They put Georgie in an ambulance right away. Dustin sat beside the paramedic watching as he checked her eyes. There was definitely something wrong with her head, and the leg thing… but she was going to be fine. She'd taken a real beating, but didn't regret it. Everyone was fine. Well, not everyone. El was gone, and the thought of that broke her heart. That pain was way worse.

"What's your name?" the paramedic asked, looking at something in his hand.

"Georgie Henderson."

"What happened to you here, Georgie?"

"I don't remember."

It was the first of many, many lies. After Georgie was checked-out, restitched and diagnosed with a concussion. She wasn't supposed to leave the bed. The doctors needed her mother to sign her out. She didn't didn't understand, but these men in suits could just make it go away. All of it was just swept under the rug.

She sat up, and debating getting out of bed anyway. But it seemed pointless. They had won but it didn't really feel like that, not with El gone. She was happy to have Will back, she was so happy that he was somewhere in the hospital right now with Jon and Joyce by his side. Dustin was with the rest of the goof-troupe, just waiting for a chance to see Will again. He wanted to stay with Georgie, but she said it was fine for him to wait with the others.

A little knock on the door startled her out of her own thoughts, and she looked up to see Steve and Nancy at the door. Nancy smiled, and rushed over to Georgie's side.

"Thanks for taking care of Mike, and the others." Nancy kissed Georgie's forehead. It made Georgie feel like the worst person. "Sorry I haven't been a good friend lately, I should've noticed how much pain you were in too. Barb wasn't just my friend."

Please, Nancy. Please stop. Stop stop stop.

"Steve told me you were out behind his place looking for her," she said. "That's where I started too. You should've been able to talk to me, I'm sorry."

"Nancy, stop apologizing… I wasn't really around either."

"It won't be like that anymore, I promise. No more shutting my friends out just because I have a boyfriend." Nancy smiled over her shoulder at Steve. Georgie wanted to throw up.

She was a bad enough friend already, but she couldn't stop the eruption of butterflies in her stomach when she finally looked up and made eye contact with Steve. He smiled at her, and it took everything in her power not to blush. Or maybe she did and was convincing herself otherwise.

"Will woke up," Nancy said, smiling her beautiful smile. Georgie was seriously going to throw up, has she even said anything? "The boys are with him now, and the doctor says he's going to be fine."

"Can you tell him hi for me? I don't think my mom is going to let me out of her sight for… well, forever." Georgie mustered up some of that fake enthusiasm. She wouldn't ever try to come between Nancy and Steve, it just wasn't meant to be.

"Yeah of course, I'll tell him right now, I've got to get back anyway. My mom is feeling pretty similar about that forever thing."

Nancy gave Georgie another little squeeze on the hand and left as quick as she came, but Steve lingered behind.

"How are ya doin?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Feeling great," she said, with a lacklustre thumbs up. Steve nodded like he was listening but she could see he was working up the courage to say something.

"Hey, something you said a bit ago, in the alley…"

"On was on pain meds," she answered before he could finish.

"You didn't even let me finish," he said, looking skeptic. Her lie did just kind of blurt out.

"Yeah but, I know what you're going to say."

"You said and I quote 'I'm getting over you,'" he put a hand to his hip.

"I never said that," Georgie said. Her arms crossed over her chest. If there was going to be a war of stubbornness, Steve didn't know what he had coming to him. "Whatever you heard was a side effect of the pain meds."

"All right, jeez. Just say you hate me and move on!" he laughed, but he was smiling. Georgie crawled back into bed, folding herself into the blankets in hopes that this situation would go away. Maybe the men in suits can make these secrets fade away too,

"Get out of my room, Harrington."

"Only so you can sleep. Maybe me and Nance can come over sometime soon and hangout? Maybe Jonathan come even come?"

"Yeah, maybe." Georgie smiled at him, her soft smile was actually just another fake. She had no intention of hanging out with Nancy and Steve together. That sounds like a personal, genuine nightmare.

"I'd better get back to Nance," he said, tapping her on the foot. "But get better soon!"

Georgie pulled the blankets over her head and tried not to scream.

After being grounded for, forever, Georgie's leg healed up, and so did her head. She was fine to be out and about again. Other than too much time spent with the party, Georgie spent her time with Nancy (alone) and Jonathan. Jon got her in a way no one else did. But it wasn't anything romantic at all. But when they had no one else their age, they had each other. He made her feel a little less, well, lonely. When what she really wanted was Steve. It had gotten bad, she was a mess. Constantly on edge, thinking about her next excuse as to why she can't hang out with Nance, and just trying anything to get over him.

