Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
After eating breakfast with her family, Jane, wearing a dark-plaid shirt, baggy jeans, white socks, and white sneakers, stood up and put all her empty dishes into the sink, taking a deep breath. Today was the day that she was going to do what her mother told her to do: call Mike and tell him that they won't hang out today. She felt nervous, but assured herself that Mike had the same talk, so everything should be just fine.
She walked to Terry and asked, "Can I call on the phone downstairs?"
She nodded and answered, "Absolutely." She then gave her a reassuring smile. "Just take deep breaths and stay calm."
She nodded and hugged her. "Okay." She then left the kitchen to go down into the basement.
The rest of the family looked concerned. "What was that about?" Kali asked, wearing her hair in a well-combed bun and wearing a black and white geometric dress with white heels.
The long-haired woman looked at everyone and said, "Well, you all know about Jane and Mike, right?" They all nodded, with the exception of Tina, who wore a white headband with a bow and a cute animal onesie, sitting on a tall, pink baby chair with a nearly-empty bowl of baby food and a baby bottle next to it. She wore a white baby bib as well, it being messy due to the food she ate. "Well, his father and I talked about what they were doing and we thought we should tell them each about some changes we're going to make concerning them."
Becky, who had her hair out and some tied to the back and wore a warm-colored plaid shirt and mom jeans, raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she asked.
She nodded again. "Yes. They're spending too much time with each other, so we talked to them about setting boundaries and what they can do without each other."
Carl, who wore a navy-blue shirt and dark pants, nodded in understanding. "That's smart," he said. "It is quite unhealthy for kids their age to hang out with just each other."
Becky also nodded, looking at her husband. "You also have the other parent doing the same for their kid, so it'll all work out." Tina began cooing a little, so Becky saw that she wanted more of the baby food, so she began feeding her the rest of it.
Kali also nodded. "Exactly. Steve and I are doing the same, especially with our jobs."
She pointed at her. "Right." The two then saw Becky and Carl look confused at the Indian girl.
"Steve?" they both asked.
"You're still with that boy?" Becky asked.
They were surprised that they still remembered him from Christmas 2 years ago. "Oh, well," Kali began, nodding a little. "Yeah."
"Oh." She looked surprised as her husband was.
She gave them a puzzled look. "Why are you two looking at me like that?"
They dropped their surprised expressions, Becky using a napkin to wipe Tina's mouth with. "It's not for any bad reason, sweetie," her aunt said.
"I never expected you two to be...still together," Carl stated. Becky gave him the side-eye for being that blunt.
Kali sighed. "I don't blame you guys. He might not be that bright, but he's a really nice and sweet guy, once you actually get to know him."
Becky smiled at her. "Since you two are still together, I'm sure he is." Kali smiled, knowing her aunt would be understanding. Terry smiled as well. Carl still looked skeptical though.
...
In the basement, Jane held the handset of the phone, taking her fourth deep breath. "You can do this," she whispered to herself. "Everything's going to be okay. He's had the same talk..." She then looked up at the phone. "Let's go." She grabbed the handset and used the rotator to call the cabin.
Mike had woken up earlier than his adoptive father, dressed in a short-sleeved, yellow shirt with black-outlined white stripes, gray shorts, white socks, and black sneakers. He was outside, pacing around for some time, waiting for Jane. It's been an hour and she was nowhere to be seen, much to his dismay. He looked everywhere, every nook and cranny of the area near the cabin. Nothing. No Jane. Where the hell was she? His patience began to thin out.
He let out a sharp exhale and went inside the cabin. There, he went to the new phone installed near the kitchen to call her, but much to his surprise, it rung. He hoped it was Jane, so he grabbed it instantly and answered, "Jane?"
"Hi...Mike," she greeted him rather nervously. She cleared her throat. "I, uh...wanted to talk to you about something."
Puzzled, he went inside his room and used his power to close the door...and a few seconds later, Hopper came out in his police chief uniform. He walked past the phone, not realizing that Mike was using it, and went inside the kitchen to cook.
