𝙎𝙃𝙀'𝙎 𝘼𝙉 𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙇, 𝙈𝙔 𝙊𝙉𝙇𝙔 𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙇.
Diana Blake was who everyone in Hawkins wanted to be or be with. Her family name held power in the town and she wore her popularity like a crown. Until she discovered that her crown was made with...
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE LOOK AT HOW MY TEARS RICOCHET
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RUSSIANS AND SUPERPOWERS. That's what her life had come to.
Up until El regained consciousness, Diana hadn't given much thought about her recent activities. Translating a secret Russian code felt more like solving a puzzle with her best friend than uncovering the plans of potential bad guys, and watching El felt more like watching a kid play pretend. She didn't realize how serious everything was. She was oblivious to so much and the stakes were so high. It made her feel foolish for worrying about her own superficial problems like if her coworkers liked her or when Deborah Pickens' due date was.
El wasn't upset when Max told her she let Diana in on all of her secrets. If anything, the young girl was relieved, which only placed more pressure on Diana's shoulders. She was the oldest. That meant she was responsible for looking after them, even if one of the kids she was babysitting possessed the ability to move things with her mind.
She finally understood why Steve was so grumpy all the time.
Diana tried not to show it, but she was internally freaking out. Growing up reading superhero comics, it should have been easy to accept the fact that people with powers existed. But for some reason, she couldn't wrap her mind around it. Even after El unlocked her car with only the tilt of her head, she was hesitant to believe it.
Her knuckles turned white from how tightly she was holding the steering wheel. The trio was now driving towards the Holloway's house. Whatever El saw, she wouldn't rest until she knew Heather was safe.
Heather's house was on the same street as Tina's, and Diana had been there a few times for parties and sleepovers when they were kids. Heather's parents were kind enough—or at least they pretended to be. They resembled nicer versions of her own parents since Heather's mother, Janet, had a fully stocked wine cellar and her father, Tom, was a powerful man with an attitude problem. They liked to pretend, but Diana could see through their perfect family act a little bit better than most.
"Here it is," Diana said, pulling to a stop in front of the Holloway's mailbox. The front door was a deep red and eerily lit by the nearby porch light.
El got out first, leaving Max and Diana alone. "Maybe you should stay here," the younger girl said, stopping the latter from unbuckling her seatbelt.
Diana's brows furrowed. "Why?"
Max shrugged like she didn't know, but she knew her reasoning well enough. She hadn't been completely honest with Diana about why El thought Billy was such a danger. Maybe she was only fooling herself, because if she verbalized the theory that Billy was connected to the supernatural side of Hawkins, it would be real. And she didn't want to lose Billy when they finally stopped hating each other.
If El was right and Billy hurt Heather, then Diana's safety could be his next victim. And if El was wrong and Heather wasn't hurt, then that would mean the end of his and Diana's relationship. Either way, Diana was the loser and Max would rather face it alone.
