"I swear, if I'm dying tonight because of you, I'm gonna haunt your ass so hard, Harrington!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah! I'm gonna go full Poltergeist and shit!"
"Then bring it, Graveswood."
"Challenge accepted."
***
In which after years of suppressing their...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter Ninety-Five: Unexpected Meeting
(The Mall Rats)
***
Rowan had been applying mascara to her eyes when the incessant knocking started.
Sighing in frustration, Rowan slammed the mascara applier back into its tube with more force than necessary and stormed to the door as the knocking continued, banging against the door with enough force it might cave it in at last, shouting, "Whoever the fuck you are, stop banging my door down or I'm gonna—"
When she opened the door and saw the knocker, the words faltered as Dustin Henderson raised his fist to bang on the door again. He immediately dropped his fist as he gaped at Rowan. Rowan gaped back at the teen boy she hadn't seen in a month.
"Dustin?" Rowan breathed, shock ringing out from her voice.
"Rowan?" Dustin returned back, just as surprised to see her. He looked at her—at the blouse she was wearing clashing with her ripped shorts, the makeup on her face—and frowned. "What the hell are you wearing?"
"The first half of my work uniform," Rowan answered immediately. "Now tell me when the hell did you come back Henderson and why the fuck didn't you tell me so I could hug you, menace? C'mere."
She opened her arms for a hug and Dustin grinned, hugging Rowan as she wrapped her arms tight around the curly-haired boy. While Lucas, Max, El and Will were always going to be her favourites, she had a soft spot for Dustin. She missed the younger boy when he was at his science camp, and was insanely glad he was now back.
The two pulled apart, Dustin looking at her as he said, "I just came back yesterday. Sorry, I was with everyone else yesterday."
"That's good. Glad they were there—everyone missed you," Rowan replied, to which Dustin scoffed.
"Yeah, Mike and El and Lucas and Max ditched me pretty quick right after we tried to contact Suzie," Dustin revealed.
"Wait, they did?" Rowan asked, eyes wide as Dustin nodded. "Seriously? Okay, look, I love those kids and I'm happy they're together, but that's gone too far. Want me to pull their heads out of their lovestruck asses?"
At the name, Dustin smiled, an enamoured look on his face. "She's my girlfriend I met at Camp Knowhere!"
"Girlfriend?" Rowan repeated, eyes wide, before she grinned and lightly punched Dustin's arm. "That's awesome! Good on you! Is she nice?"
"Rowan, she's brilliant. She's so smart—like, an actual, certified genius smart. And hot. Like, Phoebe Cates but hotter," Dustin gushed, stars in his eyes as he smiled.
"That's amazing. She sounds amazing," Rowan said, before she gave Dustin a look. "Just remember to respect her and treat her right, or I'm gonna kick your ass."
"Don't worry, I will," Dustin hurriedly assured, eyes wide before he sighed dreamily. "But it's all like a star-crossed, forbidden love—she's Mormon, so I made a Cerebro to contact her in Utah and Rowan, I think she's the one, she's so incredible..."
"Well, I'm happy for you. Especially if she is the one," Rowan said, squeezing Dustin's shoulder in support. Dustin's smile widened.
"Thanks, Rowan," he said.
Rowan patted Dustin on the shoulder, before her smile dropped and she said, "Okay, it's fun catching up, but I need to get ready for my internship now. I'll see you around, Dustin."
"Wait, I need to talk to you about something! It's important!" Dustin exclaimed, and Rowan frowned at the sudden shift in mood from the curly-haired teen.
"Okay, and I would love to listen, but I literally need to get ready," Rowan told him, turning to head inside.
"What about Al? Is he here?" Dustin pressed.
Rowan shook her head. "No, my aunt took him to the Byers right after breakfast."
Dustin deflated, obviously disappointed that neither she or Alistair were here to listen to whatever he had to say, and Rowan's heart squeezed.
"Hey, I'll be finished in a few hours, and I will most likely be at Starcourt. You can tell me then, okay menace?" Rowan said, giving him an assuring smile.
"Okay," Dustin said, accepting the compromise. "I'll see you then, Rowan."
"Definitely. See you then, Henderson," she replied, giving him another smile before shutting the door, watching through the window as he biked away. Guilt wormed through her, but Rowan pushed it down—she really did need to head to work. Whatever Dustin had come to tell her and Alistair, it could wait a few hours.
Beside, how important could it really be?
***
Rowan tapped her pen against the table, watching the clock as the hands ticked closer to eleven. Closer to when her morning at Pennhurst would be over and she could leave and head to Starcourt. Closer to hearing whatever Dustin wanted to tell her and Alistair.
Throughout these three hours, Rowan had told herself over and over when her mind wondered what on earth the curly-haired teen wanted to say to her and her brother that it was nothing important, that it probably had something to do with his new girlfriend, that it was most likely some stupid teenager or nerd stuff. And yet, a part of her brain was hesitant in believing it—the part of her used to the strange and unusual, that was growing to expect the strange and unusual and horrifying would always happen to Rowan and the group of kids, teens and adults she was acquainted with. But it couldn't be that, because it was over. All the doors, the gates, the cracks between her world and that horrific world were all sealed up, the ones responsible were gone, it was all fucking over.
And yet last year, Rowan had been confident it had been over. Who was to say that it was over this time? And combined with how that blackout had affected her and her powers...
Rowan shook her head, forcing herself to focus on writing her draft for her college application essay. No. It couldn't be anything to do with the Upside Down. It was just stupid teenager stuff. That was all.
And yet, when eleven o' clock finally came and Rowan all but bolted to her aunt's car when she left Pennhurst and said, "Can you take me to Starcourt after I get changed?" with little questions asked from her aunt who immediately began driving back home so Rowan could get changed and then head to the mall, that part of her wasn't convinced.
That it was something more, and related to the events that had happened in the past two years.
***
Short, I know, but needed chapter!
I loved writing Dustin and Rowan's reunion! Yeah, Lucas, Max, Will and El alternate being Rowan's favourites, but she loves that little menace. And yes, unlike everyone else, Rowan believes Dustin does have a girlfriend and is very supportive (while reminding Dustin to respect Suzie and treat her right, as she should)
And yeah, even though she tries to tell herself what Dustin wanted to say is nothing important, a part of her is convinced it is, and is something to do with the Upside Down. Which, her gut instinct is kinda right but also not? Just that her summer is very, very much not gonna be the fun and relaxing summer she desperately wanted
Next chapter will be out soon and longer than this one!
