NOTE: Back again!
Word Count: 1733
~~~
"Will get your ass outta bed!" I yanks the blanket off my twin before rushing out into the kitchen were mom is sitting out bowls for cereal.
"Watch your mouth, Francis." Mom lightly scolds me as I snag a box of cocoa puffs from the cabinet and dump some into a bowl.
"C'mon mom, you curse all the time."
"Do as I say, not as I do."
Jonathan is already at the table and dressed as I sit down across from him, ignoring his amused smile. Instead of saying anything I decide shoving bite of puffs into my mouth and focusing on the news paper on the table is better than any words I could snap at my brother. Will walks out a minute or two later, still in his pajamas as he takes a bowl for his own cereal.
"Okay, I gotta run." Mom kissed Wills head, than mine and finally Jonathan's. "You guys be careful and have a good day."
"Bye mom!"
"You too, mom."
We all speak at the same time and after the doors shut, I look to your twin. "You slept through your alarm again."
"I was tired."
"Well we better not be late because you were tired."
~~~
At school, my locker is just a few down from Will's. Sometimes I love that. Other times I don't. Today is one of those day's were I am glad because as I go to walk past, I spot the new paper clipping in Will's hand. 'Zombie boy' is written in green ink and rage fills my mind.
"Who wrote that?" I snatch the paper out of Will's hand and stare at it before look up and down the hallway.
"It doesn't matter, Frankie." Will says quietly and he tries to grab the paper back but I move it out of his reach before he can.
"It does matter, Will." I snap and spot Troy down the wall from us snickering with his buddies. "Troy! Did you do this?" I march down towards the bully and shove the news paper clipping in his face.
"Jesus, Byers." Troy and his friends laugh. "Get your crazy sister under control."
"Oh, you wanna see crazy?" I growl and grab the front of the boys shirt yanking him forward so that we're face to face. "I can show you crazy, you asshole-"
"Miss. Byers!"
The bell rings and glancing over my shoulder at the principle, I decide it's probably best not to start a fight right in the middle of the hallway. So, I shove Troy away and grab Will's hand before storming past him and down the hall towards our first class.
~~~
"Meet the human brain." Mr. Clarke begins with an exited grin on his face as he sets down the fake brain. "I know. I know, it doesn't look like much. A little gross even, right? But consider this. There are a hundred billion cells inside of this miracle of evolution. All working as one. No, no, I did not misspeak. I did not stutter. A hundred billion."
Just as he finishes the sentence, the class room door opens and in walks a girl with fiery red hair and a shit ton of freckles, along with the Principal.
"Ah, this must be our new student."
"Indeed. All yours." The principle quickly takes his leave as the girl tries to pass Mr. Clarke to go to a seat.
"All right. Hold up there. You don't get away that easy." He waves his hand back for the girl to come stand next to him. "Dustin, drum roll." He nods to the boy and Dustin closes his book before he begins beating a light pattern into it.
"Class, please welcome, all the way from sunny California, the latest passenger to join us on our curiosity voyage, Maxine."
"It's Max."
"Sorry?"
"Nobody calls me Maxine. It's Max." Maxine corrects Mr. Clarke and I roll my eyes when I notice Lucas and Dustin whispering back in forth between themselves ahead of me.
"Well, all aboard, Max."
Maxine quickly takes that as her cue to find a seat and makes her way down the isle past me. "Welcome, Voyager." I greet her as she passes, barely catching her soft giggle and watch as Will and his friends all turn to watch the new girl take her seat. "Quite being weirdos."
~~~
By recess, I've made my way out onto the field with my soccer ball. I have every intention of practicing when I notice the party all staring at the new girl.
"God, you guys are so creepy." I huff as I walk up behind them and cross my arms. "The hell is wrong with you?"
"There's no way that's MadMax." Mike finishes as I come to a stop next to them.
"Yeah, girls don't play video games." Will states.
"I do." Will turns to me with his brows raised.
