CHAPTER ONE
IT'S A HALLOWEEN PARTY
Abigail Foster is set for life━━okay, she acknowledges that maybe she's a bit of a hard-ass, and maybe she only has one friend, and maybe she hasn't had her first kiss, and she may have a major disadvantage simply because of the color of her skin and the fact that she is a woman, but none that really matters in the adult world (well, besides the whole racist, misogynistic, and not to mention homophobic nature of the world, which Abby is determined to fix). But, one problem at a time, and right now, Abby is focused on the near future, college. And really, it's not just about college, it's about getting out of the dreary town of Hawkins. She wants to be the one who makes it out, she wants to find success out in the real world. Abby wants to see the outside world, she wants to take pictures of landmarks, she wants to document her journies around the world, she wants to see the sunny beaches of California, she wants to drink coffee in a New York cafe, but for now, daydreaming will have to suffice.
For as long as anybody can remember, Abby Foster has been fueled by ambition. As a child, she had never been content with staying on the ground, she always had to be moving higher and higher. She climbed to the highest branches of the trees, scurried onto the rooftops late at night, climbed every fire escape in a desperate attempt to reach the stars, always reaching and grasping to pull herself up to the next level, and all the while dreaming of her future. By the time she had started middle school, she had proudly proclaimed that she would be the one to pay to attend college.
She had started with smaller jobs━━mowing her neighbor's lawns during the warm springs and sweltering summers, shoveling the deep, cold snow during the harsh days of winter while other kids played and sipped steaming mugs of hot chocolate, and raking the red and yellow leaves of fall. Finally, when she was old enough, managed to get her first job at the severely understaffed Palace Arcade (definitely not her first choice in a job, settling arguments and serving greasy pizza to sweaty teenage boys was definitely now how she would've chosen to spend her afternoons, but Keith was good company). Come junior year, and Abby continued to overachieve, having managed to juggle yard work, her job at the arcade, schoolwork, and now babysitting.
Her babysitting gig had been relatively new, but she had managed to keep it steady for almost a year, picking up jobs whenever she was free of studying. From Erica Sinclair, who had declared with a loud obnoxious whine that she didn't need a babysitter (but had soon warmed up to Abby), to sweet little Holly Wheeler, who insisted that they have tea parties every time that Abby watched over her, the job had been quite an adventure, to say the least.
"Abby, are you even listening?" Isla Castro's voice cuts through Abby's wandering thoughts.
Abby blinks and slams her locker door shut with a loud bang. "No?"
Isla suppresses a sigh. "Are you going to Tina's Halloween party tonight?"
"I don't know ..." Abby trails off as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other as she swings her backpack onto her shoulders.
She has always wondered how she and Isla had remained tightly-knit friends throughout the years, as they were complete opposites. Isla was more reckless and free, choosing to focus on the moment rather than ponder the future, but Abby was cautious, she was careful to choose wisely and often spent precious time fretting over how her actions could affect her future. Isla would run slower so that she would stay with Abby, Abby would run faster to keep up with Isla. Isla would break two windows because Abby was with her, and Abby would break one window because she knew that Isla was watching. The two girls have so many differences, and yet they are two peas in a pod, both having found each other in their desolate AV Club of two members.
"C'mon, Abby, it's Halloween, for crying out loud! And I know for a fact that you're not busy tonight!" Isla exclaims as the two girls set off down the halls of Hawkins High, shouldering through the crowd of students. "Going to one party isn't going to ruin your chances of getting into a good college, Abs. Besides, what are you going to do all night? Study?"
"Well, now that you mention it━━"
"Do you even have a costume?" Isla inquires. Abby bites down on her lip and averts her gaze which is enough of an answer for Isla. "Abs, we're only going to be seventeen once! Live a little, why don't you?"
"I don't know, Isla ..."
"Seven o'clock," Isla interrupts firmly. She shakes a stern finger at Abby. "I'm picking you up at seven. No excuses, no nothing, I'm going as Bonnie, you're going as Clyde, dress accordingly."
"You know Bonnie and Clyde killed thirteen people, right?" Abby responded.
