Gemma, My Gem
Chapter 6 - The Spy
Later that night, Rudy's in the bathroom, putting on his night cologne when he hears the phone ring.
He sighs before setting the cologne down and heading out the bathroom.
"Hello?" Rudy answers.
"Rudy, you need to come over to Dustin's now." Steve says.
"Why?" Rudy asks.
"We'll tell you when you get here. Just hurry up." Steve says.
"And bring your bat!" Dustin adds in the background.
"And bring your bat." Steve repeats.
"Yeah, I heard him, Steve." Rudy says, rolling his eyes.
"I didn't know!" Steve says.
"I'm gonna make a stop before I head over there." Rudy says.
"A stop?" Steve asks.
"Yeah." Rudy says before hanging up.
He runs back up the stairs and after he enters his room, he grabs his bat from under his bed.
He sets it down onto his bed before grabbing another leather jacket from his closet and putting it on.
After he slips on his shoes, he grabs his bat and heads out.
****
Rudy reapproaches the Hargrove-Mayfield house and since it's late, he goes around the house to look for Gemma's room instead of going to the front door.
He peeks through a window and sees Gemma cleaning her room.
He smiles as he watches her for a moment before knocking on the window.
Gemma looks over at him and he continues to smile and waves at her.
Gemma furrows her eyebrows in confusion but waves back and goes over to her window.
"Hi." Rudy says when Gemma opened her window.
"Hi? What are you doing here?" Gemma asks, still confused.
"You wanna go to Dustin's with me?" Rudy asks.
"Dustin's? Why?" Gemma asks.
"I honestly don't know why he and Steve want me there but they do and I was wondering if you'd like to come." Rudy says.
"Uh, sur..." Gemma starts to say.
"Night Gemma!" Neil yells outside her room.
"Yeah, yeah, good night, Dad." Gemma says, rolling her eyes.
She sighs, annoyed before turning back to Rudy.
"Sure. I need to take a break from cleaning my room anyways and since I finished my book..." Gemma trails off and shrugs.
"Ok, cool!" Rudy says, smiling.
He sets his bat down before helping Gemma out her window.
He picks up his bat and he and Gemma walk off.
****
When Rudy and Gemma arrive to Dustin's, they see that the front door is halfway open.
They share a confused look before Rudy opens it the rest of the way.
"Dustin? Steve?" Rudy calls out as he and Gemma enter the house.
"Finally!" Dustin says, he and Steve exiting the kitchen.
"It's about time! We need your help to..." Steve trails off when he sees Gemma.
Gemma gives him an awkward wave and Rudy smiles at her before turning back to his brother.
"Rudy, who's this?" Steve asks, still looking at Gemma.
"Gemma." Gemma says.
"What are you doing here, Ge...?" Steve starts to ask.
"I told you I was gonna make a stop first." Rudy interrupts.
"Yeah, but I didn't think that stop would be you bringing a random girl to something dangerous!" Steve says.
"She's not random." Rudy says.
"Rudy has a..." Dustin starts to say.
"Dustin, shut the hell up!" Rudy yells.
"Sorry, sheesh." Dustin says, raising his eyebrows and looking down.
"What's the something dangerous, Steve?" Rudy asks, twirling his bat around.
"I can't tell you in front of..." Steve trails off.
"Gemma." Rudy says.
"Gemma!" Steve practically yells.
"It's ok, you can. Rudy already told me about the Demogargoyle, the Upside Down and El." Gemma says.
"Demogorgon. Wait...Rudy, you told her?!" Dustin asks.
"Yeah." Rudy says.
"Why did you tell her?!" Dustin asks.
"It's time she knew." Rudy says and Dustin sighs and shakes his head.
"I can't believe you told her but at the same time, I kinda can." Dustin says before heading back to the kitchen.
"What's going on, Steve?" Rudy asks.
"You know about Dustin's pet slug, lizard thing?" Steve asks.
"Dart, yeah." Rudy says, nodding.
"Well, Dustin found him and he grew some more and ate Mews." Steve says.
