A NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION
Ryan Fordman has lived next door to Steve Harrington her entire life. Her entire life, he'd always been a window away, occasionally shouting across the space between their houses. They were inseparable... at least, they we...
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"The kids! I need to go back!" Ryan exclaimed, putting a hand to her head. She was still in pain from going head-to-head with the demogorgan, but she had somewhere else to be. "I need to make sure the kids are safe!"
With the monster gone, she had nothing holding her back from freaking out. She had left the kids with Axel and Aaron in confidence that they'd be taken care of, but the sinking feeling in her chest wouldn't go away.
"Calm down, I'll take you there," Steve said, taking Ryan's hand in his, trying to settle her jumbled nerves. She had just fought a ten foot tall monster, she had almost died, but the first thought she had was about those kids. "Just calm down, Ry."
Ryan ran to Steve's car, not waiting for her friends to catch up to her. If she needed to hot wire the car and drive it herself, she would. She just wanted to get to the kids.
Jonathan and Nancy quickly sat in the back, Ryan having taken the passenger seat without even thinking. Steve started the car, backing out of the Byers' driveway, before looking over at the worried girl next to him.
"Steve," She clenched her hands into fists in her lap, her fingernails digging into her palms. "Drive fast."
"Okay," He nodded, foot slamming down on the gas as they drove down the empty road.
*•*•*
"Holy shit." Steve gasped, pulling into the middle school parking lot. It seemed like hundreds of lights were flashing, ambulances and police cars scattered all over the empty lot.
The sight of so many emergency vehicles did nothing for Ryan's nerves, that dreadful, sinking feeling returning in full force. Something had happened. Something bad.
The car slowed down as she jumped out, taking off into the lights. The action shocked everyone in the car, Nancy yelling out after her, "Ryan, wait!"
Steve put the car in park where they were, not caring if he was in a parking spot or not, jumping out with Jonathan and Nancy, running after the redhead. Lights swirled around them, everything blurring together in a mess of red and blue.
"Ryan!" Steve yelled over the noise, trying to catch her attention.
"Steve, I don't have time for this right now!" She shouted, turning to face the boy. The lights were too bright, the siren screams piercing her skull. She turned back around, seeing Aaron and Axel standing by an ambulance, bruises covering Aaron's face. Her eyes widened at how hurt her brother was, running faster to get to him.
"Aaron? What happened?" She gasped out, finally reaching the ambulance. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just a broken nose and swollen jaw." Aaron answered, grabbing her wrists in assurance. Ryan winced in pain at the action, still sore from the demogorgan's hard grip on her.
"Are you hurt?" Axel exclaimed, looking down at the black bruises on Ryan's wrists. "What happened?"
"It doesn't matter, where are the kids?" Ryan turned back to face Aaron. A clouded look crossed his face as he looked up at her.
