"Hey Chester."

"I get out of work today at five if you still wanna go see Nightmare." The hopeful and laid-back voice of Keith came through the landline in Frankie's room. Biting her lip as she pressed the hard plastic against her ear, Frankie felt bad. Her and Keith hadn't hung out outside of school in a while and although he blew her off for work yesterday, she was really hoping to see him today.

"Sorry Keith, Claudia needs me to babysit today."She said lamely. Knowing that he could tell when she was lying, she waited for his incredulous voice to fire back at her.

"Didn't she have you babysit yesterday?" He asked confusedly.

"Yeah, but she still hasn't found Mews and she doesn't want Dustin running off by himself while she's not home, especially since no one has seen Chief Hopper since yesterday morning." Sensing the lie within her truth, Chester scoffed.

"C'mon, Fran, we both know that there's something more than a missing cat." Groaning at being caught up, she slammed her hand against her forehead. Making a face and squeezing her eyes closed, she debated on if she should tell him what she was going to do. She knew she'd tell Keith eventually but she could do without the teasing for today.

"I'm doing something with Dustin today..." Clearing her throat, she continued, "And Steve." Hearing a surprised choke, she couldn't help but burst out in laughter at her friends expense.

"You and Steve? Wow Fran, I should ditch you more often." Scoffing in displeasure, she rolled her eyes at his remark.

"And my twelve year old neighbor you prick!" She gasped out, red in the face. She wasn't mad at him, more at herself for secretly thinking the same thing.

"Oh come off it Fran! You and I both know we were thinking the exact same thing." She could tell he was smirking and she frowned. Keith knew what she was thinking miles away over a freaking telephone. The boy knew her and he knew her good.

"I know Chester, which is a huge problem!" She whispered yelled into the phone, afraid that the two boys next door could hear her. She was being a little too cautious, but after last night she had every right to be.

"It's not that big of a deal, just keep it in your pants Walsh, I can feel the sexual chemistry from a mile away."

"Chester!" She screamed into the phone. Letting out a huge breath, she rolled her eyes at what seemed like the millionth time this conversation.

"I'm hanging up the phone now." She said, over his childish behavior but her heart warming at the laugh he let out.

"Yeah yeah have fun with lover boy, I'll see you Monday Fran." He said before hanging up on her. Keeping the phone up to her ear, she sighed realizing the real world was coming back to her. She'd be going on a suicide mission with Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson in less than twenty minutes. Slamming the plastic back onto the base, she slumped back onto her bed. Rubbing her face for a few seconds, she mentally prepared herself for the day to come.

"Hey Frank, are you ready to go?" Opening her eyes to the sound of a young voice, Frankie turned her head to the side locking eyes with Dustin. Biting her lip, her face seemed to crumble. Throat tightening and eyes stinging, she felt powerless. Dustin, watching the girl he's lived next door to his whole life break down in front of him, was shocked. Not knowing what to do, he called out a weak 'Steve' before hesitantly stepping towards the bed.

"What?! What's going on?!" Steve screamed out, running into the room. Seeing the panicked look on Dustin's face, Steve's heart raced in fright. Eyes scanning the room, he swallowed down the dryness in his throat as he took in the girl laying there. Not bothering to cover herself, her arm gripped her middle as tears rolled down her temples.

"Are you okay?" Steve's deep voice reached her ears. Clenching her teeth in embarrassment, one of her hands came up to wipe the tears from her eyes and the other pushed herself up from her laying position.

"Yeah I'm fine, let's go." She said grabbing her jacket from the feet of her bed and walking past the two boys. The two boys confused at her attitude change, followed her out the door. Speed walking to Steve's blue car, she quickly opened the door and jumped in the front seat. Looking at the two boys walking out of her house, she raised her eyebrow at their dumbfounded looks.

"Well?" She asked, sniffing partially from the cold and partially from her little episode seconds earlier. Smiling small at their opened mouth looks snapping, her attention turned to the dashboard as they rushed into the car.

"So where to first?" Steve asked the group sliding his seatbelt across his abdomen. Turning her head towards the brunette, her lips quirked up at his dorky grin. Opening her mouth to reply, she was stopped short by the curly haired head of Dustin popping between the two.

