girls just want to have fun

CHASE SUI WONDERS, CIS FEMALE, SHE / HER | who’s that? oh it’s JULIE FOREMAN. i hear they’re 23 and are known as THE OPAQUE around CITY HALL. they’re also a SENIOR at INDIANA UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST. they’re known to be PASSIONATE AND CREATIVE and REBELLIOUS AND DECEITFUL. some people say they remind them of SMUDGED EYELINER HASTILY WIPED OFF, A FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATICS, CHANGING CLOTHES BEFORE RETURNING HOME FROM SCHOOL, RUBY RED LIPS PULLED INTO A GOOFY GRIN, SNEAKING BACK HOME JUST BEFORE SUNRISE. 

my ass looks great in anything. bev was quick to hold up a finger and disagree, “not in those jeans you wore in the winter of ‘83.” she corrected the other, how could she forget such an offense? bev would never erase the image from her mind’s eye of how julie foreman looked when she walked into civics that december morning. as the other jabbed about her looking pale and tired, bev let out a small gasp and looked down at her hand in the sun. it was like fucking foreskin knew she was feeling insecure about lacking a youthful glow since crawling out of a grave. cracking her neck to the left, bev smiled sweetly and played it off, “i guess i’ll just have to get out and tan today.” 

rising from the stairs, she crossed down to julie. she pouted as julie implied she’d just gotten back from hell. clicking her tongue, she placed her hands on julie’s shoulders, “hurry back before i’ve even gotten the chance to catch up with you? bug you a little?” she peeled her fingers off of julie and tucked the other girl’s hair behind her ears for her. when bev was done, she stepped back and clasped her hands in front of her, “not a chance, foreskin.” she wasn’t leaving until she got her fill of tormenting! it was true! now folding her arms over her chest, bev eyed her nails as she asked, “where are you scurrying off to?” 

Who even remembered shit like that? Of course Bev did. Julie wore one pair of ill-fitting jeans once because she hadn’t had enough in her allowance that week to buy a cooler pair that her parents wouldn’t approve of, and Bev Wildfire would never let it go. “Okay, stalker. Stare at my ass much?” Julie countered with a roll of her eyes. Today had already been shit and she’d love nothing more than to go to Jack’s car and smoke the half of a joint she had tucked away in her pocket right now. Naturally, Bev wouldn’t let her get what she wanted, though. “That’s a great idea. The pool across town sounds like the perfect place for you to be.” Julie replied, matching Bev’s false sweetness as she tried to turn away and leave her behind. 

Naturally, Bev was too fast for that, though. Damn ex-middle school soccer player. As her hands came up to Julie’s shoulders, the brunette stilled. She opened her mouth to reply, to try to brush Bev off again, but then she was tucking Julie’s hair behind her ears, even closer than before and Julie was so tempted to grab her wrists to pull her hands away. “Fuck off. Don’t you have anything better to do? Some puppy to kick, or child you could steal candy from?” She asked with a weary look, immediately moving a hand up to mess up the hair Bev had touched. Julie scoffed at Bev’s question, beginning to accept that she wasn’t going to get away from Bev until the blonde was satisfied. That didn’t mean that she had to give in, though. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Julie asked, taking a step closer to make up for the space Bev had created. “Careful, Brenda, people might start accusing you of being obsessed with me.” 

WHAT: Just a normal day !!! Just grocery shopping !!! Nothing weird !!!

WHERE: Melvald’s 

Julie wasn’t usually the Foreman assigned to grocery shopping duty. Typically, that was her mom, although Julie had briefly taken it over for one summer in high school. The summer where a trip to Melvald’s meant seeing, and subsequently making out with, Evie. Nowadays, she tried to avoid the store when possible to avoid any nostalgic memories of a summer fling from long ago. There was the parking lot where they had hooked up in Julie’s car, or the candy aisle where they had held hands for the first time. Any sight of the supply closet was sure to send Julie into a meltdown, thinking about how close she’d been to confessing how much she liked Evie inside. 

Unfortunately for Julie, her mother was busy with a wine and cheese night with some of her friends from the neighborhood today, and had asked her eldest child to run errands for her. She hadn’t said no. Instead, she’d taken the list from her mom and borrowed Jack’s car again to get her there. Currently, she was wondering the aisles, lazily pushing her shopping cart and occasionally tossing an item her mom wanted into it. Snapping her bubblegum, Julie rounded the corner of the frozen food section only to come face to face with someone she thought she’d never see again. Evie Melvald. Trying to back out of the aisle as subtly as possible, Julie accidentally caught the edge of a display with the back of her cart, causing an arrangement of ice cream toppings to clatter to the ground. “Mother fucker,” She swore before she could stop herself, ducking immediately to pick up a can of whipped cream as it began to roll away. Well, fuck. Guess there was no hiding now. “Evie,” Julie greeted as evenly as she could, voice tighter than usual as she tried to pick up as much shit as she could as quickly as possible. Get out, get out, get out. “Hi.” 

