Tʜᴇ Fʟᴀʀᴇ ꕥ Lɪᴢᴢɪᴇ Jᴏʜɴsᴏɴ

sᴇʀɪᴇs ғᴏᴜʀ ꕥ 001

Mar, 1986

After Flora's death, Lizzie hadn't been coping very well.

First off, Will and El had left, so both of her understanding friends, the ones that wouldn't put their foot in it every time they spoke, were gone.

Second, Max had also been isolating herself. Not as much as Lizzie had been, but after the death of her brother, Billy, she was also finding it hard to manage.

Third, Lizzie had distanced herself from Dustin around four months after the battle, which was probably the hardest thing she had had to do.

"I'm not breaking up with you," she cried as she told him. The pain in his eyes... it flashed through her dreams on a daily basis.

Anyway, Max had now broken up with Lucas. But Lizzie couldn't break up with him... she couldn't. Dustin meant the world to her, she just...

Well, she didn't think she deserved the world at the moment.

So, now, Lizzie was listening to music on her Walkman which she had got for Christmas. Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush was fast becoming her favourite song.

She sighed as she got of the bus, shouldering her bag and getting ready for the day.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!"

"It's Lizzie!"

Through her headphones, she heard the school counselor, Mrs Kelley, whom she had been going to recently. Her family didn't have enough money to afford one outside of school.

But, the part that hurt was that she called her 'Elizabeth' something that only Lizzie's mum had ever done. But now, Lizzie's mum was barely around, working late night and early morning shifts at the hospital, and she was doing... more drinking than she should.

"Where were you yesterday?" Mrs Kelley ignored her, asking softly as she came up to her. Shit, I was supposed to go yesterday...

"Oh, um- I forgot what day it was," Lizzie made up the lame excuse.

"Well, I'd like to see you today. Come straight after lunch, okay?"

Lizzie nodded, sighing, heading away from her.

She bit her lip as she walked into the stands of the Hawkins High gym. Today was a basketball pep rally, and even Robin Buckley (who was in band) was there. Even when she had effectively left school to work.

She sighed as she clicked the walkman to stop Kate Bush, only to hear the band playing their tune profusely.

The Hawkins Tigers were the school basketball team, and, who would've guessed? Lucas was in it! Lizzie didn't know why, but she thought he wanted to be popular. All the others, on the contrary, didn't. Max and Lizzie were barely functioning these days and Mike and Dustin had given up trying. They all had bigger fish to fry.

Anyway, Lizzie was now pushing through the stands, needing to get to where Mike, Dustin and Max were standing.

Her eyes widened tenfold as, when she climbed up beside him, she accidentally brushed Dustin's hand.

"I'm sorry," Lizzie said immediately. "Sorry- I-I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Dustin said quickly, giving her a small smile. Lizzie never ceased to bewilder at how understanding he was.

But it just made her feel more and more guilty.

Nevertheless, she clapped along as the song finished and all the cheerleaders, who had been dancing and flipping to it with their pom poms, stopped, waving as they left the court.