chapter ii. | the weirdo on maple street
"you're pretty cool too"
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AT SEVEN O'CLOCK ON TUESDAY MORNING, Cassie's alarm clock went off. She groaned, turning it off before slowly sitting up. She had to fix her bike before school because she was sure there was going to be no superhero Jonathan Byers to save her like yesterday morning.
Once again, she found herself scrambling around her room to get dressed. When she got to the front yard, she huffed as she looked down at the bike. It took almost an hour of prodding and pushing until the rock came loose. Dustin had already gone to school, Cassie sending him on his way when he offered to help.
Swinging her leg over the side, Cassie started her journey to school. When she arrived, her sunglasses firmly planted on her nose, she locked her bike up on the rack before making her way in. As she walked toward her locker, she rolled her eyes when she saw the group up ahead.
Steve Harrington stood with Tommy H and Carol, the three cornering Nancy and Barbra. Steve and Nancy had been somewhat going out for a few weeks, and Cassie could already see a difference in Nancy. The five were looking over at Jonathan who was pinning up a 'have you seen me?' sign for Will on the pinboard.
"Oh God, that's depressing," said Steve, making Cassie roll her eyes as she began to approach them.
"Should we say something?" asked Nancy naively.
"I don't think he speaks," Carol answered Nancy.
"How much you want to bet he killed him?" Tommy asked Steve nastily, smiling.
"You're a real asshole, Hagan. Any of you say one more word about him and I won't hesitate to punch your teeth in," snarled Cassie as she passed them. "Have a good day, fuckers."
Cassie opened her locker, grabbing a Snickers bar out of it. She hadn't had breakfast that morning and she was starving. As the bell went, Jonathan approached Cassie at her locker.
"Hey," he said. Cassie looked over her sunglasses at him and smiled softly.
"Hey," she dragged out cheekily, surprised he was talking to her at school. "You okay?" He nodded. She unwrapped the chocolate and took a bite. She quickly finished the mini-sized bar.
"I see you fixed your bike," he stated awkwardly, making Cassie nod and smile more.
"Yeah. Spent a whole hour cursing at the thing until the rock just unwedged itself." Jonathan chuckled slightly at her sentence. She took off her sunglasses, tucking them in her pocket. "Did you need something?"
"Um," he looked around, making sure no one was in earshot. "Do you mind coming with me to my dad's?" Cassie raised her eyebrows. "Hopper thinks that's where Will is, but he won't come out if there's police-"
"Jonathan-"
"And he knows you really well-"
"Jonathan-"
"And you're really badass, so it might give me a bit more confidence-"
"Jonathan!" she exclaimed stopping his rant as she placed her hands on the sides of his arms. He looked at her, his eyes wide. "Of course, I'll come with you." He smiled slightly, taking her wrist and leading her out the front door.
Cassie grabbed her bike, throwing it in Jonathan's trunk before she got in the car. Who knew how long the two would be gone?
"So, where are we going, exactly?" she asked as Jonathan drove down the streets of Hawkins.
"Outskirts of Indianapolis," he replied, making Cassie raise her eyebrows. "He doesn't have enough money to live in the middle of the city, but he had just enough to get away from here."
"How would Will even get out there?" she asked, shaking her head. "The kid didn't have his bike, and he can't drive. It just doesn't make sense."
Jonathan shrugged. "Caught a ride with a stranger?" Cassie cocked her head to the side before nodding.
"I s'pose," she answered, pulling down her sleeves. "Can see why he wanted to go. Indi's a lot of fun."
"Is it?" he asked curiously. Cassie nodded.
"Fuck yeah. Better than this shit hole anyway," she chuckled breathlessly.
"Anywhere's better than this place." The two laughed. "When have you been to Indi?" he questioned her, a cheeky tone coming through. Cassie opened her mouth before closing it again. She bit her tongue, thinking.
"Passed through when we moved to Hawkins," shrugged Cassie, leaning back. "Heap of fun."
As the car passed the Leaving Hawkins sign, The Clash's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go?' started to play.
"Oh, The Clash? Dude, I love this song!" exclaimed Cassie, turning it up slightly.
"Yeah?" asked Jonathan. Cassie nodded her head enthusiastically. "It's Will's favourite too."
