Monstrum - Jonathan Byers (discontinued)

•Chapter One•

The streetlamp beamed down on her, providing a beacon of light that captured her body and illuminated her striking features. In the dim lighting, her raven hair seemed as dark as the shadows that crept up on her; a wave of obsidian curls falling down the curve of her back. Her plump lips moved against each other as she murmured incoherent things to herself. She pulled her jacket tighter around her body. She was uneasy. This wasn't a feeling she was used to. She felt like there were rocks weighing her down. She felt like something was going to go horribly wrong.

She tapped her foot against the pavement. God, she wished he'd hurry up. She'd locked up the diner an hour ago, and he was supposed to be here five minutes after that. He was fifty-five minutes late. She started debating whether she should attempt the walk home. She could cut through the woods and get there in half the time it would take to walk the long way. Scratch that idea. She thought to herself. No way am I walking through those woods alone at night.

"Where are you?" She mumbled to herself, fiddling nervously with her fingers, and picking at her powder pink nail polish.

Almost as if to answer her question, a car turned on to the street with a slight skidding noise, and came to an abrupt stop on the road next to the stretch of pavement she was standing on. The driver's window rolled down and a boy popped his head out. Shaggy chestnut brown hair fell over his concerned eyes, and he brushed it away quickly to reveal the rest of his features to the girl. His slightly squared face was made up of a sturdy jawline, dark eyebrows that sat above his delicate toffee coloured eyes, a perfect sized rounded nose, and bow-like lips that parted so he could speak.

"Sloane, I'm so sorry." He voiced sincerely to the brunette, "I extended my shift, because I thought my mum would appreciate the extra money and-"

Sloane interrupted his rambling, "Jonathan, it's fine. I understand." She smiled brightly at her best friend. Jonathan sighed in relief, rubbing his hand stressfully over his face. "But you've been here an hour!" He continued, "If something had happened to you..."

"I'm fine Jonathan. I can defend myself." Sloane told him and the slightly older boy cracked a small smile.

"Now," Sloane spoke up again, "Are you going to unlock the car so I can get in, or do I have to wait here even longer?"

Jonathan smirked slightly, and unlocked the car. Sloane walked around the front of the car, the headlights momentarily blinding her like a deer, and opened the passenger door. She clambered inside and slammed the door shut behind her. Jonathan pressed the gas pedal, and they were on their way home.

"How long's it been now?" Jonathan broke the comfortable silence.

"Since I've slept at my own house?" Sloane asked.

"Yeah."

"A week and a half." She grumbled, before adding "Look Jonathan if you or your family are sick of me I can just-"

"No Sloane." Jonathan interrupted her sternly, "We love having you stay with us, and we know you need to escape your brother sometimes. Trust me, if he was my brother I'd do the same. And your parents have been giving my mum some money for all the stuff you need, so you aren't a burden at all. Plus, Will loves you! You're his second favourite person."

"Oh, second favourite?" Sloane asked with a small smile

"Yeah. I'm the first." Jonathan replied.

"You sure about that?" Sloane teased.

"Shut up." He grumbled and Sloane giggled at how cute he was.

One of the reasons the Byers' loved having Sloane around them, was because of how close she was with Jonathan's brother, Will, and his friends. She'd happily join in on any of their games, bring them leftover cakes from the diner, and without fail every year Sloane dressed up as an elf for their Dungeons and Dragons campaign.