WE HAVE SOME CONDITIONS !
☀︎
AFTER SCHOOL, ALEX HAD SPENT TIME HELPING THE BYERS SEARCH FOR WILL. When Alex had offered to head to see Jonathan and Will's dad, Lonnie by herself, Joyce had decided that it was most likely the best time for her to go home. Not because she was afraid that Alex was too involved, but because she had offered to - in the kindest way possible to say it - kick him right between the legs until he had told them if he had seen Will, and Joyce was afraid that she'd take up Alex's offer or possibly join in with her on such a plan.
Jonathan had offered her a ride home, afraid that soon enough, someone else he had cared deeply for would disappear on him but Alex knew she could head home alone. Riding her bike at night was a perfect way to clear her head and forget the stress of looking for the lost boy.
This had taken her down the long way back home. Something about the forest had felt uneasy as if something much darker had been lurking through it, waiting for its moment to pounce. Riding down the street the Wheelers lived on, it had felt calming without the woods staring back at her.
Before she could come passed the house, Mike Wheeler had seemed to be on a mission as he pulled his bike out of the garage. Alex had let her feet hit the pavement as she watched him hop on and head down the driveway. "Going somewhere?" she asked curiously, perching her chin in her hand as she rested her elbow on her handlebars.
Instantly, Mike had come to a stop, watching her with wide eyes out of fear that soon he'd go missing too. When his eyes settled in on Alex, his shoulders slacked. "Nancy can't hang out tonight. She's too busy pouting in her room."
Dropping her arm down, she held tightly onto her handlebars as she scooted her bike closer to his. "I'm heading home now actually. Nice backpack though... Didn't know you were so eager for school already," she teased.
Scoffing, Mike had readjusted his backpack out of nerves. "I was just..."
Before he could come up with his best excuse for leaving so late, a rustle in the Wheeler's bushes had caught their attention. Each had tensed up as they looked towards the house. If something dangerous had been lurking, Alex told herself that there would be no excuse - she'd take on anything for Mike to be safe.
Then Steve Harrington had stood up straight, coming into view. Slowly turning his head, he had taken in the fact that he had been caught and there was no way out of it. Attempting to play it cool, he rested up against the house and gave them a small wave.
Perching herself upright on her bike, Alex turned back to Mike with an annoyed expression. "Come on, I need someone to keep me safe on my way back."
He had nodded his head in return, just as aggravated with the fact that Steve Harrington had been attempting a break in just to see his sister. It nearly made him gag just at the thought.
Riding together, Mike had felt that it was his time to talk to Alex without having to be interrupted by his friends. "I wish Nancy would just break up with that asshole. He's all she ever talks about. I feel like if I ever hear his name again, my head will explode." With a heavy sigh, he decided to tell Alex the truth. "I'm meeting up with Dustin and Lucas if you want to tag along."
"Dustin's sneaking out tonight? Yeah, guess I should probably watch you little shits," she laughed. Mike had felt himself smiling at the thought of Alex joining in on the team. With Will gone, the empty spot in their group had felt like a black hole and a constant reminder that they had lost a best friend.
"It's nice... nice that you want to help find Will as much as we do. Nancy doesn't care at all," Mike complained, "It's always Steve, Steve, Steve. If you went missing, I would've been out here looking."
"Let's hope no one else goes missing. And that we find Will. Because we will find him... no matter what."
Turning down another street, the two headlights from a pair of bikes up ahead had come into view. From the laughter and string of swear words that flew through their mouths, it was obvious that Lucas and Dustin had snuck out of their houses successfully.
"Who the hell is that?!" Dustin yelled, trying to get a better look at the person riding alongside Mike.
"Mike brought his girlfriend!" Lucas laughed. Already, many ideas had come to mind on how he was going to tease Mike. When the light hit Alex, his smile dropped instantly. "Oh shit. It's your sister," he groaned towards Dustin, parking his bike in front of Mike and Alex.
"Alex! What the hell are you doing here? I'm not going home!" Dustin yelled.
