It must've been the crack of dawn when Winnie woke up. Dim light seeped through her blinds, but she couldn't see the sun in the sky. To say she slept horribly would be an understatement.

Deciding to give up now that it was somewhat light out, the blonde girl got up and got ready. She dressed herself in brown corduroys and a plain off-white t-shirt, which was way to big for her, before covering herself in a soft flannel. Glancing at her nightstand, the clock read 6:02.

She groggily walked from her room to the kitchen, making herself a bowl of chocolatey cereal. Winnie sat at the small kitchen table as she ate. When she finished, she stirred the brown tinted milk absentmindedly, not bothering to drink it. She hadn't even noticed Joyce leave her room and make her way into Will's. Not until she heard the muffled begging coming from the missing boy's room.

Quickly, she stood up and rushed to the bedroom, Jonathan not far behind her. Opening the door, the two teens found Joyce sitting on the end of her son's bed, rocking back and forth as she begged Will to talk to her. She was surrounded by what must've been every lamp in the house.

"Joyce?" Winnie called out.

"Oh! Come here, you two! Come here!"

"What's going on?" Jonathan asked nervously.

"It's Will. He's trying- He's trying to talk to me."

Winnie felt her heart sink. She didn't think she could handle Joyce losing it. Especially not after last night. After pushing her father even farther away and possibly scaring Jonathan off, this could be a final straw.

Jonathan sat down beside his mother, but Winnie lingered by the door. Joyce held her son's hand as she began talking.

"It's Will. He's trying to talk to me." She told them.

"He's trying to talk to you?" Jonathan asked confused.

"Th- Through the lights."

"Mom—"

"I know. I know. Just. . . watch." Joyce breathed shakily. "Will, your brother and Winnie are here. Can you show them what you showed me, baby?"

The two teenager remained silent as they waited for something to happen. After a moment, one of the lightbulbs flickered lowly, causing Joyce to gasp.

"Did you see that?" She exclaimed.

"It's the electricity, mom!" Jonathan cried, "It's been acting up! It's the same thing that fried the phone!"

"No! It is not the electricity, Jonathan! Something is going on here! Yesterday the wall—"

"What?! What about the wall?!" Jonathan yelled.

"Jonathan—" Winnie tried to interject. The way the boy blew up was stressing her out.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Joyce exclaimed.

"Mom, first the lights, then the wall?!"

"I just know that Will is here."

"No, mom."

"Maybe if I get more lamps—" Joyce started to stand up when Jonathan grabbed her shoulders.

"No, mom, you don't need more lamps! You need to stop this! He is just lost. People are looking for him, and they're gonna find him. This isn't helping."

Slowly, Joyce sat back down. "Okay, Okay," she repeated. "I'm sorry."

Now that she had calmed down, Winnie felt comfortable approaching Joyce. She carefully sat on the other side of the woman, grabbing her other hand.

"Hey, Joyce? Do you think you could just. . . try and get some sleep? Can you do that for us? For Will?" She asked gently.

The woman sighed, "Yeah. Okay. I just need to sit here for a while."

"I'll go make breakfast," Jonathan said before standing up and leaving the room.

Winnie stayed sitting, rubbing Joyce's back. "I already ate so. . . do you want me to stay here with you?" She asked.

She shook her head, "No, it's okay. You don't have to."

"Are you sure? I can stay."

"Yeah, I'm- I'm sure."

Hesitant, Winnie slowly left the room. She stopped in her room to grab her backpack before walking into the kitchen.

Entering the room, she saw Jonathan's back facing her as he stood at the stove. She fidgeted with her hands while standing awkwardly in silence. Her bag hung over her shoulder lazily. Taking a deep breath, she spoke up.

"Hi," she managed to get out.

Her friend popped his head around and looked at her, "Hey."

"I already ate so, don't make me one," she gestured to the plate in his hand.

"Oh, okay."

Awkward silence passed between them.

"Jonathan?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you. . . for comforting me last night. I'm sorry if I um. . . made you uncomfortable in any way. I just—"

"No need to thank me, I wanted to help. And no need to apologize either. You were exhausted, we both were. There was confusion. Let's focus on Will, yeah?" He sent her a small smile.

Winnie nodded, slightly disappointed by the way Jonathan brushed it off. "Yeah, okay," she responded, "I'm gonna head out early for school. I'll see you there."

Quickly, she turned heel and left the house, barely catching Jonathan's rushed goodbye. She grabbed her bike, mounted it, and was on her way.

The ride was difficult due to how sore her legs were from the amount of riding she'd done the day before. But she didn't have a car. Her and Jonathan shared one, if you can call it that.

