Invisible- Stranger Things Fanfiction

Chapter Thirty Seven: Back to School

*January 2nd, Dustin's POV*
Well, break was over, and it was back to school for all us kids. Everything was fine with everyone, and for others it was even better.
Will asked Sarah to officially be his girlfriend on New Year's, after they kissed when the ball dropped. Max and Lucas kissed, too, and so did El and Mike. I, on the other hand, stared hopefully at Mon, as Mon stared straight at my living room television. Happy New Year to me, right?
I'm not bitter or anything. She did say long ago that she didn't want us to be... well, an us for a while. But, I mean, hasn't it been long enough? It's 1986 now! That's a whole different year! Plus, I know she feels the same way I do. I just know it! How can I feel so strongly for someone who doesn't feel the same way?
   Whatever. I can't keep obsessing over this, right? Those are her feelings, I need to accept that. Everyone else needs to as well.
But I can't. I've been pretty obvious about how I feel. She doesn't even playfully flirt with me. Mon said she needed time, but it's like she's just wasting it.
"Dusty! Are you almost ready for school, honey?" My mom knocked on my door, then entered anyway. "Oh, you look so handsome."
I rolled my eyes, smiling at my mom. "I look how I do every day."
"You look handsome every day," Mom shot back. "Are you picking up Nikki? It's getting late, you better get going-"
"No," I interrupted. "Um, Steve's driving her, I'm taking my bike."
   Mom nodded, realizing I didn't want to talk about that. For a while after Mon moved in with Steve, I'd go pick her up at their apartment and take her to school. A bit after homecoming, though, she decided she wanted her brother to take her to school. I was upset, but didn't tell anyone. Rather than telling my mom Mon stopped riding with me and risking a big are-you-two-okay talk, I'd been leaving the house early and just hanging out  in the school library until the bell rang.
   "I'll see you when I get home." I kissed my mom on the cheek, grabbed my bag, and ran out of the house.
   "Wait, Dusty, where's your ha- oh, that's right." Mom was standing on the porch, a grimace on her face from forgetting that I'd given Mon my hat. "Have a good day, baby!"
   I blew my mom a kiss as I rode away. "You too!"

*Nikki's POV, same time*
   "Why can't the nerd just take you again?"
   Steve was agitatedly buttoning up his coat as he frantically searched for his car keys. He was giving me a ride today, which seriously messed up his sleep schedule.
   "Steve, I know you have work until really late, and I'm sorry about that, but I just really need you to drive me today," I replied, helping him look around our tiny apartment.
   "Why?"
   That was a good question. A good question to which I could not give him an answer. I'd been riding to school on my bike by myself everyday since November, but I'd told Steve that I met Dustin on the corner and we rode our bikes together. The truth was, though, that I just didn't want Steve to worry about me biking to school alone from this side of town. Our new apartment was nice, but our new neighborhood wasn't. But now, I wanted Steve to drive me because I figured at some point, I would get caught in my lie by one of the party members, and everything would go to shit.
   Why didn't I just bike with Dustin, you ask? Everything was so weird with our friends pressuring us both into stuff, and I just didn't want to risk him bringing any of that up on the way to or from school. If he did that, we'd be alone together the whole way, so there would be really no other choice than to talk about... us.
   I know, I know. I should be over this by now. I should have made up my mind. But everything had already changed so much, and I just didn't want it to change for the worse.
   "Um..." I tried desperately to think of a response. "Well... Dustin hasn't been feeling great lately, and he told me at the New Years' party that I should probably-"
   Steve rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just be ready to go in three minutes flat. Where the hell are my keys?"
   Wait a second. "Steve, did you fall asleep on the couch right after work?"
   "Yeah... Why?"
   I reached my hand up and tugged on my brothers hair. A faint clink was heard as his Farrah Fawcett keychain fell to the ground, his keys intact. "Next time, leave your keys on a table."
   Steve gave me a goofy smile. "How did you think to do that?"
