Uptown Girl

Every Time You Go Away {Chapter 2}

Warnings: hints of sex, blood, yelling, name-calling

Word count: 1157

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There was a search party late last night for the boy and my brother threw a party of his own. Obviously, I didn't go, but that doesn't mean it didn't keep me up. I felt bad for Nancy's little brother, who was friends with the boy who was missing.

I try to ignore the loud music and trying not to think about Carol and Tommy H sneaking off by my window, I sigh and just lock myself in the bathroom. I like Nancy, but she doesn't seem like the type to go to parties like this. Steve needs to chill and just listen to her.

Then I hear a shrill girl scream that did not come from Carol and Tommy H's direction. I unlock the bathroom door and race down the stairs, trying to find who it was. As soon as I find myself outside, I'm hit with the chill air. 

I don't see anyone, but I do find some blood sitting by the pool. Several cans of empty beer are sitting crushed up all over. I don't know who screamed but they're not here anymore. I hear a stick snap in the direction of the forest and I groan. It must have been one of Steve's friends pulling a prank. Whoever was over there bolts as soon as I look in his direction.

"Nice of you to join us, Lizzie," I hear Carol say. Her sweater is all wrinkled and she's all flustered. I don't see her idiot boyfriend behind her, so I assume he was in the bushes before he ran.

"Don't call me that," I say before I walk around her, finding my way to the screen door that leads inside. I take one last look back and she looks like she's about to laugh.

"I wouldn't go in there. Steve and Nancy are already uh... well you know," she dances around it.

"Doing it?" her boyfriend Tommy H says, popping out of nowhere. Now I know they were trying to play a dumb prank on me.

"Tommy! You dip!" she yells, quickly hitting him in the side.

"Ow!" he exclaims, "What was that for?"

"She's like, five. You can't just say that," she rolls her eyes, practically screaming at him.

"Maybe shut up. You'll wake up the neighbors with this yelling contest. Is this a part two of earlier?" I grin, watching as Carol's face turns redder than before. Tommy H just stands there absolutely confused.

"I hope you choke, dip wad," she glares as I head inside. Carol doesn't usually go for death threats unless she is losing. I've clearly got to her.

The next morning, I went to school as normal. Steve drove me in his tired manner and went to greet his friends up front. As soon as I walked past, I could feel Carol burning a hole in the back of my head. 

I enter the middle school and can sense a whole different atmosphere hanging heavy all around them. They all look sad and upset. They must have heard that they didn't find Will last night during the search party.

"I miss him," one of the popular girls in the grade above me says. Just last week, I overheard her gossiping about him using terrible words I refuse to repeat.

I turn to her, looking her straight in the eye, "Stephanie. You literally couldn't give a fuck about Will. You're a bully and you spread rumors about him all the time. Don't say you miss him when you could literally care less. You just want to seem cool."

"Shut up Harrington. You literally know nothing," she defends herself. I could feel a crowd around us start to form. I'm not fighting her if that's what they want.

"I know enough. Just because I don't talk to people doesn't mean I don't listen. I hear you say mean things about him all the time, you piece of shit," I glare as I watch her face fall slightly.

"Bitch. The loser just admitted to not having friends," she starts laughing. I keep a straight face, trying desperately not to show the fact she did get to me.

"She has friends!" I hear a meek voice say. I turn around and see three kids push through the crowd. I know them. Will's friends, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas I believe. Two of them look like they don't really want to do this, "We're her friends!"

"Mike..." the one I believe is Lucas whispers to Mike, elbowing him slightly.

"Trust me..." I heard him whisper back.

"Of course you're friends with more losers," she laughs and leaves. It's sweet what Mike did but I could have handled this myself. The crowd disperses and the three boys argue in quick whispers I catch a small bit of.

"...she's a girl..."

"So is Eleven..."

"No... dangerous..."

I decide to speak up, "Who's Eleven?" 

That caught them off guard and they pulled my arm along as they shushed me, leading me somewhere. The bell rings and the hallways empty and soon we were in front of the AV club room. They take me inside, practically shoving me.

The AV club room is very small and must have originally been a closet. A small light swings overhead, not lighting up the whole room. A small table that stands up to my waist sits in the middle with a few walkie talkies sitting on it. The rest of the room has posters on the walls and shelves with buckets full of stuff on it. Again, it must have been a closet because it's extremely small with four people in it.

The boy with the toothless grin turns to me, suddenly looking very solemn, putting up a palm, "You must swear to never tell anyone. And that includes your brother."

"I swear," I say, putting my palm up as well.

"Dustin, no!" Lucas rolls his eyes.

"She was eavesdropping, so we might as well tell her," he defends himself.

"Just tell me. I can keep a secret," I promise.

Mike, who was leaning up against a wall in the counter steps forward into the overhead light, "We found this girl who might know where Will is."

"Is this the Eleven girl? What's with the name?" I ask.

"Yes. We don't know why that's her name but she has a tattoo with the number 11 on her arm," Dustin pipes in, "She is probably about our age? It's hard to tell because she doesn't really talk. Except in one word answers."

"She's a weird bald freak is what she is," Lucas scoffs, "Elizabeth shouldn't know about this. How would she help?"

"Excuse me? That's very presumptuous of you, and quite sexist," I raise an eyebrow.

"It wasn't because you're a girl. I swear!" he says, getting a little defensive, which causes me to chuckle a little.

"Good. Because I can help. Let me talk to this girl. Maybe she'd talk to another girl instead of three boys," I offer.

The consider it for a second, talking amongst themselves in a huddle, then they turn around to face me. Mike holds out his hand, "Deal. Welcome to the team."

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A/N: I haven't seen season 1 in a couple months.