Jailbird || Stranger Things

twenty-nine ➵ h-e-r-e

Teresa joined her father in taking everything out of the shed, leaving it in a pile by the side of the small wooden shack. It was only half the job, but the others had all had their own jobs sorted out, and it at least gave Teresa a moment with her father.

    "She appeared out of fog?" Jim asked, flinging the handle of the lawnmower away from the shed as she followed with some electric heaters.

    "Look, don't question what I see, I already am," she shrugged, putting the heaters down and following him back into the shed. "But if I hadn't hallucinated the dogs in the scrapyard, Steve might be missing a hand now, that's all I'm saying."

    Jim watched her pick up another heater, then pile on a box of some empty bags and packets. He couldn't help the small smile on his lips as he reached down to pick up another box of crap that seemed to be Jonathan's childhood things.

    "So," Jim spoke as they walked back into the shed and he passed some toolboxes that were too light to hold anything over to Teresa. "Harrington? Really?"

    She shot an incredulous look to her father, taking the box with a scoff. "I was just making sure he and Dustin wouldn't die," she rolled her eyes, knowing what he was implying. She also knew full well that he was the protective variety, which meant he may not believe her explanation.

    "Reese, I've seen the look he gives you," Jim watched her as she put the box down and took another from him.

    "Dad, it's nothing like that. He and Nancy—"

    "Diane told me about Hargrove," he said instead, passing her something else. She wasn't really paying attention what they were moving by then. "I'd prefer Harrington over Hargrove."

    She looked back at him, pausing her moving for a second. The small smile on her face said everything.

    Once a few more objects were cleared out, Nancy and Steve came out from the house, armed with tin foil, trash bags, and other opaque material.

    "All yours," Teresa nodded towards the shed, handing Steve a hammer as she passed them.

    The two started to tape up any openings, covering the wood with the materials to make it all completely unrecognisable for Will. Teresa and Jim lingered outside, clearing a path from the shed to the house while they continued to talk.

    However Nancy and Steve mostly stayed quiet, until the former realised she would have to break the silence.

    "Hey," she grabbed Steve's attention, "What you did, um, helping the kids—that was—really cool," she managed a smile.

    "Yeah," Steve shrugged like it was no big deal. "Those little shits are real trouble, you know?"

    "Believe me, I know."

    Leaving the shed for another piece of flat wood, Steve glanced up, finding Teresa smiling at something her father said while they cleared the way from the back door to the shed.

    Real trouble.

    Unlike the slightly awkward conversation between the broken couple, Dustin and Lucas were instead having trouble with talking openly about something that resembled girl troubles, but for another reason.

    As twisted as it was, and really, it shouldn't have been like this, but the trauma that was starting to brew was encouraging them all to make amends. The kids, the teens, the adults. All overcome with the subconscious fear that they might not all live through the night.

    At least it made best friends realise what they'd done wrong, and that they needed to be on good terms. As much as possible.

    "Hey. I'm... I'm sorry about Dart and all. I guess I just thought that he was my friend. I was wrong. I broke the rule of law, so if you want your girlfriend to take over my spot in the party, I understand," Dustin finally spoke into the tense silence while he and Lucas dug through the trash.