HEART FLAYER | b. hargrove

CHAPTER 002.

October 31st, 1984

"'Come get sheet-faced'?" Arwen reads off of the orange party invitation and raises her brows at Nancy as she walks with her and Jonathan through the school halls. "I may not get out a lot, but that is the lamest shit I've ever heard."

Jonathan laughs in agreement and Nancy shot her a playful smirk.

"You're both coming." She informs them.

"I can't, sorry Nance." Arwen says with an apologetic smile. "I gotta keep an eye on El while she trick-or-treats tonight." 

"I have to do the same with Will." Jonathan adds.

"Hey! Can we carpool?" Arwen asks excitedly and the boy chuckles and nods. 

"Oh come on, guys, you have to watch your siblings all night?" Nancy whines as they reach her locker. "The kids will watch over each other. Just come for a little while? Maybe you'll both meet someone." 

Jonathan and Arwen look at each other, as if silently debating on it. They're interrupted by Steve coming up and showering Nancy in an obnoxious public display of affection. 

"Gross. Get a room, you two!" Arwen calls to them as she and the quieter boy walk away from the couple. 

She noticed Jonathan looking more uncomfortable than the average person at seeing those two all over each other, so she nudged him with her elbow and gave him a reassuring smile. He gave a weak little smile back, looking down at the party invitation with a soft sigh.

"Maybe it'd be alright to let the kids do their own thing for one night..." Jonathan murmurs.

"Let them feel normal and not so... fragile, I say. Especially Will." Arwen says in agreement, patting the boy on the back. "Nancy's got a good point. Pick me and El up at seven?"

She asks him, starting to walk backwards down the hall and grinning at him. He smiles back and nods, waving bye to her with the orange paper in his hand.

-

Arwen had felt a little self-conscious about not having a Halloween costume until she saw that Jonathan also lacked one. She beamed at him as she and El got into his car and made sure turn around to greet Will in the backseat. 

"What's up, Willy boy?!" She reached back to pat his knee with a big smile on her face. "Love that Ghostbusters costume."

"Hi, Arwen!" Will replied, being as adorable as ever. "Thank you."

Will and Eleven chatted in the backseat while the two teens listened to music, occasionally singing some lyrics out loud and obnoxiously. Arwen always thought Jonathan's music taste was amazing. 

They dropped off the two kids and surprised them with the news that they'd be on their own tonight. However, they made it extremely clear to stay together and watch over each other. And to not let Joyce or Hopper know that they let them go off without supervision. Eleven and Will seemed completely stoked and promised to be good, thanking the teens before running off to join the rest of the group. Arwen waved to Dustin, Mike, and Lucas in their matching costumes before they pulled away. 

By the time they arrived at the party, the house looked packed full of drunk teenagers already. Excitement hummed in Arwen's chest and she was eager to add another regular kid experience to her list. She barely even let Jonathan park the car all the way before she was opening her door and hopping out. The music was loud as Hell even from outside and she ushered Jonathan along before pulling him into the house. He simply chuckled at her obvious excitement. 

They entered the house to the sound of 'Talking in Your Sleep' playing through speakers. Arwen gazed around in awe at everyone dancing, talking, laughing, and having a great time in their variety of costumes. But something a little less fun catches her eye after a moment. 

Billy is standing in front of Steve, absolutely staring him down and looking like they're about to get in a fight. 

Arwen immediately comes up and stands behind Steve, placing a hand on his shoulder to alert him to her arrival. He turns to give her a half-hearted grin before quickly turning his attention back to the aggressive boy. Of course, Billy's idea of a costume was a leather jacket with no shirt beneath it. And why the hell is he so wet?