Invisible- Stranger Things Fanfiction

Chapter Four: Expanding the Party

   *Dustin's POV*
   Nikki went upstairs to talk to Steve or something, so I decided to talk to the party. "Guys," I began. "I think Nikki needs to rejoin the party."
   "Ooh, I second that!" Max said excitedly.
   "Me too." El smiled at me, then looked expectantly at Mike.
   Mike sighed. "Fine, I guess. But she needs to contribute, you know. We can't just have another tagalong."
   "She could be, like, our bodyguard or something!" Will pointed out. "She's got a great right hook."
   I laughed, remembering earlier today when she punched Steve in the face. It wasn't very funny at the time, but it was still pretty impressive to see a fourteen-year-old girl make a college guy bleed. "Exactly," I said, "she could help protect us. But really, we need her in the group."
   "Why? Because you loooove her?" Lucas punched my shoulder teasingly.
   "No," I scoffed. "It's just because-"
   "Because he loves her," El joked.
   Max nodded. "Yeah. I see the way you look at her," she said. "It's the same way Mike looks at El." El blushed while Mike rolled his eyes at Max. "Oh, come on, Mike, you know it's true."
   "So what if it is?" Mike countered, once again channeling his inner asshole. "We let El into the party because she has telepathy, and Max, you're in because you're our Zoomer. Nikki left the party. Friends don't leave."
   "She left because of me," I pointed out, "so we should really give her another chance. If it weren't for me, she might still be in the party."
   "That's not true, Dustin."
   I turned around to see Nikki on the staircase; she had obviously been listening to at least part of the conversation.
   "Are you okay, Nikki?" Will asked, looking at her misty grey eyes, which were now as sad and teary. She wasn't crying, but she might soon.
Nikki snapped out of it, shaking her head briefly to jolt herself into reality. Into her tough mode. "Yeah, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"
"No reason," Mike answered. "We were thinking, and... well, it was Dustin's idea really... um-"
   "We want you back in the party," Lucas said.
   Nikki's face lit up like a little kid in a candy store. "Really?" she asked.
   I nodded. "Yeah, Nik. You saved me and Will with the pepper spray today, and you can teach us how to fight and stuff, so-"
   "Hold on," Nikki cut me off. "You guys want me to teach you how to fight?"
   We all looked to each other, then nodded. Nikki's eyes sparkled and her smile grew even more.
   "Well, I mean, if you're sure-"
   "We're sure," El said. "We all want you in the party."
   The girl on the stairs ran down to all of us. "Of course I'll rejoin the party!"
   She then engulfed me in a hug, almost knocking me over. I was taken aback at first, but then hugged her back tightly. "Woah there," I laughed.
   Nikki, being as short as she was, stood on her tiptoes to reach my ear. "Thank you," she whispered.
   "Anytime, Nik," I replied.
   Nikki then proceeded to hug Will, then all of the others. I watched as she embraced each and every one in her living room. Her smile was so bright, and admittedly, she was even prettier than normal when she was happy like this.
   After he got his hug, Will walked over to me, patting me on the back. "You like her, don't you?" he said softly enough that only the two of us heard.
   I scoffed. "Hell no! Dude, I've known her for a day."
   "Technically, you've known her for almost six years. You just forgot that that was her."
   "Oh, shut up," I said, punching his arm.
   "All I'm saying is: she's gonna find out soon enough. You're pretty damn obvious."
   Nikki looked over to me as she was hugging Lucas and smiled, shooting me a wink so small, I would have missed it if I wasn't staring right at her.

*Two hours later, Nikki's POV*
   When we were all done celebrating that I was back in the party, we decided to have a sleepover. My house was plenty big enough, but Steve was still being a little bitch, so we decided to go to El's house. Chief Hopper, her adoptive father, was by far the coolest of all of our parental figures, so we figured he'd be the best person to host a sleepover. Everyone went to their houses to get ready, but Dustin stayed behind so I didn't have to go to El's house alone. How would I? I didn't know how to get there!
   "So, are you telling Steve you're leaving?" Dustin asked as I packed my bag.
   I shook my head. "He'd probably be happier if I just disappeared right now." I took out a few clothes and put them on my bed next to Dustin, walking to my closet to get my overnight bag. "Damn it," I whispered, trying to reach the bag on the top shelf of my closet. I hadn't grown much since fifth grade.
   I felt two hands grab my waist and lift me up to reach the bag. Although I was startled, I quickly got back into focus and grabbed the bag so Dustin didn't have to hold me for that long. When he put me down, I nodded in gratitude, making him chuckle to himself.
   "It's not true, ya know."
   "What?" I asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
   Dustin started putting my clothes into my overnight bag. "What you said about Steve. He would be devastated if something happened to you."
   "Oh? How do you figure that?" I grabbed a pair of slippers and my boots out of the closet.
   "Whenever we hang out, he talks about you a ton. It's always, 'Nikki would love this," or, "Don't say that to Nikki, she'd kick your ass.' Sometimes it's even, "Why the hell can't these dipshits be more like Nikki?' He seriously loves you, and I don't think that's going to change because of this little argument."
   Walking into my bathroom, I looked in the mirror at myself. I really did look like Steve. "He's never been this mad at me before. Not even when we were kids." That was more to myself than to Dustin.
   "Hey, look at me." Dustin appeared in the doorway. I looked up at him, the smile on his face never wavering, his ocean eyes even softer than usual. "Everything is going to be fine, okay? And until it is, you have Will. And the party. And me."
   That broke me. I couldn't handle being in a fight with Steve. I broke down sobbing, flinging myself into Dustin's arms. He was obviously surprised, but soon I felt him stroking my back, letting me cry onto his now sopping wet shoulder. He didn't try to shush me or calm me down; he knew that sometimes, you just need a good cry. I sobbed and sniffled very unattractively as he just stood there, comforting me. Here I was, making a total idiot of myself in front of this kid I've been talking to again for not even a week. And here he was, doing a kickass job of consoling some strange weepy girl.
   Finally, after a little bit, I stopped crying, but I didn't want to stop hugging Dustin. And he didn't let go, either. For the first time, I had an actual friend. Not a brother that became my friend out of pity; a real, true, honest-to-Yoda friend, who really and truly cared about me.
   "Thanks, Dustin," I croaked, my voice hoarse and raspy.
   Dustin rubbed my back as I pulled away from him. "Don't even mention it."
   I gasped when I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. "Holy shit." My eyes were puffy, and my face was red and tear-stained. My eyes went front cool grey to a shiny bright silver, and my hair was adhered to my face due to all of the tears. I quickly splashed cold water on my face, dabbing it off with my hand towel.
   Dustin laughed. "Calm down, Mon, you look fine."
   "Mon?" I repeated, looking at him.
   "Oh, sorry, do you not like that nickname?"
   I smiled softly. "No, I love it. It's just..."