The Byers family was not wealthy, the entire town knew that, and Winnie could care less. They were still her family. It just happened to be that detail about them that reminded her she was an outsider.

Because the amount money spent on her or for her was drastically less than the two boys that she'd grown to love. She convinced herself it didn't bother her because most of the time it truly didn't. But in this moment, we oh what she would give to have her own car and be at school in 20 minutes instead of 40, especially with the way her legs were killing her.

Winnie found the internal struggle of was she a Byers or not? to only grow worse. Was she a burden or not? Yes, she was cared for and loved by these people, but what did that mean?

She found herself pondering on those question every time she was alone with her thoughts, which had been way too often recently.

_____

The first half of the school day was uneventful. Winnie received the usual stares of pity or judgement. She wasn't fazed. But when lunch rolled around, something was off.

The blonde girl sat at her and Jonathan's usual table, waiting for her friend. After a few minutes, when he still didn't show up, she began to pack up her food in order to spare herself the embarrassment of eating alone. Grabbing her tray, she had just stood up when a soft voice called her name.

"Winnie Hopper?"

She turned her head to find Nancy Wheeler standing across the table from her. The brunette was a sophomore, the grade below her, but she was smart enough to share some classes with the older girl throughout the years. That, along with her brother's friendship with Will, and her own new relationship Steve Harrington, had brought her to Winnie's attention several times as of recently.

Confused, the blonde furrowed her eyebrows, "Yeah?"

"As in Chief Hopper."

"Are you asking or telling me?"

"Just. . . verifying. Thinking out loud? I don't know." Nancy crossed her arms over her stomach awkwardly. She stared at the floor while twisting her foot into the tile. "Can I. . . talk to you about something?"

"Um. . ." Winnie considered saying no, but the anxiety radiating from the small girl made her curious, "Is your boyfriend gonna come after me?" Nancy shook her head. "Then sure."

She set her tray back on the table and sat down slowly. Nancy followed suit. She didn't have a tray with her, or a backpack, so she assumed it wouldn't be too lengthy of a conversation. Either that, or the decision to come and speak to the blonde was a spontaneous one.

"I was just wondering, as the Chief's daughter, I assume you know things, right?"

"The word daughter can be loosely applied."

"I'm sorry?"

"Look, if you're here for an inside scoop on Will Byers, just leave now. It's none of your business, plus my dad tells me nothing. I don't even live with him," Winnie grew agitated. She expected the sweet Nancy Wheeler to be more sensitive.

"No, no, no, that's not--" The brunette exhaled, "I wasn't asking about that. I would never. . . I just meant over all things. . . like statistics and stuff?"

Now, Winnie was even more confused. "I guess. Some stuff."

"How likely is it that another person in a town as small as this would go missing in the same week?"

"Why?"

"I'm. . . just curious."

"Ok, I know everyone's paranoid right now, but I promise nothing is gonna happen to you. Or your little brother, Mike is it? I know he and Will are close."

"No, it's not me or Mike I'm worried about. I think. . . I think something happened to my friend, Barbara?"

"The ginger?"

"Yeah. . . She hasn't been at school today, and Barb doesn't skip. Ever. I called her mom to see if she was home sick, only to find out that she never even made it home after we hung out last night. I just-- I know something's wrong. And I would've called the police, but they say you have to wait 24 hours for a missing persons report to be valid. Plus, the entire department is focused on Will's disappearance, so I figured I'd talk to you. Which. . . I'm now starting to realize is a little stupid."

Winnie processed Nancy's words slowly. She hesitated before speaking up, "Not stupid, per se, but maybe a little. . . not thought through. Like I said, my dad and I don't talk. I live with the Byers. I'm not a mini detective like people think most cop kids are. All I'll tell you is. . . trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is. You asked me about statistics? Here's one thing I've learned, they don't exist. Anything is possible. Anything can happen anywhere at anytime. So call bullshit on everyone who tries to tell you the likelihood of something because they are the naive ones. You know what you know, and you seem to know Barbara."

Nancy stared silently, clearing her throat after a moment, "Um, thanks. Thank you. . . Bye."

And then she was gone. Back to Steve Harrington. And Winnie sat alone again. She stared at the tray in front of her and sighed at the cold food on the plate. Resting her head in her hand, she thought to herself.

"What in the hell just happened?" she muttered to herself.

_____________

The final bell rung and the school day had ended. Finally.

Winnie shoved her books into her backpack sloppily before walking out of the Biology classroom. As she walked down the hallway towards the doors, she saw Jonathan up ahead of her. She jogged to catch up with him.

