I saw Eddie's van pull up. His music was blaring and as he parked, he shut off the radio and stepped out of the vehicle. Taking note of me, the older boy said, "Hey, Hammond. How was the bike ride?" I set the trash bag in a metal bin and said, "It was okay, kind of relaxing." I looked up at the sky to see that it was starting to get dark out. "Hey, Eddie, is your uncle home?" I asked him.

Eddie shook his head. "No, why?"

"I don't know. My mom is kind of in a frenzy about what's happening with the Byers. I just wanted to know that you were safe if something happened."

Eddie gave out a small laugh. "I'm all good. If someone tried to break in, I can hold my own. Plus, I'm a pretty fast runner, so that's always an option."

"Alright..." My voice trailed off and I cast a downward glance.

"Hey, if you're scared, you can always come over and hang out. I'd understand why you'd be a bit frightened. " I saw Eddie's shoes come into view and looked up at him. He had a comforting look in his eyes. "It's a scary thing, whenever a kid goes missing. I think it's because of the unknown that makes it so terrifying."

"The unknown?" I asked puzzledly.

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, like the mystery of it all. You never know what had happened, if it was an accident or intentional, if foul play was a thing or not. The unknown is what makes it terrifying." He clarified for me.

Oh, so that was what he meant. It was very perceptive of him, and quite on point. At that moment, Mom came out of the house, rustling in her bag for her keys.

"Míja, I'll be back around five. Remember to lock the doo-Oh, hello." My mom looked up to see me and Eddie together. She seemed surprised, but walked on over. "Eddie. How nice to see you. How's your uncle?" She asked as she approached us. Outwardly, Mom seemed like she was making polite conversation, all with a smile plastered on her face, but the look in her eyes said otherwise. She was sizing him up to assess whether he was threat or not.

"My uncle is good. He's been working a lot lately." Eddie replied nonchalantly. Mom let out a laugh, though the laughter did not reach her eyes. "I know the struggle of that. Speaking of which, I need to get going." She turned to me. "Remember to lock the doors." She cast a sideways glance at Eddie when she said this, and then left.

She got in the car and drove away, with Eddie grinning and waving at her. As he was waving, he muttered out of the side of his mouth, "Your mom doesn't like me, huh?" Once the car was out of view, he put his hand down and quirked an eyebrow at me.

My eyes widened. "No, that's not it. It's not you, it's the people in this town." I sighed. "She's stuck here. I think she just hates most of Hawkins."

"Oh..." Eddie's voice trailed off, before he asked, "So, why does she stay here?" I grimaced and scratched the back of my head. "Partly because she doesn't talk to her family anymore, aside from her brothers, so there really is nowhere else for her to go." I went and sat down on the step in front of the entrance to my mother's trailer. I scooched over and Eddie sat beside me. "Mostly, I believe she stays here because of me. My Dad has joint custody, and I think she knows that if I were to leave Hawkins, I would be miserable." Eddie's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Are you saying that you don't want to leave Hawkins?"

I shook my head. "No. Maybe except for college, I don't see the point in leaving."

Eddie's jaw dropped in shock. "How the hell do you not want to leave here? It's a dead end town! I assumed everybody who was under the age of twenty-one wanted to get away from this place." He seemed completely flabbergasted at the thought of someone so young wanting to stay here.

"I don't see it that way." I told him. "Well, how?" He ran his fingers through his hair, still looking completely shocked.

"How what?" I was confused. What did he mean? "How", Eddie inquired, "does a bright young person, such as yourself, want to stay in a town where nothing ever happens? Don't you want to see the world and go on adventures?"

"Who's to say adventures can't happen here?" I sighed and tilted my head to gaze at the older boy who sat next me. "I never had the desire to leave home. To me, Hawkins is more than enough. I don't see it as some wastoid town where you go to grow old and die."

"How do you see it?

"As a gift." I explained. Eddie didn't seem to understand what I meant, so I elaborated.

"It's a gift because nowhere else in the world are you gonna find the peace that you find in Hawkins. From the trees that whisper in the wind, to the lake that flourishes with life, all things here contribute to the peace that's been embedded. A life in a town where people know each other and care about one another is special on it's own. I mean, obviously not everybody, but most people here care about each other. Not everyone craves to go to the city. Some people crave the mountains, and that's good too."

Eddie sat silently and contemplated for a moment. Finally, he let out a breath and said, "You're really deep, you know that?"

I felt my face get hot and I waved my hands in front of me. "I don't know about that! I just really like it here, that's all!" My cheeks were probably as red as a tomato, and Eddie chuckled at my face.

He tussled my hair and stood up. "You're funny, Hammond. I'll see you later." He started to walk over to his trailer when he stopped as he partially opened his front door, saying, "Oh, and I meant it. If you feel unsafe for any reason, you can come on over." The door shut quietly and I was left sitting on the stoop.

