suburban legends ,, stranger things

chapter four

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|| flush with the
currency of cool ||

LUCY AND TAYLOR WALKED INTO THE SCHOOL with their arms linked together. lucy's head was softing leaning against taylor's shoulder as they walked through the halls. they stopped in front of taylor's locker so the blonde could grab the things she needed.

"tay, i just feel so guilty." lucy said, taylor noticed her looking off into the distance, the little smile and the same sparkle in her eye that allows showed themselves whenever she looked at him letting themselves out.

"why, luce?" taylor asked, following lucy's gaze, and taking notice to where she was looking, "oh.. right."

"i just don't know what to do." she looked away from the couple she was watching and looked at taylor with a sad look in her brown eyes, "i mean, what would nancy say if i told her i've been in love with her boyfriend since.. i don't even know."

"i don't know luce, i mean, you can't really control the way you feel about someone." taylor told her, rubbing her shoulder as the brunette sighed

"hey there lucy jane." they heard a voice walk up, lucy's smile came back

"i should not have told you middle name." she rolled her eyes at steve

"i'm having a party sometime this week, i'm not actually sure yet, but you should totally be there." he said, smiling at the brunette girl

that damn smile.

"oh, yeah, i'll totally be there." she said, taylor shook her head slightly at the light pink rising on her friends cheeks

"you should come too taylor." steve told the blonde

"great, i'll be there if lucy goes." taylor smiled, pinching lucys hand softly as a way to tell her to stop looking at her the way she was. the brunette blinked a couple times and looked down at the floor

"alright, see you later luce." steve said as he walked away from the pair, "you too taylor."

"bye.." lucy whispered, her head turning slightly as he walked past her, she followed him down the hallway with her eyes.

"lucy." she jumped slightly when taylor snapped her fingers in her face
"huh? what?"
"lucy i know you like him a lot but you really have to figure out a normal way to act around him. he has a girlfriend."
"you think i don't know what taylor?"
"i'm just reminding you."

"i already feel bad enough i don't need you saying more to me to make me feel like a terrible person." she told her, starting to walk away, slightly annoyed at taylor.

"i'm not trying to make you feel like a bad person lucy." taylor shut her locker and followed quickly after lucy, "i'm just looking out for you cause i care about you."

"thanks for looking at tay, i mean really, i appreciate it," lucy started, sighing a little as they continued down the hall, "but i'm not a little kid, and you don't have to protect me anymore. things have changed taylor."

"i know, but i'm always gonna worry about you, i've seen things happen to you and you're my best friend." taylor replied, rubbing the girls shoulder softly.
"taylor, i promise, im gonna be fine."

that statement couldn't have been more of a lie.

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THE WHEELER SIBLINGS stopped their bikes at the bike rack, looking around for will, "that's weird. i don't see him." peyton squinted her eyes, looking all around for the boy.

"who are you looking for?" lucas asked as he and dustin pulled up next to them

"will." she girl replied, the warm sleeves of her light purple sweatshirt wrapping around her body as she hugged her stomach, "mrs byers doesn't know where he is."

"pey, don't stress yourself out." mike told his sister, noticing her arms wrapping around herself, "he probably just went to class early again. like his mom said."

"yeah, he's always paranoid gurskys gonna give him another pop quiz." dustin agreed as the party began walking towards the middle school doors

"step right up, ladies and gentlemen." peyton squeezed her eyes shut it annoyance when she heard an aggravating voice behind her as the boys turned around, "step right up and get your tickets for the freak show. who do you think would make more money in a freak show?"

troy walked up to them, "midnight," he stated, pushing lucas back slightly, then mike when he said, "frog face," and then dustin's turn when he said, "or toothless?"

"i'd go with toothless." james replied, chuckling to himself as he mocked dustin's voice, making peyton frown as she finally turned to them

"oh, nice of you to join us peyton!" troy smiled mockingly at her, looking the girl up and down, the brunette wrapped her arms around herself again

"i told you a million times my teeth are coming in!" dustin told the two boys, "it's called cleidocranial dysplasia."

"i told you a million times!" james mocked him once more, him and troy laughing at him again

"do the arm thing." troy suddenly stopped laughing, and spoke seriously at the boy

"do it freak!" his friend chimed in when dustin stared at him blankly.

"dustin, you have nothing to prove to them." peyton told her friend, biting down the inside of her cheek as he dropped his back and pulled off his jacket, dropping it to the floor along with the bag, but dustin just ignored her as he pushed his arms out in front of him

"god, it gets me every time." troy spoke as him and james made noises in disgust, pushing through mike and peyton, troy pushed peyton harshly, knocking the girl to the floor.

"asshole." mike muttered as he helped his sister up

"wait, peyton." troy turned around for a second, getting the girls attention, "have you been eating less or something? i feel like last month you looked a lot... bigger."

peyton just stared blankly at him with her jaw dropped as him and james walked away and into the school, "what a great start to the day." she mumbled as she dragged her feet behind her walking into hawkins middle, her friends close behind her

"he's just a jerk pey, don't listen to him." mike told her as they walked, "well, that goes for all of you really. i mean, dustin i think your arm thing is cool. it's like... it's like a superpower."

"like.. like mr. fantastic." peyton agreed with her brother, smiling sweetly at dustin

"yeah, except i can't fight evil with it." dustin replied to the wheeler siblings

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peyton and mike>>>