Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

"I'd feel...weird if I went there by myself," Kali said on the phone. She was in her room in the evening, still wearing the same outfit as she did in school and laying on her bed. As Barb talked, she replied, "It's not rocket science, Barb. You can just tell your parents that you'll be staying at my place afterwards, alright?" She paused to hear her reply. "Just tell them we're studying. They'll believe you."

"Kali, it's time for dinner!" called out Terry, making her groan a little impatiently and cover the bottom receiver of the phone.

"Alright, Mum! I'm coming!" she called back before speaking to Barbara again. "I need to go. I'll see you in an hour, alright?" Barb said her confirmation and hung up the phone, getting off of her bed and going downstairs.

...

Soon, Terry, Jane, Kali, Becky, Carl, and the boys ate their steak and mashed potatoes together. Becky, being the chatty woman she was, whispered to her husband, "Forgot to tell ya, Carl. The boys are Jane's friends. They went to the wedding last year."

He nodded, though he looked weirded out. "A girl with boys as her friends?" he whispered back at her.

Becky sighed. "It's not like that, alright?"

"Is something wrong, Auntie?" the tomboy asked, both of them giving her their attention and shaking their heads.

"No, sweetie."

"No, not at all," her husband added. Silence roamed around the table again.

Jane wasn't the only one not eating her meal, but also Dustin and Lucas. Terry noticed this and frowned. "Is there something wrong with the meal, kids?" she asked them.

They all looked at her and shook their heads. "Nah, I just ate...two baloney sandwiches for lunch," the curly-haired boy replied.

"Y-yeah, so did I," Lucas added.

"Me too," Jane also added.

Terry looked puzzled at them. "Why?" They all shrugged, making her sigh a little and continue to eat her steak. Jane sighed and took her glass of milk.

"So, Mum, there's this assembly for Will tonight at school," Kali said to her adoptive mother. "Barb's driving me here."

Terry raised an eyebrow. "And I'm hearing about this now because...?"

She shrugged. "I thought you knew about it."

She shook her head. "I told you and Jane, no going out after dark until Will is found." Jane quietly muttered something under her breath as she drank her milk. Becky quietly mouthed her name, making her pout a little.

"I know that, but it would be weird if I didn't go there. Everyone is going." She made a convincing face to persuade her.

Terry sighed once again and replied, "Come home by ten and no more than that, alright? Aunt Becky will check to see if you come back on time, right?" She turned to her sister as she nodded before Terry pointed at the kids. "Take the kids with you then."

They all suddenly objected with different no's since they have something else planned for the night. Everybody looked puzzled at their reactions, Kali feeling a bit relieved on top of her confusion. "Why not?" Becky asked.

"Isn't he your friend or something?" added Carl. Jane didn't answer and began drinking her milk again. She then saw Michael walk down the stairs, making her spit her drink. The boys saw him as well, their eyes widening. Why was he out of the room NOW?! The rest of the family were perplexed at their reactions and about to look where they were looking. However, Dustin pounded his hands on the table a couple of times, getting their attention back to him before they even noticed the freckled boy.

He nervously grinned and said, "Sorry...spasm." Jane wiped her mouth with her sleeve while the boys gave her looks of shock and irritation, making her scowl at them. She saw Mike then walk down to the basement, her sighing in relief. Had he been caught...man, they didn't even want to think about that. All in all, he wasn't caught and that was good.

Terry, Becky, and Carl looked at the kids curiously. The two women thought that they were acting weird today, especially Jane.

...

After dinner, Terry left for her night shift, Kali left to go to the "assembly", and Becky and Carl went out to ride around town again, this time at night. That left the kids alone, Jane getting leftovers for him in a large tray.

In the basement, Mike sat under his little fort again and turned the knob of the walkie-talkie. It turned on, hearing the static coming from it. He pushed a button on it to the left before hearing the kids walk down the basement, looking up at them.

Jane approached him with the tray and set it before him. "Here's dinner," she said to him. "There are no adults around, so don't worry." He nodded before looking at Dustin and Lucas. He was a bit nervous when staring at them, making them feel the same as well. Jane gave him a reassuring smile and continued, "Don't worry. These two promised not to tell anybody." She turned to them. "Right?"

They both nodded at her and looked at him. "Yeah, I mean, we wouldn't have upset you if we knew you had superpowers," Dustin replied jokingly. The tomboy pouted and hit him in the shoulder, making him flinch. "Ow!"

She turned back to Mike and crouched down to him. "What Dustin's trying to say is that...they were just scared earlier. That's all."

Lucas nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, we just wanted to find our friend," he said.

Mike gave him a confused look once again. "Friend?" he asked.

He nodded, looking wary. "Uh, yeah. Friend? Will?"

"What is a...friend?"

