The Girl With The Flamethrower

I.VII.I

Kimberly was looking at her notebook, not really watching where she was walking since no one was really around. She was on her way to pick up some more hairspray, and maybe some gasoline. She may or may not have planned to go after the creature again... tonight. Alone.

She had just finished sketching its face when someone ran into her, knocking her to the ground, and then landing on top of her.

"Ah!" She grunted, not really hurt but more surprised. "Steve?"

"Oh shit," he sat up, "I'm so sorry K I didn't mean to run into you."

"It's fine-" she gasped and held his face in her hand, notebook completely forgotten, "Who rocked your shit?"

He tried to pull away from her but she didn't let him, instead she stood up and grabbed his hand, "Come on."

He grabbed her notebook and reluctantly let her drag him into the closest store.

She just pulled him into the bathroom and made him lean against the sink. She grabbed a few paper towels and wet them.

"K what are you doing? You don't need to clean me up after a fight you know," Steve sighed but slouched so she could clean up his face.

"A fight huh? Who was it was it with?"

Steve muttered and looked down, "Jonathan."

She paused, "Jonathan? How? Why?"

"I saw him in Nancy's room last night," he sighed but wouldn't look at her.

"Ok and? Did you ask Nancy what happened between the two of them? Has Nancy ever given you a reason to mistrust her?" She resumed cleaning his face.

"Well no-"

"So you assumed something happened between them and instead of just communicating with her you just got angry and got into a fight?"

He stayed silent.

She threw away the dirty towel and took out some healing ointment, and gently placed it on his growing black eye, "Well once you've calmed down I think you should talk to her and ask her what happened, instead of assuming."

"He was in her bed K! What was I supposed to think?" Steve finally looked her in the eye.

She paused to look him in the eye too, "I think that maybe Nancy and Jonathan were just being there for each other. Jonathan just had a funeral for his brother, and Nancy's best friend is still missing. I think maybe the two of them were leaning on each other because they knew the other would understand what they were feeling." She finished up what she was doing, "Can't a guy and a girl be friends without anything romantic or sexual be assumed of them?"

Steve sighed and looked down again.

"No, I guess not. Not in your world. I'm sure Tommy and Carol twisted your already spiraling thoughts and that's why you lashed out at him? Instead of calming down first and really thinking about it?"

"Tommy may have spray-painted something about them..." Steve quietly muttered, he started to fiddle with a button on her flannel.

"Hmm." She finished repacking up her bag, "You know you are such an amazing person, and I know that person is why Nancy likes you..."

Steve looked back up at her, "But."

"But your friends are shit. I don't know why you hang out with them- but that's none of my business," she stepped away turning to the door to leave.

"K?"

She sighed and turned back to him.

"How do I fix it?"

"You get rid of the spray paint, no doubt degrading her. Then you apologize, to both of them. And talk to Nancy, she needs you-you just need to be there for her." She opened the door, "And... and don't leave her just because you assume something. Assumptions are never right." And with that, she left.

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Kimberly was just about finished packing her bag, wanting to wait until nightfall to go after the creature recognizing that it was more likely to come out after dark. She had packed her knife, two flashlights (with plenty of batteries), her radio (in case the boys needed her), her first aid kit, and four cans of hairspray into her usual backpack. She had been flipping through her notebook and trying to think of anything else she needed when the phone rang.

She got up and answered it, "Hello?"

"Kimberly? It's Nancy."

"Is everything ok?"

"Yes, well no. Um, Jonathan and I were hoping you'd help us with something."

"Of course, anything. What do you need?"

"Will you come down to the station please?"

"Ya, I'm on my way," she hung up the phone and grabbed her bag, darting out the door. Opting to take her bike instead of her car so she could take her shortcuts.

She heard helicopters flying above her and stopped, pulling out her radio.

"This is an emergency, Mike. Do you copy? Mike, do you copy?" It was Nancy's voice.

She titled her head, not sure what trouble the boys had gotten in but she didn't like the gut feeling she was getting.

Nancy spoke again, "We need to know that you're there, Mike."

"Listen, kid, this is the chief. If you're there, pick up. We know you're in trouble and we know about the girl." Hopper waited a few moments, "We can protect you, we can help you, but you gotta pick up. Are you there? Do you copy? Over."

When the boys still didn't answer, Kimberly turned on her radio, "Boys you better answer Hopper right now. This isn't some trick, they want to help. Answer him. Now. Do you copy?"

"Yeah, I copy. It's Mike. I'm here. We're here."

🌳🎒🌳

Kimberly had changed course to meet the others at the Byers' house while Hopper went and got the kids.

"Kimmy!" Nancy pulled her into a hug. "Thank god you're here."

"Ya well, I have time to kill."

Jonathan said, "Until what? Or when?"

"Dark. I'm going to go see if I can find that thing again."

"Not alone, you're not," Nancy shook her head.

"I'm not putting you guys in danger, and I can't just do nothing while that thing is still out there."

"Not without us." Kimberly went to protest, but Nancy stopped her, "Jonathan and I already have a plan. Want to help?"

"Do I get to set the thing on fire?" Kimberly smirked.

"Yes you do."

"Then I'm in."

🌳🎒🌳