In the following days Louise picked up Vickie and Sarah like normal. Vickie still complained about Dan, and how he spent more time playing beer pong than with her. That some college kid ended up peeing in a potted plant, while another couple had sex in the bathroom. It sounded awful. She only half listened, with the events of Halloween night still fresh in her mind. Despite her insistence that it had been nothing, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was something.
"I just wish he attempted to do something I wanted to do. I wanted to spend time with him, not watch as he made a fool of himself in front of all his friends. I did meet this girl named Mandy, who gave me pointers on how to better my chances at getting a scholarship. That was the highlight of the whole night."
"That's something, at least it wasn't a total waste of a night. I spent the whole night in the woods, with a group of my dad's youth troupe, looking for the correct order of Bible verses. We found the last one first, and my dad did not find it funny when I said it was heavenly intervention."
Vickie snorted, and adjusted her hair in the mirror, "heavenly intervention."
Louise looked at Sarah through the rearview mirror, before she focused back on the road. "Did you notice anything in the woods?" She tried to be as nonchalant as she could.
"Aside from the Bible verses being stapled to trees? Not really. Why?"
Louise stared ahead as the school came into focus. "Nothing. I just thought I'd heard something while stargazing. It freaked me out a little."
"Like what?" Vickie asked, and Louise could feel the weight of her stare.
"I don't know. It was probably nothing, or some kid pulling a Halloween prank. Or maybe I'm just a little freaked out by what happened last year."
"That's fair, it was a weird year. They still haven't found Barbara, and I'm not buying that story that she's a teen runaway." Vickie said, and unbuckled as Louise parked in the usual spot.
"I hope her parents find her. Even if it's not how they want. I can't imagine how they must be doing." Sarah said as she slid out of the car, and Louise's stomach sunk at her words. She did know what happened, and she couldn't say anything. She could only imagine how badly Nancy must have felt, since that had been her best friend.
They made their way to the school, and Louise was surprised to see that Tommy H and his friends weren't at the front like normal. She had been a little surprised that they weren't there, since they'd all pretty much skipped the day before. They wouldn't skip two days in a row, right? She hoped that was the case though, it would at least make for an easier morning.
They made their way through the crowded hallway, towards Sarah's locker since it was the closest to the entrance. Vickie ditched them for the bathroom, and Louise held her bag while Sarah traded some books.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sarah's voice was quiet, and her eyes were focused on the contents of her locker.
"Yeah, I'm fine Sarah. Is it Halloween if you aren't a little spooked?" Louise already regretted having brought it up.
"If you say so, but it's okay if you aren't okay. You've been weird the last few days." Sarah's serene brown eyes scanned her face, and Louise looked down from the intensity. It was like a super power, her ability to see through people. That, or Louise, was easy to read. Possibly both.
"I know, I really do appreciate you, Sarah." A small smile bloomed on Sarah's face, as she closed her locker.
"You guys, apparently Nancy and Steve broke up during Tina's Halloween party." Vickie rushed out, quickly having made her way to them.
Louise could feel her brows scrunched together, " they did?"
"Apparently. It's all the girls are talking about in the bathroom. Someone saw her cutting school with Jonathan, and neither has been seen since."
"I hope he's okay. It can't be easy having everyone know your personal business." Sarah said, as she looked around the crowded hallway.
"You're not worried about how Nancy is feeling?" Vickie asked, while she gave Sarah a small mischievous smile, "I didn't take you to be a Steve fangirl."
Sarah's face turned a shade of pink. "No! It's not like that."
"You just assumed Nancy was the one to break it off?" Louise asked with an eyebrow raised.
"He was crazy about her, practically ditched the friends he had since middle school to be with her." Sarah pointed out.
"That's fair, he is lovestruck over the girl."
The warning bell rang out, and the actual bell wouldn't be too far behind. "Alright, see you at lunch Louise, I'll see you in science." Vickie directed at Sarah, and with that, she was gone. Louise gave Sarah a wave and headed down the crowded hallway.
