Joey Hopper//Will Byers -Book two-

The spy: Part two

I stumble through the darkness, just hoping that I didn't make too many wrong turns during my long walk over here. I already made at least one earlier when I somehow ended up stumbling by Hawkins lab. It was more than tempting to go inside. To confront them about what they did to my mom. But now's not the time and besides the man who did most of the damage is dead anyways. Shouldn't that be enough? Shouldn't that give me some closer? In the end it just doesn't. He didn't deserve to die, he deserved much worse. He deserved to rot.

Eventually I make my way to a clearing and let out a breath of relief when I realize I've actually made it. My head turns from side to side as I look for the others.

"Dustin?" I call.

No response.

A chill forms in my chest as I begin to take cautious steps. Maybe it's just the dark, or maybe it's that I know there are really monsters out there but I'm getting this horrible feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong.

I bring my voice down to a whisper. "Dustin..? Guys..? Hello..?"

My feet seem to move on their own and before I know it I'm standing right in front of the bus door. My hand shakily raises as I reach for the handle. When my skin makes contact with the cold metal I begin to turn the thing downward.

Bang! Before I can even react the door flings open and something flies over my head. I let out a scream and blindly jump back.

Just as I'm about to throw the attacker as far as I can manage, a voice of confusion breaks through the shouts.

"Wait, Joey Hopper?" A male voice exclaims.

I look up in confusion and my eyes finally meet the man's.

My jaw drops. "Steve Harrington?"

Dustin pops out from behind him and sends me wide eyes. "Why'd you scare us like that Joe?"

"Me?" I start. "You're the ones who almost nailed me in the head! And I knew you were hanging out with someone Dustin but Steve? Really? Douchebag Steve?"

"Hey!" Steve reacts.

Dustin walks between us. "He's reformed, okay? Besides everyone else was gone. I didn't exactly have that many options."

A bit of tension releases in my shoulders as I finally allow myself to relax.

"Fine, whatever," I mutter. "Just-what's going on? Where's everyone else?"

I walk in and Steve closes the door behind me.

Dustin says, "well Mike and Will dropped off the face of the earth. Lucas is with Max behind the bus-"

I stop him. "Wait, Max is here? Like, right now?"

"Yeah," Dustin says with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. "Lucas has been hanging out with her for a while. Apparently he told her all of our secrets and now she's falling head over heels for him."

The old windows on the bus begin to tremble as I curl my fists. "He did what?"

"He told Max," Dustin says nonchalantly.

I let out a scoff. "That wasn't his secret to tell! Did he even ask everyone else?"

A look of concern fills Dustin's voice. "Calm down, Joe."

"No! Lucas didn't have the right to tell her all of that! He knows what he's getting her into. He-he-"

"What the heck!" Steve shouts.

I come back to my senses when I realize that the whole bus has begun to shake.

Steve looks at me in fear. "Did you just-"