WHO: @julieforeman​ & bev wildfire WHAT: bev is a terror WHERE: city hall

julie fucking foreman. talk about the bane of bev’s existence. she was nothing like her sweet, simple, little brother and when she looked back on high school much of it was spent carefully kicking dirt over their rivalry to stay in jack’s good graces while simultaneously being as viscous as humanly possible in the rumors she scribbled on the bathroom stall about julie. her first week or so being back from the dead, she lived in a blissful existence where she didn’t remember julie. that was until she was headed to city hall to pester that hot mayor out of sheer boredom and she saw that squeezable little head of julie’s and beelined for the exit– for the sake of her own sanity. 

but bev was so bored lately. so bored. hawkins had always been droll, but never like this. she figured it might be a side effect from her four-year-long dirt nap but didn’t read too aggressively into it. into how different she felt. instead, when life got yawn-worthy, she made her fun. and today’s fun? antagonize julie foreman! she had done some light research (interrogating the front desk worker) about when the blonde intern’s break would be. sufficiently informed, she sprawled out on the steps in front of city hall and waited for julie to walk out. from over her left shoulder, she heard footsteps on cue and smirked to herself as the other walked down the stairs. loudly wincing, bev set down the book she wasn’t reading and shook her head, “yikes foreskin…” she clicked her tongue and sat up a little, “those pants are doing nothing for your ass. i guess it’s nice to see that not even bad taste can change.” 

If there was one person in this world that Julie Foreman hated with every fiber of her being, it was Bev Wildfire. The pair had been bitter enemies all throughout high school, often ending up at one another’s throats. Bev was a bitch - she was cruel and vapid and selfish, and Julie just hated everything about her. She was sure that Bev had her own reasons for hating Julie, which is why they had always found themselves ready to claw the other’s eyes out in high school. The amount of times they’d gotten called to the office to explain why they’d written “Julie Foreskin is a skank” or “Bev Wildfire does porn and it isn’t even good” on a bathroom stall was a bit excessive, but valid. In Julie’s opinion, Bev was a huge bitch. 

So when Julie had taken her lunch break after spending all morning having her meanspirited boss demand she make more coffee, she was horrified to see the other blonde waiting on her on the steps of City Hall. Sucking in a breath, Julie rolled her eyes at Bev’s comment. Frankly, she had thought the other had disappeared after high school. Bev had always planned on getting out, and Julie hadn’t been around to see if she had or not. Either way, she’d mostly forgotten about her and had no idea what she was doing here now. “Brenda,” She greeted with a fake smile, making her way to the step Bev was waiting on. “My ass looks great in anything,” Julie replied, crossing her arms. “Are you feeling sick? You look a little pale and tired,” She faked concern, hating the fact that Bev looked just as good as usual. Why were the bitchiest people also usually the hottest? “Maybe you should go back to whatever hole in the ground you crawled out of on your way out of Hell and sleep it off.” 

WHO: jack & @julieforeman​ WHERE: jack’s room (bc 3 starters could not be from the basement)

Yet again, Jack found himself up with Julie at an ungodly hour, but this time, it was after she’d said she would be back later, after visiting the Wheeler household for someone who wasn’t even part of the Wheeler family, but he didn’t think much of it. At least, he hadn’t until midnight hit and Jack wondered whether the guest of the Wheelers had somehow gone and kidnapped his oldest sister. He’d covered for her per usual, saying that she was over at Nancy’s place to check on her after she’d landed a spot in the hospital, which seemed to be enough for their parents, who were friendly with Karen and Ted. Jack had left his window open for her, since his bedroom was closest to the driveway, leaving a light on to let her know that he was still up.

The rustle from the tree beside his window came just as he was about to give up and go to sleep. Jack let out a grumble, rolling out of bed to open his window as wide as he could for his sister, who climbed up the side of the house with remarkable ease. “God, I thought you’d been adopted by the Wheelers or something, where the hell were you?” he teased, bouncing back on his bed as she came through to his room. “I’ve been stashing two cold ones under the bed for when you got back, but warning, they might not be cold anymore. We could always try and sneak downstairs and get more, though. I think I heard Jo go brush her teeth a little while ago.”

Julie’s hair was still wet as she pulled it back into a messy bun, wiping at her mascara that had run when she’d gotten into the lake. Climbing up to the second story wasn’t fun, but at least Jack had been kind enough to leave his window open. It was closest to the tree, and meant she wouldn’t have to scale the side of the house to get back in. Heaving herself up through his window, she saw that he’d waited up for her, despite the incredibly late hour. Julie had left him waiting until six or seven before, so at least she wasn’t as late tonight. She shut the window behind her, then shot him a grin. 

“No, weirdly neither Ted nor Karen seem to want yet another child living in their home,” Julie teased, moving to sit on his bed. “I think the four already living there is enough for them.” In fact, Julie was a little surprised they were letting Cassie stay there. That had to be chaotic, having six people under one roof. Leaning back so she was laying down on the foot of his bed, Julie stretched out and tried to avoid getting her wet hair directly on his comforter. “I was making sure Lover’s Lake lived up to it’s name with the cute girl Nancy brought home from college,” Julie smirked. “Remember how I lost my bra there in high school? Turns out two have now gone missing there.” Frankly, maybe it was safer for Julie to just wear no bras when visiting Lover’s Lake in the future. It was 1988 and well past time to stop giving a fuck about the uncomfortable article of clothing. “I’m down for us to try to sneak two more. Mom and Dad should be sound asleep by now.” 

Cassie listened intently as Julie described all the locations on her decidedly better-than-Nancy-Wheeler’s tour of Hawkins, Indiana. It was hard not to pay more attention to the way she was describing her hometown, like it was somehow the best and worst place in the world simultaneously. There was an air of confidence that Julie exuded around her, from the way she spoke about hooking up with girls to the seamless dab of her cherry red lipstick in the mirror, that Cassie only wished she’d had. She’d become an expert at faking it—running from place to place around the country until she was satisfied. In reality, Cassie wasn’t sure she’d ever feel at home anywhere, each place she’d lived feeling like more foreign as time went on. 