"Dart ate your cat?!" Rudy asks, looking at Dustin who's now back in the kitchen.
"Yeah." Dustin says.
"Is he a Demogorgon?" Rudy asks.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Dustin says.
Rudy widens his eyes and looks at Gemma who's shocked as well.
"And Dustin trapped him in his storm cellar and he grew even more and escaped." Steve continues.
"What the fuck?!" Rudy asks.
"Oh my God." Gemma says.
"Yeah." Steve says, raising his eyebrows.
"It's been a pretty crazy day." Dustin says.
"So, what the hell are we gonna do? How the hell are we gonna find Dart?" Rudy asks.
"Come on." Steve says, walking off.
Rudy and Gemma share a worried look before going after him.
They follow Steve into Dustin's kitchen and see Dustin taking raw meat out of the refrigerator and setting them down on the plates on the table.
"You wanna bait him with that?" Rudy asks, pointing with his bat.
"Yep." Dustin says as Steve grabs three buckets from under the sink and sets them on the table.
"Smart." Gemma says.
For the next several minutes, the quartet cut the meat up into pieces and drop them into the buckets.
Rudy cuts the last strip of meat on his plate and as he drops it the bucket, he looks at Gemma who's dozed off.
"Gem." Rudy says.
"Yes?" Gemma asks, snapping her head up.
"You're tired. You should get some sleep." Rudy says.
"No, no, I'm not tired." Gemma says, wiping the drool off her cheek and going back to cutting the meat.
"You are. This is the fifth time I caught you sleeping." Rudy says, chuckling and Gemma chuckles as well and playfully rolls her eyes.
"Maybe only a little bit." Gemma says, rubbing her eyes and Rudy chuckles again.
"Let me show you where Dustin's room is." Rudy says, getting up.
"Ok." Gemma says, getting up as well.
"My room?" Dustin asks, cutting a slab of meat in half.
"So she can be comfortable." Rudy says in a duh tone and he and Gemma head out the kitchen.
A few moments later, Rudy arrives back to the kitchen and after he sits back down, he looks at Steve and Dustin who are looking at him, knowingly.
"Shut up." Rudy says, reaching over and grabbing a slab of meat from Gemma's plate.
****
The next morning, Dustin, Rudy, and Gemma help Steve take stuff out of the trunk of his car to make room for the buckets of meat and the gasoline cans when Dustin's Supercom goes off.
"Dustin! This is Lucas. Do you copy? Dustin?" Lucas asks.
"Well, well, well, look who it is." Dustin says, turning around from the trio.
"Sorry, man. My stupid sister turned it off." Lucas says.
"Well, when you were having sister problems, Dart grew again, he escaped, and I'm pretty sure he's a baby Demogorgon." Dustin says.
"Wait...what?" Lucas asks.
"I'll explain later. Just meet me, Rudy, Steve, and Gemma at the old junkyard." Dustin says.
"Steve?" Lucas asks.
"And bring your binoculars and wrist rocket."Dustin says.
"Rudy's brother is there?" Lucas asks.
"Yeah, he is." Dustin says.
"And Gemma's there too?" Lucas asks.
"Yeah, Rudy told her everything." Dustin says.
"Alright, let's go." Steve says, slamming the trunk door and Rudy opens the door for Gemma before shutting it and going to the other side.
"Be there, stat. Over and out." Dustin says before going to the passenger side.
****
"Alright, so let me get this straight." Steve says, several minutes later as he drops a piece of meat to the ground.
"You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who...who you just met?" Steve asks.
"Alright, that's grossly oversimplifying things." Dustin says.
"No, it's not." Rudy says and Gemma giggles as she takes a piece of meat from her and Rudy's bucket and drops it to the ground.
"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" Steve asks.
"An interdimensional slug? Because it's awesome. Gemma thought it was." Dustin says.
"That's true." Gemma says, dropping another piece of meat.
"Well, even if this girl thought it was cool like Gemma did, which she didn't, I just...I don't know. I just feel like you're trying way too hard." Steve says.
