Stranger Things Have Happened- Steve Harrington x OC

Change of Plan

"Dustin, you promised to stay home last night!" I said, offended.

"Well, you were home late too," he countered quietly.

"But the difference is, I told you where I was going, and I was with Hopper and about five dozen other people."

Both the boys looked to the floor sheepishly. I sighed.

"Look, I don't want to give you the whole 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed' speech, but guys, what if something had happened to you? We don't know what this is! It could be a paedophile who hides in the woods or something! Do you have any idea what it would do to me if I lost all four of you?"

The boys continued to look at the ground as we walked. I raked a hand through my hair in frustration.

"Sorry Gracie," Dustin mumbled.

"Yeah sorry Gracie," Lucas added.

I sighed.

"C'mere," I said, extending my arms.

The two boys immediately hugged me tightly.

"Just promise me you won't go out on your own anymore. You need some sort of an adult there... even if it's just me," I said.

"We promise," the mumbled in unison.

As I hugged the pair, I was unsure of whether taking on the responsibility of my life and three others while wandering the woods of Hawkins, playing at being a detective, was such a good idea. But it was out in the open now, and couldn't really be taken back.

"Can we tell you what we found in the woods now?" Dustin looked up at me.

"Wait you found something?" I asked.

"Well... we found someone," Lucas rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

My eyes widened, and I gestured for them to keep moving.

As we approached Mike's house, I was still trying to work everything out in my head.

"So there's a girl with a shaved head, who seems to have no real concept of social constructs, who's very shy, doesn't speak, and who you just found in the woods wearing nothing but an oversized yellow t-shirt?" I asked.

The pair nodded.

"Okaaay," I said, "And what? The plan was to go straight to Mrs Wheeler, but she refused so Mike chose to hide her in the basement overnight, so he could try to sneak her outside and to the front door this morning so she could knock on the door and ask Mrs Wheeler for help that way?"

They nodded again.

"Right, I think I've got it then," I said, baffled, as we approached the Wheeler's front door.

Heading in, we make our way up to Mike's room. He opens the door and grins at the two boys until he sees me.

"What is she doing here?" he asked, exasperated.

"Michael Wheeler," I say sharply, offended.

He ushered us in and shut the door behind us quickly.

"Sorry, but I thought we agreed nobody else could know," he said to the boys through gritted teeth.

Dustin just shrugged with a quick, "She's my sister, dude," at which I ruffled his hair lovingly.

Lucas on the other hand, rounded on Mike, "Look, if you're not going to tell your Mom, which I'm assuming you haven't done considering you're hiding with it up here, then we thought it was only right we tell somebody older who might have a clue what to do," he exploded.