I sat in my car in the parking lot of Hawkins High, not able to move an inch from the mere feelings taking over my mind and heart. I just met this guy a few days ago! Why the hell should I care about him what so ever? Sure, we hooked up. But that's just it. Hooking up! It clearly meant nothing to him. So now all I have to do, is convince myself of the same thing.

But that immediately left my mind the moment a sharp pain coursed through my head out of nowhere, sending me jolting back against my seat. I could hear crying. Will's crying. Suffering. Something massive and black was consuming him. My eyes welled from the pain of it all, seeing the setting he was in and completely lost control. The upside down..... I mustered up enough strength to make it out of my car and ran straight for the middle school, feeling it happening there.

"Will!!!!" I ran to the field in the back of the school, just as Dustin came running towards me with clear panic written on his face. Joyce, Mike, Lucas and Max were all there and trying desperately to bring him back. But all the while, I'm having these flashes in my mind of what exactly is going on, wishing that it wasn't real. That I was having yet another nightmare.

"Dust..... I cant.... it's too much." I suddenly collapsed to the ground, not understanding what is happening to me. How am I connected? Is it the effects of being in the upside down for so long? Does that explain why I sometimes think I hear Eleven in my mind? Or am I simply going crazy?

"Help me get over there Dustin! I.... I see it happening. I don't have time to explain. But we've got to help get Will away from it!!" He put his arm around my waist to help get me over there, slowly bringing myself back up and walking with the sudden help of Max right next to me.

"What's going on Lana?!" They were all panicking, just as my eyes locked with the scared ones of Joyce, knowing that she knew exactly what was going on with me. When it all started after we came back home, her, Hopper and Jonathan were the only people I told about what I was seeing and feeling.

Sometimes I will awake in my room and be right back there, terrified and screaming. But it simply goes away. Like it was never there to begin with. Hopper knew my dad. So naturally, when the bastard left town, Hopper really did a lot for me. He's the only male role model I've ever known. So I always confide in him. He's one of few people I can trust.

"I honestly don't know Max. But it's scaring the shit out of me....." It suddenly just vanished, no longer seeing the black mass going into every part of Will. He was snapped out of it. And i felt fine. I took a massive breath to calm my racing heart, terrified from what I just witnessed.

"Joyce?! Will?! Is he okay??" Will suddenly hugged Joyce when I ran over there to check on him, seeing the far away look in his eyes. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong. It's happening again, isn't it? Then again, did it ever really leave? Apart of me knew that it hadn't. But I locked it far away inside my mind so I wouldn't have to accept the fact that it was here. Again.

"I need to get him home. Are you okay honey?" Joyce placed her hands on both sides of my face, analyzing me as well. I felt fine now. Expect for slight panic and worry for Will.

"Yeah. I'm okay. It went just as soon as he came back out. I..... I don't know what I saw." She looked to Will with such a pained look on her face, completely tired and scared out of her mind for him. I just felt so bad.

"You rest Will okay? Do everything your mom says." I softly hugged him, just before they left to head home, leaving us all now standing on the middle school steps with complete silence surrounding us. Whatever I saw, can't be good.
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{The Next Day}
"Dust..... what the actual hell is that?!" He suddenly shut his door so our mom wouldn't hear anything we were talking about, shushing me. It looked so damn weird...... exactly what we needed after a shit day like yesterday.

"This? Is Dart. He was messing around in our trash can the other night and I rescued him! He's officially my little buddy." He seemed so proud of this little creature he now had in our house of all places. It started making the most insane noises once I tapped on the glass, definitely unlike anything I've ever seen before.

"Well..... just make sure to keep an eye on it. Don't let it loose." He nodded with a smile in agreement. Because the last thing we need is for our mom to see that in our house. I turned to leave his room, but before I did, Dustin grabbed ahold of my hand, eyeing the way I looked this morning. Tired. Very tired.

