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CHAPTER EIGHT ; PARTING WAYS
also known as;
( the flea and the acrobat ; part one )
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"MIKE, YOU CAN'T DO THIS," LUCAS EXCLAIMED, THROWING HIS HANDS UP IN THE AIR. His lips were downturned and his eyes were open wide, which meant he was growing exasperated. He stood opposite the raven-haired boy with irritation clear in his voice, adamant on going against their current plans. The quartet of preteens stood in the centre of the Wheeler basement, next to the table where the upside down Dungeons and Dragons board sat. It had taken a while, but they had finally realised what the Upside Down Eleven had mentioned was, and now Mike was determined on recruiting their teenage friend to join their new mission. "You can't bring her into this, you should've seen her last night when you left all of us!"
"Yeah, she was kind of a mess," Dustin agreed, his missing teeth emphasising the lisp he already had. "It took ages to calm her down, this would just get her all freaked out again."
Mike's grip tensed around his Supercom, one that he had despised only a day earlier after hearing Eleven create a stupid static sound, only to find out that she was communicating with Will. Will, who was still alive. He was the only one thinking straight, the only one who knew what to do, except his friends were both acting against him. It was true, he hadn't seen Stella since the previous night; he didn't know how she was feeling in that moment. But maybe, just maybe, this could give her a little more hope. "We've got to tell her, she's gotta know he's okay!"
"If Star has to know he's okay, why don't we tell your mom? Or Will's mom? Ever think about that?" Lucas snapped in response, only for Mike to roll his head back and huff. He knew Lucas was right, but they had to have Star with them, they needed her. If anyone would know what to do, it would be her. She was so clever and so understanding; like a mother who let them get away with more.
"I know, Lucas, but if we're gonna do that, we need her with us, not oblivious to what we've discovered!" Mike retorted, glancing down at the gadget in his hand and huffing, before starting to signal his next door neighbour.
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WHEN STELLA COLLINS WOKE UP, SHE HAD NEVER FELT MORE DISSOCIATED. She felt trapped within her body, the events from the previous night playing on her mind like a broken record. She had barely slept, she only tossed and turned with the thought of never seeing Will Byers again plaguing her thoughts. Now, as she lay awake unsure and uncaring of what time is was, she couldn't move. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't convince herself to get out of bed.
Staring up at her ceiling, she couldn't help but start thinking about Joyce and Jonathan Byers. If the party were affected badly by Will's passing, those two would be absolutely distraught. Joyce had always been kind to Stella and her family, constantly offering to take over shifts for the teen during exam season or if she had a big assignment approaching. Stella appreciated the woman, and felt utterly awful regarding her current situation.
Her throat was dry from all the crying she had done the night before, but now she was too tired to do so. There were no tears left in her dehydrated body, she was but an exhausted soul in a shell. Her eyes were puffy and every time she blinked her head thumped in agonising pain.
Turning her head slightly, her eyes fell upon the clock on her bedside table, staring at the neon red colours and taking a while to process what it said.
12:48.
Sighing deeply, Stella forced herself to sit up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, even though all she wanted was to lie back down and fall back asleep. She didn't even want to go to Mike's, the thought of walking down the road seemed to be a draining task, one she didn't even think she could carry out. She turned to the side and strained slightly as she stood up, her mother's old Creedence Clearwater Revival concert shirt falling to her knees, still far too big from when she had received it as a preteen.
Reaching back, she pulled her hair out from where it had fallen from her scrunchie, before throwing the hair piece on her bed and walking over to her desk. Her eyes were blank as she turned her stereo on, pressing the start button on her tape player.
Soft guitar filled the room as her Fleetwood Mac cassette resumed, and Stella exhaled, turning around and seeing her reflection in the mirror beside her wardrobe. She didn't recognise herself, she was a mess. The lack of sleep she had received over the past few days had taken a toll on her, the dark bags swimming under her eyes almost resembling bruises. Her face was pimply and her hair was greasy, indicating she needed a shower. She looked like a wreck on the outside, but it was nothing compared to the disaster inside her.
She hated the feeling seeping through her bones; the feeling of uselessness and loss, one that swallowed her whole and made her body cramp up. Her stomach hurt and she felt too weak to move, the task of taking another step causing her grief. Even the melodic voices of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham couldn't ease her out of her current state; she was hopeless.
She hadn't felt like this for years, but she remembered the feeling as if she had experienced in the previous week. It was as if there were someone lingering above her, holding happiness on a string just out of her reach. No matter how hard she tried to jump and grasp it, it moved higher and she was left feeling numb. It was taunting, a sensation she knew too well and loathed with her entire being.
Not sparing a glance to her cluttered bedroom floor, her bare feet brushed against the worn green carpet, no warmth or comfort seeping through. When she finally mustered enough strength to to begin moving to climb back into bed, she heard a harsh static sound from the corner of her room. Her squinted eyes trailed over to her work bag, and she exhaled softly at the idea of leaving later on to take over Joyce's shift like she had promised her boss a few days prior. All she wanted was to fall to the floor and burst into tears to relieve herself of the pain inside her, but she didn't have the energy anymore.
"Star," she heard a muffled voice call from within the bag, and she pursed her lips, knowing what it was after a moment. She shuffled towards the bag and slowly opened it, pulling out the Radio Shack Realistic TRC 214 she had bought herself after Mike and the others had insisted on talking to her at times she wasn't with them. She usually brought it to work for the times she was bored, even though the signal wasn't as good. It had cost her nearly two pay checks, but it ended up being worth it for the sake of the boys.
Making sure the antenna was up and working, Stella hesitated before pressing the button on the side. "Yeah?"
