twist of fate.
CHAPTER FIVE

' I just don't want him to feel like he has to be alone through this. '

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Cindy Newby hated being lied to.

There was a distinct difference between the little white lies that she'd hear often from her friends and the much bigger lies she seemed to be hearing from the people closest to her. She could take the small lies being given out by Natalie and Matthew when they gushed about how much they liked the gift she gave them or some of her past halloween costumes. Those lies were just to make her feel better and sometimes she even appreciated them even if they weren't entirely true. But the lies she had been told from her new family were rooted a lot deeper than that.

Cindy knew something was going on that they weren't telling her and she had a feeling that her father wasn't being told everything either. That upset Cindy more than anything. She understood there must be a reason why Joyce was keeping things from Bob, but Cindy could see how in love he was with her and the fact that she didn't trust him enough to confide in him was heartbreaking.

     After Cindy had witnessed Will's episode the day before, she had tried to ask Joyce what was going on but she just told her everything was fine. Cindy knew that wasn't true. Something weird was happening and they were lying to her.

All of them.

     Needing answers, Cindy decided to confront Bob and discuss the situation. She was growing frustrated with the hushed voices that seemed to cease whenever she entered the room and the awkward looks whenever something was even slightly off with Will. Cindy just wanted to know the truth because clearly it was an integral part of the Byers family — her family.

     Joyce had dropped Cindy home from school after they found Will instead of going back to the Byers house like she usually did. Bob had arrived home shortly after and Cindy heard him speaking on the phone to Joyce. The call didn't last long before Bob hung up the phone and went to make dinner for himself and Cindy. It felt weird to Cindy being at home as most of her time was spent at the Byers' residence, but she quite liked it being just the two of them like it had been for years.

     The two of them didn't speak much the entire evening and an uneasiness seemed to hang in the air. Cindy couldn't really sleep that night either. Her mind was racing and she felt restless as she tried to figure out what was going on. But Cindy kept coming up empty. There was no reasonable explanation for anything that was happening and she hated that. Cindy was a very organised person and thought logically in situations, but logic didn't seem to be helping her this time.

     When Cindy woke up the next morning, not that she really slept, Bob offered to drive her to school. As Cindy climbed into the passenger seat of Bob's old car, she knew now was the perfect time to ask Bob about what had been happening. It was just the two of them and there was no way for Bob to make an excuse and leave the room unless he wanted to take a tumble down the road as he jumped from the moving vehicle, therefore this was ideal for Cindy.

     "How's Will?", Cindy casually asked. She raised her eyebrow in intrigue as she studied her father's face, waiting for his reaction to her question. His face hardly changed.

     "He's fine. A bit under the weather, that's all," Bob replied, calmly. Cindy had known this man long enough to know when he's telling a lie and when he's being honest. This was a prime example of Bob Newby telling the truth.

     A smile spreads across Bobs face.

     "What?" Cindy asked.

     He shrugged. "Nothing." Cindy raised her eyebrows as Bob glanced at her, waiting for him to continue speaking which he did. "It's just sweet to see how much you care about Will. It really means a lot to me that you're making such an effort to get closer to the boys and to Joyce," he elaborated. Cindy could feel her heart expand as she smiled back at him.

     "They're good people," Cindy told him. She really did like the Byers family and she could see them all being happy together, but she knew it wouldn't work unless they started telling each other the truth. "Did Joyce tell you about what happened to Will yesterday?" Cindy decided to ask. She was curious to know whether Joyce told Bob the truth or made up a lie to minimise the situation.

     Bob turned the corner and pull up outside of Hawkins high school. He stopped the car and turned to face his daughter. "Will..." Bob sighed. "Will has been through a lot, Cind. He'll be okay. We just have to patient and let him work through his issues. All we can do it be there to support him through it," Bob answered, avoiding Cindy's question. Cindy nodded her head. She knew he was right and she couldn't force Will to air out all of his dirty laundry to her, but a little bit of communication wouldn't go a miss.

     "Of course," Cindy replied. "I just don't want him to feel like he has to be alone through this."

     Bob smiled as he looked at his thoughtful daughter, proud of the woman she was becoming. A spitting image of her mother and just as kind and loving.

     "Anyway," Cindy added, "I should probably go. Don't want to be late." She forced a smile as she leant over to kiss her father on the cheek before climbing out of car.

