𝐖𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒! [𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐲]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭

The next morning, Conor had a pot of fresh coffee waiting for Margo when she woke up. He poured some into a mug as she skidded into the kitchen, running late and wearing his favorite t-shirt, and handed it to her. "Where'd you get that?" he asked with the full knowledge that she'd swiped it from the laundry. 

"Mix up with the laundry," she said breathlessly. Jonathan's car horn blared in the driveway. "Thanks for the coffee, no plans after school!" 

"That's what I like to hear," said Conor, smiling. "Hey, they're sending out a second search party this morning and I'm gonna go with Joyce, I'll let you know if we find anything." 

She nodded and reached for her jacket from the night before, but it was still damp. "Jacket?" 

Conor grabbed his own from the hook by the door and threw it at her. "Come straight home after school and don't walk. Have Jonathan drive you." 

"Got it!" 

She sped out the door and got into Jonathan's car, managing to not spill a drop of coffee. "Anything?" she asked as they pulled out of the driveway. 

Jonathan shook his head. "My mom's freaking out." 

"My dad's going out searching with her this morning." She sipped her coffee. "They're gonna find him, he said nobody disappears for long." 

"My fear is that they'll find him and he'll be..." Jonathan trailed off. He couldn't say the word. Dead. Margo's face fell for a second and she turned to stare out the windshield. "I made signs- missing person signs- and I'm gonna hang them up around the school." 

Margo nodded. "I'll help. We'll each take half." 

"Thanks." 

When they got to the school, they both headed straight for the main bulletin board. Jonathan started pinning a poster to it, and Margo tried to ignore the stares of a nearby group of students. Then, she did a double take. Standing next to Steve Harrington, a registered school douchebag in Margo's brain, was Nancy Wheeler. Margo and Nancy had been friends in middle school and grown apart... it wasn't a big deal, it happened to everyone, but seeing her hanging out with someone like Steve Harrington... 

"Hey, you see that?" she said, nudging Jonathan's shoulder. 

"Don't stare at them," he said, not taking his eyes away from the poster. "They'll go away." 

Margo raised her eyebrows and leaned against the wall. Nancy broke away from the group and started towards them. "Hey- hey, Byers?" said Margo, watching Nancy. "You were saying..."

"What?" Jonathan turned just as Nancy reached them, a stack of books held firmly to her chest. 

"Hey," Nancy said, a little nervously. 

Margo stared down at her chipped nail polish, willing to let Jonathan do the talking. He looked up at her, a little surprised. "Oh, hey." 

"I just..." Nancy hesitated. "I wanted to say, you know, um... I'm sorry about everything." She paused, and Jonathan looked behind her at the group of popular kids still eyeing them up. Margo scoffed under her breath and continued studying her nails. "Everyone's thinking about you," Nancy continued. She wouldn't look at Margo. "It- it sucks." 

"That's an understatement," Margo muttered, and Jonathan gave her a warning look. 

"Yeah," he said quietly, turning back to Nancy. 

Nancy bit down on her lower lip. "I'm sure he's fine," she said. "He's a smart kid." Before she could go on, the bell rang. "I have to go," she said, laughing a little. "Chemistry test."