𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 : 4.2k

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𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐋𝐀𝐖 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐘𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐔𝐓 a good school day morning routine since Gordon left for college. He had always been the one who was ready first, which always granted him the task of rushing his two younger siblings out of the door on time. Their dad would flip if he found out how often they had been late to first period since Gordon had moved out – especially since he had been on a parenting kick recently. Both of the kids could clearly tell that he was just trying to clean up his act after getting a new girlfriend who was way out of his league.

Doug Webb's entire demeanor had shifted the moment that he had met Law's 10th grade English teacher, Diana Campbell at a mandatory parent-teacher conference. The meeting took place only a month into the school year because Law was somehow already failing Miss Campbell's class. (Apparently, 10th grade English was way harder than whatever Law had been learning in his 9th grade English class.)

Despite Law's failing grade in the class, Doug had been much more interested in getting to know Miss Campbell. And shockingly enough, Miss Campbell was just as intrigued by Law's father. According to Law, their dad and Miss Campbell had spent the entire parent-teacher conference shamelessly flirting with each other. Owen had practically gagged her way through Law's retelling of the event, not at all prepared to hear about their old man's ancient pick-up lines.

After the parent-teacher conference, the Webb kids' father and Miss Campbell had basically been attached at the hip. All three of the kids had tried to be happy about their dad's first relationship since their mom had died six years prior. However, it was proving itself to be extremely difficult due to the couple's huge age gap and Miss Campbell's proximity to Law's education.

Unsurprisingly, Gordon's wounds surrounding his mother's death were still fresh, making him the most sensitive to their father moving on like this. But at least Gordon didn't have to watch the new couple's interactions every day like his two younger siblings did. No, he had been granted some delightful ignorance about everything going on at home thanks to the distance between Hawkins and Purdue's campus.

"Come on, Law! We've gotta go," Owen called out into the family's house.

"Is the shouting really necessary, Owen? It's not even 8 o'clock yet," their father grumbled from the dining table, a hand clutched protectively over his ear. The free hand that wasn't dramatically covering his eardrums from her "unnecessary" shouting was holding the morning paper. Since meeting Diana, their dad had decided that mornings were for sipping coffee, reading the paper, and quiet contemplation. This new behavior couldn't have been more different than the half-drunk, almost-late stumbling into work he had done last year.

Owen blinked at him for a moment, her face expressionless. She still couldn't decide if she liked this new persona their dad had taken on. Sure, he looked and acted more "normal" and healthy. But god, actually having a parent around for the first time in years was a real pain in the ass.

"Right, sorry..." Owen muttered, completely lacking in genuine remorse. She was just biting her tongue to avoid being even later to first period than she was already going to be. Owen stomped back into the house in search of her younger brother, fully prepared to drag him out to the car. As she made her way down the hallway, she noticed that the bathroom door had been left ajar. This allowed for light to spill from inside, clueing her in to the younger boy's location.

Forgoing a proper knock, Owen shoved the door open further to reveal Law with a toothbrush hanging from his lips and the minty foam encircling his mouth. Completely caught off guard, his eyebrows shot straight up and his eyes widened to a comically large extent.

"Are you serious? You're just now brushing your teeth?" Owen scolded him, her dark eyes shooting daggers at him from where she hung in the doorway. He garbled something in response, but trying to talk around a toothbrush caused his words to get lost in translation. "Look, I don't care about the excuses, okay? We've just gotta"–Owen caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror– "oh, god. My hair."

At some point in her morning routine, it seemed that the thick ponytail had dropped into an unflattering position towards the back of her neck. She had originally fought her hair into a ponytail in an attempt to cover the dark roots that were already showing up amidst her freshly dyed auburn hair. The pink had been fun while it lasted, but Owen could hardly commit to a hair color for longer than a couple months. And what better time than autumn to find out if redheads were the ones actually having all the fun?

