it's the end of the world as we know it.

25. damaged goods

Frankie drummed his fingers against the edge of the orange plastic of his Garfield phone, his face was twisted into an unreadable expression.

" - And Argyle's not sure where he wants to go to school, or to be honest if he'll even get into a college. I've looked around the area but I just don't know." Jonathan's voice continued, and Frankie resisted the urge to let out an irritated sigh. Frankie hadn't realized he was supposed to respond at the moment. "Frankie, I can hear you drumming your fingers against your phone."

"No you can't." Frankie retorted, but he did stop doing it.

"What's up? Is there something bothering you?"

Frankie rolled his eyes and flopped back onto his bed. Saying something was bothering him was more than an understatement. So much was.

Five months had passed since the Byers had moved, and Frankie had yet gotten the chance to visit them. When his mother was using their money for divorce lawyers, it was hard to send your kid to California. But it was over now, and Carol had agreed to let him go over their upcoming spring break.

Spring break now was just a few mere days away, but Frankie was incredibly anxious for a multitude of reasons. One being the fact of how he had previously mentioned not seeing Jonathan since the Byers left. They try to call as often as they can, but a lot of the time the line was busy from Joyce's telemarketing job and El and Mike talking to each other.

The second reason being

And the third and most drastic reasoning to Frankie (that currently he was too embarrassed to mention to Jonathan) was of his new friend Argyle. Frankie knows how hard it has always been for Jonathan to make friends so it was a main reason for him not wanting to bother Jonathan about it, but he just couldn't help but feel jealous.

He talked about Argyle every chance he could get, and Frankie felt like he knew the kid personally even though he's never met him before. He knew Argyle had really long hair and worked at a pizza place in Lenora, and he drove them all around in his delivery van because Jonathan's car broke down a few months after they had moved. He knew Jonathan had thought Argyle was the funniest (which Frankie was slightly offended to), he knew Argyle's eating habits, and the worst possible part, he knew Argyle was a fellow stoner and finally managed to convince Jonathan that maybe weed wasn't too bad.

Which in any different circumstance wouldn't piss Frankie off, if he hadn't been smoking almost his entire life and had offered it to Jonathan multiple times to whom he denied every time, but the moment Frankie isn't in a close picture anymore he accepts?

"No, nothings bothering me." Frankie responded, but there was a tiniest bit of an edge to his voice that made himself wince and that he knew Jonathan picked up.

"Right. What's going on?" Jonathan repeated, and Frankie could hear his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Nothing, I . . . I guess I'm just nervous to see you next week. But excited." Frankie added. It wasn't the full truth of what was bothering him in the moment, but it was still true.

"Oh." Jonathan didn't say anything for a moment. "It won't be bad. Things will go back to how they were."

"I've missed so much of your life from then to now, I'm just scared." Frankie admitted. What if it was awkward? What if Frankie's inner thoughts were right, and Jonathan did have feelings for Argyle, he just hadn't worked up the courage yet to tell Frankie? It was too late to back out of the trip now anyway, they had already paid for the two way ticket.

"Frankie, we'll be fine. Trust me, okay?" Jonathan said, and Frankie exhaled deeply.

"Right, sorry." He nodded even though Jonathan couldn't see so. Neither of them said anything for a moment, and Franie heard the sound of someone on the other end, the sound of the door opening and them walking in.