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❛ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚ ▎❛ 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ❜ ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʙᴇᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ꒱
❝ YOU'RE PLAYIN' WITH YOUR
LIFE, THIS AIN'T NO TRUTH
OR DARE ❞
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No one in the group was surprised by Eddie's story. How could they be with everything that had happened to them? After reassuring him that he wasn't crazy, they left him to camp out in the shed as they returned to their respective homes.
The following morning, they made an errand run to the grocery store where they collected snacks and drinks. It was the most time Jessie had spent around Dustin and Max since the summer and needless to say, it was very awkward; she'd made sure to go to any empty aisle she could. Now, they'd returned to Reefer Rick's and Eddie was making a serious dent in the food they'd brought him.
"So we got, uh, some good news and some bad news," Dustin began. "How do you prefer it?"
"Bad news first, always," came the mumbled answer— Eddie didn't stop eating long enough to speak clearly.
"All right. Bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro and they're definitely looking for you. Also, they're, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy."
"Like, 100% kind of convinced," Max added.
"And the good news?"
"Your name hasn't gone public yet," Robin told him. "But if we found out about you, it's a matter of time before others do. And once that gets out everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning for you."
"Hunt the freak, right?" the brunet mocked himself.
"Exactly."
"So, before that happens we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence."
"That's all, Dustin? That's all?" Eddie replied sarcastically.
"Yeah, no, that's pretty much it."
"Listen, Eddie," Jessie began. "I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, and it is—"
"Thanks, Jess—"
She ignored him. "—but we've actually been through this before. I was a part of this when it all started about three years ago. It's in different forms every time but the gist is the same. A giant monster is has it out for humankind— not that I can blame it, we suck— but unfortunately people like living so then we have to fight it. It gets killed and we all go out for ice cream and clown hats after."
"Clown hats?"
Jessie shrugged. "I dunno, I've only ever been to one party."
"Thanks for the pep talk Pippi Longstocking, but I don't think you understand what it is that I saw," Eddie said.
Steve backed her up: "we usually rely on this girl who has super powers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so. . ."
Robin cut in as well, "so we're technically in more of the—"
". . .kinda. . ."
"Brainstorming phase," Max offered.
"There-there's nothing to worry about."
"Famous last words," the brunette commented.
Steve shot her an annoyed look. "That was entirely unhelpful."
"The truth is always helpful."
Sirens wailed unexpectedly in the distance and rapidly grew closer as the group jumped into motion. Eddie quickly hid under the tarp as they raced to the windows to watch the vehicles approach. Thankfully, they didn't stop at Reefer Rick's place but kept going to zoom past them and up the road.
.・。.・゜✫・.・✫・゜・。.
When they arrived at the crime scene, Jessie was unsurprised to see Nancy Wheeler already there. While the others were rather stunned, she knew their group well enough to expect them to be in the worst place at the worst time. The older Wheeler looked unsettled as she spoke the police and kept getting distracted by their arrival. She waved subtly to them and Steve returned the gesture.
Once she was finished sharing her side of the story, they drove back to the trailer park and occupied a picnic table. Nancy explained what had happened and the clues she'd gotten from Eddie's uncle. Apparently, her coworker, Fred Benson, had travelled with her to dig up dirt on Chrissy's death. While she'd been talking to Wayne Munson, the teen had wandered off and she hadn't seen him leave. Then, his body had been found this morning in the same distorted position Chrissy's had been.
In turn, they filled her on Max's and Eddie's story. When they finished, she asked, "you're saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it's from the Upside Down?"
"Uh, do you think new dimensions pop up every couple of years like summer fashion trends?" Jessie replied sarcastically.
"Well-well no, but I thought we closed the gate. Wouldn't it be over?"
The brunette sent her a disbelieving look. "This is Hawkins. Nothing is ever really over here."
Dustin nodded in a rare moment of agreement. "Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse. Now, whether or not he's doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don't know."
"All we know is this is something different," Max spoke up for the first time.
"It just doesn't make sense."
"It's only a theory."
"No, Fred and Chrissy don't make sense. I mean, why them?"
Jessie shrugged. "Why anyone? Why Will? Why was Eddie chosen to see Chrissy's death?"
"They were both at the game," Dustin offered.
"And at the trailer park," the redhead added.
"We're at the trailer park," Steve pointed out uneasily.
"There is something about this place," Nancy admitted. "Fred started acting weird the second we got here."
"Acting weird as in. . .?"
"Scared, on edge, upset."
"Max said Chrissy was upset too."
"Yeah, but not here," Max said. "She was crying in the bathroom at school."
"Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right?" Robin started quietly. "So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecman—"
"Vecna."
The brunette wasn't convinced. "I think otherworldly monsters are a lot more dangerous than serial killers. Instead of stalking their prey, maybe it's like symptoms of a disease. First the fear, then the paranoia. . ."
"No matter what it is," Steve put in, "if I saw some freaky wizard monster I would mention it to someone."
"Yeah, because telling the police the truth always goes over well," Jessie replied in a deadpan tone.
"Jess' right," Nancy conceded. "If you saw a monster, you. . . you wouldn't go to the police. They'd never believe you. But you might go to your—"
"Your shrink," the girl finished as she caught on to the older teen's train of thought. "I mean, I still wouldn't 'cause Miss K is Zathrak the Undead, but maybe someone more gullible would." She missed the flicker of a smile on Max's face for the nickname she had for the counselor.
Without another word, Mike's sister stood and began to walk in the opposite direction. Steve scrambled to stand up after her. "Whoa, whoa, Nance. Nance! Where you going?"
"Oh, there's just something I wanna check on first."
"Something you wanna share with us?"
"I don't wanna waste your time. It's a real shot in the dark," she explained.
"Yeah, okay. Are you out of your mind? Flying solo with Vecna on the loose? No, it's too dangerous. You need. . . You need someone to. . ." She watched him expectantly and he sighed before he tossed his keys to Robin. "Here. I'll stick with Nance. Take the car, check out the shrink."
"I don't think you want me driving your car." Robin stated as she caught them.
"Why?"
"I don't have a license."
"Why?"
"Because I'm poor."
"Same, sister," Jessie cheered. She held up her hand for a high five, but the older girl ignored her. She sighed and dropped her arm. "Tough crowd."
"I can drive," Max offered proudly.
Steve didn't even have to think about rejecting her suggestion. "No, never again. Please. Anybody but you. No. No chance."
"Come on," Dustin complained.
"No."
The group's discussion dissolved into several arguments as Steve protested against them splitting up. Nancy was adamant about not wasting time, though, and refused to budge. Finally, it was decided that Robin and Nancy would go together while Steve was placed in the "babysitting" position once again, much to his disgruntlement.
.・。.・゜✫・.・✫・゜・。.
The last— yet also the only— thing Jessie wanted was to be standing on Miss Kelly's porch with Max waiting beside her. They stood so close that only a simple shift in her weight would cause her hand to brush against the girl's next to her. She resisted the urge to do so, knowing that it would only earn her a negative reaction.
Thankfully, Miss Kelly was quick to answer the door. Her tone was surprised as she addressed the pair. "Jessie? Max. Hi."
"Hi. I'm so sorry to bother you over break—"
"I'm not," Jessie cut her off bluntly. She gave the curly-haired woman a look of great dislike. Then, she practically jumped out of her skin.
Max had been the one to close the distance between their hands and she'd reached over to squeeze her fingers in warning. While she loathed any sort of whimsical romantic descriptions, she could have sworn her fingers started buzzing from the unexpected touch. She was only able to enjoy the sensation for a few seconds until the action caught Miss Kelly's attention. The older woman's gaze followed their interaction with interest and she glanced at the brunette curiously. Max continued to look straight ahead, unaffected by her sudden gesture. Jessie stared back at the counselor stonily. The redhead dropped her hand and continued: "do you have a minute to talk?"
"Um, yeah, of course. Of course."
.・。.・゜✫・.・✫・゜・。.
"It's just, with everything that's happening— with all the murders— it's. . . it's making everything worse again," Max finished.
Miss Kelly had led the two girls to her sitting room where they occupied separate chairs. Jessie had made it a point to keep her distance from the redhead so she could be safe from the counselor's nosy intentions. The brunette sat across from them as she listened to the teen's explanation with that infuriating understanding expression on her face. It took all of Jessie's self-control not to do two things: one, punch Miss Kelly right in her stupid, condescending face. And two, return Max's gesture and squeeze her hand comfortingly.
She'd known that her (now) ex-girlfriend was going through a hard time but since Max hadn't shared anything with her, she hadn't known how bad it was. Now, she wished more than anything that they were still together so she could provide some sort of support for her.
"You've experienced trauma, Max," Miss Kelly began patiently. Jessie's hands curled into fists at her patronizing tone. "When you keep your feelings, your pain, bottled up the way you do it doesn't take much to trigger them again. So now, when it rains, it storms."
"Yeah," the brunette cut in sharply. "You know where else I could've gotten that advice? From a Snapple bottle cap."
