"it's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you."
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
COLBY WAS SWEATING HARD. It rolled down his forehead as he panted, narrowing his eyes at the boy in front of him.
Billy Hargrove.
The new kid had been at Hawkins for a total of five minutes, and Colby already hated him. He had a really smug smirk, and his bright blue eyes were laced with bitterness. He grinned at Colby and Steve every time he scored on them, and the two teammates looked to one another and grumbled under their breaths.
"Hey," panted Steve, coming up beside Colby, "where'd you go last night?"
"Uh... home." muttered Colby, lying through his teeth. "Sorry, I just... I was tired."
"Oh." nodded Steve, putting a hand on Colby's shoulder. "Yeah, I figured, I mean... I went to your house to make sure you were okay, and you sister told me— well, she told me you were home, I mean, I thought you took Nancy home or something, but I know you don't drink or anything-"
"No, yeah, I was home. I, uh... I think Jonathan took Nancy home." affirmed Colby, trying not to let a smile cross his face. Steve smiled at him, however, before jogging off down the court again.
Colby hadn't been sure how to feel about Steve, even though they'd always been teammates. However, prior to the events of the previous year, they hadn't necessarily been close. Steve didn't seem to care. Not about anyone else, at least. He was self-absorbed, and everyone he talked to would simply turn into a mirror.
"Come on, Martin, bring up the ball!" shouted Billy arrogantly, slapping his hands on the ground to egg Colby on. The boy, clenching his jaw, ran forward.
"Martin, Martin..." mumbled Billy as soon as Colby was close enough. "Come on, buddy."
Colby passed the ball to Steve. Billy immediately switched onto him, pushing him backwards and whispering into his ear mockingly, getting on Steve's nerves— and then he took the ball out of Steve's hands and to the hoop, jumping and crossing it through his legs before laying it up against the backboard. Steve grimaced as Billy smiled at him.
"Steve?" said Nancy's voice, and both Colby and Steve turned to see her standing timidly near the doorway. Almost immediately, Colby turned back so he was looking at Billy again. The taller boy with long hair smirked at Colby, brushing past him to get back on defense.
"I hate that smug bastard," grumbled Colby to his nearest teammate, before accepting the ball from them.
˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗
Colby was on his way to lunch when he felt someone tap on his shoulder. When he turned around, he gripped his paper bag, containing a sandwich and a bag of chips, narrowing his eyes at the girl in front of him.
"Hi!" exclaimed Nancy cheerfully. "Uh, me and Jonathan are gonna head out to his car to eat lunch. You wanna come with us?"
Her and Jonathan. He wondered if the boy had taken credit for taking Nancy home— if he had, Colby couldn't blame him in the slightest. They both had a crush on Nancy, whether that be past or present.
"Oh, I would, but," Colby pointed back towards the cafeteria, "Reese and Jaden-"
"Listen," Nancy grabbed his hand, pulling him closer to the wall of lockers, "this isn't... this isn't a casual lunch. Steve wouldn't listen to me. I really hope you will."
Colby swallowed thickly, staring at Nancy for a minute, his eyes on her lips for far longer than he would like to admit. Then, he sighed. "Okay. Are you alright?"
Nancy stayed quiet, again taking his hand and leading him out to the parking lot. Colby could already see Jonathan, sitting on the hood of his car. He waved above his head, smiling at them. Colby smiled back. Nancy, however, still looked somewhat stressed.
"Hey!" greeted Jonathan as the other two took a seat on the hood of his car. "What's up?"
"Did you take me home last night?" Nancy demanded, stressed.
"W-What?" stammered Jonathan, his eyes flickering over to Colby, who was staring at the ground, nodding subtly. "Oh, oh, yeah."
"We got into an argument," huffed Nancy, "I told him that he was bullshit and we weren't really in love. B-But... he... Steve asked you to take me home?"
"Yeah. Yeah, he was upset." continued Jonathan. "I mean, he was... he was really upset."
Nancy looked solemnly down at the concrete.