"Well, not everyone can have perfect hair like you and Rudy, alright?" Dustin asks, bitterly.
"It's not about the hair, man. The key with girls is just...just acting like you don't care." Steve says.
"Even if you do?" Dustin asks.
"Yeah, exactly. It drives them nuts." Steve says.
Gemma furrows her eyebrows and opens her mouth to tell Steve how wrong he is because she knows she wants Rudy to care about her.
But she scoffs quietly, deciding against it and grabs handful of meat.
"Then what?" Dustin asks.
"You just wait until, uh...until you feel it." Steve says.
"Feel what?" Dustin asks.
"It's like before it's gonna storm, you know? You can't see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh...electricity, you know?" Steve asks.
"Oh, you mean like in the electromagnetic field, when the clouds in the atmosphere..." Dustin starts to say.
"No, no, no, no, no. Like a...like a sexual electricity." Steve says.
"Oh." Dustin says, raising his eyebrows.
"You feel that and then you make your move." Steve says.
"So that's when you kiss her?" Dustin asks.
"No, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Romeo." Steve says and Rudy and Gemma laugh.
"Sorry." Dustin says, innocently.
"Sure, ok, some girls, yeah, they want you to be aggressive. You know, strong, hot and heavy, like a...I don't know, like a lion. But others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a...like a ninja." Steve says.
"What type are you, Gemma?" Dustin asks, bluntly, looking back at her.
Rudy widens his eyes and looks at Gemma who's completely red.
"I...I don't know yet." Gemma says, glancing at Rudy before looking down, nervously.
"Hmm. What type is Nancy?" Dustin asks, turning back to Steve.
"Nancy's different. She's different than the other girls." Steve says.
"Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess." Dustin says.
"Yeah. Yeah, she is." Steve says.
"But this girl's special too, you know. It's just like, something about her." Dustin says.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey." Steve says, stopping in his tracks.
"What?" Dustin asks, stopping as well.
"You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?" Steve asks, throwing a piece of meat to the ground.
"No...no." Dustin says, shaking his head.
"Mhm." Rudy says, smirking.
"I could say the same to you!" Dustin snaps.
Rudy stops in his tracks and looks at Gemma who has her jaw dropped before smiling.
He gulps and clears his throat, nervously before looking back at Dustin and glaring at him.
"But I'm not." Dustin says, looking back at Steve.
"Ok, good. Don't." Steve says, walking off.
"I won't." Dustin says.
"She's only gonna break your heart and you're way too young for that shit." Steve says, throwing down another piece of meat.
"And Rudy?" Steve asks, looking over his shoulder at him.
"What?" Rudy asks, dropping a piece of meat.
"That applies to you too." Steve mouths to him before glancing at Gemma.
"Not every girl is like Nancy, Steve. They're all different." Rudy says.
"Yeah. Yeah, I know that, but..." Steve starts to say.
"But nothing. I'm not taking your advice. I'm gonna do my own thing." Rudy says, glancing at Gemma before grabbing a piece of meat and dropping it.
Steve looks at Gemma who's looking down at the ground, smiling from ear to ear.
He sighs as he watches her and Rudy share awkward, nervous looks.
Even though he's only known Gemma for a few hours, it's obvious to him that she likes Rudy back...and a lot too.
Maybe she won't break his heart when they get together.
Maybe they'll work out.
Steve sighs again and nods before turning back around.
"Fabergé." Steve says after a moment of awkward silence.
"What?" Dustin asks.
"It's Fabergé Organics. Use the shampoo and the conditioner, and when your hair's damp...it's not wet, ok? When it's damp..." Steve instructs.
"Damp." Dustin repeats.
"You do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray." Steve says.
"Farrah Fawcett spray?" Dustin asks, amused.
"Yeah, Farrah Fawcett. You tell anyone I just told you that and your ass is grass. You're dead, Henderson. Do you understand?" Steve asks.
"Yup." Dustin says, nodding.
