ᵖᵃʳᵗ ⁹ - ɴᴇᴡ ʙᴏʏ, ɴᴇᴡ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ?
❛ ғᴜᴄᴋ ʏᴏᴜ, ʜᴀʀɢʀᴏᴠᴇ ❜
Imogen was bored. She was also regretting not staying in the car since she was just listening to Nicole and Carol gossip while leaning against Nicole's car.
She shouldn't be complaining though since she didn't really want to be sitting in the car with Steve and Nancy since the two were a mushy couple who were currently going through problems.
So she was just fiddling with the ring around her neck, waiting for school to start, her eyes trailing around the parking lot, frowning when she saw everyone laughing with their friends.
It was times like these where she missed Issa and Barb and wished they were here.
Everyone said she would get over it, almost a full year past and she still sometimes stayed up, waiting for Issa to come through the window at 3 am, but when the girl doesn't Imogen remembers and cries herself to sleep.
Before Imogen was about to enter her state of sadness, a loud revving of a car made her snap her head up, squinting when she saw an unfamiliar blue Camaro, speeding to the empty spot next to Steve's car.
Imogen noticed everyone's eyes were trained on the car, wondering who the hell it was since Hawkins didn't get that many newcomers.
Imogen bit her lip nervously, watching as a boy clad in denim appeared from the car, a cigarette between his smirking lips, his eyes trailing the lot of eyes on him, connecting with Imogen's for a split second making the girl awkwardly look away.
She scrunched her nose when she heard Nicole and Carol making sexual comments on the new kid, making Imogen groan in disgust.
"Gross," she mumbled, throwing her backpack on her shoulder and walking to the entrance of the school, turning her head seeing the boy walking next to her, not even glancing her way.
He seemed really confident as his eyes trailed over to the girls giggling while staring at him, making Imogen sigh in disappointment thinking maybe this guy could've been her friend, but now she didn't think so.
"You good?" Imogen stopped when she noticed a slightly weird look on the new kid's face as his eyes glanced around at the people staring at him.
"Could you...like show me the front office?" He asked, keeping the cocky look on his face while innocently asking the question.
Imogen furrowed her brows, looking at him weirdly, wondering why he was doing that but just nodded, "Sure."
Imogen gestured to the boy to follow her, which he did.
"I'm Billy Hargrove." The boy introduced himself, puffing his chest out slightly like it would get a reaction from her but Imogen just raised a brow and walked towards the office, smiling when she saw the redhead behind the desk.
"Hey, Immy!" Ms. Parker greeted the girl with a grin, glancing towards the boy behind her with a caring smile. "What could I do for you?"
Imogen looked over her shoulder at Billy, sighing when he was looking around the school with a scowl, turning to look at the redheaded woman. "Um...new student. Billy Hargrove."
Ms. Parker nodded, pushing her round glasses up her face, rolling her chair childishly towards the drawer behind her, picking up a map of the school, and grabbing Billy's schedule. "Here you go, Miss. Harrington."
Imogen took the two papers from the woman, "Thanks, have a nice day."
Imogen turned to Billy, biting her lip as she held out the papers to him, "Do you want me to show you around? Or do you got it?"
Imogen flinched when the bell rang loudly, her hand automatically going to the ring for comfort.
Billy noticed the girl's action but shrugged it off, "I got it." he said, glaring at a kid who bumped into his shoulder as everyone rushed to their classes.
Imogen licked her lips, "I'll be around if you need help. You don't seem like the person to ask for it but..."
Billy glared at her but Imogen didn't notice as she turned and walked towards her first period.
──
"Come and get sheet faced?" Imogen's voice trailed off, her brows furrowed in confusion, looking at the orange flyer in her hands.
Tomorrow was Halloween and of course, Tina, Nicole's friend, was throwing a party at her place and inviting almost the whole school.
"You should go!" Nancy smiled, she had already tried convincing Jonathan but she knew Imogen would be harder since last year Imogen grew quieter and tried to avoid any social interaction.
Imogen glanced at Nancy's hopeful face, swallowing harshly before hesitantly nodding. "I'll think about it."
Nancy cheered with a goofy grin, running off to tell Steve.
Imogen watched the girl with squinted eyes, crumbling the flyer and throwing it in the trash.
"So you're not going?"
Imogen gasped, turning quickly when she heard the voice behind her, glaring at Billy who held amusement in his eyes at the girl's frightened state.
"I don't really like those types of things anymore." Imogen swallowed, she had always loved Halloween, her and Issa had always dressed up together.