The redhead coughed slightly to cover up her amusement. The counselor ignored her comment. "Do you think you're ready to talk more about that night?"
Max's humor quickly vanished. Instead of addressing the question, she spoke of something else. "I live next door to where it happened."
"I'm sorry?"
"To where Chrissy was murdered. The cops asked me a bunch of questions. Did they talk to you? I mean, I know you were seeing Chrissy."
"Max, you know I can't talk about Chrissy or any other student."
"Yeah, but, I mean, what if there was a serial killer on the loose in my neighborhood? Did Chrissy mention anything? Anything about who might have done this?"
"Max, I'm-I'm sorry. I. . . I really can't discuss this," Miss Kelly protested. "You wouldn't want me talking to any other students about you, right?"
Jessie tensed at her threat and her eyes narrowed. "Yeah, you really wouldn't want to break your confidentiality agreement, would you?" she asked sarcastically. "I mean, I one-hundred percent believe that you would honor it if I told you who my ex-girlfriend was. Would you like an award for being the counselor of the year? Or perhaps a plaque with your name emblazoned on it?"
The brunette frowned. "Jessie, I really don't understand where this hostility is coming from. All I've ever wanted to do is help you—"
"Yes, because your suggestion of conversion therapy was entirely 'helpful.'" She put air quotes around the last word and you would have to be immensely thick-headed to not notice her sardonic tone.
Max sat up sharply. "What?"
The teen shrugged. "The school doesn't like the fact that I'm gay. Why else did you think I was wasting my time by going to the counselor's office?"
Miss Kelly sighed. "Jessie," she began in that same placating voice. "The school values every students' individuality—"
"Don't make me laugh," Jessie cut across her coldly. "They only value the students that advance them in the states' ranking. That's all."
The redhead was still taking in their frosty conversation— though the woman was making more of an effort to be sympathetic— as she tried to understand what was going on. If anything, she'd thought Jessie had been seeing Miss Kelly because of what had happened last summer. She'd had no idea that the school had been giving her a hard time for. . . well, being herself. Max couldn't help the prick of guilt that she'd abandoned her girlfriend when she'd needed her most.
Before their counselor could aggravate the brunette more, she changed the subject: "can I use the bathroom?"
Once she'd returned to the sitting room, Miss Kelly ushered the girls to the door. Jessie paused on the doorstep and turned to give the older woman a caustic smile. "Thanks for having us. We had a terrible time." Then, she gently— but firmly— grasped Max's elbow and propelled her towards Steve's car.
The redhead glanced over at her as they walked. "That's what you meeting with her about?"
"What, did you think I was going for personal enjoyment?"
She ignored the other girl's tone. "I mean. . . you never told her about me?"
Jessie sighed. "You know how you don't want to talk about last summer?" At Max's nod, she continued: "well, this is like that for me. So, let's not talk about it."
Thankfully, she was saved from anymore questioning because Steve bombarded them with his own as soon as they climbed in.
.・。.・゜✫・.・✫・゜・。.
They arrived at the school not long after and had successfully broken in thanks to Jessie's expert lock-picking. As they walked down the empty hallway with their flashlights guiding the way, Dustin's radio crackled to life.
"'Dustin, do you copy?'" Robin's voice came through the receiver.
"Yeah, I copy."
"'So, Nancy's a genius. Vecna's first victims date back all the way to 1959. Her shot in the dark was a bull's-eye.'"
"Okay, that's totally bonkers but I can't really talk right now," he replied.
"'What are you doing?'"
"Breaking and entering school to retrieve confidential and extremely personal files."
"'Can you repeat that?'"
"Just get your ass over here, stat!"
With the help of the stolen keys— though Jessie would've been happy to do it herself— they successfully broke into Miss Kelly's office. Papers were strewn everywhere in piles that would only make sense to the person who made them. Multiple metal filing cabinets lined the walls and were alphabetically labeled with student's last names.
"It's like a mini-Watergate or something," Dustin commented. "Hawkinsgate."
"Didn't those guys get caught?" Steve pointed out.
Max ignored their conversation and made her way over to the drawer where Chrissy's files would be stored. She opened it and quickly flipped through the first couple until— "Holy shit."
"You found it?"
"Yeah, and not just Chrissy's file. Fred was seeing Miss Kelley too."
The redhead placed the cheerleader's file on the desk first and flipped it open. They all leaned around her to watch as she turned through the pages to find what they were looking for. Finally, she landed on a handwritten list: severe headaches, nosebleeds, nightmares, lack of sleep, hallucinations and past trauma.