Letting out a laugh above the music, Cassie glanced out the window at downtown Hawkins coming into view, where she’d been spending most of her time. It was the most active part of the town, if there was one. “So hotboxing before class must be a universal American pastime, because not only was I guilty, but so were half of my friends in college. I can’t say I have any of my own bras lying around on the beach somewhere, now being worn by the sea lions, but what I am hearing is we need to go look for yours,” Cassie insisted, poking Julie’s arm lightly. “We did go skinny dipping at the beach once, though. Senior year, it’s kind of a tradition the night before graduation. I guess it’s a fuck it mentality that you’re probably never going to see these people again, so might as well.” Clearly, Hawkins wasn’t the same, as many of them wound up back in the same place after college. Not that Cassie wanted to wind up back in San Francisco, anyway, not after already branding herself as the runaway, who’d swapped coasts for college unlike anyone else she’d graduated with. 

“I’d always wanted siblings,” she said wistfully, resting her elbow against the window. “My parents had me super young, and then decided one was enough. They wanted to enjoy their twenties as much as they could.” Cassie had been bounced around her parents’ friends’ households, gaining a slew of babysitters on the weekends when they’d wanted to go out. It was a little sad, never having anyone old enough to even consider the figure of a sibling. “Yeah, no, of course,” she agreed, watching Julie’s confidence crack for the first time as the people at the carnival were mentioned. “For the record, despite how shitty and weird of a night it was, it definitely would’ve been better if you’d been there.”

Julie’s confidence was a façade, in some ways. She was confident in who she was around some people, embracing the weird theatre girl meets burnout role she’d been given. It wasn’t hard to play that part. In fact, she kind of liked it - it felt more real than the quiet, respectable good girl she was at home. The girl who helped her mother cook every night, and who said ‘Yes ma’am,’ and ‘No, sir.’ That girl just... wasn’t Julie. But there were times that the confidence Julie showed when she was around people her own age was faked too. Julie was definitely more insecure than she let on, but she didn’t let anyone else see that - not even Jack. 

Cruising into town, Julie slowed down and took her time looking around the different buildings. She’d grown up here, true, but things were still different now. Hawkins had changed over the last few years, and Julie felt like she was still catching up sometimes. “I guess so,” Julie shrugged with a grin. “Not a huge amount of kids did it at Hawkins, but we are a small town, after all.” She’d had some friends who smoked with her before classes, but the largely traditional population of HHS had frowned upon them rolling in late with red tinged eyes, smelling like weed. She snorted at the comment about a sea lion in a bra, rolling her eyes. “We can go look for mine. Maybe if you play your cards right, we could even relive my glory days and do it ourselves,” She teased, not at all opposed to going skinny dipping again if Cassie was involved. Listening to Cassie’s own skinny dipping experience, Julie nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I’m sure it made it easier knowing they wouldn’t run into you at the grocery store a week later,” She joked, only slightly embarrassed that that had happened to her. Frankly, more than a few kids at her school had seen her completely naked, but Julie didn’t really have regrets about that. If she and the others had had fun, what was the harm?

“Shit, that sounds lonely,” Julie frowned, pulling into a parking spot. She glanced over at Cassie, offering her a sympathetic smile. “I’d be lost without my brother. Things are kind of tense with me and my sister, but Jack and I are super close,” Julie admitted. When Jack had died, part of Julie had too. She loved him; he was the person she was closest to in the world. That’s why she wouldn’t blame him for whatever had happened at the carnival - it couldn’t have been him. Julie knew him better than probably anyone else did, and she knew Jack would never hurt someone, especially Steve. Her smile slipped back into place when Cassie said she would have had more fun with Julie there. “I wish I had been,” She admitted, more so she could have tried to protect Jack and Jo than hang out with Cassie, but that would have been a nice bonus. “Maybe there will be some other fun thing in town that involves less explosions.” 

WHO: @julieforeman​ & fitzy WHERE: benny’s burgers WHEN: it’s been some time since the carnival. the dust has somewhat settled. benny’s burgers has reopened.

not too long after the annual summer carnival went up in flames, benny’s burgers finally had their grand reopening. in the darkest of times, having a town staple re-open was like a “tiny beacon of light” or whatever benny’s nephew, who was now running the place, had said. fitzy was glad to be back at work, he was happy to have something to do and be around people again, but he hated having to hear all this talk about forest communes or supernatural forces or other equally scary stuff that people were whispering about.

fitzy was not a hero. he was a fry cook with a high school degree. his special skills were playing the drums, D&D and you guessed it, flipping burgers! not…fighting off whatever new thing plagued his cursed town. uh-uh. no sir. so whenever fitzy heard too much talk of all the nonsense happening in the newspapers, he removed himself. this time it was the dishwashers who wouldn’t shut up about “knowing who planted the bomb” when fitzy decided it was time to take out the trash. 

he collected all of the bags from the bins that were littered around the kitchen and walked out the back door with two bags in one hand and one in the other. although he was visibly straining, he somehow managed to get across the lot to the dumpster without any of the bags breaking. with a grunt, he flung the bags over until they crashed on the other side of the metal frame. clapping his hands together, satisfied, fitzy turned one his heel and immediately jumped back, spooked by the person directly behind him. “ah,” he shrieked, but then quickly let out a sigh of relief when he realized he knew the person, “julie! julie, shit. good to see you! you scared me for a second there. damn, we haven’t seen each other in a while, huh?!” fitzy was a bit breathless from lugging the trash across the lot, but with his hands on his hips, he slowly began to collect himself. “what’re you doing here?” he asked, glancing at benny’s, “hope you’re stopping by for a bite to eat. i hear they’ve got a mean fry-cook.” and as if he didn’t already look dweeby enough, he pointed at himself with both thumbs to indicate that he was the cook…like the apron didn’t already say that much. 

