'tis the damn season

Twenty-Six: You're On Your Own, Kid

"So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it, you've got no reason to be afraid" 

Part Two

*6 Months later*

Sometimes I didn't know what to do. I know I'm an over thinker, and feel anxious over stupid things sometimes. Recently, whenever I've felt like this, there was only one person that seemed to be able to simplify things for me.

I leave the living room, practically speed walking up the stairs. I push El's door open easily, since she's always got it ajar, and sit on her bed, looking at her. She was sitting at her desk, painting the sides of the small model cabin for her school project.

She looks at me and sets down her popsicle stick wall. It didn't seem to matter what she was doing, if I needed something, she was there for me, and if she needed something, I was right there next to her.

These past six months of living in California have been quite the wild ride. We all changed in a way after the move. Not right away, but over time. Since El and Will were in high school now, things were different. They were older. El was speaking much more fluidly now, and did okay at school. I knew she and Will hadn't made many friends, but at least they had each other.

Will I had noticed, was quiet. I know he's always been a quiet kid, but these past few months he's barely left his room. I know he's been painting a lot, which is good for him. Apparently he's got one of the highest marks in his art class. But for the most part he keeps to himself. He's even been kind of distant towards Johnathan lately which confuses me. They were best friends, and now all of a sudden Johnathan will ask him how his day was and Will will only respond in one or two words.

Johnathan seemed, stressed. He'd started smoking weed a couple months after the move, and while I guess it's not the worst thing he could be doing, he seemed to be doing it often enough that he was obviously trying to cover up some emotions. Probably because he missed Nancy so much. I'd noticed he'd smoked more than usual this week, because Nancy cancelled her trip to visit him. Apparently she had to work all spring break. Mike was still scheduled to visit El and Will though. I wasn't sure how that was going to go. El, I knew talked to Mike all the time, answering letters, and calling him practically every other day. While Will hadn't talked to Mike hardly at all since we'd moved.

Joyce is doing okay, I think. She works from home which is nice, selling encyclopedias over the phone. I think she likes being home, but maybe needs a job that's a little more exciting. She gets frustrated with people on the phone sometimes, but I guess that's just customer service.

I try to keep as busy as possible. I had gotten an apprenticeship at a publishing company in downtown LA, and spent Monday's to Friday's there. But my weekends were usually spent working on my own writing, and trying to get ahead for the coming week at work. As much as I loved working there, I was excited to have a week off, and be able to relax. I made pretty decent money working there, and so I was finally able to afford a round trip flight to spend some time in Hawkins.

I pull my legs up on the bed, crossing my legs over each other. "I just talked to Robin," I start, while El shifts in her seat to face me. "And she said that her grandparents showed up at her house today, and said they were going to be staying at her house for the week. She said that she tried to convince her mom to still let me stay with them, but they just won't have any room in the house for me," I sigh.

El's eyebrows furrow at this. "But your flight is tomorrow, does that mean you're not going?"

"Oh no, I'm going," I laugh awkwardly. "But now I have to stay with Steve," I say, dropping the bomb.