Euphoria (A Steve Harrington Fanfiction)

Chapter 2: The Passion of Lovers

After the incident, Elenor decided to stay in the washroom with her daughter until she finished washing up. She told Mavis that she could take a day off, to stay home and sort herself out, not wanting something like this to happen at school. She knew her child didn't fit in with the rest of the students, and it wasn't just because of her 'capabilities', it was for the sheer fact that she chose that course of action. If an attack like this happened during one of her classes, god only knows what the kids would do to her. She didn't accept the offer. Even though Mavis had a sheer hatred for school she just wanted to move on like she usually did, the situation was stuck in her head, no doubt the thoughts wouldn't go away, and would be buried in her mind all day, but she had to act like nothing occurred, which wasn't going to be a problem for her. Mavis was used to moving on from such abrupt things, even when it left her with so many questions.

Once she turned off the water, her mother made her way out of the bathroom immediately, closing the door behind her with an accidental slam, causing a jolt to shudder throughout Mavis' body, her heart racing, beating out of her chest. She stay cooped up in the tub for a few moments until she composed herself, slipping out from behind the frosted glass, grabbing the rough white towel off the rack, stepping out of the shower completely, water droplets dripping off of her body, some of them a light pink colour, due to the dilution of her blood which was flowing down from the center of her chest, hitting the stark white floor over and over again. She trudged over to the mirror noticing a dark red splotch on the towel, ignoring it briefly as she searched for some large bandages that would cover up the wound until it dried out, and keep it from seeping through her shirt during school.

Mavis had done this plenty of times before, when unnatural things happened to her she usually bled from the wound in the center of her chest, it was an unexplainable thing, and she just chose to accept it. She wasn't born with these 'wounds' though. Her father's side made it a celebration when she got her 'family heirlooms' one morning. Mavis remembered the pain like it was yesterday. The burning searing feeling of someone cutting into her flesh even though nobody was doing such a thing. She had woken up in a pool of blood that morning, and for a twelve-year-old who didn't know any better, she thought she was dying. Elenor had been waiting for the day to happen, and Julian warned her that it wouldn't be a pleasant sight, he had seen his sister get hers and there had been weeks of pain, he had wished that it would be easier for Mavis, but it turned out that it wouldn't be.

Finally, she had found a roll of gauze and medical tape beneath the sink, in the cupboard where she had kept her; toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, makeup bag, and her array of black hair dyes, they weren't in different shades, they were just from different companies. She placed the gauze onto the counter with the stark white tape standing beside it, as she stood back up, avoiding the reflection in the mirror-like always, getting straight to bandaging herself up. It only took three to four minutes, which wasn't too shocking since she had done this type of thing multiple times back when she was a little younger than she was now. The end result was a large patch of white in the middle of her chest, ending just below her sternum, taped on each corner of the gauze, doubled up so it would be secure for most of the school day.

When she was done she made her way out of the washroom to retrieve a fresh set of undergarments, drying herself off completely before slipping the black bra and matching underwear on, checking her alarm clock, seeing that it was 7:01, which left her with less time than usual to do her complete routine. She let out a soft groan, rushing back to the ensuite, pulling on her baggy striped shirt, which hung loosely on her frame, and slid off her shoulders, exposing her bra straps and her collarbones. Her hands made her way to the jeans soon after, unfolding them, putting herself into them quickly, the fabric instantly hugging her thin legs, while she shoved her shirt into the waist, buttoning the jeans up swiftly, doing a hurried layer of makeup so she wouldn't have to go to school completely bare. Her makeup brush danced lightly across her cheeks, instantly covering her dark brown, almost black freckles that were scattered across her face, in a circular motion she dragged the concealer over the surface area until she was okay with the way it looked. Soon came the dramatic eyeshadow and eyeliner, the dynamic duo. Mavis overworked it several times but the look was always right to her.

