*Dustin's POV*
Nikki went upstairs to talk to Steve or something, so I decided to talk to the party. "Guys," I began. "I think Nikki needs to rejoin the party."
"Ooh, I second that!" Max said excitedly.
"Me too." El smiled at me, then looked expectantly at Mike.
Mike sighed. "Fine, I guess. But she needs to contribute, you know. We can't just have another tagalong."
"She could be, like, our bodyguard or something!" Will pointed out. "She's got a great right hook."
I laughed, remembering earlier today when she punched Steve in the face. It wasn't very funny at the time, but it was still pretty impressive to see a fourteen-year-old girl make a college guy bleed. "Exactly," I said, "she could help protect us. But really, we need her in the group."
"Why? Because you loooove her?" Lucas punched my shoulder teasingly.
"No," I scoffed. "It's just because-"
"Because he loves her," El joked.
Max nodded. "Yeah. I see the way you look at her," she said. "It's the same way Mike looks at El." El blushed while Mike rolled his eyes at Max. "Oh, come on, Mike, you know it's true."
"So what if it is?" Mike countered, once again channeling his inner asshole. "We let El into the party because she has telepathy, and Max, you're in because you're our Zoomer. Nikki left the party. Friends don't leave."
"She left because of me," I pointed out, "so we should really give her another chance. If it weren't for me, she might still be in the party."
"That's not true, Dustin."
I turned around to see Nikki on the staircase; she had obviously been listening to at least part of the conversation.
"Are you okay, Nikki?" Will asked, looking at her misty grey eyes, which were now as sad and teary. She wasn't crying, but she might soon.
Nikki snapped out of it, shaking her head briefly to jolt herself into reality. Into her tough mode. "Yeah, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"
"No reason," Mike answered. "We were thinking, and... well, it was Dustin's idea really... um-"
"We want you back in the party," Lucas said.
Nikki's face lit up like a little kid in a candy store. "Really?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, Nik. You saved me and Will with the pepper spray today, and you can teach us how to fight and stuff, so-"
"Hold on," Nikki cut me off. "You guys want me to teach you how to fight?"
We all looked to each other, then nodded. Nikki's eyes sparkled and her smile grew even more.
"Well, I mean, if you're sure-"
"We're sure," El said. "We all want you in the party."
The girl on the stairs ran down to all of us. "Of course I'll rejoin the party!"
She then engulfed me in a hug, almost knocking me over. I was taken aback at first, but then hugged her back tightly. "Woah there," I laughed.
Nikki, being as short as she was, stood on her tiptoes to reach my ear. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Anytime, Nik," I replied.
Nikki then proceeded to hug Will, then all of the others. I watched as she embraced each and every one in her living room. Her smile was so bright, and admittedly, she was even prettier than normal when she was happy like this.
After he got his hug, Will walked over to me, patting me on the back. "You like her, don't you?" he said softly enough that only the two of us heard.
I scoffed. "Hell no! Dude, I've known her for a day."
"Technically, you've known her for almost six years. You just forgot that that was her."
"Oh, shut up," I said, punching his arm.
"All I'm saying is: she's gonna find out soon enough. You're pretty damn obvious."
Nikki looked over to me as she was hugging Lucas and smiled, shooting me a wink so small, I would have missed it if I wasn't staring right at her.
*Two hours later, Nikki's POV*
When we were all done celebrating that I was back in the party, we decided to have a sleepover. My house was plenty big enough, but Steve was still being a little bitch, so we decided to go to El's house. Chief Hopper, her adoptive father, was by far the coolest of all of our parental figures, so we figured he'd be the best person to host a sleepover. Everyone went to their houses to get ready, but Dustin stayed behind so I didn't have to go to El's house alone. How would I? I didn't know how to get there!
"So, are you telling Steve you're leaving?" Dustin asked as I packed my bag.
I shook my head. "He'd probably be happier if I just disappeared right now." I took out a few clothes and put them on my bed next to Dustin, walking to my closet to get my overnight bag. "Damn it," I whispered, trying to reach the bag on the top shelf of my closet. I hadn't grown much since fifth grade.
I felt two hands grab my waist and lift me up to reach the bag. Although I was startled, I quickly got back into focus and grabbed the bag so Dustin didn't have to hold me for that long. When he put me down, I nodded in gratitude, making him chuckle to himself.
"It's not true, ya know."
"What?" I asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
Dustin started putting my clothes into my overnight bag. "What you said about Steve. He would be devastated if something happened to you."
"Oh? How do you figure that?" I grabbed a pair of slippers and my boots out of the closet.
"Whenever we hang out, he talks about you a ton. It's always, 'Nikki would love this," or, "Don't say that to Nikki, she'd kick your ass.' Sometimes it's even, "Why the hell can't these dipshits be more like Nikki?' He seriously loves you, and I don't think that's going to change because of this little argument."