   "Oh, please," I scoffed. "Those keys aren't the first thing you've gotten stuck in your 'do. Or did you forget about my parrot, Leia?"
   "How was I supposed to know she was in there?"
   "Well, you could've at least brushed through it or something before you laid down and crushed her!"
   "You were ten! Get over it!"
   This wasn't getting us anywhere, so I left the room to get my things. When I came back, Steve was laughing at me. "What the hell is so funny?"
   Steve smirked at me a moment, then flicked the brim of my hat- well, it was mine now. "That nerd really does love you," he said, absentmindedly staring at my hat.
   "Wait, what?"
   Steve gave himself an oh-shit look, then suddenly became very interested in his new watch from Hopper. "Oh, would you look at the- we've gotta go, Nikki!" He then ushered me out the door and into his car. "Got everything? Backpack, coat... hat." He gave me another grin as we drove off toward Hawkins High, where all of my friends would be in a few minutes. I was earlier today, seeing as I didn't have to propel myself forward using only the strength of my small legs, so nobody else was there yet. The bike rack was empty- except for one bike.
   "Shit, Dustin's here," I muttered to myself. Then to my brother: "Thanks for the ride. Have a good day!"
   I started to get out of the car, then Steve grabbed my arm. "Give 'em hell."
   Smirking at my brother, I adjusted my hat and went into the school, heading straight for the library. Dustin was probably just hanging out with Mr. Clarke, I wouldn't see him until we got to our lockers. Yep. As if fate was really trying to be a pain in my ass this year, Dustin's locker was directly next to mine. Isn't that how it always works?
   As I walked into the library, I tried to scope out a nice place to be alone for the twenty minutes leading up to the first bell. I was pretty sure the bean bag chairs in the back corner were open, seeing as the rest of the library was basically empty; mostly none of the Hawkins High students actually read anything, let alone outside of school hours. Making my way back, I was really looking forward to having some peace and q-
   "Mon? What the hell are you doing here?"
   Of course. Dustin Henderson, sitting on my favorite blue bean bag in the back of the library.
Wait. How did he get here so fast? No, he asked you first. Quick, lie! "I get here early. Steve has to be at work before school starts, so I just get here early and hang out in the library. You're actually in my spot, ya know."
   Dustin started to speak, but then smiled slyly. What was he up to? "Steve's been driving you here?"
   "Yep."
   "Every day since November?"
   "That's what I told you, wasn't it?"
   His smile grew bigger. "So, you've gotten here early every day? And come to the library?"
   "Look, are we done playing Twenty Questions? Why don't you believe me?"
   "Because I know you're lying to me." Dustin stood from his seat, coming a bit closer than expected and staring me straight in the eye. "Mon, I get here early every day, and I sit in the library, alone. I've never seen you here at this time before."
Shit, he caught me. "Hold on- why have you been getting here so early? We never even got here this early when we rode to school together, and now you have extra time in the morning since you don't have to pick me up." Changing the direction of the conversation. Another of my many talents.
   Dustin sighed, picking up his bag and beginning to walk away. "I just like being alone, okay?" Then he mumbled to himself: "I've gotten pretty used to it, thanks to you."
   "Thanks to you?" I repeated. "What the actual hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." He walked past me, but I followed him, so he kept talking. "Mon, just leave it alone, okay? I didn't mean anything by it, just... leave it alone."
I rolled my eyes at him, although he couldn't see. "If you were distraught enough to say it, you obviously meant something by it. Come on, Dustin. I know you."
"Oh, yeah?" Dustin turned on his heel to look at me, his eyes glimmering with an anger I had never seen in him before. "Do you know me as well as the rest of the party? You know, the people who didn't bail as soon as they weren't getting enough attention? You don't know anything about me, okay, so just stay away from me."
What the hell? "I-I thought we were both happy with the way things-"
"Is that what Will told you? I know he's basically your trained poodle now, and he'll tell you anything I say. That's why I said that to him. To try not to make you feel guilty. But you know what? I'm done with that! I've been waiting for you to make up your mind for months. And it seems like you're not even trying to make up your mind! You just like all the attention."
