MAX sat on her sister's bed while Lennon ranted about how she didn't need to stay away from Lucas. How Billy's words didn't matter, and that the decision of labelling that boy as a bad or a good person was hers "But I don't understand why he says all those things!" Max whined.
Lennon was getting some stuff on her bag for the sleepover. She figured Nancy was going to be back by then, as they had agreed on it a day before "Because he's a racist piece of shit, Max." She shrugged, placing a hoodie inside. Just in case she got cold.
Max shook her head "I'm so sick of him, Lennon. Can you stay here tonight? I don't wanna be in the same house as him alone!" Lennon felt bad, but she had to do her own life. She didn't need anyone apart from her sister, and still, it was nice to have a friend. Nancy was a nice person, who needed someone.
"Mom and Neil are here. And it's just for one night!" She sat besides her, caressing her hair as Max sighed "I will be back before you notice, ok?"
She took a deep breath "Promise?" Lennon smiled as her little sister stuck her pinkie out.
She nodded, enlacing them together "Promise."
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Susan dropped her daughter at the Wheeler's house, who stood by the door with a bored expression. She was about to smile excitedly once the door opened, expecting it to be Nancy. But as the girl's mother stared at her with a raised eyebrow, her smile turned to a polite one "Hello, Mrs. Wheeler. I'm Lennon, a friend of Nancy's."
Karen, Nancy's mother, furrowed with a smile "Hi, honey. What are you doing here?"
"Nancy invited me to a sleepover." She replied, gulping nervously as the woman stared at her in curiosity. Karen was a really attractive woman, probably from who Nancy got her best gens.
"But she told me she was staying at yours tonight." Lennon frowned, all excitement washing off. Nancy had lied, not only to her mother but also to her.
She didn't know that to do. One part of her told her to say the truth, that Nancy lied. But she also felt like it wasn't her place to do so. She wouldn't like being outed of her lies, so she wasn't going to do the same "Oh, yeah. I forgot. Silly me." She laughed awkwardly, pointing behind her "I should leave now. She's probably waiting for me. I'm such an idiot." Karen nodded, closing the door while the teen turned around. Closing her eyes, she muttered "I'm such an idiot."
To say Max was excited when she came home that night, isn't enough.
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The next day, Dustin Henderson needed either Mike or Nancy. He didn't care. He just needed someone who knew about the Upside Down and the whole deal. He went to their house, and the parents of both told them that Mike was at Will's and Nancy was at Lennon's. He hadn't been able to contact the Byers. So, after finding Steve in the doorstep of the Wheelers, they both left to the Mayfield household "I'm not going to buy your cookies." Lennon deadpanned as she saw Dustin for the first time in her life, standing on her doorway.
He rolled his eyes "Mrs. Wheeler says that Nancy is here. I need to talk to her."
She scoffed, crossing her arms around her chest and leaning on the doorway "Yeah, well. Nancy told me that she was going to be home last night, and that wasn't truth either." She held her hands up.
Steve pointed at her "Didn't you two have a sleepover last night?"
"Yeah, but she ditched me. Told me to go to her place and told her mother she was at mine." She scoffed, muttering under her breath, "Bitch."
Dustin and Steve shared a tired look before the youngest boy turned to her. He knew Max. She was badass. And she had talked about her older sister, who taught her everything she knew "Do you know how to hunt?" Steve sent him an odd look while she rolled her eyes.
"Is this some boy scout shit?"
Dustin sighed, closing his eyes "We need help. Can you help us?"
She rolled her eyes "Not if you don't tell me with what." Dustin glanced back at Steve, who shook his head. They shouldn't involve more people, but Dustin felt like he could trust the girl.
And she was hot, and badass, "I'll explain everything in the way."
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Lennon had an arm on the window of Steve's car, her hand supporting her head as she looked out of it "Am I being kidnapped? I feel like I'm being kidnapped."
Steve sighed "You're not being kidnapped."
