The trio sat on the bleachers in gym class yet again, watching the same teams play against one another as if they were doing some sort of rematch. Chris, yet again, was sat on the bench, sneaking glances every now again to look up at Beverly.

"He keeps looking at you," Carmen told her under her breath, subtly rolling her eyes.

Beverly sighed in annoyance. "He's acting as if he's not the one who cheated on me. He's the one that messed up in the first place," Beverly said bitterly, shaking her head.

"And he hasn't apologized yet?" Alicia questioned, furrowing her brows.

"Nope. Not at all."

"What a douche. He's lucky I don't go over there and slap the life out of him," Carmen told her and Beverly laughed. "I can, if you want."

"As much as I would like to see that, it's fine," Beverly said and Carmen sighed disappointedly.

"Anyway, how was your date with Billy yesterday? Did you guys, you know..." Carmen trailed off mischievously and Alicia shoved her lightly. "What? I wanna know!"

"No, we didn't. But I could tell he wanted to."

"Why didn't you then?"

"I don't know. At first, I thought he was cool, but after talking to him for a while...I don't know, he gives me weird vibes. I don't really think I like him," Beverly answered honestly.

"Aw, I'm sorry," Alicia said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"No, it's fine. I don't really need a guy right now anyway. I'd rather take a break right now and let myself digest the break up, you know?" Beverly said and both the girls nodded supportively.

"Honestly, though, you're taking it well. The break up, I mean," Carmen pointed out and Alicia nodded in agreement.

"Chris and I have been...shaky for a while, so I guess that's why I'm not as upset as I was the other night. I'm more focused on the fact that he actually cheated," Beverly told them, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I know, it doesn't seem like something he would do," Alicia said.

"Steve said the same thing." Speaking of Steve, Beverly looked over to see Billy taunting the boy as he dribbled the basketball. "Uh oh."

"King Steve. King Steve, everyone!" Billy jeered. "I like it. Playing tough today."

"Jesus! Do you ever stop talking, man? Come on!" Steve replied, just wanting to play the game.

Billy laughed out loud. "What? You afraid the coach is gonna bench you now that I'm here? Huh?" Billy asked before he ran at Steve and pushed him out of the way, throwing the ball in the net. Beverly grimaced as she watched Steve fall, knowing that it probably crushed his ego.

And, for some reason, Billy's actions had annoyed her even though they had embarrassed Steve. It was as if she didn't like when anyone else berated him unless she was the one doing it.

Billy bent over and extended an arm for Steve, which he took. But, it seemed like Billy had whispered something to him before he pushed Steve's hand away, walking away from the boy on the ground.

"Yeah. He does seem a little...aggressive," Alicia said slowly since she was also watching the interaction. "It's probably a good idea not to see him again."

"Would it be a bad idea if I tried to get with him?" Carmen asked as she stared at the shirtless boy on the basketball court.

"Yes," both Beverly and Alicia said at the same time, causing Carmen to groan.

After the game was over, with Billy's team winning, the boys who had played were sent to the showers. Even though Chris had barely played and spent most of his time staring longingly at Beverly, he had decided to take a shower.

"Don't sweat it, Harrington," Billy said to Steve as they rinsed off. "Today's just not your day, man."

"Yeah. Not your week," Tommy added. Chris decided to keep quiet, washing his air and eavesdropping on the conversation instead. "You and the princess break up for one day, she's already running off with the freak's brother." Chris looked over his shoulder in confusion, not knowing what he was talking about. It seemed like Steve didn't know either. "Oh, shit. You don't know. Jonathan and the princess skipped yesterday. Still haven't shown. But that must just be a coincidence, right?"

Tommy laughed out loud before he walked away, grabbing a towel. He gave a Chris a smug look, but the Wheeler boy ignored it, causing Tommy to continue walking.

"Don't take it too hard, man. A pretty boy like you has got nothing to worry about. Plenty of bitches in the sea," Billy told him before he shut his shower off. "Am I right?" He hit Steve's arm, grabbing a towel for himself. Chris also shut his shower off, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. "I'll be sure to leave you some. Just not Beverly, that bitch is definitely a keeper after our date we had."

"What'd you just say?" Chris finally spoke up, causing Billy to turn around and look at him. Steve turned his water off and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist as he cautiously watched the interaction.

"I said, that bitch is a definitely a keeper," Billy repeated, a smirk on his face. Although Billy didn't get what he had really wanted from the girl, he was determined to make it happen the next time they went out, which he hoped was soon. "I told you, Wheeler, you should have hung onto her better."

"Do not call her a bitch," Chris told him, his lips pursed in a thin line.

"Oh, but she's not yours anymore, is she? So you don't get to tell me what I do and don't call her," Billy replied. "You should have thought about that before you cheated on her."

Chris stepped forward angrily before Steve put his hand out, stopping him from going any further. "Yeah, you're lucky Harrington's a pussy and stopped you," Billy said before he turned and walked out.

"Just don't call her that, all right?" Steve called out after him, not knowing why he did so. He just didn't like when guys referred to girls as "bitches" when they didn't deserve it. Sure, Beverly insulted him at every chance she got, but he knew she was a good person. Especially after she basically risked her life for people she hadn't even considered friends yet last year.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Dude, why the hell would stop me?" Chris questioned frustratedly once Billy had left.

"You really think you'd be able to take him?" Steve asked and Chris sighed, knowing that even though he was tall, he was a lot smaller muscle wise than the Hargrove boy. "And besides, he's right, you did cheat on her."

