Chapter 2
Mike, Lucas, Will and Dustin were all huddled up on a circular wooden desk down at Mike's basement, all desperately waiting for Mike to tell them who was coming to attack their village in their little game of Dungeons and Dragons.
Dustin was bumping his fist on the table, eager for Mike to spill.
"Boom.. Boom... BOOM!" Mike expressed "He launched towards to city, big feet thumping through the land..." he drawled.
Will, Lucas and Dustin were held at the tip of their toes, wide eyed at the edge of their seats, impatiently waiting. Mike loved to let them endure the suspense, he smirked. Will blinked toward the other two, observing to see if they were distracted enough to have him peek at their cards. Mike saw this and nodded subtly at him to go on.
Upstairs, Karen was on the phone with her mother carrying Holly on her right hand as she tried to cook her family fettuccini. She tucked her cellular in between her shoulders and her cheeks and spoke,
"Yes mom, I know, she always does this! Well I wou-"
The front door opened and slammed shut, revealing Krystal, without a care in the world walking past her mother on her way to her room. Karen huffed and dropped the wooden spoon on the pot.
"I gotta go mom," Karen hung up, sat Holly down on her high chair securely before going after Krystal.
"Krystal! Where have you been?! I've called everyone we know trying to look for you! Do you have any idea what time it is??" she yelled, though Krystal didn't seem bothered enough.
"I was with friends, big deal," she replied.
"It's a big deal that you're over 4 hours late!"
"Okay! I was at the mall! Is that too provocative for you??" Krystal snapped, throwing her hands up in the air.
"It's not provocative! It's irresponsible! I'll let you go to the mall with your friends but tell me where you're going, who you're with and what time you're coming home!" Karen said.
Krystal rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk up the stairs.
"Krystal Nicole Wheeler!!" Karen yelled at the top of her lungs. "Things could happen to you that I wouldn't know of! That's why you need to call me!"
"No! I don't need to call you! You want me to call you!"
"Don't raise your voice at me! I am your mother!"
"Oh now you're playing the mother card??"
Down at the basement, everyone paused to hear what was happening. It wasn't rare for Krystal and Karen to be fighting and for the boys to be sticking their ears through the wooden doors.
"I have always been playing the mother card! Get back down here and sit down!" Karen demanded.
"No! I'm going upstairs to take a shower and then I'm gonna sleep! And you're gonna be fine about it and leave. Me. Alone!"
"No I am not! You think you can just get away with this?"
"How can I possibly think of that when you're always down my throat?!" Krystal clumsily turned the door knob to her room.
"Stop right there!" Karen yelled as Krystal was about to go inside. "I don't think you understand that I just want you to be safe," she exasperatedly sighed.
"Ugh!! You're so annoying just leave me alone!! You said what you had to say, I listened-"
"No you didn't listen! You heard me and talked back! It went into and out of your ears!"
"Because I dont care!"
"And I supposed you wouldn't care if I forbid you to go out with your friends!"
"They're not your friends to control!"
"But you're my daughter to punish!" Karen countered.
"Shut.. up."
"Don't tell me to shut up! Listen to me!"
"I'm listening! I know what to do mom!"
"No you don't you can't even call to say where you are!"
"Because I'm not Mike! I have a life outside of this house!"
Downstairs, Mike made a shocked face, "What did I do??" he voiced, the others simply gave him a sharp knowing look and pressed their ears back on the door.
"Don't bring your brother into this!" Karen warned.
"Well you already brought the whole house into this the moment you yelled at me!"
"Well if you had been responsible and respectful maybe I wouldn't have yelled!"
"Maybe if you got out of my ass, I would call! Fuck! Off!" Krystal flipped her off and slammed her bedroom door shut, radiating the sound all throughout the house.
Karen only rubbed her temples and sighed helplessly before going downstairs to the basement to check on the boys. The four boys immediately scattered around the room to act as though they've been playing the entire time as soon as they heard the creaks from the stairs.
"Yes! The dice is an even thirteen!" Mike yelled sporadically.
"The demogorgon didn't get us then!" Lucas followed.
"We're safe!"
"You boys alright down there?" Karen asked as she opened the door halfway.
"Yeah mom! We're just in the middle of a campaign!" Mike poked his head up from the board.
Karen nodded tiredly. "Okay, don't stay up too late. Are you boys sleeping over?"
"Yes, Mrs Wheeler," Dustin replied with a smile.
"Okay, have fun," she parted and closed the door as they all let out a "phew!"
"Your sister's a jerk, Mike," Lucas commented, setting his cards down on the board.
Mike groaned. "I'd like to think she's not my sister at all, like, I'm adopted it something. Or she is."
"She's not," Will suddenly spoke up, once again without thinking first. It came out like vomit. Uncontrollable.
Everyone looked at him weirdly again.
"I mean.." Will furthered inside his mind in search for a good excuse. "She's probably been through something."
Lucas scoffed and said, "Yeah, or she's just selfish!"
Mike rolled his eyes onto Will. "Will, what's going on with you? You've been defending her since this morning?" Mike pointed out, causing Will to grumble inwardly.
Will shook his head. "Nothing," he said. "So was it thirteen?"
Dustin's mouth hung open. "There's no thirteen on the dice..."