"Okay, seriously. Spit that out and get your ass in the car," Owen said once her priorities realigned. She shuffled back down the hallway as soon as her fiery ponytail was restored to its original glory. When Owen made it back out into the living room again, Law was just a few steps behind her with his backpack already slung over his shoulder. She swung past the dining room to snatch the car keys from atop the table. Her momentary presence brought their dad out of his newspaper-induced focus, bringing his eyes up to meet the two kids expectantly.

"Hey! Don't forget about Diana's birthday this Thursday! Gordon and his roommate are coming all the way from Purdue to celebrate, so I expect both of you to be there," he reminded them, the volume of his voice just below a shout. Of course, Owen silently and spitefully noted this, even as she ushered Law out of the front door.

"Yep, wouldn't miss it," Owen replied sarcastically, instantly shutting the door behind her before her dad could respond. Although pure annoyance had been dripping from every word, Owen knew that she actually needed to attend the birthday party – no matter what. Otherwise, she would be on her dad's bad side for who knows how long. And she knew by this point in her life that there was nothing quite as awful as living in an angry man's house.

"How about you drive us today, yeah?" she proposed, the keys already flying in Law's direction before she could finish the question. He scrambled to catch them in time, a visible battle between his reflexes and his dignity. But he managed to wrap both of his hands around the keys, creating a loud metallic jingling noise as he did so.

"Are you sure?" he checked in with her, eyes round with excitement. Owen just gave an approving hum and nod in reply, which sent her younger brother reeling around the front of the car. After all, Law was still at the age where driving yourself to school was the coolest thing a person could do. He happily threw open the driver's side door, tossing his backpack into the backseat without a second thought. Owen's actions were nearly identical, but just mirrored across the console of the car.

Law could barely contain his excitement as he cranked the engine. The Betsy keychain that Owen had gotten for Christmas was still hanging from the keys as the car rumbled to life beneath them. Law's head spun around to make sure there were no other cars chugging along their nearly deserted street before he pulled out of the driveway. Once he ensured that the road was clear, Law carefully backed off of their property and began their journey to school.

Fallen orange and brown leaves torpedoed around the back bumper of the car as they sped along towards Hawkins High. Law was a surprisingly good driver for someone who just recently earned their license. His safety behind the wheel allowed for Owen to comfortably drift off into a daydream from her place in the passenger seat.

Her father's last words before they left for school filtered back into her mind. Perhaps Gordon being home would make everything feel a little more normal again. It was as if the world had been turned on its head since the Webb family moved to Hawkins. Moving out of Detroit, the disappearance and subsequent reappearance of Will Byers, their dad dating Miss Campbell, Gordon leaving for college, and Barb's death. All within the span of one year. The one-year anniversary of Will and Barb's disappearances had snuck up on her. However, Barb never got to come home.

As far as Owen knew, Mr. and Mrs. Holland were still looking for their daughter after all this time. Of course, there would be no further clues about her whereabouts, but her parents didn't know that. And with all of the agreements Hopper had signed with Hawkins National Lab, it seemed like they never would find out what happened to Barb. The Hollands' situation made Owen's throat tighten up when she thought too much about it.

"God, this asshole is riding our bumper," Law muttered, eyes darting between the road ahead and the rearview mirror. Effectively pulled from her thoughts, Owen spun around to look through the back glass, instantly seeing the blue Chevy that Law was talking about. Sure enough, you could barely even see the other car's headlights from how closely they were driving. Owen turned back around to the front of the car, rolling her eyes at the obnoxious driver behind them.

"Just ignore them. We're almost there anyway," Owen advised, before crossing her arms loosely over her chest. But just ignoring the other driver proved to be much more difficult than she thought it would be. The owner of the Chevy had started loudly revving the engine, making sure they couldn't forget he was right behind them.

The immature behavior didn't have an effect on Law's driving. The curly-haired boy made sure to flip his turn signal on as they approached the high school's parking lot, following all proper driving etiquette. Just before Law could turn into the school, the Chevy sped around their car just in time to cut them off at the entrance of the parking lot. This action forced Law to shove his foot against the brake just to avoid scraping against the other car's true blue paint. The Chevy's tires squealed and screeched, making itself known to everyone nearby. Owen made sure to speedily roll down her window just enough to flip them the bird, frustration crinkling her eyes as she watched them speed further into the student lot.