Steve looks back at Gemma and raises an eyebrow, making her furrow hers.
"I'm not gonna tell anyone because I don't care." Gemma says and Rudy laughs.
"Ok." Steve says, smirking amused before turning around.
Gemma smirks as well before looking at Rudy and playfully bumping into his shoulder, making him look at her.
"Do you use Farrah Fawcett spray?" Gemma asks.
"Of course not. I use Aqua Net." Rudy says, chuckling and Gemma chuckles with him.
****
The quartet finally arrives to the junkyard and Steve looks around.
"Oh yeah. Yeah, this will do. This will do just fine. Good call, dudes." Steve says, glancing at Dustin and Rudy and walking off.
"This is kinda nice." Gemma says as she, Rudy, and Dustin go after Steve.
As Steve, Dustin, and Rudy dump the rest of the meat out the buckets, Gemma scrunches her face up, disgusted.
"That smells worse than my brother's cigarettes." Gemma says, covering up her nose with her hand and Rudy chuckles.
"I said medium well!" Lucas calls out and the quartet looks up at him.
Lucas waves and he and Max walk towards them.
"Who's that?" Steve asks, looking at Max.
"Max, my stepsister. Also known as the girl, Dustin likes." Gemma says.
Steve raises an eyebrow and looks at Dustin who's staring at Max, longingly.
As Max and Gemma help Steve move stuff out the way, Lucas, Dustin, and Rudy chat behind one of the junk cars.
"You told her?" Dustin asks.
"So what?" Lucas asks.
"'So what?'" Dustin asks.
"You wanted to tell her too." Lucas points out.
"Yeah, but I didn't, alright?" Dustin asks, annoyed.
"Why are you annoyed with me? I don't see you scolding Rudy for telling Gemma." Lucas says.
"Because he knows better." Rudy says, making Lucas nod, knowingly and Dustin roll his eyes.
"Look, all of us agreed not to tell them and to look for Dart." Dustin says, glancing back and forth between his friends.
"Who you conveniently found." Lucas says.
"Are you suggesting that I'm lying?" Dustin asks.
"I'm saying that you have a creepy little bond with him." Lucas says.
"That's true. I didn't even think about the possibility of you keeping him. Did you?" Rudy asks, raising an eyebrow.
"That was before he turned into a Demogorgon and no, I didn't keep him." Dustin says.
"And you only got ahold of Rudy?" Lucas asks.
"Yes." Dustin says.
"No Mike?" Lucas asks.
"No." Dustin says.
"Will?" Lucas asks.
"No." Dustin says.
"Hopper?" Lucas asks.
"No! Nobody but Rudy is around. Why do you think I brought his brother into this? Something's..." Dustin starts to say.
"...wrong. I agree." Lucas says.
"Yeah." Rudy says, sighing.
"Which is why we need as much help as we can get." Lucas says and Rudy nods in agreement.
The trio stands up and watch Max and Gemma set the metal boards to the side.
"She didn't believe me anyway." Lucas says.
"You probably didn't tell it right." Dustin jokes.
"That must be it. What about you, Rudy? Did Gemma believe you?" Lucas asks.
"Yeah, she did." Rudy says.
"She did?" Dustin asks.
"Really?" Lucas asks.
"Yeah." Rudy says.
"Rudy!" Steve says, walking up to the trio.
"What?" Rudy asks, he, Lucas, and Dustin turning to him.
"You know me and the girls are doing all the work? You and your friends can help, you know." Steve says.
"We're coming." Rudy says as he, Lucas, and Dustin get up.
"We lose light in forty minutes. Let's go. Let's go, I said!" Steve says.
"Alright, asshole! God!" Dustin says.
"Ok! Stupid." Lucas says.
"We heard you the first time." Rudy says.
Within the next forty minutes, the group finish moving stuff out the way and setting things and they all head inside the bus.
Lucas heads up to the roof to keep lookout and everyone else stays inside.
Rudy paces back and forth, repracticing his swing, Dustin's pacing as well, Steve tosses and catches his lighter, and Max and Gemma sit next to each other, bored.