Dustin couldn't stand it anymore "Did you hear anything that I just said?" He had explained enough, he thought. Enough for her to understand what they were looking for, but not enough to freak her out with the reveal of someone having superpowers and others.
Lennon rolled her eyes "Yes, yes, yes. You lost your pet. I get money if I help you find it. That was enough for me to hear." She thought it was weird, the whole lizard? thingy. He said it came from another place, and that it would be catastrophic if someone else found it.
Dustin sighed in relief "Well, that's enough for you to know for now." Steve glanced back at him for a brief second. He wasn't sure if getting Lennon into the whole thing was a good idea. Enough people were involved already, in his opinion. And in the little time he knew Lennon, she had shown how careless she was. She probably decided to leave them once she learned the truth. There was no way she wanted in.
"Wait a sec. How big?" Steve wondered, suddenly remembering the first thing of those he ever fought. Lennon snickered besides him, causing both boys to turn to her confused. Steve for a short time as he was driving.
"That's what she said." Groaning, both boys decided to ignore her while she chuckled to herself.
"First it was like that." Dustin separated his hands in a small distance "Now he's like this." He separated them a bigger distance.
"I swear to God, man, it's just some little lizard, okay?" Steve said, the girl by his side nodding in agreement. Although, she was paying more attention to the song coming from the radio than the conversation.
"It's not a lizard." Dustin argued.
"How do you know?"
"How do I know if it's not?"
"Yeah. How do you know it's not just a lizard?"
"Because his face opened up and he ate my cat." Lennon glanced back at Dustin after that.
"Gross." She deadpanned. The boy rolled his eyes, pushing her head back into looking to the front. Steve sent her a side-glance.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." He whispered, hoping Dustin wouldn't hear. But obviously, he did. Arching an eyebrow at him while the redhead shook her head.
"No, it's fine. I've got nothing better to do." Steve nodded, parking his car in front of Dustin's house. The boy, glanced at each one of them, eyes squinted in suspicion. When he found Steve, he seemed determined to end his relationship. Was it because his heart now belonged to another? They exited the car, walking to the back of it so Steve would grab his bat, which had nails on. As he grabbed it, Lennon stared blankly at it "That's not creepy at all." She mumbled to herself. Even if the other two heard, they just began walking towards the house. She glanced up at it. Great, that's where I'll be locked up for who knows how long. "Just for your information. My family doesn't have much money, so they can't pay for any rescue."
Steve sighed, turning to her and grabbing her shoulders "For the millionth time. We're not kidnapping you!"
Dustin hushed him, looking around "Relax, man. You're too loud." Shaking his head in disbelief, he walked away. Lennon smirked smugly at Steve, arms crossed around her chest. He rolled his eyes, following Dustin.
He took them to the side of the house, where a small door on the ground took to the Henderson's basement. Steve flashed his flashlight at it, Lennon by his side with a furrow "I don't hear shit." The former commented.
"Me neither." Lennon added, placing her ear to it. Steve pulled her to her feet, shaking his head in disbelief. She didn't understand why she couldn't do that. Of course, she thought it was just gonna be a small lizard. Not a deadly creature.
"He's in there." Dustin told them, making Lennon feel bad as it seemed like they didn't trust him. She didn't know the kid much, only for a few minutes. But he didn't seemed like a bad kid. And right now, he needed their help. It was just that the story for her sounded a little bit nuts. But he was a kid, that's how their minds works, creating crazy stories all the time.
Steve hit the knob of the door with his bat twice, unsure. Then, he turned to Dustin, the light of the flashlight going to the kid's face "All right, listen, kid. I swear, if this is some sort of Halloween prank, you're dead."
"It's not."
"All right?"
"It's not a prank." Dustin sounded exhausted "Get it out of my face."
"I'll go in." Lennon spoke up, surprising them "What? I used to get into hunted houses all the time, this is nothing." She took her leather jacket off, leaving her on a grey shirt and jeans. She gave it to Steve, pressing it against his chest. He caught it, sighing. Dustin opened the door with a key, and she kneeled down to see.
