𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 ➼ 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘤²

14☾︎

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I couldn't wait a minute longer. I latched onto her and held her in my arms. Afraid she wasn't real, that she would fade away. She didn't.

"You know, I never really gave up on you. I called you every night. Every night for-"

"Three hundred and fifty-three days," She looked up at me with her brown eyes that I could get lost in for days. As pure as the soil of the earth and as warm as a cup of coffee in autumn. "I heard ."

I cupped her cheek and wiped the blood from under her nose as my eyebrows furrowed, " I searched This Town every day looking for you. I'm sorry I didn't look harder."

"It was not your fault-" El began and she threw her arms around me again.

"It was mine," Hopper's voice came from behind me. 

What? I turned to glance at El and she hid behind my shoulder. I slowly backed away from them both as I watched the interaction.

"The hell is this?" He was referring to her clothing, "Where have you been?"

"Where have you been?" She spat back with no real venom in her voice. Before Hopper pulled her into an embrace.

What the- It was him. He was hiding her all along. "What the hell? You were hiding her? YOU'VE BEEN HIDING HER THIS WHOLE TIME?" I shoved Hopper as he grabbed my arm.

"Let's talk. Alone." His voice was stern and left no room for arguments. Hopper pushed me into the hallway before entering Johnathan's room. "I was protecting her?"

"Protecting her? PROTECTING HER!"

"Listen to me, the more people who know about her the more danger she's in. The more danger you and your friends are in-"

"Oh I'm sorry, did you want me to thank you?"

"Not thank me. Just try to understand!" His voice got more intense as if he was the victim here. But he wasn't I was. I couldn't handle it when she left and I hadn't been the same only to find out she was in front of me this whole time. 

"WELL I'M SORRY BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" I had raised my voice to a yell.

"THAT'S FINE! DO NOT BLAME HER. Alright? She's upset enough as it is."

"I don't blame her, I BLAME YOU! I BLAME YOU! 

"That's okay, kid. That's okay-" He started to get tired of this conversation but he didn't understand. 

"NO NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS OKAY! I cried to you about her! I FUCKING CRIED ABOUT HER TO YOU! I thought you would understand! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? I THOUGHT SHE DIED! LOSING HER BROKE ME AND YOU SAT BACK AND WATCHED AS I BROKE AT A LIE!" I started to punch him as I yelled the last sentence as tears streamed down my face.

"oh-jeez!"

"NO! YOU ARE A STUPID DISGUSTING SICK LYING PIECE OF SHIT! YOU'RE A LIAR!" He had stopped me from hitting him at this point as he tried to hug me. As I calmed down I pushed his arms off of me. "Don't touch me. You make me sick. This morning in the parking lot I told you everything about her and you just sat and stared at me. I despise you."

"I'm sorry kid."

I walked out of the room and slammed the door behind me as I slid down to cry. I've been betrayed by the adult I trusted the most. How am I going to recover from this? I decided to listen to the conversations in the living room as a distraction.

"You have teeth?" El's soft voice floated through the house. I smiled figuring she was talking to Dustin.

"You like these pearls?" Dustin asked before I could hear his annoying purrs. I got up and stood at the door of the hallway to observe.