"I'm not here to bust you, jeez. I want to help. So... do I have permission from the party or what?" Her question had brought all the boys to come together for a private conversation in hushed whispers. Including Alex in the party's plans had been a big deal.
There was plenty of back and forth, but all had seemed pointless. The three boys had all agreed, but to give anyone the satisfaction that they were so quick to allow new people into the party was never okay. "Let's just pretend we're discussing more so she thinks we won't let her come," Dustin whispered loudly.
"We're wasting time. We all want her to come so why can't we just tell her?" Lucas looked at the other two until both nodded their heads.
Breaking apart, Dustin had taken center stage, crossing his arms as he eyed his sister. "We have some conditions."
"Fine, then I'll go home," Alex sighed. The moment she had placed one foot on the pedal, all three boys shot their hands up, yelling multiple no's at the same time.
"You can come. God, you're so annoying," Dustin grumbled, "Let's go," he motioned his head for all of them to get moving and follow alongside him.
They all rode their bikes together down the road, Alex listening to them as they talked about the rules of the party. She had asked plenty of questions on how things had really worked within the group, but she had known the ins and out's of the party from Dustin. And he had been thankful that she was not quick to tell the others that he had broken the party rules by telling her so much already.
That lighthearted conversation had turned cold the moment the clouds had covered the stars and the light drizzle of the rain had settled in. "Guys, do you feel that?" Dustin looked up to the sky, touching his face lightly from the slight rain, "I think we should go back."
"No. We're not going back. Just stay close," Mike instructed, the first one off his bike. "Everyone stay on channel six. And don't do anything stupid. Alex, you can walk with me if you want."
"Oh, no way in hell. I'm her brother, she can stay by my side," Dustin said, grabbing Alex by her arm and pulling her next to him. That was something that Mike couldn't argue with that wouldn't result in Lucas making fun of him.
The four of them walked around in the woods aimlessly calling out for Will Byers, unaware of the horrors that were really in these woods. Thunder started rumbling loudly, the storm getting closer and closer to them.
Alex crossed her arms to try and keep herself warm with her hood up as she walked alongside the three that guided them all with their flashlights. No matter how cold and tired she was, she never wanted to leave the woods until Will Byers was reunited with his best friends. Even if she was furious at Steve, she had to push all those emotions aside for the other boys.
Rain started pouring down hard on them, making them all shiver from the freezing cold rain. It was enough to make it harder for them to see clearly ahead of them. Dustin was the first to speak up on how this plan was going south. "Guys, I seriously think we should turn back."
"Seriously, Dustin? You wanna be a baby then go home already!" Lucas yelled.
"I'm just being realistic Lucas!"
"No, you're being a big sissy! Your sister came when she didn't even have to and you wanna turn back?!"
"Did you ever think Will went missing because he ran into something bad? And we're going to the exact same spot where he was last seen? And we have no weapons or anything?" Dustin questioned.
Yanking her brother's flashlight from his hands, Alex gave a light smack to Lucas's arm. "Will you two cut it out? We're going to find Will no matter what and nothings going to hurt you or take you. Whatever it is, I'll kick its ass."
"Yeah, Dustin, shut up," Mike commented. Through the rain, the cracking of sticks ahead had caught Alex's attention.
"No, really shut up," she said, pressing her fingers to her lips, listening as closely as she could. All the boys grew silent, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. Coming together, they had unconsciously huddled up together behind Alex to be sure they had one another's backs.
Another loud rustle came from behind them, making all four of them jump in fear. With Dustin's flashlight in hand, Alex had shined it towards a young girl with a shaved head. Unaware of who this girl had been and not knowing why she had been out in the pouring rain, Alex had given Dustin back his flashlight as the boys had seemed lost in awe. Slipping off her jacket, she took a hesitant step toward the girl. Slowly handing it out to her, she had shown the young girl she had meant no harm and was only there to help.
The moment that she had taken the jacket from Alex's hands, Eleven had been the newest addition to the party that night as well.