I knew my opinion about Hawkins differed vastly from most of my classmates. Nearly everyone I knew that was my age was gunning to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. Eddie was no different. He probably had dreams, like so many others, to live a big life in a giant city.

Me?

I preferred the quiet isolation of Hawkins. Plus, the family restaurant was here. The only time I planned to leave was to attend college, but even that was up for debate. I was constantly at war with myself, deciding if I actually wanted to go or not. In my opinion, the best way to learn to operate a kitchen was to get hands on experience.

Yet, my Dad wanted me to go and have the college experience he never did, and Mom wasn't able to finish her degree because she got married and pregnant with me early on, so the only reason I was even aiming to go was for them.

I went inside and started to wash the dishes. They had piled up over the weekend. Usually there was only this much when somebody else was over. I rolled my eyes.

Ever since the divorce, my mother has gone through so many boyfriends. I feel like at the beginning it was just her trying to get Dad jealous, but now it's purely habit. She's dated pretty much every available affluent bachelor from here to Indianapolis. They never stick around long when they A.) discover she lives in a double wide in a janky trailer park and B.) realizes that she has a kid. Doesn't stop her from trying though.

I've never related to Mom on this front. Here was my mother, an admittedly great beauty, bagging guys left and right. Meanwhile, I was more preoccupied with school and cookbooks. To be honest, I would love to date someone. Someone kind, handsome, and honest. Someone who was attracted to me as much as I would be to them. But like I previously explained, no guy here has ever caught my attention. While most girls here my age had already gone through at least two boyfriends, I had never been kissed.

Though, there was a time when that almost happened, but it was shut down quick enough.

I was thirteen and in the eighth grade. It was during winter break, and I was babysitting Will, when he decided to take a nap since he had gotten up so early to help make gingerbread cookies. He was still pretty small then, so he got tired out easier back then. Lonnie was off doing who knows what, with who knows whom, and Joyce was working an extra shift to help out with the holiday rush. I had just taken out some gingerbread cookies from the oven, when Jonathan Byers came in the kitchen. He was gone most of that morning on a paper route and had just returned.

I remember he just stood there in the kitchen, looking at me. He had a determined facial expression, like he was working up the courage for something. That's when he came up to me and said, "Hey, Bonnie. Can I give you a Christmas present?"

I was taken aback. I had never received a present from him before, and I hadn't gotten him anything either.

"Ummm, sure. I guess that would be okay." I said.

His eyes widened and then he got really nervous. But he bunched up his hands into fists and walked right over. Jonathan stood in front of me and asked me in his usual quiet voice, "I want to kiss you. Can I kiss you?"

I'm sure my eyes popped out of my skull. "Ummm...maybe...?" I didn't know how to answer that! I didn't even have the time to really construct a coherent thought about whether or not if this was a bad idea before Jonathan started to lean into me.

I decided at that moment, despite my mortification, that I was never going to get an opportunity to kiss a boy again, so I might as well take it while it was presented to me. I closed my eyes and leaned forward as well, my head very close to Jonathan's...

Suddenly, there was a loud clattering sound and along with Jonathan crying out in pain.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

I opened my eyes to see that while leaning forward to kiss me, Jonathan put his hand on the counter, and accidentally set it on the gingerbread tray that I had just taken out of the oven. He ended up knocking it off the counter, his hand burned a bright red from metal tray.

I took the incident as a sign that, yes, this was indeed a very bad idea. Moment ruined, I helped bandage Jonathan's hand and had to spend the rest of the day watching over Will who had woken up from all the noise. Jonathan couldn't make eye contact with me for several months after that moment, until we were able to eventually talk about it and clear the air.

As it turned out, I was right. I was never presented with another opportunity to kiss someone else again. But, I digress. It would be so nice to find someone, one day.

I finished the dishes and went to my room to start doing my homework. I hated my room here. It was all wood paneling, with a secondhand mattress Mom and I got from a yard sale. It was always extremely hot or extremely cold. The window was slightly cracked, and it was stuck shut, so no fresh air would be able to get in. There wasn't a closet, only a tiny set of mismatched drawers. Not to mention the room itself was small to the point where my mattress touched each side of wall.

I sat on my bed and did my homework, eventually turning in for the night. That night, unbeknownst to me, would be the last night of peaceful sleep I would be able to get for a very long time.

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I woke up to my alarm, which I shut off quickly as to not wake Mom. I stretched and got out of bed, making my way to the bathroom where I took a quick shower (mostly due to the hot water in there only lasting less than ten minutes).

After getting clean, I laid out my clothing options. I ended up settling on a yellow mid-length dress and my acid washed denim jacket. I grabbed a white scrunchie and pulled my hair back into a ponytail, letting only a couple of strands out to frame my face. After putting on my socks and sneakers, I went to the kitchen and made a lunch that consisted of a ham sandwich, potato chips, veggie sticks, and Twinkies.