She did hope that Steve was doing okay, and that Nancy was too. She remembered her parents in the living room, when they'd thought she and Dustin were asleep the night before Will's funeral. About how grief made people lash out and make sudden dramatic changes in their life. She worried for Nancy, that this was something like that.
The news that both Nancy and Jonathan cut school was worrisome. The last time they'd linked up, it was Upside Down related. Them just up and disappearing like that, only fanned the flames of unease she'd been feeling since Halloween night. She'd been too scared to go back, afraid of what she might find. Tried to convince herself it was nothing, that someone would have seen something by now.
The image of Barbara flashed through her mind, and her stomach clenched with the nerves she'd tried to keep at bay. Barbara might still be there if someone had reacted faster, or done something, anything sooner. If Louise did in fact see something, and she didn't say anything sooner, whatever blood spilled would be on her hands. Like Barbara's blood on the scientist's hands at that stupid lab.
Her books were slammed out of her hands, which disturbed her line of thought. The crowd stopped, some snickered, before they continued on.
"What the hell, Tommy!"
The only response she got from him was a laugh as he kept on going down the hallway. No one stopped to help her, or even acknowledged what had happened aside from the initial laughter. She balled up her fists as she leaned down to gather her books. She really hated high school. She reached for her pencils and books just out of reach, when a hand started to pick them up. She glanced up and was greeted by the warm brown eyes of Steve Harrington.
"Hey stranger." She smiled at him and accepted the offered books.
"Hey, sorry Tommy H is such a dick." They both stood together, as Louise attempted to make room in her arms for the reshuffled books.
"He is, but he's not your responsibility to apologize for."
"Still, someone should have helped you."
"Someone did."
Steve gave her a small smile, and she couldn't help but smile back. He looked tired, like he hadn't gotten a good night's rest. His hair wasn't as fluffy as normal, and his eyes had bags under them.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, or I will be. I'm just going to give Nancy some space, it's been hard. I don't know how to help, and moving forward while acting like nothing happened clearly isn't the right course."
"Just give her some time. I'm sure she'll come around."
Steve ran a hand through his hair, which only disheveled it more. "I hope so. Have you seen her?"
Her stomach clenched as she realized he didn't know. Rumors ran wild in a small town, but Steve hadn't heard yet. He looked so tired and hopeful, and she didn't have the heart to dash that hope. Maybe the rumor wasn't even true, and she would hurt him needlessly if she told him something false.
"Sorry, I haven't been here long, and aside from Vickie and Sarah, you're the first friendly face I've seen this morning." Which was the truth.
The bell chimed, and Louise clutched her books tighter. "Well, I guess I'll see you after school at tryouts."
"Yeah, see you later, Steve." He gave her a small wave, and with that they both went their separate ways.
Shit, she'd forgotten about tryouts.
"You forgot, didn't you?" Jenna Branson, head of the yearbook committee asked her.
"No, I just thought I'd packed the camera." Louise lied; she'd definitely forgotten about basketball tryouts.
"Right. You're lucky we have a spare, but do be mindful. If you forget to bring this one back, we won't have anything."
"Right, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Louise said as she walked backwards out of the room, camera in hand. Once she hit the door, she bolted down the hall.
She must have looked like a mad woman, as she passed her classmates on her way to tryouts. The hallways were thankfully not as crowded, since school had let out and most were already gone. She would have been even more late if she'd had to dodge and weave through the student body. The gym was (unfortunately) on the other side of the school, so she was already behind schedule. She'd feel awful if she missed something important. If this had been her middle school days, then her asthma would have surely given her a fit with the way she ran.
By the time she made it to the gym, the teams had already been divided between shirts and skins, and she was a sweaty mess. She could feel her hair frizz from the sudden heat of her body, and the moisture on her skin made her feel sticky. It was gross, but she didn't look out of place. All of the boys were a sweaty mess, with the ones in shirts having deep sweat stains, and the ones without all but glistened.
"Henderson, right?"
