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Jonathan approaches his car, expecting to find JJ waiting at her moped beside it, but instead he's greeted by Steve Harrington, Tommy H., Carol Perkins, and Nicole. He swallows, hesitating to a stop as Steve slides off the trunk of his car.

"Hey, man." Steve says casually, stepping closer.

Jonathan's brows furrow. "What's going on?"

"Nicole here was, uh, telling us about your work." Steve tells him, blood still boiling from the pictures Nicole said she found of JJ— Nancy, all of them. Why is JJ friends with him?! Steve wanted to scream. After all these years... all this time, what made him better?

"We've heard great things." Carol adds.

"Yeah. Sounds cool." Tommy H. taunts.

"And we'd just love to take a look. You know, as... connoisseurs of art." Steve continues.

Jonathan sighs. "I don't know what you're talking about." His heart pounds in his his chest as he tries moving past them to his car, but Tommy H. jerks his bag off his shoulder.

"Oh, no? Oh..." Steve mocks.

"Hey. Please, give me my bag." Jonathan weakly demands, holding his arm out.

"No." Tommy tosses his bag to Steve.

"Man, he is like totally trembling." Steve points. "He must really have something to hide. Here we go." He turns around, laying the bag on Jonathan's trunk as Tommy slams his fist on it, Steve pulls out the photos immediately. "Ah. Here we go." Steve repeats, lifting the photos in his hand before looking down. Pictures of the group, Nancy, and JJ, beside the pool, in it, drenched as they're heading inside.... JJ standing in his room, arms clasped around her body, it made his ears roaring with rage.

"Let me see." Tommy H. interrupts his thoughts, grabbing a handful of photos out of Steve's hand as he flips to one of Nancy standing in Steve's room while he stares behind her where JJ had left just moments before. "Dude." Tommy exclaims, looking at Jonathan as Carol reaches out towards the photos.

"Yeah, this isn't creepy at all." She scoffs.

"I was looking for my brother, and gave JJ a ride." Jonathan defends himself. She rode home with him?

"No." Steve stops him. "No, this is called stalking. Mhmm."

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JJ mindlessly trudges to the parking lot, the sore singe on her calves soaking up most of her attention as she flexes her fingers in and out by her sides. 3:15, she chants in her head. Mike said 3:15. All she had to do was make it to her moped, and then to the Wheeler's... she can do it, she can do it.

She wonders if she should check Barb's car as they're looking for Will... why the hell was Barb missing in the first place... she never misses school, she would never leave or go somewhere without telling JJ, or at least Nancy, first, why have two people closest to JJ disappeared within days of each other, unexpectedly... why, why, why— fuck.

JJ's nails pierce her cut too hard, and the pressure on the bandaged wound made bile threaten to rise up her throat. She inhales through her nose, dazely staring at the ground she crumples her fist into the palm of hand, wincing her raw flesh meshes into the gauze...

The stupid wound that'll always be associated with Steve— her anger fuels her self inflicted punishment, and distraction, and it's only when the bell rings to signal the end of the day that she snaps back to reality.

This day has felt like one massive, never ending hangover. Her head feels heavy as she continues her strides, quickening her pace to avoid the masses forming behind her. Brain pulsing with each step, she's suddenly brought to an abrupt halt at the scene unfolding in the parking lot before her. All of the alarms in her head blare at once as she finds Jonathan caught, a rabbit cornered by the lion, as Steve and his posse have seemingly planted themselves between him and his car.

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"What's going on?" Nancy approaches the tense scene with a light nervousness.

"Here's the starring lady." Tommy H. grins.

"What?" Nancy looks at him.

"What the hell is this?" JJ's voice cuts in as she appears behind Nancy.

"Oh, and her leading co-star." Tommy sneers.

"This creep was spying on us last night." Carol tells Nancy, pointing towards Jonathan. "Mmm, must've followed his little depressed freak of a girlfriends' scent." She hisses while Nancy glances at Jonathan out of the corner of eye before looking between him and JJ.

"Fuck off, Carol." JJ bites out. Tommy H. goes to open his mouth before Steve beats him to it.

"Bet they get off to these, huh?" Carol purses her lips.

"Gross." Tommy H. scoffs.

"Enough, both of you. She's not his girlfriend." Steve lashes out harshly, hand clenching at his side. JJ's back teeth clench together as she ignores Steve's behavior, angling her body towards Jonathan.

"He was probably gonna save this for later." Silently chomping her gum Carol stares Jonathan down as she holds a photo to Nancy. She gently takes it from Carol, seeing herself staring out the window, soaked clothes clinging to her body. "And this one for last." Carol snickers, holding out one of JJ in disgust until Steve snatches it from her hand.

Nancy's lips part as she turns to Jonathan, whose shoulder slump sheepishly.

Steve sucks in through his teeth, clicking his tongue. "See, you can tell that he knows it was wrong, but..." He steps closer. "Man, that's the thing about pervy stalkers, it's hardwired into 'em." Steve pinches Jonathan's jean jacket sleeve before brushing his hand against his shoulder. "You know, they just can't help themselves."

JJ tugs on Jonathan's sleeve as she swats Steve's hand up. "Fuck off, Steve, get off of him." She growls. "He takes pictures of me all the time, who cares?" She spits out.