"Oh good, you're up," Mike exhaled in relief, causing Stella's eyebrows to furrow, confused at his seemingly normal tone. Out of all the boys, she expected him to be the least recovered due to the fact that he and Will were closer than anyone else she knew. Considering how he had reacted last night, she was shocked, for lack of better word. "Can you come over...like, now? Over."
Stella felt her shoulders sink, remembering how she promised to visit him, but that meant she had to get changed and appear to be like she wasn't dead inside. She swallowed quietly, before responding. "I'll be there in a few."
Tossing the talkie on her bed, she glanced down at her large top and plaid pyjama pants, before shrugging and walking out of her room, leaving the tape to run to the end.
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When Stella turned up at the back door of Mike's home, she didn't expect for him to energetically grab her arm and pull her inside without a word. She nearly fell into the basement, tripping over her bare feet and stumbling to compose herself. When she stood up straight, she saw Lucas, Dustin staring at her wide eyed, taking in her distraught appearance. They were all standing around the couch, clearly up to something. "What's going on?"
Taking a step forward, her eyes widened a fraction when she saw Eleven lying on the couch in a blonde wig and a pink dress. Just as she opened her mouth, Mike dove forward and grabbed her wrist. Stella's gaze trailed down to where he held her, to the anxious expression upon his face. "Let me explain-"
"What the hell, Mike?" Stella asked, exhaling in vexation. She didn't even know if she want to be a part of whatever they were doing, it had all become too much for her. She wasn't expecting to even see him and the other boys together, not for a few days anyway. Her mind couldn't handle any more conspiracies and secrets, she was too overwhelmed and just wanted to sleep her worries away.
"Will's alive," Mike blurted out, and Stella froze, her lips parting slightly. She didn't know what to say in that moment, she only felt a kick to her stomach and her head pound even louder. The two words were enough for distress to seep into Stella bones as she assumed this was his coping mechanism--denial.
"Mike," she began, closing her eyes for a moment to try and pull herself together. She turned towards him and rested a hand on his shoulder, sighing through her nose and forcing herself to look down at his innocent face. "I know this is hard, especially for you, Dustin and Lucas. But h-he's gone, okay? There was nothing we could do."
If only there was something they could've done.
"He's not, Star!" Mike argued, pushing her arm off him and pointing to his talkie on the coffee table. "We can hear him! He's hiding in the Vale of Shadows--"
"As in the place from your game? Mike, this is--"
"No, it's not stupid!" Mike insisted, hitting Lucas as a way to get them to agree. "Right guys?"
"He's telling the truth," Lucas muttered, nodding in support of Mike. Dustin did the same, pursing his lips. Stella watched them, growing impatient. She wasn't in the mood for their games that day, she didn't know if she could last through any more.
"We went to school to use the new AV equipment so El could find him, and he's in danger!" Mike continued, and Stella furrowed her eyebrows, her brain unable to comprehend what he was saying at such a time.
"What does she have to do with this?" She interrupted him, and he sent her a confused expression, his eyebrows furrowed deeply and mouth ajar.
"You didn't know?" He asked softly, glancing at the other boys before back at her. "She has powers. I thought we told you."
The sentence hitting her like a brick, Stella felt like she was about to shut down. She was reaching breaking point, and she needed to leave before things could get any worse. She ran a hand through her hair, before she turned and started walking towards the back door. "I can't do this."
"Star, where are you going?!" Mike followed her quickly, grabbing her hand. Stella ripped it from him, her eyes meeting his. She tried to ignore the guilty feeling inside her as she looked across the room, seeing the hurt faces of the other boys, as well as Eleven, who watched her from the couch. She didn't want to leave them at such a time, but she felt it was best for everyone. Mike clearly disagreed. "Star, you have to help us find him!"
"I'm sorry," she whispered, reaching up to wipe her watery eyes. She hadn't even noticed until they began welling up. "Will's dead, Mike. I don't want to start believing in something from your fantasy business. I'll see you guys at the funeral."
"But, Star!" Mike pleaded, trying to stop her from opening the door and leaving, but she was slippery and quick, unpredictable like always. The door slammed as she exited, and he whipped around with his eyes landing on Eleven. "Why didn't you use your powers?"
"She's too weak," Dustin responded, reminding him of how she had just wrecked the expensive equipment back at school. "She can't even stand up on her own."
"We warned you about Star," Lucas piped up, watching as Mike trudged back towards them and slumped onto the seat by the table. "She's not taking this well. You saw what she was like when Annie died."
"I remember that," Dustin mused, tucking his hands in his pockets and sighing. "She didn't talk to anyone for almost a month."
"Maybe it's best if we just leave her out of this," Lucas continued, crossing his arms and sighing softly. "She's got enough on her mind."
Mike was silent as he stared at the black behind of the game board. He wished Stella could have believed him, like she always did. But maybe Lucas and Dustin were right.
She'd had enough.
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SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT GUYS, I HAD MAJOR WRITERS BLOCK AND I COULDN'T WRITE MUCH!!
anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, sorry if it was too depressing lololol oops -- but grief kinda sucks though so it couldn't really be that happy.
i also hope this gives you more of an insight into stella's character and how she deals with these types of situations, since she's just a mess of a teenager and tries her best to handle her emotions (but when three preteens are saying that someone has superpowers and their friend is still alive she's like noPE). i think it's mainly cause she's past the age of believing these kinds of things until she sees them, which is another important part of her future character development!!
also it hurt to write the bit when she leaves cause i can just imAGINE the hurt looks upon the boys faces and how bad she would have felt, but i wrote it for a reason!!!!
alrighty, i'll hopefully see you guys soon cause i adore this book and stella (and i reALLY WANNA WRITE SEASON 2 YOU HAVE NO IDEA)
byeeee xx