After putting the lunch in my blue backpack, I left the house. I checked the watch on my wrist to see that I was good on time, and grabbed my bicycle. Glancing over at the Munson's trailer, I saw that Eddie was still home, most likely asleep or just barely getting up.

Before riding off, I put my bag in the crate that was mounted on the front of my bike, and put on my headphones, listening to my music. This morning was Hall and Oates, their song Kiss On My List keeping me entertained as I rode through the streets towards the school.

I liked starting my day with more upbeat songs, because I felt that if I was in a good mood from the beginning of the day, the rest of it would be just as great.

A few songs later, the school parking lot came into view, and I saw the bike racks up front. I went over and parked my bike, getting a good spot under one of the outdoor halls leading to an entrance since I got there earlier. Sure enough, as I had finished locking up my bike, more and more students started to arrive and the bike rack spots next to me quickly filled up. I grabbed my backpack and started to head for my locker, when I saw Jonathan's car pull up.

I made a beeline for him as he got out of his car. He seemed completely down, as he understandably should have been, he eyes filled with tiredness and stress. His clothes (a denim Sherpa jacket, brown shirt, and jeans) looked rumpled, like he was up all night in them, which he probably was.

Jonathan saw me approaching him, and before he could even have a chance to speak, I put my arms around him and enveloped him in a hug. He stiffened, because the last time I gave him a hug was when I found out his dad had left Joyce and decided he was better off being a bachelor in Indianapolis than a family man in Hawkins.

Slowly, he relaxed and let me hug him, with him putting one arm around me. I let him go and felt the worry and sorrow he must have been going through. Softly, I said, "I am so sorry about what's happening. I just want you to know that I am thinking about your family, and that I have every hope in the world that Will be found safely soon enough."

Jonathan blinked and then looked away, mumbling, "Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment." He stood there staring at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Quickly, I took my backpack off and unzipped it. I took out the paper bag to hand him the lunch I made. I held it out to him. "Here." I motioned for him to take it.

Jonathan looked up at me as he did, asking me, "What is this?" His eyebrows were scrunched together, and he held the brown paper bag not knowing what to do with it.

"I assumed you would be busy taking care of your mom during this time", I explained while putting my backpack back on, "and that you probably weren't taking care of yourself. So, I made you lunch. It's not much, but I did put Twinkies in there! I remembered you once said they were you favorite, so I made sure to put some in."

Jonathan's face went soft and he seemed lost for words. "I...this is..." He struggled to get the words out and then he gave me a rare small smile and said, "Thank you, Bonnie. This means a lot to me." I smiled back and said, "I just know that if it was me and my family who were going through a hard time, something small could go a long way." He put the lunch in his school bag, making sure nothing was crushing it.

He started to walk inside and I walked with him. I talked to Jonathan as he quietly listened to me. "My mom isn't letting me out of the house until Will is found safe and sound, but if there's anything I can do for you and your family, please let me know. You guys have been nothing but good to me."

"That's nice of you, but-" Jonathan stopped talking and then started to rummage in his bag, taking out a stack of flyers. "There is actually something you can do!" His eyes and voice were filled with hope for a moment.

"Can you give this to your father? The more flyers we're able to get out, the more awareness we can spread. Please." He pleaded with me.

Jonathan's hand was shaking a bit as he held out a flyer to me. I put my hand on his to stop it from shaking so much. "Why don't you give me a couple?" I told him as I took the flyer from his hand. "That way we can put some in the bathrooms of the restaurant as well, so people who go in there can see the flyers in case they missed the one on the pinboard."

Jonathan's eyes lit up at the idea and said, "Yeah, that sounds great. Thank you so much!" He handed me a couple more. I took out my binder for English class from my bag, and put them in the pocket so they'd be safe and unwrinkled. I looked at my watch. "Hey, we have a bit before class starts. Why don't I help you put up some flyers here on campus?"

Jonathan nodded, and we entered into the office to give them some flyers. Afterwards, we went to the boys and girls indoor restrooms respectively to put some there. We also put some in the bathrooms that were outside as well, and after we had completed that, we entered into the main hall.

Jonathan handed me the stack and I held them as he took one and started to tack it on the board. That's when I heard the snickering. I turned my head and saw Steve Harrington and his gang of lackeys looking over at us, smirking and snorting. I saw that he also had two newcomers, Nancy Wheeler and Barbara Holland.

I liked Barbara, she was nice and would often pair with me in classes if she didn't have Nancy there. Nancy was okay too, a bit uptight, but I knew me saying that was essentially the pot calling the kettle black. It was surprising to see girls like them hang out with somebody like Steve. I guess not everyone was immune to his charm.