Isla nods. "Of course, did you forget who you're talking to? But isn't that what everyone dresses up as for Halloween? Famous homicidal people?"
"Touche."
Isla tucks a strand of her corkscrew curls behind her ear and claps her hands together. "Well, now that we've got that settled, what do you think of the new guy?"
Abby frowns as her thoughts travel to Billy Hargrove, newly arrived in the small town of Hawkins, who had rolled into the school parking lot in his sleek blue Camaro. By sixth period, he seemed to be all anybody was talking about (though Tina's party was a tough competition). She supposes that he could be attractive with his long tousled hair and tanned skin from his time in California, but he also radiates confidence as if he were above everybody else in the school. Abby had dealt with her share of jackasses and would not be taking any chances with Billy Hargrove.
Abby shrugs. "I don't know. I haven't met him, but kinda gives off a little bit of a douce vibe though."
"You say that about almost everyone," Isla complains.
"Have I ever been wrong?" She responds.
"Well . . . no . . ."
"Plus you haven't even met the guy," Abby responded.
"You haven't either," Isla is quick to respond.
"Fair point," Abby responds as they step out of the school building and into crisp October air. "Well, my dear friend, this is where we part."
There's a buzz of excitement amongst the high schoolers, the day is over and now it's time to put on their masks and pretend to be people that they're not for a whole night. Abby supposes that for some people Halloween might be a solace, after all, when you're wearing a mask nobody knows who you are and nobody can tie any of your past mistakes to you.
Abby digs her keys out of her backpack as she approaches her car. It's a family car, passed down from generation to generation. It's several years old and battered with a few dents in the metal from years of use. The engine occasionally stalls when she tries to start the car, there are army figures shoved in one of the air vents, and there's a stain in the passenger seat where coffee was spilled years before, but there's always been a sense of familiarity about it. There are memories encapsulated within the car, from the initials of Fosters long past have carved into the rear window deck, to the pair of baby shoes that still hangs from the rearview mirror.
As she starts to slowly back out of her parking spot, a sleek blue Camaro speeds past. Its motor hums loudly and its tires screech shrilly, just barely avoiding clipping her own car. Abby stares into the rearview mirror as she clutches the steering wheel as the Camaro speeds out of sight.
"What a dick," she mutters.
✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*
If there's one thing you must know about Abby Foster, it's that she likes to blend in. She likes the feeling of being invisible; that means that there are no distractions, there's nobody that can deter her from her lifelong goal. At Tina's party, however, she sticks out like a sore thumb, it's clear that she doesn't want to be there, she strays to the corners and for the most part, has remained in the kitchen.
She is by no means enjoying herself. The music is too loud, for one thing. It pounds in her ears, and she swears that she can feel her brain rattling inside of her skull. And for another, almost everybody else is too busy either drinking, dancing, or making out with one another to interact with. But she was glad that she hadn't been stuck on the monotonous trick or treating duty as she had been the previous year. Almost every corner of the house was full of teenagers, dancing and bobbing their heads to Shout at the Devil. The front yard was a cacophony of cheers and shouts, though Abby wasn't entirely sure what was happening.
Abby and Isla stay in the kitchen by the sink, for the most part, seeing as it's the least crowded area of the house. Abby shifts her weight awkwardly as she leans against the counter while the couple near her began to kiss. Over at the far end of the counter, a group of teenagers are pouring alcohol into the mouth of another teenager who seems to be fast asleep. Her eyes shift to Isla who approached with two red solo cups in her hands, one with a lemon on the rim, and the other Isla was already sipping from. Abby accepts the cup with the lemon with a slightly uncomfortable smile before she drops it once more.
"It has a lemon, are you going to be able to handle it?" Isla asks.
"Haha, very funny," Abby responds with a glare as she sips from the Solo Cup.
"Having one drink isn't going to botch your chances of getting into a good college, Abs," Isla tells her with a groan.
"There's probably more alcohol in that stuff than actual punch," she responds.
Isla lets out a small scoff and hits Abby lightly on the back of the head. The latter lets out a small hiss and bats Isla's hand away. The corners of Abby's lips tug up into a smile. Despite her temporary amusement, Isla could sense her friend's evident discomfort and frowned slightly, reaching out and placing a hand on Abby's shoulder.