...
"What is it?" he asked her.
She took another deep breath, mentally convincing herself to stay calm. "So, um...we shouldn't hang out...today."
His eyes widened, him dropping his jaw in shock. "What?"
...
Hopper heard his son in his room and that made him realize something:
He still haven't had the "heart-to-heart" with him yet.
"Oh shit," he muttered under his breath as he walked towards the phone.
His reply confused her, but she kept going. "I just wanna hang out with my aunt, uncle, and cousin today." She shrugged. "They're visiting, so y'know, I just wanna hang out with them. They're my family.
He saw the handset missing and the cord between the crack of the door to Mike's room. He looked down and gritted his teeth. "Goddamn it."
...
He could recall Becky and Carl, but never knew about her cousin. Even so...
"Okay...so then we can hang out later?"
She was now even more confused. "Uh, no."
He looked more puzzled as well. "I said that we shouldn't hang out TODAY. You know, like, all day?" She was chuckling while saying that.
She won't hang out with him all day? "Why not?"
She looked a little baffled that he wasn't understanding. "Uh, hello? My aunt, uncle, and cousin? I wanna hang out with them? That's why?"
Right...
"So...we can hang out tonight?"
"No, Mike!" she suddenly spat out, making him tense up at the sound of her voice.
She groaned and sunk into the ground. "I'm not gonna hang out with you today OR tonight, okay?" She rubbed her temple. "Don't you have something to do?"
Now he's starting to look and feel irritated. "No."
"No?" Didn't Hopper talk to him as well?
Wait a minute...
"Did Hopper talk to you, at all?"
He shook his head. "No, I just woke up."
"I mean, last night." She sounded very impatient.
"No, he didn't. He acted weird, that's it."
...
Settled near the doorway to listen to the conversation, Hopper's lips drew to a fine line. He knew they were talking about him now...
Now she was both shocked and pissed. Without a second thought, she shouted out loud, "Oh, that piece of shit!"
Mike looked offended at that. "Hey!"
She answered in annoyance, "What?!"
"Pop is NOT a piece of shit!"
...
Hopper felt better hearing him say that, but even so...
She looked baffled, hearing him say that. She rose from the ground. "Yes, he is!"
"No, he's not!"
"YES, HE IS!"
...
As Kali was leaving for work, she heard her little sister yelling, making her look shocked. "Uh, Mum?" she called out.
"Yes, Kali?" Terry called out.
"Jane's yelling. Is that supposed to happen?"
...
Terry looked like she got struck by lightning as she stood up from her table. "No," she answered as she rushed out of the kitchen, Carl and Becky worried.
...
She just shrugged and got out the door, not wanting to be late because her sister was having a bad call with Mike, she's sure. However, when she does come back, she'll see what happens and what she could do.
"NO, HE'S NOT!"
...
The ash-blonde-haired man rubbed his face and muttered under his breath, "Oh, Terry's gonna kill me..."
She scoffed and paced around with the phone in her head. "Why are you being so defensive of him?!"
"Why did you call him a piece of shit?!"
"Because he IS!" she hissed.
...
At that moment, Terry leaned against the door, hearing her yelling.
"He's NOT, Jane!"
She scoffed again. "Oh, he's not a fat, ugly, lazy-"
His jaw dropped as she came up with more demeaning adjectives towards him. "-old, lousy, arrogant, aggressive, inconsiderate-"
"-intolerant PIECE OF SHIT?!"
...
Terry covered her mouth, aghast. Did this mean...Hopper didn't...?
Mike asked angrily, "What is WRONG with you?!"
"What is wrong with YOU?!"
The freckled boy suddenly got bad déjà-vu, remembering back two years ago when she yelled that to him after throwing Lucas to a metal plate. However, he knew he was wrong at that time. He sure as hell didn't see where he went wrong now. He tried to fight the tears welling up in his eyes as he yelled, "You know what, Jane?!"
"What?!"
"DON'T hang out with me today!"
She scoffed once more. "I wasn't PLANNING TO, you IDIOT!"
