"i won't share you with another boy..."
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
COLBY DIDN'T WANT to go to Steve's. He could blame it on the fact that he was comfortable in his bed, listening to the faint sound of the Police playing from Jayson's room.
He gazed longingly at the clock. 7:05. He had just finished all of his homework for the night on the off chance he really did want to go over to Steve's. Yet, dread filled him nonetheless. The idea of Tommy and Carol being there could suffocate him to death.
Cassie knocked on his bedroom door. "Hey. Are you still going over to... Steve's house?"
Cassie said Steve's name like the thought made her sick. She shook her head— she knew Steve more than Colby ever had. They'd always been in school together, however they hadn't talked since middle school.
"Yeah." Colby replied under his breath. "Uh, I was just about to leave right now."
Cassie raised a brow curiously, but she left his room wordlessly nonetheless. Groaning to himself, Colby got to his feet, grabbing a sweatshirt out of his drawer and pulling it over his head. He could already imagine the night ahead of him— listening to sex. It made him sick to his stomach.
"Hey, Cass." Colby entered the kitchen, where she was eating some mac and cheese. "I need to borrow your car."
"Use my dad's." said Cassie, nodding her head towards the old garage that Colby had never once gone into. He wondered if any of his dad's stuff was in there. "It's just been sitting in there, you know? I couldn't bring myself to use it because he's just... well, screw him."
"Yeah." agreed Colby, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I'll, uh... see you."
"Have fun. Be safe."
"Yes, Sergeant!" he saluted her jokingly before awkwardly lowering his arm and stumbling out towards the garage.
He flicked a light on, coughing when the dust settled into his lungs. He squinted through the old garage, his eyes immediately landing on the blue car sitting in the center of it. It hadn't been used in years, clearly, but it still seemed to be operational. When Colby peered into the window, he saw that the keys were laying neatly on the driver's seat, as if waiting for him to use them again.
He opened the door, grabbing the keys and sitting in the seat. He sighed, backing out of the driveway and onto the darkened street. He noticed one thing in his time in the garage— there was nothing belonging to his dad. Not one single thing.
˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗
"Colby!" exclaimed Steve, grabbing the boy by the hood and dragging him into his large house. His parents were rich. It was crazy how lucky Steve was. Colby had always envied him.
"Hi, Steve." mumbled Colby, his narrowed eyes landing on Tommy, who was leaned up against the wall with a beer clutched in his hand. "Is Nancy here yet?"
"Nah, she's running late." shrugged Steve, glancing at his watch. It looked like he was trying to be inconspicuous, but Colby caught him anyways.
"I really hope she doesn't bring that freak, Blair." scoffed Tommy, grinning knowingly at Carol, who snickered under her breath as she leaned into him.
"It's Barb." corrected Colby, his tone turning cold. "Jerk," he added under his breath.
"Whatever the hell her name is." Tommy dismissed Colby's words carelessly. "She's not one of us, Steve. If she shows up, can't we just turn her away?"
"If she makes Nancy comfortable, no." sneered Steve, glaring at Tommy, who immediately shrank back. "They're best friends."
"Then maybe it's not a good idea to have Nancy around, either." Carol raised her brows suggestively at her boyfriend, who grinned at her.
Steve ignored them, walking into his kitchen to get more beer. That meant that Colby was left alone with the two people he hated most in the world.
"Hey, Martin." teased Tommy, approaching the boy slowly. His words were already beginning to slur together— he was drunk. "How are you?"
"Was a lot better before I ran into you." sneered Colby, crossing his arms protectively over his chest. Tommy took another step forward, but before he could say anything else, the doorbell rang. Steve raced out of the kitchen, smoothing his hair out before opening the door. On the other side were Nancy and Barb, Barb looking especially nervous.
"Hello there, ladies." Steve grinned leaning into the doorframe. "Uh, why don't you come on in? We're gonna be hanging out back."
"Hi, Nancy." said Carol mockingly, curling her hair around her finger.
"Hi." greeted Nancy, trying to ignore the tone of Carol's voice. Colby backed up against the wall, hoping Nancy would just forget about his existence. Yet, her eyes found him. "Hey, Colby!"
He looked up from the wood floors, making eye contact with her. A weak smile crossed his face. "Hi, Nancy."
