chapter fifty-seven
scott street's gilded lily
✧
For the first time, Rue Newby wants to be alone.
The warmth that comes from having someone around and there for you has always been something she craved. It is the child within her that yearns for it, for love and sympathy.
During her time in California, Jonathan was her favourite company; every time he'd pick her up after therapy, even if he was stoned or with Argyle, she'd cherish every minute of it. They used to make mixtapes together, and Jonathan would take Rue out to dinner once a week, just the two of them. Because they had this quiet acknowledgement that even if their lives fell apart, they'd still have each other.
Sure, El and Will had always been the ones Rue gravitated toward in Lenora Hills, but Jonathan was different because he gets it. He understands her and pays attention. He copes and thinks in the same manner that she does. Rue enjoys making fun of the fact that they are the same person, even though Jonathan does not want her to be anything like him.
She stares at her mud-covered shoes before tucking her knees to her chest. Rue hugs her legs, realizing she misses her older brother and the rest of her family. Her eyes barely blink, and they start to burn. Tears sting in them, and she sits still, never moving while her mind can't seem to stop the racing tracks of thoughts.
She wants to go home.
I never even wanted to be here, she thinks, I didn't ask for this. I never asked for any of this. I only wanted to see my friends again. I only wanted to find myself again.
Rue begins to overthink everything, divided between what she should and should not feel. Everyone around her is aware of her secret, and everything has changed. She wants to believe it's not her fault, but the guilt that knots her stomach makes her doubt herself.
Maybe it is my fault. If I had been stronger... If I had said something sooner... maybe then...
Rue then questions whether she is being ignorant by dismissing everyone else's feelings. At the same time, she's sick of imagining herself in everyone else's shoes and wondering how she could help them when no one ever asked. Nobody cares to consider her feelings.
Rue believes she's being selfish for thinking that way. She's sure they care... she likes to assume they care.
She knows she can always tap into their consciousness to check if they care, but Rue doesn't think she can live with herself knowing she's abused her skills in the same way her mother did. And if she discovers they don't care... that will sting much more.
Rue buried her cheek against her knees and stared out the window. Her denim jeans' rough fabric digs at her bandages, causing her to wince and blink away the tears in her eyes.
Hasn't she given enough? Isn't everything she's done for them enough? Everything she's lost?
Is she enough?
Will she ever be enough?
Will she ever be anything other than a liability? A jinx, a liar, a traitor, a monster?
They all suspect her of being untrustworthy, and she doesn't blame them. Rue isn't sure she trusts herself either, yet it still hurts.
Rue sits alone, hoping in the back of her mind that Nancy will approach her and forgive her, and they will hug, and everything will return to normal. Because as much as Rue missed Jonathan, she also missed Nancy, and while the girl wasn't that far away, it felt like they were standing on opposite sides of the world.
But Nancy now only thinks of Rue as the girl who's destined to betray them, who killed all the innocent people in the study of the Creel's house, as the girl who killed Billy and... Sky.
Rue wipes her eyes with the heels of her palms and sucks in a quiet breath, hoping not to catch any unwanted attention to herself. When she thinks of Sky Butcher, she's reminded of all those nights when she never grieved for her friend. And it wasn't as if she ever had time to, anyway, not while she's spent all her time in California trying to numb the pain and forget the life she left behind in Hawkins.
She feels sharp anguish in her chest because everyone has forgotten about Sky. When people think of Starcourt, they think of Billy because of his relationship with Max, but Sky was left to rot alone and forgotten until her name became a ghostly mention and was never mentioned again.
Rue quickly falls into a pit of self-loathing.
Sky was her friend who had been unlucky enough to become entangled in Hawkins' monsters. Her death confirmed to Rue that she was cursed, as she continued to screw everything up and ruin everyone else's lives.
First, it was her mother, Ava, then her father, Sky's, Billy's, Max's, and the list continues, involving people she'd never met before and family members who had awoken one morning to find their child, spouse, or parent had died in an abandoned house deep in the outskirts of Hawkins.