Steve passed her his flashlight, his fingers touching hers for a brief moment before he pulled away. She turned to him, an odd look on her face. She used the flashlight to light his face, seeing his red cheeks. He quickly covered his face with his hands, not wanting to be blinded. Besides, he was feeling the heat on his cheeks "Stop, stop."
She smirked cockily "Aw, don't worry, Harrington. I often cause that effect." Sighing dramatically, she turned back to the basement. Dustin snickered, being shut down by Steve's glare. The kid kneeled down besides the redhead.
"He must be further down there." Dustin told her, hoping at least she believed some of the story he told.
She nodded "Ok. Stay here in case he tries to escape."
Before she could even climb the stairs down, Steve grabbed her arm. She glanced up at him confused "Just... Be careful, all right?"
Lennon smirked "Sure thing." She slapped his cheek softly twice, mocking him. As he rolled his eyes, she finally went to climb down the stairs. Steve and Dustin shared a worried look. She was the one who knew the least about the Upside Down and all, and she was the one about to face a creature from there. The flashlight moved swiftly, not an ounce of tremble on her hand. She wasn't scared, she was curious even. But she didn't find the scene as terrifying as the other two could. Slowly, a smirk creeped on her face. She letted out a loud scream, alarming the boys.
"Lennon!? Lennon!" Steve shouted, about to climb down the stairs when he heard her beautiful laugh. Both sighed in relief, Dustin ready to tell her off when she spoke.
"Joke! It's a joke! I was just joking, jeez." She laughed, a sheepish smile on her face "Sorry, boys."
Dustin shook his head slowly, gaping "I swear to god. I'm gonna kill her."
"Me too." Steve nodded in agreement. They shared a high-five, waiting for her to say something else. And praying she wasn't going to play another prank on them.
Lennon hit her head with a lightbulb, glad she was there alone so none one could see. Rubbing her head with the hand that held the flashlight, she used the other one to switch it on. It didn't light the room much, but it was enough to make her see what was on the floor. She cringed to herself before her eyes landed on something else. There was a hole on the wall, which she walked closer to "Lennon. Lennon, what's going on down there?" She heard Dustin ask.
She turned around, seeing the disgusting thing Dart, Dustin's pet, left behind "Nasty things." She gagged "Please, get down here before I throw up."
They immediately obliged, Steve checking on her with his eyes because he couldn't be seen like he cared about her too much. They were friends, yes, but in the back of his mind he hoped they could be something else. Something more. Steve lifted the thing with his bat while Dustin stared in shock "Oh, shit. Oh, shit!"
"And that's not even the worst part." The boys stared at Lennon in confusion, making her nod to the wall with the hole. They followed her to it, all bending down to stared at the inside of it.
Dustin grunted, knowing he had screw up. Big time "No way. No way."
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Steve and Dustin followed Lennon around the supermarket. They were silent, as she seemed to know what she was doing "We need to get buckets for the meat." She stated. Dustin turned to Steve, who stared at the back of her head without saying a word.
Sighing, he replied, "I'll get them." He walked away, leaving them alone as Lennon grabbed yellow gloves. Steve placed himself by her side, offering her a small smile.
Lennon then walked up to a freezer, grabbing all the meat she could get her hands on "You seem to know what you're doing." Steve commented, slightly suspicious.
She shrugged "I used to go hunting with my dad all the time. Him and his friend can be a little too much. But I always liked to go and show them I was better than their sons." While she smirked, he laughed with a shake of his head.
Dustin arrived, two buckets which were quickly filled with raw meat by the girl. He glared at Steve, who furrowed because of it. The last thing they needed was gasoline, Lennon already carried a lighter with her. Once they put everything in front of the cashier, he raised an eyebrow. He glanced up at the redhead girl, who smiled innocently. Sighing, he said, "I'm not even going to ask." Smugly, Lennon turned to Steve and Dustin. Winking subtly before glancing back to the cashier.
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author's note!!!
she's an icon, and she is the moment.
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