"Woah what happened to you?" Lucas asked,

"Yeah what happened, Diane?" Mike asked.

She looked down at the her bandaged hand. For a moment she was transported to sprinting across the football field, hearing the creatures thuds behind her. Then she was snapped back into reality, right there in the middle of the school parking lot at high noon. She looked up at the boys and forced a smile on her face. Shrugging, she said, "Messed with a knife, cooking is harder than it looks. That's why TV Dinners are a thing."

"Looks brutal. Did it hurt?" Mike asked, unable to contain himself as he came closer to look.

"You bet it did." Then she honed in Dustin. "So, did you have a good time babysitting yourself?"

His eyes widened. Right. He had hoped she would've forgotten that. Two days ago was forever ago. "Uh - uh, yeah, I did. It was great. I think I've learnt a lot."

She bent down to be eye-level with him. "Oh, yeah?" She whispered.

He cracked. "Okay I'm sorry, geeze, don't kill me. I'm really sorry Diane. I can't explain it but I had to do it." He looked at Lucas and Mike like they were going to back him up. Both of them had jumped ship the second she had narrowed her eyes at their friend.

She let out a long exhale in mocking contemplation of how she was going to handle this situation.

"Aw Diane, come on," He begged, "Please tell me you forgive me. I'll ever thrown in -"

"Do not say your pearly whites."

His hands flew up in surrender. "I was going to say a whole bag of Razzles."

Crossing her arms she pretended to look deep in thought. Dustin had his hands clutched together as he stared at her pleadingly. Both Mike and Lucas looked wary of the outcome. "Fine." She sighed dramatically. "I have considered it."

"So we're good now?" Dustin asked.

Diane held up a finger to caution him. "Yeah . . . Maybe I have forgiven you. Or maybe I'll be your worst nightmare next time." She whispered. Then smiled. "Bye guys. Dustin, I'll see you guys the next time I babysit."

"I will totally be there. And I will be opening the door. And letting you in. To babysit. Because that's what you do."

"You're damn right I do." Then she gave them a wave and turned around. Dustin let out the breath he had been holding.

"Dude you are in so much trouble." Lucas said as she walked away. She smiled.

As she walked away she began absently-mindedly rubbing at the corners of the bandage.

Inside the high school she trailed the hallways to her locker, feeling increasingly like she was floating besides her body. Her hands spun the lock around to the right combination, but they remained on the lock as she stared at nothing in particular.

She jumped violently and hit a locker. She placed a hand on her heart in an effort to calm it. "Jesus Steve you can't just sneak up on people like that!"

He looked around."Dee, we're in a crowded hallway. That's the opposite of sneaking up someone. Are you okay?"

"Yep." She said a little too quickly.

But Steve didn't seem to be buying it. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

She shook her head. "Sorry, just in my own head."

He pointed at the cut on her hand. "What happened?"

"Oh," she looked down at her bandaged hand again, but was relieved that the bandaging was still white, "I tripped."

"Thought it involved a knife."

So he had been talking with the Dustin and Co. Diane was saved from having to explain the conflicting answers.

"Hey Diane, hey Steve." Nancy smiled at the both of them, holding her books close to her chest.

Steve wrapped her up in his arms and spun her around. She laughed and whacked him on the shoulder, then looked at his dark glasses. "Take those stupid things off."

"I missed you." He said, pulling her close.

Diane went back to getting her books out while they went full couple. Her locker, like everything else, was perfectly clean and organised. She felt someone tap on her shoulder and look up to see Nancy had broken away from Steve and was holding out an orange piece of paper. Steve looked at his girlfriend in surprise at her spontaneous token of friendship, but quickly recovered.

She took it. Tina's Halloween Bash. Come and get sheetfaced. She snorted. "What's this?"

"Are you Halloween-blind, it says right there." Steve tapped on the paper, and Nancy shot him a warning look.

"Candy corn vision is a real thing, Steve." She took the paper and looked at the back, but it was empty. "I'm just surprised Tina is holding a party. Aren't her parents crazy strict?"

Nancy nodded. "Her parents are out of town for the week. But some of the others convinced her to hold the party there. Everyone promises to keep it clean."