There had been a lot of changes to Hawkins that Julie had missed while she’d been in college; Starcourt had been created and destroyed, the Palace Arcade, the Hawk and the new mall had been built. Everything seemed to have changed over the last five years, which made moving back a little disorienting. Hawkins had definitely needed some updates, but she wasn’t used to them yet. The familiar stomping grounds she’d grown up with seemed to have mostly disappeared or fallen into obscurity by now. So when she heard that Benny’s was reopening, Julie thought she really should go and check it out.

They had had the best burgers in town when she was growing up. She could remember coming here with her cast mates after shows or rehearsals in high school, or with her volleyball teammates on the weekends for team bonding. It had held a lot of fun memories for her, and she’d been distraught when she’d come back to Hawkins to find it burnt down. It felt like another big change that she wasn’t ready for, and while Julie usually embraced the spontaneous, this hadn’t felt like something she was ready for. 

One spontaneous thing that Julie wasn’t running from though was spying her old sort of ex from high school. Julie hadn’t known he worked here now, but the second she’d seen Fitzy carrying several trash bags outside, she’d figured it out and made a beeline for him across the parking lot. When she scared him, Julie couldn’t help but smile, still enjoying having that effect on people. “Hey, Fitzy,” She greeted, crossing her arms in front of her. Things had ended...weird, more than anything else. He hadn’t really been into her - which was fine! She just wasn’t really into being the girl that he awkwardly learned how to fool around with and then couldn’t really talk to outside of that. “Yeah, it’s been a few years,” Julie laughed, trying not to feel awkward. After all, things with them had ended a long time ago, being friendly now wasn’t weird.

“I’m here for lunch,” Julie told him, raising an eyebrow at the question. Why else would she be here? But she couldn’t help the actual laugh at the comment about the fry cook. He was a dork - but in a sweet way. “Oh yeah? I’ll have to see about that. I’ve been told I have high standards; it can be hard to impress me,” Julie grinned teasingly, tucking some of her blonde hair behind her ear. She was lying through her teeth - Julie had eaten fries off the floor before without hesitation. But, she liked messing with Fitzy a bit and keeping him on his toes. When they’d been whatever they had been back in high school, Julie had loved pushing his buttons and getting a reaction of any kind from him. “What have you been up to?” She asked after a second, a little more serious this time. 

Cassie remembered Nancy saying something about the diner, it being burned down or something the same night that she was at the cemetery with not Steve and a few other people. It was sad, hearing that the mall and a diner had burned to the ground, but it wasn’t the strangest thing to happen in Hawkins, that was for sure. She wondered if Julie was part of the list of people who knew that there was supernatural shit happening around town, but it was a don’t-ask-don’t-tell sort of situation, as far as she’d gathered. If it weren’t for her time at the cemetery that night, Cassie was certain she wouldn’t know as much as she did now.

The next thing she knew, Cassie was being dragged to her car, the music blasting within seconds of being turned on. “I would love the Julie Foreman personalized tour. Nancy’s taken me on a drive around here and there, but honestly, I still am figuring out the way around,” she admitted with a laugh. “The diner sounds fantastic. I’ve been craving a grilled cheese for the last two days.”

She raised a brow, wondering if she’d bumped into Julie’s siblings at the carnival. Julie wasn’t someone who Nancy was all too friendly with, so she hadn’t gotten the run-down of the family tree like she had with some of the others in Hawkins. “You have siblings?” she asked, raising a brow. “Yeah, it was. I don’t know, there were people trying to set off fireworks, and they turned out to be explosive? All really strange. They, like, threw up this acidic black stuff, too.” She shuddered just at the thought of it. What Julie said next brought a chill, too, but this was one that made her cheeks flush a bit, looking over at her in the drivers’ seat. It was probably just to be nice. Of course no one would ever want to see someone else in the hospital, that was all. “Well, thanks. I’m glad you were safe, at home. Sounds like a better night than I had, that’s for sure.”

Julie hadn’t been in town for most of the weird stuff that had happened in Hawkins. She’d been away at college in Gary, spending nights hunched over her textbooks and weekends partying in Chicago. Living a life outside of her parents’ expectations. The only thing that had really gotten her attention had been Jack’s death, which had nearly destroyed her. Losing the person she felt closest to had turned Julie’s whole world upside down; it was the biggest tragedy to hit Hawkins, Indiana, in her opinion. The rest was just a series of weird, freaky accidents that Julie had heard about, but hadn’t been too absorbed in. 

