HARRINGTON RESIDENCE

HAWKINS, INDIANA

SEPTEMBER 21, 2025, 11:36 PM

 

Demona was going to regret this.

 

As she stared at her phone, Jessica’s contact information up on the screen as she prepared to call her, that was all she could think. For five years, Demona had been living with Jessica, and for almost just as long, the other woman had been in love with her. They had shared everything from clothes to food to a bed, and while she had always been clear that Jessica’s emotions were one-sided, that hadn’t stopped her from allowing her to live out her fantasy. They had gone through countless nights with Demona crying over Eddie while Jessica comforted her, only for them to sleep together the very next night. It was cruel, but in Jessica’s eyes, Demona didn’t have a chance of getting back with Eddie. It had been her way of helping her cope with the loss of her one true love, and her attempt to weasel her way between what could be if he ever came back to Hawkins.

 

But Eddie had come back to Hawkins, and Demona had found him, all thanks to Jessica. It had been her friend’s plan to prove to her that he had moved on, but it had backfired horribly, and now, with bandages on her side, she had to call her and tell her that not only had Eddie come back, but Eddie did still feel the same way she did, and she knew it was going to break her friend’s heart. She had been trying to avoid the conversation as long as possible, if she was honest, but with how Jessica was still convinced that Demona was missing or dead, she couldn’t put the conversation off any longer. And so, with Eddie in the room next to her, Demona sighed before pressing 'call', immediately putting the phone on speaker in favor of setting it on the bed next to her.

 

“Mona?? Oh my god, hello???” Her voice was raw, far more than it should have been if she had just stayed up late, and the realization that she had been crying hit Demona almost as hard as the demogorgon had when it slammed her into the tree. Her eyes tightened shut, almost in a wince at hearing her friend’s voice sound like that, but she answered nonetheless, not wanting her to worry any longer than she had.

 

“Yeah, I’m alive. It’ll take more than a home invasion to kill me.” Even she was aware of how raw her own voice sounded, but it was from pain and exhaustion rather than whatever had Jessica’s tone coming through the phone in the way that it was. She had been able to get a few hours sleep, but the nightmare of watching Eddie get ripped to shreds had woken her up after only 3 hours, and exhaustion was still burning at the back of her eyes.

 

“Oh thank whatever gods are up there. What happened?? Where are you??”

 

“It’s a long fucking story.” Running her hands over her face, she pressed her fingertips against her eyes so hard, she was starting to see spots. It wasn’t the first time she had done such a thing, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant. “The short version? An animal broke in right when Eddie showed up at the house, so we went to the cabin. It would’ve been fine if someone didn’t tell the cops I was missing.”

 

“You weren’t answering your phone, Mona.” Her concern was starting to twist into annoyance, but it was a tone Demona was quick to match.

 

“I was still pissed at you.” Her hands fell to her lap, eyes landing on her phone as if her friend could see her actions through the screen. It helped to think that she was next to her, rather than on the other end of the line, especially with what she needed to ask her. “You really expected me to answer the phone after you tried to set it up for me to see Eddie with Chrissy??”

 

“You turned off your location, your read receipts, I had no idea if Eddie killed you, too!”

 

“Eddie didn’t kill anyone, let’s get that straight right now.” As always, Demona was quick to defend her . . . well, she wasn’t even sure what her and Eddie were anymore. They weren’t enemies, but they weren’t lovers. They weren’t together, but they certainly couldn’t consider each other their ex anymore. It was complicated, just like everything else that had transpired in the past 24 hours, and she didn’t feel like getting into it with Jessica of all people. “You don’t know what happened, and you don’t know him.”

 

“ . . . Are you with him now?” Jessica’s tone once again shifted to concern, and a sigh left Demona – and apparently her friend had heard it. “You are. He’s wanted for murder, innocent or not, and you’re with him? While the cops think you’re missing??”

 

“Yeah, and who’s fault is that??” Demona practically snapped at Jessica, and the other woman fell silent. It wasn’t unusual for the two to get into little arguments, but this was something else entirely. They had never fought this seriously, and standing up, she paced for a moment before speaking again, her tone calmer as she gathered her thoughts. “I get that you were worried, and I get why, but did you forget my dad’s a cop? I know how to handle myself if someone attacks me. I can explain everything, but I need you to do two things for me.”

 

“Anything, always.”

 

“First, I need clothes and a pack of cigarettes. Just one or two outfits for me, and I need a shirt or two for Eddie. We had to leave the cabin when the cops showed up, and honestly, after all the running we did, these clothes are disgusting.” It was only partially true, but she wasn’t about to explain the extent of her injuries to her over the phone. Already she could hear Jessica opening the closet door of their bedroom, too, and reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose again, she hesitated before speaking again. “We’re at Harrington’s house, so keep it low. The second thing I need is you to swear secrecy to me.”

 

That seemed to catch her attention, and she could hear her stop digging through the clothes. Clearly, Jessica had also put Demona on speaker phone, but it was how she didn’t answer her that started to worry the blonde.

 

“Jessica, swear.”

 

“What happened? Did he hurt you?” There was a mixture of accusation and concern in her tone, but given what Jessic would have seen in the news, she didn’t entirely blame her. She needed to make herself clear, though, and shaking her head (as if her friend could see it), she responded rather quickly.

 

“No, never. But some shit did go down, and if it gets out, it’ll cause a lot more damage than anyone is ready for. I just need you to keep an open mind, okay?”

 

“ . . . You’re asking the lesbian who goes to riots to keep an open mind. I don’t think that’s gonna be an issue, Mona.” Hearing the closet door shut, Demona’s gaze turned towards the bedroom window. It was practically midnight, and the world had fallen asleep. The silence, however, was far from comforting, and she was already hoping her friend wouldn’t take too long to get there. “I’ll be there in a half hour. Please, stay in one place this time, alright?”

 

“I owe you, Jessie. Thank you.”

 

“Always.”

 

One word. That was all that Jessica said before she hung up, but that one word said more than anything else she could’ve said. Her tone had shown a mix of heartbreak, relief, and concern, but if Jessica was one thing, it was loyal to her friends. She had watched the other woman practically get fired for standing up to their boss for an old coworker (who had ended up fired anyways), and she had defended their regular customers on more than one occasion. She had stood by Demona throughout the past five years, no matter how many times they had gotten into fights, and no amount of yearning for someone else had caused her to walk away. Jessica was a lot of things – loud, bold, honest, unafraid, but most of all, she was loyal, and that was one thing Demona was more than thankful for.

 

Slipping her phone into the pocket of the sweatpants she had borrowed from Steve’s dresser, Demona walked back to the bedroom door, carefully opening it before glancing around the hallway. She and Eddie had chosen to sleep in the same room at first, but when she had woken up and he was still passed out from his exhaustion, she had moved to the room next door to make her phone call. She didn’t know if he had woken up yet, and given that her only other option was to go downstairs and talk with Steve (who would without a doubt question her more about Eddie), she would rather just watch over Eddie, just in case he woke up in a panic.

 

Carefully, she opened the bedroom door again, slipping back inside and shutting it without a sound before turning around to see her . . . situationship(?).