Thus began … the list. The list of possible suitors she made that go to their school. It wasn't ideal, and it almost felt mean. But it wasn't hard to get on the list, just easy to be kicked off it. She didn't dare tell anyone. Not even Jon. Especially not Dustin. It was embarrassing enough that she was trying to solve her crush problem this way. She'd been on three dates, none of which were successful. And still, she remained totally kiss-less.

"Turn around, bright eyes!" Georgie sang, laying on the floor of Jonathan's room. The music was loud, but Georgie was louder.

"Mom said it sound like heartbreak in here," Jon said, coming into the room with a can of coke for each of them.

"No man is man enough to break my heart," Georgie said, smiling and taking her beverage.

"I know there was a guy, and I can tell he hurt you. And apparently so can my mom."

"That was so rude, honestly."

"Just tell me what happened, maybe I can help."

"It was unrequited, best you're gunna get out of me." She sipped the fizzy can of happiness. What was this stuff made of? Who cares, it's the 80s.

"Better than yesterday," he laughed. "Maybe tomorrow I'll get enough adjectives to put together the whole picture."

"But probably not."

"Yeah, but probably not."

They sat around his bedroom for another few hours, shooting the shit and listening to the radio. It was what they usually did every time the kids had a D&D session. Sometimes, she just hung out on the couch down there. But it wasn't a joke, it did smell like farts in there. A light knock on the door from Joyce reminded them it was time to get the kids. Georgie climbed into the passenger seat, as usual.

"Want to hang out tomorrow? Will is going to Mike's again and I thought we could go check out the new Amityville movie."

"I would but," she grimaced. "I have a date."

"Do you think that was a healthy reaction? Or did you think that was maybe an unhealthy reaction?"

"It's with Elliot, he's on the basketball team."

"The basketball team? You're going to go out on a date with someone from the basketball team?" Jonathan scoffed, and then scoffed again. "What are you doing, Georgie?"

"Why are you getting so judgmental? You're the one in love with Nancy Wheeler, Miss Unattainable. At least I'm, I don't know… branching out?"

Jonathan looked pained in thought. "Yeah maybe. You're right, I was being judgemental, I'm sorry." He kept his eyes fully focused on the road. "But you're being mean."

"I'm sorry for being mean," you said.

"You haven't been the same since… well you know. You've been cold." He treaded lightly, as if an accusation would make her cagey - and he was right, if would've.

"I'm just worried about Dustin," she said, straightening up in her seat.

It's been like this since that day in the school. Georgie was tightly wound before she was introduced to the upside down, and now she was less wound but more, lost than ever. Worse than that, she was hurt and to avoid that has been hurting herself even more by going out with these jerks she didn't care about.

Jonathan knew it wasn't what was really up, because he knew her and he's not stupid. But she wasn't going to budge. She was the most stubborn person he knew.

"Yeah," he mumbled, turning the music back up.

She knew it was mean to be cold to him like this. As if he hasn't carried her through these last weeks emotionally, but the truth was nothing but a fantasy. The truth was that she was a bad friend, and absolutely mad about a boy she can never be with. And that was the most painful thing for her. And she couldn't escape it again. She couldn't force the feelings back down again because they won't fucking go.

"It's freezing," she said. A comment on the weather, but a small, subtle jab at herself. Jonathan didn't say anything, just turned the heat up a bit. "I'm sorry."

"Me too."

Even still, he couldn't be mad at her. They were best friends. A little bit by default, but that's okay. They had their own connection.

At the Wheeler house, Steve's car was in the driveway. As if this simple trip couldn't get anymore awkward. The house was warm, and smelled like sweet baking. Karen knew how to make a holiday treat, that's for sure. Nancy greeted her quickly, but ran upstairs while Jonathan went to the basement to grab the boys'.

"Hey Georgie!" Steve said, waving her over to the couch. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you once since…" he trailed off. "Anyway how are you?"

"Right as rain," she answered. "Fully healed."

"Good, good," he said, smiling. His smile was sickening, it was so pretty. Why did she feel like a loser whenever she was around him. Like she couldn't say the right thing, do the right move, or even you know, be the right girl.

"You guys should stay, we're watching a movie. I'm sure the little monsters could enjoy some more time playing." He was trying to be her friend. He really was, but it just wasn't an option.

"I would but, Jonathan's gotta get Will back and he's my ride so," Georgie shrugged, the lies rolled off her tongue with fluidity these days.

"Yeah, all right. No worries," Steve's smile never dropped. "Maybe next time."

"Yeah, for sure." Georgie smiled sweetly at him, then almost ran into Karen in the hallway. She insisted that Georgie take a sweet with her, and although she didn't really feel like it, she took it anyway. Jonathan was by the front door, a shiny new camera in his hand.

"Hey maybe there's hope for you yet," Georgie said, winking. "Is that for you?"

"It's not what you think," he said. "It's not like that."

Maybe, but it's nice to dream.