Butterfly

002- The Missing Kid

Teddy woke up early the next morning to the news blasting in the living room. She didn't remember getting home, but when did she ever? She teased her hair a little bit, making sure that it was as high as possible. She then threw on a pair of jeans a plaid shirt and a jean jacket before walking out into the living room where her father was lying there passed out on the couch just as he had been the previous morning. 

"Dad," Teddy said as she passed him, picking up a couple of beer cans and throwing them in the trash. 

He sighed rolling over to look at the time. Teddy threw him his cigarettes back, pocketing a couple for herself, and grabbed her backpack.

"I'm going to school."

"That's good, honey," he said, without really processing anything. 

Teddy rolled her eyes and made her way out to the car where Lane was just pulling up. The two didn't say much as they rode to school. Lane seemed exhausted from a worried call his mother had gotten from the Byers' this morning. Will wasn't at home this morning, and Lane was stressing himself out over thinking that something was going after boys his brother's age, though he had no real reason to make these assumptions.

Teddy on the other hand was fighting off an inching darkness. The holidays were coming up, and it was always hard for Teddy to focus on anything other than her sister. She wished dearly to be able to forget the pain and to stop thinking about how her family had been torn apart since her death, and that holidays would never be the same. However, the darkness seemed to come out of nowhere year after year, always looming and threatening to crush her. 

As soon as the two pulled up to the school, Teddy jumped out of the car and headed off into the building. Lane quickly followed after her, grabbing her arm and stopping her in her tracks. 

"Where are you going in such a hurry, we're early."

Teddy shrugged him off, not daring to look him in the eyes, "I just need to go to the bathroom. I'll see you at lunch."

Teddy made her way into the girl's bathroom and locked herself in the corner stall. She lit up a cigarette, letting the smoke distract her from the darkness. With just a couple of puffs, her shoulders felt lighter and she shrugged her backpack on. She disposed of the cigarette and made her way out of the stall, only to run into a couple making out against the wall. 

She coughed, getting their attention so that she could get to the door. 

"Dorothy!" Steve choked out when she saw the girl. 

Teddy looked the two of them up and down before rolling her eyes and walking passed them. "Listen, I know you're a dumbass but this is the girl's bathroom."

She didn't wait for the boy's answer as she walked back through the door as the bell rang. She now had a little kick in her step as she looked forward to the Harringtons's next party. Just by the look on her face when she had been caught, Teddy knew that Nancy would be a lot more fun to interrogate than Steve's previous girls. Nancy might be able to stand her ground without jealousy getting in the way, making things all the more fun. 

As Teddy made her way to her seat in her last class of the day, she found Steve sitting in the seat next to hers. He bounced his leg impatiently as he waited for her, however whenever she sat down, she didn't acknowledge him. Usually, when he wanted to talk to her in school, it was to tell her to stop skipping class or that he needed a favor from her to help him get Cleo out of the house when he brought girls over. Teddy wasn't in the mood for either conversation with Steve, so she just ignored him. 

"Dorthy," Steve whispered as class started. When she didn't turn he whispered again more harshly. "Dorthy!"

"What do you want, Harrington?" Teddy asked without turning to him.