__________
-UNKEPT-
PROMISES
It's now the next morning and Valentina was sitting next to Max as she was writing letters. Although it was hard considering the other three, Lucas, Dustin, and Steve kept blabbing about trying to understand the newspaper Nancy and Robin came across at the library.
"Okay, be honest. Do any of you understand this?"
"No."
"It's pretty straightforward," Dustin exclaimed in a slight attitude.
"Straightforward, really?" Steve questioned.
"What's confusing to you? So far, everyone Vecna had cursed, has died, except for this really old Victor Creel dude, Nancy found. He's the only known survivor. If anyone knows how to beat this curse, it's him," Dustin explained, going into detail.
"That's assuming he was cursed, which we don't even know. How can Vecna have existed in the 50's? It doesn't make sense."
The question was overheard by Valentina, which got her intrigued herself, starting to wonder the same thing. Always have been one to explore and investigate a mystery even though they sometimes scared her.
Her attention was then caught by Max's, every now and then asking Valentina if the letters that were being written, seemed passable if something were to actually happen. "Do you think this is okay?" Then pointing to a sentence of a letter.
I don't think he could stand being here without you.
So he left.
Billy. She was writing to her late step-brother, Billy Hargrove. Him dying in the mall fire last summer, at least that's what everyone was told, including his father, Neil.
With a ghost of a frown on her face, Valentina nodded, and Max then went on to finish that letter.
She remembered who Billy was. He and Max moved to Hawkins in 1984, practically in the middle of the school year.
Billy was in Valentina's Physical Education class, she'd always sat on the bleachers, following the rest of the girls in her class, meanwhile the boys played basketball. One particular day she'll always remember is when Nancy called for Steve where they went to go talk out around the back.
Valentina watched from the sidelines, thinking of the times Nancy had snuck out of class to watch Steve play. What she didn't know was that Billy was an admirer, but in no romantic way, more of a protective way.
Yet one day, she saw a side of him that scared the shit out of her. Walking to her mom's car after school one day, she happened to see Billy's Camaro, yelling at his sister, or step-sister.
She by no means was the type of person to speak up for herself, but for her to stand up for someone else was surprising itself. Walking up to Billy, slow steps in hesitation, then backing down, before thinking of an idea.
Turning around to a group of girls that were gossiping. Valentina taps one of them, Kimmy, on the shoulder.
"Yes?"
"Hey Kimmy! You see that guy over there with the mullet?" Steering her vision to Billy.
"Yeah, you mean the hot guy with quality music taste?"
Raising her eyebrows, Valentina shook her head, "Uh sure? But I heard that he wants to go out with you. Maybe you should, you know? Before Carol does anything."
"No need to tell me anymore. I need to take my revenge on Carol for stealing the other hot guy."
Under her breath, Valentina said, "Bitchin." As she walked pass by Max, Billy, and now Kimmy, she was given a small smile and a mouthed 'thank you,' from the redhead.
"Hey, you still there?" A voice makes her snap out of the memory.
She was met with a pair of blues eyes, looking at her in hidden worry. "Yeah, I was just thinking."
Max shook her head. "Okay, well can you go with your airhead of a boyfriend and your children? I want to write your letter and can't do that if you're breathing down my neck."
"He's not my boyfriend!"
Putting her hands up in defense, Max pointed out, "Who are you trying to convince, me or your denial? Now go!"
"Okay. Okay!" Valentina moved her way to sit on the couch, but turned around when she heard the door open.
Nancy and Robin started to descend down the stairs.
Confidently, Nancy exclaimed, "We have a plan!"
Finding a place between Lucas and Dustin on the couch, Valentina looked at the fake identities that were come up with. "3.9 GPA? Nice!
"Thanks!"
"How exactly are you guys going to get into Pennhurst with these?"
"We called them saying that we wanted to speak with Victor Creel and we're writing a co-writing on paranoid schizophrenics—"
"To which they said no."
"But we landed a three-o-clock with the director. It shouldn't be hard, but that also means that the rest of you need to stay together and keep and eye on each other." Eyes landing on both Max or Valentina.
"About that, we've been doing our Victor Creel homework, and we've got some questions."
"Lots of questions."
Gears started to shift in Steve's mind. Looking at the papers, then at Nancy, "Wait a second, where's mine?"
Robin and Valentina were trailing behind the ex-couple.
"Nancy, you're out of your damn mind if you think I'm babysitting, again," Steve complained.
"First, they're not babies anymore. And your girlfriend and Max are in danger."
"She's not-"
"We're not-"
"Obviously you two have unresolved tension that should be cut by now, even if it means digging the mind flayer back up from its grave, and using its teeth," Robin rambled.
Both Steve and Valentina were leaning against the dresser, glaring at Robin.
With her attention now set on something on the wall, the blonde strides towards it. "You have a Tom Cruise poster? You have a Tom Cruise poster."
As Nancy was looking through her closet, she stopped to turn around. "That's old!"
Robin giggles in response and ends up finding a Polaroid camera. She snapped a picture of the two in front of her, in it was Steve and Valentina giving Nancy a knowing look.
"I can't just do anything here! Maybe I could charm the guy into letting you two see Victor," Steve put an idea out there.
"Not the kind of charm we need."
Valentina snorted, before joining Robin, who was looking at Nancy's stuff. "Look a music box!"
With it being taken out of her hand, music played throughout the room. "There's a ballerina in here!"
A look of disappointment on Steve's face. "Academic scholar? She's giving you an academic scholar vibe?"
"No, but she will." Nancy calmed down Steve as she pulled out a quite interesting looking pink dress.
"Oh. My. God." Valentina was horrified. She wasn't one for fashion sense, but she still believed that Nancy had something better than the dress that was presented.
The two were now gone, heading to Pennhurst. Steve and Valentina were joined with Lucas and Dustin on the couch.
"You three are ridiculous, give the girl some space. It's not like there's a portal that she can be sucked into and disappear."
"Yeah. You should listen to Valentina more, she seems to have more brain cells than the three of you combined." Max collected the envelopes and headed their way, then started to pass them out. "For you, for you, for you, and you."
Turning back to Lucas to hand him extra letters. "Make sure you give these to Mike, El, and Will."
"What are these?"
"It's a fail-safe. For after, if things don't work out."
"What? No, things are going to work out," Lucas attempted to cheer her up.
"See that's where you're wrong. My whole life, it's always, things will get better and you're not alone. But yet all of that is never true. It's never true. What's happening in Hawkins, is no mistake, it has its purpose because the bad guy wants to go after people with bad stuff going on in their lives," Max explained, going back to sit down on the chair by the desk.
Valentina had floating thoughts about Max's words, before getting up and heading towards the stairs.
"Woah! Where do you think you're going?"
But Valentina ignored the question and walked to Steve's car. Running her hand over her mouth in exhaustion. "You remember where my house is right?"
well, well, well, chapter nine is done
- i've been holding back writing cause laziness sucks
- you know what else sucks, college. yeah started that and i already had to start doing an essay and got a 80 on it
- as always, i hope you enjoyed reading