Rue was a fucking jinx.
"Hey," Someone sits before her, their voice familiar. It tears Rue away from the haunting thoughts in her mind, and the voice is calm, cool and collected despite what is occurring.
Rue is immediately reminded of her surroundings. She recalls sitting in the back of a mobile home hijacked by Eddie Munson and Ricky Maguire shortly after the group devised a strategy to overthrow Vecna. They're travelling out of town to a store brimming with military weapons to stock up, where they'll almost certainly pay out using Steve Harrington's debit card.
Rue hasn't said anything since they departed, choosing to remain silent because she doesn't want to be a bother. She doesn't want to jeopardize the group's remaining trust by opening her big mouth and saying the wrong thing. So she sits quietly, doubting Henry's ability to be killed by bullets, but she never says anything out, merely thinking it to herself.
Max is the one who sits in front of Rue, her headphones are sitting on her shoulders, and she has a stupid smile on her face, which makes Rue stare at her in confusion.
"Hi?" She answers, and her voice is raspy.
"Here," Max is strangely giddy, and she's biting her lower lip between her teeth as she hands Rue something wrapped in tin foil. "Ricky sends his regards," She leans closer to her face, whispering in a childish manner. Max is oblivious to how the short space between them makes Rue swallow thickly, and she pokes Rue's side playfully before tilting her head to the side, "Don't let Nancy Drew see."
At the lack of space, Rue can smell the chocolate off Max's breath, the sweet scent laced with something much less pleasant. She grimaces, leaning away from her and glances at Ricky.
The boy sits between Eddie and Lucas, letting the metalhead lean his head on his shoulder as he sleeps and his arm thrown over Lucas's shoulder. Ricky perks up when he catches Rue's gaze, and he smirks, sending a lazy two-finger salute her way and a wink towards Max, aware of the red-haired girl blushing at his action.
Rue rolls her eyes at this, and she starts to unwrap the tin foil. She has a good guess about what she will find, and Rue almost wants to scoff after she finds a half-eaten brownie in her hands.
"I ate some of it," Max admits. "Only a little tiny bit, though. Like this little," She holds up her hand, her thumb and pointer finger showing how little she swears she's eaten, but when Rue looks down at the brownie again, it's clear Max ate more than just a bite.
"Just a little?"
Max sighs, "Like, half an hour ago... before we left. I asked Ricky if he had anything to help me—you... us relax... or whatever, and he pulled this out of Eddie's fridge. Said I should leave some for you, too. I don't feel any different, though. Should I feel something?" She asks, slowly becoming breathless, and when Rue tries to answer, Max cuts her off, reaching for the desert again, "Maybe I should take another bite. I already took a second bite like five minutes ago but..."
"I think you're fine," Rue can't bite back the smile growing on her face as she stares at Max, putting the brownie away from her reach. "You don't need more."
"You know, I'm really glad you're here with me," Max's voice drops. She's looking down at her hands, where her fingers are twirling the wires of her headphones. "And that you're not going to the Upside Down... and I know... it's like super complicated and you wanna feel helpful but... I guess, in a selfish way... I want you with me."
"Max..."
"I know it's like, super fucked up too," she continues, her brows furrowing as she shakes her head, "Like, I just found out you're a henchman for Vecna, who's literally trying to kill me and I still... I still want you by my side."
Rue remains quiet, unable to form words or any coherent thought. Instead, she hopes her eyes speak for her, that the way she reaches to hold Max's hand says more than enough.
Max grasps Rue's hand tightly, and she sucks in a shaky breath before looking at Rue again. "This is gonna sound, like, ridiculously cheesy... but out of everything Nancy said... the thing that scared me the most was the thought of you leaving again."
"That's what you're afraid of?" Rue frowns when Max nods. "You're not scared of the thought that the plan might not work and might die? Because that's what I'm scared of. I mean, I don't even know how to remote-travel, and what if I get there too late? What if you're trapped in this nightmare with Vecna and I can't get in? What if he pushes me out again? What if..."