"What, you couldn't stay away from her for one night?" Steve's glare boars into Jonathan, slowly ripping the photos in his hand.

"He takes pictures of me all the time, who cares?" JJ digs at Steve. Tommy H. laughs turns into 'ooo's.'

"Looks like we'll just have to take away his toy." Steve turns to grab Jonathan's camera.

"Steve..." Nancy weakly lets out.

JJ scoffs at her. "Give it back."

"No, please, not the camera." Jonathan tries dashing to Steve but Tommy stops him before Steve quickly deflects the situation.

"No, no, wait, wait... Tommy, Tommy." Tommy chuckles. "It's okay." Steve cradles the camera in his hand as Nicole eyes him carefully, arms crossed. JJ's stomach twists at it being in his possession. The memories, the laughs, the pictures Jonathan's taken of her, Joyce, Will, all three, Will's drawings, her plants... God, so WHAT he took some pictures of the stupid party she'd rather peel her skin off then ever have to think about it again. At least there would have been evidence if they tried to drown her, or kill her off for good.

"Steve, I swear to God." She warns, her sharp gaze finally connecting with Steve's. Her body was filled with so much hatred for him it could pour like smoke out of her ears. The tethered history both want to ignore, but can't ever seem to wipe clean from their minds swim within the tortured pools of their eyes, unable to detect from the surface at just a quick glance.

And as she clings to Jonathan's side, Steve's rudely reminded of treacherous, buried memories. He holds out the camera Jonathan's way. "Here you go, man." Jonathan hastily scuffles forward to grab it and JJ notices the snap flash in Steve's eyes.

"Don't—" The words catch with a gasp in her throat as the camera slips from the calloused Harrington hand and shatters on the asphalt. Nicole's jaw drops as Tommy wheezes a chuckle. JJ's eyes flutter shut before popping them back open to meet unapologetic hazel ones. "You're a fucking asshole."

"Come on, let's go. The game's about to start." Steve speaks stoically.

JJ's nostril curls in boiling anger. "Screw you, Steve Harrington." His name drips venomously off her tongue.

"Boo." Tommy H. says, almost touching nose to nose in Jonathan's face as Steve breezes past the group and Nicole quickly follows.

"Awww." Carol pouts in front of JJ, ripping the photos left in her hands she gasps, "Bye." And throws them up in Jonathan's face.

"Screw you! Screw you, Steve Harrington! Screw all of you!" JJ's hollers, her words slamming into Steve's ears like nails on a chalkboard as Carol whispers some nasty comment about her losing it to Tommy.

Jonathan dives to the ground to his camera as Nancy watches, biting her lip, before she crouches down, picking up one of the torn edges of Barb.

JJ's eyes narrow at her. "Why are you still here?"

"Hey, Nance!" Steve shouts. "Come on." Nancy glances over her shoulder, looking at JJ and Jonathan she hastily collects the rest of the picture while Jonathan looks up at her, the shards of his camera clinging in his hand. Nancy hurries to catch up and Steve looks back one last time at JJ caressing Jonathan's shoulder before he bitterly wraps his arm around Nancy.

JJ drops to her knees beside Jonathan, not even caring at the way her knees crack against the concrete. "I'm sorry." She whispers. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She sniffs the cool air as a breeze carries away some of the torn photos and she scrambles to grab the remains.

"What are you sorry for?" Jonathan asks her softly.

She clamps the flesh of her cheek between her teeth. "It's my fault." She smacks her good hand against one of the pieces, swallowing thickly. "It's my fault they did this."

"No." Jonathan shakes his head immediately. "No, they did this— I did this. It wasn't you." Her eyes begin to burn as they remain on the broken camera. Jonathan gently touches her arm. "You hear me? This wasn't your fault. I-I shouldn't have taken them."

Maybe not—

JJ's eyes travel to array she managed to salvage, landing on one of her own of Barb. Feet dangling off the diving board, sporting her cut. She didn't leave?

But she's glad he did...

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!sʞɐǝds Ƚʇᴉnɔsᴉqɹǝʇʇnq0

Ooo, y'allll, I found an upside down fonttt, how coollll!!!

Hello, hellooo... and welcome back to Rightside Up!! ;)

I have been actively trying to edit this book this month & am still in the process of editing, just in general & updating the chaps to change the name (bc I changed JJ's name to JJ lol, it was something else before) so bare with me!!

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapterrr!! I've had this chap/scene planned for YEARSSS & I've been so excited to write it!! (Yes I did change it a bit, Jonathan still took the pictures, just not of anyone actually changing.) I can't WAIT to hear y'all thoughtsss, so pls don't be afraid to comment your questions, thoughts, & reactions!! WHAT DO Y'ALL THINK OF STEVE & JJ & HIS REACTION TO EVERYTHING WITH HERRR??!!

WE ARE 10 DAYS AWAY FROM ST5!! AHHH!! I am SO excited & have so many excited things coming for this book for ittt I cannot wait to shareeee!!! ;) sooo, until thennn, mwahhh!! <333

Also I am two days late lol, but happy birthday to my burn out baddie, my wife JJ 🤭🎂