Why was he saying all this? He's been fine! Still, it stung when he said these awful things, which was evident from the tears I had to keep from falling. "You know that's not true. You're upset right now, you don't mean any of-"
"You're damn straight I mean it!" Dustin cut me off. "All I've done since we met was try to make you happy. Hell, I took a fucking bullet for you! What more do you want, Harrington?"
I was totally taken aback by this. Dustin never used the f-word (or, at least, not around me). Nor had he called me by my last name in quite some time. All of this was overwhelming, and I soon found my face wet and salty from tears. "I never wanted any of that to happen," I said. Not defensively, calmly. "But, I guess if that's how you feel, I should probably return this." My hands shaking, I reached up to my head and took off Dustin's hat and held it out for him to take. He looked at me, but I couldn't see his face due to the water clouding my eyes. At first he didn't take it, so I clumsily grabbed his hand and put the hat in it before turning around.
"I'll leave you alone now." I tried to say it calmly, in an even tone, but all I could manage was a whisper. As I walked away, I began to pick up my pace, not wanting him to see me break down. When I finally got to my locker, I fell to the floor- back against the cool metal of the lockers- and just sobbed. Thankfully, my locker was one in the old part of the school, so not many kids had lockers here. I rested my head on my knees and cried for a while. It wasn't nearly time for school yet, so I wasn't worried about anyone seeing me.
"Nikki?"
Shit.
I tried my best to cover up the fact that I'd been crying, but I had been pretty loud, so I just wiped my tears and looked up. Standing there were Mike and Will, both of whom looking horrified that the party's fighter was in such a state of misery.
"What happened?" Will asked, sitting next to me on my right.
Mike slid down next to me on my left. "Yeah, and where the hell is Dustin's hat? You've been wearing it every time I've seen you since Christmas."
"I gave- gave it back to- back to him," I said, my voice still hoarse and shaky.
The two of them leaned forward, looked at each other, then made the face I can only describe as Oh, shit.
"Oh, shit," said Mike. "What-"
"You don't have to answer that now, Nik," Will cut in, shooting Mike a look. "Whatever happened, we're your friends, okay? And we're gonna stay here with you as long as you need."
Mike coughed. "As long as you don't need us any later than the start of home-room."
I laughed a little at this. A wet, teary, snotty laugh. "You always know how to console a girl, Wheeler," I muttered sarcastically.
"Nikki?"
We were now surrounded by Max, Lucas, Sarah, and El, all of whom were already bombarding me with questions.
"What happened?"
"Where's Dustin?"
"Where's your hat?"
"When did you get here?"
"Shit, were you crying?"
"Mike, if you made her cry I'll-"

"Okay, okay!" I laughed. "Everything's okay now, alright? And no, Mike didn't make me cry, but thank you for being so protective, Sarah."
Lucas held out a hand to help me up, hugging me when I was fully vertical. "Whose ass do I have to help the girls kick?"he whispered to me.
"Nobody, I deserved it."
"You don't deserve anything but a lifetime full of happiness," Will said. "Especially after all the shit we've put you through."
Ahem.
Speaking of shit I'd been put through. Dustin stood just outside our little cluster, inordinately interested in his old white shoes. "I just, uh... have to get to my locker."
Lucas looked at me questioningly, but I kept a poker face, moving to the side to Dustin could get to his locker. "I'll see you guys in class," I said cheerfully, smiling at Will and giving Lucas a not-now-explain-later look before walking away. I made a habit of keeping everything I needed out of my locker and in my backpack just in case a situation similar to this one arose, so I didn't ever have to go back to that locker if I didn't want to. I'd never have to deal with him again.
Wait, no. Running away from your problems is not the answer, Nik. You have to face this. Even if it means having to leave the party again.
I was making way too big a deal out of this. Dustin already seemed pretty over it, and I'm literally the party's toughest member. We could get past this. I just had to think of the perfect apology.