This was the first time Issa wouldn't be there, picking out Imogen's costume, when that thought came to mind the girl bit her lip.
"Bummer." Imogen snapped her head up, seeing Billy with his hands in his pockets. "I was kinda hoping you would go."
"I'm not interested in your horny teenage boy game." Imogen sneered, her hand clenching at her side, her mind going to that thought that Billy thought he would get something out of it.
Billy scoffed, "I'm trying to be nice for once. I wasn't going to ask for anything."
Imogen blushed in embarrassment, but kept her composer, her eyes trailing to behind Billy to see Tommy H watching them. "Go with Thomas, see you already got you a little fan club."
Imogen patted Billy on the shoulder before walking to her next class with Billy chuckling while watching the girl before he walked over to Tommy H.
──
"Where are you going?"
Imogen turned to her brother, seeing him and Nancy looking at her concerned. "I'm sitting with Carol and Tommy today."
Imogen walked away with her tray of food in her hands as Steve clenched his fist, wearily watching the group.
After last year, he, Tommy, and Carol had a fallout, they stayed popular while he slowly became a loser, now watching Imogen walk up to them like nothing happened made him protective. He knew how selfish Carol and Tommy were, but he didn't know that they acted differently with Immy.
"Sup losers," Imogen exclaimed, taking a seat in front of Tommy, who grinned at her.
"Hey, little Harrington!" Imogen dodged Tommy's hand that tried to ruffle her hair.
Imogen jumped when someone sat next to her and an arm was thrown over her shoulder, turning to see Billy greeting Tommy with a smirk. "You took my advice."
Billy looked at the girl under his arm, with a 'duh' expression before reaching for one of her fries since he didn't get lunch.
Imogen rolled her eyes but didn't slap the boy's hand away.
"You're not going to the party?" Carol asked Billy had told her and Tommy in class.
Imogen shook her head, taking an awkward bite out of her chicken patty.
"Is this about...?" Tommy trailed off, a sympathetic look on his face that only Carol and Imogen could get out of him.
Tommy and Carol frowned when they saw Imogen hesitantly nod her head, the two tried to help her but it was hard when Imogen refused the help.
Tommy had told Carol about the speech Imogen made at Issa's funeral since the girl couldn't go but she could see the impact the death had on Imogen.
Billy looked between the group in confusion as he saw the look they were giving Imogen, looking towards the girl under his arm with a frown. "What happened?"
Imogen shook her head, smiling sadly. "Nothing. You'll hear about it soon enough."
The rest of lunch Imogen was silent, chuckling once in a while at Billy's comments about how he hated Hawkins compared to Californa where he and his step-sister moved from.
"What's your name?"
"Wait-- you're telling me you don't know her name yet you two talk like you've been friends forever?" Tommy snorted, looking between Imogen and Billy who looked at the girl sheepishly.
"Fuck you, Hargrove," Imogen glared, making Billy shuffle awkwardly, relaxing when a grin pulled at the girl's lips."I'm fucking with you. It's Imogen, but everyone mostly calls me Immy."
──
"Hey, mommy,"
Margie looked up from the stack of papers she was sorting.
After the events last year, Margie and Ivan both agreed to stay home for a while, on and off the two would have to go on a trip but they mostly worked from home now to be closer to Steve and Imogen.
"Hey, baby." Margie grinned as Imogen walked up to her giving her mom a kiss on the cheek, before jumping to sit on the kitchen counter, watching her mom organize on the table. "How was school? Where's Steve?"
"Steve's with Nancy, they're going to Barb's to have dinner with her parents."
"That's today? I thought they were doing that a week ago?" Margie furrowed her brows.
Imogen shrugged, "Missed it. School was school. Had a new student, his names Billy Hargrove, future high school king, I could tell."
"Ooooh, tell me about him!" Margie pushed the papers away, sitting on the kitchen table with an excited face.
"Moved from California with his asshole dad, his Step-mom, he hates, and his step-sister Max, whom he hates also. Has a squirrel living in his hair."
"Squirrel?"
"Mullet." Imogen scrunched her face before shrugging her shoulders. "Steve doesn't like him but Billy seems cool."
"How are you feeling?"
Imogen turns to look at the kitchen entrance, grinning when she sees her dad. She jumped off the counter, running up to the man and hugging him tightly.
Ivan chuckled, wrapping his arms around the girl, kissing the top of her head. "How are you, sweetheart?"
Imogen pulled back, looking at the tall man with a grin. "I'm good."
"Oh!" Margie shouted Imogen flinched, looking towards her mom with a questioning face. "You have an appointment with Dr. Quinn tomorrow."
