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"HOW IS SHE so hot?" Nancy Wheeler asked her best friend Barb as they took in Cherry Jones' appearance. Cherry was every guy and girls wet dream, long legs, luscious lips, she was just...wow. "Honestly, everyone loves her."

"Not everyone," Barb muttered under her breath but loud enough for Nancy to hear. Nancy frowned at her words.

"Why don't you like Cherry?"

Barb scoffed, "Nancy, if you haven't noticed she's, well, a mythic bitch."

Nancy rolled her blue eyes before looking back at Cherry only to find the blonde girl looking back at her. Cherry sent her a seductive smirk and winked, Nancy wouldn't have believed if Barb hadn't had brought it to her attention.

"Are you blushing?"

"What? No!" Nancy denied.

"You totally were," Barb concluded. "Do you like Cherry?"

"No," Nancy shook her head. "I don't know."

"Oh my gosh." Barb scoffed once again before changing the subject. "So, did he call?"

Nancy then snapped her attention to Barb, "Keep your voice down."

"Did he?" Barb repeated, more curious now.

"I told you, it's not like that," Nancy dismissed. "Okay, I mean, yes, he likes me, but not like that. We just made out a couple times."

""We just made out a couple times." Nance, seriously, you're gonna be so cool now, it's ridiculous."

"No, I'm not."

"You better still hang out with me," Barb demanded softly. "That's all I'm saying. If you become friends with Tommy H. or Carol -"

"Oh, that's gross!" Nancy exclaimed in distaste. "Okay, I'm telling you, it was a one-time... Two-time thing." Nancy pulled a note out of her locker,it's reading meet me in the bathroom - Steve.

"You were saying?"

__________

CHERRY HADN'T HEARD back from the boys yet, so she decided to drive her way over to the Wheeler household. Stepping out of here red car she softly knocked on the front door painting a fake smile on her face. When the door opened she was met with the ocean blue eyes that had her mesmerized from earlier. Nancy Wheeler.

Nancy twisted in confusion and shock, "Cherry Jones?" She glanced around her house. "Do you have the wrong address?"

Cherry laughed, "Nope, I'm here to see Mike, as weird as that sounds." Nancy couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that washed over her.

"Oh, we're about to have dinner," Nancy informed the blonde girl before giving a shrug. "You wanna join?"

"Why not?" Cherry invited herself into the Wheeler home. The house wasn't foreign to her, she had been inside plenty of times, to babysit Mike and the boys and occasionally watch movies with them and play D&D.

"Nancy, sweetie, who was at the door?" Karen asked her daughter before glancing around the corner to see Cherry giving her a smile. "Cherry, what a surprise!"

"Cherry, Cherry, Cherry," The youngest of the Wheeler family, Holly, chanted from her high chair and stretched out her arms towards the blonde.

She gave the toddler a big smile and a wave, "Hey Holly."

"What are you doing here?" Mike asked the Jones girl.

Cherry took a breath in, "I was here to see you, but Nancy said you guys were about to eat dinner and I'm pretty hungry. Hope I'm not intruding."

"Of course not!" Karen exclaimed already setting up another spot at the table. She placed Cherry next to Nancy and fixed her a cup of water. "There's always room for you."

"Thank you so much," Cherry smiled and took a sip of her water. Nancy stared at her upturned lips, Cherry had the ability to make a simple smile look more beautiful than it probably was. Nancy found herself thinking about Cherry a lot more than usual, even at times when she was with Steve.

"We should be out there right now," Mike spoke as everyone started digging in. "We should be helping look for him."

"We've been over this, Mike." Karen sighed. "The chief says -"

"I don't care what the chief said," Mike snapped at his mother. Cherry gave him a sharp look and kicked his leg under the table. Quickly making sure no one was looking she mouthed, We'll look for him together. Mike just shook his head and continued to express his opinion.

"We have to do something. Will can be in danger." Cherry bit her lip and retained from saying anything, it wasn't her place. This was a debate between a mother and her son.

"More reason to stay put."

"Mom!"

"End of discussion," Karen snapped. "You're acting out in front of company." Mike just scoffed and slumped in his chair. Cherry gave him a weak smile which he returned.

"So me and Barbara are gonna study at her house tonight," Nancy stared, gaining her mother's attention. "That's cool, right?"

"No, not cool." Cherry softly chuckled sipping her water like it was tea. She was all for drama. Cherry was sure the last thing Nancy would be doing was seeing Barbara, she was probably going to see Steve so that could continue their little bathroom hookup.

"What? Why not?"

"Why do you think? Am I speaking Chinese in this house? Until we know Will is okay, no one leaves." Karen explained before giving Cherry a sympathetic look, apologizing for her family's behavior.

"This is such bullshit."

"Language," Cherry and Mr Wheeler scolded, Ted more sternly and Cherry more jokingly.

"So we're under house arrest? Just because Mike's friend got lost on the way home from-" That's when Cherry grew outraged and snapped.

"This isn't Will's fault," The blonde snapped surprising everyone at the table and earning a nod of agreement from Mike. She noticed Nancy frown at her, but at the moment she could care less. It wasn't Will's fault Nancy couldn't go out and get all lovey dovey with Steve.

"Nancy, take that back."

"No!"

"This tea I'm sipping sure is good."

"You're just pissed off 'cause you wanna hang out with Steve." Mike teased.

"Steve?" Ted Wheeler grew more interested in the dinner chat.

