G'day again! I'm going to be updating every fortnight for the next few chapters, just to get ahead in the story again. I've had an eventful few weeks! My Mum had a little visit and we went to the Grand Prix which was awesome but it's put me behind on my writing. Anyways enjoy the new chapter, please let me know what you think!

You were so bright, I was so blind
I could have said that you were all mine
Why did I leave you on the fault line?

Fault line - Jack River

Thursday

Nancy stood at Allison's locker when she arrived for lunch. The girl smiled sheepishly, hugging her books to her chest tightly.

"Hey."

Allison opened her locker shoving her books in and grabbing her prepacked lunch, she had decided to take advantage of a quiet period and go for a run around the track. "Hey, how're you feeling?"

Nancy huffs a laugh, staring at her shoes. "Like I got hit by a truck. I'm really sorry about last night, I remember like barely any of it, but I think I ditched you on the dance floor which is super uncool."

Allison shrugs, matching footsteps with the teen as they head toward the gym and by chance the cafeteria she wondered if Nancy remembered the conversation they shared before she had walked away. "It's fine, you have nothing to apologise for with me." Nancy sighed in relief, glad her new friend didn't hold her actions against her, she knew Allison would be understanding; Nancy thought she might be the kindest person she'd ever met.

Jonathan waits for them at the door of the cafeteria, smiling when he spots Nancy. She touches his arm in greeting. "Did you want to join us for Lunch?" Nancy offers, sharing a quick smile with Jonathan before turning to her.

Allison shakes her head, a small frown creasing her brow as she observes the proximity of the pair. She wanted to ask Nancy about Steve but didn't think it was her place, she had seen Steve briefly that morning and he had seemed dejected and upset while Nancy acted as if nothing had changed.

"Thanks, but I'm gonna motor, the track is calling me today. It was lovely outside this morning and I haven't been for a run in like forever, My Dad and I usually go together but works been keeping him busy." Allison has to force herself not to roll her eyes at Jonathan who stared at Nancy with a small smile. He was doing a terrible job at hiding where his attention currently lied.

"Oh! You never told me what your Dad does for work? Must be important if he's been so busy." Nancy remarks a curious smile on her face. Allison realised that Nancy was right, in all their conversations she had never spoken about her Mom or her Dad except that one time with Jonathan on Monday.

"Your right, that's so weird of me, I'm usually the first to brag about my Dad." She thought maybe not seeing him around had pushed him from her mind. "He's a scientist, he works for Hawkins Laboratories. His new job was the whole reason we moved here actually." Allison grins, failing to notice that Jonathan's head whips to her, his eyes wide, her attention on Nancy.

Nancy opens and closes her mouth a few times before forcing a smile onto her face and crossing her arms over her chest. "That's so interesting! What does he do in the Lab?" She queries, false cheerfulness raising the pitch of her voice.

"Um, I don't really know, actually. My Mom just always says he's off saving the world." Allison laughs awkwardly beginning to pick up on the sudden tension in the corridor.

"Oh, that's so cool! I've never known anyone who actually works at the Lab, it's kind of taboo around here." Nancy replies, her voice still unusually high.

They all stand there silently, Jonathan and Nancy sharing a look before they return their gazes to Allison. She takes a step back, jabbing a thumb behind her with another awkward chuckle. "Well, I better go, I wanna get as many laps in as I can… I'll, uh, see you guys around, I guess." The pair nod stiffly and she turns on her heel with a wave, speeding toward the exit and into the crisp Fall air.

She turns back once, seeing Jonathan and Nancy still standing in the hallway, their heads close together as they whispered at each other frantically. Her Dad had told her before they moved that some people in Hawkins didn't like the Lab because of the clandestine projects they undertook.

He said that some had even been hostile toward him when they found out on his previous visits. Allison assumed that Nancy and Jonathan weren't fans of the Lab either, she just hoped the hostility her Father faced wouldn't be her fate also. If Nancy and Jonathan were to turn on her Allison would be devastated.