"Rue, it's okay," Max tells her, but Rue shakes her head and looks away.
"No, it's not."
"I know what I'm up against, and I know what I signed up for." Max's voice is stern, yet her eyes are still clouded. "I know how Vecna does his attacks, all right? He uses my memories against me. Uses my fears to scare me or something. But... only my darkest fears... my darkest memories... It's like he only sees the darkness in us. So... I'll just run in the opposite direction. Run to the light. And maybe he won't be able to find me there."
"How do you plan on doing this?"
"Having you around will help," Max pokes her side again, "But it's my mind, you know? Not his. So I should be able to control where I am, I just need to push him away, find a happy memory and hide there. Hide in the light."
"That's so biblical," Rue mumbles. "And it makes me wonder why your favourite song is the one about wanting to know what it feels like to be a man during sex."
Max stiffens, her cheeks reddening as she's caught off guard. "What? That's not what it's about."
Rue snickers, "Yes, it is. Swap our places, you know, so the girl knows what it's like to have a penis slide in and out-"
"God, Rue, stop it," Max groans, and she lets go of Rue's hand. "That's disgusting."
"But it's a good question," Rue defends herself. "What does it feel like to be aroused as a man? What does a boner feel like? Does it hurt? Is it heavy? Are they as horny as girls are? So many questions that Kate Bush wrote a song about it."
"Stop," Max is covering her hands over her face. "Stop it!"
"I'm sorry," Rue says, but she's not. She doesn't feel an ounce of regret as Max brings her hands down again and has an embarrassed grin on her face. It makes Rue smile, and the hornet family in her stomach dissolves into butterflies, and she feels a lot better than she had minutes before Max approached her.
At that moment, Rue doesn't feel like a jinx or a liability with a high chance of corruption. She feels like she's fourteen again, and it's the early summer, the sun is shining warmly through her window, and she's slowly waking up from a long, blissful dream to find her best friend asleep next to her, dressed in the clothes from her closet.
She wishes that feeling lasted longer, though. Because the next thing she knows, Steve has stopped the vehicle and parks before the armoury store. The unexpected stop causes a number of them in the backseats to jolt awake, grumbling and cursing Steve for stopping so abruptly, and Dustin has even rolled off the seat he shared with Erica.
Rue feels as if frigid water has been sprayed on her skin, a cold, cold, cold, and dreadful wake-up call to reality as the group in the mobile home begins to split off. They conclude that the Hellfire club members should remain in the truck, ignoring the Sinclair siblings' and Ricky's snide remark after they point out Steve's wretched state and the stench that follows him.
"He should stay behind, he looks and smells like he's a part of the Satanist cult more than I do."
"Laugh all you want, you little shits, at least I'm not the one stuck in the van!" Steve shoots back as he stomps out of the vehicle, flipping off Ricky and Lucas as Robin follows close behind him, laughing.
Next, Erica exits the mobile home, followed by Nancy, who then hesitates and turns around. Her gaze shifts to Rue, who sits alone at the back, staring out the window, pretending she can't feel Nancy's gaze burn her skin as Max picks up her backpack and begins to leave.
"You can come if you want, Rue." She says.
Rue pretends she doesn't notice that Nancy didn't call her 'bug.' The sound of her name coming out of her mouth is so strange and Rue doesn't even realize Nancy is talking to her at first.
Rue pretends it doesn't hurt.
And when Nancy turns to leave the van, Rue stuffs the rest of the brownie in her mouth without her knowing, ignoring Ricky and Eddie's snickers as she scrambles to get out.
She has a hard time swallowing the treat as she pushes the doors open to War Zone. While the store is bustling with life, which is ironic since it's a store that sells weapons to end lives, Rue spots Steve's greasy head of hair from far away and finds the rest of the group.
Before she knows it, she's walking through the isles with Max and Erica, wheeling a silver metal barred cart loaded with knives, bullets, and explosives. If you had told Rue a week ago that she was going to do this, she would have thought you were crazy.
