Neighbors - Strangerthingsau

Chapter 13

Somethings wrong

When Will woke up the next morning, El was already gone. Something still didn't set right with him. He knew that El was really secretive, basically anyone who knew her knows that. She doesn't like talking about her past, and the only people who knew even a little about her past was Hopper and Mike. But he didn't know about the Mike part of that statement.

He got ready for school and met up with the party like they normally do.

Max, of course, took note right away of El's absence. "Is she still not feeling better?"

"She is, but she had to go out of town for a family emergency." Will replied.

"Oh no! Is everything alright?"

"I don't know."

There was silence for a few minutes as the party biked their way to school. Will broke the silence by saying what he has been thinking about since last night.

"Don't you guys think it's weird?"

"What's weird?" Mike asked.

"It's just..." Will paused, trying to think of what to say. "Every time I would see her walking around the house she seemed perfectly fine. And then, all of a sudden, she has to leave without coming back to school for at least one day. And, what makes it even weirder is when I asked her about it she didn't give me any answers."

"Well, you know she's a really secretive person." Dustin says.

"And she has a good reason." Mike adds. "From what she told me, she doesn't really have the best past."

"She told you?" Will questioned.

"She told a few things."

"What did she say?" Will said wanting answers.

"She said how her father was a scientist and focus on his work. While her mother is mentally ill." Mike said trying to keep it short and sweet.

"Did she say anything else?"

"Not anything that might be important." Mike says. Everyone goes quiet once again. "Will? Do you know what El's name is?"

"Isn't it Elle?" Lucas asked.

"That's what I thought until I saw her write it down. She spelled it E-L and said it was short for something, but she refused to tell me what it was short for. So Will, do you know her full name?"

"No." He simply replied. Again, silence. Until Will got an idea. "Maybe it's time for us to get answers of our own."

Everyone sent him a questioning look as they rode up to the school. He looked down at his watch to see they had only five minutes to get to class. "I'll explain everything later, meet me in the A.V. Room during lunch."

Again, more questioning looks making Will sigh. "Just trust me with this." He said as he walked off to class.

Everyone was waiting for Will in the A.V. Room like he said. There was no conversation between them, just comfortable silence.

"Alright I have a plan to get all the answers we need." Will said as he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well, what is it?" Lucas asks him just wanting to get to the point.

"Well, it a start to a plan at least." Will says looking at everyone. "The first answer we need is her name. So, if she won't give it to us herself, we need to go to a place where we know it could be."

Dustin's eyes go wide in realization. "The principals office."

"What?" Lucas asks.

"Just think about it." Will states. "They have her grades, her attendance, everything school related on file. And how do they know which file is hers?"

"Obviously by putting her name on it." Mike says rolling his eyes. "But the hardest part is getting the file. Considering that the file is located in the principals office, we would have go past him and the secretary."

"Well, nothing a little distraction can't do." Will said smiling mischievously.

They all set off in different directions, all getting ready to execute the plan.

Max and Lucas went to the dumpsters out back just to throw some trash around, making a small but noticeable mess. Dustin was busy stalling the secretary outside of the office by conducting an "interview" for his "homework". Mike went in to the principals office to try and get him out of his office by saying that some kids were throwing trash by the dumpsters out back. Once the principal rounded the corner Mike let everyone in the party in the office, except for Dustin who was still talking to the secretary.

"Alright, look for the H files." Mike stated already going through some file cabinets.

"Found them!" Will exclaimed. "Alright, Harrington, Hill, Hopper. Here it is."

Everyone gathered around him ready to see her name.

"And El's name is..." Will said opening the file.

"Jane?"

"Are you sure you had the right file?" Dustin asked as they were all walking down the hallway, getting ready to leave school.

"Yes!" Lucas said. "We looked at all the cabinets. That was the only Hopper file in there."

"This makes no sense." Mike said.

"Maybe she's in the witness protection program, and she has to go by Jane. But she doesn't like that name. And since she can't use her full name, she just took a piece of it." Dustin rambled.

"I don't think that's right." Mike says. "But I know a person who can answer all of our questions."

"Who?" Will asked.

"Hopper."

Authors note
Big announcement!!!

I am going to start a new book here soon! And the first couple chapters will be out on July 18! I can't wait!