Allison changed into her gym clothes in the locker room wondering what rumours the pair had heard about the Lab before making her way to the outdoor track and warming up. The crisp weather had brought about a thin layer of fog that misted over the track and gave the woods on the opposite end an eerie appearance. She started at a slow jog and picked up speed gradually, allowing her body to acclimatize.

The biggest rumour she had always heard about her Father's previous Lab was that they harboured Russian spies, attempting to force them to spill international secrets. Allison had never believed that but she did always assume that her Father helped to protect her and the rest of America; it's what her mother had always taught her. She wondered if maybe Hawkins residents thought the same about their own homegrown Lab.

It was haunting as she ran, picking up speed to silence her thoughts. Allison wished she had brought her Walkman with her, so she had the company of something other than the creak of wood every time the wind blew or the constant cheeping of crickets. She remembered she had dismissed the thought this morning as she got ready, thinking it would be annoying to have to hold it while she ran. The green shorts and a grey shirt that made up her gym uniform didn't have pockets much to her annoyance. Right now, she would give anything to have the device in her slick hand while Fleetwood Mac soothed her thoughts.

Feet pounding on the brick coloured track, she worked on her breathing, hoping to distract herself from the overcast day. On her second lap past the woods she stopped abruptly, swearing she heard a deep growl coming from within the trees. Allison had never heard a growl like that anywhere except a horror movie, it was deep and rumbling cutting off suddenly to give way to the return of the melodious cheeping of bugs.

Straining her eyes, Allison couldn't make out anything but dark wood and fog. She decided her mind was playing tricks on her but watched for a minute more just to be safe. Knowing Will and possibly Barb had gotten lost in these woods did little to ease the discomfort she felt now that they currently surrounded her.

Blood rushed to her ears, blocking out any other noise but the pounding of her heart and the false sound of waves crashing to shore; reminding her of her Mother placing a sea shell over her ear when she was young. Shaking her body out, Allison turns away from the woods. Fear had gotten the best of her because she comes forehead to nose with the concerned face of Steve Harrington and screams in fright. "Holy shit, Harrington! Make some noise next time!"

Allison grabbed her forehead in frustration, the collision hadn't been hard enough to hurt just frighten her. She was thankful he was slouching like usual, a shot from his jaw would have been a bitch.

Steve frowns, concern still written in his eyes. His hands are resting on his hips, pushing the grey material forward. "I called your name like five times, Edwards. Are you doing okay?" He asks eyes sliding toward the section of the forest she had been staring at intensely. "Did you see something?"

Allison's gaze returns to the trees again, she could almost swear she could see something milling about. Shaking her head with a frown, she matches Steve's stance as she attempts to regulate her breathing. Had he really called her name five times? She struggled to believe she hadn't heard him. Feeling in the moment before he had snuck up on her and her blood had rushed to her ears for seconds, every minute sound was infinitely louder.

"No, I thought I heard something, but I was just being stupid. The fog just creeped me out, it looks like a damn slasher movie out here today." She dismissed, her gaze returning to him. Steve seemed to accept her answer, glancing over one last time before eyeing her up and down.

"So, you run?"

He wears the same sports uniform she was wearing currently; his hair was a mess and his cheeks slightly red from exercise. "Yeah, helps me clear my head." Steve nods in understanding admitting he had been on the court doing much the same.

Allison invites him to run with her and he accepts, keeping a good pace. It's quiet again, like before but Allison realises she's not scared or nervous despite still hearing the ominous whispers of the wilderness. Steve's measured breathing beside her helps to block it all out and settle her.

"Have you seen Nancy?" He asks tentatively, breaking the long silence. Allison looks at him quickly, returning her gaze ahead. The look on his face made her not want to tell him the truth, she decided he was a big boy and there was no point keeping it secret.

"Yeah, just before. She was having Lunch with Jonathan."

He nods once, falling into his own head for a moment before surprising her with a smirk. "Let's race. First to the finish line wins. Go!" He speeds off before she has time to even process his words, leaving her in the dust.

"Hey! Harrington, you cheat!"