"I don't see how any of this is necessary," Erica says as she tosses three boxes of blue bug lights into the cart. "Nancy's being overbearing when it's obvious that the only chance we have of beating Vecna is standing right in front of her. Like, I get the whole traitor thing might have put her off but still."
Rue doesn't say anything, and Max sighs after stuffing three bags of ice salt into the cart.
"It's better this way," Max says, dusting her hands off.
Erica scoffs, not believing her. "Yeah, right. I don't know about you, but I don't think a few bullets can kill Vecna. If we want him six feet under he has to face someone who's like him. I can't believe I'm about to say this but..." she shudders, "Lucas and Dustin are right."
"What about Dustin and Lucas?" There's a new voice that's entered the conversation. It's deep, hoarse, raspy and maybe a little bit insane.
The three girls turn around to see two older boys wearing green, orange, and white varsity jackets with a tiger face on the left shoulder. Their cheeks are hollow, and they have dark bags under their eyes while they stare down at the girls.
Rue has a sense of pity crawling up her throat as she stares them in the eye. One whose face is so awfully familiar that it makes her stomach twist in dread.
"Nothing," Max says quickly. "None of your business."
"You know those two are a part of a cult, right?" The one on the left says. He seems more out of it than the other.
Rue can't help but watch the conversation in silence, she has no idea what's happening, but she knows she probably should keep out of it.
"It's a lame D&D club for nerds," Erica rolls her eyes, "It's not a cult."
"My sister's missing because of them," The one on the left nearly shouts. The rims of his eyes are red, and he shakes his head, "My best friend is dead... and Jason's... he's... he lost the only person he's ever loved and all we want is justice to their names."
Rue has to bite back a whimper that threatens to slip out. She realizes why he looks so familiar—it was his eyes. He was on the brink of tears, and his eyes were so much like the ones his sister had as she had cried and begged for mercy at the end of Rue's wrath.
"I'm so sorry," Rue can't stop herself, and the words are spilling out of her mouth even after Erica kicks her foot as a warning. Rue is overwhelmed with emotion, her own guilt and the one which thrashes off in drowning waves from the boys before her, and she struggles to swim within the ocean. "I'm sorry about your sister. She didn't deserve it. And your friend... I'm so so sorry."
"Rue, stop it."
"I'm sorry," She whispers, turning away from the boys. Rue finds herself pushing the cart away from the isle and into another until she's out of sight and far enough that she can't sink. She wipes her tears from her face, feeling utterly pathetic.
You're a monster.
She can hear her voice echo in her mind, and she's suffocating under the gaze of her ghosts, all of whom stare at her with sad, sad, haunting eyes.
"What the hell was that all about?" Erica and Max turn up around the corner.
Max reaches for Rue, and she winces when Rue flinches at the touch, shakingly stepping away from her.
"I feel terrible," Rue whispers, babbles, barely coherent, pressing her hands to her cheeks. She has no idea what she's saying. Her mind checked out a long while ago, and for a moment, Rue wondered what was in that brownie.
"I'm a monster," she says out of nowhere, out of some madness that took hold of her the minute she faced the grieving boy.
It's all feelings now, just emotions coursing through her—the same ones she's tried to shove back are spilling and spilling as she speaks, and she'll say something stupid, probably something dumb, something... she wants to say something. And all she really wants is someone to stop her, to shut her up.
"I've always felt guilty but—but—but now... I just... I don't know... I felt... I... It's hitting me, what I did. It always felt like a dream, like it wasn't real... like—like—like I didn't actually do it, but now that I feel his grief... it feels real." Her voice drops below a whisper, "She was right I'm—I'm a monster."
She's always known it, deep down. Saying it out loud only confirms that it wasn't just her imagination. Rue wonders why she ever tried to deny it when it was so clear for everyone else to see it.