“Say no more,” Julie grinned, checking her lipstick in the rearview mirror to make sure nothing was smudged. “Until you’ve gotten the Julie Foreman tour, you’ve never even seen Hawkins. It’ll blow Nancy’s out of the water,” The blonde swore. She liked Nancy - Julie had been proud of her for the way she’d bounced back from the whole Nancy ‘The Slut’ Wheeler bullshit. But there was no way she had provided the level of theatricality that Julie was famous for. “I’ll show you all the hotspots, like the Hawkins High parking lot where I got high before class sometimes. Melvald’s parking lot, where I used to hook up with a girl one summer. Maybe if you’re really lucky, you’ll even get to see Lovers’ Lake, where I went skinny dipping at a party in high school and lost my favorite bra. Legend says it’s still there. It’s lacy and red, if you find it.” She rambled, hair ruffled from the wind coming in from the open windows. In Julie’s defense... that was kind of just what high school was like for her. She didn’t want to take Cassie to her parents’ church, where she was forced to go every Sunday. She didn’t want to show off the building where her Girl Scout troop met, or the house of the girl her parents had made her be friends with. Julie didn’t want to show the stuff that really hurt. She didn’t give a shit if Cassie thought she was a weird little burnout - she could wear that narrative like a shield, owning the antics and reputations that came with that. But showing off the shit that bothered her deep down? The need for acceptance and validation from her parents, even if it’s fake? That wasn’t something she was even remotely ready to talk about. 

“Grilled cheese it is, then,” Julie agreed, taking a left at the end of the block to head back towards downtown. Hawkins wasn’t a big place, so it wouldn’t take long to get from the Wheeler’s to the diner. “Yeah, a younger brother and sister,” Julie smiled genuinely, glad to have Jack back in her life. Things were still strained with Jo - they might always be. Julie loved her, though, even if she hid it most of the time. Julie frowned at the mention of the explosives - she’d heard about that, from Jack and Jo. Jack hadn’t meant to, Julie knew that in her soul. There was no way her sweet baby brother would do something like that, not unless he’d been forced to. The black acid wasn’t comforting either. “It wasn’t intentional,” Julie said quietly, unable to stop herself from defending her brother. “It was an accident, or something,” She shook her heard, still not sure what was fully going on. But she wasn’t going to let Jack be blamed for being a murderer. Not like Adam Richards had done to him. Julie shot Cassie a smirk, having meant it. She was glad Cassie’s face hadn’t gotten messed up for multiple reasons. “Eh, it probably was. At least until my siblings got back,” She frowned, remembering their conversation in front of Jo’s murder board. The whole thing was so fucked up, and Julie was still sorting through her feelings on it all. 

“It’s not a diary,” Chrissy quickly rebutted, grabbing a hold of her journal. If she didn’t work quick, she knew Julie would probably just try to snatch it and read every embarrassing thing Chrissy had written down since she got back home, which was mostly just writings about Laura berating her for God knows what and just her daily thoughts on the commune and everything else going on around her. “It’s a journal,” which was code for diary. She leaned over and shoved it in her bedside table drawer, shutting it with a loud slam. “And not that it’s any of your business,” Chrissy moved back onto her bed, watching Julie’s dramatics. God, there was no one else in this world she disliked more. Julie was just so… fake, in Chrissy’s eyes. An actress and nothing more. A girl who was just fooling everyone around her. “But Jason and I aren’t together,” there was a twinge of sadness in her voice, never the girl who was able to hide her emotions clearly. She thought being back home would fix everything. She didn’t expect radio silence from someone who she expected to spend the rest of her life with.

Clearly agitated, Chrissy only let out a huff as Julie sat down next to her and pat her cheek. Chrissy attempted to swat Julie’s hand away but failed. “Color me flattered,” she rolled her eyes. Insults weren’t her thing and she often lacked the creativity for such. It made her furious, that Julie could just keep it going until Chrissy became exhausted. She could hold the sarcasm where Chrissy just fell flat or ultimately, just got mad. “Gosh, Julie, it’s almost like I have to,” she commented, in response to Julie’s jab about paying attention to a girl like her. Chrissy scooched closer to Julie, moving her head towards the other girl, as if she were about to indulge her in some secret. “Kind of a shame, isn’t it?” Her voice barely above a whisper, before returning to its original. “You know, that your parents have to get you friends. Or am I just that special?”

Julie’s eyes lit up when Chrissy all but admitted that it was a diary. Who tried so hard to hide something that wasn’t full of juicy secrets? Julie herself had had one a long, long time ago, but found it kind of hard writing out all of the shit in her brain. Now, she preferred to just talk it out with Jack instead. “Oh, of course. A journal,” Julie replied to Chrissy with fake reverence, immediately taking a step closer to the drawer that held the queen of Hawkins’ secrets. “Journaling is so important, Chris. I’m sure you’ve got some really thought-provoking stuff in there. A few rounds of M.A.S.H., maybe?” She smirked. It was a low blow to constantly throw in her face the fact that she found Chrissy shallow, but Julie just couldn’t stop herself. She’d never understood where the line between ‘playful’ and ‘hurtful’ was - not when it came to girls like Chrissy, at least. Besides, Chrissy was a big girl; she gave as good as she got most of the time. Julie just had more stamina for insults. 

“Wait, what?” Julie frowned, confused that Jason hadn’t gotten back with Chrissy when she returned. Despite having friends in the popular crowd, Julie hadn’t kept up with it too much herself, so she really hadn’t known. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’m sure the next beau is just around the corner! You’re every All American Boy’s wet dream for a housewife, I’m sure it’ll work out.” Julie said with as much fake sincerity she could muster. “And until then, I’m always here with ice cream. We can have a sleepover and watch Dirty Dancing and talk about how dreamy Patrick Swayze is,” Julie wiggled her eyebrows. “Of course, I personally think Jennifer Grey’s hotter, but. I know a good girl like you must go nuts for the bad boy dance instructor.” 

