Chapter Text
Amelia fidgeted with the split leather on her steering wheel, Storms by Fleetwood Mac playing softly in the background though she could barely hear it over her own thoughts. Half an hour away from her home in Hawkins, Indiana, her heart rate increased proportionate to the proximity. After leaving for college in early August, she had promised to visit, but three months later, with Thanksgiving under a week away, she was only just finally fulfilling her promise. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see her loved ones; the situation was just complicated. The last couple of years had been a whirlwind of one unfortunate event after another. Despite the uncertainty looming over Hawkins after the ‘earthquake’ earlier that spring, Amelia had decided to follow through with her commitment to the University of Chicago. Her younger brother, Dustin, was her biggest supporter, telling her she deserved to start fresh. He said that he’d be selfish to keep her from the rest of the world and reassured her he would be alright. Her other friends did their best to be supportive, and Nancy was already going away to Emerson College in Boston, though Jonathan, who now lived in the Wheeler’s basement, decided to defer his acceptance and wait things out in Hawkins ‘a little longer.’ Amelia’s closest friends, Steve and Robin, were the hardest to admit her plans to.
Steve gave her a bittersweet smile and a hug. “I’m glad you can do so much more for the world outside of Hawkins, I’m sure of it.” Robin, however, gave a silent tight-lipped smile and an awkward hug. The rest of the summer seemed to go the same way, Robin growing increasingly more distant while Amelia desperately tried to mend this gaping hole she had somehow created between the two of them.
The first semester of college had gone, surprisingly well. Amelia expected to feel bent out of shape from the effects of the last several years combined with the adjustment of a new life. Instead, she thrived in the chaos, her busy work and class schedule leaving her little time to think too hard about anything, and within a few months, Hawkins, and all of its baggage, felt worlds away. Which unfortunately made the idea of visiting her home grow more and more daunting. Between the way she had left things with Robin, who hadn’t said anything but ‘good luck’ on the day she gave her goodbyes, and the inevitable flood of difficult memories bound to descend as soon as she reached city limits, she managed to procrastinate her visit until Thanksgiving. Which brought her back to split leather on the steering wheel, her fidgeting making the tear worse as she found herself approaching city limits.
Despite breaking her promise of semi-frequent visits to her little brother, she found herself most troubled by the thought of reuniting with Robin, that is, if she even acknowledges her return. She had written a variety of drafts for the letter she planned to send Robin, none of them making the cut and leaving the two without any form of contact for four months, aside from the ‘tell Robin I say hi’ she would offer Steve on the occasional phone call. She noticed that her steering wheel fidgeting had left the brown nail polish on her right pointer finger and thumb all chipped. She sighed deeply as she began to recognize the landmarks around the not-so-distant memories of her hometown. Even the four-hour drive from Chicago wasn’t enough to soothe her nerves as she finally pulled into her driveway, her mother on the porch holding their Siamese cat, Tews, and her little brother Dustin smiling wide and waving. She greeted her mother with all the enthusiasm she could muster as she received a quick berating over being gone for far too long and needing to visit more while simultaneously being hugged and doted over. When her mother finally had her fill and gone inside with the cat, Dustin moved in to give her a hug.
“She’s right, you know, you really should’ve visited more,” Dustin prodded gently as he pulled away from the hug, still smiling.
“I know, I know, I’m really so sorry. I got so caught up and had trouble balancing it all. I promise I’ll make it a point to come home next semester,” Amelia responded. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her brother, but suddenly a part of her that had sat empty for the last four months began to fill as she felt the feeling of home again. She hadn’t even noticed how little like home Chicago felt until the warm and fuzzy feeling of familiarity engulfed her. The fast-paced city life suited her, or so she thought, but was it all just filling the void of a chapter she closed too early?
Steve’s beamer pulled into the driveway next to her own car. Steve hopped out as soon as he placed the car in park. He jogged up to the front of the house as Amelie met him at the bottom of the porch steps. He pulled her in for a firm hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her in circles. Amelia giggled as he finally put her down.
“How have you been? How is city life treating you? You look great, by the way. I can’t believe you let us go. What, four months without seeing you?” Steve said, his questions coming in rapid succession and leaving little room for response.
