Street lights glared on the glass as Barbara drove, foot pushing delicately on the accelerator as she enjoyed the calm before the storm. The girl had agreed to transport her friend to and from the party as she didn't want to enter alone, and the tension was high. It was already awkward, and they hadn't even greeted yet. It was going to be a long night.
The dusky atmosphere set an eerie tone, edging on the verge of darkness. In a mere few minutes, it would be just that.
Barb sighed, pulling into Nancy's road. The high-end houses stood proud on the roadside, flaunting their two storeys and large front gardens. It was quite daunting to be in the area of such expensive homes.
The lights were shining as Barbara pulled up outside of the household, pulling the brake and flicking off the engine. After sitting there in silence for a moment, hands intertwined on her lap, the door opened.
Out walked Nancy, and following closely behind, her mother.
"Hey, Barb," Nancy falsely smiled as she threw herself into the passenger seat, pulling on her seatbelt. "Ready to study?"
Holland blinked and was met with a glare she knew not to question. "Yeah, I've got everything ready for us."
Karen Wheeler smiled genuinely, patting her daughter on the shoulder. "Alright girls, be careful. Back by ten, yeah?"
The younger Wheeler rolled her eyes slightly, letting out a breath. "Yes, Mom, back by ten."
"Alrighty then." And the moment after, she was gone.
"Nance," Barb turned, hand on the steering wheel, "what was that about?"
Her friend huffed, leaning her elbow on the door as the engine rattled into life. "Just her being freaked. She's not let me go anywhere since Will got himself lost. I'm on house arrest, had to tell her we were studying."
Barbara gulped. She didn't like lying. It's true, now it came to her mind, that perhaps house arrest wasn't such a bad thing. It would at least keep them safe. "Right, okay then."
Conversation was scarce as they drove further and further into the night, pitch black creeping into the sky like spilled ink. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but wasn't exactly the nicest either. After the fifth turn, the girls started communicating.
"So, have you heard anything on Will?" Nancy asked, scratching at a loose thread on her sleeve.
Barbara took her eyes off the road for a moment to look at her friend. "No, you?"
"No," came the answer. "I wish we have done though, it's doing my head in."
Barb nodded, bringing her attention back to the car-lit road. "It is quite strange, yes."
"If only we just knew where he was. I mean, that's the whole point, I know- but it'd be good for it to at least be confirmed that he's still in Hawkins."
"Yeah, it would."
Barbara wondered if Sydney was still in Hawkins; whether she was even there at all. Steve's road was fast approaching, according to Nancy's vague navigations, so thoughts would have to seize for just that night. It would be tough, but she knew she could manage it.
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Tʜᴇ Fᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ- Bᴀʀʙᴀʀᴀ Hᴏʟʟᴀɴᴅ
FanfictionA child at the age of fifteen shouldn't be worrying herself over such things, knowing that they could do no harm, but Barbara Holland enjoyed it. She loved the unknown, just as much as she feared it, and it was almost routine at this point in her li...