     "Do you want me to pick you up after school?" Bob offered, but Cindy shook her head.

     "I have tutoring after school," she told him. "I'll see you when I get home, Dad." And with that, she closed the door behind her and gave her father a wave goodbye as she walked towards the main entrance of the school. The last thing on her mind was whatever mundane thing her teachers were going to babble on about today and yet she had no choice but to sit and listen as they droned on.

     The day dragged on, but eventually the final bell rang and Cindy made her way to the library to wait for Steve to show up for their study session. She took a seat at her usual table and pulled out her books to start on her homework but Cindy didn't get very far with her work. Her mind was elsewhere and she couldn't focus on the math problem in front of her. She held her pen in her hand and began doodling in the corners of her pages as the clock ticked the time away.

     Almost thirty minutes after Cindy had arrived in the library, the door swung open and Cindy immediately looked up. She saw Steve walk in, slightly out of breath and with an annoyed look on his face which was rare for the popular boy. Steve spotted Cindy and stormed over, taking a seat across the table from the blonde and pulling out his school folder. He didn't say a word.

     "You okay?" Cindy eventually asked the boy who seemed anything but okay. Steve didn't reply at first. He just sat at the table and rubbed his hands over his face. Cindy wasn't sure what she was supposed to do in this situation. Her friends were over-sharers, unlike Steve who was a lot more cryptic with his feelings.

     "Fine," he managed to spit out before sighing. Cindy gave him a look that he knew meant she didn't believe him. "It's nothing. Just that new guy being a total asshole."

     Cindy smiled knowing exactly who she meant. "Ah, Billy. Yeah, you're not the first person I've heard had a run in with him. I wouldn't worry. He's probably just trying to get a reaction from you. You know, asserting his dominance and all that," Cindy told him. She was fortunate enough to not have had the opportunity to speak to Billy yet, but she wasn't sure how long that would last. It wasn't exactly a big school.

     Steve shot Cindy a smile, appreciating the reassurance he always seemed to be able to provide her. Cindy thought the conversation was done but then Steve spoke up again.

     "You haven't seen Nancy around, have you?" Steve asked. The mere mention of Nancy made Cindy's heart drop. She really needed to stop forgetting Steve was dating Nancy. As far as she knew they had gotten back together after the incident at halloween and she was only kidding herself if she thought she even had a chance with him.

     "No, I haven't. Sorry," Cindy replied honestly. If she really thought about it, she hadn't seen Nancy all day which was weird as Nancy never missed a class.

     "What about Jonathan Byers? Surely you know where he is," Steve then questioned which took Cindy by surprise.

     "What? Why would I know where Jonathan is?" Cindy asked, not knowing where this conversation was going.

     "Well, isn't jonathan like your stepbrother or something?" Steve asked, wondering if he had gotten his information wrong.

     "No. Not technically. And I haven't seen Jonathan since last night. He never mentioned anything about nancy if that's what you're wondering," Cindy answered and Steve seemed almost relieved by the blondes answer. "But I suppose that could be because of what happened to Will," Cindy continued, trailing off as she realised she was now over-sharing. She hoped Steve had missed that last part. Unfortunately for her, he hadn't.

     Steve's head snapped up. "Something happened to Will?" he asked, a look of concern washing over his face. Cindy was confused. She hadn't realised Steve was so close to the Byers.

     Cindy slowly nodded her head, not knowing what to say.

     "Did he have another..."

     "Episode?" Cindy finished and Steve nodded. How did Steve know about this and yet Cindy was only just finding out herself?

     "Is he okay?"

     "Yeah. I mean, I think so. I haven't really heard from any of them. They don't really want to tell me anything it seems." Cindy could see Steve mentally processing this new information and it was starting to infuriate Cindy. She hated being kept out of the loop. "Do you know something, Steve?" she decided to question, hoping he might be able to provide some answers. Sadly for Cindy, Steve's lips were sealed.

     "Huh? Oh, no I don't. I'm sure everything is fine," he said. Cindy could tell by the way he fiddled with the cuff of his jacket that he was lying. It was starting to look like Cindy couldn't trust anyone. Cindy had hoped Steve would be different from everyone else in her life, but she was mistaken.

Maybe he was exactly the guy everyone said he was after all.

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AUTHORS NOTE
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i hope you enjoyed!!

i haven't updated in such a long time im sorry!!! but i've missed this book so im going to try and update more often <3