" i don't know,
i always thought you guys were just friends. "
in which a lightning-struck girl and a camera-flashing boy are thrown into the murky waters of their town
[ jonathan byers x oc ]
[ stra...
a place into which you can disappear, a hiding place
-Collie's Journal, Edition 3
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WHEN Collie arrived home, she was surprised to see that the lights were on in the house. She even peeked through the window in the garage and sure enough, her mother's car was there. It was odd, as her mom was rarely home in the evening.
Carefully, Collie snuck around the house and entered through the back door, shutting it softly behind her. Eleanor's voice faintly carried to her from the kitchen, sounding tired and frustrated.
"Well, you're going to have to," Eleanor sighed into the kitchen phone. Collie listened silently, stopping in the doorway. Her mother's back was turned to her. "Yes, I did,"
Eleanor was silent for a moment before responding in a more hushed tone,
"Yes, she's fine," Collie furrowed her brows suspiciously. "No, she hasn't, she's-"
"Mother?" Collie shuffled in at last. Eleanor jumped and whirled around, startled at the interruption. Composing herself, she cleared her throat and spoke into the phone,
"I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow." After hanging up, Eleanor turned to Collie.
"Collie, what have I told you about when I'm on the phone?" Collie looked downwards.
"Sorry," she shrugged, then quickly asked, "Who was that?" Eleanor glanced to the phone.
"Someone from work,"
"From Hawkins Lab?" Collie pushed further. She and her mom hardly ever discussed what she did, for it was private government work.
"Yes," Eleanor said, studying her daughter. "Why are you home early? Isn't practice today?"
"They cancelled it," Collie quickly lied. She added, "What are you doing home?" Eleanor shrugged off her dress jacket, folding it over her arm.
"They gave me the evening off." She explained shortly. Collie frowned, disliking the answer, though she knew better than to pry.
"Okay..." she trailed off. The two stood awkwardly, silence enveloping them as they both tried to come up with something to say. "Well, I have to go do homework, so," Collie walked past her mother, heading up the stairs as Eleanor watched after her.
Upstairs in her room, Collie exhaled deeply and dropped her bag, glancing to her nightstand. Three identical journals sat stacked atop each other, all filled with hundreds upon hundreds of words. Next to them was a framed photograph, which Collie reached over and gently picked up.