"Are you okay sis? I know we don't really talk about.... well, you know. But you've been different since it all happened. And yesterday.... you actually scared me." His genuine concern made me want to break down and cry right on the spot. But I wanted to be strong. For him. And for the others. All I want to do is protect them. Even if it seems impossible.

"I'll be okay Dust. Don't worry. It's just..... side effects I guess." He knew I was bullshitting. But let it go for the moment since if not, we would both be late for school. And I had no idea what the thing I saw even was.

"Lets go dweeb." I slapped his hat on his head, grabbing my books from the kitchen table before making sure Dustin left okay, then got in my car and headed for the place I dread anymore.
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I hadn't seen Steve play basketball in forever. But the main reason I decided to just come and watch practice, was to see Billy. It was driving me insane not know what was happening between us. It sounds ridiculous. But, even if it's just a hook up kind of relationship, I want to know. But he hadn't spoken one word to me since I left his house that morning.

"It's just not your day Harrington! Leave it to me alright? You'll be benched by the coach soon anyways." Billy's little evil smirk was the first thing I glimpsed upon sitting in the bleachers, seeing Steve laid out on the floor. Billy was the worst when it came to Steve. And I honestly didn't get why. Steve isn't a bad guy. He's just..... difficult sometimes. But he's honestly gotten so much better this year in a way. He's not so.... self involved. He's learning.

"Hey! We got an audience. At least one of your ex's appreciates you huh Harrington? Pathetic...." He stepped over Steve with his eyes directed towards me, seeing my wide eyed stare towards him. All I wanted to do was rage at this point. Why did I even bother coming here?

"Lana? Is something wrong?" I snapped out of it the minute Steve came bounding up the bleachers to sit next to me once he got up off the ground in a huff, noticing just how intently I was focusing on Billy. Of course he knew about Steve and I. But shit. Barely anything happened between us. We kissed. A lot. The only major thing we did was strip to our underwear but that was it. We are just better off friends. It works so much better.

"Oh uh, I thought I'd come see you. See what's going on with Nance. And well..... him." I pointed to Billy who seemed to be doing anything he could to look busy with the other guys on the court. But I could see him glance at me every so often from the corner of my eye.

"She thinks what we have is bullshit. She said so herself. She doesn't love me. She wants Byers. So she got him. I'm done. I need a break anyways. And uh..... do I want to know what's going on with you and dirt bag down there?" I finally locked eyes with Steve and saw just how tired he looked. This whole thing with Nancy hurt him more than he's admitting.

"Well..... we sorta..... made some magic. He's acting ballistic, as pure usual. Now he won't talk to me. So I have decided to just give up. Apart of me wants him to come talk to me. But every time he looks at me, I think he wants to kill me." Steve patted my leg with a little smile coming to his lips, looking to Billy and knowing how nuts this was actually driving me. Why did I care though?

"Well he's not exactly good guy of the year. But you know what? You deserve someone who will treat you like the amazing woman you are. Don't settle for some asshole who only wants one thing and doesn't come back until he wants it again." I smiled a little at Steve, surprised to hear such amazing advice come from him. But I will admit, he's always cared about me.

"Thanks Steve. Shit. Why did we break up?" We both laughed from my humorous comment, standing from the bleachers so he could go shower and I could ditch this place and do something to take my mind off of everything before I have a full on mental break down. I collected my stray bag sitting next to me, climbing down the bleachers when I noticed Billy and I were the only ones left in the gym. Everyone else had suddenly disappeared. How long did I manage to take to grab my bag?

"I see you came to watch one of your little boy toys huh? Ones not good enough for you?" I froze from his cold words fired at me, knowing what he was implying. And it actually hurt for some reason. I don't sleep around. That's one thing.