The California plate attached to the Chevy's bumper caught Owen's eye, even as the car zoomed away from them. She couldn't recall ever seeing a car in the parking lot with anything other than one of the typical Indiana plates. Despite her interest being piqued, her heart was still racing after their near run-in with each other in front of the school.

"What a dumbass..." Owen mumbled beneath her breath, more worked up about it than Law was. Never one to hold a grudge, the younger boy just carefully pulled them into a parking spot and even tugged the emergency brake into place once they fully came to a stop. With her window still slightly agape, rock music that was blaring from another car poured into the silence of the Webbs' vehicle. Peeking into the rearview mirror, a rush of dejavu from just moments before flooded Owen's mind. That obnoxious blue Chevy was double-parked directly behind them, which was seemingly where the music was coming from.

Fully prepared to give this douchebag a piece of her mind, Owen flung her door open and stepped out of the car. She braced herself against the car as the Chevy's driver exited the vehicle, looking exactly like what she had imagined. A stringy blond mullet fell down his back, wispy curls framing his strong facial structure. He pulled a cigarette from between his lips, allowing smoke to billow out of his nose. Denim clung to every inch of him, but most noticeably in the form of jeans that were just a bit too tight.

His eyes surveyed the school and its surroundings, before his attention eventually landed on Owen. A quick glance between her and the car she leaned against had him twiddling the fingers of his free hand at her in a mocking wave. Owen's eyes narrowed at him vindictively, not at all liking the horribly cocky behavior he was already exhibiting on his very first day in Hawkins.

A young girl climbing out of the passenger seat of the Chevy stole Owen's attention. A scowl adorned the girl's freckled face, showing no level of discretion about how she was feeling. Good to know that Owen wasn't the only one who had a problem with mullet boy's behavior. The girl didn't look to be much younger than Law, if Owen had to guess. Her suspicions were confirmed the moment the girl dropped a skateboard to the cement below and began to push herself towards the middle school. The girl's auburn hair was tousled by the wind as she skated along and out of Owen's sight.

However, once Owen redirected her attention towards the infuriating owner of the blue Chevy, he was already starting to walk towards the school. It seemed like she had missed her opportunity to tear him a new one before first period even started. Judging by their single interaction, Owen was sure there would be more chances to light into him later. Many other girls checked the new boy out as he sauntered along, eyeing him in a much different way than Owen had been. She couldn't exactly blame the girls for staring. After all, she wasn't blind. But ending up with someone with an ego like that was one of Owen's worst nightmares.

Feeling someone's eyes on her, Owen's attention snapped sideways. She immediately caught Steve Harrington staring at her from over the many cars between them. It seemed that he and Nancy had both stepped out of his car to witness the spectacle that was the new boy's arrival. Once again, Owen couldn't blame them. The new kid knew how to make an entrance. With a tight-lipped smile, Owen sent a wave in Steve's direction. He returned the favor, giving her a short, equally awkward wave.

The two of them were still dancing along this odd tightrope between friends and... not friends. As far as Owen could tell, Steve had been a good boyfriend – hell, a great boyfriend, even – to Nancy over the past year. Owen had even begun to struggle with finding reasons to dislike him. Ever since he and Tommy had stopped hanging out, Steve Harrington had actually become a pretty decent guy. At times, it felt like Owen and Steve's friendship was just another thing that had gotten turned on its head over the last year. And maybe it was for the better.

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It seemed as though Tina Russell had made herself a rather permanent fixture outside of Nancy and Jonathan's classroom. Owen's class had been just down the hall, so she had slumped against the thickly painted cinder block wall to wait for those two to file out. Tina handed out one neon orange flyer after another after the bell rang. From what Owen could tell from the passing flyers, Tina was hosting a Halloween party and apparently had slept through art class. Drawing a ghost and a bottle of alcohol didn't seem like it would be difficult. But to be fair, it's not like Owen had ever really tried.