She...she just called him an idiot.
Jane called him an idiot.
The one girl he cared about most...called him...an idiot.
He could break down right now, but he didn't want to. He sniffled and wiped his eyes, his voice now sounding hurt. "Fine! Go hang out with your STUPID FAMILY!"
Now she felt hurt by this statement, tears brimming up in her eyes. However, she was so mad, she couldn't be bothered to break down, so she yelled, "FINE! GO HANG OUT WITH YOUR STUPID PIECE-OF-SHIT DAD!"
"FINE!"
"FINE!"
Mike angrily used his powers to slam open the door, Hopper flinching back. He saw Mike storm out of there. "FINE!"
"FINE!"
He angrily hung up his phone...
...and so did she.
She sunk down into the floor again, beginning to cry. She never wanted this to go this way...but it did. If it wasn't for Hopper not talking to him, Mike wouldn't act like such a moron...
...
Terry felt very forlorn, hearing her daughter cry, so she slowly opened the door and slowly walked back downstairs, seeing her on the ground, covering her crying face. She removed her face from her hands to look up at her mother. She looked very terrible for her. "Jane? Are you okay?" she asked softly.
Jane sniffled and shook her head, answering, "No." Without any more words, the two hugged each other tightly, the woman wanting to comfort her daughter.
Becky then appeared, going downstairs to the basement. She had asked Carl to look after Tina for a bit, then seeing what was happening. The two looked up at her. No words needed to be said about what was going on. She looked sad, went to her sister and niece, crouched down, and joined the hug too.
Mike sniffled and wiped the tears coming out of his eyes. Jim slowly moved the door away as he saw his son wiping his tears and holding back sobs horribly. Solemn, he walked towards him and said softly, "Hey, buddy." He turned to him, his eyes and nose red and his cheeks wet from the tears, despite the boy wiping them away. He opened his arms out to welcome a hug, and so the boy did. He let him cry onto his uniform as they both held each other tightly.
In their home, Dave was cooking up some organic breakfast in the kitchen while a radio near him was playing Janis Joplin. Andrew was sitting in front of the TV in the living room, reading The Fellowship of the Ring and not paying attention to the news. For the sake of Stacey returning, he wore a plain white shirt over his unshaved chest and also a pair of Dave's shorts.
The door suddenly opened, making him away from his book and at a rather distressed Stacey. He didn't notice it right away as he greeted, "Hey, Stace. How was..." She stormed passed him, the guy noticing the pissed-off look on her face. "...the date?" He knew that meant bad news, so he folded the corner of the page he was on, stood up, set the book down on the couch, and walked towards her direction.
She walked passed the kitchen, Dave noticing and waving at her. "Heya, Stace," he greeted with no greeting back as she went into the hallway to get into her room. He looked concerned. "Stacey?"
Andrew stopped at the hallway and sighed. "What happened?" he asked her. She didn't answer as they both heard the door to her room slam.
The two men tensed up at that, looking worried for their female friend. "Shit," the dirty-blonde-haired guy muttered. "Did that kid not live up to her expectations?"
The long-haired man put his hands on his waist. "Or maybe he treated her like garbage...or didn't show up."
He looked pretty mad. "No man, no matter how young, treats Stacey like garbage and gets away with it."
Andrew nodded. "Exactly."
...
Stacey, having her makeup removed in the motel, changed into a salmon-pink shirt, a jean jacket over that, tight skinny jeans, and black flats to go to work in. She didn't care that she looked too plain, she was absolutely furious. She hadn't been stood up on a date like that since George from high school. HIGH SCHOOL. Was that a thing for high school boys? Standing up their dates? She huffed, grabbing her wallet and shovinng it into her pocket.
She then went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. No makeup because she didn't feel like putting any on, so she fluffed out her hair a little. It looked fine, so she went back out and into the kitchen, looking at the clock. She still got some time before she should go to work.
She sat at the dinner table, where Andrew sat next to her and place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Bad date, huh?" he asked her. She sighed deeply and nodded. "You wanna talk about it now?"
She shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about other than he stood me up."
The two looked shocked. "He stood you up?!" Dave exclaimed.
"Yeah. Waited an hour for him and he didn't come. Not even after I went back into our room."
He hugged her to comfort her. "It's alright. That kid doesn't know what he's missing."
"Yeah!" They heard their friend slide something into some plates. "Your jokes, your 'take-no-bullshit' attitude..."
Andrew smiled. "Your smile, your intelligence..."
Stacey smiled as well and laughed a little. "Your killer gymnastics..."
"Your 'better-than-Dave's' cooking skills."
"Hey!"
Stacey now laughed at her two friends listing off what they liked about her. "Okay, okay, I get it, you guys," she said, hugging Andrew back. "Thanks."
"It's not a problem, Stace," Andrew replied, the two releasing their hugs. "But your job at the mall is a problem."
She scoffed, saying, "It's only temporary."
"But do you know what they do?"
"They made a lot of other people jobless, yours truly included," Dave asked, coming in with a plate of eggs, a small salad, and whole wheat toast. He set it in front of his female friend.
She held her hands up. "Okay, okay. I'm just saying, it's just temporary until I find another job that'll accept me."
"Good."
The curly-haired woman then looked at Andrew, smirking just a little. "Speaking of the mall..." He looked a little puzzled. "Since I work in The Gap, Terry IS my co-worker, so..."
Andrew sharply exhaled and rolled his eyes, leaning his face onto his palm. "Oh my God, you too?"
His friends laughed at him, Dave bringing in the rest of the breakfast. "Dude, come on. It doesn't hurt to hang out with her for a day."
"I'll put in a good word for you to her, I can cover for her and you two can go off and chat," Stacey added.
He sighed and rubbed his temple. "Fine, since you two won't shut up about it."
They both laughed. "Trust me, you'll thank us later," his female friend replied. With that, they began eating their breakfast. He guessed hanging out with Terry again wouldn't be such a bad idea. He just hoped she was up for it as well, that's all.
"And she...called me an idiot," Mike said, him and Hopper eating eggs at the dinner table. "She called me that. I don't know why she called me that, I..." He looked very heartbroken, pausing to eat some of his Eggos. "I don't know what's going on with her."
He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, looking at him reassuringly. "It's not your fault, okay?" he told him. "It's just...she was probably having a bad morning." Not that she was mad at him for not having the heart-to-heart with Mike and the fact that he snapped at her on the way to her home...
"Really?"
He ate some of his eggs and nodded. "Yeah. But you shouldn't go to her since she's clearly upset."
He nodded, looking down at his food. "Okay. So what do I do?"
He began thinking, then looked at Mike. "Well, since I can't drop you off there, you can stay here." Suddenly, a newer idea flickered in his head. He stood up slowly, finished his eggs, and put the fork back on his plate. "Or...you could hang out with your other friends."
Mike looked a little interested, standing up and eating the last piece of his Eggos. "Other friends? Like Lucas, Will, and Dustin?"
He nodded. "Yeah. You can hang out with them. You're all boys, so it'll cheer you up." He looked unsure, the man patting him on the back as he took his plate and fork and placed them on top of his. "Trust me, bud, it will."
He nodded back. "If you say so, Pop."
He then placed the dishes into the sink and guided him out of the cabin. "Let's go. I know the way to Will's." He nodded again. Jane wasn't going to be hanging out with the boys, so he wasn't too worried about her being there. Still, this was going to be the first time he's ever not hung out with her. That did feel weird to him...but at the same time, she was so rude and mean to him that he started not to care anymore.
Terry, now dressed in a multi-colored shirt, Gap jeans, and black heels, went to Jane and petted her hair. "I'm going to work now, sweetheart," she said to her. "Everyone else is here to support you if you need anything, okay?"
She nodded. "I know, Mama."
She sighed and looked at the clock in the basement. "I'll have a word with Hopper. Just try and enjoy yourself, okay?" She nodded again, making her kiss her forehead. She then looked at her sister. "Take care of her."
