Hack //Stranger Things cast

Chapter Ten

"So, Grace, where to?" Caleb asked after driving in the general direction of Texas for a while. "The most southern border." Grace replied with her head leaning on Millie's shoulder. "Wait," she said, shooting up, "where are we right now? Near a train station?"
"Yeah, want me to drop you off there?" Caleb asked, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. "Yeah, I can reach Maddie from there."
"Grace, I can't come with you two, you know that, right?" Millie asked, looking down at the girl. "I know, Mills, you have new friends, awesome friends, you should stay with them. Besides, I think Sadie's pretty happy to not be the only girl anymore." I laughed slightly and nodded, earning a slap on the arm from Noah. "Although I am pretty sure she can beat all of them in a fight."
"Not me." Noah said, causing me to roll my eyes at him. "I can easily outrun you, though." He shrugged and turned back to his bread. "Grace, we're here." Caleb pulled over at a small train station. "Thank you guys for everything you've done for me." I stuck my hand out towards her and she pulled me into a tight hug. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" I asked her when I pulled away. "Aww, you care about me." I scoffed. "Come here." She then said to a crying Millie. "I'll visit you when I can, okay." Millie promised, clinging to Grace. Gaten quickly scanned the sign. "There's a train leaving the country in fifteen minutes. Here's some clothes, go get changed in a bathroom or something." He said, tossing her a bundle of clothes. "Thank you." She said, walking away. Noah closed the door and Caleb started the engine.

It was five hours of awkwardly sleeping and whispering about anything and everything later that we reached the house. "WAKE UP YOU FUCKWADS." Gaten yelled, earning a smack on the head from Caleb. "Calm yourself, Matarazzo." I laughed loudly as Finn looked absolutely ridiculous waking up. He smiled back and I silently thanked god. "Everyone grab some bags." Gaten instructed as I opened the door of the van. I grabbed two bags and practically ran up to the beat up house. "Sadie, calm down, you don't even have a key!" Gaten yelled but I was already running as fast as my jumpsuit allowed me. "Home sweet home." I whispered as I waited for Gaten to catch up. "Well finally." I said, rolling my eyes. He smacked me and opened the door. I kicked it open and walked to the room I'd shared with Millie. I walked inside and saw all my stuff exactly the way I'd had in for years. I dumped the bags, which were Millie's, on her bed and laid down on my own. "Happy you're home?" Millie spoke up, holding two equipment bags. I nodded into my pillow and got up to put my stuff away. While hanging up knives and putting cables in boxes, I let my mind wander for a bit. Should I ask Millie about what's happening with Finn and her? Should I get some more info from Noah first? Why did Finn smile back, he hates me. Are Gaten and Caleb's beds still pushed together? Has Noah even slept while I was gone? I didn't know any of the answers and decided to ask Noah tonight.

"Dinner!" Gaten's voice rang through the house, pulling me out of Po's cave. "I was just at a good part." I complained when I got to the living room. "Every part is a good part, it's Graceling." Millie said, smiling. "Fair point. What's for dinner?"
"Pasta." Noah replied. "The traditional prison break dinner." Caleb said, digging into his own plate. "I was only gone for a few days."
"But we missed you, Sads." Finn said with his mouth full. I raised my eyebrows just a hair and shot Noah a questioning look. He shook his head slightly and I ignored it for the time being.

"What on earth happened in those few days?" I asked Noah when we were laying in the grass that night. "One question at a time." I nodded and mentally pulled out my list. "What's happening with Finn and Millie?" Noah inhaled sharply. "Right, uhm, basically..."
"Oh just tell me."
"Finn and Millie fought...about you. Millie asked him why he was being such a dick and he told her about you killing his ex. Millie told him you were being forced to and they kept fighting for about half an hour. Eventually Finn realized she was right and now he's tolerating your existence. Millie also now feels a lot better about being your friend because you and Finn aren't fighting anymore."
"Damn."
"Yeah. Next question?"
"Do Gaten and Caleb still have their beds pushed together?" He laughed at my random question. "Yeah, they do. I have creep shots." I hugged him. "This is why we're friends."
"Because I take creepy pictures of our friends while they're asleep?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
"Next question: did you sleep at all while I was gone?"
"No and now I'm tired as fuck so may I sleep now."
"Damn, go ahead."
He turned away from me and fell asleep within fifteen minutes. I just stared at the stars for a while before sleep took over my body.

I woke up at the crack of dawn to find Noah already up. "How long have you been staring at me?" I asked him. "I'm only staring at the huge spider in your hair." I jumped up and nearly screamed. Noah laughed. "That's not funny, you asshat." He wheezed slightly at my words. "It kinda is." He said, falling over from laughing so hard. "Ugh, I hate you."
"You love me." I rolled my eyes. "Wanna go inside? I need some clean clothes." I said, walking towards the house. "Yeah, sure. Just don't wake Mills, she's had a rough couple of nights."
"Really? Why?"
"Because you weren't there, you dingus."
"Thanks." I replied sarcastically. "Just go make breakfast." He saluted and walked into the kitchen while I walked back to my room. "Where were you?" Millie sleepily asked when I walked in. "Doesn't matter."
"Yeah it does, were you hooking up with someone?"
"Still gay and you were in here."
"Fair point." She said, and she fell back into her pillow. "I was outside talking to Noah." I said, pulling some clothes out of my part of the closet. "About what? How to effectively kill a person?"
"You know, he's really sensitive once you really get to know him."
"Okay, I'll remember that." She said, falling asleep almost immediately after.

"Need any help? I asked my best friend, walking in to the kitchen. I was met with a knife thrown into the door next to my head. Not the first time that had happened. "Relax, Noah, just me."
"Sorry, little paranoid."
"We all are, Noah."

We were broken and imperfect and suffering and anxious. But we were together. And in our world, that was all that mattered.

End of Book Two