Basic Instinct [stranger things]

25. Meetings

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MEETINGS

It was the first week of December, and Aaron was a nervous wreck on the car ride to the middle school that Friday. 

The week had passed quite quickly for the boy, seeing as he'd been quite busy. He'd been in and out of the hospital with his friends visiting Will, while also stressing over the return of his parents.

They'd gotten home the night before, positively furious with Aaron for having taken away from his fathers work time which was apparently crucial.

Now, Aaron sat in the backseat of the family car as both his parents sat in the front. Not one of them spoke the entire ride to the school, in fact it was as if they refused to.

Because his parents were back home, Aaron was dressed presentably with his hair looking like he'd actually brushed it, even if it were just for a few days.

Aaron was embarrassed as he got out the car with his parents and walked towards the school building, glad no one was there to see him.

His mother and father were always dressed glamorously, both of their hair always done so even the smallest of hairs were in tact, his father embarrassingly dressed in a suit as his mother was dressed in some designer dress with shoes Aaron was sure were way too expensive for what they actually were.

Much to Aaron's distaste, he was wearing a knitted dark green sweater and his mother had forced him out of his worn out sneakers, insisting that they made him look dirty.

Aaron trailed behind his parents as the three made their way into the school building. Aaron actually felt as if he could throw up as he caught sight of the door of the principle's office.

Aaron sat on his hands to hide the fact that they were shaking so bad due to fear.

To say the meeting went bad would be putting it lightly, it had gone awfully. The principle had not gone easy on him, describing in detail every second of his encounter with his teacher.

His parents were furious, they'd yelled at him the entire way home, how much of an embarrassment he was to the family while lecturing him on respecting adults.

Aaron didn't try defend himself, he'd done so before years ago and now knew better, knowing it would only land him in more trouble, he was already grounded for two weeks.

That night, his parents didn't talk to him at all, they just ignored him, as if to make a point.

Steve wasn't speaking to him either, but Steve never really spoke to him, so Aaron didn't read too much into it.

However, if Aaron could go back in time and stop himself from eating dinner with his family that night he would.

It had started as he'd expected, with no one talking to him. Aaron didn't mind, well, he did, but he was good at acting like he didn't.

His dad making a huge fuss over Steve's past few basketball games, and yet despite the fact that Steve wasn't necessarily interested in speaking to his parents, simply supplying them with one word answers or nods of acknowledgement, his parents didn't seem to care one bit.

One thing that was never mentioned though, was the purple bruise circling Steve's eye. It was clear as day, yet his parents avoided even looking at it as if it were the plague.

"I see you've kept the house clean, Steven." His mom gushed while laughing, causing Aaron to lift his head and watch Steve's reaction to her words. "I was almost worried we'd come home to mess everywhere."