Chris scoffed, furrowing his brows. "Whose side are you on?" he asked Steve, feeling slightly hurt.

"Look, man, I know we're friends but...cheating is just...You can't come back from that," Steve told him, shaking his head. "You're lucky that she hasn't slashed your tires or something like that."

"Do you think she would do that?"

Steve shrugged. "Who knows." He then went to go walk out but he stopped, glancing over his shoulder. "Did you know about Nancy and Jonathan skipping?"

Chris slowly shook his head. "I've kinda been in my own world ever since the break up. I didn't know she skipped with him, or even was planning to," he told him truthfully and Steve sighed, walking out.

Chris watched him walk away, licking his lips even though they had already been wet from the shower. He then shook his head, mentally scolding himself as he tore his gaze away from the boy's back.

✦ ✧ ✦

Chris drove to Mike's school, tasked to pick him up today. Since Nancy was skipping with Jonathan, he assumed that she had a ride. He waited for his brother out front before he saw him walking out, an urgent look on his face.

"We need to go to Will's," Mike told him as soon as he hopped inside.

"Uh, why?" Chris asked him in confusion.

"There's been things happening again," Mike told him knowingly, and a chill went down Chris's spine, thinking back to that monster he had unwillingly seen last year. "Look, I'll explain everything once we're at the house since I don't wanna repeat it. Just get us there."

"Okay, okay," Chris said, starting the car and driving off to the the Byers' house.

Once they had made it there, Chris stared at the home eerily. He couldn't get the image of the monster out of his head as it came through the ceiling, shrieking like a banshee. He then shook the thought out of his mind, getting out of the car at the same time as his younger brother.

The pair strolled up to the house where Mike banged on the Byers' front door. "Hello? Will? Mrs. Byers?" he called out.

"Calm down," Chris told him, patting his arm lightly. He was mostly saying it to himself, though, since this place was creeping him out.

Joyce unlocked the front door, making Chris's eyebrows raise. "Hey," Mike and Chris quickly greeted.

"Hi, Mike. Hi, Chris."

"Is Will here?" Mike immediately asked.

"You know what? N-Now is not a really good time," Joyce told them.

"Is he okay?"

Joyce sighed, stepping out on the porch as she shut the door behind her. "Yeah. You know, he's — he's just not feeling real well. He's — he's laying down, so I'll — I'll tell him you both stopped by, okay?"

Joyce went to go back inside before Mike guessed, "It's about the shadow monster, isn't it?"

Joyce turned around to look at the boy, her mouth parted in shock. "Shadow monster?" Chris repeated in confusion.

"I'll explain once we're inside," Mike told him. "If we're allowed?" he asked Joyce, sending her a hopeful glance.

"Come on," she whispered, letting the boys inside her drawing filled home that Chris and Mike gaped at in shock.

A little while later, Chris sat in Will's room on the desk chair while his brother looked at the drawings around the room. The sun had almost set and it seemed like Mike wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon, so Chris was forced to stay.

"It's like — It's like I feel what the shadow monster's feeling. See what he's seeing," Will described, sweat all over his face and dampening his shirt.

"Like in the Upside down?" Mike asked.

"Some of him is there," Will replied.

"Some?" Chris repeated, furrowing his brows.

"Some of him is here, too," Will added and Chris swallowed hard, glancing at his younger brother.

"Here, like, in this house?"

"In this house and...in me," Will answered shakily and Mike went over to him, sitting down next to him on the bed. "It's like...it's like he's reaching into Hawkins more and more. And the more he spreads, the more connected to him I feel."

"And then more you see these now-memories," Mike concluded since Joyce and Will had explained his visions to the Wheeler boys prior.

"At first, I just felt it in the back of my head. I didn't even really know it was there. It's like when you have a dream and you can't remember it unless you think really hard. It was like that. But now it's like...Now I remember. I remember all the time," Will explained ominously and Chris took in the information, not knowing what to say. He was both scared and intrigued at the same time.

"Maybe...Maybe that's good," Mike said and Chris gave him a look.

"Good?" Will echoed in disbelief.

"Yeah, did you...not hear a word he just said?" Chris questioned.

"Shut up," Mike told his brother before he looked back at his friend. "Just think about it, Will. You're like a spy now. A super spy. Spying on the shadow monster. If you know what he's seeing and feeling...maybe that's how we can stop him." Mike began to look around. "Maybe all of this is happening for a reason."

"You really think so?" Will asked, looking at his friend.

"Yeah. Yeah, I really do." Chris wasn't too supportive of Mike's words, but he did have to believe that anything was possible when literal monsters were coming into Hawkins.

Will's eyes then landed on the drawing of the shadow monster on the floor. "What if he figures out we're spying on him? What if he spies back?" Will queried worriedly.

"He won't," Mike assured him.

"How do you know?"

Mike placed a hand on Will's. "We won't let him," Mike said and Chris nodded slowly, even though he didn't want to promise anything. He didn't know what this...shadow monster was even capable of.

He just hoped that they were quick enough to solve this puzzle before the shadow monster stepped ahead of them.

authors note
this is kinda boring, sorry!
but as you can see...it seems
like chris is joining in with mike,
will, and joyce 😏😏 kind of against
his will tbh since mike forced him to
drive him there. let's be honest tho,
chris kind of deserves it for being
a cheater LMFAOOOO