Not Your Baby ║ Billy Hargrove

Chapter Thirteen

"You have to whisper! She can hear you!" my ears picked up Dustin's pleas from his room next door to mine. Curious, I slowly got up and tiptoed to my bedroom door, carefully stepping on hardwood floor panels that didn't squeak. I opened the door and slid out, slowly making my way to Dustin's door. "Are you crazy! Of course I didn't tell her." His voice raised before lowering back down. I pressed my ear against the door, listening for whomever was on the other side of that dumb walkie-talkie that he always had on him. "Well, stop making it a close call." He sighed, "I don't-, I don't know what she would do... or say, to be honest." My brows furrowed.

"Yeah, okay Hendersen. She won't find out." A choppy male voice replied through the device. I know that voice... my eyes narrowed.

"Steve?" I exhaled softly as I fought the urge to bust in his room, get on that walkie-talkie myself and force some answers out of Dustin and Steve. Thinking that idea over once more, I took a deep breath and forced the wooden door open.

Dustin, who was peacefully on the ground, pushed himself backward on all fours in horror as he realized I was listening in on the whole conversation.

"Gotta go." He mumbled to the walkie-talkie; but he was too slow. I snatched what felt like a cinderblock with my hand and held down the red button labeled "TALK".

"Hi Steve." I snarled, eyes still on Dustin. "Who were you two talking about? Hmm?" I questioned.

"Uh," I heard a meek voice through the walkie-talkie. "hi Nel. We were just, uh, talking about-,"

"Me, right?" I cut him off. "What don't you want to tell me, Steve?" I could feel my body getting warm with anger as I looked at the sheer panic in Dustin's face. The line went silent.

"Steve." I spoke, cold and emotionless. "Tell me."

"Yes, okay! We were talking about you!" Dustin flailed his arms in the air. He was statistically known for not operating well under pressure. "If I tell you this, do you promise not to tell anyone else?" Dustin began.

"Dustin, what are you doing? Stop. Dustin, stop." Faint echoes of Steve were heard through the walkie-talkie. I watched my brother take a deep breath before getting on his hands and knees to stand. He placed one hand on his head as the other rested on his hip; almost if he was trying to find the right words to say. He closed his eyes before blurting out a mess of words at lightning speed.

"So, okay, Will is alive but he is trapped in this thing called the Upside Down and we can communicate with him through lights and the Upside Down is where there are these massive alien creatures called Demogorgons that only this girl can defeat but it also makes her weak so we need a lot of help and that's why Steve and Nancy and Jonathon have been help us because they're after them too and if we don't try and find out how to get to the Upside Down it has the power to never bring Will back to life again." Almost fainting from not breathing, Dustin leaned against his bedpost for support. Incredibly confused at hearing Nancy's name out of everything, I crossed one arm into the other as I held the walkie-talkie up to my lips.

"So you're telling me Nancy has been hiding this from me too?" my lips pursed as I awaited his response.

"Yeah..." Steve let out his shallow response.

"Look," I sighed as I spoke on the walkie and to Dustin. "If you and Nancy are joining them in their weird roleplay games, whatever. Just be honest with me."

"Nel, it's legitimate. I know it sounds completely dumb and, trust me, if I were you I would think we're regressing in age but I promise I'm being honest." Steve pleaded.

"It's whatever, Steve." I shook my head at my best friend literally begging me to believe him. "Here." I handed the walkie back to Dustin, who was still in shock that he just blurted out this dumb 'secret' to me.

Disappointed, I made way back into my room and shut the door behind me. I pressed my back against the mahogany-stained door and slowly slumped to the ground. I rested one hand in my head as I tried to figure out why both Steve and Nancy would be hiding this from me. Do they think I'd judge them?... I thought to myself as I tried to rack my brain around the answer. I mean, it's definitely new if they're into middle school roleplay  but it's not like I would stop being their friend if they told me.

I checked the clock to find that it was already 11:03PM. Tired from multiple strange interactions from the day, I changed into my dad's XL Motely Crue hand-me-down and crawled into bed. Without hesitation, the crisp, soft sheets comforted me to sleep.