She loved the fact that she was getting on Chrissy’s nerves - Julie could always tell with her. Chrissy wasn’t good at hiding it, not the way some people were. She was agitated, and Julie just couldn’t stop herself from wanting to push further. When Chrissy snapped and made the comment about having to pay attention to Julie, it stung momentarily because it was kind of true. Julie wasn’t trying to be the center of attention, but she’d always had a flare for the dramatics. She knew that she wasn’t for everyone, but that didn’t mean that they were going to ignore her. “Aww, can’t take your eyes off me, honey? Can’t say I’m surprised,” Julie winked, leaning in closer and lowering her voice. Chrissy’s next comments cut a bit deeper, the words not true. Not really. Julie had friends - she did! Just...not ones that were super close. But her parents didn’t know about them; they’d only recruited Chrissy to be Julie’s friend because she was the right type of girl to be seen around. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you? To be special?” Julie whispered back, eyes flicking down to Chrissy’s lips for a moment. This close, she could smell the strawberry chapstick she must be wearing. “But we both know that you’re just another former cheerleader stuck here in Hawkins. Must be a shame knowing that getting dinner on the table by the time your husband gets home from work is all that’s out there for you,” Julie said, breath ghosting over Chrissy’s lips. 

Julie had always struggled with restraint. She didn’t know when to let a joke go, or when to pull back from a punchline, especially around Chrissy Cunningham. And as she sat so close to the blonde, the line between friendly jokes and wanting to get under her skin seemed to grow blurrier and blurrier until it didn’t exist anymore. Julie just wanted a reaction - she’d always just wanted a reaction from Chrissy. Some way to know that Chrissy did see her, that she wasn’t so  beneath the former pageant queen. So Julie closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against Chrissy’s. Maybe it would show her how special she actually was. 

It had been a few days since the carnival, but Cassie had just gotten home hours ago after spending all of her time in the hospital. It was weird, saying goodbye to Nancy’s nurses who she’d actually come to like, coming back to the Wheelers’ house for the first time since she’d come by with Thad. She had the strange feeling that things were going to be different now, forever, since the last time she’d left her guest room. 

Nancy had told her that they were apparently not going to be leaving Hawkins anytime soon, and Cassie figured it was a sign to try and make some lasting friends since the possibility of being stuck through the semester loomed. Or, when it came to Julie, maybe more than just friends. She had been mistaken for her girlfriend on the roof just a week ago, though it felt like the time that had passed was more like a lifetime.

Mrs. Wheeler had mentioned that someone had come by looking for her, and Cassie would be lying if she didn’t have hope in her heart that it was the same girl from the roof. Judging from the way Julie greeted her now, apparently, it had been. Thank goodness she’d gotten her turn in the shower, unpacked her hospital bag, and was actually starving. “You have no idea how badly I would take anything that isn’t a Snickers bar or hospital meatloaf,” she joked, taking a step onto the porch to lock the door behind her. “Nancy’s good, just on bedrest now. I need to stop by Family Video and pick up some tapes to keep her busy. Me, though? I’m just glad I wasn’t sharing more than another room beyond the dorm with her. You weren’t there, were you?”

It felt like it had been so much longer than a week since the Wheeler’s barbeque. With everything that had happened in between then, Julie felt like maybe it had been months since she’d hung out in Mike Wheeler’s bedroom with Cassie. Finding out that Jack had died, that he’d been killed by his friend and that neither Jack nor Jo remembered it had been a fucking shock to say the least, and Julie was having trouble processing it. She’s known the rumors about Hawkins being cursed, but she’d always thought it was exaggerated. A few people had gone missing, a few disasters had struck. But to find out that the dead could come back, apparently? That was fucking intense. 

Julie laughed at Cassie’s comment, giving her a sympathetic grin. “Hospital meatloaf sounds inedible. I’d have gone with the Snickers for sure.” But even then, surviving a few days on candy from an old vending machine couldn’t be fun either. “You’re in luck. I’m sure you’ve already been given the town tour, but you’ve never seen it through Julie Foreman’s eyes.” She told the Californian dramatically, reaching for her hand and tugging her towards Jack’s car that she’d borrowed for the day. “We have a limited amount of options, so I’d recommend the diner - not the one that’s closed, though. Which is a shame, Benny’s was pretty good.” 

She opened the driver’s side door and got in, fiddling with the radio while she waited for Cassie to buckle herself in. Settling on Joan Baez, Julie hummed some of ‘Blowing in the Wind’ and pulled away from the Wheeler’s curb. “I’m glad she’s okay now. That whole thing sounds pretty scary.” Julie shrugged. “No, thankfully I was at home. My brother and sister were there, though. Neither one of them got hurt, but they were both pretty shaken up,” Julie bit her lip, thinking about how freaked out both Jack and Jo had been when they’d gotten home. To think that Jack had helped with everything? That was insane to Julie. “For the record, though, I’m also glad you didn’t end up sharing a hospital room with Wheeler. I’d hate for that pretty face to get messed up. ” Being directly hurt from an explosion sounded like a terrifying experience, and five people had died from it. That was devastating. 

WHAT: Stop eating hospital cafeteria food!!!!

