CHAPTER TWELVE
— what's an idiot? —

"so, i told mr. mundy the solution of ten plus Y equals—oh, wait for it.... blow me." carol smirked at the butt of her joke. amelia scoffed out an unamused smile while shaking head. she faced turned to nancy. the two were bored.

the girls thought that tommy and carol were way over their heads for thinking they can run high school like a playground. of course, amelia wouldn't understand the metaphor because 'what's a playground?'

tommy laughed at carol's unbelievable statement. "bull, if you did that, you'd be in detention right now." steve chuckled. "saturday." carol shrugged.

"wow, you're so cool." amelia spoke up, sarcasm unknowingly lacing every word. nancy arched a brow and let out a giggle. carol darted her eyes at her as amelia rolled her eyes back to the floor.

"i bet mr. mundy's still a virgin." tommy joked, not even acknowledging the tension between his girlfriend and amelia. the noirette furrowed her brows. "oh, he's so a virgin." carol agreed.

"maybe you should blow him, carol. help your grades a bit." the boys fell into a laughter. amelia still had no close as to what they were talking about. 'what's a blow?'

nancy sighed as she looked around the group. barb was still in the back of her head and so was amelia's whereabouts from last night. so finally, she made her decision and ran with it. she sat up from the lockers and began walking away.

"woah, nance. where you going?" steve stood up straight against the lockers as well. "i totally forgot" she stammered. "i told my mom i would, um.." her eyes fell on the noirette with knit brows. "that i would help set up before amelia stays over." she lied. and amelia could tell, so she decided to not say anything.

"well, what do you mean?" steve rambled. he turned to see amelia, noticing that nancy's eyes were on her. "the games about to start."

"i'm sorry." nancy apologized quickly. "uh, do you think you can give amelia a ride to my place after the game?" she continued walking away, not letting him answer.

lia sighed and leaned on the lockers. she slid down on them to the floor. "what the hells wrong with her?" steve asked as he glanced at carol and tommy.

"maybe she freaked out when you went all psycho on the psycho." amelia sighed as she played with her fingers.

"oh, give me a break," steve rolled his neck. "let's get passed that." he turned to the girl and sat down next to her.

"well, what'd you expect, dating miss perfect?" carol shrugged. she popped her bubble from her gum.

steve sighed. "i don't know."

the game was a tight one. steve, carol, and tommy went crazy over it while amelia spent most of her time being amused by the smell of popcorn. around the third quarter of the game, she caught onto the play. turns out, she's a sucker for the sport. "when's the next one!" she kept asking the trio, not really caring about the triumphal win their school got.

when the game ended, carol and tommy started their couple–arguing. it's the first time amelia's ever seen in. steve advised amelia to ignore, but she couldn't help but eavesdrop. when they reached steve's car though, carol and tommy were good all of a sudden. amelia wrinkled her nose at the rush of thoughts in their heads and the emotions they were feeling.

the drive was silent between her and steve after he dropped carol and tommy off. it wasn't awkward though. amelia mostly held her gaze at the houses that didn't change. tranquility oozed in the drive. steve forgot about nancy and what he did earlier, calming him as well.

and although amelia hoped she'd never forget, she ended up forgetting about the events that took place this afternoon. steve cleared his throat as he reached out to the radio. beat it, by michael jackson just started. he smiled and sat up in the driver's seat. the beat that he loved began, bopping his head and tapping his fingers on the wheel as the guitar began.

"they told him, don't you ever come around here!" he turned to amelia and pointed at her. "don't wanna see your face, you better disappear!" amelia blinked blankly at him as he sing along, wildly. he turned back to the front, still driving and continued, "the fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear. so beat it, just beat it."

amelia jumped at him singing the "beat it" part. she began chuckling and turned back to the seat. "you better run, you better do what you can..." steve continued singing as they made the crucial turn into the woods.

amelia looked back out the window and saw the shadowed trees. they drove by will's "crime scene," steve slowed down as some police officers were wrapping the police tape back.

a specific officer though, wearing a hat and had a beard, turned to the two teens cruising. he slowly walked up the road, making steve sigh as he stopped in front of the officer.

amelia recalled who it was. it was the man who she met earlier in the week. jonathan's mom and him were yelling or fighting, or whatever.

he cooly walked to the car and tapped on the window. steve chewed on his lip and glanced at lia. she just softly smiled at him as he put the window down.

the officer held a dead star at steve. "where you kids going?" he asked. amelia felt sadness. she didn't know why, but she just did. from him.