I glanced to Carol and Tommy, Steve's best friends. I didn't like them. Judging by what I overheard in the classes that I had with them, they were always talking about other people as if they were better than them. Carol was always telling some outrageous lie about anyone and everyone, and Tommy constantly talked about sex and whatever Steve was up to. I swear, Tommy was obsessed with him.

Steve himself was harmless enough. I mean, he was never outrightly mean to me, though he did give backhanded compliments sometimes. He was definitely one of the ones who was always inviting me out to his gatherings, followed up by his classic Harrington smile, with him usually saying something along the lines of, "Oh, and can you hook us up with some food? That'd be great." You'd think after the last half dozen times of me turning down his offers, he would get the hint and stop inviting me to his parties.

But no.

That boy was as oblivious as they came.

Watching their group, I saw that they weren't necessarily staring at me, but at Jonathan. Tommy had said something, and Steve lightly shoved him.

That's when Nancy approached us. I nudged Jonathan and he looked up as she came to where we stood. "Hey, Nancy." I said not knowing what else to do. She gave me a kind look and said, "Hi, Bonnie. Cute dress."

"Oh thanks." I blushed. I wasn't used to compliments from other people.

Nancy turned her attention to Jonathan. "Hey." Jonathan seemed surprised and stuttered, "Oh, h-hey."

Nancy held her books close to her chest as she kept her focus on Jonathan. "I just, um.. I wanted to say, you know, that I'm sorry about everything." She turned to her group where Steve, Barbara, Carol, and Tommy were all looking back at us awkwardly. Tommy even gave us a half-hearted wave.

Nancy turned back to Jonathan. "Everyone's thinking about you." Jonathan looked down and gave a slight nod of his head. "It sucks ." Nancy added as she saw him. He looked up at Nancy again "Yeah." He agreed.

"I'm sure he's fine. He's a smart kid." Nancy reassured Jonathan. I knew that having those words said to him must have meant a lot.

Suddenly, the bell rang for class. I gave a sympathetic look to Jonathan, handing the stack of paper back to him. "Here's the rest of the flyers. Maybe we can put some more up later, okay?"

"Yeah, maybe." Jonathan said as he took them from me to put back in his bag. Nancy's eyes shifted from me to him before she continued, "I have to go. Chemistry test." She walked back to her group, though not before saying "Good luck".

"Thanks." Jonathan's voice was soft. He turned to me and said, "I'll see you later, Bonnie." He ended up leaving the doors to go outside. Thinking nothing of it, I walked to class, though not before hearing the announcement that there was to be an assembly for Will that night in support of the Byers and that they were having sign ups for the search parties to look for him.

Once hearing that, I desperately wanted to go to the assembly or go to help the search parties. Especially the search party. Nobody knew those woods better than me, but I also know that Mom had most likely already gotten ahold of Dad and told him that she didn't want me out, to which he would agree to.

Speaking of him, I never got a call last night, the one that he told me he would make once the cops or social services came to collect that girl from the restaurant. It was weird. He always made good on whatever he said he was going to do. Maybe it was just a stressful situation and he wouldn't have had time to call me. The whole thing felt off, but as I took out my binder to go to first period English, I remembered the flyers.

Yes, I know. Mom told me to go straight to school, and then back home again. But this was to help Will's family, and posting the flyers at the restaurant would only take a second. I'm sure if I explained it to her, she wouldn't be mad.

On second thought, she definitely would be. Once her mind was set on something, my mother was relentless. But I did tell Jonathan only moments before that I would help, and I wanted to do my part in assisting his family if I wasn't able to go on the search parties or attend the assembly.

I went to class and sat down at the desk I usually sat at. Just as Peter Mchew was about to sit down next to me, the King of Hawkins High himself, Steve Harrington, took the seat.

"Sorry, Peter. Gonna have to sit elsewhere." Steve said, flashing the ginger a grin. The tall lanky boy rolled his eyes and walked to the front of the class. As I was taking out my notes, Steve leaned over and whispered, "Hey, Bonnie. Is it true?"

I turned my head towards him and scrunched my eyebrows together. "Is what true?"

"You and Byers dating."

I leaned away from him and my jaw dropped. "What the- No!" My voice was a bit louder than expected and a couple of my classmates looked at me. I felt my cheeks heating up and stared at my desk.

I heard Steve chuckle and then he said, "I knew it wasn't. Thought it would be funny to see your reaction though."

I rolled my eyes. "Wait, where did you hear this from."

"Carol." He grinned. I grimaced. Of course it was Carol. Any bad rumor at this school usually had Carol's name written all over it. "Why would she say something like that?" I asked him.

Steve shrugged, taking out his textbook. "Don't know. Something about you hugging Byers in the parking lot and holding his hand."

"It wasn't like that!" I replied hotly. Steve raised an eyebrow. "Oh no?"