"We were worried about you." mumbled Colby in agreement. When Nancy looked over at him, he added quickly, "I-I mean, like everyone at the party, you know."
Nancy sighed— clearly that wasn't what she wanted to hear.
"Hey, just cut yourself some slack, okay?" Colby almost put a hand on her shoulder, but immediately stuffed his hand back in his pocket. "People, you know, say stupid things when they're wasted. Things they don't, you know, mean."
"Yeah, but that's the thing." she shook her head impatiently. "W-What if I did mean it? All this time, I've been trying so hard to pretend like everything's fine, but it's not. I... I feel like there's this... I don't know, like this-"
"Like this weight you're carrying around with you." finished Jonathan consolingly. "All the time. I feel it, too."
"Yeah, but it's different for you. Will came home."
"Yeah." agreed Jonathan calmly, although there was pain in his eyes, as if he were recalling a distant memory. "Yeah, he did. But he's not the same, you know? I try... I try to be there for him, you know, to help him, but... I don't know. I mean, maybe, maybe things just can't go back to the way they were."
"That doesn't make you mad?" Nancy seemed perturbed.
"Mad?" repeated Jonathan, confused.
"Yeah, that those... those people that did this, who ruined so many lives, they just get away with it."
"Hey, look," Colby sighed desolately, "the people that are responsible for this, they-they're dead."
Nancy leaned closer to him, and Colby flinched, moving backwards and away from her bright blue eyes. Nonetheless, she spoke, "Do you really believe that?"
The slightly taller boy didn't bother replying. He crossed his arms over his legs, hugging them closer to his chest. Nancy stared out at a boy sitting at a picnic table, wearing his Walkman.
"Hey, Jonathan." she turned to the boy on her left, and his head snapped up towards her. "Your mom's boyfriend. He works at RadioShack, right?"
"Yeah." confirmed Jonathan positively. "Why? What're you thinking?"
Nancy grabbed their arms, clearly excited by her secretive discovery. "Do you guys wanna skip fourth period?"
"And miss art?" scoffed Colby sarcastically, standing up from the hood of Jonathan's car. "Are you insane?"
"You better be joking." grinned Nancy, punching him on the arm. "Do you guys all just wanna go in Jonathan's car, or...?"
"Sure," nodded Colby, as did Jonathan, "but I call shotgun."
"Oh, you jerk!" spat Nancy, laughing and rolling her eyes as she got into the backseat. Jonathan began cleaning all of his trash up, before walking over to the nearest trash can and discarding it all. Then, he walked back to the car, getting in the driver's seat and starting it up.
While Nancy explained her plan to the boys, Colby continuously winced uncomfortably. Just about everything in the plan could go terribly wrong, especially if they weren't careful enough. She didn't lose her confidence, although Colby didn't bother feigning support. He voiced his skepticism.
"It's dangerous." he told her honestly, looking over his shoulder at her. "Just about everything could go wrong."
"What, you think I'm an idiot?" snapped Nancy, although she didn't necessarily sound angry with him.
"No!" said Colby hurriedly, giving her a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm a little paranoid. It's a good idea."
Nancy smiled at him.
˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗
Colby, Jonathan, and Nancy headed inside the Wheeler household, Nancy tightly gripped a red-and-white striped RadioShack bag. As soon as they entered the den, they could see Mrs. Wheeler standing the kitchen. She was listening to music, and Colby was tempted to stop and talk to her, but Nancy tugged on his arm to pull him along with her and Jonathan.
"Jonathan? Colby? Is that you?" Mrs. Wheeler had noticed them, and, grimacing, the trio backed up so Mrs. Wheeler could see them once again.
"Hello, Mrs. Wheeler." greeted Colby nervously, giving her an awkward smile.
"Hi, Mrs. Wheeler." added Jonathan, giving her a wave.
"What a pleasant surprise." she beamed at them.
"How are you, Mrs. Wheeler?" queried Colby, an honest attempt at making a light conversation.
"Oh, I'm doing well." she said. "And you?"