Allison takes off, pumping her arms as she quickly gains on him, he's quick and obviously in decent shape from basketball but can't match the speed years of running had given her. She overtakes him easily with 200m to go and pushes herself to her limit, crossing the line a good ten seconds before he does.

Collapsing to the floor she laughs at the stunned look on his face as he joins her. "You totally weren't even running, I actually think you flew." He exaggerated earning a laugh from the brunette as she leaned back on her hands, trying to open her lungs to more air.

"That's what you get for being a dirty rotten cheat, Harrington."

They are quiet of a moment, nothing between them but rough breaths misting the air. Falling back with a sigh, thoughts of the previous night cause a frown to mar the teens face. Allison wanted to thank Steve for taking her home, it had been on her mind most of the day.

"What's in your head, Edwards?" Steve asks, humour swirling in his eyes. Turning her head to the side Allison takes him in and returns his easy smile. His arm rests on his raised knee and his features are free of the sadness she had seen underneath the surface since last night.

"I was just thinking of how to thank you for taking me home last night without ruining the mood and I was also thinking that if Cyndi Lauper wants to be the feminist icon of our time she needs to stop letting men write her music and hire a hit on Madonna." Allison replies sitting up and crossing her legs.

"Has anyone ever told you that your brain is a mess?" Steve asks, peaceful expression enveloped by a small smile.

"I tell myself that everyday but thanks for the reminder."

"Your welcome, for the reminder and the lift."

Allison grins at the boy across from her and Steve laughs lightly, nudging Allison's knee with his foot. "I knew I'd need a head start but jeez." He gestures to the track behind him, bringing the conversation back to there race. "Have you considered trying out for track?"

"That was my question exactly." A gruff voice says from behind them.

They both turn finding an older man wearing a blue vest over a long-sleeved grey shirt and a matching blue cap. He's holding a mug and a whistle rests against his chest. "Hi, coach. This is Allison Edwards, she started here on Monday. Edwards this is the gym teacher and my basketball coach, Coach Anderson." Steve introduces them, pushing himself up from the ground and offering a hand toward Allison, which she accepts gratefully.

"You've got some speed in ya, kid." Coach Anderson compliments gruffly.

"Thank you, Sir," Allison replies with a blush.

"I have a spot on the team if you're interested, we have a cross country meet a town over in a few weeks, it would be a fantastic opportunity to test your skills." The Coach sips from his mug, eyeing Steve, who still hadn't fully caught his breath from the sprint. "How about you come see me before Basketball practice today and let me know your decision, I'm sure you know sport looks great on a college application, Miss Edwards."

Allison nods in conformation a grin pulling onto her mouth. "I do, thank you for the opportunity, Sir. I'll definitely come by later."

Coach Anderson nods before turning back toward the gym. "Work on your cardio, Harrington. I don't ever wanna see my star player out of breath from 800m ever again."

Steve scratches the back of his head with his left hand, his right resting on his hip as he winces at his Coach. Allison laughs at his pained face, falling back to the ground to do her warm down stretches. She hadn't got in as many laps as she'd hoped but she felt lighter and her thoughts cleared regardless. Allison already knew she'd love to give the team a go, she had never been on a team before and wondered if it was an opportunity to make new friends and test her skill.

Steve joined her with a snort, rolling his eyes at her as he copied her stretches. "Thank you for coming out and running with me, Wastoid. It was nice to have some company other than my Dad for once." Allison forced a laugh as thoughts of her Dad reminded her of the conversation she'd had with Nancy and Jonathan not long ago, her euphoric mood instantly dissipated.

"Hey, it was fun, maybe we can do it more often, help keep me in shape," Steve replied, jokingly, a grin on his face.

Allison smiled at the boy and agreed, inside she wondered if Steve would have the same reaction that Nancy and Jonathan had when they found out about her Dad. It nagged on her again that maybe they wouldn't want to be her friend anymore. She decided not to bring it up with Steve, she didn't like the thought of Steve turning on her too.