"We need to get the meat first then we try to contact Mike and Lucas then we head to the junkyard by foot." Nodding at the pushy boy, the two teens turned to face the front as Steve started the car. Dustin flying backward as Steve pressed on the gas, grumbled as he strapped himself into the middle seat in the back.

"Thats what you get Dusty." Frankie smirked at the boy as he rolled his eyes. Laughing at his angsty attitude, Frankie felt her whole demeanor change. Glancing at the houses they passed, Frankie couldn't help the wave of calmness go through her body at the soft touch on her shoulder. Turning her head to the left, her lips lifted at the concerned look Steve was throwing her way.

After grabbing two pails full of meat, a can of gasoline, some matches, and rubber gloves, the three brunettes finally arrived at the train tracks. Dustin who knew where they should go, only knew the way by foot and Steve who didn't want to drive his car through the woods decided they should park a ways away from the site. Lifting up the trunk, Frankie's eyebrows rose at the bat laying next to the pails of raw meat. Her mind still couldn't wrap around the home made weapon. Still baffled at the wooden object, Frankie perked up at the sound of someone calling Dustin's name through his walky things.

"This is Lucas do you copy?"

Dustin who had just dropped the meat buckets passed by Steve smirked. Placing his hands on his hips, Dustin walked a few steps away.

"Well well well, look who it is." He said smugly yet displeased. Frankie pursed her lips at the fact that it took about a day for his so called friends to reply back, especially after calling about a thousand code reds and driving to their houses.

"Sorry man, my stupid sister turned it off." She heard faintly from the device strapped to Dustin's hip. Rolling her eyes at the weak apology, she reached into the trunk for the backpack she loaded with supplies they'd need.

"Well, while you were having sister problems, Dart grew again, he escaped, and I'm pretty sure he's a baby demogorgon." He replied obviously not happy at his friend. Frankie, who was listening into his conversation turned to Steve.

"Demolorbin?" She asked confused. Steve let out a small laugh at her butchering of the scary creature they defeated last year.

"Demogorgon. It's the name of this creature we killed last year. It's what that thing was that was in his cellar." Nodding at Steve's simple reply, Frankie felt a headache come up. Killed last year? So this whole time, this thing has just been running around and she's been sitting idly by making mixtures for Chester? Shaking her head before she could go off, she cracked her knuckles and turned to her neighbor.

"Meet me, Frankie, and Steve at the old junkyard, you know the one with the bus."

"Frankie and Steve?!" It didn't take a genius to hear the incredulity in his voice when talking about the teen girl and it made her laugh.

"And bring your binoculars and wrist rocket!" Dustin exclaimed seemingly done with this conversation eager to get to the junk yard as soon as possible.

"Steve Harrington?! And Frankie? As in your hot neighbor?" Pursing her lips at the compliment, Frankie rolled her eyes before slamming the trunk as Steve put his backpack over his shoulders.

"All right, lets go." Nodding towards the fluffy haired brunette, Frankie started walking next to the bat wielding boy, hands gripping the can of gasoline. Glancing back at her neighbor to make sure he grabbed the other bucket of meat, she smiled at his exasperated look.

"Just be there stat. Over and out." He said one last time before turning off the walky and lifting the bucket. Walking towards the pair, he rolled his eyes at his friends incompetence. Letting his lip turn up at Frankie's comforting smile, he sped up to catch up to the teens.

"So they're coming?" She asked hopefully, feeling stuck. On one hand she didn't want to feel responsible for anyone else, already a little stressed out at fighting a 'demogorlin' with her neighbor and some guy but on the other hand they could always use more people to fight this thing considering Frankie had no idea what she was doing.

"Lucas is. I don't know what's going on with Mike and Will. I have a bad feeling, but I hope I'm wrong." Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, Frankie squeezed the jacket covered skin. Sighing at the bad feeling rolling through her body, Frankie dropped her hand and kept walking with her eyes forward. Rubbing her arm, she let out a sigh hoping that she too was also wrong.

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an: thank you for 2k! also just came out w a steve story with a male oc so go check it out if you're interested!