I shook my head. "No! Not that you warrant an explanation, but I babysit Will Byers. I'm just as worried about him as his family is. I hugged Jonathan because frankly, he needed one." Steve snorted. "Yeah, okay."

"We should all be a bit more compassionate, Steven." I shot at him. Steve ran his hands through his hair and pointed to himself. "Hey, I'll have you know that I'm a very compassionate individual."

I took out my textbook and placed it on my desk. "Yeah, I'm sure you're a complete humanitarian." The sarcasm was dripping heavily from my voice.

"So, you weren't holding hands?" asked Steve, his eyes boring into mine.

"No." I stated firmly. I knew it was technically a lie, but I wasn't going to tell Steve Harrington out of all people that I held Jonathan Byers' hand for a second to stop it from shaking. It's not like he'd believe that explanation anyways.

I opened my binder and took out the flyers Jonathan gave me. "He was giving me these to put up at the restaurant, not that you'd give a damn." Steve held his hands up in surrender.

"Easy, girl. No need to get so defensive."

I tucked the flyers back in the pocket of the binder, asking him, "Why do you care so much anyways?"

Steve pushed up the sleeves of his green sweater to his elbows and clasped his hands together. "Because, I want you to come to this small gathering I'm having tonight. Byers is kind of a creep, and if you were dating him, I wouldn't want you to bring him around my house, you know?"

My jaw dropped. "Now hold on-"

"Besides", Steve continued not caring that he interrupted me, "I think you're cool, Bonnie. A bit quiet, and pretty lonely, which can come off a bit sad, but you're cool nonetheless. You shouldn't be associating with people that give off the skeevies, right? Anyways, I'd like for you to come tonight. Bring some food from the diner and chill out with us. I think you'll come to find that we're really good company." Steve flashed me a toothy grin.

I was astounded the audacious arrogance of this guy. First, he accused me of dating Jonathan. Then, he called him creepy. Lastly, he proceeded to give me a backhanded compliment, demand I bring food, and give himself and his posse undeserved glowing reviews.

I was about to tell him that, no, I wouldn't be able to go because I couldn't leave my mom's trailer and that I already had plans that night. But then, I got the most brilliant idea.

Letting out a deep breath, I turned to Steve and put on the warmest smile I could muster. "You know what? I could use a night out. I'd love to come."

Steve's eyebrows shot up to his hairline and his mouth opened up into a perfect "O". "Really? You'd actually come?"

I nodded, my fake smile remaining. "Yeah. You're totally right about all that stuff." I took out a blank sheet of paper from my binder and held it out to him. "Why don't you put down your address and whatever you want to order from the restaurant. I'll call my Dad after school and he'll get started on the orders! On the house of course."

Steve's face lit up. "Yeah, that sounds amazing. Thanks!" He started to write down everything, and I had to hold in my own laughter. Poor Steve. He was gonna go hungry tonight, and he had no one to blame but himself.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

By the time lunch came around, I tried to look for Jonathan, but I was told by someone that they saw him leave before first period. I decided to go to the payphones to call Dad. I wanted to know what had happened last night, but when I dialed, he didn't pick up. It only rang. I called a second time-same thing. I tried to justify it. I mean, it was lunchtime, so maybe the diner got swamped with people today. Maybe all of the search parties that were out right now decided to stop there for lunch.

But even then, my Dad always picked up the phone, if only for a brief moment to explain that he wasn't able to talk and would give me a better time to call him.

I shoved my worry down. It was fine. He was most likely busy.

"Hey, Hammond!" I turned to see Eddie coming up to me. Today he was wearing his Hellfire club shirt, rather than a band tee. He gave me a wide smile and said, "We still on for tonight?"

Perking up from the worry I just felt, I nodded. "Yeah. I'll get the snacks tonight if you get the movies." "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!"

Eddie snapped his fingers. "Why don't I give you a ride after school? We can stop at the video store, then at the gas station for snacks."

I scratched my head contemplating it. "Huh...that sounds like a good idea, but I have to stop at the diner for a moment after school."

Eddie's face fell a bit, and he looked disheartened. "Oh, do you have to work?"

I shook my head. "No, but Jonathan Byers gave me some flyers for his brother...I wanted to put them up today." Eddie's brown eyes went soft as he said, "Well that's really nice of you."

"Nah", I denied as I started to walk to the cafeteria, "I just want to do my part, you know? I babysit Will and it's really scary to see what's going on."

"Hey." Eddie grabbed my left shoulder, stopping me from proceeding forward. "If you don't want to hang out tonight, I'd get it. I'd totally understand if you wanted to join one of the search parties or go to the assembly."

I felt my heart fall a bit. I would have liked nothing more, but knowing my mother, the answer would be a hard 'no'. I slowly took Eddie's hand off of my shoulder. "No, I'm good. I've already explained to Jonathan I'm not allowed to go out at the moment. I decided to help put up flyers instead. It's not much, but at least it's helping."