"That house is going to look worse than the Staten Island garbage dump the morning after." Diane remarked.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Nancy said.

A pregnant pause ensued as Diane shifted on her feet uncertaintly.

"Do you want to join us?" Nancy asked.

Nancy was nice, she always was. But they weren't quite close friends. Sure they had had some hangouts together, but this was surprising. She had a feeling that deep down, Nancy was doing this for more selfish reasons. Maybe not purposely, but people didn't go out of their way for others for no reason. At least, that's what Diane believed.

"We'll be there. Jonathon will too." Nancy offered, as if the two loners were just going to band together on the mutual desperation for friendship over the years. "We can pick you up on the way."

Nancy was hard not to like. Even if her desires deep down were suspect.

"I'll consider it, but I don't have time to buy a costume." Diane said.

Steve looked at her in disbelief. "Yeah with your house there's no way that you don't have a costume or ten."

Diane shrugged. "You know what, I'm sure I'll find something."

Nancy grinned and then looked at Steve. "Great, so we'll pick you up at -"

"Eight?" Steve suggested as Nancy looked at him.

"Well I'll be there." Diane said with a smile and small wave of the poster.

Steve wrapped an arm around Nancy's waist and flashed her a grin, "See ya then."

Diane shook her head, proceeding to get her final book from her locker. Nancy inviting her to Tina's Halloween party wasn't even the strangest thing that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

She grabbed her final book, and wrapped her arms around them. She was exhausted, but there was only two more classes to get through before she could go home and curl up in bed.

"Morning, Diane." Billy was leaning against the lockers, making her jump in fright at his sudden proximity. She really was in her own head today.

"Morning." She glanced at him warily.

He took a step closer, looking down at her.

It was that look in his eyes again, like the one he set on all the girls he came across to charm them with the finesse of a snake-charmer. Maybe he thought after last night she was going to be willing to let him jump into her pants. She had invited him to stay the night, but hadn't she also made it clear it was because she had been freaked out? It had been silly to ask him to stay, he wasn't the type to just stay over for the sake of platonic comfort. "What do you want?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "No need to be like that, I just want to know how you're doing."

"No. You don't. You only talk with me when you want to get me to do something for you, or if you see Steve's been here." She slammed the locker shut. "Why do you care so much about him anyway? Want to know what his favourite color is and what flowers to get him so you can buy him a Valentines gift?"

His expression soured. "I'm waiting for Andie. Her locker is right next to yours, in case you weren't aware. Figure I'd make small talk with you, since you know," his voice dipped to a whisper as he leaned in, "I saved your life and all."

Using her shoulder she pushed off against the lockers with a frown. "I know. And thank you. But you don't have to look at me like that."

His fingers ghosted the underside of his jaw. "Like that?"

"Am I interupting something?" A toxically sweet voice sounded right next to Diane. It was Andie.

"Nope." Diane said.

Andie eyed her. "Yeah, so, you're done with that project right?"

Diane nodded.

This suspicion in Andie's eyes increased. "Any reason you're still standing here?"

"My locker is here."

Andie gave a sharp laugh. "You know what I mean."

By the small smirk on his face Billy was thoroughly enjoying this conversation. Diane felt a headache coming on. The last thing she needed was for the most arrogant guy she knew going home with a falsely inflated ego. She wanted to lament that no, this was not a girl fight over him. He might've been from California. But he wasn't that special.

"To answer you question: if you feel so threatened by even me maybe you shouldn't be focusing on us girls. Maybe the guy you're trying to keep is the problem." The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. Maybe she still had some sort of residue energy from last night that blocked the filter between her mouth and brain.

If looks could kill Andie's would've had her six feet in the ground. "What's your damage?"

"Well, you're blocking my way, and I just want to get the class." She said.

"A word of advice, Diane, if you want to talk with a guy so badly, you don't have to steal their work. It's sort of pathetic." Andie hissed. "So, we're clear where we stand now, aren't we?"

But Diane wasn't going to be a doormat. She looked Andie right evenly. "Jock isn't my type anyway."

Then she brushed past the two of them. Billy turned his head, catching her walk down the hallway.

With two of the Junior calls watching the interaction Andie needed to act quickly, so she placed her hand on her flings chest to capture his attention again.