Imogen frowned, her palms starting to sweat at the idea of seeing the blonde woman. "On Halloween? Wait--I'm fine though?"
After last year, Margie got in contact with one of her friends, who happens to be a therapist and made Imogen start going to see her every week.
Imogen absolutely hated it, sitting on a leather couch in an office room with the blonde lady writing all Imogen's problems in a small notebook.
Just the idea of someone knowing what she was feeling, didn't sit right with her, but what made Imogen really mad about the visits was when Dr. Quinn would say she understands yet she didn't know about last year to know where Imogen's haunting thoughts branched from.
"It's not a session, Harley just wants to see how you're holding up," Margie assured, noticing how Imogen started fidgeting with the ring while biting her lip nervously.
"I'll be upstairs," Imogen mumbled, brushing past her dad, running up the staircase to her room, ignoring her mom who was calling out to her.
Imogen stood in front of her mirror, gazing into her brown eyes that seemed so unfamiliar to her.
Imogen's eyes trailed to the reflection of the curtain, frowning when she saw it swishing, making the girl quickly turn and look towards the window.
She slowly walked over to the window, her face scrunching in confusion when she saw her window slightly opened, making her close it gently, remembering her window was closed when she left this morning.
Her eyes trained outside, more specifically on the spot she knew the monster was last year. Imogen's heart began pounding against her chest, and her eyes began to burn as everything came rushing back.
The monster. The coldness of the Upside Down.
The haunting screeching that Imogen still heard in her dreams sometimes.
The feeling of Issa's cold, limp hand in hers, the emotionless and slightly peaceful look on Issa's face.
Imogen took a deep breath, blinking back her tears while running a hand through her hair, her eyes darting around her room trying to find a distraction, eventually, her eyes landed on her house keys and her small wallet.
Margie and Ivan look up in confusion when they hear Imogen's quick footsteps going down the stairs, frowning when they see Imogen walking towards the door.
"I'm going shopping!"
"You hate shopping!"
──
It was weird. Imogen thought maybe it would be better going to the new Spirit Halloween store that opened, instead of where she normally went to, but it felt the same.
Wrong.
It felt wrong looking for a costume without Issa, standing next to her, critiquing all the costumes on the wall.
Imogen's eyes trailed the costumes, her fingers lightly brushing over the masks, her heart slightly heavy when she saw the Wonder Woman costume, Issa had dressed up as her one year.
Imogen grunted, catching herself on one of the nearby racks when someone bumped into her back, turning to see a short unfamiliar redhead.
"Sorry!" the redhead looked up at the older girl with wide eyes, a Michael Myers mask and jumpsuit in hand.
Imogen glanced at the mask before her eyes latched onto the girl's blue eyes, "It's okay."
A loud honk made Imogen wince, looking out the window to see where it came from, furrowing her brows when she sees Billy's car outside the shop and the girl in front of her nervously looks back at it.
"--Wait you're Max right?"
The redhead snapped her head to the older girl, "How do you know my name?" she asked wearily.
"Billy...he told me about you." Imogen awkwardly smiled.
Max frowned, rolling her eyes, wondering what mean shit he told the girl in front of her. "So you know he's a dick?"
Imogen fiddled with her hands, "I--uh--"
"You should stay away from him. He's crazy." Max grumbled, grabbing a fake knife from the rack and walking to the cashier, leaving Imogen confused.
──
Imogen sighed, throwing the bag on her bed and flopping onto it, her lamp the only light source.
It was currently 8 o'clock, the sun was set, her mom and dad were in their room whispering quietly among themselves, Steve was in his room, he only got back a few minutes ago.
Imogen changed into some athletic shorts, throwing her jeans in the hamper, jumping onto her bed and snuggling in the large hoodie she wore all day.
The girl took off her necklace, fiddling with the ring on it, placing a small kiss on the metal, "Goodnight, babes."
Imogen gently placed the necklace on the bedside table, her eyes going to the lamp, wondering if she should turn it off, but she just shook her head, turning on her side to face the window, clutching her blanket close to her chest.
She didn't know it yet, but soon she would, maybe it wasn't over. As the days leading up to the anniversary of everything, things have been getting stranger.
So as she dreamt of those days, flinching and whimpering in her sleep, something was watching, waiting, planning.
She didn't know it at the time, but it was the start of something.
──
authors note|
sorry I haven't uploaded! I would have been sooner, but It took me longer to finish since my mom told me I had a pinched nerve in my back and i literally couldn't move my arms without feeling pain.
But here it is, forgive me please (puppy eyes) I love all you beautiful people! <3