Walking into my bathroom, I looked in the mirror at myself. I really did look like Steve. "He's never been this mad at me before. Not even when we were kids." That was more to myself than to Dustin.
"Hey, look at me." Dustin appeared in the doorway. I looked up at him, the smile on his face never wavering, his ocean eyes even softer than usual. "Everything is going to be fine, okay? And until it is, you have Will. And the party. And me."
That broke me. I couldn't handle being in a fight with Steve. I broke down sobbing, flinging myself into Dustin's arms. He was obviously surprised, but soon I felt him stroking my back, letting me cry onto his now sopping wet shoulder. He didn't try to shush me or calm me down; he knew that sometimes, you just need a good cry. I sobbed and sniffled very unattractively as he just stood there, comforting me. Here I was, making a total idiot of myself in front of this kid I've been talking to again for not even a week. And here he was, doing a kickass job of consoling some strange weepy girl.
Finally, after a little bit, I stopped crying, but I didn't want to stop hugging Dustin. And he didn't let go, either. For the first time, I had an actual friend. Not a brother that became my friend out of pity; a real, true, honest-to-Yoda friend, who really and truly cared about me.
"Thanks, Dustin," I croaked, my voice hoarse and raspy.
Dustin rubbed my back as I pulled away from him. "Don't even mention it."
I gasped when I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. "Holy shit." My eyes were puffy, and my face was red and tear-stained. My eyes went front cool grey to a shiny bright silver, and my hair was adhered to my face due to all of the tears. I quickly splashed cold water on my face, dabbing it off with my hand towel.
Dustin laughed. "Calm down, Mon, you look fine."
"Mon?" I repeated, looking at him.
"Oh, sorry, do you not like that nickname?"
I smiled softly. "No, I love it. It's just..."
*Flashback to Fourth Grade*
"Hey, Dustin, come over here!"
Will, Lucas and Mike brought the new boy over to where I was sitting at our designated lunch table. He sat down across from me, his toothless smile big and bright.
"Hi, Monica," he said happily.
"Hey, Dustin," I replied.
He then looked at me, then to the boys, then back at me. "You know, we need a nickname for you."
"A nickname?"
"Yeah. Monica's so formal and... long. It takes forever to say!"
I crossed my arms indignantly. "I happen to like my name. It's beautiful."
"It is," Mike agreed. "Just like you."
I pushed him slightly. "Twerp," I laughed.
Dustin called us back to order. "I know! I'll cal you Mon. It's cute and easy to say."
"Yeah, that sounds like a good nickname," Lucas said. "You're hereby known as Mon
"Doesn't Steve call you Nikki?" Will countered. I nodded. "Then shouldn't we call you Nikki, too?"
The other two Hawkins-born boys nodded their heads, and I turned to see Dustin with a dejected look in his eyes.
I smiled at him before speaking again. "Sure, you guys can call me Nikki. But Dustin gets to call me Mon. Nobody else, just Dustin."
Dustin smiled excitedly, and the other boys rolled their eyes, mumbling about how I was picking favorites.
Dustin gave me an appreciative look. "Thanks... Mon."
"You know I get to come up with a nickname for you too, right?"
His smile turned to an anxious grimace. "Please don't say it's Dusty. My mom calls me that."
I laughed. "Fine. You're just Dustin, then."
He smiled his big toothless smile again. "I like it."
*End of Flashback*
"Mon?"
Dustin was snapping his fingers in front of me.
"Sorry. What?" I asked, shaking my head to get myself out of the flashback.
Dustin looked at me with slight concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Fine." I picked up my now-packed bag and placed it next to the door. I then donned my favorite green hoodie and laced up my boots, getting ready to leave. "Are you coming? I'll have a hard time finding Hopper's without you."
"I guess you could say that you're lost without me," Dustin said, nudging my shoulder and wiggling his eyebrows.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and elbowed his side. "Don't be a dumbass." I quickly tiptoed down the stairs, Dustin right behind, and out the back door. I grabbed a bike from my garage and motioned for Dustin to get on first.
"What about you?" he asked in confusion.
I gave him a 'duh' face. "We're taking my bike to your place and getting your stuff." He still had a blank expression. "You're in the front, I'm riding in the back."
"Oh, okay." He mounted the bike, sitting as far forward on the seat as he could. I then tried to be as ladylike as possible as I got on the seat behind him.
I awkwardly tried to not fall over for about a block when Dustin finally stopped, grabbed my arms, and wrapped them around his waist.
"Better?" he asked with a smile. I nodded. "Good." He then turned back around and continued to ride to his house, which wasn't that far away. I held on to him the whole way, looking around for signs of the Displacer Beast. That thing still scared the shit out of me.
Finally, we reached his front lawn. I didn't loosen my grip, still afraid of everything that had happened.
Dustin realized what was going on and just sat there for a minute, giving me time to calm down a bit. He put his hand to his waist and grabbed my hand. "Hey," he whispered, "everything's gonna be fine."