"so sad..." she mumbled softly.

steve turned to her and licked his lips. "uh, i'm dropping her off at a friend's house, officer... sir."

amelia chewed on her lip as she watched the other accompanying officers pull the tape down through her car window. "where're you coming from?"

she watched as they carefully carried the bike onto the street. amelia's brows furrowed her brows as a pull in her felt wrong. "hawkins high school. a football game." and like a sudden strike of lightning, amelia's memories recurred.

she popped the door open and quickly got out. hopper stood up straight and watched amelia pace to the closed area. "that's enclosed evidence you're–" amelia walked around the two other officers who just stood and watched her as the teen walked around the bike.

amelia searched.

she was hidden around bushes when she saw him. when she saw will. she paced to the bushes and even saw the mud somehow stay the same as the night she was there.

amelia sighed softly as she lost hope. and when hope was lost, it replaced itself with panic. "shit." she slowly turned back to the road and saw the expressions on the officers and steve's face.

amelia shook her head as she walked back. "false alarm!" she chuckled. she licked her lips with a smile and walked back to steve's car. "i was jogging around here and thought i dropped something."

hopper narrowed his eyes as he looked back to her from the woods while amelia held the confidence she had to carry. she has something to do with it, hopper thought. amelia chuckled again and put on her seatbelt. "we're good, officer?"

"it's sheriff hopper." he said quickly after. amelia nodded with her grin. "yes, sir."

hopper held his head over the car, looking where amelia was looking around. steve turned to amelia and looked somewhat confused. his expression read, 'that was totally awesome' or 'WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!'

hopper groaned softly as he turned back to the two teens. his eyes fell to amelia's wrist. before he could even think about the tattoo, amelia tugged her jacket's sleeve and cleared her throat. he looked up to amelia and furrowed his brows.

once he got an even better look at her, he finally realized who she was. "you're uh, the byer's family friend." amelia, still looking down, nodded. "yes, that's me." hopper nodded slowly as he thought of her oddness as an excuse for what she did. 'she's hanging with the byers too much.'

hopper looked back to steve with steady eyes and nodded. "okay. just don't stay out too late." he advised.

steve nodded and began pulling the window up. "no problem, sheriff." hopper turned to the two officers as steve began driving. he sat up straight to see hopper through the rear view mirror.

he sighed and turned the music up a bit as hopper was out of the gram. "i hate that guy."

amelia looked down to her wrist and nodded slowly. "yeah..." she looked up and looked through the car side windows, seeing hopper still looking at the driving car, but grew out of frame.

amelia curled back in her seat and chewed on her lip, messing with one of her fingers. "what were you looking for?" steve asked with a smirk.

"nothing."

steve scoffed and turned to her. "please," he smoothly grinned. amelia twitched a smile herself at his cute expression. "you're a good liar and all, but i can tell."

"no you can't." she cockily replied.

steve shrugged, looking pretty cocky, too. "whatever, but i know you don't jog, so you should totally tell me what you were looking for."

amelia shook her head and held a gaze on the road ahead. "nothing."

when they arrived to the front of the wheeler's home, amelia didn't really wanna leave. still, she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. "wait." steve grabbed her by the wrist, making her turn to him. his expression softened and began blinking with a fluster as he held onto her wrist with the tattoo. "i had a really great time with you."

amelia blinked with confusion and grew less tense when he said those words. "uh, yeah.. me too." she stuttered.

steve smiled as she made an awkward face. "we should do this again sometime." he wanted her to catch his drift but poor amelia was still confused. "i mean, sure. i really liked the game. it was fun."

steve chuckled as amelia finally crawled out of the car. she walked up the driveway with caution as she looked at the wheeler's house again. she felt eyes on her. she turned to steve's car, seeing him look at her with a closed smile. she held her hand and waved.

he shook his head with a small laugh, driving away. she smiled softly and turned back to the house. she reached the front door and knocked on it. again, she knocked till mrs. wheeler opened the door.

a smile grew on her face. "amelia!" she happily chirped.