WHERE: The Wheelers -> Julie’s Car -> A Restaurant 

Julie was beginning to think she was stupid for leaving the fucking carnival early. But how was she supposed to know things were going to get a lot more interesting after the fucking mayor’s speech? Her parents had gone to support Spencer St. James, and Julie had caught a ride when them as they were heading out after, preferring to spend the night catching up with some old friends in Gary and rereading Pet Sematary. If she’d known what was going to happen to Jack, she would have stayed there to help him, somehow. But she hadn’t, and she’d missed everything. 

Cassie had mentioned the carnival before, the last time they’d hung out together, and Julie was worried about the girl from California. Things were still new; they’d only hung out twice so far, but she was nice and fun and didn’t deserve to get caught in the crossfire of all of the shit going on in Hawkins right now. But when Julie had stopped by the Wheeler’s house a few days ago, Nancy’s mom had said that Cassie was at the hospital with Nancy. 

So, she’d come back a few days later, once things had settled a bit more with Jack and once all of the Foremans had had a second to process all of the news they’d been keeping from one another. Her brother had died - possibly been killed by Adam Richards. That was fucked up, and a lot to take in. So she was glad to get away for a bit and visit Cassie. 

“Hey,” She greeted after the other had answered the door, grinning at her. “I heard Nance was finally home. How’s she doing?” The two had been friends in high school, and Julie was planning on visiting with her to check in soon. “How are you doing?” It was a lot to take in, especially as someone who hadn’t been here before. Julie had grown up in Hawkins and still had no fucking clue what was going on. 

“Want to go get something to eat? My treat,” Julie offered, rocking on her heels as she waited for a response. It didn’t have to mean anything, but Julie would be happy if it did. At the very least, it meant neither of them had to sit through a dinner with either the Wheelers or the Foremans. 

— ♔ —

Chrissy Cunningham seldom had a negative word to say about anybody. She had won countless titles like homecoming queen because she was just nice, and she had never quite got the memo that you could just pretend to be a good Christian girl. Well, she had gotten that memo in the form of Julie Foreman. The two were friends, as in our parents have made us friends, and we just tolerate it. But Chrissy had never disliked Julie. At least, probably never in the way that Julie did. Chrissy thought Julie was crass, sure, but there was a part of her that always admired the other. Chrissy wasted high school away. She dated the perfect boy, had the perfect friends, the perfect life, and all for what? It’s not like Jason Carver had even stopped by to see Chrissy after she was named in being a part of the tree cult. 

Chrissy was in her room, stomach planted on top of her blush pink comforter, writing in her journal, an item she bought soon after her miraculous return to Hawkins society. She would never be smart enough to piece together that she had died, but with little to no memories of the last two years she felt like a journal would do her some good. Can’t forget something that’s written down, right? Her head shot up to see Julie in her doorway. A sigh and she was closing her journal shut. 

What was she to tell Julie? That she couldn’t even remember one thing from the commune? No, she couldn’t do that without sounding like an idiot. Besides, Chrissy Cunningham and Julie Foreman were not friends. At least, not beyond a surface level. “What, jealous that you didn’t get an invite?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “I know living on some hippie retreat is probably like, your dream,” and then, “I heard you actually got out of Hawkins. Congratulations. Don’t tell me you came back because of me. I’m like, so honored,” a tight grin spread out across Chrissy’s face, knowing good and well if Julie was home, it was because of her brother.

Chrissy was nice. Too nice, if you asked Julie. So nice that it just seemed like it had to be fake, right? Like, who was really that perfect all of the time? Julie could pretend to be, sure, but she acknowledged that she wasn’t when she wasn’t around her parents or their friends. Being that straight-laced all of the time sounded miserable, and Julie had no clue how the fuck Chrissy Cunningham did it.

Maybe that was why it was so fun to fuck with her - because seeing Chrissy get mean meant she wasn’t kind to everyone all the time. She had flaws too, flaws that Julie absolutely adored seeing. She loved pushing Chrissy’s buttons until the other snapped, and she doubted she’d ever get tired of it. “Oh my god, is that a diary?” Julie cooed, stepping inside to see if she could get a peek at it. “Aww, that’s precious. What, do you write about how you just can’t wait to become Mrs. Jason Carver?” Julie batted her eyelashes exaggeratingly, smirking at the mental image of Chrissy gushing over her high school boyfriend to her diary. She didn’t know they hadn’t gotten back together when Chrissy got back. 

“Whoa, Christine. Way harsh,” She shook her head, laying a hand over her heart. “That’s so mean to remind me that I didn’t get invited to hang out with the cult in the woods. I just might cry.” The comment about Julie wanting to join a hippie commune actually earned an eyeroll, though. Julie would have been fucking honored to live with hippies in the woods for a few years - just not alongside Chrissy Cunningham. “I did get out of Hawkins, but of course I just had to come back and see your pretty face when I heard the news,” Julie replied, faking sincerity. She sat down on the bed beside Chrissy without an invitation, hand reaching out to gently pat the blonde’s cheek to punctuate her statement. “How could I miss the opportunity to get to hang out with former pageant girl Chrissy Cunningham? Thanks so much for paying attention to a nobody like me!”  

WHAT: Julie...... can read?

WHERE: The Library

If you had told high school Julie that she would one day be close to earning a degree in Pre-Law, she probably would have told you to get bent. Twenty-three year old Julie was just glad to be almost done with her degree, honestly. As much as she hated the internship at the district attorney’s office, she did like getting to actually do applicable things. There was only so much one could learn from studying; getting to learn about actual cases was way more helpful. 