He looked at his friends in disbelief. "Is he serious?" He sighed before answering, "A friend is-"

"Somebody you trust a lot and will do anything for," Jane answered instead.

"Ya lend them your stuff, like comic books and trading cards," Dustin added.

"And they never break a promise."

"Especially when there's spit," Lucas added.

"Spit?" Mike questioned.

He nodded and spat onto his hand. "A spit swear means you never break your word." He then shook the curly-haired boy's hand with his spitted hand before letting go. Dustin was a bit disgusted by that and rubbed the spit off on his jeans.

"That is super important because friends...friends always tell each other things, things their parents wouldn't know," Jane added as a finish. "So...yeah." He began to think about that. It was weird, but the thought of them being friends? People who tell each other things adults wouldn't know? It didn't sound so bad...

Barb was driving Kali to Steve's when her friend suddenly said, "Wait, pull over."

She glanced at her, confused. "What? Why?" she asked.

"Pull over, Barb." She sighed and stopped the car on the side of the road.

The red-haired girl looked at Kali and asked again, "Why?"

She glanced at her as if she was surprised that she didn't know. "We can't park in the driveway. What if his parents come back?" She then got out some lip gloss and looked at the mirror to see herself put it on.

Barbara scoffed. "Are you serious, Kal? I'm just gonna drop you off." Her hand then went to the keys to start it up again.

"No!" Kali exclaimed as she grabbed her hand to stop it. "Calm down, you promised you would go with me." She then closed the lip gloss and put it away. "We might actually have a good time."

Barb's lips moved to the side in disbelief. "I don't know...I think he just wants you to get in his pants."

She scoffed at her rather coldly. "No he doesn't."

Now she was dumbfounded. "Are you serious, Kal? He invited you to his house, with no parents..." Kali looked at her sharply, which was unusual for her. Her eyes widened. "Kal, you're not this stupid!"

The brown-skinned girl clicked her tongue and unbuckled herself. "Tommy H. and Carol are going to be there, so-"

"They've been having sex since the 7th grade, so it'll be a big orgy."

The black-haired girl was now repulsed. "Ugh, that's gross!"

Barb chuckled a little. "I'm serious though."

Kali then proceeded to take off her shirt to wear another. "Then you could be...my guardian or something, making sure I don't get drunk or do something stupid."

Barb sighed and saw that her shirt was off, revealing her lace bra. She raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that a new bra?"

She looked at her coyly and replied, "No, no, of course not." Of course that was a lie. It was bought especially for him...

The two girls arrived at the house, hearing the music blasting on inside. Kali, now wearing a black, long-sleeved, low-cut top under a black coat, rang the doorbell. She looked back to see her friend looking nervous - not only about the party, but about her. She placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Barb, calm down."

She nodded, still skittish. "I-I'm calm," she replied, though her friend didn't believe it.

Steve then opened the door, the music now sounding clearer, and grinned at the girls. "Hello, ladies," he greeted in a friendly manner.

Back in the basement, Jane, Lucas, and Dustin were discussing about Michael, the telekinetic boy wandering to the table and sitting down on one of the chairs, staring at the Dungeons & Dragons board. The trio took notice of him doing that and slowly approached him. "What's the weirdo doing?" Lucas asked quietly to his friends. He set his fingers on the table and closed his eyes. They were all thinking about what he might be doing.

"Mike?" Jane asked.

He then opened his eyes and took a character piece that was a wizard...Will's piece. He looked at it closely and said, "Will."

Dustin's eyes widened. "Superpowers..." he murmured. Lucas rolled his eyes at him.

The curly-haired girl sat beside the freckled boy and asked sincerely, "Did you see Will? On Mirkwood? Do you know where he might be?" He looked at her before sliding the rest of the pieces off of the board and flipping it upside down. He then set Will's piece on it. All of the others looked very confused. "What does that mean?"

"Hiding," he answered.

Her eyes widened. "Hiding? From who? The bad men?" He shook his head. He then grabbed another piece and set it right next to the wizard...the Demogorgon piece. Jane became very worried, glancing at the boys for an answer. They were looking at her for an answer as well. However, it was clear what Mike was trying to convey...

Will was in grave danger.

Near Steve's pool, Tommy carried Carol over the water, making her shriek and scream bloody murder before setting her down on the ground. "Tommy, you're such an asshole!" she yelled at him playfully as he laughed and she shoved him away.

Steve snickered at the scene as he grabbed a can of beer from a bucket of ice and pulled out a knife. He then poked a hole at the bottom of the can and drank it swiftly, dropping the knife. While Barb rolled her eyes at the sight, Kali was a little dumbfounded that he was even doing that. He finished the can and set it on a small glass table next to his seat, grabbing a cigarette and his lighter from his pocket and starting to light it up. Kali muttered, "Oh my God..."