"You know what Billy, think what you will of me. But I'm not some hoe who screws around with tons of guys like you do with girls. Yeah, Steve and I have dated. But the only damn person that I've ever slept with? Is you! Happy shit face?! I'm now just another achievement in your playbook!" I practically ran out of the gym so I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I wished more than anything that Nancy was here. But her and Jonathan ditched so they could discover what exactly is happening up at that blasted lab now a days, hoping to expose it so we could actually stop this thing and get justice for Barb. Whatever this thing truly is. I just wanted this day to be over.
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The seemingly never ending school day finally ended, letting me leave the building and breathe in the fresh air so I didn't feel like I was suffocating. I felt like I lived at this place.

"Leave me alone Lucas! You guys made such a big deal about me being apart of your group. But then the next minute you guys are assholes to me!" I shook my head with a sigh, seeing everyone around me was crumbling to the ground. Life is just wonderful in this town.

"We just can't tell you things! Secrets. We don't want to put you in danger. That's all!" Lucas was trying so hard to talk to her. But Max was beyond visibly upset, not wanting to hear what he had to say. I knew something like this was going to happen. We're all messed up with these damn secrets, secrets we're afraid to tell because we don't know what the consequences will be from them. And we don't want others getting hurt as a result. Suddenly, she walked away with her skateboard between her arm in frustration, not once looking back at a distraught Lucas. I felt so bad for him.

"Shit Lana..... I really like her. And it's only driving her away. It blows." I softly hugged Lucas before he left me to my own devices and to clear his own mind, seeing Billy yet again leaning on his car that was parked right next to mine, the usual for him lately. He hated me so bad but yet, he parks next to me every single day? Fuck me.....

"Who is that?" His deep, provocative voice rang out right next to me once I reach my car to put my things away, slightly listening to him and Max's conversation.

"It's no one." Billy sighed while he flicked the remains of his cigarette out, knowing he was suddenly pissed about Lucas. He was watching the entire ordeal. Not that there is even anything for him to be bent out of shape over. Asshole....

"Is he messing with you? Listen to me Max...... you stay away from him. There's some people in this world that you'll learn you have to stay away from. And he? Is one of them......" He jerked her arm up so hard in his grasp, seeming to be completely consumed with rage. But he wasn't the only one. I was fuming.

"Billy!!! Let her go. NOW!!!" I screamed so loudly that the remaining kids in the lot stopped to look right at us. He suddenly froze, jerking Max away from him with such an anger filled huff upon seeing my rage filled eyes directed at him.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you Lana?" He strolled over to me, pinning me to my car so quickly with such an intense look in his eyes. My breath caught in my throat from the mere look he sent my way, trying everything i could do not to kick him in the balls. Nothing would please me more at this moment.

"And you just don't know when to not be an asshole, do you Billy? Because I'm telling you right now, if I even so much as see you attempt to lay a hand on Lucas or any of the others, i will beat your ass personally. Got it?!" He tensed up from my sudden threat, not expecting that to come from my mouth. His hands gripped my car so tightly, I could hear his knuckles crack. He wasn't used to anyone standing up to him clearly. But if he's going to be around me for good, then he had better learn.

"Oh I know what this is. You're pissed off about us huh? About me taking something from you....? Are you upset because I didn't fall in love with you, just because I got in between your legs for a night?" My eyes widened from his hateful words, like a sword straight to the heart.

"There is no us Billy...... it happened. I can't take it back. There is absolutely no love here because love is bullshit. It only hurts you. Believe me......" I looked down, noticing he hadn't move yet. He merely looked down at me, suddenly inching my chin up with his hand to look me dead in the eyes. Everyone around us was completely forgotten at this point. I was so focused on him. Being around him felt like a fever that was so hard to bare.

"You're right. It is bullshit. But damn it Lana, you drive me insane!! What is it about you that makes it so hard to stay away from you?" Our lips were mere inches apart at this point, feeling lost within his gaze. I was trapped.

"The same exact thing I feel. And it's terrifying....."
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Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading. I hope you're enjoying so far. 🥰