Bloody Negatives {Stranger things}

Chapter Twenty-Five

《Chapter Twenty-Five》
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"You know this is the first time I've gone out in public in like... a month?" Tally said, spinning around in a circle.

Nancy smiled at his as he moved around the grocery store like a fawn in a meadow. He felt like a little kid, giddy smile on his face.

"I'm sorry we can't stay forever," she muttered, reaching to grab a box of cereal off a shelf.

There was so much going on inside of Tally's head, with what had happened yesterday and... everything else. It felt good to be a little kid again. He tilted his head to glance at Nancy, his smile morphing into more of a grin.

Tally had looked at Nancy once, a day ago, and he hadn't stopped. At this point he wasn't sure how to stop. It was force of habit.

"Tally," Nancy grunted, struggling to reach a bag on the top shelf. "Can you get that for me?"

Tally smirked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Is the almighty Nancy Wheeler asking for help?"

Nancy pursed her lips. "Don't test me, Parker."

He laughed and sauntered over to the girl, eyeing the top shelf nonchalantly. He extended his arm to grab the bag Nancy had been reaching for, and groaned as soon as he saw the label.

"Nancy, this stuff is horrible," he complained as he stared at the pouch of oatmeal.

"You can't just eat Froot Loops for the rest of your life."

"Oatmeal tastes like cardboard."

"It's good for you," Nancy shrugged, snatching the bag out of Tally's hands and tossing it into the shopping cart. He laughed, shaking his head.

"Tally?"

He didn't have to turn around to see who had said his name. He already knew.

Jason Carver.

He supposed it made sense. He was bound to run into the boy eventually. He just didn't think he'd be so surprised when he finally did.

"Hey," Tally forced a small smile as he turned around to face his... friend.

Jason's eyes darted between Tally and Nancy for a moment, before he smiled the good-natured smile he always seemed to have hidden away somewhere. "You two here together?"

Nancy glanced at Tally, her eyes wide and concerned, before she slowly tilted her head back towards Jason, nodding slowly.

"Oatmeal," Jason said, nodding at the bag Nancy has just tossed into the cart. "Tally hates that stuff."

"I'm aware," Nancy said firmly, pressing her lips into a tight line.

Tall somehow felt like he wasn't there. Of course, he was there. He could feel the floor beneath his feet. He could hear the bustling of customers moving through the store, and the faint, cheery music playing on the speakers overhead. Though at the same time, it was almost as if he didn't exist. As if Nancy and Jason were talking about someone who had never even been real.

The thought of that made him nauseous.

Jason' smile somehow seemed to grow. "Hey, Tally, could I talk to you for a second?"

Tally sent Nancy a pleading look, begging her to get him out of this situation, though all she managed to do was wave her arms around frantically.

So, reluctantly, Tally followed Jason into a different aisle.

"What the fuck, man?" Jason hissed as soon as they were out of earshot.

Play dumb, Tally told himself, mind racing a mile per minute. Act normal. You are normal.

"What?" Tally coughed, rolling his shoulders in discomfort.

Jason laughed somewhat psychotically. "Your parents thought you got kidnapped, and you've just been at Wheeler's house this whole time?"

Tally shrugged, slowly feeling the panic rising through his body. "Yeah. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal—" Jason echoed, eyes wide. "Why're you with her? You tryna' get in her pants or something?"

Tally had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from helping at the top of his lungs. "I'm— no— It's not— no."

"Listen, Tally," Jason muttered under his breath. "I'm not going to tell you how to live" —oddly enough, Tally had the strong feeling that Jason was about to tell him how to live— "but if I were you, I wouldn't be going around hooking up with someone related to a cult member."

Tally pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "We're not— Mike's not in a cult."

Though by the time he had opened his eyes, Jason had already walked away, leaving Tally talking to himself.

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