When Friendship Becomes Forever

Chapter 16

Robin

(This photo is so damn random lol)

I was the only one of us who hadn't left the house.

The large group of people that had gathered to help was slowly dwindling down and eventually, there were only five of us left; Joyce, Hopper, Jonathan, Will, and I.

It felt major intrusive since they were all a family now but I didn't exactly have anywhere else I could be.

Steve had left as soon as he realised Nancy had also, and I supposed the two of them were somewhere together now.

Jealousy pinched at my heartstrings but I tried my best to ignore it, pushing the feeling away.

The sun had already set; streets growing quieter as children returned to their houses, seemingly carefree and oblivious to the pain of adolescence.

"Hey, you can leave if you want, you've done more than enough," Jonathan told me with a smile.

I smiled back, sighing.

"Thanks but I, uh, I don't mind. I don't exactly have anywhere else I need to be."

He laughed a little.

"Go home Robin. Thank you," he said with a gesture to the front yard that was now satisfyingly empty.

I grinned back, though my heart was not in it.

"Okay. Fine. But it sounds an awful lot like you're trying to get rid of me!" I teased and Jonathan laughed.

"See you 'round,"

"Yeah," I said back quietly. "See ya 'round."

Turning to leave, I gave the new house one final glance.

It was symbolic, I guess, in a way.

A start of a new life.

A new...everything.

For Jonathan and El and the entire Hopper-Byers family it was a fresh start away from everything that had happened.

I couldn't help but think that it should be for Max too.

Max had lost more than all of us, maybe even more than El.

She had a chance to start anew, to move in with the girl she loves and have a real family.

But that was before.

I sighed as I reached the front door to my house; the same one I had lived in since I was born.

I was literally born in this house.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" I called as I entered.

"Robin?" my father's voice called back from the kitchen.

"Who else?" I asked, more quietly this time.

"I don't know. An alien with your voice," he replied as I walked into the room.

I rolled my eyes as he laughed hysterically at his own joke.

"You're so funny," I told him sarcastically.

"I know!"

I rolled my eyes again but this time I was smiling.

"Robin? My goodness, where have you been?" my mother asked as she too entered the room.

"What do you mean? It's eight o'clock," I replied.

"You could have told me you were going to be out with your boyfriend!" she said, taking no account of the words I had spoken.

"Steve isn't my boyfriend," I muttered to myself.

My mom sighed.

"If only he was,"

"No. No, not 'if only he was', Mom. He's my best friend,"

"And you're eighteen! You should be out at parties with your boyfriend, not sneaking around and doing...whatever it is you're doing," she said with a flick of her hand.

"Yet you're mad at me for coming home at eight o'clock at night. What party ends by eight?"

"Not a good one!" my father piped up.

My mother sighed.

"I just don't think its healthy that's all. You should be out having a life,"

"Do you even know where I was? Where I've been all summer?" I asked, my voice raising.

My mother shrugged.

"Not doing anything interesting I presume!"

"I was at the Hopper-Byers' new house helping them unpack. And all summer long I've been hanging out with my friends. If you actually gave a sh!t about my life then you'd know that!"

"Language!" my mother nearly shouted back at me. "And that's terrific for you! All I'm trying to say is that maybe you should branch out. Go meet some nice boys and live a little!"

I sighed heavily.

"Why does everything to do with your idea of living have to do with boys?!" I shot back.

My mother stared at me confused.

"What?"

I shook my head, as if to rid myself of the anger.

"Never mind," I muttered, pushing past her to get to my bedroom.

My mother would never understand.

None of them would.

Her idea of living was always going to be different to mine.

Mine was different to most people's.

Except three others.

(A/N: This chapter is short but we actually get to have  a closer look into Robin's home life so I hope you like it! Just imagine Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman as her parents lmaoooo- Jsyk I'm updating now cos I'm going away for a few days tmrw and idk if I'll be able to update on Friday :) Stay safe and totally tubular and I'll see you in the next one! xx)