Basic Instinct [stranger things]

9. Catch-ups

CHAPTER NINE
CATCH-UPS

Kimmy had been correct to assume that the invitation to the Wheeler household which Aaron had received from Mike Wheeler himself, had in fact not meant he could ask Kimmy to come along with him.

Kimmy felt extremely out of place as she watched the two twelve year old boys bicker back and forth over the girl while being stood directly in front of her.

"This is ridiculous, Aaron." Mike sighed, his face scrunched up in anger. "You can't just invite some- some stranger into the party without having a discussion with all the members."

"I never said she was a member of the party, did I?" Aaron shot back, equally as mad. "All I said was that it's only fair that Kimmy can come around when it's about the weirdo. I don't know why you're having such a fit over it-"

"It's my house!" Mike injected, his voice a slightly higher pitch than usual. "You can't just invite people over-"

"I didn't mean to intrude, Mike," Kimmy piped up apologetically in a small voice. Causing both pairs of eyes to snap over to her as their voices faded. "I'm sorry about all this. I can go home-"

"Thank you-"

"No," Aaron snapped, his brows knitted together in annoyance as he glowered at the boy in front of the pair. "We should she? If it weren't for Kimmy, we wouldn't have found the girl in the first place! She has the right to be invited to our meetings-"

"Actually, Aaron," Mike begun, his brown eyes rolling in annoyance as he turned all his attention on to the boy who's hair was a dirty blond. "She doesn't have the right to be invited to our meetings. She's not a member of the party!"

"So what?" Aaron retorted, his face scrunching up into a very much pissed off expression. "If this today has anything to do with the girl she found- which I'm guessing it does - then she has as right to be here as anyone else. The girl isn't your property, Mike-"

"I'm not saying she is my property!" Mike shot back, his cheeks flushed a deep red colour out of embarrassment. "That's beside the point! I'm sure Kimmy's a nice girl, but we can't go around inviting just anyone into the party-"

"Why not?" Aaron injected with a rough tone. "She's my friend, and she knows about the girl. Give me one reason why she can't join the party."

Mike rolled his eyes and huffed, "because-"

A large feeling of dread washed over Kimmy in that moment. She knew she wasn't wanted in the small, tightly knit friend group. That didn't feel the best. But she couldn't have expected to be accepted with open arms, to be honest it didn't really bother her that the boys weren't too keen on letting her join their party.

What did bother her, was Aaron's reasonings.

He was trying to push her into his friend group so she wasn't alone, because he felt bad for her. Perhaps he was worried she'd try something if she was left with her thoughts - if she was left alone.

He was scared she'd kill herself, and he'd be the one to blame. Because he had known she was struggling and did nothing to help.

That thought made Kimmy feel sick with guilt.

She didn't want him to lose his friends, or possibly tarnish his friendship with the small group in anyway just because she had issues.

Which is why she spoke her next words with such ease, cutting Mike Wheeler off in the process.

"It's alright, Mike I understand," she injected with a forced smile, fighting down the disappointment which she could feel building up within her. "It's your house and I shouldn't have come over uninvited, sorry about that. I'll see you guys around."