The Haunting - Stranger Things [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

06 - Radio

The wind gently blows through the few strands of hair that wouldn't stay in my side braid. From the corner of my eye, I watch Jonathan drive in silence, aside from the song that is playing on the radio. His whole posture is tense instead of being relaxed. 

I don't know what possessed me to get into his car and skip the rest of school with him, but it felt like the right thing to do. There was the chance that my parents might find out or Nancy would rat me out, yet, here I am in the passenger's seat of Jonathan Byer's car. 

The Clash comes on the radio and I see Jonathan's eyes soften as the song begins. His fingers tighten around the steering wheel. 

I open my mouth, silently debating whether I should say something. After several seconds of internal debate, I decide to say what's on my mind, "Did you used to listen to this song with Will?"

Jonathan's head snaps in my direction with a surprised look. He quickly turns back to keep his eyes on the road. "How did you- How did you know that?" 

I bite down on my lip, shaking my head slightly to let the loose strands of hair to fall in my face. "When the song started, you just had this look in your eye and you flexed your fingers around the wheel." I point to his hands.

He drops one of his hands from the wheel to rest on his leg. "Oh." 

I remove my eyes from him to focus back on the road. The car turns down a road with house lined on the right side. We must be drawing closer to his dad's house. From what he's told me before through our notes, Jonathan doesn't really get along with his father. 

"Will loved this song." Jonathan mumbles under his breath. 

"We're going to find him, Jonathan." My voice matches his soft one. 

Silence fills the car once again, except for the radio playing. There was this connection between the two of us that made it perfectly okay to sit in silence. We didn't feel the the need to constantly be talking. The silence wasn't awkward for us. 

The car rolls to a stop in front of a house. Jonathan shuts the car off and unbuckles his seat belt. When he sees me unbuckle mine, he holds a hand up, "You should wait in the car."

I tilt my head to the side. "No." I defiantly blurt. "Jonathan, I know how your father is from the stories you've told me." I open my door. "I'm going with you." 

He sighs and climbs out of the driver's side. Patiently, he waits for me to join him on the other side of the car to walk to his dad's house. "Just- Just stay close to me, okay?" 

"Okay." 

The house has a porch on the front and stairs that lead up to it. I jog up the steps right behind Jonathan. There's a diamond window on the blue front door that Jonathan peers into. A tv plays from inside. 

Jonathan bangs his palm against the door a couple of times, "Hello?" When no one answers right away, he knocks twice. 

"Yeah." A woman in tight jeans and a tank top round the corner in the house, heading right for the door. She flings the door open with one hand, smacking on some gum. Her eyes glance over at the two of us. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, is Lonnie around?" Jonathan asks her.

The woman obnoxiously chews on the gum. "Yeah, he's out back. What do you want?"

Jonathan barges right in the house. "To look around."

"Uh, sorry." I mutter to the woman before sliding past her to chase after Jonathan. 

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!" The woman snaps, sharply turning around to watch us maneuver through her house. 

"I'll be fast." Jonathan retorts. He glances over his shoulder once to make sure I'm hot on his heels.