Basic Instinct [stranger things]

87. Solutions

CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
SOLUTIONS

Aaron was a nervous wreck at school later that day. Since he had stepped foot in the building that morning, he had not stopped worrying about what would happen when he would return home.

Although, unlike usual it was not himself he was fearful for. It was for the brunette sat next to him.

Sure, even when he had been fearful of the trouble his parents would give him in years prior, it was never that he was scared he'd be hit to the point of passing out or anything.

Yeah, the boy had been hit by his parents a few times in his life, but Aaron could only assume that was normal. All his friends had been hit before with good reason, if you did something bad enough you got a single slap maybe.

It was just how it was. You do something bad, and you face the punishment.

And by hit he meant a slap to the face at worst, clearly this wasn't the best feeling in the world, but Aaron was rarely hit. His parents didn't hit unless they were really angry at him, and even then it was nothing more than a slap - like he said.

Aaron naturally assumed it was the same with everyone. It wasn't until he saw what had happened to Kimmy that he'd realised how wrong he'd been.

Obviously he knew that some kids did get abused, but it was almost like it would never happen in Hawkins. That the thought of someone he knew getting abused was just absurd to think about. 

But that was just it, because it was so normal and expected of parents to give their kids a slap or two when they felt it was deserved, no one would take what had happened to the girl seriously. Aaron knew they wouldn't.

The two adults wouldn't face punishment for what they'd done to her, because no one who could actually do something about it cared enough.

Aaron understood why Kimmy didn't want people to know what had happened to her. She was embarrassed, and Aaron would have been lying if he said he wouldn't have felt the same if it happened to him.

If Kimmy ever went back to her house the cycle would continue, only she'd most likely end up dead due to the abuse. Last time she'd been pushed to the point of trying to kill herself just to try get out of her house and away from her parents.

Aaron would be stupid to let that happen to her again.

But what if his parents really wouldn't let Kimmy stay anymore? The blond didn't know what he would do.

There was no way he'd let her go back to her own house, but what if the likely possibility did become reality and she wouldn't be able to stay? The thought had been bothering him all day.

He knew that his parents would be back yelling at him the second he walked in the door, but he didn't really care all that much. Well, it wasn't that he didn't care, it was just that he had a bigger issue to care about.

Usually if his parents had spoken to him the way they did that morning he would have been distraught, but the second they told him he couldn't have Kimmy over anymore all he could feel was panicked for the girl.

"Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but I think it's best you maybe... I don't know... do something after school instead of coming home with me." Aaron told Kimmy anxiously the second he was given the chance at lunch, the boy messing around with the watch on his wrist as he struggled to focus on what to say. "Just for an hour maybe. Because I'll have to talk to my parents about this morning and it will probably be awkward and stuff, so-"