Steve looked between them, shrugging. He motioned for everyone to follow him out to his backyard, where music was blasting loudly. He already had a few beers set up on the tables. Steam was erupting from his pool, indicating that it was warm, in direct contrast to the freezing cold air around Colby. It was so cold that he could see his breath in front of his face.
Steve groaned as he sat down in the pool chair, pulling a cigarette out from behind his ear. He hummed to himself as he lit it, his eyes occasionally making their way over to Nancy to see if he'd caught her attention.
Tommy put a cigarette in between his lips before he sprinted over to Carol, picking her up in his arms and nearing the edge of the pool. She shrieked, terrified of the idea that he'd throw her in.
"One!" he yelled. "Two! Three!"
However, he never threw her. Instead, he placed her down on the ground, making her slap his arm bitterly.
"You're such a dick, Tommy!" she scolded angrily, narrowing her eyes at him. He just laughed in response, lazily throwing an arm over her shoulder as he blew a cloud of smoke into the air.
Steve stood up, cutting into his beer and chugging it. Nancy turned towards him, raising her brows and rolling her eyes. When Steve set the beer down, she stared at him expectantly.
"Was that supposed to impress me?" she teased, crossing her arms.
"Are you not?" replied Steve, tilting his head to the side as he lit his cigarette.
"You are a cliché, you do realize that?"
Colby could throw up from all of their flirting. He tensed, turning away. He wanted nothing more than to just go home at that moment in time.
"You are a cliché!" returned Steve, shaking his head. "What with your... your grades, and your band practice-"
"I'm so not in band!" laughed Nancy, tilting her head back as she did so. Colby really liked her smile. He shook his head.
"Okay then, party girl." Steve reached for his pocketknife and then the beer can, passing them both over to Nancy. "Why don't you just, uh, show us how it's done, then?"
"Okay." grinned Nancy, taking both and standing up. Steve straightened up.
"You've gotta make a little hole right at the bottom-"
"I got it." she interjected, smiling teasingly.
"Yeah, she's smart, you douche." snickered Tommy, taking another drink from his beer.
Nancy sliced the can open slowly, raising it up to her lips and drinking from it. The rest of the group began yelling, "Chug!" with the exception of Colby and Barb, who watched, bemused. When Nancy finished, Tommy howled excitedly.
Nancy noticed Barb's dejected look, and smiling comfortingly. "Barb, you wanna try?"
"What?" Barb raised her brows. "No."
"Come on!" cheered Steve excitedly from his chair. "Yeah!"
"Nance, I don't want to." Barb said through gritted teeth.
"It's fun, just-"
"Nance!"
"Just give it a shot," whispered Nancy consolingly, handing her the knife and can. Sighing, Barb took it. She stood up, trying to adjust the knife. When she sliced through the can, she accidentally cut herself instead.
Tommy laughed. "Gnarly."
"Oh, shit." murmured Colby, putting a hand over his mouth as soon as he said it.
"Are you okay?" questioned Nancy worriedly.
"Yeah." stammered out Barb nervously.
"You're bleeding!" Nancy whispered to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I'm okay. Uh, where's your bathroom?" she looked to Steve, who immediately stood up to give her directions. Colby, on the other hand, put his hands into his pockets, wincing.
"Hey, Martin." grinned Tommy, holding out a can. "Want a drink?"
"No, thanks." Colby returned with a grimace, missing the gaze that Nancy held on him, "I don't drink."
"You're such a little bitch." mumbled Tommy, laughing to no one but himself. He saw Carol standing by the edge of the pool, and he quickly shoved her in, making her scream loudly. He jumped in after her, tackling her deeper into the water as she continued to shriek.
Then, Steve raced forward, pushing Nancy into the water. She also screamed while she fell in, erupting from the water a few seconds later. Steve grinned to Colby, leaping into the water alongside her. When he broke the surface, his eyes immediately found Colby.
"Come on, jump in!" he yelled to him. Colby grinned to himself before taking a running jump and diving into the warm water. He heard Tommy and Steve cheering, and for one blissful moment, he felt like he was a true part of their group. As he and Tommy splashed one another carelessly, he hated no one.
