"Hey, you remember what I said last year, right? We're Zombie Boy and Ghost Boy. I'm not ever gonna leave you."
"Promise?"
"One hundred percent."
***
In which Alistair fights the monster that possessed his friend alongside his friends, while trying...
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Chapter Three: The Break Up
(pre-Suzie, Do You Copy?, Pt. 3)
***
Alistair picked at the skin around his thumbnail aggressively. Stinging pain burst in his thumb with each bit of skin peeled away, leaving behind red-pink skin welling with crimson blood. And yet, Alistair didn't stop, no matter the blood crusting his nails, no matter the pain.
Because he was breaking up with Cami. Today.
Alistair knew this was the right decision, that it was better for both of them—he knew it since that realisation two days ago, knew it in his bones and heart. And yet here he was, picking at his skin and agonising over it, because what if Cami didn't feel the same? What if she liked him as more than friends? Alistair didn't want to hurt her—he never wanted to hurt Cami, especially after how he'd been such an asshole to her those months ago, however unwittingly because of the Upside Down.
And yet... what if she also felt the same as him? What if she did want to be strictly platonic again?
Alistair didn't know, and it was making his mind spin in a circle of questioning himself.
His nail scraped down sensitive skin, drawing more blood, more pain. Scarlet beaded, threatening to spill, dying the edges of his nails red.
He couldn't do this, maybe he could wait until he and Rowan got back to Hawkins, maybe—
"Are you ready, lover boy?"
Alistair jumped, whirling around as his heart resettled back into its natural rhythm and he glared at Amarantha leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, lips quirked up in a smirk, Hugin on her shoulder. When the raven noticed the bloody mess that was the skin around Alistair's left thumbnail, he gave Alistair a reproaching glare and flapped off of Amarantha's shoulder and tugged sharply at one of his curls. Alistair yelped, swatting at Hugin who flew out of the way and dived back in, tugging another curl until Alistair stopped. He glared at Hugin, who flew onto his shoulder, before turning to his still-smirking cousin.
"Uh, yeah, I am," he said. As ready as he could be.
Amarantha nodded, getting off the doorframe and joining Alistair. As she did, Alistair added sarcastically, "Could have gone without the heart attack, though."
"I'm sure you'll live. Want me to get Aunt Hazel just in case?" Amarantha responded as she raised her hand, eyes flashing bluish purple as the air rippled.
Alistair gave her another glare before Amarantha said, "Okay, I've never seen your girlfriend's room before, could you tell me what it looks like?"
Alistair hid the flinch of Cami being referred to as his girlfriend, and described, "Uh, it has pale yellow walls with white skirting, lots of plants—like, a lot, it's like a jungle in there—Eurhythmics, Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, Daniela Romo, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Iris Chacon, The Police and David Bowie posters on the walls next to a picture of Blanca Canales and a cross, a Puerto Rico flag over her bed—it has pink sheets and lots of pillows—lots of cassettes and records, a record player, and a snow globe of New York on her bedside table. Oh! And she has this rainbow circle rug in the middle of the room."
