❝You will always fall in love, and it will always be like having your throat cut, just that fast.❞
[stranger things season one]
[jonathan byers/brooke henderson]
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[ 01. CHAPTER ONE : VANISHING ACT : ❝i was told when i get older all my fears would shrink, but now i'm insecure and i care what people think.❞ ]
★★★★★
Waking up in a bed that wasn't her own was nothing new to Brooke Henderson. Constantly taking graveyard shifts anywhere she could was a habit she couldn't kick. Being so close to graduating from high school, she needed every dollar she earned to pay her way to college. She refused to take anything from her parents that would be needed in their later life. Her little brother also needed the money because he was a lot smarter than her and she knew it.
She tiredly rose from the bed she had taken refuge in, the cold air nipping at her bare thighs. She wore an oversized shirt that did not belong to her and she released a groan, retrieving her discarded jeans from the carpeted floor and pulling them up her aching legs. Another groan passed through her lips as she stretched her upper body, her spine making a satisfying popping sound as she did so.
As she stepped out of the bedroom, she was knocked into by a strong force. Hands clamped down on her upper arms and she flinched slightly in fright from the close contact. Her eyes focused on the assailant and noticed that it was Joyce Byers, her boyfriend's mother.
"Joyce, what is it?" Brooke questioned in confusion, her voice still thick from the deep sleep she had been in.
"Have you seen Will?" Joyce fretted, looking panicked and her eyes stuck to Brooke's face as her voice raised an octave.
"No, I had another graveyard shift last night." Brooke shook her head, curls bouncing as she did so. Joyce's grip on her arms released and she moved slightly to get some feeling back into them. "I haven't seen him since yesterday morning."
"He isn't in his room." Joyce's voice cracked, tears forming in her wide brown eyes. The teenager knew how much the younger boy meant to her and her heart started to pound at the revelation that the boy could be missing. "He's not at the Wheelers."
"Did you check with my mom?" Brooke suggested, gently laying her hand on Joyce's shoulder to offer some comfort. "He could have crashed there and forgot to call."
"I called." Joyce sobbed, reaching up and holding onto Brooke's hand to try and stay connected to reality. "He's not at yours and he's not at the Sinclairs neither. God, where could he be?"
"Maybe he went to school early. He's always complaining about pop quizzes and he could have just gone to get some extra studying." Brooke bit her lip anxiously, panic setting into her chest at the fact that Will was practically unreachable.
Joyce only shook her head, tears pouring down her cheeks. She released Brooke once again and sucked in a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "I'm going to the station. Maybe Hopper can help out."