They didn't spend too much time in the water, but as soon as they got out, Colby could feel the bitter air chill his exposed skin. His shirt was stuck to his skin, and he aimlessly tried to peel it away. He didn't know what time it was, but he was starting to enjoy himself.
Steve handed him and everyone else a towel, which they wrapped around their bodies to protect them from the cold. Barb hadn't emerged from the house since she'd gone into the bathroom. Colby wondered if she'd left.
"I'm freezing." shivered Carol when they got inside. Colby used his towel to dry his hair off.
Tommy hummed to her, grinning suggestively. "Well, I hear his mom's room has a fireplace."
Carol giggled as she followed aimlessly after him. Steve, on the other hand, looked beyond disturbed by what they were suggesting.
"Are you kidding?" shouted Steve after them, but they ignored him. "Okay, well, you know, you are cleaning the sheets..."
"Hey, Steve." Colby's voice made Steve turn towards him. "I think I'm just gonna head home. I've got, uh, homework, you know?"
"Wait, really?" Steve looked somewhat disappointed. "Y...You don't have to."
"Yeah, why don't you stay?" asked Nancy, putting a hand on his wet shoulder. "We can, like, watch a movie or something?"
"No, it's okay." Colby could feel his eyes getting heavier. He was never the type to stay up late. He was a morning person, not a night person. "I...I'm no night owl, I promise you that."
"Okay, we'll... we'll see you tomorrow." Nancy looked to Steve for confirmation. "Right?"
"Right." nodded Steve enthusiastically. "Right. See you tomorrow, Bee."
"Bye." he waved stupidly, heading out the door and back to Cassie's dad's car. Maybe he could just call it his car. Not like her dad was around to dispute the idea.
˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗
The next day at school, Colby felt like there was a weight on the top of his head. He was exhausted. It was not like Colby to stay up late, and he knew he'd eventually regret it.
"Good morning, Martin!" cheered Steve, shaking Steve's shoulders. "Nancy here yet?"
"No, not yet." Colby told him, shrugging. "Sorry. Maybe she's tired."
Steve smirked knowingly to himself, before erasing the expression completely. He nodded, as if he understood, but he said nothing else. Instead, he paced away, most likely to the entrance that Nancy often entered through.
That day at lunch, Colby decided he wasn't going to eat. Instead, he went searching for Jonathan Byers. He wanted to offer his condolences— he couldn't imagine how hard it was to have lost a brother.
He paced past the lunch room, although as he did, he paused. He tried to find Jaden and Reese, to possibly assure them that he was hiding from them. Instead, he found Nancy, who was leaning back in her seat to watch him from afar. He kept his eyes on her for a moment until he saw a flash of grey in front of him— Jonathan.
"Hey, uh, Jonathan!" called out Colby, making the boy with the long hair turn towards him. He tilted his head; why was Colby talking to him?
"Hi." said Jonathan nervously, playing with the camera slung over his shoulder. He put a firm hand around it, pushing it behind his back so Colby couldn't see it. Colby frowned questioningly, but ignored it.
"I just... I wanted to say I'm sorry about Will." Colby said bracingly, afraid he'd hurt Jonathan's feelings in some way. He could tell how tender Jonathan was, from the way he cowered away from every conversation. "I can't imagine how hard it is. Uh... if you ever want any help... you know, like, looking for him, just give me a call."
"Oh," Jonathan looked over Colby's shoulder suspiciously, "are you pranking me?"
Colby's face dropped. "W-What?"
Jonathan brushed a strand of his light brown hair out of his face, his fingers twitching nervously. Colby had always noticed just how nervous of person Jonathan was. Maybe it was his social anxiety, or maybe it had to do with something else. Cause unknown to Colby.
"Like, is that jerk Steve standing around the corner or something? Listen, I get it. You think my brother is gay, and now you want to make fun of me for it."
"No, no." Colby rushed to deny the claims made against him. "I-It's not like that at all, I promise. Listen, Steve isn't around the corner and I'm not making fun of you. I just... I'm serious."
Jonathan face relaxed and his shoulder slumped. He seemed to relent against Colby's sincere tone of voice. Nonetheless, he still looked defensive, as if protecting his own heart. Colby couldn't necessarily blame him.