"Little dude's got taste," she said, leaning back in her seat as she clapped along to the beat, singing loudly.
Jonathan smiled slightly at Cassie's face, her lips turned up in a smile with her eyes closed. At the end of the song, Cassie sighed happily. Looking down at her feet, she spotted Jonathan's camera. She picked it up.
"This yours?" she asked, holding it out to him. He nodded. "A photographer, huh? You any good?" Jonathan shrugged.
"I like to think I'm alright," he replied. "I... don't like talking to people. I'd rather-"
"Observe?" she finished, a smile tugging at her lips. Jonathan nodded.
"Exactly. When you talk to people, sometimes what they're saying isn't actually what they mean. But, a picture, can say a lot about a person. A photo can capture their vulnerabilities and tell a story of their past and insecurities."
Cassie stared at him in awe as he talked. She was pretty sure he hadn't ever said that much to her ever. But she was glad he did. The passionate glint in his eye as he talked made Cassie grin wildly. Hearing him talking about photography made her interested, and she wouldn't mind listening to Jonathan's soft voice tell her about it all day.
Throughout the ride, Cassie kept asking him questions, and Jonathan answered them in a more confident voice than she had ever heard. As they made it to Indianapolis, it started to rain. Jonathan drove down streets with houses that looked like they had seen a better past.
He parked the car, looking at a house across the street. "That's it," he said, Cassie nodding as she looked at the house.
The two teens picked up their bags and walked across to the house. As they ran up the steps, Cassie couldn't help but admire how nice Jonathan's denim jacket was. Or rather, how he looked in it. She looked down at her clothes. The two were a right sight. Jonathan was wearing his blue double denim look, a brownish-beige top underneath his jacket. Cassie wore her long, black tulle skirt that sat under her ripped black sweater and an oversized black pin-striped blazer. The pair were both soaked from the rain, their hair sticking to their foreheads.
Jonathan looked through the diamond-shaped window on the front door. The two could hear music, and based on Jonathan slapping the door, Cassie guessed that there was no one in the front room.
"Hello?" he called. He slammed the door again. Cassie rolled her eyes as no one answered.
"Let me do it," she said gruffly, bumping Jonathan away with her hip, which made him blush shyly. Cassie thumped on the door with the side of her fist angrily, making Jonathan jump. "Open up! Come on you son of a bitch! Open up!" In frustration, she kicked the door harshly with her heeled black combat boot, hoping that someone would react to the sound.
Finally, Cassie saw a girl in her mid-twenties walk up to the door. Cassie smiled over at Jonathan as the woman ripped open the door.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked, looking Jonathan and Cassie up and down.
"Yeah," spoke Jonathan, his voice hoarse and intimidating. Cassie looked up at him, raising her eyebrows. She had to admit, it was kinda hot. "Is Lonnie around?" he asked.
"Yeah, he's out back, what do you want?" the woman sneered.
Jonathan pushed past her, walking into the house, Cassie following him in. "To look around," he mumbled.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" asked the woman, turning around to see Jonathan storming through the house. "Hey!"
As Jonathan stormed through the house, yelling Will's name as he opened and closed doors, Cassie turned to the woman.
"You got a bathroom?" she asked. The woman nodded, still slightly furious. She pointed down the hallway. "How helpful," she mumbled.
When she arrived in the bathroom she rolled up her sleeves before she rummaged around in her bag, pulling out her eyeliner, her cigarettes and her lighter. She quickly reapplied her eyeliner and cleaned under her eyes. Taking out a cigarette, she put it between her lips and lit it. She grabbed onto either side of the basin, hanging her head. Her eyes widened at the sight of her left wrist.
"Shit," she whispered angrily, bringing her wrist up to her eyes to inspect it. The makeup had been rubbed off, leaving her to stare at the ugly 009 tattoo that plagued her skin. Quickly, Cassie pulled out her foundation and applied it to her wrist, covering the dark numbers that haunted her.
She picked up her bag and walked out to the rest of the house, where the woman was still standing.
"Where is he?" Cassie asked. The woman pointed toward the back door. Cassie grunted, barging through the back door and making her way outside where Jonathan and his father stood by a car.
"Told you the same thing as I told those cops, he's not here and he never has been," said Lonnie as Jonathan closed the trunk that he was inspecting.
