↣ 𝘚𝘩𝘩 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘈 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵

Bailey cuddled up in his bed, something he did frequently. he felt as if this was his only refuge from the outside world. He placed his forehead against his knees.

florence knocked on the door, slowly opening it to see her son curled up."Is everything all right, my darling boy?" She questioned, coming towards the bed and settling besides him, noticing her son's little movement away from her.

"Everything is fine, just in my own little world as usual," he added, flashing her his performance smile, the one that appears genuine to others but not to him.

His mother only sighed, making him want to crawl back into himself. "Clearly something is wrong, was it the party last night?" She asked, he looked down.

Bailey didn't say anything else, which made her feel saddened by her son's suffering. "I know how cruel people can be, and it's okay to feel like you don't fit in out there, but you'll always feel appreciated and wanted with the people that truly matter." Bailey nodded as she stated this.

"Now why don't you get dressed, there's pancakes waiting for you on the table, just the way you like it."  He grinned as he turned to face his mother. She gave him a supportive pat on the cheek, got from the bed, and walked over to the open door. Closing it behind her.

With a small groan, he rose from his bed and went to his desk to get his clothing that his mother or a staff member had laid out for him. He dressed himself in pants, Vans shoes, and a brown pullover with stripes. Without delay, he put the sweatshirt over his head. refusing to look at the humiliation.

When Bailey eventually made it downstairs, he noticed that his parents were nowhere to be seen, which for some reason made him happy. He heard footsteps coming from the hallway and gave a quick glance to see Mr Simmons  approaching him. "Young man, I apologise for startling you, but your parents told me it was time to drop you off at school."

Bailey nodded, noting how the man looked at him quickly, but not in a way that anyone had ever done before, which explained why the man was so interested in Bailey. With his brown eyes, he observed Mr Simmons opening the door, allowing Bailey to exit and close it after them.

𐬽𐬼𐬽

Bailey didn't really care about the excitement and other things that occupied lunchtime. He just sat there, staring at the food in front of him and questioning whether he really wanted to eat it or pass it on. Chrissy was chatting to people that were nearby them while she sat next to him.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Chrissy turned to face him and inquired, she mostly kept her voice low so it was just for him to hear. "If you're bothered by this, we can eat somewhere else?"

"It's okay, Chrissy, I'm just thinking for myself. I appreciate the offer, though."

With a smile, Chrissy turned back to her other pals. Bailey returned his focus to his meal. He heard laughter from a nearby table and only looked up to find Steve Harrington and his buddies seated there.

He kept his eyes on the table, and as Nancy Wheeler began to address the group, he became even more interested. "Hey, Tommy, when you left, did you see Barb?"

Bailey became curious; what had become of Barb? Perhaps he could have found out where she had wandered off to if he hadn't fled like a coward. "What?" As though he didn't know who she was talking about, the boy asked.

"Barbara. She's not here today." Nancy's tone was quiet, nearly too quiet for Bailey to hear.

"I seriously have no idea who you're talking about." Bailey was almost frustrated by the deadpan tone, but then Tommy and his girlfriend burst out laughing.

"Come on, don't be an ass, man. Did you.. Did you see her leave last night or not?" Steve questioned irritably, but he wasn't looking at Nancy, Carol, or Tommy. His gaze was fixed on the enigmatic boy who had left his gathering rather abruptly and upset.

"Bailey?" Bailey turned back to face Chrissy, who was staring at him with concern when he heard the voice. "Come on, let's go to the oval. That way, we'll be outside and there won't be any noise or interruptions."

Bailey glanced across at them, and at that moment he became uneasy because he could hear Tommy and Carol groaning. Bailey nodded and followed the blonde outside, observing that Jonathan was positioned close to the cafeteria, gazing in Nancy's direction.

While it wasn't out of the norm, he felt it was a little strange. Steve turned to see the boy with the brown hair gazing at Jonathan, and a small jealousy bubbled up in him. He didn't enjoy it at all and wasn't sure why or how it happened. He tried to concentrate on Nancy instead as he returned his attention to her.

𐬽𐬼𐬽

Bailey was eager to get home and hide in his room until his parents needed him since school was about to end. He saw Chrissy as soon as the bell rang, and she was giddy with excitement as she discussed the newest trend in fashion. Observing Mr Simmons waiting, he strolled silently next to her, allowing her to speak.

"Why are they conversing with Jonathan?" When Chrissy asked, he turned to see Jonathan being spoken to by Steve and his pals as they stood there. They didn't appear to be joyful at all.

"They're probably just being jerks," Bailey laughed and watched them as they demonstrated something to Jonathan. "Maybe we should just leave, it's none of our business."

"Well, Jonathan is really sweet and shy, so he probably doesn't deserve it," Chrissy said something, and Bailey nodded, wanting to agree even though she didn't really know him. "All right, I'll see you tomorrow. My mother is waiting for me."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, seeing the blonde girl go. He saw Steve put the camera on the ground and felt his own heart break at the sight before returning his focus to the group. Bailey presumably couldn't bear the thought of something significant breaking in front of him, and Jonathan probably valued that camera greatly.

Steve turned to see the boy with the brown hair staring at him. It seemed as though he had destroyed something that belonging to the youngster, which made Steve uneasy. Why was he uneasy about this? Jonathan deserved it, after all.

Bailey watched Steve and his followers go, and was tempted to go over there and console the youngster. When he realised that Nancy was assisting him, he stopped abruptly and began to question whether Nancy was actually with the appropriate kind of people.

"Bailey, try not to be sucked into what other people are doing since that will just make you focus on them rather than yourself." As he sat down in the car, Bailey's thoughts were consumed with what Mr Simmons had said. He couldn't help but wonder where Barb was. Was she alright, and what transpired at Steve's party that had gradually altered everything.

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𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿'𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀

- No notes for this chapter

To all the people that have supported me closely- Tags: @norasnetflix @wrensofvizla @KleeAlise11 @kiesluverr

𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵e