Fault Lines • Steve Harrington

Chapter Two

The next morning comes too fast.

I wake up to the faint smell of coffee drifting through the house, sunlight slipping through the curtains of my new room. For a moment, I forget where I am. Then the quiet hum of Hawkins settles around me, and everything clicks back into place.

New town. New school soon. New...everything.

I drag myself out of bed, throw on a sweatshirt, and shuffle into the dining room where Will and Joyce are already halfway through breakfast. Joyce has eggs, Will has cereal, and I have a plate waiting for me—scrambled eggs and two sausages. My stomach growls.

"Morning," I mumble, sliding into the seat beside Will.

"Morning, Laurie," Joyce says warmly.

Before I can take a bite, Jonathan's bedroom door bursts open and he rushes out, buttoning his shirt in a hurry.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait up!" Joyce calls.

"Oh—no, I'll eat at work," Jonathan says, grabbing his jacket as he almost runs past us.

Joyce stands and steps toward him. "Your cheek." She rubs a smudge of lipstick off his face.

I elbow Will under the table, and we both snort into our food.

"See you later!" Jonathan calls before hurrying out the front door.

Joyce returns to the table, shaking her head fondly as she sits.

"Ugh. Gross," Will mumbles, face twisted in fourteen-year-old disgust.

Joyce sips her coffee. "Well, I don't think you're going to think it's gross when you fall in love."

I nod. "She's right."

Will gives me a look like I've betrayed him.

Then—of course—he turns his attention to me.

"Have you been in love, Laurie?" I nearly choke on my eggs.

"No," I sputter, grabbing my water. "I haven't." Which is true.

Never had a boyfriend. Never had a first kiss.
Never really had time for things like that, not with hospitals and doctors and grief eating up so much of my life.

I clear my throat quickly and aim for a subject change before Joyce gets curious.

"So...who's Jonathan dating?"

Joyce brightens immediately. "Nancy Wheeler. You met Mike—well, Nancy is his older sister. She's the same age as you and Jonathan."

"Oh," I say, nodding as I cut into my sausage. "That explains a lot."

Will shrugs and focuses back on his cereal but I see the small smile he's trying to hide. I can already tell: this family, this house—there's love tucked into every corner, even the chaotic ones.

As I eat my breakfast, I can't stop thinking about last night. The movie glitch. The fear in Will's eyes. Steve's smile. Steve's name. The way he said mine.

Three weeks ago, I was whispering goodbye to my mom. Today, I'm sitting at the Byers' table eating homemade breakfast.

Life feels strange. Unpredictable. And Hawkins...Hawkins feels like it's holding its breath.

After breakfast, Will grabs his backpack and darts toward the door.

"I'm going to meet the guys!" he says, already halfway out.

"Be back before dinner!" Joyce calls.

The door slams.

Joyce turns to me with a warm smile. "So... I was thinking. Do you want to come to Melvald's with me? Maybe help out? We could see if you can get a part-time job there."