"Hey!" She called out, "Where were you at lunch today? I was alone."

Jonathan seemed to tense up at the question, which confused Winnie.

"Yeah, sorry, I was processing some photos in the dark room. It couldn't wait. I wasn't hungry."

"Well, which is it?" Winnie chuckled.

"Huh?"

"Could it not wait? Or were you not hungry?"

"Um-- both."

"Okay. . ." The blonde tried to brush off Jonathan's awkwardness, but found it difficult as he avoided eye contact with her.

The pair had made their way to the car when they slowed to a stop upon seeing the group which leaned against it. Steve, Carol, Tommy, and Nicole. People who actively contributed to the Byers' unfair reputation at school and around town.

"What's going on?" Winnie asked the four teens.

"Hey," Steve greeted not-so-genuinely, "Nicole here was telling us about your work." The comment was directed at Jonathan.

"We've heard great things," Carol spoke up from behind the older boy.

"Yeah and we'd just love to take a look, you know, as connoisseurs of art," Steve explained.

Winnie didn't understand why they were so interested in her friend all of a sudden.

"Jonathan?" She asked. The boy continued to avoid her gaze.

"What, you haven't shown your girlfriend, yet?" Steve taunted the boy.

"She's not my girlfriend," Jonathan stated.

"Well, why don't we show her now? I'm sure she's just as interested as we are, if not more."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the younger boy tried to move around the group towards his car, but his bag was yanked off his shoulder.

Winnie, becoming defensive over her friend, went to try and retrieve it. "Give it back, asshole!" She told them.

Tommy, who had snatched the bag, tossed it to Steve before Winnie could reach it. The older boy held it tightly, "Look, he's like really trembling. He must really have something to hide." He began to dig through the bag.

"Or maybe you're just tormenting him?" Winnie provoked.

Steve sighed turning to her, "You know what, sweetheart? Come on over here and take a look with us, maybe you'll think twice about letting him drive you home."

"What?"

"Come here," he motion for her. Steve, for a moment, looked genuinely concerned for her safety. Why would the asshole pretend to care unless he fully believed what he was saying?

Winnie looked at Jonathan, who had snapped his head away from his previous stare on her. Her heart started to beat loudly in her chest. She could feel it in her ears and in her feet. Slowly, she walked towards Steve who pulled photographs out. He flipped through them, "Oh man."

He held them out to Winnie, displaying them to her. Now she felt nauseous. Winnie stared at the silhouettes on the pictures. People who obviously had no clue they were being photographed.

"Yeah, this isn't creepy at all," Carol spoke up as she too flipped through the photos.

"I was looking for my brother--" Jonathan attempted.

"No. No, this is called stalking." Steve interrupted.

Winnie stood between her best friend and the people she hated, holding a single photograph in her hand. Her hands shook as she stared at it. A vulnerable Nancy Wheeler through a window. She glanced at Jonathan who swayed anxiously. Then a voice rung out.

"What's going on?" Nancy herself appeared.

"There's the starring lady," Tommy teased.

"What?"

"This creep was spying on us last night," Carol explained. She then grabbed the photograph out of Winnie's hands and held it out to the brunette girl, "He's probably gonna save this one for later."

"You see, you can tell he know's it was wrong, but that's the thing about perverts. It's hard wired into them, you know? They just can't. . . help themselves," Steve said before ripping up the photograph in his hands. "So, we'll just have to take away his toy."

At that, Jonathan lunged forward, "No, please, not the camera."

Winnie stood to the side watching. She wanted to interject, to help her friend, but something stopped her. Something physically kept her frozen in place, unable to move. Inside her head, she was screaming at herself. Move. Do something. You love him, don't you? Prove it.

But nothing. She did nothing while she watched Steve pretend to offer Jonathan the camera. She did nothing when he dropped it on the ground, shattering it. She did nothing as the group began making their way inside. She did nothing as Jonathan bent down to pick it up.

And she did nothing as the Steve Harrington brought the blonde girl with him as he walked back inside the school.

_______

(word count: 2544)

HEY
so

in the middle of writing this chapter I changed my mind about everything.

I planned on making this book an emotional roller coaster where winnie gets rejected by jonathan then a toxic relationship with billy then angst with eddie and basically no consistent love interest cause i like pain.

but...

the chemistry between steve and winnie in this chapter...

‼️a show of hand for who wants me to turn this into a steve harrington book cause ill do it.‼️

i will if u want it.

think about it.

much love,
chloe <3