But, Julie had never been the best at sitting still or buckling down to study. She was bad at focusing, unless she was really involved in something and unfortunately, working for the Dark Side was not what she wanted to be involved with. So, when she had some case studies to read up on for her boss, she knew the most ideal place to look over them would be the library. After all, she’s probably be too embarrassed to be too disruptive in there. At least, that’s what she’d thought before she’d spilled an entire cup of coffee on one of the tables. But hey, it was an accident!

“Shit,” She swore quietly, moving her books to a nearby table to avoid them getting drenched in coffee too. “Motherfucking shit,” Julie whispered, looking around for the nearest bathroom that she could go get an armful of paper towels from. Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t seem to figure out where one was, but she did see someone who worked here. “I swear it isn’t what it looks like!” Julie tried to defend herself.

“Okay.... so it is exactly what it looks like. But I’m trying to clean up, I swear! That has to count for something, right? Could you tell me where I could get some paper towels?”

WHAT: Look away, Keith. No drugs here!

WHERE: The park after dark 

So far, Julie actually hadn’t snuck out much since she’d gotten back. Her parents had become earlier risers as they got older, making it much easier for Julie to just use the front door when she wanted to go out at night. But, old habits died hard, and with her father up watching some sporting event on TV, Julie had gotten out the rope ladder she’d made in high school and existed out her window tonight. It wasn’t the most glamourous exit, but it was kind of fun, honestly. It was climbing back up that sucked. 

As she arrived in the park, she smirked at the sight of Cole Montgomery. She’d grown a soft spot for the nerd in high school, making it her mission to defend him from the other upperclassman in his advanced classes. Julie had also been his weed dealer, and with her getting back into the business this summer, she’d hit him up to see if he was interested in buying from her again. Thankfully for her wallet, he was. 

“Montgomery!” She greeted with a dramatic wave, laughing as she stumbled closer in her doc martens. “Fancy meeting you here,” As if Julie hadn’t suggested it. God, it was good to see him though. She missed the smartass more than she would have thought back in high school. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you the friends and family discount because I’m feeling generous tonight. But, you have to let me split some with you,” Julie tacked on. It actually probably wouldn’t come out to much of a deal if he let her share it, but she was hoping her company would be payment enough. “So what the hell have you been up to anyway?” 

WHAT: What if we did a lil fashion show ??

WHERE: The Mall

Working at City Hall was a soul sucking endeavor to be sure. After all, Julie was studying law to be a defense attorney for people who actually needed help, not to be part of the prosecution. It just felt slimy to be on this side of things - like she was actively helping to put people who didn’t deserve it away. But, unfortunately, this was the internship she had while she was in town, and she needed to do well in order to be able to use it as a reference in the future. So, she was hoping on learning everything she could about the Dark Side before she fled back to Gary in a few months. 

But in the mean time, her wardrobe was seriously lacking. Apparently ripped jeans and doc martens were so not in style in an office setting, and she had to step up her game in order to be taken seriously in there. So, she’d headed over to the outlet mall, hoping to find something that would help her to fly under the radar. 

She was sorting through options, struggling to determine what might actually work, when she saw a pretty blonde also looking at clothes. Julie was never one to turn down the opportunity to talk to a girl, so she approached her with the armful of clothes she was holding. “Hey,” Julie greeted with a grin. “Could you do me a huge favor? I’m so clueless with this sort of stuff,” She gestured to the pantsuit she was currently holding, making a face at it. Definitely not something she’d be caught dead in at college, but desperate times called for desperate measures. “But I really need to make a good impression at work. Help me out and I’ll treat you to some ice cream?” 

WHAT: I have to hang out with WHO??

WHERE: Chrissy’s House

Coming back to Hawkins meant returning to her parents rules and expectations, something that Julie didn’t care for. She knew, though, that she had to be the daughter they thought that she was in order to get by. The second she openly rebelled like Jo? Shit would hit the fan. There would be plenty of fights, and she might even get cut off. Julie couldn’t afford for something like that to happen until she was truly financially stable and away from Hawkins for good. 

So, after helping her mother make dinner and cleaning up around the house that afternoon, she was eager to accept the excuse to leave for a bit. Her mother had suggested that she go visit Chrissy Cunningham from church. Apparently, she’d been in the tree commune with Jack, and it might be nice for her to see an old friend. 

Except, they weren’t quite friends, were they? They’d been forced to hang out when they were younger because of their parents. Chrissy was as sweet and good and perfect as Julie pretended to be; she was the perfect girl next door, the wholesome cheerleader with a high school sweetheart. And Julie was a bad girl who’d gotten drunk most weekends and lost her virginity in the upstairs bedroom at a cast party after they performed Anything Goes. She and Chrissy Cunningham were not the same. 

When Mrs. Cunningham opened the door for her and let her in though, Julie made sure to play the part she’d been given. She asked all the right questions, and showed the proper amount of sympathy about Chrissy being found in the woods. She was rewarded by being allowed up to Chrissy’s bedroom without an escort. “Cunningham,” Julie greeted with a smirk, leaning against Chrissy’s doorframe with her arms crossed. “Heard you were back from your little nature retreat.” Without asking, she made her way inside the bedroom, not wanting to be overheard by Chrissy’s mom or dad. “Was it just like, the best time ever?”