"How are you doing with everything from last night?" Allison feigns a casual tone, straightening her legs in front of her and reaching for her toes. Steve had done an excellent job at hiding how he was feeling since he came down to the track, but she knew he wouldn't be travelling as well as he pretended; He wore his heart on his sleeve, and in his eyes. "When I saw Nancy before she told me she didn't remember much of the night."

Steve sighed leaning back on his arms as he watched Allison hold the bottoms of her feet and breathe deeply. He knew she would ask about his wellbeing eventually, she could be a totally neurotic spitfire, something he knew from personal experience, but at her core she was kind.

Steve knew she wasn't asking to be cruel or to spread rumours about the broken-hearted King but because she was his friend and she wanted him to be okay. He liked that she would get defensive about he and Jonathan having her back but stood by them ferociously.

"I don't even know what to make of it yet, we need to talk but I just don't know how to get ready for that, you know?" He finally answered as she rose, watching him with sorrowful eyes.

"It'll all work out, Harrington, the two of you have obviously been through a lot together, love like that doesn't just… like disappear, you know?" Allison replies with a reassuring smile. Steve notices for the first time that Allison has a dimple on her left cheek when she smiles.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Ten minutes before the final bell rings for school, Allison ducks out of her Spanish class and heads over to the gym to meet the coach. It hadn't taken the girl long to decide that she would be joining the track team, the coach had been right, sport looked good on a college application.

The gym is quiet except for the sound of squeaking wheels coming from the storage room, a few moments later, Coach Anderson pulls the dark blue doors; similar to his hat and vest open, dragging a trolley filled with basketballs along. Coach spots her and nods in greeting.

"Good, you came. Did you think about it?" He asks tossing her a basketball. Catching it with ease, Allison turns on her foot and sinks the ball into the hoop on her first try from the three-point line, earning a scoff from Anderson.

"Did you wanna try for the Basketball team too?"

Allison grins, fetching the ball and tossing it back from across the court. "Nah, but I'm interested in that opening on track if it's still free, Coach."

Anderson nods again and points toward the locker room with his thumb. "Alright, suit up and let's see what you've got." Allison wastes no time changing into her gym uniform for the second time that day, tying her long hair high off her neck and joining her coach on the court again. Stretching out her arms and legs, she eyed the clipboard and stopwatch Coach Anderson now held as he waited in his spot beside the trolley of balls.

"Ever done a beep test before?" Allison shook her head.

"What your gonna do is run from one end of the court to the other before I blow my whistle, you'll have to go a little quicker each time. We're short on time so usually, you would get one fail before you're out but today you only get one go at this before the team gets here..." He checks his watch and grunts, "In about ten minutes. Got it."

"Got it," Allison confirms jogging into position and awaiting the first whistle. Before Coach Anderson can blow the whistle the doors to the gym swing open and close with a bang, revealing a hurried looking Melinda, who rushes to the Coaches side with an apology. "Sorry, Coach! Mrs Howard wouldn't let me leave class until right on the bell." The coach waves away her apology and Melinda turn towards Allison her eyes widening slightly. "Allison! I didn't know you were a runner."

"Melinda is the Captain of the team and leads the training sessions when I'm off with the Basketball team." The Coach explains. Allison nods and watches as he hands Melinda the clipboard to write up her times.

The second the whistle sounds she runs as fast as she can, wanting to test out how much time she would have in-between each blow. She counted nine seconds after the second whistle and slowed her pace down accordingly for the next one. Allison felt like she was just starting to get the hang of it when she started to struggle, picking up her pace she ran again only just making it to the wall in time.

"Let's go, Edwards, push it! Five seconds on the clock." Coach Anderson yelled after another blow of the whistle.

She sneakers squeaked on the glossy floor as she ran full tilt toward the brick wall, slamming her hands against it, only to turn and jet off again a second later. Focusing on nothing other than the pumping of her legs, the whistle in Coach Anderson's mouth, and the brick walls she ploughed herself into repeatedly. She heard him shout 4.3 seconds over her heavy breathing and pushed as hard as she could, the whistle blowing just before she crossed the line.

