Broken Love (A Stranger Things Story)

Chapter 1: The Boy I Hate

I lay on my bed as Nancy and Barb chatted away over the phone. They were talking about Nancy's new boyfriend, Steve Harrington. I hated that name and Nancy knew it, but I had only been friends with her for a few months and I didn't want her to feel like she couldn't talk to me.

Nancy and Barb were in the year below me. Sophomores. I was a Junior who had no friends. Until I met Nancy, however, when we were both on the yearbook team. She and Barb had been friends for years and even though I had been hanging out with them for a couple of months now, I still felt a bit like an outsider.

I walked into school the next day with Nancy as Barb ran up to us.

"So did he call?" she asked Nancy.

"Keep your voice down," Nancy shushed as she pulled us to her locker.

"Did he?"

"I told you it's not like that." Barb rolled her eyes. "Okay, I mean yes fine, he likes me, you know, but not like that." Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "We just made out a couple times."

"We just made out a couple times," Barb mocked her and I laughed. "Nance, seriously, you're gonna be so cool now. It's ridiculous."

"No, I'm not!"

"You better still hang out with us that's all I'm saying. If you become friends with Tommy H or Carol..."

"Gross. And I'm telling you this was just a one-time..." I looked at her "Two-time thing," she smiled. The girls didn't know the full story of why I hated Steve. I pretended it was just because he annoyed me, I didn't really want them to know what he did.

Nancy suddenly pulled out a note from her locker. She opened it up and it read 'Meet me. Bathroom – Steve'

"You were saying?" Barb teased. Nancy pursed her lips before she left Barb and me and headed for the bathrooms.

The next day the three of us were walking through the halls, and I was quizzing Barb and Nancy for their Chemistry test.

"When alpha particles go through gold foil, they become..." I read off the cards Nancy had made.
"Unoccupied space," she replied correctly. I flipped to the next card and started reading but the cards were soon snatched out of my hand.

"Hey!" I yelled annoyed as Steve started flicking through them. He, Carol, and Tommy H. had all walked over to us.

"I don't know, I think you've studied enough, Nance," he said. 

"Steve," Nancy whined.

"I'm telling you, you know, you got this. Don't worry." Nancy tilted her head, and I could see the annoyance on her face. Why she liked Steve Harrington I had no idea.

"You're a real inconvenience you know that, Steve?" I said mockingly. He ignored me and kept looking at Nancy.

"On to more important matters. My dad has left town on a conference and my mom's gone with him, cause, you know, she doesn't trust him."

"Good call," Tommy laughed. 

"So, are you in?" Steve asked Nancy. 

"In for what?" 

"No parents? Big house?" Carol said. 

"A party?" Nancy asked. 

"Ding, ding, ding!" Carol sang, making Tommy laugh. 

"It's Tuesday."

"It's Tuesday! Oh, my God," Tommy mocked. 

"Come on. It'll be low-key. It'll just be us. What do you say? Are you in or are you out?"

"Um..."

"Oh, God. Look," Carol suddenly said. We all followed her gaze to see Jonathan Byers putting up flyers of his younger brother who had gone missing two nights ago. 

"Oh, God, that's depressing," Steve said. 

"Should we say something?" Nancy asked.

"I don't think he speaks," Carol said. 

"How much you want to bet he killed him?" Tommy said and I wanted to punch him. I had never really talked to Jonathan, but losing a sibling was something I knew all too well about. 

"Shut up." Steve shoved Tommy slightly. Nancy then walked forward heading for Jonathan. We watched her talking to him until the bell rang. I walked off, pushing past Steve as I purposely walked into him.

Nancy called Barb and me that night begging us to come to Steve's with her.

"Because I don't want to go by myself," she whined through the phone.

"What am I supposed to tell my parents Nance?" Barb asked.

"Barb... Barb, it's not rocket science. You guys just tell your parents you're gonna stay at my place afterward the assembly for Will. Tell them we're... studying."

"Fine," Barb said.

"Steph?"

"You really think I'm going to go to Steve Harrington's house?"

"Please Steph. It'll be fun." I sighed and then gave in. 

"Look, I gotta go. I'll see you guys in an hour," she said and then hung up the phone.