PSYCHO 《 stranger things 》

-2.3 substance abuse or cheap therapy?

chapter twenty-three!

{trigger warning: mentions of suicidal thoughts and substance abuse, including underage drinking and drug use. again, in no way is this being romanticized. this is cassies struggle and a crucial part of her character. please feel free to always reach out to me whenever needed. i love you all}

DUSTIN WAS THE ONE WHO FOUND CASSIE. He'd explained to his overly worried mother that his girlfriend (a term his mother was thrilled to hear when referring to Cassie) was missing and her brother had just died. His mother told him he could search for her, but he had to be home by the next morning which left him little time given the already late night. However, Dustin immediately knew the one place she was sure to be, and had his mother drop him and his bike off on the road only ten minutes away from his house.

He remembered the first real conversation he had ever had with her, right at this spot on his way home from the arcade. He'd tripped, making an absolute fool out of himself. He could remember his flustered state when realizing that Cassie knew his name. He followed the path that he immediately memorized that day and looked up at the treehouse that him and Cassie had became friends in.

He grinned in relief when he saw a faint light coming from up the tree, and he quickly climbed up. Cassie sat on the edge, her legs dangling off as she held a bottle in her hand. There were several more scattered around her, empty. He frowned, "Cassie?"

Cassie turned around, her eyes wide and pupils dilated, "Hey, Curls."

He watched in concern as she took a long gulp of the substance in the bottle. He reached down with a look of distain, grabbing the bottle from her hand, "Are you drunk?"

"Oh, yeah," she admitted instantly. "Totally wasted. Are you gonna drink that? If not, could you give it back?"

Dustin shook his head, slightly in disappointment. He tossed the bottle to the side, away from the blonde who seemed to be drenched in sweat. She looked sick. He could only assume she was, from the lack of food in her system mixed with the alcohol, and the physical and emotional stress she was under. Her body was likely shutting down as a defense mechanism. He sat down beside her. Dustin scrunched his nose up, sniffing slightly. "Are you high too?"

"Mhm. Absolutely stoned," she nodded, the her voice still void of emotion. "Had a stash up here, got it from this senior at the high school. Pretty chill dude, I think you'd like him. Did you want some? Because I don't have any left, I-I smoked it all."

Dustin closed his eyes as she laughed dryly, blinking back tears at the sight of his girlfriend. "We were worried about you, Cassie. You can't just disappear like that. We thought something could have happened..."

Cassie stood up abruptly, brushing the boy off. A small frown grew on her face along with the look of anger. It was the first emotion she had shown since Billy's death. Dustin stood up too, watching as she held onto one of the support beams and leaned off the edge, one leg hanging in the air and the other too close to the edge for his liking. He reached forward, Cassie sending him a drunken look. "Wh-what did you think would have happened, Curls? Something like this...?"

She let go of the support beam, swaying towards the edge. Her foot slipped slightly and Dustin reached forward to grab her arm. She stepped away from the edge after regaining her balance, shoving Dustin away. "Maybe I should. It seems like people who care about me leave in one way or another."

Dustin remained silent, watching as she ran her hand through her hair, sweat dripping from her hairline. Dustin was certain she had a fever, and it was only enhancing her poor state of mind.

"My mom left. Billy's dead because of me, because I was a coward and didn't save him. I-," she paused, letting out a shaky breath. "I should have saved him. And Hopper is gone. And Jack too... can you believe that?"