"Oh, very well, Mrs. Wheeler." he grinned lopsidedly at her, feeling Nancy's elbow digging into his rib cage. "I really like your hair-"
"Oh, thank you, I figured I could match with Nancy-"
"We have a test tomorrow." interjected Jonathan nervously.
Mrs. Wheeler hummed understandingly, nodding at them. She smiled again, clearly happy to see Nancy interacting with two boys she found to be unfortunate.
"Oh, did you go shopping?" Mrs. Wheeler, motioned down to the bag in Nancy's hand.
"Oh, uh, yeah," nodded Nancy, "my Walkman broke."
"Aw." pouted Mrs. Wheeler.
"Anyway, Mom, we should go." Nancy nodded her head towards the staircase. "It's a really big test, so..."
"Stressful." added in Colby.
"Very."
"Bye, Mrs. Wheeler." Jonathan waved once again as Nancy pushed he and Colby out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Colby massaged his ribs, glaring down at Nancy.
"That's for flirting with my mom." she muttered under her breath.
"I wasn't flirting with your mom!" denied Colby, putting a hand over his oh-so delicate heart. "Jesus, Nancy."
"Shut up," she quickly shoved him into her bedroom and shut the door behind them. The two boys paced around her room while she sat on the bed, emptying the bag and revealing a phone. She didn't move towards it, in fact, she just stared down at it.
"Are you sure about this?" questioned Jonathan, crossing his arms and approaching Nancy.
"No." she replied honestly. Then she grabbed the phone, typing in a number on it. Jonathan and Colby took seats on the edge of her bed, watching her warily.
They waited for a few seconds, and finally, "Hello, Marsha speaking."
Colby bit his lip as Nancy stared back at him. She urged her to speak as Mrs. Holland, Barbara's mom, continued to say "Hello?" over and over again.
"Mrs. Holland." breathed out Nancy. "Hi, it's, um... it's Nancy."
"Nancy?"
"I need to tell you something." Nancy continued hesitantly, trying to stay calm. Colby and Jonathan gave her supportive nods, forcing smiles onto their faces. "Something about Barb. About that night, I, uh... I haven't been honest with you. But I-I can't tell you here, on the phone. Meet me tomorrow, Forrest Hills Park, nine o'clock. Don't tell anyone. A-And don't call me back here, it's dangerous."
"Nancy, what is this?"
"I just need you to trust me! Please!" Nancy quickly hung up the phone, her face creasing in sadness and worry. She sucked in frantic breaths, glancing back up at Jonathan and Colby.
"It's done." murmured Jonathan, standing up abruptly. "Are we really gonna do this?"
"We have to." Nancy insisted, putting a hand over her face. "For Barb. A-And for everyone else that was attacked by this thing, like your brother."
Jonathan clenched his jaw, nodding along as he grabbed his backpack. "Speaking of Will, I'd better... you know."
"Okay." she replied. "Okay. Just... we'll all meet at the park later."
Jonathan said nothing before he made his way out of Nancy's bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind him. After about forty-five seconds, Colby could hear his car outside starting up. As for Colby, he sat awkwardly at the edge of the bed, his hands on his legs.
"What if they really catch us?" he asked her quietly, meeting her eyes, and trying to force the sadness out of his voice as he thought of the last time he'd been in her bedroom— just a few days prior. "Then what happens to us?"
"We have to try." Nancy looked like she was moving closer to him, but Colby blamed it on mind tricks. Jedi mind tricks. He would not mind having a lightsaber. "And... if someone catches us, then we'll fight our way out."
"What about those monsters they have?" Colby ran a hand over his face. "Nancy, I'm all for this, but what about the consequences?"
"Colby," she tried to reach out for him again, but he flinched and moved away. She ignored it, "we won't get caught. I promise."
Swallowing, Colby nodded. He shouldn't have felt so casual about fighting the government like he was. The thought of consequence was pushed down into him, replaced with the overwhelming feeling of trust when it came to Nancy. The thing was, Colby would put his life in Nancy's hands, and hoped she knew she could put hers in his.
jack
stranger things 4 was amazing. i cannot wait for vol 2
(5/28/22)