Eddie scratched his chin, thinking about something. Then, you could see a light bulb going off in his head. "I'll drive you to the restaurant after work, you can pop in and out. Then after, we'll go to the video store and the gas station. Sound good?"

"Sounds great!" As we came upon the entrance of the cafeteria, Eddie stuck out his arm and did a little bow. "After you, M'lady." I giggled and said, "Why thank you, Dear Sir!" in the worst British accent I could muster up.

We went to stand in the lunch line. "Hey, so I was wondering, after you're not on house arrest anymore, if you'd like to come to a DnD night with me and the rest of the Hellfire Club?"

Eddie grabbed two trays, handing one to me. Grabbing a pair of tongs to get some salad, I said, "I don't know how to play DnD. Won't I just drag down the group?"

Eddie laughed as he grabbed a piece of meatloaf. "Jesus Christ they make this shit more inedible by the day." Looking up, he saw one of the lunch ladies glaring at him for his comment, and he winced. "Sorry, Peggy."

Eddie turned to me and replied, "We've all got to start somewhere, right? Besides, I think you'd have fun with it. You can make up your own character and go on wild adventures."

I bit my lip and thought about it. I had never been interested in playing Dungeons and Dragons before. It just wasn't appealing to me. But I did tell Dad I would try to hang out with people my own age more, and here was this nice guy who genuinely wanted me to spend time with him and his club playing a harmless make-believe fantasy game, which could possibly lead to more friends. It was better than what Steve Harrington proposed- a night of debauchery with Carol and Tommy out of all people.

I nodded and grabbed a piece of meatloaf, followed by a bread roll. "Sure, what the hell? I obviously can't play every night, but I don't see the harm in a 'once-a-week' thing." Eddie fist pumped and yelled out, "YES!" He gave a five dollar bill to the lunch lady at the cashier stand and winked at her. "Keep the change, sweet cheeks."

I gave her some money as well. "Sorry about him. I just told him I'd join his club."

Eddie nudged me with his elbow and we went over to the table as he yelled out excitedly, "WE GOT HAMMOND, PEOPLE!" The group of boys looked at me for a silent moment, before they all started to whooping and hollering, causing the whole cafeteria to look at us.

"Hell yeah! Welcome to Hellfire!"

"Our first girl! Awesome!"

"I knew something was up when she sat down yesterday!"

"Welcome to the club, Bonnie! I didn't know that you played DnD!"

All of their voices were very loud and overlapping one another. From the corner of my eye, I could see Steve Harrington giving me a disapproving look from his table as Carol and Tommy snickered at me. Meanwhile, Nancy and Barbara didn't look in my direction at all, either because they didn't care or they didn't want me to see their judgements. I was so red from the attention, I'm sure any random person could have easily mistaken me for a stop sign.

"Now, now, Gentlemen", Eddie stated as he sat down, with one of the boys scooching down so I could sit next to the club leader, "Bonnie is quite new to the game, but in time I'm sure she'll make an invaluable addition to our club. We'll have to be patient and teach her the ins and outs. Is that clear?" He raised an eyebrow at everyone at the table and they all nodded to varying degrees.

Eddie sat back triumphantly and said, "Good." As they began to talk, I could still feel the silent judgmental stares of Steve Harrington's posse...but I didn't care. I knew making any sort of friends was important, and Steve Harrrington would never be my friend as far as I was concerned. I smiled to myself at the thought of having a place I belonged, taking a bite out of my less than stellar meatloaf.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The day flew by and soon enough we were let out of school. I made it my mission for the rest of the school day to avoid Steve Harrington and whatever nasty retort he had to say to me joining the Hellfire Club.

I went to my locker and put my textbooks in, when Barbara came up to me. She looked nice that day, in a pink sweater that complimented her red hair perfectly.

"Hi, Bonnie." She gave me a small smile. "Hey, Barbara. Did you need something?"

She gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I was gonna ask you what that scene was in the cafeteria today. I've never seen you sit with Eddie Munson and his group before."

I quirked an eyebrow up at the younger girl and stopped putting books in my locker. "Why are you so curious about what I do with Eddie Munson?"

Her eyes widened and she said, "Don't think I'm judging you! I'm not." Barbara adjusted her glasses and gave me a kind smile. "I think it's cool that you're spending time with others. You always seemed to be a bit lonely, so it's nice to see you with some new friends."

I was taken aback by Barbara's compliment. It came out of nowhere, but upon searching her face for any signs of deception, I couldn't see any.

"Thanks..." I said cautiously, putting putting the rest of my books in my locker. I shut it and turned my full body towards hers.

"So, are you gonna go to the gathering at Steve's tonight?" She asked me. I didn't want to lie to Barbara, so I decided to choose my words carefully. I didn't want to tell her outright that I wouldn't be going (in case she told the others), so I replied, "Well, Steve's invited me to his place tonight. He gave me a list of food items to order from my Dad's restaurant. I'm on my way there now."