It didn't take too long for Jonathan and Nancy to step into the hallway, receiving only one invitation from Tina in the process. Owen watched as Tina even greeted Nancy, but made sure her eyes avoided Jonathan beside her. God, some things never change, huh? Owen's eyes rolled skyward, almost missing Jonathan and Nancy approaching her. Once her eyes refocused, Nancy was holding the terribly drawn invitation to Tina's party right in front of Owen's face.

"Got you an invite," Nancy announced, proudly. Owen grabbed the flyer and tugged it from Nancy's hand, revealing an equally prideful grin on the brunette's face. Owen couldn't help but chuckle as she shoved herself off of the wall to walk in line with Nancy and Jonathan. Just like how Jonathan had been ignored when it came to party invitations, Owen knew she was in the exact same boat. If Tina had really wanted Owen at her party, she would have delivered one of those flyers herself.

"You're both coming to this party," Nancy told both of them, shoving another flyer against Jonathan's chest.

"'Come and get sheet faced'," Jonathan read aloud, smirking at the pun. Owen's eyes trailed down to the paper as they walked, checking to see if Tina had actually put a pun that bad on the invitations. "No, I'm not," Jonathan muttered, decisively.

"I can't let you sit all alone on Halloween. That's just not acceptable," Nancy condemned, shaking her head. "Plus, Owen will be there. Right, Owen?" Suddenly, Nancy's light eyes were pleadingly focused on her friend. The corner of Owen's lips lifted in a sheepish, lopsided smile.

"I mean, I'll try. I've gotta work that evening, but... I'll see if I can make it," Owen shrugged. She kind of felt bad for just leaving Nancy hanging like that, but she really was telling the truth. Not to mention, Gordon and his roommate were coming into town that day. It was unlikely that these two college kids would wanna go to a Halloween party that was being hosted by a high schooler.

"Well, both of you can relax. I'm not gonna be alone," Jonathan assured them, which piqued both of the girls' interest.

"Oh?" Nancy let the single word drift into the air between them, ushering him to go on.

"I'm going trick-or-treating with Will."

"All night?" Nancy asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"Yeah." Jonathan tried to keep his tone as matter-of-fact as possible. But per usual, nothing was getting past Nancy.

"No, no way. You're gonna be home by 8:00, listening to the Talking Heads and reading Vonnegut or something," Nancy muttered as she shook her head. She knew Jonathan well enough at this point to predict his every move on Halloween night.

"Sounds like a nice night," Jonathan chirped, sounding oddly optimistic.

"Better than working late on Halloween," Owen chimed in, envious that he was having to choose between spending a night at home and going to Tina's rager of a party. Nancy gave Owen a silently sympathetic look before continuing on.

"Jonathan, just come. I mean, who knows? You might even, like, meet someone," she suggested, turning to open her locker. Before she could even put a single book into the confines of the metal lockbox, Steve had basically appeared out of thin air and wrapped his arms around her torso. He held her tightly to his chest, playfully swinging her through the air in a way that made his girlfriend shriek. Once Steve settled her back down on the ground again, Nancy spun around to swat at his arm scoldingly.

Owen and Jonathan watched the whole ordeal, suddenly feeling so detached from Nancy. At times, it felt like Steve and Nancy just couldn't let the world forget how disgustingly perfect they were for each other. Maybe that was the one problem Owen had had with their relationship over the past year. She had never really grown accustomed to being the friend just standing awkwardly to the side of her perfect friend's perfect relationship.

As soon as the couple began kissing against the locker in a very public display of affection, Jonathan and Owen finally averted their eyes. Owen's gaze trailed up to meet Jonathan's, noticing his lips screwed into a scowl. Using Nancy and Steve's distraction as an opportunity, Owen's head tilted further down the hallway in a silent invitation to get the hell out of there. Jonathan couldn't accept fast enough, following Owen down the Halloween-decorated halls.

"Can't imagine being that horny during school hours, y'know?" she tried to joke, forcing a chuckle. But Jonathan gave no response, choosing instead to simply walk quietly alongside Owen.