And it's not a conscious thought. It's not a decision she makes. It's just something that spills from her, something that has been there unnoticed all along, words taking shape on her tongue before she can overthink their meaning, but then they're out, and they drop like an anvil, and it's like a relief, it's like a breath she's been holding for years, it's like a sigh, something inside of her finally unlatching, finally escaping the shackles she put on it herself.
"You're not a monster..." Max starts, her voice soft and comforting.
Rue is humiliated now, and she wishes she could go back in time and prevent herself from getting out of the van in the first place.
She also wishes her Walkman wasn't broken, because ever since she's lost it, Rue's been unable to soothe the ache in her chest.
"Monster or not, you need to get yourself together," Erica says, crossing her arms over her chest, "We need to go before those lunatics find my stupid brother and his stupid friends. Now, quit crying and let's go."
Erica's remarks were sharp and cruel, and they did little to soothe Rue's crushed spirit. But she listens anyway, too insufficient to make a derisive remark about her attitude, so Max does it for her.
While Rue pulls the cart towards Steve at the cash register, who has finally found a shirt and shoes, she hears Max scoff at Erica behind her, followed by rude utterances when Erica tries to defend herself, but Max isn't hearing any of it.
"Would it kill you to try and have a little empathy?"
"Why should I? Rue's got enough of it for all of us."
When they return to the mobile home with their hands full of paper bags and heavy armoury, the tension in the air thickens even more. Steve throws Ricky a camo shirt before he takes the wheel and starts the engine. And Rue and Max are back in the backseats again, where Rue is staring out the window and Max is staring at Ricky and all that Ricky has to show as he takes off the leather jacket Eddie had let him borrow and pulls the green camo shirt over his head.
"You're drooling," Dustin jumps between Rue and Max as Steve begins to drive out of the parking lot, and he offers the two of them a bag of chips. There's a lightness about him as if they're on a family road trip rather than preparing for an inevitable battle.
"I don't drool," Max rolls her eyes, and she grabs a handful of the snack and puts her headphones over her ears, turning away from him.
Dustin snickers and leans closer to Rue, "She definitely drools."
Rue smiles, "Totally."
Dustin shifts in his seat, and he furrows his brows at Rue. She leaned back on the seat, eyes and red cheeks flushed. It doesn't take him long to put the dots together, and he bites back a snicker before he asks, "You're not jealous?"
She shrugs, and it's almost a careless gesture as the muddy white straps of her top slip off her shoulders. "A little bit," she says, "But, Dick's a whore for attention. He's doing it on purpose because he knows she has a crush on him. I don't blame him though, if I was as good looking as him, I'd be a slut, too."
Dustin nods in agreement, and the two of them turn to look at Ricky Maguire, who leans closer to Nancy to whisper something in her ear. She rolls her eyes and smacks his arm with the back of her shotgun before shoving him off the seat entirely. As he falls onto the ground, Eddie and Lucas burst into loud laughter.
"Don't feel too jealous though, she stares at you too. Like, a lot. Honestly, I don't know how you don't feel her eyes burning into your skin with how much she stares at you. It's sickening. When you first got here, she was like a kicked puppy."
"I can fucking hear you, asshole."
The rest of the drive went something like that, with the boys joking around, Dustin and Max arguing like siblings, and Nancy remaining stone-cold serious and silent, her mind racing like Rue's before Ricky handed her the brownie. She's overthinking, on edge, and scared.
Nancy Wheeler was frightened, but she had thick skin, so she didn't show it. She's assembled this idealistic role of the leader who needs to be tough, strong, and means, but in reality, she's barely holding it together, and every time she closes her eyes, she's back in that room with Vecna, watching her family die before her, losing everyone she's ever loved in a sick and twisted loop, over and over.
And Rue watches Nancy sit there in silence, and she finds herself in the older girl, hiding behind the walls she's created and doubting herself every second.
Rue starts to build up the courage to talk to Nancy.