Louise looked over to the voice that had called her, and her stomach plummeted. Suddenly she was hyper aware of the sweat that coated her skin, which she attempted to combat with a discreet wipe of her forehead with the back of her sleeve. Classy, she knew, but she couldn't help her frizzy hair, so she could at least not be a sweaty mess.
"Yeah, Benson, right?" She played it off like she wasn't already very aware of his existence.
Fred Benson approached her, khakis pressed and white button down shirt covered by a blue argyle printed sweater vest. His hair was combed just so, and his brown loafer shoes were freshly polished. Huge glasses framed his face, emphasizing his nose and ears. She thought he looked so cute and sophisticated. He looked like he was ready for his future, and it wasn't just her crush on him that made her think he'd go far in journalism. He was prepared and focused, and he didn't just rely on talent.
"Yes, I noticed that you were on the yearbook committee? In charge of photos?"
The only thing Louise could process was that he was aware of her existence. She could feel her face heat up, and not from how hot the gym was.
"Uh, yeah. I am." She waved the camera in front of her as if it were proof.
"Our photographer is out with the cold, and by cold, I mean he got wasted at Tina's party. It's a dry news week, and an article on the Basketball Tryouts would liven it up. Would you be able to give me a copy of any photos you take?"
"Hey, look at the losers over there!" a voice called out from the court, and Louise glanced over to see Tommy H who still had his eyes on them.
"What an imbecile." Fred said as he took his glasses off to clean the lenses. It was a nervous tic of his that she'd picked up on last year. It was the only outward sign that he was unsure or uncomfortable.
"He's not very witty." Louise said, while she attempted a mean glare at Tommy H that only made him laugh.
"You can say that again. Anyway, would you be able to give me copies?"
"Yeah, sure, no problem. I'm new to this though, so don't be too harsh."
Fred snorted a laugh and gave a cursory glance over the basketball court. "They aren't giving you much to work with, in your defense."
Louise giggled at his comment, and then mentally berated herself for how pathetic that giggle sounded. She tried to cover it with a brief cough into her hand, but a quick glance at Fred made it clear that he didn't seem to notice. Thank you, small mercies.
"Well thank you, and best of luck."
"Yeah, sure. See you around."
Fred Benson had already walked off the court and out of hearing range, which was for the best since he missed the goofy smile, she could feel spread across her face. A smile that soon fell at the sight of Billy as he bullied Steve on the court. He stopped Steve at every turn, and it didn't seem like just good game play. It seemed personal.
Louise spent the next hour behind the camera as she took photos. Some were great shots of scores being made, and others were awful, like a boy who had fallen hard. More than a few were of Steve and Billy, who were arguably the best. She made it a point to avoid Tommy H as much as she could. Let him be a footnote in the paper and the yearbook. If he actually made the team this year, it would be a miracle. Steve was too occupied with Billy to carry him this year. Louise didn't know sports, but everyone knew Tommy H was a bad player.
She was about to take another shot, when Billy knocked Steve down. It looked like a serious hit, and Louise lowered her camera to get a better look at Steve. Billy helped pull him up, but he said something to Steve as he did so. Something that seemed to annoy Steve., before he pushed him back down to the floor. She didn't know what the problem Billy had with Steve was, whether it was jealousy or just dislike, but she worried for him. Steve might seriously get hurt if he didn't watch his back.
The team was cleared from the court with a whistle, and Louise's eyes followed Billy as he left the court, before she quickly made her way over to Steve. He was hunched over with his hands on his knees, having only just stood up.
"Are you okay?"
He glanced up at her from beneath sweaty bangs, his face red as he puffed for air. "Just peachy," he groaned out.
"What was his problem?" She asked him, gaze on the doors the rest of the boys had exited through.
"He's just playing the game, I think. I'm just worried about Nancy, I haven't heard from her since our fight."
She briefly debated on telling him about what she'd heard about Jonathan and Nancy. About what she'd seen Halloween night. But he looked so upset, and so tired. It would only make him feel worse, and Louise didn't have the heart. At least until there was concrete evidence of either one.
