Butterfly

013- Tomorrow Night

After school Teddy found Nancy leaning against her car, seemingly waiting on her. She smiled at the girl as she approached, but deep down she was worried. Nancy never waited for her after school that often. Granted nothing bad ever happened when she did, but it just felt very uncanny.  Like she was living in a different world. Even though it had been a year since they had become friends, it still confused Teddy that Nancy really liked her. And that she was willing to help her, but Steve had been right. Nancy was a sweet girl, and she didn't care about Teddy's past, she just liked having someone around that understood her.

"Hey, Nancy, what's up?"

Nancy sighed, "I'm just worried about tonight. I was hoping you would want to go with me?"

Teddy raised an eyebrow at the girl, throwing her books into the backseat of her car, "I thought Steve was going with you?"

"Yes," Nancy paused looking away towards Steve's car. "I just... I wasn't sure if that was the best idea."

"I'm positive that it's a better idea than me going with you."

"Why's that?"

"Let's see... what was the first thing you ever said to me? Oh right- 'don't they call you Tipsy Teddy?'" Teddy laughed at the fear that took over Nancy's face. "I'm sure Barb's parents would love to know that they last night that anyone remembers seeing her was spent with the chief's crackhead daughter. And what's so wrong about Steve?"

Nancy clenched onto her books, a faraway look clouding her eyes. "Nothing... it's nothing. I don't know I just, thought I would enjoy your company more."

"You'll be fine. I promise. Steve won't mess it up as much as you think he will."

"Right." She looks down, and a sudden smile takes over her features again. "Oh I meant to ask, are you coming to the Halloween Party tomorrow night?"

Teddy shrugged, "Cleo has already made us Ozballs all costumes so we are kind of being forced to go."

"Oh that's great! Will you please talk to Jonathan then?"

"Me? Talk to Jonathan? Nance, I really don't hang out with him outside of hanging out with you. I doubt he cares if I'm going or not."

"Please," Nancy begged. "I don't want him sitting at home all alone."

"Look, I'll talk to him, but I doubt anything comes of it. He likes you more than he likes me," Teddy teased.

A light blush fell across Nancy's face, but before she could protest Steve came up behind her, hugging her from behind. "There's my favorite girl. I thought you ditched me."

Teddy turned from the two of them, pretending to search her pockets for her keys, but that only lasted so long. "Well I guess I'll see you later, Nance."

Nancy waved at the girl, starting to head toward's Steve cars, but Steve waited glancing down at the girl in the car. "Hey, I never got to say, I like your new car. Glad I don't have to drive you anymore."

"Thanks," Teddy said, not glancing away from her steering wheel.

"So are you going to the party tomorrow night?" Steve asked, still trying to make conversation.

"Yep. Cleo's already made us all costumes. You'll be excited to see what I'm going as."

"And what is that, Dorothy?"

Teddy shrugged, a smile taking over her features as she looked up at the boy. "Oh nothing you can't wait to see until tomorrow. You should probably go through, your girlfriend is waiting on you and she probably wants to debrief you one last time before you head out to Barb's tonight."

Steve sighed, "Alrighty then. I'll see you around, Dorothy."

As Steve turned around and went back, Teddy watched him. After a second, she started her car, and sped off towards her house. El was gonna be pissed if she didn't make it home on time.

Just as Teddy thought, when she arrived two minutes late, El was not having it.

"You're late," El scolded the girl as Teddy opened the door.

Teddy through her bag in her room, trying not to make the situation already worse than it was. "I'm sorry. I got caught up talking to people at school. I got here as fast as I could."

"I thought you died."

Teddy's eyes widen. "I was late by two minutes."

"I almost had to watch you."

"El! I- It was two minutes!"

"Yes you promised, and then you broke that promise."

Teddy sighed they were going to get no where. "What if we had an early dessert and didn't tell dad? Would that make up for it?"

El smiled, heading straight for the freezer. "Yes!"

Teddy shook her head at the girl. She knew that's what she had really been after the whole time. It wasn't common for Teddy to be late, but when she was El always demanded an apology. And that always took the form of sneaking waffles. Teddy couldn't complain though, she loved Eggos as much as the next person, and she was glad to be able to share in that with her new sister. So... maybe being late every once in a while wasn't a big deal.

The two of them drowned their waffles in sprinkles and whipped cream and dug in. Hopper would be furious if he saw just how much they had put on them, but that was the glory of having dessert early. What he didn't know wouldn't kill him.

As the two of them ate, Teddy watched the younger girl closely. She tried to take in every moment as it happened. Not wanting to miss a single second like she had with Sarah. If Teddy left next year for college, she wouldn't get this every day. She wouldn't have anyone to take care of but herself. So she was going to cherish these moments as much as she could. Also, she knew she was going to have to break the news to El that she wasn't coming home tomorrow night, and that would be a whole thing. El hated when she stayed with the Harringtons overnight. Sure it gave her and Hopper time to themselves, but it worried El that something would happen and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. She already hated being away from the party, it was hard for her to have to deal with that a couple of nights a week with Teddy who she had grown close to over the last several months.

As Teddy cleared their plates, she took this as her chance to break the news. "So.. tomorrow is Halloween and Cleo wants me to-"

"To be Dorothy. Who is Dorothy?" El interrupted.

Teddy's eyes widened, and she pointed at the girl accusatorially. "You spied!"

"I was bored."

"El, come on. Not cool. What if I was doing something weird like going to the bathroom?"

"Then I would not have spied," El said matter-of-factly. "Who is Dorothy?"

"She's a girl from an old movie," Teddy explained. She didn't really care that El had spied on her. She would have done the same to if she was bored and had cool powers. At least she was spying on her and not on the party. It always dampened the mood when she did that all day. "I'll have Dad show you it tomorrow night. He likes that movie too."

"What's it about?"

"Well... it's about a girl from Kansas-"

"Kansas?"

"A different state to remember. Like how we live in Indiana. I'll take you sometime. Anyways she gets sucked up in a tornado and she tries to get home, but this witch is after her and the only way for her to get home is find a wizard at the end of this long road. Anyways come to find out the way to get back home was inside her all along she just had to think real hard. Kind of like you."

El smiled, "I want to watch it."

"With Dad, tomorrow."

El frowned. "Right. While everyone else gets to go out."

Teddy frowned. She hated that the girl's whole life was spent in this house. But what else were they supposed to do? If anyone knew she was still alive, there was no doubt people would start hunting her down.

"You know what... I think I might have a solution, but you will have to run it by Dad tomorrow. Okay?"

El smiled, "Yes."