CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER | j. byers

vii. | jonathan byers cannot shoot

        "Nice shot, Wheeler," Cassie complimented, the two turning to the dark-clothed girl. She put her hand out for the gun.

        "You know how to shoot?" Nancy asked her in shock, placing the gun in her hand.

        "Please," chuckled Cassie, raising the gun up. "Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night I wind up in Hopper's office in handcuffs over some dumb harassment charge that doesn't even make sense, but the police department will take it seriously because the call came from some respected family like the Harringtons or the Hagans and I'm Cassie Henderson, Hawkins troublemaker. I know how to shoot." Cassie shot the two remaining cans quickly, watching them clatter to the floor. "Hop thought it'd be good for me to know how to."

        She turned to see the pair's faces. They looked at her shocked and in slight pity. Cassie shrugged, looking down at the ground. She looked back up at the two as she picked up her lacrosse stick.

        "Let's go get us a monster."

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        The trio had been walking in the woods for a while now. Cassie had been leading them, her lacrosse stick fixed on her shoulders as her hands dangled off it, her backpack securely on her back. She had given Jonathan his gun back (which he had given to Nancy in exchange for the bat) before they set off. Cassie stomped on the crunchy leaves, chuckling slightly at how childish it was. But, for someone whose childhood wasn't happy or outside at all, Cassie enjoyed it a lot.

        "You never said what I was saying," Nancy spoke up from the back. Cassie rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what conversation she was starting up.

        "What?" Jonathan asked, confused.

        "Yesterday," Nancy said as if that clarified everything. "You said I was saying something and that's why you took my picture."

        "Correction," Cassie butted in. "He was saying that as a general for his photos." The pair ignored her, making her gut churn angrily. The disgusting stomach feeling she had felt yesterday in Jonathan's car rose again. Fucking jealousy.

        "Oh, uh..." Jonathan thought for a moment. "I don't know." Cassie smiled at that answer. "My guess..." Cassie's smile dropped, "I saw this girl, you know, trying to be someone else. But for that moment... it was like you were alone, or you thought you were. And, you know, you could just be yourself."

        "That is such bullshit," Nancy said. Cassie rolled her eyes.

        "Oh for fuck," she mumbled, continuing to walk as the pair were slowing down.

        "What?" Jonathan called. Cassie heard their footsteps stop.

        "I am not trying to be someone else," Nancy told him. "Just because I'm dating Steve and you don't like him-"

        "You know what? Forget it," said Jonathan, his footsteps starting again. "I just thought it was a good picture."

        "He's actually a good guy," Nancy called as she began to walk again as well.

        "Okay," stammered Jonathan, not caring.

        "Yesterday, with the camera... he's not like that at all." Their footsteps stopped again. "He was just being protective."

        "Yeah, that's one word for it," sassed Jonathan as he began walking again.

        "Oh, and I guess what you did was okay?" Nancy asked, following after him. Cassie began swinging the lacrosse stick as she walked, getting annoyed at the conversation behind her.