Other Friends

Chapter 9 - Truth

The girls never thought something would happen with them nearby. Will had another episode, but it was the worst one of them all. And he was all alone. When Mike reported over the walkie what had happened, Lizzie's panic was towards Bella, not Will. Did she have an episode too? Was she okay? Any sense that the girl was angry with her was forgotten. Bella didn't realize what was happening until she was being dragged towards the parking lot by Lucas and Dustin towards Joyce's car.

Now here they all the girls were, in Hawkins Labs as Will and Bella get checked over. "I can't believe you two never told me." Windy says in disbelief.

"I didn't want things to change." Bella mumbles as her blood pressure gets checked over.

"Nothing would have changed if you told me!" Windy tells her exasperated. She groans, "I can't believe you didn't tell me! What did you think would change!?" she didn't give her a chance to answer. "We're still friends. Why did you think anything would have been different? Did you not trust me?"

"Of course I trust you!" Bella tells her.

"It doesn't seem like it! You had Liz keep your secret!" she argues back gesturing to the other girl who was leaning on the wall. "You could have told me about everything that was going on. I would have understood that you hadn't gotten over everything that happened."

"You don't get it! It's not like I wanted to tell Liz. But Hopper is who's helping me, and he told Liz! I would have told no one." Bella says with a sigh as she leans back on the bed. "I'm not having things as bad as Will. I didn't see the point of telling anyone."

"I get it. But I'm still upset." Windy says, crossing her arms. "Next time something like this happens, tell me so I can help you if needed." she sighs, "We used to tell each other everything, good or bad, what happened?"

"This is beyond good or bad." Bella admits, "It's hard to talk about, okay? I'm sorry."

"Cool, so are we done with all that. Are we cool?" Liz questions.

Before either could respond the doctor enters the room. "Ah Lady Bella and friends." Owens greets, confusing Windy a tiny bit. "How are we feeling?"

"Fine. Normal. How's Will?" Bella asks in return.

"Resting." he says curtly. "Did you have an episode today?" he asks her.

"No." she replies annoyed about not having more news on Will.

"Nightmares?" he asks.

She was going to reply with her usual but then thought about it. She spent a good chunk of the night chatting with Steve that when she fell asleep, she didn't wake up in a panic until she smelt the breakfast. "No. No, nightmares."

He writes for a moment in his usual notes he takes. "How was Halloween?" he asks, trying to make casual conversation now, seeing as she was now lower on the priority list of things to worry over.

Bella glances at Liz then at Windy before looking at Doctor Owens. "Fine." she replies with a shrug.

"Have that sleepover?" he asks, making the girl bite the inside of her cheek.

"Yup." she lies.

"It was a movie marathon." Liz cuts in, adding to her lie.

"Oh, really what'd ya watch?" Owens questions as he looks over the girl's brainwaves.

"Oh, some horror, some comedy. Random things Liz picked out really." Bella says, glaring at her friend when the doctor wasn't looking.

"Yeah, we watched Halloween before we passed out." Windy lies, earning a nod and smile from the doctor.

"Sounds like a fun night you girls had." he tells them.

"Yeah, spectacular." Bella lies, giving him a small smile.

The doctor wasted no time discharging Bella and updating Hopper and Joyce leading to them talking to the three girls in the hall. "I want you to go straight home." he tells Bella before looking at Windy, "You take her home. No pit stops."

"Got it." the two reply, not necessarily liking that Hopper was scolding them for no reason.

"You." he now points to Liz. "Are staying with me," he tells her.

"But what about-" she cuts herself off from mentioning El.

"No buts. With me, that's it." he tells her.

"Get home safely." Joyce tells the two girls.

"We will. Update us on Will when you can." Bella requests, earning a nod from the mother before they leave.

The drive leaving the Lab was awkward to say the least. "Are we good?" Bella finally breaks the silence.

Windy took a moment to think as she drove in silence, "Yes. But if you're keeping from me that you have cool powers, so help me I'll never forgive you." she says.

Bella breaks into laughter, Windy soon following as she couldn't keep a straight face. "I promise I don't have powers. But if I did, you would be the first person I would tell."

"Hell yeah I better be." Windy says with a grin, "Now tell me about Steve."

A groan comes from the other girl's mouth, "There's nothing to talk about."

"Oh really? Is that why you sat with him at lunch, or walked out of school with him at the end of the day?" Windy presses.

Bella looks over at her friend, "For your information, he was talking to me about Nancy and how he could make things up to her. Not that he listened to me."

Windy looks confused, "Pause; what's going on with him and Nancy?"

She sighs, "It's confusing, she was drunk at the party and called their relationship bullshit after he spilt her drink on her accidently to stop her from getting completely wasted, before leaving him alone. Then he found me and well, you know what happened." Bella shrugs, "I told him he doesn't need to apologize cause he did nothing wrong."

"He did nothing wrong! What's he thinking? She should apologize to him. God, their relationship is weird." Windy says as they park in front of Bella's house.

"Tell me about it." Bella says with an eye roll before they both laugh at how ridiculous the high school drama was.