𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬

Chapter Thirty.

      

     TWO DAYS later and there Allison sat, in front of the tv in her home, wallowing and drinking a beer as the news played on TV as soon as the man started talking about Eddie, she shut it off and stared out the window. She chugs the rest of her beer, wiping at her mouth as she got up from the couch.

She picked up the box from the floor by the front door when she heard the honk and walked out, flipping off Steve in his vehicle which she now approached. "Woah, where's Nance?" She asked when she saw it was just Dustin in the passenger seat and Robin in the back as Steve got out of the vehicle. "Well, her boyfriend showed up with his siblings and his friend from California, so, you know..." He merely says, popping open the trunk.

"Oof, tough one. Jonathan Byers busting your balls again and preventing your six little nuggets, huh?" She said with a wide grin, opening the car door and making him shoot a glare at her, because she was also making Dustin and Robin laugh. "Shut up and get in." He simply says and she does so, smiling at Robin faintly. "Hi." She says and the Buckley's smile is lessened by the faint smell of booze coming from her. "Hi." She says anyway with the same kindness to her.

Dustin glanced back, almost as a non-verbal way to check on her and she just sent a small smile, glancing out the window as the drive was quiet now and Allison spent most of it staring out the car window. After the earthquake hit and Eddie died, she... sort of got rid of the black hair, got it back to blonde and even stopped wearing dark make up in general. It all reminded her too much of Eddie. Even her rings and bracelets because half of them came from him as gifts.

Robin and Dustin call a lot to her place over the past day and a half that's passed since they all parted ways after leaving from the Upside Down, to see if she was okay. She always says she is but the other two know deep down she really wasn't, if she was, she wouldn't be constantly chugging down beer or hard liquor she takes from her dad.

She had to keep it from them, they couldn't know and she really preferred it if she didn't let any of them in. God knows she'd just be scared to lose them the way she lost Eddie. She wonders why she's even here for a moment, hanging out with them as if they're all friends. Then she dug both of her hands into her pockets, feeling the bandana in it that she hasn't even bothered to take out.

She fiddles with the fabric between her hands as the car stopped in the parking lot of the school where the four of them hopped out. Steve opened up the trunk and he and Robin grab the boxes. Allison reached over to grab the one she brought, "oh, let me, Al." Steve says, picking up two boxes at once and for a split moment, she froze at the nickname.

He grabs the box, sending her a sweet little smile as he brushed past her and she follows behind the three after Steve shut the trunk. Allison kept looking all around the whole way inside the high school's gymnasium. All the injured people, being treated and it made Allison feel sick to her stomach. All this pain caused by Vecna. So fucked up.

"Hi." Robin smiles when they got at the donations table and Allison quickly looks forward, standing in the back behind her and Dustin. "Hi." The girl, Melissa, smiles back sweetly at Robin. "Uh, so these are blankets and sheets." She patted the box she carried. "And some... some clothes." She pats the one Steve had been carrying.

"Some canned food as well," she pats the one under the other Steve was carrying. "And some kids' toys." Robin now gestured to the one Dustin had carried. "Wow. It's already so organized. We appreciate that." The worker says with a smile at the four. "Do you want a tax receipt for it?" She asked and Robin glanced at Steve who shook his head softly as she then looks at Allison next.

She also shook her head gently as Robin spoke, "no, I don't think we need one. Thank you, though." She smiles kindly at the woman before she glanced around. "But is there anything else that we can do to help?" She asked and Melissa just smiled at the four.