Her boyfriend looked at her and asked, "What was that, Kali?"

She looked at him with a smirk. "Was that supposed to impress me?"

He looked a bit confused. "You're not?"

She chuckled. "You're an idiot, a stupid cliche."

"Nah, you're a cliche." His cigarette finally lit up and he ashed the end, taking it out and blowing some smoke. "With your grades and band practice and-"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I am NOT in band!"

He shrugged at her and got out another can of beer, handing it to her. "Then I'd like to see you try this." She looked at it, and then at him like he was weird. He grinned and blew out smoke again. "What, you admit to being a cliche?" She scoffed at him and took it away from him, standing up and grabbing the knife he dropped. "You make the hole at the bottom and-"

"I know, smartass," she replied as she began poking the hole in the can.

"Yeah, man!" Tommy shouted at him, his arm around Carol. "She's smart, you dumbass!" He then crushed an empty can on his head and dropped it, shouting, "Whooo!"

The red-haired girl watched in utter dismay as her friend finally poked a hole in the can and began drinking it. Steve, Tommy, and Carol chanted multiple times, "Chug!" After half a minute, she finished the can and dropped it, making the three cheer and Barb roll her eyes again. She surprisingly felt proud of doing that, showing that she wasn't all that of a goody-two-shoes.

She then turned to her best friend and demanded nicely, "Come on, Barb. Now you do it."

She arched her brows up at her. "What?" she asked.

Kali got another can from the bucket and gave it to her. "I did it, so now you have to do it."

The redhead shook her head. "No thanks, Kal."

She grinned at her. "Come oooon, it's fun-"

"Kali," she said in a sharp voice, making her stop and lose her grin. She was feeling pretty annoyed by her attitude, but shrugged that off and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Give this a chance, will you?"

Feeling defeated, Barb sighed and stood up from her chair, taking the can and knife with her. She started poking the hole. "So, you just..." she muttered, trying her best to poke the hole. All of a sudden, the tip slipped and cut her hand, making her drop everything and gasp. She instinctively covered her bleeding hand with her other hand.

"Gnarly!" Tommy said, laughing with his girlfriend.

Kali gasped, now worried about her. "Barb, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she answered.

"You're bleedin-"

"I'm fine," she repeated coldly, making her stiff. She wondered what was her problem. Barb turned to Steve and asked, "Where's the bathroom?"

He pointed at the house. "Ah, down in the kitchen to your left," he answered, getting up from his chair. She nodded as she went inside. The short girl sighed and crossed her arms, thinking about Barbara's behavior tonight and her cut. She hoped she was fine, despite being a bit more bitchy than usual.

When Carol turned her back on the freckled guy, he shoved her into the pool, her screaming and landing in with a splash. Kali looked at the sight and completely forgot about her friend's well-being at the moment, grinning a little. "What the HELL, Tommy?!" she shouted at him before he leaped in with her, causing a bigger splash. The dark-haired girl began laughing, thinking they were stupid.

Then suddenly, Steve shoved her into the pool before jumping in himself. Soon, the teens began playing with each other in the water, the guys throwing the girls into the water again. Tommy and Carol made out a couple of times while Kali chased Steve for her shoe she lost when she was shoved into the pool. At that moment, she had completely forgotten about the fact that her best friend was even hurt...or there to begin with.

Late in the night, Terry exited a door in an alleyway outside of Hawkins and put the money she had in her hand inside the pocket of her coat. She hated doing this job, but it paid well, more than what the pub pays her. Not only that, but at least one of the men there was decent. Still, she needed the extra money, so she just had to deal with it.

She went inside her car and started the engine before hearing, "Terry." She gasped and looked around in a panicked way before sighing in relief and placing a hand on her forehead. She was thinking of him, again. She didn't think of him so often, so why now? Damn him. She switched gears and began driving back to Hawkins.

Her radio played a news report, talking about Will Byers again. She heavily sighed. Just hearing about him being missing, it reminded her of what she wanted to forget. She didn't want to see what she had already witnessed, so she turned off the radio and continued driving.

During their drive around town and having the car hood and the windows up, Carl said, "I told you that it wasn't good for you to go."

Becky scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. "What? I can't visit family now?" she asked bitingly.

"This town is awful, Becky. I made you move with me for a reason." The woman sighed and looked out the window, seeing lit-up signs in downtown Hawkins. "Becky, I'm just doing what's right for you."

"What's right for me?" She looked at him and pointed at herself, baffled that he even said that.

He briefly gave her a stern look before looking back on the road. "This town never sat right with me, never in school and definitely NOT now - especially when there's a missing kid."

Becky scoffed again, looking away from him and out the window again. "Yeah, this town is shitty, but it's MY home. My sister and her children live here and I want to go see them! What the hell is wrong with that?!" She slammed her fist on the dashboard in anger and annoyance, making him tense up but try and keep calm. "If you don't like this goddamn town, then why the hell did you even bother coming with me?"

