Tʜᴇ Fᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ- Bᴀʀʙᴀʀᴀ Hᴏʟʟᴀɴᴅ

ᑭᗩᖇT ᑎIᑎᗴ

Nancy walked up behind Barbara, startling her more than it should've naturally. Her friend backed off slightly when glare met hers then softened once more.
"Hi." Wheeler smirked, leaning against the cold metal lockers. "How're you this fine morning?"

Her friend shrugged. "Okay, just like always."
Another lie escaped her lips.

"Well..." Nancy dragged out her words, a smug expression plastered on her features. "I've got some news."

Holland raised her eyebrows, shutting her locker. "Have you now?"

"Yep, I have. Steve's asked me to hang out again tonight."

Barb swallowed, holding her books closer to her chest. "What's this, the twelfth time? It's not that special anymore, Nance."

Nancy Wheeler's expression fell. "Look Barb, it was a one time-"

Barbara blinked, seeing straight past the lie her friend had told. It seemed she wasn't caring about breaking more rules than just one.

"Ok, two time thing."

As the taller girl grimaced slightly, Nancy opened her locker. The screech of the door rattled Barbara's ears, but she didn't comment on the noise. A white note slid down to the front of the space, catching the eye of both of the girls. The owner grabbed it, confused.
Upon unfolding the note, the mystery was no longer.

Meet me, Bathroom.
-Steve

Barb rolled her eyes as her childhood best friend blushed slightly. Anger boiled in her stomach as Nancy declared her leave and rushed off to the meeting point, leaving Barb alone in the hallway. She was sick of it. Sick of relationships, sick of Steve, sick of Nancy- and that was something that she'd never thought she'd say.

The ruffles of material around her collar suddenly felt tight and restricted, and the young Holland wanted to flee the school more than anything else in that moment.
Realising that that wish was completely unrealistic, and even though she was struggling, a good education was more important than how she was feeling- that's what society had taught her anyway.

Hawkins High, metaphorically, was a monster- and sometimes, it felt like a literal one. A dark mass that lurked in the shadows, taking students one by one, tearing them apart, but not physically- emotionally, mentally. Barbara soon realised that it had caught its hold on her this time. Out of all people, it had chosen her.

Panic overrode the situation, and wanting her leave, Barbara took off down the hallway. Faces became dysmorphic as they all blurred into one, seemingly surrounding Holland like she was a weary circus animal. Satanic forms sent the girl spiralling as her breathing became shallow, gasping for air. What was going on? She didn't know, and even though the whole visuals of the students simply couldn't of been real, it was real to the over-working mind of Barbara Holland.
Being too overwhelmed, she backed into a wall, feeling the cold brick rest against her neck, head hitting the solid surface behind. Two figures ghosted over to the corner she was cowering in, and reached out their hand.

Everything clicked back into focus as the feminine figure spoke, confusion evident in tone and features. "Are you okay?"

Barbara blinked, calming her breathing. It was just Tommy and Carol, which meant that Nancy and Steve were someone nearby. Safety had resumed.
The girl accepted that her body's lack of sleep had caused hallucinations, and she nodded. "Yeah, just- I dunno, yeah I'm alright."
Barb pressed her palm against her forehead, pressurising the ear splitting headache which had recently formed.

The girl in-front of Barbara shrugged at her boyfriend, Tommy, and looked further down the hall; obviously willing the others to arrive faster. Barbara, Tommy and Carol weren't close, but were forced to be at-least acquaintances as Nancy explored the magic of relationships.
Neither sides were happy, but they didn't want to cause trouble- as much as the two others enjoyed the chaos.

Just on queue, a seemingly happy couple turned the corner, swooning over each other in the open. Barbara gulped. She was struggling, and her best friend didn't seem to care- or notice, at all.