"Dude i'm telling you, you're taking us the wrong way!" Steve exclaimed. "It's North! I'm positive. I checked the map" Dustin said. "You do realise Skull Rock is a super popular make out spot?" Steve said.

"Yeah so?" Dustin mumbled. "Yeah, well it wasn't popular until i made it popular, all right? I practically invented it" he said. I rolled my eyes as i walked away.

I made my way over to Robin and Nancy as they trailed behind. "Oh my god, they're so adorable. I just wanna squeeze them, you know?" Robin said as she looked at Lucas and Max.

Robin put her arm in mine as she laid her head on my shoulder. "You know, speaking of on and off relationships, if i'm permitted to see a silver lining in this end of the world doom and gloom, it would be the rekindle of old flames that should have never been sniffed out" Robin said.

I gave Robin an annoyed glare. "What are you talking about?" Nancy asked. "Nothing. She's talking about nothing" i said. "What? I didn't mean it as a hint or anything" Robin said as she put her hands up in surrender.

"Right" i said with a small laugh. "But if i did mean it as a hint would it be so terrible? To wish happiness for my friends? Especially one who needs some happiness right now?" she questioned.

"Do you think i'm not happy?" i asked as i removed my arm from hers. "No, no... I'm sure you are. Happy, independent and blah blah blah, but!... It's just, when we talk on the phone, you seem to be interested in what Steve's doing or who he's going out with so i thought
maybe-"

"Maybe what? He's my friend Robin. I wanted to see how he was doing" i said. "Wait, you like Steve?" Nancy asked. "No!" i exclaimed. "Yes" Robin said as she coughed loudly. "I don't have feelings for Steve. I'm... Focusing on myself" i said through gritted teeth.

Robin rolled her eyes as she let out a small scoff. "Anyways. How are you and Johnathan doing?" i asked Nance so i could avoid the subject. "We're fine" she said as she kept walking. "Are you sure?" Robin questioned.

Nancy stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. "What do you mean are you sure?" Nancy asked. "It's just... Back at the library when i asked you about Johnathan it's like you winced or flinched or something-"

"I didn't flinch or wince! Johnathan and i are fine!" Nancy exclaimed. "Okay! I won't try and fix either or your love lives!" Robin exclaimed. We all went quiet as we kept walking.

"Okay... It's just... Johnathan was supposed to be here for the break, and then he backed out at last minute for some vague, mumbly, Johnathan reason. And to be honest, i'm not that surprised because i've been feeling him pulling away. And i don't know if it's because we're 2,000 miles away or if he met someone new or what. And now, i can't find out why because apparently he's blown up his family's house phone because i keep getting his machine! So yeah, if the mention of his name caused me a slight muscle spasm on my face, that's... Probably why" Nancy rambled.

"That sounds... Rough" i said. "Yeah, it also seems like a perfectly reasonable reason to wince or flinch or something" Robin said giving Nancy a small smile. Nancy gave her a soft smile back.

"What about you Joy? Any confessions you would like to make?" Robin said with a grin. "I don't think i am longer interested in men. Or anyone. I think i have the attention span for them anymore" i said with a smirk. I knew this answer would annoy Robin.

"But seriously Joy. Do you actually like Steve?" Nancy asked. I opened my mouth to speak but i didn't know what to say. It was almost as if there was a hint of jealousy in her voice. Not viscous or vengeful jealousy. More like she begged for me to say no in her brain.

I always liked Nancy. She was the only girl who was always kind to me. She let me stay at her house the night i was chased by the Demogorgon, her and Johnathan always tried to involve me in their plans, and we fought the Demogorgon together.

Hop also told me she came to visit me in hospital when i was in my coma. I didn't want to say i still liked Steve because although i did have Steve for a short period of time, i felt like a piece of him would always be with Nancy.

For a while, i thought i would end up with Steve Harrington. But after seeing them both together since i got back, i'm not so sure.

"Like i said. I'm... Focusing on myself... And this Vecna creep" i said. She gave me a small nod as we kept walking towards Skull Rock.

Once we finally arrived, i heard Steve and Dustin arguing. "Oh boom! I was right! There she is, Henderson. Skull Rock" Steve said. Dustin was looking around as he was trying to figure out why his compass was wrong.