It wasn't technically a lie-more like the omission of truth. Steve did invite me to his gathering, I was given a list of foods, and I was going to my Dad's right now. All of these things were indeed factual. However, I never said that I was going to the restaurant to pick up food for him.

Barbara's face lit up and she said, "Cool. Sounds great!" She looked at her watch, then said, "I have to get going. Maybe I'll see you soon." I waved goodbye to her and made my way to the bike rack and unlocked my bicycle. I walked to the parking lot, where Eddie was leaning up against his van, smoking a cigarette. He saw me and flicked it to the ground, crushing the butt under his boot.

"You ready to go?" I nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't ask earlier, but can I put my bike in your van? I don't want to leave it at the school overnight."

"Sure thing! I got enough room in the back." He took the bike from me and wheeled it to the back. "I got this. Why don't you go sit down?"

"Okay." Eddie opened the back doors of his van as I went up the passenger seat. I knew he probably had some stuff back there he didn't want me to see, not that I was eager to anyways. I buckled up as I heard the back shut. Eddie jogged up to the driver's seat and got in, hurriedly starting the automobile.

He was backing out of the parking lot when he asked me, "So, what music do you like?"

I fiddled with my fingers. "I guess I like a bit of everything. I have cassettes from the Everly Brothers and Otis Redding, to music by Metallica and Led Zeppelin. I guess it just depends on what I'm in the mood for. Why do you ask?"

Eddie scratched the back of his head, as he drove on the road going towards the restaurant. "Well, I have a band."

A distant memory popped up of Eddie playing at a talent show one year, and I grinned. "Yeah! I remember Corroded Coffin. That's cool you're still playing with them!"

Eddie seemed surprised as he quickly looked over at me. "You remembered my band?" I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's not everyday that a school in Hawkins has a rock concert put on by a student."

Eddie laughed and said, "Well, yeah. That's true. Anyways, once you're done with house arrest, maybe one of these nights you can come see us play. It'd be nice to have a familiar face in the crowd cheering us on."

"You guys get a crowd?!"

Eddie turned the wheel, sheepishly saying, "Well, not a crowd per say...more like a small group of really wasted people."

I giggled. "Maybe. It sounds fun. I've never been to an actual rock concert before, so it could be a nice experience."

Eddie looked incredulously at me. "YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO A ROCK CONCERT?!"

I shook my head no.

"WHAT?! OH MY GOD!"

Blushing, I said ,"Well, does the talent show count?"

"Well, obviously it does, but you haven't seen any big band live? Like I'm talking Iron Maiden here!" Eddie questioned me.

"No, but my Dad did take me to see Cilla Black in person a couple years ago. That was lovely."

"Cilla Who?" Eddie stopped the car at a sign and then proceeded to drive forward.

"Cilla Black", I explained rustling through my blue backpack for her cassette, "she's a singer who was really popular in the sixties." Finally finding the one I wanted, I pulled it out and showed it to him. "She wrote one of my favorite songs."

Eddie took the cassette from me and chuckled. "Well, this I gotta see." Keeping a hand on the wheel, he took out the tape and put it into the player. "Which track is your favorite?" He asked me, handing back the case. I put the hard plastic case back in my bag answering, "Track 8."

He skipped to that track and the music came out from the car's speakers. The loud violin started to play, and I rolled down the window to Eddie's van, crossing my arms on the frame and laying my head down. I closed my eyes and listened to to the British singer's voice croon out the first words as wind blew threw my hair.

"You're my world, you're every breath I take

You're my world, you're every move I make

Other eyes see the stars up in the skies,

but for me they shine within your eyes."

"Jesus, you really like old people music, huh?" I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Old people? This was our parent's generation." I told him. Eddie started to laugh, looking like he was gonna say something when he face dropped into a serious expression and said, "Oh shit."

"Huh?" I sat up and stared straight ahead to see that he was pulling into the restaurant parking lot where there was a whole host of emergency vehicles. There were cop cars, ambulances, even fire trucks.

"As the trees reach for the sun above

So my arms reach out to you for love

With your hand resting in mine,

I feel a power so divine"

I felt the world stop and my heart fall out of my chest. Without even letting Eddie properly stop the car, I unbuckled myself, opened the door, and jumped out of the moving vehicle.

"Bonnie, what the hell?! Stop!" I heard Eddie call out. Ignoring him, I ran up to the restaurant. "Please", I heard myself saying out loud, "please be okay. Don't let this be the reason you didn't answer."

"You're my world you are my night and day

You're my world you're every prayer I pray"

Just as I was about to reach the door, a paramedic stopped me. He held out his arms.