Amelia smiled guiltily. “I know, I know. Trust me, I know. I won’t hear the end of it, but I promise it won’t happen again. I was just so busy.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Steve said sarcastically with no malice in his voice. “City girl is too busy for her life down in little old Hawkins.” Amelia reached up and tried to mess up his hair, but he narrowly evaded her. “Hey, not the hair!” he yelled. Steve, her brother’s best friend who had unexpectedly become one of her own, truly was her family. He was the older brother she never had, and it felt nice knowing there was someone looking out for Dustin when she wasn’t around.
“Are you guys going to help me with my bags or what?” Amelia asked teasingly.
“Well, then pop the trunk, m’lady,” Dustin said with a mocking bow. She smiled and led them to her car.
After bringing in her luggage, a mixture of items needed for the week and extra bags in preparation for winter break, she flopped down on her bed and let out a contented sigh. Dustin had taken to her spinning desk chair, rounding circles while staring up at the ceiling. Steve, on the other hand, had settled himself on the opposite side of her bed, swinging his feet up and taking a bite from one of the fresh cookies their mom had prepared. Suddenly, Dustin’s walkie began to ring through the room. The sound of Mike Wheeler’s voice was somewhat frantic on the other end.
“I’m really sorry, Mia. I’ve gotta go. Party emergency,” Dustin said guiltily.
Amelia smiled softly at him, “Don’t worry about it, I understand. Be safe, I’ll see you later for sure.” Dustin gave her one last quick hug before leaving, the front door slamming behind him in the distance. There was a moment of tense silence, both Steve and Amelia aware of what she wanted to ask. She turned towards him, seeing if he was willing to offer up the information without prying. She knew him well enough to read his eyes, and they said it was her move.
“So… where’s Robin?” Amelia said, her heartbeat rising to her throat. Steve laughed awkwardly, running his hand through his hair.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” he answered. “I told her when you were coming home, and asked if she wanted me to pick her up. She told me she was busy, but I know she isn’t at work; we’re both off today. I didn’t feel like pushing it because, well, this isn’t my problem, but it sure is starting to feel like it is. Seriously, Mia, what the hell happened between you guys?”
Amelia drew her hands to her head and ran them down her face exasperatedly, “I don’t even know, Steve. I’m dead serious. After I told you guys I was still going to Chicago, it’s like she became more distant. I feel like that can’t be it, though. I must have done something. I just wish she would tell me what instead of completely shutting me out. And I mean, I know it’s just as much my own fault. I was bitter she was being weird with me without admitting what was up, and so I decided I’d just let her. I was sure she would come around, but now I- I don’t know…”
Steve looked at her thoughtfully, clearly trying to come up with some sort of idea as to what could be causing Robin’s distance.
“And I mean, you know, after how much she’s trusted us with… I just never thought she’d be so willing to just cut me off.” The last few words came out as more of a croak as Amelia became choked up. She remembered Robin coming out to her and Steve in the Starcourt mall after being drugged by evil Russians, not the most ideal conditions but a bittersweet memory tinged with nostalgia nonetheless. She hadn’t realized just how much this was affecting her until she was forced to face the reality of it by coming home. “And I think that maybe… It’s what kept me from coming home for so long.” Amelia admitted softly, composing herself before any tears could escape and staring at her hands as they continued to pick at the already chipped brown nail polish.
Steve reached out, placing his hand over hers comfortingly to stop the anxious fidgeting. “Honestly, Mia, I think you need to just talk to her. I know it’s, like, the most obvious answer and probably the last thing you want to hear, but for everyone’s sake, I’m begging you.”
Amelia nodded, finally looking up at him before shifting her gaze just past him to the alarm clock sitting on her nightstand. 1:29 p.m. the Saturday before Thanksgiving. One week in Hawkins, meaning one week to make things right. As well as one week to spend time with her family, the rest of her friends, pick up shifts at the diner, and prepare for finals. She shook her head quickly, suppressing any overwhelming feelings to focus on the task at hand.
“So… where do we think Ms. Buckley would be at one o’clock on a Saturday?” Amelia asked.