He let out a deep sigh before answering, "I just couldn't stay back in Indianapolis with you gone to...here!"

"Oh, what am I to you?! A 5-year-old?! I'm a grown woman, I can take care of my own goddamn self!"

The two then began to argue about visiting Hawkins before Carl spotted something on the road, making him brake to a stop and halting their argument. The thing disappeared quickly. The two sighed in relief that they didn't hit an animal or anything. Carl began to drive again, huffing in frustration as well as his wife. They stayed silent for the rest of the drive.

Soon, the teens got out of the pool and were inside. Steve gave them all towels, including himself, and they began drying themselves off. "I'm SOOOOO freezing!" Carol said, shivering.

Tommy smirked and stated, "I heard there's a fireplace in Steve's mom's room." She smiled at him as they both went upstairs to "warm up".

The brown-haired guy looked at them in objection. "You kidding me? Just so you know, you're cleaning the sheets!" he shouted before approaching his girlfriend. "You alright, Kal?" She nodded, shivering a little and wrapping herself in her towel like a cape. He smiled at her. "C'mon, let's get you some dry clothes." He then walked upstairs to his bedroom, Kali following with a smile.

However, she stopped when she heard Barb call out, "Kali!" She looked down to see Barb with her hand all bandaged. She looked at her worriedly. "Where are you going?"

"To Steve's room," she answered bluntly. "To change." She unwrapped herself to show her wet clothes. "I fell in the pool, unfortunately." She giggled, but Barb didn't giggle back. She instead looked at her in pure disbelief, her giggling ceased.

"Kal..." She shook her head. "This isn't you."

Coy and baffled, she replied, "What are you talking about?"

The red-haired girl huffed. "I can't believe it. You're NEVER this stupid!"

She became irritated at her and stated, "Barbara, if you're going through your period-"

"I'm not! I'm stating the truth!"

"I'm just going upstairs to change!"

"Oh, and what? You're going to do the walk of shame back to school?"

Now Kali was angry, stepping down and said to her bitingly, "You know what? If you're not enjoying this, then go home! I don't need your negative attitude, anyway!" Barb looked absolutely crestfallen of what she said.

"Kal-"

"Go!" She then stormed up the stairs to go to Steve's room. Barbara sighed and felt like she was about to break. They had never gotten into an argument like that before. Oh, why did it matter? She was pulling her down anyway. She sniffed and walked back outside. She took off her shoes, sat on the diving board of the pool, and looked down, specifically at her bandaged cut.

...

Inside his room, Kali rubbed her hands together to make herself warm and looked out the window. She deeply sighed. She felt bad for yelling at Barb like that, but she was enjoying her time here and Barb...she was killing it for her. She'd never stand for that.

Suddenly, she felt a pat on her back and turned to see Steve with a plain navy-blue sweatshirt and grey sweatpants in his arms. She took them from him and said, "Thanks. If you could give me a bit of privacy?"

His face lit up in realization, making him reply, "Oh, yeah, yeah. Sorry." He then turned his back to her and walked away from her. She took off her coat and thought of something. She did buy that lace bra, just for him. Why not...show it to him?

She grinned and murmured in a seductive voice, "Steve..." He turned to her as he saw her move her fingers, a gesture for him to come towards her. He did as she went up on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him. He kissed her back, his hands now on her waist.

They continued kissing until Kali slowly eased him onto the bed, her being on top of him now. She kept her grin as she grabbed the ends of her shirt and pulled them up. Once the shirt was off, she threw it on the floor. He looked mesmerized at the sight he was shown. "Damn..." he whispered, making her giggle before connecting her lips to his again. The kissing became passionate very quick, both holding the backs of each other's heads to keep them from breaking the kiss.

They switched positions, now being Steve's turn to take his shirt off. She smiled at the sight of his chest as they continued to make out more. They eventually had all of their clothes off. She pulled his body down to hers as her hands roamed around his back, their bodies grinding against each other. The two felt more aroused and passionate and-

Kali heard a sudden echo of what sounded like her name, making her break the kiss with Steve and look outside. He looked confused. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her, touching her cheek.

She figured it was part of her imagination, so she looked up at him and answered, "Nothing." Both of them smiled and continued to passionately kiss each other. They continued on and had sex with each other that very night.

The night that Barbara Holland disappeared.

Done! What do you think? Any typos or mistakes? How is the two original scenes?

I was thinking for the ending scenes in this chapter, since Kali IS a different character than Nancy, I figure I make her react to things differently than Nancy did originally (f.e.: arguing with Barb instead of just telling her to go home).

Keep supporting this fanfic and I'll see you in the next chapter! ;D