"So, you two really fought of these things before?" Max asks, glancing back and forth between the Harrington brothers.
Steve and Rudy nod at her before going back to what they were doing.
"And you guys are like, totally, one hundred percent sure it wasn't a bear?" Max asks.
"Max, stop asking stupid questions." Gemma says, slightly annoyed.
"They're not stupid. Unlike you, I'm not naive and gullible, so..." Max starts to say.
"I'm not naive and gullible! I'm open minded! Which is something you should be!" Gemma yells.
Max looks at her, taken aback because she has never yelled at her before.
She doesn't yell at anyone.
The only person she yells at is Neil.
"Whatever." Max mutters, getting up and climbing to the roof.
Gemma rolls her eyes and shakes her head as she crosses her arms and leans against the wall.
Steve looks at Rudy who's smirking at Gemma before going back to his swinging.
After awhile he goes over to Gemma who smiles at him as he sits next to her.
"Hi there." Gemma says.
"Hey." Rudy says, smiling at her.
Gemma continues to smile at him for a moment before biting the inside of her lip, nervously and looking away.
She goes into deep thought and Rudy continues to look at her with a small smile on his face.
"Rudy?" Gemma asks after awhile, turning to him.
"Yeah?" Rudy asks, turning to her.
"I have a question." Gemma says.
"What's up?" Rudy asks.
"All night, last night, I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about what Dustin almost said and all day, I thought about what he did say, along with Steve and...do you like me?" Gemma asks.
"Yes." Rudy says, without hesitation and Gemma smiles.
"Cool...great! Because I...I like you too." Gemma says, shyly and Rudy smiles.
"Well, of course you do. I have the Harrington charm." Rudy jokes and Gemma scoffs, quietly.
"Rudy!" Gemma says, smacking his arm, lightly, making him chuckle.
"I'm kidding!" Rudy says, still chuckling and Gemma chuckles as well.
"I know." Gemma says, smiling at him and he smiles back.
"You do like me back?" Rudy asks and Gemma continues to smile and nods.
"Yes." Gemma says and Rudy's smile slowly grows.
"Hey, uh, I have a question for you too." Rudy says, scooting closer to her.
"Yes?" Gemma asks, raising an eyebrow, still smiling.
"If we survive this, and I know we will...would you like to go to the Snowball with me?" Rudy asks.
"Yes." Gemma says, nodding and Rudy smiles again.
"Great. You just gave me the best birthday present ever." Rudy says.
"The Snowball's on your birthday?" Gemma asks.
"Yeah." Rudy says, nodding.
The two fall silent and after awhile, Rudy slowly reaches his hand out towards Gemma's.
Gemma looks at it and smiles at him before taking it.
After they interlace their fingers, they smile at each other when a growling noise grabs their attention.
They get up, still holding hands, and join Steve and Dustin by the window.
"You guys see him?" Dustin asks.
"No." Steve, Rudy, and Gemma simultaneously says.
"Lucas, what's going on?" Dustin calls out to him.
"Hold on! I've got eyes! Ten o'clock! Ten o'clock!" Lucas yells.
"There." Steve says, pointing.
Gemma gasps, quietly as she death grips Rudy's hand and uses her other hand to grip his arm.
"What's he doing?" Dustin asks.
"I don't know. He's not taking the bait. Why is he not taking the bait?" Steve asks.
"Maybe he's not hungry." Dustin suggests.
"Maybe he's sick of cow." Steve says.
"He wants something more filling...a human. Gemma, can you hand me my bat?" Rudy asks, looking at her.
Gemma nods before going over to it and picking it up.
"You're gonna fight it?" Gemma asks, handing it to him.
"Wouldn't be the first time." Rudy says, smirking and Gemma audibly snorts and playfully rolls her eyes.
"Get ready." Steve says, tossing Dustin his lighter and grabbing his bat as well.
"Come on." Rudy says, smacking his arm and the two head out the bus.