Becky smiled. "Always have, always will," she answered. She smiled back as they exchanged waves and she went upstairs and left.
The short-haired woman looked at her niece and said, "There is one other thing I need ya to know about relationships."
Jane looked up at her. She already told her and her mother what happened during the phone call and how she felt about it. They, of course, comforted her about it and told her it wasn't her fault. "What is it?"
She sighed and looked away from her. "Relationships aren't all about rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes, two people have obstacles to overcome when they're together. Arguing's one of 'em."
The tomboy sighed and looked away from her too. "It's awful, I..." She looked very guilty and sad. "I said things I didn't want to and..."
"I know, it happens." The two looked at each other, Becky wrapping an arm around her niece's shoulder. "Your uncle and I have been there many times. There were times when I called him a bastard and a complete moron, when he'd call me stupid and careless. But we're still happy and we still care about each other."
"But...how did you two make up, after all those times?" Jane asked.
She took a deep breath and looked upstairs. "Well, we take some time apart to calm down. Then, we go see each other and talk like adults should." She laughed a little. "Most of our arguments are about the most smallest n' silliest things, so we can make up quickly."
"What about serious arguments?"
Her smile disappeared. "Then we talk to each other seriously and open up our feelings about the issue. We eventually come an understanding and make up." Jane nodded, understanding that. Maybe she should do the same with Mike.
She saw the look on her niece's face and stroked her hair. "You can do the same with Mike, sweetie. You two are young and new to this, so doin' that will help you two understand how this all works."
Jane smiled, feeling a little bit hopeful for the future of her and Mike. "Yeah...you're right." She then hugged her aunt. "Thanks, Auntie."
Becky smiled back and hugged her back. "Aww, sweetie, don't mention it." They then released the hug. "By the way, you don't have to hang out with just us."
The girl looked a little puzzled. "What?"
She shrugged. "Don'tcha have any lady friends you can call over and hang out with?" There was one...Max.
She nodded at her. "I do."
While Kali was filling up her boss's coffee cup with coffee, she looked down at the notes she took last night:
Doris Driscoll
4819 Cornwallis Road
Rats...with Disease?
This information...it could make for a serious and great story. It'll show these pigs who's on top, especially with a topic like rats with disease. It would make a thrilling, attention-grabbing article, unlike the shit these idiots were putting out.
She looked back at the coffee cup to see that she was overfilling it. She gasped and set the pot down. "Oh my God, shit," she muttered to herself as she quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe the cup down.
"Ooopsie-daisy!" called out Bruce from his work space. She glared at him, having his cup of coffee and his crossed legs on top of the desk. He pointed at her and had a joking look on his face. "Careful, Curry Kali. You don't wanna get the AMERICAN coffee too hot now!" He and the rest of the men began to snicker. She looked away from them and huffed, trying to keep her hate for them at bay. "Pouring coffee's a tough gig for an Indian girl." The men began laughing about. She still tried to remain calm, only looking slightly pissed off.
...
She knocked on the door of her boss's office and let herself in, plastering a fake smile on her face. She set his coffee on the table. "Here you go, sir, two creams, two sugars, just the way you like it."
He looked at the cup, grabbing it as he focused on the papers he had. "Thanks, sweetheart."
The name felt weird to her, coming from someone that definitely wasn't her mom. However, she buried that feeling and nodding at him, still smiling. "Of course." She looked away, then at her notepad she was carrying as well, closed. She took a deep breath and looked at her boss. "Tom?"
"Hmm?" He looked up at her.
"I really hate to ask you this, but..." She pointed a finger at him, raising an eyebrow. "Can you have one of the other girls go and grab lunch today?"
He looked away from her, then back at her, his blank expression and open mouth unchanged. "They're needed at their desks."
She faked an understanding look. "I know that, I just..." She looked down, taking a deep breath as he sipped his coffee. "I really need to visit my gynecologist." That was enough to make him choke on his sip of coffee.
...
Happy, Kali got into the photo-processing room to get Jonathan, calling out, "Jonathan!"