"Hey," she said. "If you really don't want to be here, just tell me and we can go, okay? We can eat candy and watch movies in my basement or something if you want. And we wouldn't be lying to your parents because we technically did go to the party."
Abby smiles softly at her friend before shaking her head. Every part of her brain is screaming for her to agree to leave, but she knows that Isla is enjoying herself, and she doesn't want to ruin that for her friend. She can walk home if she needs to.
"No, it's okay, Isla. You're enjoying yourself and I don't want to hold you back. I'll be okay here," she assures her friend before flicking her wrists in Isla's direction in an attempt to shoo the girl away from the kitchen and into the crowd of dancing teenagers. "Now go, be free, my friend!"
Isla, however, does not budge from her position and remained firmly rooted beside Abby. Instead, she shook her head, unruly curls flying as she let out a loud laugh. "And hang out here all alone? No thank you! Now, c'mon, let's get out of here!"
Isla takes Abby by the hand. They leave their cups on the sink counter and Isla pulls her past Nancy Wheeler, the girlfriend of Steve Harrington, who for as long as Abby can remember has always remained stubbornly at the top of the food chain. Nancy points to the bowl of punch and glances over at a boy Abby recognized from her history class, but can't remember the name of. He's dressed in what looks to be a toga fashioned from his mother's curtains.
"What's in this?" Nancy asks.
"Pure fuel!" The boy answers after downing a cup. "Pure fuel!"
Following Nancy is Steve Harrington, known for his seemingly gravity-defying hair and title of King Steve. From what Abby had gathered had absentee parents and, for the most part, raised his younger sister, Alex, but had managed to climb to the top of the food chain of Hawkins High.
The two made eye contact for a split second before Abby looked away, turning back to Isla as they make their way through the house. They pass Billy Hargrove who's surrounded by his own worshippers and Abby is quick to scowl in his direction (call her petty, but yes, she is still thinking about how he almost clipped her car). Pushing past the tightly packed crowd of dancing teenagers in their Halloween costumes, they emerge into the front yard. Abby breathes a sigh of relief, the outside air is much fresher than the air inside, tainted with the smell of alcohol and a sickly, luke-warm feeling. Abby shivers slightly, the cold air bites into her exposed skin. There are fewer teenagers outside now that Billy had migrated indoors.
The boy from Abby's history class dressed in the toga suddenly pushes past the two. His hands are clamped tightly over his stomach, and his mouth is clamped tightly shut as if he were holding his breath. The two watch as he careens past the fence before doubling over and retching, emptying his insides on the cement pathway.
Abby nudges Isla, "Yet another reason why I'm not drinking that stuff."
On the way to Bessie, they pass by yet another couple kissing and then an old-looking and rusted white car. Abby and Isla both glance through the window to find Jonathan Byers, the socially outcasted older brother of Will Byers who had gone missing and had been dead only for the boy to be found in the forest a few days after his funeral. Isla raises a hand in greeting while Abby nods in acknowledgment as he sits behind the wheel staring around at the house and other high schoolers that had congregated. Jonathan blinks before registering that Isla had waved and awkwardly waves back.
"Hey, sweet girl," Isla greets as they stopped in front of Bessie, the Castro family jeep.
"Why are you talking to her like that?" Abby questions.
"Because she's my sweet girl," Isla answers.
Abby wrinkles her nose. "You're so weird."
"Why thank you!"
author's note: howdy, it's been a bit! but i am going to be sticking through with this for sure. i didn't know how to end this chapter so don't mind that, and also don't mind if the writing style switches up a bit, i'm still trying to decide what i like best. i kinda hated this chapter since it's a bit older and i just edited it a bit, but i needed to get it out. this was just kind of an exposition chapter to introduce y'all to abby (2.0) who is going to be getting development and actually have fun after a while.
anyway, steve & abby are going to be a pretty slow burn, so if you're a fan of: this weird kid just introduced us, so i guess we're acquaintances now to mutual pining friends to best friends (who are still mutually pining) to kinda act like lovers but aren't to possible lovers, then this is for you!