"I'm sure she's okay, probably took a half day if anything."
"Nancy? Leaving school early?" Steve gave her an incredulous look.
"Stranger things have happened." Louise gave a shoulder shrug, while she refused to meet his eyes.
"That they have." He said as he lifted his arms above his head as he stretched.
"Maybe you should hit the showers." She said, while she scrunched her nose up.
"You saying I stink?" He gave his pits a sniff before his own nose scrunched up.
"I'm not saying you smell like a bed of roses."
"Yeah, yeah. See you around, Lou." With that he headed off the court, towards the boys locker rooms where the showers were located.
Louise followed suit, and quickly made her way out of the gym. She'd return the camera to the yearbook committee room, and develop them during lunch the next day. No way to forget to bring the camera back if she never took it home.
After she dropped the camera off, she quickly made her way out of the school. The parking lot was basically empty, aside from a few cars from the students that lingered. The air was crisp as the nights became colder than the day, and soon it'd be too cold to stargaze. Maybe she should investigate tonight. She'd avoided the hill the previous night, and she wouldn't have much longer to enjoy it. She would just check it out, if she saw nothing then everything was fine. If she found anything, then she'd sound the alarm.
With her mind made up, she tossed her bag into the back seat, and rummaged through her trunk for an emergency flashlight. Bingo, although a quick check confirmed that the batteries were dead. She'd have to stop at the house for new batteries. Dustin was bound to have some, with the number of battery-operated dolls he owned. Apologies, battery operated action figures.
"Henderson!"
Louise jumped up and hit her head on the top of her opened trunk. "What, you jerk?"
"Don't damage that brain of yours Henderson, I need you intact." Billy said, as he leaned against her car with crossed arms. She rubbed the top of her head, and gave him a mean look as she slammed her trunk closed.
"Thanks for the concern. Intact for what?" She walked around him, headed for her car door.
"You hit your head that hard? Tutoring." He said, as he knocked on her head with two knuckles.
"I didn't agree to that, and it's Friday. Isn't that "your" night?" She batted his hand away, and pulled her door open only for him to close it immediately.
"I'm glad you recall. We have a test on Monday, I can't afford a bad grade."
"And you think being an ass is going to get you brownie points?" She tried to jerk the door open again, only for him to shut it once more.
"I don't need brownie points. You'll be eager to help, if only to stay on the teacher's good side."
"Mr. Young would not fall for your bullshit. Ask Tina for her notes." She tried once more to open the door, only to be stopped again. She turned around, and glared up at him. He matched her glare with one of his own, and she had to admit it was intimidating. She was once again struck with how big he was, in height and mass. The man was solid. She refused to back down.
"I'm asking you nicely."
"You have a weird understanding of the word nice."
"Please, Henderson, you're my only hope." He mocked.
"Did you just quote Star Wars?" Louise was more confused than pissed off now.
"Does it matter?"
"Ask nicely. With a please." Lousie leaned back against her car, arms crossed, as a smug smile made its way across her face; no care given to the bulkiness of her braces. "Go on, ask."
His jaw clenched as he ground his teeth, and Louise vaguely worried about what her orthodontist would do if she grinded her teeth that bad. Her jaw almost ached at the thought.
"Will you help me, please?" Each word sounded as if it were tortured out of him.
"Yes, Hargrove, since you asked oh so nicely, I'll tutor you." She relented; a proud smile stretched across her face. Her chest felt like flowers had bloomed in her lungs, and giddiness like she hadn't known filled her. Did she like battling with Billy?
"Be there no later than 5. I have to pick Max up, and I have plans afterwards." With that he stormed off towards his Camaro, a lit cigarette now in his mouth. At least he waited to be away from her before he lit up. Smoke made her asthma act up.
She slid into the driver side of her car; the flashlight tossed on the passenger side seat. She could always investigate the hill afterwards. Either way, she needed to stop home for batteries and her notes. She had a long night ahead of her.