"Who is Steve?"

"Her new boyfriend," Mike informed mockingly. Nancy glared at him.

"You are such a douchebag, Mike!"

"Language!" Nancy exited the table and stomped towards her room, Cherry glanced around before standing up.

"I'm going to go, thanks for dinner. I'll see you later Mike." Mike nodded as she exited the house. Cherry had one thing on her mind and one thing only.

Finding Will Byers.

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CHERRY LOVED HER grandma to the moon and back, but usually the woman could get a little wacky. Despite her being fifty five, Grace Jones loved to drink her heart out. You usually had to pry a bottle of alcohol out of the woman's hand, she would never give it up willingly. Grace had decided to drive all the way from California just to visit and her daughter and granddaughters. Cherry loved her grandmother, but she hated the fact that her mother was convinced that she was a witch.

She had grown up hearing stories all about her ancestors from Salem, and stories of witches. Of course, she didn't believe in stuff like that, witches weren't real not we're vampires, spirits, or werewolves. It was all fictional, the supernatural didn't exist. Especially in a boring old town like Hawkins.

"Pour grandma a drink dear," Cherry rolled her eyes and fixed her grandma another cup of scotch. Allison was sitting quietly in the corner with Cherry's Walkman, a confused look on her face.

"How come he keeps referring to his girl as candy?" Allison asked her sister. "Does he want to eat her? Honestly, Cher, can you break it down for me?"

"I don't know, Allison," Cherry said handing her grandma the cup which she happily snatched. "It could tons of different meanings."

"So, grams, you really think we're witches?" Allison asked her grandmother excitedly. Unlike Cherry, Allison believed in witches and things like that. Cherry just said it was because she didn't get outside much.

"I think Cherry's a witch," Grace corrected.

"Are you secretly insulting me grams?" Cherry asked teasingly before pouring her own cup of scotch.

"No, of course not. I sense it in you," Cherry snorted.

"That's not strange at all."

"Sometimes you just gotta except the strange and the stranger," Allison told her sister. Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Don't tell me you believe her Ally."

"Fine, but when you figure it all out you'll see that I was right." Her grandmother said, taking a sip from her cup.

"I'm not a witch," Cherry told them, Allison just shrugged.

"You could be."

"I'm not!" Cherry snapped at her sister, hitting her lightly. Allison just hit her back.

"I didn't say you were! I said you could be!" The hits flew back and forth while more yells came and profanities flew from both of their mouths mostly Cherry's though.

"Stop it, girls." They reluctantly pulled apart when those three words came from their grandmothers mouth.

"I'm just saying," Allison started staring her little sister right in the eyes. "If grams thinks you are, you should at least think about it."

"You are ridiculous," Cherry sneered now standing up. "I can't believe you actually believe in all this witch shit. Plus, have you met our grandmother one more cup of scotch and she'll start swearing how the aliens are coming."

"Hey!"

Allison stood up too, "Why are you acting like this? Like being different or possibly being something out of this world is so bad?"

"Because I don't want to be like you!" Cherry regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, she noticed Allison's face fall in sadness and tears well up in her eyes. "Ally-"

"Forget it." Allison cut her off and raced up the stairs to her room. Grace just watched, and shook her head. She opened her mouth to say something but Cherry cut her off.

"Don't start grandma." She walked up the stairs to her room and flopped on her bed, rubbing her temples. She then heard static coming from her walkie talkie.

"Cher, you there?" It was Mike's voice, she sighed and picked it up.

"Yeah, we doing this?"

"We're outside now." Cherry glanced out her window and found the boys glancing around her yard.

"Let me put on a jacket." Cherry opened her walk in closet and pulled out the nearest jacket, a leather one she had stolen from Steve a while back. She quickly slipped it on and raced down the stairs, kissing her grandma on the cheek.

"I'm going out."

"This late?" Her grandma raised an eyebrow.

"I'm looking for a friend," Grace nodded before turning serious.

"Just be careful, something's coming Cherry. Something bad." Cherry looked at her confused before walking out the door.

"Cherry!" She snapped her head towards Dustin who was giving her a goofy smile, she returned the smile and grabbed her blue bike.

"You guys ready for this?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." They began to bike around town, the boys yelling Will's name and Cherry just keeping a look out. She couldn't imagine how worried Jonathan and Joyce must be.

"Will!"

"Will!"

"Byers!"

"I've got your X-Men 134!" Dustin yelled trying to lure the boy out. Cherry gave him a deadpanned look.

"Guys, I really think we should turn back." Dustin suggested, glancing around the area nervously.

"Seriously, Dustin? You wanna be a baby, then go home already!" Lucas yelled at the boy, Cherry hit both of them on the head.

"We're not here for you two fight! Honestly you're a married couple." Both boys made a noise of disgust.

"I'm just being realistic, Lucas!"

"No, you're just being a big sissy!" Cherry just rolled her eyes at the two.

"Did you ever think Will went missing because he ran into something bad?" Dustin questioned. "And we're going to the exact same spot where he was last seen? - And we have no weapons or anything?"

He had a point.

"Dustin, shut up," Mike retorted.

"I'm just saying, does that seem smart to you?"

"Shut up," Mike scolded. "Shut up. Did you guys hear that?" Cherry then heard something rustling around, she pushed on her breaks. At a time like this, anything could be out by now. A murder, an animal, a kidnapper. But it was neither three.

It was a girl.

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( GIF MADE BY; silversolara )