Strange Things Are Happening. (Jonathan Byers x OC) Wattys 2017

09.

Caroline Wheeler stood at the bottom of the staircase, staring up it as if that would make their daughter come down for dinner.

"Will you stop?" David said quietly, hands resting on her shoulders, "She'll come down when she's ready."

"No," his wife said, shaking her head, "Something has happened. That girl has never missed a meal in her life. I'm going up there."

She ignored him as he tried to stop her, reaching the top of the stairs in record time and she knocked on Samantha's door softly.

"Hi," she smiled, pushing it open, "You mind if I come in?"

"You own the house," the teen shrugged, "You do what you want."

She moved to sit on the bed, smiling at all of the photographs that were scattered on top of the mattress. Her daughter really had some talent with a camera.

"These are pretty," Caroline murmured, making Samantha turn in her desk chair, "I really like the flowers ones."

"Thanks. But you kinda have to say that. You're my mom."

"Not true," her mom said, pointing at a blurry one, "This one, this isn't good. In fact, it's crap."

"A bird...it flew out of a tree," Samantha said softly, "It...it scared me."

"Are you okay?" her mom asked, making her look up again, "You've been up here since you came home from school and you're not coming down for dinner."

"I am coming down," she protested, "I said I'd be down in a few minutes."

"Sam, that was half an hour ago."

"What? No, that can't be right." she looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw that her mother was right and thirty minutes had passed, causing her to sigh, "Right. I'm sorry. I'm coming down now."

"Honey, you'd tell me if something was bothering you, right?" Caroline asked, "If something had happened at school...?"

"Of course," she nodded, not meeting her eyes. She didn't want to worry her parents about Barb. Not yet anyway.

"Samantha!" her dad called from downstairs, "There's someone at the door for you!"

She sighed, "If it's Nancy, tell her that I'll call her later!"

"It's not Nancy!" her brow furrowed. Who else could it be? "It's that Johnny Byers, kid!"

Jonathan? What the hell was he doing here? Oh no. It must be about this afternoon.

Her mom watched  her as she paced back and forth a few times, "Honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she whispered, "Yeah. I'm fine. Just...why is he here?"

She had asked the part mostly to herself and headed for her door, taking a few slow breaths to calm her racing heart before she headed downstairs.

++

Jonathan was leaning against the railing of her porch, looking up at the stars but he quickly turned around when he heard the door opening.

Samantha timidly stepped out into the cold air and he saw a shiver go through her and he wanted nothing more than to take of his jacket and wrap it around her shoulders. But after today, the revalations that were made on both sides, he didn't know where they stood with each other anymore.

"Hi," she said quietly, not looking him in the eye, "What...I mean, do you wanna come in?"

"No," he said quickly, "I was actually going to ask if you would take a walk with me. I want to talk. About this afternoon."

"Oh okay, sure." she said, pushing some hair behind her ears before pulling the door closed behind her, "You want to go down the street? To the little park?"

"Sure. That sounds good."

The two of them walked quietly, the only sound was Samantha's small heeled shoes on the road beneath them.

"So about-"

"What Steve-"

The two of them both tried to talk at the same time, both of them turning red when they locked eyes again.

He really had to get a grip of himself.

"You go first," she said quietly, "You came all this way."

He nodded, staying silent for a moment or two so he could try and formulate the right way he wanted his words to come out.

"Those pictures," he began, "It was wrong. I should never have taken them. But I was out looking for Will and you were all just there. I'm sorry."

"And the ones at my house?" Samantha asked, crossing her arms, "What about those ones?"

"I was dropping Will off at your cousin's house," he continued, "And I looked up at your window and I just saw you. You looked so...I can't explain it. I just had to take your picture. It's creepy, I know and I shouldn't have done it."

They reached the park and silently moved to sit on the swings, Samantha pushing lightly with her feet while he just stayed still, watching her closely as if to try and guess what she was thinking.

"What about what Steve said?" Jonathan asked, looking over at her and with the way she was looking up at the stars, he wished he had his damn camera.

Samantha shrugged and looked at him, "When you heard him say it, what did you think?"

"I thought he was talking bullshit," Jonathan said immediately, "Definitely bullshit. Samantha Wheeler, liking me? Then I saw your face when he said it. Made me think that maybe...maybe his words had some truth to 'em."

She licked her lips, "Jonathan Byers, I think you're wonderful."

He felt his face redden at her words, giving her a smile. "Wonderful?" he repeated, "Really?"

"Yeah," she said quietly, "You're just...yeah."

This whole situation was unprecedented. He had never expected that the conversation he had planned on having with her would go this way.

He cleared his throat, "Well I think I should tell you that I think you're beautiful."