"You don't count, your not a girl." Lucas shrugs waving a hand at me.
"Excuse me?"
"That wasn't what I-"
I shake my head a walk past them to go talk to the new girl, whose by the basketball court on her skate board. She slows down as she notices me making my way towards her and I offer a wave and small smile. "Maxine, right?"
"Max."
"It's still your name, I'm Frankie, by the way." I come to a stop in front of her, "Nice board."
"You skate?"
"No way, I'd break my damn neck."
Max giggles at that and steps off her board. "C'mon, it's not that hard."
"What, no." I shake my head and Max raises her brows as she looks at me.
"Dude I know you're brave, I saw you with that jerk in the hallway, don't tell me your afraid of falling off a little board.
"If I break a leg, you have to be my teams goalie." I huff and stare at the redhead for a moment before stepping onto the board and wavering. "Shit!" Max catches my hands, laughing as I quickly hold onto her to keep my balance.
"There ya go." She grins at me and after a few moments I can't keep the smile off my face. She walks me around a bit on the board, telling me how to push myself and keep my balance at the same time. But eventually I get off.
"See, you didn't even fall once." Max grins as I shake my head, but she pauses, looking over my shoulder.
"What?"
"Who're the stalkers?"
"Oh," Turning and looking back towards the party, I shake my head. "My brothers friends."
"Your brother is a stalker?" Max asks, looking at me.
"No, he just has weird friends." I shrug and rub my arm. "Their good people though."
Max just gives a little nod before she pulls out some paper and a pen. Writing something down on it. "Wanna mess with them?"
Stepping closer I can see what she wrote and laugh a little before nodding. I follow her to the steps to the side door and watch her toss the paper in the trash before she pulls me inside. It only takes a moment for the group to rush over to the trashcan as we watch through the small window in the door.
"Jesus," I can't stop myself from laughing as we watch them dig through the trash. "They look like such weirdos!"
We keep laughing, bumping shoulders from just how hard we're laughing. But then I hear the principle through the door and pause. Making Max pause too as she looks at me.
"What?"
"William Byers? Your mother's here."
"I forgot it was today." I mutter and rub the back of my neck as a small thread of nerves pulls there before I look out the window and see Will following the principle. "I, uh, I gotta go." I don't let Max respond before I'm running down the hallway towards the main office.
I get there just a few seconds after the principle and Will do. When Will spots me, a little smile tugs at the corner of his mouth and I return it. The principle doesn't say anything as I walk him out. Mom smiles when she sees us.
"Hey guys." She kisses the top of my head and wraps an arm around Will's shoulders. "You know you have to go back, Frankie?"
"I know." I sign and look at Will. "Doesn't mean I can't walk out here."
"No, it doesn't." Mom smiles at me and I sigh as the bell rings.
"I'll get your homework from your classes today." I say before I slug Will's shoulder. "See you for movie night, yeah?"
Will rubs his shoulder but nods with a little smile and I grin. Mom kisses my head one more time before I jog back towards the school, though I stop when I hear the car starting up. Once I reach the doors I turn and watch them drive away. The light string at the back of my neck slowly being tugged taut.
~~~
I wake up in a cold sweat. That string at the base of my neck pulling as I sit up and touch where the string is. I glance at the clock and shake my head when I see how early it is. The string gives another hard yank before I think to check on Will.
Quickly, I push the blankets off of me before getting up from my bed. It only takes a few short steps to make it to my bedroom door and as soon as I do, I push it open. The hallway light is off and everything in the house is quiet. Mom's door is cracked and when I glance into her room I can see the lump of her form under her blankets.
Next is Jonathan's room. The door is closed so I just press my ear to it, his snores carry over his music and I close my eyes for a split second before nodding to myself and pushing away from the door. Will's door is open when I get to it and I know before I even look into it that it's empty. I quicken my steps a bit and walk to the bathroom but it's empty too so I walk through the kitchen and into the living room. The front door is open.