False Start

Episode Three: Holly Jolly

Authors note: Jonathon creepy pictures-Steve being a jerk as usual, Stacey having a meltdown. 

The next day you bike to school alone, not bothering to see if Jonathan's car will pick you up as usual. The two of you have never fought before, at least not like this. From the moment you met him when you were twelve, there has never been a time where the two of you haven't been on the same page. You've been in sync from the moment you met.

Now it feels like everything is off between the two of you. It feels as if the tiny planet you live on is now off kilter, angled ever so slightly now, rotating out of sync. The change is almost imperceptible, but it's there. You can feel it.

Last night just proved that there's something wrong with your relationship with Jonathan, but you can't figure out what. Jonathan has never yelled at you before, and you've never turned your back on him; then again, he's also never kept anything from you. While he didn't admit it last night, you know him. He was hiding something from you last night and it frightens you that he seems too ashamed to tell you what it is.

You trust him, you do, but the guilt you saw in his eyes makes you uneasy.

As you walk into the school hallway towards your locker, you overhear some girls from your English class talking about Steve and Nancy. You normally wouldn't eavesdrop on such a conversation, but the girls were talking obnoxiously loud and by the tone of their voice, they weren't being kind about what they were saying.

"I heard Harrington got little Miss Wheeler to sleep with him." One of the girls giggles, looking around to make sure no one is listening.

"What a slut!" Her friend sneers.

You sighed growing tired of hearing these girls talking shit about your friends and slammed your locker shut catching the girls attention

You clear your throat loudly, making sure they hear it, and send a glare their way. "Well, aren't you guys just peachy?"

The girls lower their eyes and shift uncomfortably, which pleases you. Good. They should feel bad. What does it matter if Nancy slept with Harrington? It's always the girls who get labeled the slut, never the man who has slept with more girls than classes he's passed.

Typical.

You roll your eyes at them and continue to walk to class, spotting the couple in question up ahead. Your locker is a few down from Nancy's and usually you've been able to avoid their gross lovey-dovey sessions in the mornings since Jonathan is always running late, but since you didn't ride with him, you're forced to deal with two hormonal teens who you don't necessarily like.

"Hey, Henderson!"

Steve stops you as you walk past, causing you to look up in confusion. "Yeah?"

"How's Byers doing? Ya know, with everything going on?"

You stare at him, trying to figure out what the punchline is supposed to be. Steve may not be a massive dick, but he's still a dick, and you can't imagine he'd ever ask about Jonathan given the fact that he can't even remember Will's name.

"He's... dealing." You say, uncomfortable with the entire conversation.

Steve nods, letting out a slight hum. "Well, tell your guy that any friend of Henderson's is a friend of mine." He sends a wink Nancy's way, and it's then that you figure out what he's doing. He's playing the nice guy card, trying to impress her with his "generosity", and you've had enough of idiotic and emotionally constipated men these last 24 hours.