Steve stopped the van at the large hill Dustin dubbed Weathertop, the same one Cerebro used to stand on before upgrading it to his roof. From up there, they could see Nelson's old farm and the vacant lot where Starcourt used to be.
Rue tries to approach Nancy after they go out into the fresh, crisp spring air. She doesn't know what she's going to say or do, or anything of that matter, all she knows is that she wants to talk to Nancy, or maybe even Robin.
But suddenly Rue finds herself lying on her back on the cold grass, far from Nancy and Robin, and isolated from everyone else. The grass is itching against her skin, but she doesn't let that bother her as she stares at the blue sky, and the sun shines down on her face, and she decides she will stay there for the rest of her life.
She'll lie there forever, inviting the grass to grow around her, flowers to bloom on her skin, and soil to soak between her fingers until she's one with the earth.
Rue has already forgotten about wanting to speak to Nancy, and her gaze is drawn to the clouds, which appear softer, closer, and whiter than normal. Eddie and Dustin can be heard pounding nails into rusted old trash can lids in the back of her mind before they become distracted and start goofing around, their laughter echoing in the back of her head.
Rue realizes she's humming a melody; it's familiar, but she can't place it. Her thoughts are hazy, and her breathing is slow. Rue rolls over to lie on her stomach, letting the grass prick at her cheeks and smiles childishly when she notices a brilliant red ladybug that reminds her of one she saw at Max's trailer a few days before.
"Ruby?" A voice calls.
She grunts in response, a lame and low, "Hmm?"
Someone sits next to her, and Rue turns her head to find Ricky smiling at her as he squints at the sun. "What're you doing?"
"Trying to disappear."
"Max handled the brownie better than you did," He tries to joke. His tone is nonchalant, and he even tugs on her hair playfully.
Rue doesn't notice his playful tone, and she feels herself sink deeper into the grass. A part of her wishes the ground would swallow her up and let her sink.
"She's a lot stronger than I am, Dick," She admits weakly, and she hums as Ricky runs his fingers over her head. "Max handles everything better than me, loss, regret, grief... all of it. I envy that about her... about everyone. Because they're all still so put together and I'm such a mess."
Ricky frowns, watching as Rue slowly sits up from the ground. There's mud on her cheek and flowers in her hair, and there's a pout on her lips which makes him sigh. "You're just a kid," He says as if he's reminding himself of that fact. "And you've seen things... been put through unexplainable things... you've been exposed time after time to things that hurt you... I don't blame you for being a mess, Ruby."
Her body feels light, and she holds Ricky's arm as if to ground herself, and she holds on tight, fearful that if she lets go, she'll float away into the clouds and heavens above. Rue presses her face into his shoulder and closes her eyes, and Ricky lets her cling to him.
"Nancy's wrong about you," Rue slurs, and she can hear Lucas and Erica join Eddie and Dustin's games not too far away from them.
Ricky raises his brows, "Oh?"
"Yeah," Rue nods, "she said you're a burn-out who should be in jail by now with all the times Hopper used to bring you in and stuff."
Ricky laughs, much to her surprise. It's warm and heartfelt, and he drapes his arm around her shoulder, drawing her in closer. Rue grimaces as he does so, considering she's now crushed against his chest, and the smell of muck and sweat from his time in the Upside Down has infiltrated her senses.
She groans in disgust, trying to push him away, but he doesn't budge, and now she's convinced he's doing it on purpose once his fist is nudging the top of her head. "God, you're such a dick!" She squeals. "Ew!"
"Yeah, I used to be a fuck up," Ricky hums, finally letting her go, and he chuckles when he sees her hair stick up in every direction. Rue raises her brows at him, obviously not believing him, and Ricky raises his hands in the air in defence. "It's true! After I graduated, I changed, though. I got my act together."
"Why?"
"For Alex," He tells her, "I've never really been around for him growing up, and I wanted to change that after I lost someone who was close to me. I didn't want to take him for granted, you know? Our dad's already absent enough, so..."
