Chapter Twenty

Hawkins Lab

"Are you seriously gonna ignore me?" Jonathan asked, leaning against the open doorway into Veronica's room. She sat in front of her small desk, a book opened, as she finished off homework. Jonathan nervously stood there in the tense silence as she didn't even move to acknowledge him. "Come on...you can't ignore me forever."

Veronica huffed before sitting up straighter in her seat, "Ignoring you is exactly what I plan on doing, Byers."

Jonathan pushed off from the doorway and moved across the room to sit on the edge of her bed. "How many times do I have to apologize?"

"Until I have felt like forgiving you." Veronica shrugged, her eyes still focused on her homework. "You left me at a party with no way home with a bunch of strangers so that you could play knight in shining armor to Nancy."

"She was wasted and needed someone to help her home," Jonathan shrugged

"Maybe her boyfriend could've been that person?" Veronica snapped, turning her gaze to him.

Jonathan sighed heavily and ran his hand over his face before standing up and beginning to pace along her bedroom. Veronica started to get more annoyed the longer that Jonathan was in her bedroom.

"Listen, I'm sorry for leaving you. It wasn't like that I planned on that happening. But Nancy is a friend and I saw that she needed someone."

"I'm your friend too, Jonathan," Veronica grumbled

"But you can take care of yourself,"

"Oh stop it! Nancy is able to take care of herself. Stop acting like she's this weak, docile little thing that needs saving." Veronica spoke angrily. "You were shitty, Jonathan. Not to mention defending someone that thinks I'm a monster."

Jonathan stopped quickly, looking down at her with a bit of shock in his eyes. "H-How did you find out about that?"

"Oh, so it is true?" Veronica's dark eyebrows shot up toward her eyebrow. "Wow."

"I-I didn't tell you cause there was no point in bringing it up." Jonathan shrugged "Why do you care what Nancy thinks anyways?"

"I don't. But I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other? And you'd obviously been keeping this one, god only knows what else." Veronica paused, before sighing softly. "Do you think that?"

Jonathan hesitated, his mouth opening and closing a few times, before finally answering. "No, I don't."

"You hesitated!" Veronica shouted, "If you were certain then you wouldn't have hesitated."

Jonathan groaned louder and ran his hand through his hair, "I'm sorry, ok. I-I..."

"Just go Jonathan, please," Veronica spoke sadly as she turned back around to face her homework.

Jonathan hesitated for a moment before quickly walking out of her bedroom. The moment she knew that he was out through the doorway, Veronica twitched her to the side slightly causing the thin wooden door to slam shut. Veronica tried to concentrate back on her homework but the cloudiness of her tears made it difficult. She slammed down her pencil and closed her eyes tightly to try and stop them from falling but it didn't work, the tears moving down her warm cheeks. She pushed back from her desk, nearly sending the chair to the floor, before moving to her bed. Veronica grabbed her pillow and screamed into it, the lights within her room beginning to flicker from the outburst.

She wasn't sure how long she laid there, able to hear Jonathan leave for school and the home falling silent. Veronica sat up slowly and reached to wipe her tears before finally leaving her room. When she walked out into the living room, she was able to see Will sitting on the couch watching TV, along with the noise of Joyce in the kitchen. She smiled at the younger boy before sitting down beside him.

"Hey, kiddo." Veronica smiled, reaching up and ruffling his hair slightly causing Will to chuckle slightly. "You heading for an appointment today too?"

"Yeah," He sighed softly. Veronica could taste the nerves rolling off of him, it was bitter and salty on her tongue.

"You ok?" She asked, her voice soft and gentle. Will shot a few glances at her a few times while he bit down on his lower lip. "Come on...you know you can tell me."

Will hesitated a little more before speaking, "I overheard Mom and Hopper talking about...your episodes the other day. On how you're getting flashes and stuff?" Veronica nodded, encouraging him to continue, "I-I have sort of been having the same thing happening. It's like...I don't know when I'm dreaming and when I'm not."

"Of the Upside Down?"

"Y-Yeah...and I-I've heard you before in the middle of the night when you think everyone else is sleeping. I know I said it before...b-but I was wondering. If maybe your episodes are the same?"

Veronica sighed softly and rested further against the back of the couch, "It's...It's only come around a few times but they are getting worse with each episode. It's like one second I'm here, and the next I'm back there. I can't snap myself out of it...it takes some time. And the last one gave me memory spots again. It makes me feel cold...like I'm frozen. My chest gets all heavy and it's hard to breathe."

"That's how it feels for me too," Will whispered softly and looked down at his lap.

Veronica frowned and reached over and laced her fingers through his and gave his hand a light squeeze. Will's eyes darted up to hers with his brown eyes wide before he seemed to relax under her touch.

"We'll figure this out together, ok?"

Will smiled a little apprehensively before nodding his head, the two of them continuing to watch the show on the TV.

Veronica held tightly to Hopper's hand as he lead her down the hallway following behind an older man wearing a white lab coat. The moment they pulled up to the building her heart rate spiked and the memories of the lab flashed through her mind. Most were images of Papa and all the experiments he made her participate in. The cries of the other children he made her heart. Hopper saw the panic in her eyes when he walked around to open her car door.

"We don't have to do this, kid." He spoke, his voice gentle as he stood at the car door. "We can get back in the car, turn around, and head to the diner for lunch."

Veronica looked up at him, her doe brown eyes causing his chest to tighten slightly at the fear he saw swimming in them. Hopper thought for sure she was going to for sure ask to leave. But the moment Joyce pulled up into the parking lot and parked beside them, the fear was gone. Hopper turned around and saw her eyes were focused on Will as he climbed out of the car. It was then that he understood. So instead, Hopper reached down and grabbed her hand tightly before helping her toward the ominous building.

