CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR
Middle of Nowhere, Nevada
Jonathan took the wheel again, Dylan sat in the passenger seat trying to sleep but failing. It was daylight now, bright and hot. It also didn't help the other guys had woken up and now she had to deal with their nonstop chatter. At least Jonathan looked somewhat rested now, he could probably get them the rest of the way to NINA. And if he couldn't, there was Argyle. Though, he was so high out of his brains all the time it made Dylan nervous to see him behind the wheel.
"You should be sleeping." Jonathan glanced at her through the corner of his eye.
"I have, off and on," she shrugged, she was tired but sleep just wouldn't come. "The sun is blaring. I've given up hope on being anymore well rested than this."
"Then I feel bad, making you drive all night." Said Jonathan. "I got to sleep and you didn't."
"Oh, whatever. You've been driving 90% of this trip." She brushed off his concerns. "Don't go soft on me just because we made out."
Dylan didn't even think that maybe one of the other boys was paying attention to their idle conversation until Mike poked his head into the front seat. "Uh, rewind. Did you say you guys made out?"
"No!" Jonathan said, a little too defensively for Dylan's liking. "It was a simple kiss. Nothing like you're picturing."
"What I'm picturing," said Mike, he was frowning and his eyes had turned to slits as he glanced between the both of them. "Is you cheating on my sister. And, I get it, she's annoying, prissy, stuck-up..."
Dylan waited for Mike to finish, unsure what point he was trying to make. "But she's my sister. That's, like, totally uncool."
Dylan finally looked back at Jonathan, mirroring Mike's frown. "You're with Nancy? When did that happen?"
Jonathan took his right hand off the wheel and placed it on Mike's forehead, shoving him back into the backseat. "It didn't, that's when."
Mike recovered from Jonathan's shove and pushed himself between them again. "Okay, not like it's been only the last... two years of your life?"
He looked back at Will, an incredulous expression on his face. "Will, back me up here?"
There was a long moment before Will spoke. "Dylan," he said quietly. "You said you never dated Steve Harrington?"
She shook her head. "Never."
"And Jonathan," Will continued, "you never dated Nancy Wheeler?"
"Correct."
In the rear view mirror, Dylan watched as Mike and Will exchanged looks.
"Okay, first off, I thought Dylan was just being drama queen because I mean," Mike paused for dramatic effect. "It's Dylan. You know, I thought she was pulling this whole 'I'm gonna pretend Steve and I never dated, he might not be dead but he's dead to me' crap because they broke up—"
"—But," Will cut Mike off with a glare. "If Jonathan, you don't remember dating Nancy, we're really concerned."
"Yeah, 'cause before Nancy, you know everyone thought you were a creepy, loner perv so what reason would you have to pretend—"
Will threw a punch into Mike's gut. Dylan smirked. "To think he was giving me a lecture on how to be nice."
Will pushed Mike back into the back of the van and took his spot. "Don't listen to him. But I'm really worried, guys." Will looked at Dylan first. "What's the last thing you remember about Steve Harrington?"
"That he's a huge douchebag?"
Mike snorted.
"I'm serious."
Dylan thought about it. She even closed her eyes, hoping it would help her think harder. But it was all a little choppy and blurry. Some of it was concrete: she could remember them as kids in elementary, pre-teens, freshman year, sophomore year... then it all started to fall apart. She remembered hating him for awhile. She remembered standing in the crowd at her senior year Snow Ball, under a blinding spotlight, Steve Harrington calling her name then...? Not nothing but nothing substantial. He declared his feelings for her, she gave him a rejection and what followed was an awkward senior year and a few forgettable summer interactions in between evading another monster of another dimension.
"I mean we were friends forever then we fell out," she shrugged. "We had to team up because, you know, the Mind Flayer. He did ask me out which was—"
She felt something she couldn't describe.
"Weird." Dylan finished.
"Yeah, what's weird," said Mike, "is none of that is factual. Jonathan, what about Nancy?"
He took a moment to think, too. "Err, I remember we worked together to find Will and Barb. I mean, I might have had a thing for her but she was with Steve and then we were friends."
Mike shook his head in frustration. "I feel like I'm in another dimension. What is going on?"
Will went quiet then spoke. "Another dimension... Mike, maybe you're onto something. You know, like the spell in D&D."
"A plane shift!" Mike nodded. "It's not the most outrageous thing I've ever heard, anymore."
Will sighed. "I wish Dustin was here. He'd figure this out in a second."
Dylan frowned. "Don't talk about us like we're not here. Especially in your nerd speak, I can't understand you."
Mike waved her off. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out then get back to you, in layman's terms."
Will and Mike continued to discuss. Dylan focussed her attention back on Jonathan, who looked confused. "Do you think maybe they're not crazy?" Jonathan asked. "That's there's a plane of existence where you're with Steve Harrington?"
Dylan scrunched her face. "Uh no, ew."
Jonathan nodded, unconvinced. She wished she could know what he was thinking.
"They're probably just fucking with us." Dylan said, reassuring. "I mean, despite it all they are evil, little brothers and teenage boys. That's like their job."
Jonathan disagreed. "Mike, maybe. Will's not like that."
She shrugged. "You'd be surprised."
"No. I know my brother." Jonathan said firmly. "Either they're actually going crazy or we are. Two options, both terrible."
"Okay." Dylan said, nodding. "I believe you. Will wouldn't do that. But then how do we come to terms with the fact that maybe stuff about ourselves we don't know? That scares me, maybe more than the Mind Flayer."
"It's terrifying." Jonathan reached for her hand once again, giving her the reassurance she needed. "But so has everything else and we've always figured it out."
Dylan was comforted by his words. A little.
Dylan twisted her body to look behind her at the two boys deep in discussion. She could feel the frown forming on her face.
"Okay! Times up, losers." She said to them. "Can you explain to me what the fuck a plane shift is now? And really dumb it down for me."
"Well," Will began to speak quietly. He paused to look at Mike for support, who urged him on with his hands. "We don't know for sure that's what even happened, at all, but it would make sense."
"And why is that?"
"A plane shift is a spell you can cast that has the ability to banish another being to a different plane of existence, a different dimension." Will continued. "In theory... that being should be transported physically to the other plane. But if the spell was blocked in some way, or the caster wasn't powerful enough, it could be messed with... so it could be possible that your physical self is still here with us but your spiritual self is somewhere else. A different reality."
"Are you're saying there's like witches now too?" Said Dylan the same time as Jonathan said "How would we fix this?"
Mike shook his head, frowning. "There's no easy fix. The banished being must find its own path back to its original plane of existence."
"So, are we going to just slide on past my very important question...?"
Mike rolled his eyes. "Maybe, Dylan. Maybe there's witches! Would that surprise you given all the other crap we've dealt with?"
"Jesus, someone's prickly this morning." Dylan turned back in her chair with a pout.
Dylan could feel Jonathan watching her from the corner of his eye. She kept looking straight ahead. Her and Mike always had a sarcastic rapport, she didn't know why she suddenly so sensitive. It was out of character.
She was scared, she admitted to herself. Of how complicated everything just might be.
I'M BACKKKKK. I didn't edit this yet, I just wanted to publish since it had been so long. I've been locked out of my account and regained access this morning!!!! Hope you enjoy