I let go of him and allowed him to get off the bike, a favor he returned by helping me dismount the bike as well.
"Dusty? Who's this?" I looked at his doorway to see a blonde, heavier-set woman who looked a lot like Dustin.
I smiled at her and walked to the threshold. "You must be Mrs. Henderson. I'm Nikki, Nikki Harrington." I held out my hand, which Dustin's mom shook in surprise.
"She's a polite little thing, isn't she, Dusty?" she said to her son, who just beamed in response. "When did you two start dating?"
"Pffft." I snorted with laughter, as did Dustin. Mrs. Henderson looked at us in confusion, and probably concern; we were laughing pretty maniacally.
Finally, I composed myself and began to answer. "We're not together, ma'am. Dustin and I are just going over to Chief Hopper's house to hang out with the others, and we were packing some things for him on the way there."
Mrs. Henderson nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, come on in, make yourself at home."
I waited for Dustin to go in, then walked into their house. It was small, but adorable and charming. We walked down the hallway to Dustin's room, which was decorated with random posters and nerdy memorabilia, just like my room. There was also a glass terrarium on his dresser, holding a turtle.
"He's so cute!" I remarked, looking toward the small amphibian.
Dustin laughed. "Yeah. His name's Yertle," he replied. He then went to get clothes out of his dresser.
"Do you need help?" I asked, standing awkwardly in the doorway.
"You can help fold this stuff. I'm horrendous at folding."
I laughed a little bit, walking closer to the dresser to see Dustin's crumpled attempt at folding his clothes. I grabbed a shirt dutifully. "Okay, I've got this." In under five seconds, I had it back into a perfectly folded little rectangle.
"Damn," Dustin whispered. "You're like Snow White or some shit."
"Some shit, yeah," I chuckled, grabbing another clothing article. "Hurry up and start packing, we don't want to be the last ones there."
Dustin smirked, putting the rest of his stuff on the bed, and I folded everything as he went to his closet to get his overnight bag.
"What the hell?" I asked as I watched him take out a backpack.
"What?"
I stared at the backpack. "That's not an overnight bag."
Dustin still looked confused. "It's a backpack."
"Yeah..." I stared at him. "Why are you bringing a backpack instead of an overnight bag?"
"This is my overnight bag."
"No, that's a backpack?"
"Damn it, Mon, what's your point?"
"My point is that that is a backpack, not an overnight bag."
"What the hell even is an overnight bag?"
I scoffed, walking over and taking the backpack from him, then starting to put his clothes in it. "Boys are so weird."
"Girls are weirder."
I looked to see Dustin smirking, then turned back before he saw me crack a smile. "Oh, shut up," I said softly.
We had everything ready after another ten minutes of packing and banter. As we left Dustin's place, Dustin's mom kissed his cheek, then pulled me over to her.
"I'm so glad Dusty found such a pretty girl!" she said a bit too excitedly, hugging me tightly.
Dustin huffed with embarrassment. "Mom, she's not my girlfriend!"
I laughed awkwardly as Dustin stormed out the door, obviously humiliated. I gave a last wave to Mrs. Henderson before starting to walk out when I heard Dustin's mother squeal.
"Ooh! Dusty forgot his hat!" She took the red, white and blue baseball cap off of the kitchen counter. I put it on my head and started to leave.
"Thanks, Mrs. H!" I then walked back outside and hopped onto the bike seat behind Dustin.
Dustin started to kick off the ground, then stopped to look back at me. "Are you wearing my hat?" he asked in disbelief.
I nodded. "Your mom didn't want us to leave without it."
Dustin nodded, then turned back around to pedal. As we rode, I saw a content smile all over his face.
The bike ride was silent, but everyone was waiting for us outside when we got to Hopper's. The chief was waiting with all of them, his intimidating stance making me want to disappear behind a tree.
"You're the Harrington girl, aren't you?" Hopper came up to me, holding out his hand for me to shake. He seemed very nice, like an actual dad.
"Yes, sir," I said, shaking his hand confidently. "Monica, but my friends call me Nikki."
Hopper smiled, then looked at my head. "Is that Dustin's hat?"
Well, shit.
I quickly took off the hat and gave it back to Dustin, who was blushing madly. I felt my face getting really warm, and all of the other party members were staring between the two of us.
"Dustin's mom, uh, gave it to me as we were leaving," I said sheepishly.
Hopper gave me a childish smirk, then clapped his hands. "Alright, you two! Grab your bags and we'll all head inside!"
I went back to my bike and grabbed my overnight bag. As Dustin grabbed his backpack, Will grabbed my arm and pulled me aside.
"What the hell was that?" he asked curiously.
I rolled my eyes. "Nothing. His mom really did give it to me as we were leaving."
Will wiggled his eyebrows at me. "You looove him," he teased.
"Do not." I pushed him slightly.
Boys are so weird.