"In your face man. Your stupid, cocky, little face" Steve mumbled. "This doesn't make sense" Dustin said. "Yeah, yeah. Even with it staring you right in the face you just can't admit it! You just can't admit that your wrong, you butthead" Steve said.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the tree behind us. We all turned around to see Eddie standing there. "I concur. You, Dustin Henderson, are a total butthead" Eddie said.

"Jesus, we thought you were a goner" Dustin said as he embraced Eddie tightly. "Yeah me too man. Me too" Eddie mumbled.

I walked out from behind the bush and made eye contact with Eddie. His anxious expression slowly turned into a condescending smirk. "Hiya Josephine" he said with a small wave. I gave him the finger and a fake smile.

Eddie sat down and began telling us what happened last night. Those douchebag jocks were searching for him and they finally found him. He grabbed a small boat and tried to get away from them.

But as he did, one of the jocks was possessed and killed by Vecna. "I tried to call you guys but the walkie was busted. So i ended up doing the thing i do now. I ran" Eddie said with a sarcastic smile.

"Do you know what time the attack was?" i asked. "Yeah i know exactly what time it was. My walkie wasn't the only thing to be drenched" Eddie said as he threw me his watch. "Ew. Ew. Ew" i mumbled as i loosely held it. I have no idea where Eddie Munson has been, and i did not want to know.

"9:27" i said as i read out the time. "That was like... Ten or fifteen minutes before he tried to get Joy. And around the same time all the flashlights and lights turned off. He obviously couldn't get you so he took some other teenagers instead" Nancy said. "Wait, who tried to get Joy?" Eddie questioned.

"Long story but anyways... We are one step closer to killing Vecna. We know where he's hiding out and we know that the lights surge with energy when he's near. So all we have to do now is sneak into his lair into the upside down" i said.

"Only? Only sneak into the upside down?" Max questioned sarcastically. "No not only. We also need to drive a stake through his heart" Lucas said.

"A stake? What is he like a vampire?... Oh my god... Is he a vampire?" Steve asked. "It was a metaphor" Lucas mumbled. I whispered a ghoulish impression into Steve's ear as i made gestures of being a vampire. He gave me a sarcastic smile and nodded his head.

"Will bullets work on this guy?" Eddie asked. "I say we chop its head off" Lucas said. "All the above, but we can't do any of that until we find a way into the upside down" Nancy said.

"We need El to get her powers back!" Max exclaimed. I nodded as i thought of how El is trying to get her powers back right now, but i can't tell anyone or that might put her in danger.

"Everything was like way easier. We had this girl. Joys sister. She had superpowers" Steve began to say. "Yes. Super powers. You mentioned her. I just didn't know she was your sister... But cool" Eddie said.

"Boom!" Dustin shouted loudly causing us all to look at him. "Bada... Bada... Boom" he said. "What?" i questioned. "I knew Skull Rock was North!" he said.

"Are you serious right now?" Steve questioned angrily. Dustin nodded his head. "This is Skull Rock! Right here. You are totally, absolutely, 100% wrong!" Steve exclaimed.

"Yes... And no" Dustin said causing Steve to put his head in his hands from frustration. "This compass worked correctly when we were in Nancys house. It was correct when we got into the car on Curly. But it started to slip the further we went East. Lucas, you know what that means?"

"An electromagnetic field messes up the compass" Lucas said. "I'm sorry, i must have missed that class... What is this?" Robin said. "In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic-" "Okay in English terms, there is a gate nearby. And we can use the compass to help us" i said.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Steve said. I grabbed his arm and pushed him back to his seat. "Eddie is still a wanted man. We can't just go out into the woods!" i exclaimed.

"What say you, Eddie the Banished?" Dustin asked. "I say you're asking me to follow you into Mordor, which, if i'm totally straight with you, i thinks is a really bad idea" he said.

"Thank you!... Also, did you seriously just quote Lord Of The Rings right now?" i asked "But... The Shire is burning" Eddie said as he ignored me. I sighed as i shook my head. I knew what that meant. Dustin jumped up and down in excitement as Eddie stood up.

"So Mordor it is."