Rue didn't know anything about Alex's father. She knows he's mentioned him being hardheaded, but from all his stories, she's mostly heard so much of his mother that Rue assumed Alex didn't have a father at all.
"Oh. I'm sorry about that."
"It's okay," He keeps it lighthearted, brushing it under the bridge. The two stare in the distance, watching Nancy and Max kneel before a small table and Steve and Robin sit by the van. Ricky nudges Rue's side with his elbow before continuing, "I also changed for Dani."
"Dani?"
"My girlfriend." He explains. "I wanted to be better for her. Because she deserves someone who is so much better than who I used to be. I plan on marrying her one day, and it's not really husband material to be partying every night and overdosing in the bathroom. I was so much like my dad and I just... I don't want to be like him. I want to be better. So much better. I don't want her to end up like my mom, and if I ever have kids... I don't want them to be like me."
"You're a great brother, Dick," Rue tries to smile, and it's lopsided and lazy, yet it's still genuine. "Alex loves you, and I'm sure Dani loves you too. I'm happy you're still here."
"Yeah, well, you can't get rid of me that easily," He pats her shoulder before pulling himself to stand. Ricky turns and holds his hand out for Rue to take it, and when she does he tugs her up to her feet.
With her brain functioning much slower than usual, when Rue blinks, she realizes she's not on the ground anymore. Her vision is upside down and she's staring at the ground below her after Ricky tossed her over his shoulder.
She shrieks in surprise, and gasps when he starts to run across the field, letting her dangle over him. "Dick!" Rue cried, and for a moment she was not sure if she was calling his name or insulting him. "Dick!"
"I've caught the stranded loner!" Ricky shouts.
"Here, here!" Eddie chants, holding onto one of the spears Lucas and Erica had made while Dustin giggles at his side. "Place the lady on her throne, shall you, Knight Warrior?"
"My pleasure, Eddie the Banished."
Rue's feet touch something solid once more, and she finds herself standing on a small plastic crate, barely making her taller than Eddie and Ricky as the two of them press their firsts to their hearts and bow at her feet.
There's a tart that's thrown over her shoulders, and it nearly makes her stumble at the sudden weight. Lucas appears at her side, saluting her with two fingers and a smirk as Erica places a flower crown on Rue's head.
"They made me do this," Erica mutters, but there's a ghost of a smile on her lips as she joins Dustin's side again.
"You guys are so weird," Rue says, but she can't bite back the childish giggles that slip past her.
"Thy Celestial, our one and only angel," Dustin puffs out dramatically, "Shall you guide us to our victory or our tragic demise, it has been a great pleasure to have your greatness in our presence."
"Here, here!" Lucas cheers.
"Here, here!" The rest of them join him, stupid grins on their faces.
It was as if they'd forgotten about the evils lurking in Hawkins' shadows, how they were only hours away from encountering the devil himself. But at that moment, they were just a group of friends fooling around, giggling at their own silly thoughts and behaviours. At that moment, they were infinite, and they were free rather than constrained by the constant pressure pushed their way.
It was the closest thing to normal Rue's had all week.
"You guys are a bunch of nerds," Erica scoffs once Rue starts to wave the same way royalty does in the movies. Holding a bouquet of sticks and leaves to her chest as the boys start to dance stupidly around her. "Weirdos."
a/n: i have math homework i didn't do
BUT HER MIXTAPE HIT 1 MILLION
and i'm still broke 😐
guys this is so sad, there are only a few chapters left to go. maybe like 2 more :( maybe even 1 more i don't know yet i have to check to see my plans or something THIS IS SO SAD I JUST GOT RUE BACK
i'm thinking that once i finish this book i'm gonna take a bit of a break to focus on school and work (yas ur girl got a job, guys!! look at me go!!) and it's mostly because my schedule is so booked now and i wanna keep my grades high like last year. i also wanna try getting back into my child acting era, even though i'm not a child anymore skfksj but yeah </3
until then we still have more for rue to go so stay put guys!! you wont be ready for the ending
( word count: 5783 )