𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 | 𝐬.𝐡

007. Save the Muscle

MAVIS BREEZED THROUGH HER TEST. Sure she was confident in her answers, she took the paper in hand and slung her backpack over her shoulder. As she made her way to her teacher's desk she kept her eyes in front of her, ignoring the odd stares she received from Nancy and Barb.

She placed her paper in the turn-in pile before turning to her teacher. "Hey Mr. Kaminsky, can I go see Ms. Kelley, she told me to go and see her after I finished my test. Something about college... or course paths," she said.

"Yeah, sure, tell her I said hi, will ya," Mr. Kaminsky said simply. He was a kind man who made impossible tests. Impossible tests Mavis managed to ace every time. She felt bad for lying, it wasn't something she did often. She had to though, not like one little white lie was gonna make her world crumble.

As she approached Jonathan's car in the parking lot she wondered what she was getting herself into.

Mavis never really understood Lonnie. How a man could be so cruel and so ugly? She could recall times when he came back into the Byers' life, claiming he would stay and that it was different this time. Just to be gone the very next morning.

She remembers watching their hearts break each time, until one day they just stopped.

As one could guess, Mavis had never done anything wrong to Lonnie, nothing to give him a reason to hold such disdain for her. But she guessed it probably stems from her parentage. Or lack of.

Growing up, Mavis spent a lot of time and dinners at the Byers' home, during those times Lonnie believed himself to be the perfect father figure. Naturally, he'd try to extend his fatherly duties to Mavis, telling her how she should or shouldn't behave, how she should dress, speak, think, act, that she shouldn't hang out with Jonathan because he's a boy and all boys want is-

Naturally, Mavis didn't put up with this, she was a spunky child who didn't have much to her name. She'd often talk back or just leave entirely. She was always thankful she had the freedom to do so, though, in her youth, her mind lingered on her not-so-fortunate friend, Jonathan Byers, Who was not granted the same freedom.

Of course, eventually, Lonnie left. And things got better for the remaining Byers'.

Opening the door she was hit by a wave of air conditioning, pushing away all of her thoughts. She took a deep breath before tossing her bag in the back and sitting down.

"Ready?" he asked her, sounding very nervous.

"I was born ready," she said cheesily.

The two were off.

Mavis turned up the music, allowing Super Freak by Rick James to fill the nervous silence.

·:*¨༺ ★ ༻¨*:·.

As they drove through Lonnie's neighborhood, they scanned each house. Almost as if they were looking for the house, despite knowing exactly which one it was.

They stopped in front of a house, both sending each other knowing looks. They had arrived.

As he turned away nervously, she kept her eyes on him. "Are you sure you don't want me to go in with you?" she asked as she studied the boy's nervous demeanor.

"I'm sure," he said quickly. He didn't want to put her in any danger, and when Lonnie was around, he couldn't ensure her safety. He began to get out of the car, poking his head back in to say something, "maybe check his trunk, I'll be quick."

"Stay safe Byers, don't let him push you around, okay?" she said softly.

"Yeah," he said just as soft before gently closing the door.