Chapter 12

008

• 𝐙𝐨𝐞𝐲 •

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･

☄. *. ⋆ Without saying a word, Stella sprinted out of the room to look for Will, the party — besides Will — following almost immediately. Max was the last one out, being slightly confused as to why everyone was so panicked.

As she ran, Stella started to feel the bite on her palm throb. It didn’t hurt, it just pounded as if it had a pulse. She ignored it, continuing to run as she stayed ahead of her friends.

Max and Dustin followed behind Stella as she ran down the halls, looking in every direction. “Will!? Will!” Stella shouted first, leading the other two to shout as well.

“Will!” Dustin and Max called in unison.

The three turned the corner, finding Joyce, Will’s mom.

“Stella, Dustin.”

The three kids furrowed their eyebrows as they looked back at Joyce.

“Mrs. Byers?” Dustin questioned.

“What’s going on? Where’s Will?”

“We don’t know.”

Just as Stella spoke, the doors leading to the field behind the school bursted open, Lucas running inside. “The field!”

Joyce, Stella, Max and Dustin followed after Lucas as he rushed back outside to the field. Upon exiting the school, they all saw Will just standing in the middle of the field, and Mike next to him, shaking the unresponsive boy and saying his name.

“Will. I just found him like this! I think he’s having another episode!”

They all made it over, Joyce immediately grabbing her son’s shoulders. “Will? Will. Will! Sweetie, wake up! It’s Mom! Will!”

The pulsing of the bite on Stella’s hand intensified a bit.

“Will, wake up!”

Stella looked down at her palm, seeing the black veins again, her breath picking up in fear as she looked back up.

“Will, please, just wake up,” Joyce continued to plead. “Will, wake up, please. Wake up! It’s Mom! It’s me!”

Will’s eyes suddenly shot open as he gasped, the throbbing of the bite stopping the moment he woke up. Stella glanced back at her hand, seeing that the dark veins weren’t there anymore.

–

☄. *. ⋆ The group watched as Joyce led Will to their car, Max being the first one to speak up. “Okay, that totally freaked me out. Did that not freak you guys out?”

Lucas spoke next. “Two episodes in two days.”

Mike added on. “It’s getting worse.”

Lucas looked to Mike. “You think it’s “

Max furrowed her eyebrows, confused. “What’s True Sight?”

Lucas shifted his stance. “It’s nothing.”

Max seemed annoyed and looked somewhat sad, and Stella knew why, but Max couldn’t know. It was for her own good. Stella moved her gaze to the ground.

–

☄. *. ⋆ “Stop being a baby and do it already!” Mike shouted at Lucas, who had unfortunately ended up with the job of jumping into the dumpster to look for Dart.

“This is so disgusting. Is this really necessary?” Max asked from Mike’s right. Stella — from Mike’s left — spoke up. “I’m just glad I’m not the one in the dumpster.”

“You wouldn’t have gotten in anyway,” Mike told her.

“Correct. That’s disgusting.”

“What the hell’s going on?” Dustin said once he turned the corner, having just got there.

“What do you think?” Mike spat. “We’re looking for Dart.”

It was then that Lucas threw two garbage bags out of the dumpster and onto the asphalt, everyone moving back and making sounds of disgust, Stella reacting quicker than the others, and flinching back before the others even noticed the bags.

“Jesus!”

Following the garbage bags, Lucas hopped out of the dumpster. “Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up. After I drew the short straw. Real convenient.”

“You stink!” Max cringed at the boy, moving to stand by Stella.

“Where’s Will?” Dustin asked.

Mike answered confidently. “He’ll be here.”

“Are you just gonna stand there?” Lucas took a stick and tossed it to Dustin. “Or are you gonna help?”

No one said anything else as they all began to poke at the garbage bags.

–

☄. *. ⋆ “All living things, from complex mammals to single called organisms, instinctively respond to danger. Expose a bacterium to a toxic chemical, and it will flee. Or deploy some other defense mechanism,” Mr. Clarke spoke.

“We’re very much the same.”

Will still wasn’t there.

“When we encounter danger, our hearts start pounding.”

Stella thought back to the day before.