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Owen pulled her car into the parking lot of the police station after school, making sure to lock it before she walked inside. A part-time posting for a secretary at the station had shown up in the paper not long after school had started. Apparently, Flo at the front desk just needed some help with some jobs around the office. With Owen's dad's new habit of reading the Hawkins Post, he had prompted her to apply as soon as he saw the listing. She wasn't exactly in the position to turn down some extra cash, even if it meant having to see Officer Callahan more than she would like.

Owen easily secured the job, seeing as Hopper had let it slip during her interview that no one else had even applied. Plus, how was he going to turn down a kid that had literally helped save the entire town last year? If she could handle something of that caliber, then he knew she could figure out the station's coffee machine.

"Afternoon, Flo," Owen greeted, ignoring the phone tucked between the older woman's ear and shoulder. Flo's wrinkled hand waved dismissively as Owen strolled by, far too busy with a phone call to grant her a response. The redheaded girl wandered further into the building, pausing only to punch in her timecard.

"Owen, honey, there's a box of papers on Callahan's desk. Sort them by date, would'ya?" Flo's voice rang out through the office, one of her hands cupped over the receiver of the phone. Owen gave her a thumbs up while she lazily ambled towards a box of donuts that had been left open on the counter. A single, disappointingly dry bite into one of the pastries instantly revealed how long they had been left out.

"You missed the show this morning," Callahan reported, as Owen dropped the donut into the nearest trash can. The gritty texture of the donut, mixed with Callahan's grating voice, had a bristled expression on Owen's face as she turned around.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she approached the box of papers that had been left for her on Callahan's desk. Owen popped the top of the cardboard box and peered inside, seeing a whole collection of old police reports messily stacked inside.

"You ever heard of Murray Bauman," Officer Powell inquired from his lax position at his desk. Just the mention of the man's name had Callahan snorting to himself.

"No... should I know who that is?" Owen questioned, eyes trailing up from the daunting stack of papers to glance between the two men.

"Not if you've got a brain in your head," Officer Callahan quipped.

"He's this shit-for-brains investigative journalist from Chicago. But not, like, a good one. He's got all of these theories about aliens and demons-" Powell explained.

"Russian spies, too. Don't forget about the Russian spies," Callahan interjected sarcastically, a smirk on his lips. Owen's brows furrowed as her attention ping-ponged between the officers.

"Well, what was he doing here?"

"Dunno. He just wanted to talk to the Chief. Heard him yelling about a Russian takeover in Hawkins," Powell replied with a knowing grin. Owen quickly lost interest, having realized that nutjobs like that come into the police station all the time. Working the front desk with Flo had definitely shined a light on all of the hilariously stupid shit cops do throughout the work day.

"What was that that he mentioned about the little girl, though? She was Russian too, wasn't she?" Callahan continued, despite the lack of reply from Owen.

"Oh, right. Said there was a little girl with superpowers walkin' around Hawkins. Multiple reports, apparently," Powell mentioned, talking around a chuckle. This comment just sent Officer Callahan into a fit of laughter, throwing himself back in his chair.

A little girl with superpowers.

Owen felt her breathing pick up. This Murray Bauman had heard about Eleven? It felt peculiar to have this stranger in on the group's little secret. Surely, Mr. Bauman's reports had to be old. People having seen Eleven out with Mike and the other boys, perhaps. Whatever the case, just like with the aliens and Russian spies, Mr. Bauman was way off with his theories. If he was looking for Eleven here in Hawkins, he wasn't going to find her. Simple as that.

"Can't get any actual work done with you two chuckleheads sitting around twiddling your thumbs," Owen grumbled, picking up her box of police reports and carrying them towards the front of the office. She dropped the weight of the box on top of her insignificant desk situated opposite from Flo's. The racket had the older woman shushing her, unable to hear the ramblings of whoever was on the phone.

"Sorry..." Owen whispered, hanging her messenger bag across the back of her seat before settling down in front of the box. She reached inside, pulling out the first report to sort. April 9, 1982. Someone's mailbox had been mowed down by a car in the middle of the night.

Thrilling.