Bracing her hands on her knee's she forced air into her lungs, sweat dripping from her forehead and hairline onto the floor below. Wiping it away with her wrist, she straightened up with a whoop, turning toward Coach Anderson and Melinda she was surprised to find the entire Basketball team sitting in the bleachers watching.

She spotted Steve, who looked impressed. Some of the boys murmured to each other all showing looks of surprise at her speed. "Congratulations, Miss Edwards, you've made the track team." Allison's head swivels to the left spotting Coach Anderson in the same spot as before, going over Melinda's notes on his clipboard. He doesn't even raise his eyes toward her, focused on his work. Melinda claps excitedly, moving toward her and passing her a small towel to wipe her face. Allison takes the towel gratefully, wiping her face. Allison grins, straitening her ponytail before resting her hands on her hips.

"That was so tight, Allison! Whoa, girl can you fly." Melinda says earnestly, taking the towel from her with a smile.

"Thanks, I totally think I might be dead though," Allison replied, still trying to regulate her breathing. Melinda laughs patting the girl on the arm.

"This is like nothing compared to training." The girl replies earning an eye roll from Allison.

Coach Anderson finally glances up gesturing her and Melinda over before turning to the bleachers and bellowing at the boys to get into gear. They scramble up grabbing basketballs from beside Allison and the Coach and starting drills. Steve offers her a smile as he walks past, placing a hand on her shoulder briefly. Matching his smile, she returns her attention back to her Coach who hands her a form to get signed by her parents.

He gives her a copy of her times and breaks down her last three runs explaining her errors and why she missed the whistle. He tells her that the team meets every Wednesday after school and not to be late next week. Allison thanks him again and he dismisses it, turning his attention toward his Basketball team properly. "You earned your spot, Edwards. Your times are already on par with some of the other kids on the team, it's a great result." Melinda nodded in agreement.

"You're going to fit in with the team perfectly." She adds.

With a final nod and a massive grin on her face, Allison retires to the locker room, doing a few quick stretches before changing and tidying her hair into a new pony. She decided to leave her cream sweater off, stacking it on her Spanish books, Allison tucked her basic white long-sleeved shirt into her favourite blue jeans and exited back to the court, books in hand. She glanced over briefly catching Billy's eye for only a moment. He smirked at her before he returned to the game, seeing Steve had the ball he went to defend against him, a mischievous look in his clear eyes.

Allison can see his mouth moving as he taunts Steve, but the slap of the ball hitting the court masks his words. Whatever he said causes Steve to glance up at Allison briefly, anger in his eyes before he says something back. Billy finally makes his move after seconds of holding Steve off, pushing him to the ground and taking the ball, it was a dick move and everyone knew it but chose to stay out of it.

She wanted to check if Steve was okay and give Billy the lashing he deserved but thought better of it, embarrassing Steve, and herself in front of the whole Basketball team seemed like a stupid move; instead, she left. Allison knew not getting a reaction from her would probably piss the blond off more anyway.

Melinda waited for her outside, offering to walk her to her locker with a smile. "I'm assuming you didn't have as much fun as I did at the party last night? Like I'm trying to imagine having to do the beep test hungover and it's totally making want to barf." Allison pushes the heavy blue door to the main building open with a laugh, letting Melinda through first.

"Yeah, I cut out early actually. It was a little too crowded for my taste."

Melinda nodded in agreement. "I know after I saw you I went inside again for like a minute then turned around and went straight back to the grass. It smelled so bad in there it was mental, and besides those heels that went with the catsuit were a total bitch."

Allison chuckled stopping in front of her locker and swapping her books out quickly, noticing a note flutter to the ground. "Yeah that was my first High School party and I'm confident it'll be my last." Allison jokes, bending to pick up the tightly folded paper.

"Secret admirer?" Melinda jokes as Allison opens the note with a frown.

Meet me at my house tomorrow, 5 pm

Nancy.

"Just Nancy, she wants to hang out after school tomorrow," Allison replied with a shrug falling into step with Melinda.

"Wonder why she couldn't ask you tomorrow? Strange she would leave a note." Melinda cocks her head in confusion, but Allison just shrugs. At least Nancy wanted to talk to her, she thought relieved. Maybe she could explain why she and Jonathan had behaved so bizarrely at Lunch.

Daniel gets home late that evening ploughing straight into Allison's room and flopping on her bed with a tired groan. Allison sat at her desk best over her English homework but turned toward the sandy-haired kid with raised brows. He laid stiff as a board, head buried in her patterned duvet cover, a favourite of her mothers.

"Dustin found a Lizard brought it to school and then lost it."

Daniel's words are quiet and muffled and Allison has to strain to hear them. "What sort of Lizard?" She asks, middle-schoolers were weird.

Daniel sat up with a huff, crossing his legs beneath him. "That's the thing, we don't actually know what sort of Lizard. Dustin's convinced Dart is an undiscovered species. Dart is the Lizard, he's green and slimy and creeps me out. Will didn't like him either."

Allison taps the red eraser on the tip of her pencil against her cheek, a frown on her face. "Lizards can be notoriously green and slimy, it's probably just some garden variety kind that's a little greener or a little slimier than usual." She dismissed, watching the frown on her brother's face deepen.

"Well it went missing so I guess we don't have to worry about it, the boys were acting really weird again when Will said he didn't like it, but Mike said he went home before I could talk to him." The boy sighed again, meeting his sister's eyes with a lost expression. "I don't know, it feels like Max and I are constantly being left outta the group and I don't know why."

Allison's heart broke for the kid who stared at her dejectedly, she rose from her chair gingerly, legs stiff from the test earlier and joined him on her bed, giving his shoulder a squeeze in support. "I'm sure when they're ready they'll tell you what's been going on, bud. The four of them went through something huge last year, with Will so just give them some time." Daniel nods in agreement, a sullen look still present on his face. "Now, I think Mom just called us for dinner, let's go before she comes up here and whoops us."

Her brother smiled, and she forced a smile of her own, wishing she could take her own advice. The truth was, Allison knew her friends were also keeping secrets from her and the voice in her head continued to remind her that she wanted to know what those secrets were.

As she sat with her family at the dinner table, her Father absent again, Allison couldn't help but wonder if maybe her get together with Nancy tomorrow would be the perfect opportunity to gain some answers.

"I made the track team at school today," Allison announces a proud smile on her face. Mary beams at her daughter, patting her hand gently.

"Congratulations, sweetheart! I'm so happy for you."

Allison grinned at her mother before shoving mashed potatoes in her mouth. "Yeah, I was running with Steve at Lunch and-" Allison winced at her Mothers shriek of excitement and instantly realised her mistake.

"Who is Steve? You've told me nothing about a 'Steve' I want to know everything." Mary wails in joy, apparently already picturing her oldest child's march down the aisle to a faceless Steve. Allison rolls her eyes glancing at her Brother who smirks knowingly.

"Steve is my friend, Mom, just my friend. Before you lose your mind, he's my friend Nancy's boyfriend so no, nothing is going on or will ever be going on between us. We ran, the Coach saw me run, I did a beep test, I made the team."

The Mother deflates slightly before perking back up and returning her thoughts to the happy news. "I'm so proud of you, Alli! I'm glad you've made friends and I'm so glad you have more opportunities to shine in Hawkins."

"That's totally tubular, Alli," Daniel said, twirling pasta around his fork.

"Totally tubular, huh? Where are we, the gnarly beaches of California?"

Allison went to bed not long after dinner, exhausted from all the physical activity. She made a note to call Nicole on the weekend and catch her up on everything. She was surprised Nicole hadn't already called to get all the gossip but knew she was probably just as busy with school as Allison had been herself.

As she fell asleep, Allison found herself hoping that everything with Nancy would be cleared up tomorrow and they could return to being friends, she had only known the girl a few days but already didn't want to imagine a Hawkins without Nancy.