Stranger Things: Riley's Version

Chapter Seven: The Monster

Riley continued on, huffing as she tracked down her best friend. She could finally see him after basically running to catch up to him for the last 20 minutes. She could tell he was angry, his shoulders were hunched over and he was almost stomping with each step he took.

"Lucas!" She called out, but he just ignored her, keeping his head down. Now she was just a few steps away from the boy so she reached out and grabbed his arm stopping him from continuing down the train tracks. "Lucas come on. Let me catch my breath then we can keep going okay." She knew not to question him and to let him have some space to think. Otherwise there was no way he would let her walk back with him. He spun to look at her, and she could see the anger in his eyes.

"No. I'm walking back alone, go look for your new best friend." He told her, turning to walk away. But she grabbed him with a huff.

"New best friend, really." She shot back at him.

"Yeah really. You're obviously not mine anymore, the way you stood up for Mike." He yelled back at her. "And it's all because of your stupid little crush on the weirdo."

"Oh come on I don't have a crush on El!" She shouted back.

"Yes you do! Anyone with eyes can see it. And she doesn't know any better because she's a freak too!" Riley's eyebrows scrunched together at his words, "So you can take your little crush that you have all because she's the only girl in Hawkins not weirded out by you and your gayness and shove it."

"Gayness, I don't have a crush on her. And if I did it wouldn't be because she's not weirded out by me! There are other girls that like me too. They're not all weirded out by me."

"There not?" He questioned, "then where are they, how come they won't talk to you? Huh? How come you never hang out with them?"

"Because... well, I," she stammered out taking a step back.

"Exactly, no one else puts up with you being gay. Everyone knows it so they just all stay away from the fag." He shot back at her, giving a little shove with the last word. She just stepped back eyes on the ground as they stung with unshed tears. She doesn't cry this much normally but for some reason this week has been kicking her butt. She just nodded her head at the boy in front of her. Because he was right, everyone hated her, she was a freak, a fag. And the only friends she had were the boys, but maybe that was just out of pity. If her own best friend was saying these things then maybe they all thought them.

She turned and ran then, tears now rolled down her face as she ran through the forest. Away from Lucas and Hawkins, away from the people who hated her. Her mind raced at the words that had just been thrown at her. She shook her head, Lucas hadn't meant it. He was angry and upset, he didn't hate her, he was her best friend he just said those things to get under her skin. To hurt her like he was hurting. And boy did he know how to, cause she hurt right now.

She had been running for who knows how long, the sun was starting to set but she didn't stop. She kept running. She finally tripped on a log that was covered in leaves hiding from plain sight in the waning sunlight. Riley fell to the ground, her hands out in front of her to catch herself. She stood up breathing heavily, her legs tired and lungs burning. She felt some blood dribble from her fingers as a stinging started on the palm of her left hand. She lifted it up to get a look. It was the same cut from the junkyard it was just reopened now from her fall, she wiped the blood on her pants as she sat down on the log that had tripped her.

After a few minutes of sitting she decided that she should probably make her way back to town. Her dad would be worried if she came home too late and she knew he wanted to talk to her anyway. Suddenly there was a noise from behind her, almost like a growl. But it didn't sound like any animal she had heard before, then a twig snapped and she heard the growl again. Slowly she moved her hand down to her belt where her pocket knife was. She pulled it out and opened it ready to fight whatever animal was making the noises behind her. Just as she turned to face the animal she was hit by something, it was slimy and stunk and it grabbed her by the backpack hauling her along as it ran.