"Okay." Jonathan finally gave up being overly protective of himself. "T-Thanks, I guess."
"Yeah," nodded Colby weakly, although his words were drowned out by the noise of Jonathan's rapid footsteps storming down the hall. "You're welcome."
˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗
Colby hated Wednesdays— they were days in the middle of the week that were put there, at least in the opinions of the teachers at Hawkins High, to give tests. Colby'd had four that day out of the eight periods he had to endure. 50% of his day was spent answering brain-splitting questions that he wouldn't ever care about again.
He played with the collar of his baby blue sweater, stretching it away from his neck. He coughed into his sleeve— he could feel an autumn cold coming over him. He would drink an extra amount of water that night.
As he bounced up the hill towards Cassie's awaiting car, he heard the voices of multiple people shouting bitterly at one another. Colby frowned, straining his ears towards the noise. Indeed, he saw Steve, Tommy, Carol, a girl Colby knew from his third person English class, and Jonathan. The fourth member he did not expect to see.
Jonathan was attempting to brush past Steve, but Tommy grabbed his bag at the last second, making the slightly taller boy's eyes widen in horror.
"What's... going on?" Colby questioned as he approached the group, furrowing his brows together. Jonathan's panicked eyes reached Colby.
"Please, give me my bag." Jonathan begged, leaping forward to try and rip it out of Tommy's hands, yet Tommy tossed it to Steve right before he could grab it.
"Man, he is totally trembling." Steve clicked his tongue. "He must really have something to hide."
"Again, what the hell is going on?" demanded Colby, a little angrier.
"That's what we're trying to figure out." replied Steve, looking up momentarily from the bag he was opening. "Ah. Here we go." he pulled out a few pages of pictures. Colby approached him, looking over his shoulder.
The pictures were all of the group of teens that had been at Steve's the night before. There was a large selection of pictures of them swimming around (missing Barb, of course). Jonathan stared at them worriedly, clenching his jaw.
"Yeah, this isn't creepy at all." scoffed Carol, who stole a few away from Tommy. Colby, on the other hand, said nothing. Why was Jonathan stalking them when he should've been looking for Will? What was the point?
"I was looking for my brother." explained Jonathan, his hands shaking in his pockets.
"No." disputed Steve, pointing down at the pictures. Carol had them all in her hands. "No, this is called stalking."
All of a sudden, Nancy approached the ground, a worried grin crossing her face. "W-What's going on?"
"Here's the starting lady." Tommy motioned to Nancy.
Nancy frowned, confused. She looked to Colby for help, but he glanced away nervously. "What?"
"This creep," snarled Carol in disgust, "was spying on us last night." she sifted through the pile of photos, her eyes widening as she landed on the last one. Colby craned his neck to see, yet he couldn't get a good look at it. "He was probably going to save this one for later."
They handed the photo over to Nancy, whose eyes widened before narrowing down at the picture. Colby shuffled over to her stupidly, looking at the photo. Once he saw what it was, he immediately looked away, guilt consuming him. He shouldn't have looked at it. It was a picture of Nancy, shirtless, getting ready to indulge in sex with Steve. Yet, anger filled Colby nonetheless.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Colby snapped, his formerly pitiful eyes turning to disgust. Steve and Tommy looked at one another, their expressions brightening. Steve began ripping the pictures up. "You can't... do that, Jonathan."
"Wait-"
"It's messed up, that's what it is." Colby pointed down rapidly to the picture, keeping his eyes away from it. "That's perverted. Give me the camera, Steve."
Jonathan's face dropped in horror. Nancy stayed silent, although she looked pleadingly at Colby, as if begging him not to do it. Steve passed Colby the camera, allowing the sweater-wearing boy to examine it closely. He pressed on the SD card, pulling it out and hiding it in his pocket.
"Not the camera, please. Please not the camera." pleaded Jonathan, his face paling.
"...You need to learn a lesson." Colby snapped hesitantly, clenching his jaw. His heart was beating so fast he felt like it would explode. Steve put a hand on his shoulder, feeling his nervousness.
"Take away his toy, Colby." said Steve quietly in his ear.
Colby shut his eyes and dropped the camera.
jack
yes i'm back i'm back i apologize for the late post😄happy belated thanksgiving to everyone that celebrates‼️