Just friends?

Chapter 4 : Dinner With the Hollands

"Is this the right house?" I asked Nancy as we pulled up to the address she told me. 

There was a for sale sign in the front yard. 

"I'm pretty sure." Nancy said a little too confused for my liking. 

"Well Nance, is this the house or not?"

"It is. Let's go."

"Alright." I parked the car and got out. 

The closer we got to the door, the more the guilt set in. 

We were going to sit and have dinner with her parents who still had hope that she was alive and she wasn't. We knew and they didn't. Feeding into their hopes feels so incredibly wrong. It is wrong, but we have a deal. Who knows what could happen to us if we said anything. 

Once we made it to the door, Nancy hesitated to knock.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little nervous."

I squeezed her hand and she knocked on the door. We waited for a few seconds and then the door swung open.

"Girls! It's so great to see you!" Barb's mom greeted as the pulled us into a hug.

I used to be good friends with Nancy and Barb when we were younger, but we sort of fell apart in middle school. I honestly regret it now.

The guilt absolutely consumes me as we sit and eat at the table. Her parents make small talk with both of us, but the atmosphere is just so awkward. 

"So, I noticed a 'For Sale' sign out in the yard. Is that a mistake or?" Nancy asked quietly. 

"Would you like to tell them?" Mrs. Holland asked her husband. 

"Go ahead." He replied.

"We've hired a man named Murray Bauman. Have either of you heard of him?" She said excitedly.

Both Nancy and I shook our heads no. 

"He was an investigative journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times."

"He's pretty well known." Mr. Holland added, while handing me a card. I looked at the man on the card and felt the guilt rushing back. 

"Anyway, he's freelance now, and he agreed to take the case." 

All the blood drained from my face. I looked over at Nancy and she was just as shocked as me. 

"Um, what exactly does that mean?" I asked quietly. 

"It means he's going to do what that lazy son of a bitch Jim Hop-" his wife stopped him. He took a breath and continued, "Sorry. What the Hawkins police haven't been capable of doing. Means we have a real detective on the case. "

"It means...we're going to find our Barb!" She said with her eyes full of hope. 

"If anyone can find her, it's this man. He already has leads. By God, he's worth every last penny." Mr. Holland concluded. 

"Is that why you're selling the house?" Nancy asked, confused.

"Don't worry about us, sweetie. We're fine. More than fine. For the first time in a long time, we're hopeful. 

Now the guilt had eaten me whole. I felt like the biggest dick, asshole, shitface on the planet. 

"Excuse me. I'll be right back." Nancy said quickly but quietly. 

"Nance." I whispered, but she had already stood up and walked towards the bathroom. 

The happiness on their faces was so sad to look at. I thought about telling them the truth. Every second after that I contemplated throwing it down and letting whatever came after, come.