"hi." lia smiled back. "nancy said that you'd be staying with us for a while." amelia nodded as mrs. wheeler walked her in the house. "yeah. thank you so much, by the way."

mrs. wheeler began nodding and understood. "of course! no problem! what the byers are going through is every mother's worst nightmare, and i couldn't bare to imagine also having someone stay at a guest at their crumbling home!" amelia furrowed her brows slowly as mrs. wheeler went on. luckily, she still managed to keep the excitement in her face.

"i mean, i should get your mother's number so she and i can talk." the two walked into the kitchen. "i'm sure she's aware of what's going on with joyce, is she?"

amelia made the quick decision to nod. "absolutely!"

mrs. wheeler gave a nod, too. "okay, good.. where did you say your folks were at again?"

"australia." amelia spoke up.

mrs. wheeler's brows jumped. "wow!!"

is australia really that far? lia thought.

"well, it'll be tough getting a hold of your mom." mrs. wheeler said. "she's aware that you're not staying with the byers, right?"

the teenager shook her head. "no," she had no idea where she was going with this lie. "i mean, nance told me during lunch, i wouldn't have time to really.." amelia's voice trailed off. "call."

god, i'm so good at this.

"uh, well, you can stay in the basement, if you'd like—unless i can set up a cot for you in nancy's room?"

amelia opened her mouth to speak again, until nancy came rushing down the stairs. "she can sleep in my room." the two turned to the girl, noticing her looking quite pale.

amelia softly furrowed her brows at how shaken she looked. amelia felt that mrs. wheeler was, too, but she didn't say anything. "great," the woman cooly smiled, ignoring her daughter's expression. "i'll go get your father to go get it from the shed."

as nancy's mother walked away, looking confused because of nancy suddenly barging in on them, amelia was grabbed by nancy and dragged up the stairs. her eyes grew wide at how quick nancy's little legs went up. as they walked up to her room, she threw amelia on the bed and slammed the door shut.

amelia sat with a scared expression.

"we can't find barb." nancy stated.

amelia blinked at her with confusion. "yeah, no duh."

the petite girl groaned out of frustration and walked by her bed. "do you think that we're gonna get investigated?" nancy asked.

she seemed jittery. it reminded her a bit like joyce. amelia slowly shook her head. "i hope not." she had a feeling that nancy was hiding something. just based by the fact she was pacing back and forth across her room and biting her nails. if amelia hadn't thought that nancy's eyes could grow bigger, she was wrong.

all of a sudden, nancy stopped her pacing. "i uh," she glanced around the room before turning to amelia. "look don't tell steve this,"

her brows jumped. nancy walked to the side of her bed as sat on amelia's right. "but uh, i went to his house."

the noirette furrowed her brows. "you went to his house?" she restated. she didn't understand how it was a big deal.

nancy nodded helplessly and just went back to pacing back and forth around the room.

"i wanted to see if barb left anything, i don't know." amelia couldn't help but get goosebumps on her neck as she heard the growling in her head. let alone barb's sudden shriek.

nancy shook her head and stopped walking for good. "i don't know, i–i saw something and it–"

amelia's brow twitched in confusion. "you saw something?" she restated.

nancy nodded quickly and sat next to her again. "yeah, like this thing."

amelia shook her head, flustered with how fast nancy was talking. "w-what thing?" she stuttered.

nancy groaned, embittered at how she couldn't explain exactly what she saw. "the thing! it– it's black! and it's slimy and" as soon as slimy left nancy's lips, amelia knew immediately what she was talking about.

and it looked like it too when amelia's brows unfurrowed and her entire face fell.

"you know what i'm talking about!" nancy awed.

amelia shook her head. she also added a nervous chuckled as she said, "no. i don't." nancy didn't obviously buy it. "i–it's just that slimy was kinda– kinda weird, you know."

nancy didn't buy amelia's excuse but... based on the way she's been looking at her and sitting... amelia looked tired of nancy and it's only been a few minutes since they've been alone.

nancy sighed softly, itching her forehead. amelia was glad that nancy has given up on trying to get something out of her, but she wasn't sure if the brunette would try again later.

"well, i just wanna say thanks for keeping that idiot busy." nancy walked to her drawer, grabbing pjs. amelia brought up the same, constant confused expression.

"idiot?" she spoke. "what's an idiot?"