"Then why didn't you call Mum back?" asked Jonathan, walking toward his father.
"Woah, didn't even call her back? Dick move," butted in Cassie from behind, making Lonnie turn around.
"Who are you?" asked the older man as Cassie stood beside Jonathan, her cigarette hanging out the side of her mouth. Cassie looked up at Jonathan before returning her gaze to the older man.
"Cassie Henderson," she said, putting her hand out for him to shake, which he did. "Jonathan's..." Jonathan looked down at her, as she looked up at him. They had never actually discussed what their relationship was. But, Cassie knew that they were a lot more than strangers or acquaintances. "friend."
Lonnie looked up at his son. "I just, assumed she just forgot where he was," shrugging as he continued the original conversation. "You know, he was lost or something. The boy was never very good at taking care of himself."
"He's twelve!" exclaimed Cassie, her cigarette going out in the rain. "Shit."
"This isn't some joke, alright!" exclaimed Jonathan. "There are search parties, reporters..."
"Hopper's not still Chief, is he?" asked Lonnie.
"Yeah, he is," replied Cassie, crossing her arms over her chest. Lonnie took a moment, looking off to the side before he looked back at his son.
"Tell your mother she's got to get you out of that hell hole," said Lonnie. "Come out here to the city. People are more real here, y'know? And then I could see you more." Jonathan shook his head in disbelief. "You think I don't want to see you?"
"I know you don't," sneered Jonathan, matter-of-factly.
"See, that's your mother talking right there," accused Lonnie, pointing his finger at Jonathan. Cassie rolled her eyes. "Does she even know you're here?" Jonathan and Cassie stayed silent. "Oh, great, so one kid goes missing and the other one runs wild. Some real fine parenting right there."
"You're a bitch," whispered Cassie nastily, narrowing her eyes and shaking her head at him.
"Look," started Lonnie. "All I'm saying is that maybe I'm not the asshole, alright?" Jonathan pulled out one of his 'have you seen me?' posters, and started to walk toward his father.
"In case you forgot what he looks like," he grunted, slamming the poster into his father's chest. He walked away and turned around when he realised Cassie wasn't behind him. "Cassie! Let's go!"
"Some father you are," mumbled Cassie as she started to walk toward Jonathan. "Fuck you, asshole!" she yelled. She flipped him off, putting her hand away when she arrived at Jonathan's side.
As they arrived in the car, Cassie groaned as she took her wet hair out of the ponytail, her curls exemplified.
"Bit of a shit father if you ask me," mumbled Cassie, gaining no reaction from Jonathan. The boy stared blankly in front of him, slouched in his seat. "Hey? You okay?"
"Did you mean what you said back there?" he asked her, making Cassie furrow her eyebrows. "The friend part," he clarified quickly, seeing her confusion. "Did you mean that?"
"Well, you're the only person at that god-forsaken school that I can stand to talk to for more than ten minutes. I think that qualifies you as a friend," she said, a teasing smile on her face. A smile grew on him as well.
"Really?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Believe it or not, I enjoy talking to you. You're pretty cool."
"Thanks," he replied bashfully. He turned back to start the car. "You're pretty cool too."
"Oh, I know," she said, putting her hands behind her head, and her feet up on the dashboard. Jonathan laughed at her and began to drive off.
"Hey, I brought my own mixtape," she told him, raising the small thing out of her bag. "Mind if I play it?"
"Not at all," he said. She took his out and put hers in. "What's on it?"
"Oh, you know, Blondie, Bowie, Queen, The Beatles. The good stuff." Jonathan laughed as Cassie began to sing Blondie's Call Me.
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When the two arrived back in Hawkins, Cassie asked Jonathan to drop her off at the police station. She knew that she couldn't just sit at home. She had to join the search party. When Jonathan pulled up outside the station, he grabbed Cassie's shoulder tightly.
"You don't have to do this, you know?" he said firmly. Cassie shook her head, taking Jonathan's hand off.
"Yes, I do." She opened the car door, climbing out before turning back to face Jonathan.
"Don't do anything stupid," he warned her. Cassie rolled her eyes with a smile.
"I won't."
"Okay, I'll take your bike home. Thanks for coming with me today, Henderson," he smiled.