"Dr. Owens is a good guy," Hopper spoke as they walked down the hall side by side, "He's going to take care of you, figure out what's going on."

"You're gonna be there right?" Veronica's voice was monotone, her eyes focused forward, her hand shaking slightly in his.

"Of course, I'm not going anywhere." Veronica nodded her head before turning to look up at her father, giving him a small smile.

Veronica looked over her shoulder and watched as Will went into another room as the two of them continued down the hallway. He stopped for a moment to watch her, sending each other a small smile, before he disappeared. Veronica felt like her heart was gonna rip from her chest with how hard it was beating against her chest. The older man opened the door to a room and stepped aside to let the two of them through first. Veronica stopped short for a moment as her eyes moved about the room, able to place the former function of the room. They may have painted over the walls and removed the furniture but the memory was still imprinted on her mind.

"It's ok," Hopper whispered stepping up beside her, hearing the shaky breath she pushed out.

Veronica looked back at him and nodded her head before stepping forward toward the examination table.

"Today we're gonna start simple. Ask a few questions, take a few tests, nothing too scary," Dr. Owens spoke, his gentle face splitting into a smile as he looked toward Veronica.

"O-Ok..." She whispered softly

Hopper stepped off to the side and made sure to keep his eyes on Veronica, watching at the Doctor took a few blood samples. He could tell that she was trying to place her mind somewhere else in order to be in the building that once caused her so much grief. Dr. Owens bandaged up the inside of her elbow to stop the bleeding from the needle mark.

"Alright, so Chief says that you too are having episodes?" He pulled up a stool and took a seat.

"Uh...y-yeah." Veronica let out a shaky breath, her hand fidgeting on top of her knees.

"Why don't you tell me about those?"

Veronica's eyes shot to Hopper and he nodded his head to her, giving a small smile of encouragement. She fidgeted for a few passing seconds before starting to tell the doctor everything that had happened. His face was stoic as she spoke unable to tell if he believed a word she said – or if everything she said was true.

"Do what did the doctor say?" Veronica asked as she sat beside Hopper in the front seat of his police truck.

"Didn't really say much, we'll know more when the tests come back. But whatever is going on does seem to be similar to whatever is going on with Will. Both your stories seem similar."

Veronica nodded and stared out the window as he drove, "Y-You don't think I'm one of those monsters...do you?"

"What!?" Hopper spoke, his voice rising slightly with shock. "Monster? What monster?"

"The one's from last year. The Demogorgon." Veronica couldn't look up to her father, afraid of what he'd say.

"One of those...no, are you kidding me? Of course, you're not. Who put that idea in your head?"

Veronica sighed "Steve told me that Nancy had the thought back when everything happened. Jonathan seems to think it too. When I asked him he hesitated like he was scared of me knowing the truth."

Hopper sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before pulling up outside the high school to drop her off for the rest of the day. "You're not one of those monsters. There is something else doing on, and we're going to figure it out."

Veronica nodded her head before opening the car door and stepping down from the truck. But before she could close the door, Hopper called her name back to him, she turned to face him.

"You call me if anything happens, ok? I don't care if it's something small...let me know."

Veronica nodded her head before slinging her backpack onto her shoulder and heading into the school.

"Hey," a voice spoke as Veronica pulled her things from her locker, looking over to see Steve jogging towards her with a wide smile on his face. "Had me worried there for a second when I didn't see you this morning."

"Oh," Veronica blushed slightly and closed her locker after getting her books. "I-I had a doctor's appointment this morning...Hopper just dropped me off,"

Steve nodded his head, stepping a little closer so she'd hear him whisper, "I-Is it cause of what you said last night? The stuff happening?"

Veronica nodded her head, "Yeah, seems maybe I'll finally get an answer, at least I'm hoping so. The doctor seemed like he knew what he was doing."

Steve's brows pulled together as he saw the slight shiver run through her, "Y-You ok?"

"I had to go back to the lab, and I haven't been there since...everything...and escaping. It brought some things to the surface...some things I worked hard to keep down."

"Oh, fuck, I'm sorry," Steve muttered softly, his face pinched together with concern.

"Thanks," Veronica spoke just as the bell for the fourth period rang out. "Also, thank you again...for last night. I know you were dealing with your own stuff...but you were still really helpful."

"Don't have to thank me," Steve smiled, making butterflies erupt in her stomach. "I was more than happy to help. Also got my mind off everything and that fight with Nancy."

Steve turned to head down the hallway, with Veronica walking in step beside him, "You talk to her yet?"

"Yeah, during gym class," Steve sighed and reached to run his hand through his long hair, "But she's playing the 'I was drunk and don't remember card'. But that doesn't make what she said and what happened alright. It was still...bullshit."

"Your feelings were hurt, validly so." Veronica frowned "Jonathan was trying to pull that same shit this morning about forgetting me."

Steve scoffed, "Jonathan..."

Steve stopped outside his next class before facing Veronica again, standing over her shorter form, while his other classmates passed through the door behind him.

"Wanna do something? Get our mind off our woes for a little after class?"

"I would like that," Veronica nodded her head before the warning bell rang out. "Shit, I gotta get to class. Meet you in the parking lot after class?"

Steve nodded his head with a smile before standing there and watching Veronica rush down the hall before the final bell rang out. Just before she turned around the corner, Veronica turned and waved to him – Steve wasn't able to help himself and waved back to her. A soft laugh left his lips before he shuffled into the classroom and took his seat. Suddenly the sadness he'd felt this morning didn't seem as heavy anymore.