“Our palms start to sweat.”

How the bite acted up when Will had his episode.

“These are the signs of the physical and emotional state we call…”

How it ended when Will snapped out of it.

“Fear.”

It was a coincidence.

That’s all.

It had to be.

–

☄. *. ⋆ Mike slammed the phone down before jogging over.

“Anything?” Lucas asked him.

“We need to talk. AV room. Right now.” Mike started up the stairs.

Everyone stood up, starting to head to the doors, but Mike turned around. “Party members only.”

“Mike,” Stella said sternly, Max looking to her.

“This is non-negotiable, Stella.”

Dustin glanced at Max. “Sorry, Max.”

“Sorry.”

Stella stayed silent, not moving as Lucas and Dustin started to head inside. They stopped when they realized Stella wasn’t following, Dustin speaking first. “Stella?”

“Just fill me in later.”

The boys nodded and went inside, leaving Stella and Max in silence.

“Thanks, Ess.”

Stella gave the redhead a soft smile. “No problem, Cali,” and they sat back down.

The rest of lunch was spent in a comfortable silence between Max and Stella. The silence was broken when the bell rang, and the two got up from their spots.

After Max and Stella parted ways, Stella found Dustin and Lucas in the hall. “What happened?” She asked them in a hushed voice.

Before they could explain whatever new knowledge they obtained, Stella was grabbed by the arm.

“Oh my God, Stella, why are you with the losers?” The piercing voice of Stacy asked, taking the girl away from her friends. Stella rolled her eyes, her head turned away from the girl before turning to her. “What?”

“Everyone knows those guys are freaks. Aren’t they the ones who wore those weird nerd costumes on Halloween?”

“They’re–”

“Whatever. Anyway, I saw this jacket the other day. It’d look amazing on you,” Stacy interrupted the girl.

“It’s pink, isn’t it?” Stella asked, already knowing the response.

Stacy took a moment to reply. “Yeah, but I don’t know what your problem is with pink! It’d look so good on you!”

“Trust me, I don’t doubt it’d look good on me,” Stella replied confidently, chuckling a bit as she never even spared Stacy a glance. “It’s just not my favorite. Plus, everything you try to get me to wear is pink.”

Stella caught sight of her next class and slipped away from the girl. “This is my next class. Later!”

Stella knew Stacy and the other popular girls didn’t truly like Stella. But she knew why they were always around her. Two reasons.

Her name ended in ‘Harrington,’ and the second, as egotistic and snobby as it sounds, she knew she was pretty. And pretty privilege was something very real, no matter how unfair it was.

–

☄. *. ⋆ It was during fourth period when Stella’s hand started to pulse again, then itch, then sting.

At first, the sting was tolerable.

Then it felt more like a burn.

She looked, and the black veins were back.

Then her chest tightened and burned.

“Mr. Moss?”

The teacher looked to Stella, who put on a polite smile as she fought the pain that was getting worse.

“May I use the restroom?”

“Go ahead.”

Stella pushed her chair back, stood up, and hurried out of the room as she started to get vertigo.

When she reached the bathroom, she tossed her jacket off before her right hand gripped the sink, trying to stabilize herself, her breathing picking up. She glanced at her reflection before looking back down at the sink, turning on the faucet and splashing cold water on her face, but it did nothing.

Her chest got tighter, her head starting to pound, the burning feeling spreading throughout her body. She let out a groan of pain.

The headache just got worse, it feeling like her head was splitting in two. Every movement made the room seem like it was spinning. Every breath made her chest tighter, but she couldn’t stop her hyperventilating. Every beat of her heart pounded in her skull. Every second that passed by was one that the burning spent getting more painful.

Stella stumbled over to a stall, locking the door and sliding her back down it as she dropped to the floor. She clutched her chest as sweat dripped down her forehead and she panted, squeezing her eyes shut and still groaning in agony. She lifted her shirt off, trying to cool down, but it didn’t help. She felt a heat in her hand that joined the burn. One that she produced.

Then it started to get better.

The burning faded away, the speed of the pulsing from the bite slowing before coming to a stop, the headache dissolving, her temperature coming back down, her hand cooling down.

