YOU BELONG WITH ME, steve harrington.

022.

"just be thankful i wasn't born with powers.."

- 🫶☁️💘 -

NOVEMBER 1ST, 1984
📍hawkins high school
12:07 PM

"hey guys," josie smiled, walking up to nancy and jonathan who were sat on the boy's car eating lunch. "how are you feeling, nance? you were wasted last night."

"i feel like shit, thanks, josie," nancy replied, before turning to jonathan to continue their conversation. "so, he asked you to take me home?"

josie took a seat next to jonathan, unscrewing the cap off her bottle of orange juice and taking a sip as she listened to their discussion.

"yeah," jonathan nodded. "yeah, he was upset. i mean, he was.. he was really upset... but he was still worried about you."

nancy glanced down, staring at the ground awkwardly.

with a sigh, jonathan shuffled towards her. "hey.. you need to cut yourself some slack, okay? people say stupid things when they're wasted. things they don't mean."

like telling someone you love them.. josie thought. she hadn't figured out yet if she should tell nancy what steve was saying last night, not only about their relationship but about his supposed feelings for josie. she decided that steve was probably just drunk and upset, and was acting out, and the boy probably regretted everything, if he remembered it that is.

"yeah, but that's the thing," nancy replied to jonathan. "what if i did mean it? all this time, i've been trying so hard to pretend like everything's fine, but it's not. i.. i feel like there's this.. i don't know, like this.."

"like there's this weight you're carrying around with you," jonathan finished for her. "i feel it, too."

"yeah, but it's different for you," the brunette told him. "will came home."

"yeah, he did. but he's not the same," he said in response. "i try to be there for him, you know, to help him, but.. i don't know. i mean, maybe things just can't go back to the way they were."

"doesn't that make you mad?" nancy queried.

"mad?"

"yeah, that those.. those people who did this, who ruined to many lives, they just get away with it.."

"but i thought eleven killed all the people responsible," josie chimed in.

"yeah, but do we really believe that?"

there was silence for a moment, as nancy stared at a boy in the distance, who was blasting a rock song on his walkman.

"your mom's boyfriend," she said. "he works at radioshack, right?"

"yeah," jonathan nodded. "why? what are you thinking?"

"do you guys wanna skip?" nancy asked the two of them. jonathan eagerly nodded, but josie sighed.

"my dad would kill me," she replied. "i already had shitty attendance last year, and if i skip it will make things in my house even more awkward than they already are. besides, i need to go to the library after school, anyways.."