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Chapter 36, Spring Break of 1986 (Ep. 1: The Hellfire Club)
Returning to Hawkins would definitely be a mistake.
Gwen hadn't visited since Christmas and even then, the visit left her with nothing but regrets. What was supposed to be a heartfelt celebration over the best holiday turned out to have been the worst day of her life.
And it was entirely her fault.
She had spent the last week of classes debating on whether or not going back home was the better choice, or if she should give in to Jonathan's pleas to join him in California.
It would be nice to spend her spring break in the sunny beaches with her best friend, but Hawkins kept calling out to her because of him, and that was the worst part.
Maybe she could stay in New York. She could organize her dorm and get ahead of her assignments. Anything would be better than deciding since she always tended to decide wrong. Of course, if she stayed, her spring break would be spent alone since her roommate was already back home in Texas.
Then again, her suitcase was already made and it wasn't packed for the Californian heat.
A choice had been made, but she was afraid of following through.
The phone suddenly rang, offering a well-needed interruption.
Already knowing who it was, Gwen leapt out of her bed and hurried to the phone. She didn't even get the chance to say the first word since Jonathan was already screaming into her ear, "Tell me you're coming to California and not Hawkins!"
"What happened to, 'how are you' or 'are you doing okay'?" Gwen sarcastically replied as she leaned against the wall.
"I need you to come. I can't spend spring break alone," Jonathan's footsteps could be heard through the phone along with Will and El arguing about something.
She paused, confused, "I thought Nancy was going to visit. Isn't she going anymore?"
Jonathan turned silent, as if debating continuing or not, "It's, umm... complicated."
"Complicated, how?" Gwen wrapped the cord around her finger, carefully twirling it before opening the blinds to let some light inside. "You haven't seen each other in months, so her visit should be a good thing."
"Can you please just come here?" Jonathan pleaded again, subtly changing the subject. "It's not like you have anyone there to visit anyway."
