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

13.

As promised, the two girls didn't do anything until Jonathan arrived, breathing heavily as he threw his bag and such onto the floor under the desks. 

Nancy had gone to find something to drink so Samantha was there on his own when he came in. 

"Here," she mumbled, handing him the photo and she took a seat beside him on a stool, watching as he got to work. 

"You could do this, Y'know," he mumbled, looking at her briefly, "Do this." 

"Oh no," she shook her head, "You've seen my developing skills. I don't dare think what would happen if I tried to do this." 

He smiled again, something he seemed to be doing around her a lot, "I'll teach you." 

"You said that at the beginning of the year and look, it's almost Christmas break and I'm still waiting!" Samantha teased. 

The two of them fell silent as Nancy returned, placing some cans of soda down onto the desks, "Anything yet?" 

"No," Samantha mumbled, "Jonathan's just starting to enlarge it." 

"Have you been doing this long?" Nancy asked again, taking a seat on his other side, "Photography, I mean."

"Yeah," he answered absentmindedly, seemingly too focused on what he was doing to actually listen to the conversation but then he looked up, "I guess I'd rather observe people than..."

"Talk to them?" Samantha whispered, giving him a teasing smile when he looked at her. 

"I know it's weird," he said quietly, looking back down towards the picture. 

"No," Samantha shook her head, "It's not." 

"No, it is. It's just some people don't really say what they're really thinking. But you capture the right moment, it says more." 

Samantha found herself leaning onto the bench of them, holding eye contact with him as he spoke, "And what was I saying? When you took my photo?" 

"I shouldn't have taken that picture," he whispered shamefully, "I'm sorry. You just looked so beautiful." 

The two of them fell silent as a blush crept up Samantha's neck, subconsciously leaning in closer toward each other's, Samantha with a weird dreamy look in her eyes. 

Nancy, who was watching them with a small smirk on her face rolled her eyes but lunged forward to look at the photo when she realised that it had finished. "That's it!" she gasped, making the two teens spring apart.

Jonathan cleared his throat and looked at Samantha, "My mom. I thought she was crazy. She said that's not Will's body, that he's alive." 

"It's okay," she soothed, placing her hand on his, "She's not. You had every right to be skeptical. She's been through so mu..."  

"Wait," Nancy interrupted them, "Then if he's alive.." She looked over at Samantha. 

"Barbara." 

++

"I can't believe this," Jonathan said eagerly and for the first time in a while, Samantha could see the happiness in his eyes, "Will could still be alive." 

The two of them were back in his car, Nancy having gone home since her mom would be wondering where she was while Samantha climbed into the car with him, as if it were a reaction just to go with him.

"Are you going to tell your mom?" she asked, picking at her nails. 

The whole situation was a little bit overwhelming for her. Just last week, she, Nancy and Barb were shopping for cute clothes and now; Barb was missing, she was in a car with Jonathan and she had come to the realisation that monsters, they were real.