"It's Cassie," she stated.
"What?"
"My name. It's Cassie," she repeated. "You're my friend now, right?" Jonathan nodded. "Then you better start using my name."
"I thought your name was Cassandra..." he trailed off, a teasing tone to his voice, making Cassie laugh.
"You're an idiot, Byers."
"Can I call you Cass?" Cassie stopped laughing. No one had ever called her Cass before. But she liked it. She really liked the way Jonathan said it.
"Yeah," she nodded frantically. "I'll see you later, Jonathan." With that, she closed the door and watched Jonathan drive off.
Fixing her blazer, Cassie marched up the steps, opening the door. There, she was met by Flo, the receptionist.
"Cassie Henderson, what a surprise," Flo said sarcastically, making Cassie grin. "What happened this time, kiddo?"
"Nothing this time, Flo," said Cassie, making Flo look up at her suspiciously. "I just wanted to talk to Hop."
Soon, Cassie sat in Hopper's office, with him running a hand down his face. The two had argued for the better part of an hour, Cassie trying to convince him to let her join the search party for at least tonight.
"Why don't you go to that assembly thing for Will? Isn't that at your high school? Go show your support for the Byers with everyone else."
"More than half of those kids didn't even know Will Byers existed until yesterday!" she snapped. "They don't give a shit about him! And they don't give a shit about Jonathan either! You and I both know that!"
"Cassie, I've already got one kid missing, I don't need another," he said sternly.
"Hop, I know that kid better than anyone else on that stupid volunteer list! If he really is out there, he's only going to appear when someone he knows shows up. Give me a chance, Hop. Just for tonight."
Hopper nodded slightly. "Fine," he grunted, making Cassie smile. "But you're staying with me the entire time, got it? And, you've got to call your mum before we go. Deal?"
"Deal," she said, shaking his outstretched hand, "dad." He glared at her taunting him as she grinned wickedly.
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It was dark when they arrived at Benny's Burgers, where they had suspected Will may have been. Benny had killed himself in his restaurant, which upset Cassie. She did enjoy going there once in a while, and Benny was always kind to her.
Cassie walked into the woods next to Hopper, a flashlight in her hand as she yelled out Will's name. She shivered slightly as the wind ran through her hair. Even though Hopper had given her a dry coat, her hair was still wet from the rain and the cold wind made a chill go through her.
"You think Earl really saw Will?" asked Officer Callahan as he and Officer Powell followed Hopper and Cassie. "I mean, what's he doing with a shaved head? And stealing food from Benny?"
The four stopped, Hopper facing Callahan. "Okay, well, when we find him," Hopper hit Callahan's chest lightly, "We'll ask him."
"Can't ask a corpse questions," said Powell, making Cassie sigh.
"Don't say that," said Cassie sadly, shaking her head. "We've gotta have a little hope."
The four turned their heads when they heard a whistle being blown.
"You got something?" yelled Hopper as the four jogged toward the noise.
When they arrived, they were met with Mr Clarke, the Hawkins Middle School science teacher. Even though she would never admit it, Mr Clarke had been Cassie's favourite teacher in middle school (and probably the best teacher she had ever had)
"Hey, what do you got?" asked Hopper.
"Not sure," responded Mr Clarke. "Maybe nothing. I found this." He held up a torn piece of fabric that looked like it was from a hospital gown. "In there." He motioned to the small tunnel beside him.
"No way a kid crawls through there," said Powell disbelieving. Cassie shrugged as Hopper shone his light down the tunnel.
"I don't know," said Hopper. "A scared enough one might. His brother said he was good at hiding."
"Will's a small kid," Cassie pitched in. "He can hide almost anywhere."
Cassie followed the three officers as they followed the top of the tunnel. As they got to a clearing, they shone their flashlights on a gate, with the signs reading HAWKINS NATIONAL LABORATORY and RESTRICTED AREA.
A chill went through Cassie. Her gut churned. Wherever Will was, she hoped that it wasn't in that fence.
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"you're the only one who keeps me sane"
*⁎ wondermusings ⁎* SPEAKS!
jonathan and cassie being besties even though they've talked like twice >>>
also slay cassie. that is all.
PUBLISHED: 19/01/2023