She was… fine.

Stella panted, looking around.

She was fine.

She was fine.

–

☄. *. ⋆ “Hey,” Stella greeted with a smile as she opened her locker, but Max didn’t answer. “Max?”

“Hey, Max.”

Stella turned to see Lucas.

“Have you guys seen Dustin? We’re supposed to meet after class.”

Max just slammed her locker shut and started walking away, making Stella and Lucas furrow their eyebrows. They glanced at each other before following after the redhead.

“Max!” Lucas called.

Stella, though, got stopped by Ava. Again.

“Stella! Hey. So—”

“No, Ava, I really can’t right now.”

“Okay, but, Violet told MacKenzie who told Kaylie who told me that Oscar Rollway has a crush on you!” Ava squealed. Stella knitted her eyebrows in confusion. “Oscar? I thought he seemed… whatever,” she muttered. “Uh, yeah, okay, that’s cool, Ava.”

“Yeah!” The blonde gushed. Stella didn’t even look to Ava as she went on, too busy looking past her at Max and Lucas. “Then I heard from Kenzie, who heard from Ruby who heard from Stacy who heard from Chris that Oscar said he’s gonna ask you to the Snow Ball. And apparently, Brian said he thinks Martin might ask me to the Snow Ball!”

Stella shook her head, closing her eyes in confusion before finally looking to Ava. “Wait, which Martin?” She asked, feeling like she was actively losing brain cells.

“B, obviously.”

“Right. I really need to go, Ava,” Stella said, pushing past the girl before sighing, looking to see Max and Lucas near the parking lot.

She jogged over to them, and upon arrival, she heard Lucas speaking.

“There— there are just things. Things we can’t tell you, alright? For your own safety!”

“‘My own safety’?” Max repeated incredulously.

“Yes!”

“Well, it’s not because I’m a girl, so what is it?” Max looked in between Stella and Lucas.

Both kids Max was asking opened their mouths, but no words came out. They didn’t know what to say. Max had every right to be upset. Stella would’ve been upset too.

“Right. Did you keep secrets from El?”

Stella’s gaze moved to the ground and she lightly kicked a small piece of stray asphalt.

“How do you know about El?” Lucas asked.

“Did you?”

“That was different. Trust me. Okay? That was… just- just different,” Lucas tried to explain.

“Okay. You know what?” Max started. “Forget it, okay? I don’t wanna be in your stupid party anyway. I’m out. Have a nice life.”

Max turned and started walking to her brother’s car, but Stella looked up and hurried towards her. “Max? Hey, Max. Hold on.” She moved in front of the redhead, stopping her in her tracks. “I’m sorry. I- I’m sorry. You have every right to be mad, but- we just… we can’t.”

“‘Can’t’ what? Tell me your little secret? Fine. I don’t care about it anyways. Just don’t pretend to be my friend anymore, Stella.”

At that, Stella’s eyes landed on the ground again as Max continued walking, bumping Stella’s shoulder as she did.

Stella was left standing in silence, staring at the floor. Her heart ached, her eyes glazed over, her throat burned.

“Stella—” Lucas stopped himself when Stella adjusted her backpack strap and started walking away.

Stella didn’t look up from the ground as she made her way to Steve’s car, fighting the lump in her throat.

She made it to her brother’s car, but Steve wasn’t there yet, so she sat on the hood, messing with her fingers as she bounced her leg up and down.

Stella moved her thumb, placing her fingernail on her middle finger and beginning to dig her nail into her skin.

I’ve been trying not to let Mike leave her out too much, but I couldn’t tell her. It would put her in danger. If I told her and something happened to her, I’d never forgive myself. But does Max hate me now? It seems like she hates me. She called me Stella. Max hates me and—

Stella was sucked out of her thoughts when a sharp pain shot through her finger. She winced and looked down to see that she had drawn blood. “Shit.”

“Essie.”

Stella’s head whipped around.

“Come on, get in the car,” Steve told her, oblivious.

She quickly hopped off of the hood and opened the passenger door before slipping in and shutting it behind her.

–

☄. *. ⋆ “Does anyone copy? This is Dustin, I have a code red. Over.”