He jumped back in surprise at her voice and the light, looking annoyed. "Oh, Kal, come on, the LIGHT!"
She tilted her head out the door as a gesture for him to go. "We're going right now."
...
They exited the building with their things, walking to their respective cars. "Listen, Kal, I..." Jonathan said, sighing. "I don't know if this is such a good idea anymore."
She looked at him, surprised. "Really?" She looked away and smiled. "I think this is the best idea I've had all summer."
They stopped when Jonathan swung around to his car and got out his keys. "I'm just saying, what harm is there in asking?"
"Um, the harm is that Mr. Holloway will say no." Jonathan then unlocked the door to his car, holding it open and looking at his friend. "We ask for forgiveness, not permission." She then grinned while he looked worried. "And if this story is as good as I know it'll be, then he won't give a shit." She swung around to her car, digging for her keys at the purse.
"OR, the old lady is nuts, the story blows up in your face-" She gave him a baffled look. "And Tom fires us!"
She scoffed and grinned. "Aaaand I'll never have to work in this shithole again. Both good outcomes." She then unlocked the door to her car.
"I said 'us'."
She raised an eyebrow up as well. "Come on, you'd be happy not working here anymore too." He opened his mouth to retort, but he really couldn't find anything to retort with. She perked her head up and said, "That's what I thought." He sighed, being defeated.
"So, you'll check up with Steve and meet me at the address?"
She nodded. "That's the plan." She then entered into her car and started up the engine. There was no turning back now, was there? He got in his own and did the same, the two driving off to their destinations.
Jim had dropped off Mike to the Byers's, but didn't leave unless Will answered the door. There was no way he was leaving this boy alone, by himself, with the possibility of no one being there. He and his son saw another bike parked in front of the house, so that meant one of his other friends were there. The freckled boy went up to the door and took a deep breath. He then knocked on it as loud as he could.
...
Inside, Lucas was in Will's room, just hanging around while the auburn-haired boy was getting his D&D set ready. They stopped what they were doing as they heard the knocking. Lucas stood up and said, "I'll get it." Will just nodded as the African-American boy walked out and towards the door. He opened it up and saw Mike...and just Mike, much to his surprise. "Mike?"
...
Will froze at the mention of his name. He was annoyed, wondering why the hell he was here.
...
Satisfied, Hopper drove off to go to Melvald's.
...
"Hi, Lucas," he greeted him.
He looked around for his lady friend just be sure, but saw just him. "You came here by yourself?"
"Yes."
"Where's Jane?"
He looked annoyed. "What about Jane?"
He looked surprised by his reply and tone, then he realized something, nodding. "Ooooh, I see what's going on."
He looked confused. "What's going on?"
He wrapped his arm around his shoulder and got him inside. "Come in here, we need a talk."
"Talk?"
They both then got into Will's room, the boy just sitting there at his desk, getting D&D ready. He and Mike looked at each other, before Will looked at Lucas. "What's going on?"
"This guy has a girl problem with Jane," he answered, giving him a pat on the back. His eyes widened at the mention of her name, him looking at the freckled boy. He swore, if he did anything bad to her...
Stopping there. How was this chapter? Any typos or mistakes I might've missed?
Now, I don't know if this is just me, but I had a problem with this season having a comedic tone throughout the entire season. Having that tone at first is fine since it fits the fact that no one knows what's really going on until shit hits the fan. However, having that tone throughout is not a good contrast from the other seasons. So, I'll amp up the drama to make this kinda mirror the other seasons.
That said, it's why I had Jane and Mike's argument be more intense and dramatic than the canon attempt of Mike to lie to El. Poor kids...they've never gone through something like that before, which was why they cried after they hung up on each other. I hope I wrote that entire situation well 'cause later in this second episode...oooh boy...
On a lighter note, poor Stacey. But hey, at least she's got her friends to cheer her up!
Yeah, I am still going to pair Mike and Jane with those they hung out with in this episode canonically, but it'll be different.
Follow, favorite, review, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!