She put away the makeup bag, fluffing her hair with an unused towel, deciding to skip teasing it, since it would look messy anyways, it was also the fact that sometimes her hair needed a break from all the product she dumped into it. Mavis exited the washroom, gathering her textbooks, and two notebooks which she shared for all her subjects. She rarely took notes though, the girl remembered things fairly easily, and not taking notes helped her test her memory and improve it, and even when she didn't recall the material she would just reread the lesson, which was something most of her classmates never did, at least that is what she noticed. Hastily she zipped her bag up, putting it over her shoulder as she took one last look around her room, making sure she wasn't missing anything, keys were in her back pocket, pens were in the side pocket of her bag along with her dark red lipstick, her wallet was in the front pocket of her bag, and of course, she had her pack of Newports and her black lighter, something that she couldn't get through the day without.

Her mother didn't like the fact that she had taken up smoking at fourteen, and she had tried several times to make her stop, but she had given up after the sixth or seventh attempt, knowing that it wasn't an easy habit to break, but Elenor also knew that her daughter would get the cigarettes one way or the other, she was sneaky sometimes, especially when it came to these types of things. However, Mavis didn't smoke as often as her mother thought, and she appreciated how much her mother cared, even though she would pry into things when she didn't have to.

Elenor opened up the door to the basement, poking her head in, watching her daughter put her bag over her shoulder, making her way up the hollow stairs, she moved out of the way, letting Mavis come up to the main level, which was significantly warmer than the cold, desolate bedroom that she had slept in. From behind her, the door closed, hearing her mother's light footsteps following her into the kitchen.

"I noticed you didn't eat the leftovers, so I took it as a sign to pack it into a container for you. It's in the fridge." Her mother spoke, pouring herself a steaming cup of fresh coffee, the strong caffeinated scent surrounding Mavis immediately, as she grabbed her lunch, wrapping it up in a plastic bag so nothing would spill onto her textbooks, letting the food mingle with the rest of her school items. She reached up, grabbing her fishnet sleeves, sliding them up her arms as her mother watched her, carefully observing her bony, pale wrists being covered by the net-like texture until both of them reached her shoulders, gazing at her necklace which was glowing a bright green, almost similar to how her eye colour was when Mavis was a young toddler. She took a sip of her hot coffee, turning away from her before she noticed that she was even looking.

"Are you sure you want to go to school today? I don't mind if you stay home. I'll be at work all day anyway." Elenor asked, almost begging, hoping that she would rethink her decision.

"Jonathan has probably left his house already, and there's no point of me not going to school either, I have a test that I need to do and I can't afford to miss it." Her mother glanced over at her, taking a loud slurp.

"Who knew you were such a good student." Elenor joked, pushing Mavis' damp hair away from her face, a smile appearing on her pale pink lips, her icy fingertips grazing the skin on her cheek.

"Very funny." She replied sarcastically, grabbing the last granola bar out of the box, and unwrapping it, "I'll be fine though, and if something does happen at school I can handle it."

"Didn't seem like you were able to handle it forty minutes ago." Her mother shot back, as Mavis took a bite of the chewy snack, pulling it away from her mouth, almost angrily.

"I wasn't expecting to be hearing voices in the shower at six forty-five in the morning mom. I don't know about you, but I think my reaction was pretty justified." Her mother opened her mouth to say something, just before Jonathan's car horn echoed from outside, grabbing both of their attentions, and dragging them out of the conversation they were having. Mavis was filled with relief when she realized that he had saved her from getting into an early morning argument with her mother.

"We'll continue this later." Her daughter took another bite of the granola bar, giving her a kiss on her cheek quickly, waltzing out of the kitchen, slipping her windbreaker on over her shoulders, holding the snack between her teeth, and pulling her shoes on afterwards.

"Love you mom!" She called out, leaving the house and locking the door. Mavis turned around, her eyes laying on Jonathan's 1972 Ford LTD, instantly noticing that his brother wasn't in the car. A pit grew in her stomach, a ball of nerves immediately building up, bile stinging her throat. It wasn't like Will to not be in the car, and she had seen him less than twenty-four hours ago, and he looked fine, which weeded out the thought that he was sick. The news stories of those strange men stealing girls began to rerun in her mind, the what if's screaming throughout her ears, as she dragged herself towards the car, not changing her exterior expression of fake happiness. Mavis could feel the heat from the car as she opened the passenger door, taking up the free seat, placing her backpack on her lap as she buckled in her seatbelt.