Stella rolled her head to look at the walkie on her nightstand, ultimately deciding to ignore it and turn her head back to face the ceiling. She got to get rid of the sling on her arm and wear a cast, now, so she was able to do more. Theoretically, that is. She’d been lying there doing nothing all day.

“Guys, this is a code red. Do you copy?” Dustin continued sternly.

“Do you copy?” Dustin paused in between words.

“Just someone answer, please, this is a code red!”

Stella reached over and turned her radio off before returning to her position on her back to stare at the ceiling. It was then that Steve opened her door and Stella turned her head to look at the door. “Hey. Come on, I need your help,” Steve told his little sister.

“Dude, I could’ve been changing.”

“Well, you’re not! Come on!”

Stella got up from her bed, following Steve out of her room and down the stairs. “Where are we going?”

“To get flowers.”

“Why?” Stella asked, pulling on her Converse.

“For Nancy.”

The youngest Harrington followed her brother out of the house, shutting the door behind her. “Okay, why so out of the blue?”

“I need to apologize.”

Stella scoffed. “Why? What’d you do?”

“Honestly, I don’t even know.”

Stella furrowed her eyebrows, pursing her lips as she opened the front passenger door.

–

☄. *. ⋆ Stella glanced around the store absentmindedly as her brother muttered something about Nancy’s favorite flower being roses, thinking out loud. She saw a Snicker’s Bar, glanced around, saw no one looking, took it, and shoved it in her cast.

“All right, let’s go.”

She turned when she heard Steve’s voice and followed him to the checkout.

After Steve paid for the flowers, Stella followed him back out to the car.

“Okay, so I need your help,” Steve said as he buckled his seatbelt.

“With?”

“What do I say?”

“Well, what did you do?” Stella asked her brother.

“Well- she was- it’s a long story, basically, punch got spilled on her shirt at a party by accident, and then we just- had an argument and I guess I stormed away because I was overreacting,” the oldest Harrington explained while Stella nodded along. Her nodding sped up as the explanation ended and she spoke. “Okay, well, I guess just tell her that you’re sorry, and that you overreacted and you love her.”

Steve nodded. “Okay, yeah. Yeah. I’m sorry and I love her,” he breathed out as he started the car.

–

☄. *. ⋆ Steve pulled up to the Wheeler house and stepped out of the car, roses in hand as he went over what he would say.

Stella pulled the Snicker’s Bar from her cast, opened it, and bit into it as her eyes moved to look out of the window. When she looked, she saw Dustin, who was talking to Steve. Stella opened the door and stepped out of the car, Dustin looking to her.

“What are you doing!?” Stella called with some of the candy in her mouth, putting her arms out. Dustin started to walk towards the car. “Stella. Where the hell have you been?”

“Ignoring your calls and moping in my room. What’s happening?”

“Hey, where’d you get that Snicker’s?” Steve asked his sister.

“I stole it while you were getting roses. What’s up, Henderson?”

“Wha-” Steve didn’t bother to finish his question.

“Do you still have Zoey?” Dustin asked the Harrington girl.

“Zoey?” Steve looked between Dustin and his sister, puzzled.

“It’s a knife, Steve. It’s a pink and black meat cleaver, and we named it Zoey.”

“I thought you didn’t like pink.”

“I don’t, but it was cool, so I took it from mom ’cause she doesn’t deserve cool shit,” she looked back to Dustin. “It’s at my house, Why—” Stella cut herself off with an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Why do you need Zoey?” She asked, moving to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.

“I’ll explain later. Steve, do you still have that bat?”

“Bat? What bat?”

“The one with the nails,” Dustin rose his eyebrows and waved his hands.

“Why?”

“I’ll explain it on the way.” Dustin opened the back doors to the car.

“Now?” Steve asked.

“Now!”

Steve ran to the car while Stella threw her head back with a sigh as she got into the car.

“There goes moping in my room,” Stella muttered.

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･

hey!

things i almost did part 5: “zoey” originally never had a name, but i felt it’d be very in character for stella if she named her knife, and also very in character for dustin to have helped her name it, so yeah.