The Harrington brothers stand back to back in the middle of the junkyard, swinging their bats around and whistling to get Dart's attention.
"What are they doing?" Max asks, climbing down the ladder and going over to Dustin and Gemma.
"Expanding the menu." Dustin says.
"Come on, buddy. Come on, dinnertime. Human tastes better than cat, I promise." Steve says.
"Especially Steve." Rudy jokes and Steve elbows him.
"They're insane." Max says.
"They're awesome." Dustin says, smiling.
"Yeah, they are awesome." Gemma says, nodding in agreement.
Dart emerges from the fog and growls and Rudy looks over his shoulder before moving beside Steve.
"Rudy! Steve! Watch out!" Lucas yells, still on the roof of the bus.
"Not now, Lucas!" Rudy yells back.
"We're a little busy here!" Steve yells.
"Three o'clock! Three o'clock!" Lucas yells.
The Harrington brothers look to the side and see a few more Demodogs approaching them.
Dustin quickly runs to the bus door and opens it.
"Rudy! Steve! Abort! Abort!" Dustin yells.
"No!" Rudy yells, twirling his bat.
Gemma lets out a nervous breath before running over to Dustin.
"Rudy! Get your butt back in this bus!" Gemma yells.
"Not yet, Gem!" Rudy yells.
The Demodogs charge toward the Harrington brothers and as Steve runs off to the side, rolls off a junk car and swings his bat at a Demodog, Rudy runs towards Dart and swings his bat at him.
Dart screeches as he flies back and Rudy hits him a few times.
"Rudy!" Steve yells over his shoulder as he runs towards the bus.
Rudy turns around and swings his bat at the Demodog that was lunging towards him.
He runs towards the other Demodogs and swings his bat at them, one by one.
"Rudy!" Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Max simultaneously yell.
"You're not a superhero, Rudy! Get back in the bus!" Gemma yells.
Rudy jumps back, dodging a flying Demodog before twirling his bat and swinging it at another one.
After that, he runs towards the bus.
Gemma grabs a panting Rudy's hand and pulls him into the bus, aggressively and Dustin shuts the door.
"Rudy Harrington, you idiot." Steve says, smacking his arm.
"I just didn't want them to get to you guys." Rudy says, setting his bat down and Steve chuckles and pats his shoulder.
Just then, a Demodog runs into the door and Rudy drops Gemma's hand and protectively gets in front of her.
"Back up against the window." Rudy says, over his shoulder to her.
Gemma does what she's told and Rudy takes a few steps back, still shielding her.
"Are they rabid or something?!" Max asks, terrified as Steve quickly barricades the door with more metal boards.
"I highly doubt something interdimensional can get rabies." Rudy says.
"They can't get in! They can't!" Lucas yells.
Right after he said that, a Demodog's arm swings through the door.
Dustin, Lucas, and Max scream as they take cover behind the seats and Rudy reaches behind him and wraps his arms around Gemma.
As Dustin yells into his Supercom for help and Steve tries to fight off the Demodog, footsteps thud against the roof, making Max look up.
One of the Demodogs pokes its head through the hole of the ceiling and Max screams, loudly.
Steve pulls her back and gets in front of her and the others, protectively.
"You want some?! Come get this!" Steve yells, holding his bat up.
The Demodog opens his flowery mouth, growling at him when something catches its attention and it leaps off the bus.
Everyone looks out the window and sees the group of Demodogs running off into the night.
Rudy sighs a breath of before letting go of Gemma.
When he turns to face her, she runs her fingers through her hair and tries to catch her breath.
Rudy pulls her into a hug and Gemma lets out another breath before hugging him back.
After they pull apart, they, along with the rest of the preteens, follow Steve out the bus.
"What happened?" Lucas asks.
"I don't know." Max says.
"Maybe Rudy and Steve scared them off?" Dustin suggests.
"No, no way." Steve says, shaking his head.
"You don't think we did?" Rudy asks, furrowing his eyebrows.
"No. They're going somewhere." Steve says, turning to face him and the others.