"Where's Will?" She asked, watching Jonathan grip the steering wheel, backing up out of the driveway, driving down the street, his eyes glued to the road. "Hey...Where. Is. Will." She repeated herself as if he didn't hear her the first time. The car came to a standstill at a red light, as his sight turned to Mavis, her brain instantly being struck with worry and guilt, the feelings seeping into her, coming straight from Jonathan. He was someone that usually felt this way, at least that is what she would always pick up on when they were near each other, but this felt different, and it looked different. Jonathan was as confused as her though, not having any knowledge of his younger brother's whereabouts.

"I-I think he went to school early or something. He wasn't in his room when my mom went to wake him up. I'm sure he's fine." He reassured, the light turning green, causing the car to move forward, pushing the both of them against their seats.

"Well did he come home last night?" She pressed.

"I got home late, I had to cover a shift for Eric." The duo hit a speed bump, Mavis' stomach dropping to her feet for a brief second. She cracked the window, her nerves beginning to become almost too much for the teenage girl.

"So you didn't think to check on him when you got home? The least you could've done is that. You're supposed to be watching him aren't you?" She asked, keeping herself composed enough so it didn't sound like she was giving him grief, veering on a friendly tone mostly. Jonathan took in a shaky breath, thinking about the scolding his mother had given him that morning as he was making breakfast, he had apologized so much, but during his ride to Mavis' house, he couldn't help but think that if he was home last night maybe he would know that his brother came back from the Wheeler's house.

"I know." He whispered under his breath, the guilt still boiling in both their stomachs, her hand dug around in her bag, pulling out her lipstick.

"I'm sure he just went to school a little early. You know, maybe for AV or something." Jonathan nodded, trying to calm his mind. Mavis on the other hand was thinking about how Will looked last night, how he was acting. He seemed like the normal Will. He was also on his way home. There was no way he would run off, he wasn't that type of kid, he liked being in the company of his family, and even if he did have some ongoing issues he wouldn't run away from home. She took the cap off her lipstick, looking at the side mirror, running the matte makeup across her lips, making the top of them look sharp, the pale pink being removed, turning a dark cherry colour.

They remained silent for the rest of the ride to school, the both of them listening to Jonathan's mixtape that he had created specifically for the drive to school, just to keep the both of them entertained if the conversation happened to halt. The air blew through her hair, messing it up even more, as she stared at the passing trees, just before the building of Hawkins High was able to be seen. Dread might've entered the car at that moment. The two outcasts shared a hatred for the place, and for the people, that was probably how they found their common ground and kept their friendship throughout high school.

Jonathan pulled into his designated parking spot, putting the car in park. He turned the engine off, silence overcoming the car, the both of them taking in a deep breath before exiting the enclosed space, fall leaves passing by their feet as they made their way towards the building.

"Do you need a ride to the arcade after school?" He asked, holding the strap of his bag, walking side by side, keeping pace with Mavis. She shook her head, she liked the long trek from school to her work, the walk would also help her clear her head, something that she needed after finding out Will didn't come home last night. She didn't want to mention that she saw him on his bike, even though it might've helped her friend narrow down where he might be, there was also a chance that he was at school already, which wasn't that out of the ordinary, she could've sworn that she had missed a ride from Jonathan a few times because of him being such a dedicated student.

"I'm okay, but call me tonight and update me on your brother. I don't want to be worrying all night." He nodded, a small smile forming on his lips as he waved goodbye to her, the both of them going their separate ways. Mavis entered the west entrance, looking at the bustling students who were pacing down the halls in groups of three or four. A few couples walked hand in hand, talking about their plans tonight, or how their weekend went, some of them kissing against their lockers, but not enough to get in trouble with the teachers who were walking down the hallways with their mugs of coffee in their hands. The hall smelt of stomach-turning body odour and perfume, mixed with death, and lots of hair spray. Mavis recoiled at the scent, as she held her shoulder straps, briskly walking down the hall, bumping arms with people who weren't paying attention to where they were going, she felt like a ghost at Hawkins High, it was as if people could see through her, and not even realize that she was right there. In a quick glance, she spotted Barb opening her locker, taking out two textbooks, her large glasses pressed up against her face. Her short orange hair, curled slightly, putting her freckled, pale skin on display. She quickened her footsteps until she reached her friend's locker.