"Miss, you can't go in there." The man's voice was firm, and if it had been under normal circumstances, I would have obliged out of respect and even fear, but at that moment, I didn't give a damn. I had to make sure my father was okay.

"If our love ceases to be"

I shoved him aside, determined to get inside. I heard the man say "Hey! Somebody grab her."

I felt strong arms wrap around my waist as a fireman pulled me back from the building. "Kid, this is a crime scene investigation. You can't be in there."

"That is the end of my world for me."

A crime scene? Oh God...please no...my chest further constricted and I thrashed harder in the man's arms. "LET ME GO! MY DAD IS IN THERE!" The fireman didn't listen and dragged me back to where Eddie's van was. "I don't care, you can't be here!" The van was still running, the Cilla Black cassette still playing.

"Hey!" Eddie's voice sounded angry as he came to fireman. "Man, what are you doing?! Get your hands off her!" I turned to the side to see Eddie approaching us. "This is her family's restaurant."

The fireman didn't relent his hold on me, despite my kicks and punches. His grip was steel.

"With your hand resting in mine

I feel a power so divine"

"She said to let her go!" Eddie's voice was raised higher as he got angrier. "I'm sorry, but like I said, you kids shouldn't be here." The fireman replied.

"Phillip, let her go." I stopped fighting the man as I saw Sheriff Hopper approach us. He seemed very remorseful, and he took off his hat, holding it to his chest. The fireman let me go, and stood there as the Chief of Police came up to me.

"Bonnie...I...I'm so sorry." was all he could muster out. That was the moment time stood still, the only thing registering to me was the music still blaring from Eddie's van.

"You're my world you are my night and day

You're my world you're every prayer I pray"

"Wha-what?" I backed away from Sheriff Hopper and shook my head. "Wh-why are you apologizing to me? Where's my Dad?I want my Dad!"

For the first time in my life, the Sheriff looked at Sheriff looked at lost for words. He looked as if he would have rather of been anywhere else in the world than where he currently was. He couldn't look me in the eyes as he worded his next sentences gently. "A patron found your father when they realized the restaurant wasn't open. When we got here, we assessed the situation...He's gone, Bonnie. I'm so sorry."

"If our love ceases to be"

No, no, no. NO! My Dad was healthy and happy. He was going fishing on Sunday, and wouldn't leave me here alone... He wouldn't be that selfish. "YOU'RE A LIAR! MY DAD IS OKAY! HE'S FINE!" The Sheriff was startled by my outburst. I had never spoken like this to him before. "Bonnie", the Sheriff said cautiously, "I know this is hard, but-"

I didn't let him finish as I dashed past him to go into the diner. "Daddy!" I called out. "Daddy answer me!" I didn't here his voice, that comforting voice that would tell me it was going to be okay... No, there was no way he could be gone. My father was the strongest person I knew. He was the most trusted person in my life and the most selfless man I knew. He wouldn't leave me alone. I needed him and he knew that.

"That is the end of my world"

I dodged the cops, and that fireman named Phillip as they all tried to grab me, when I was knocked to the gravel. I sat up and tried to move forward, but couldn't. I felt Eddie's rings dig into me as he tried to tighten his grip.

"Holy fuck!" He struggled to keep me down, holding me from behind as his arms wrapped around my own. "Hammond, don't go in there. Whatever's there, you shouldn't see." Eddie held me to the ground as the doors to the restaurant opened and the paramedics wheeled out a covered body on the gurney.

My eyes widened and stung with tears as I clawed the ground to get to them. Why were they taking him away from me? He was fine! "NO! EDDIE LET ME GO!"

Eddie held on as tight as he could softly saying, "He's gone, Bonnie." I felt my resolve to fight weaken as I saw the paramedics put the gurney in an ambulance. I shook my head. "No, not him! Not Daddy...Please not him."

"End of my world"

My whole world collapsed and I let out a scream. "PLEASE DON'T TAKE HIM AWAY! PLEASE!" The tears had began flowing down my face as I started to sob. The Sheriff knelt down besides me and Eddie. "Bonnie, you have to go home now." He said gently. I shook my head. "Yes, you do. I'll call your mom, but you can't be here. I'll stop by later, okay?"

I looked up at him with watery eyes. "Please, I just want my Dad. Please, I'll never ask for anything ever again. Please!"

The Sheriff looked at me with sad eyes, and he did something that surprised the both of us. He took me in his arms and let me cry. I couldn't stop the tears streaming down as I sobbed into his shirt.

My Dad wouldn't leave me. He wouldn't leave me. There was no way he could.

As I sat there and cried into the shirt of my father's friend, the last notes of Cilla Black's song echoed into the void that was now my world, filling it with an obscure melodious sorrow.

"End of my world for me".

And that was chapter two! Let me know what you guys think! I was so anxious to do this chapter, because I knew it had to be done early on in the story. It still didn't hurt any less.