"Hey, there stranger. Fancy seeing you here." She greeted happily, watching Barb smile, her blue eyes glancing at the darkly dressed girl. "Where's the other musketeer?" Nancy had gotten a letter in her locker earlier that morning from Steve, telling her to meet him in the bathroom. Barb had been present for this, but she decided to act like she didn't know anything.

"Don't know. Beats me...Did you study for that math test?" She rolled her eyes, pointing to her temples.

"All up here. You know that Ms. Holland." Mavis mocked jokingly. The ginger looked down at her friend, eyebrows raised, nodding slowly.

"I see. You're just going to wing it then?"

"Pretty much. First I should go to the bathroom though, drain the good old bladder so I don't have to ruin my train of thought, y'know what I mean?" Barbara nodded, her mind instantly picturing Mavis walking in on Nancy and Steve. The chances were slim, but they were present, she didn't want to tell her not to go to a specific bathroom, even though she didn't know what washroom they were in. There wasn't a location on the note either, so Mavis was going to be the one taking the chance of walking in on the star-crossed lovers. Barb waved at her friend, watching her walk away.

The nearest washroom was just around the corner, and within it the passionate - yet secret- lovers were having a morning make-out. Nancy had joined Steve a few minutes after she got the letter, knowing their usual meet-up place. Love was in the air, or maybe it was just pure lust for one another, but with the sudden appearance of Mavis, the feeling had completely drained out of the room. The couple instantly separated, both of them looking at the pale female, her forest-green eyes looking at them, but not truly seeing them. Steve seemed to be bothered by the interruption, Nancy on the other hand was filled with embarrassment, not only for being caught by Mavis but for the awkward feeling that was brewing between the three of them.

"Guess they left her cage open today," Steve muttered under his breath, Nancy's elbow hitting his ribcage gently, signalling him to lay off. Just because she was his girlfriend didn't mean that she would let him be rude to Mavis. The one and only thing Nancy truly wanted was for the both of them to get along or tolerate each other at least, but they were wildly similar in the sense that they were both hardheaded. She couldn't wrap her head around why they hated each other so much either, neither of them gave a reason, but she definitely knew it was a burning hate that escalated between the both of them without any explanation. Mavis walked by the both of them, waiting until she got to one of the stalls before saying anything.

"Y'know Steve, you should really look into buying an 'out of order' sign to put on your forehead so everyone knows how fucking stupid you are." Nancy's jaw clenched slightly, her eyes rolling at the childish antics that they had resorted to.

"Oh go to hell Mavis!" He exclaimed as she backed up into the stall, a smirk plastered on her face as she enclosed herself in the rectangular space, locking the door.

"I must already be in hell since you're still standing here." She retorted, having a seat on the porcelain throne. From outside the stall, Nancy and Steve were arguing among themselves quietly, in breathy whispers so Mavis couldn't hear them. It didn't last though. Steve had a way of getting out of these situations, and he knew how to play the game. Suddenly they were making plans to 'study' tonight, leaving Mavis with disappointment, as she waited for the both of them to leave so she could wash her hands and make her way to class in peace. The bell rang, and there was a pang of silence, giving her the cue to flush and leave the dark stall. Once she opened the door she realized that Steve was still there, leaning on the wall in front of her escape.

"Are you always this stupid Mavis, or are you making a special effort today?" She raised her eyebrows, turning on the tap, disappointed that she didn't think to wait a few more minutes before she left the stall, just to ensure that he wouldn't be in the bathroom anymore.

"Well, sometimes I have to talk like an idiot. How else would you be able to understand me?" He gave the short girl a fake smile.

"You think you're so funny huh?" Mavis turned off the taps, moving closer to him to dry her hands off with the rough, brown paper towel.

"No. I just speak the truth."

"Maybe you should glue your mouth closed, cause nobody wants to hear your honesty." He snapped. His eyes scanning the pale-skinned girl, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Just listening to him made her lose brain cells, and if she stayed a minute longer in his presence she would be a vegetable by the time she reached the door.

"Eat shit and live." She retorted, throwing her paper towel into the garbage, before slamming arms with him, which drew him back briefly with the harsh contact she made. The girl promptly exited the washroom, leaving Steve by himself, holding the spot she had bumped into.