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# Gilded Lily

( ⋆ )

Stranger Things Fanfiction

☆ hyunjulovebot, 2025 ⋆

| CIRCA NOVEMBER 8TH, 1983

Stranger Things S1

II. The Party of a Lifetime

THE SLAMMING OF a locker startled Josie out of her trance, she had been staring at the stuff carved into the smooth metal of her own locker. It appeared someone was trying to spread rumors, the carving read; “J+J”. There are many people with J names at Hawkins High School, but because it was on her locker and that she hangs out with Jonathan the most, she guessed it was about her and Jonathan. She ran her hands over the rigid lifted engravement, she sighed in exasperation. She couldn’t even wipe it off so she was just going to have to deal with everyone seeing it. She balled up her fist and hit it against the locker gently. The sound of it was completely drowned out by the crowd of students around her clamoring and blabbering on.

She turned the locker lock, it was almost second-nature at this point. She had memorized the combination by the second week of school last year. She pressed the little button that released the locking mechanism and the door clicked open. Josie jammed her backpack into the small space, unzipping it to take out the books she would need for the day. Once she held those under her arm, she closed the locker, leaning her head back against it.

That is when she spotted Nancy and Barbara talking to one another, Josie pushed herself up from the locker and strode over to the duo. She had a pep in her step as she crossed the crowded hallway. She waved, more toward Barbara than Nancy, once she arrived. “Hey Barb!” She smiled softly.

The red-haired girl turned toward Josie, she held onto books in her right arm, holding them tightly to her chest. Nancy stood with her shoulder against her locker, looking at Josie out of the corner of her eye. “Josie!” Barbara welcomed her, Nancy also said a small greeting underneath her breath. “How are you doing?” Barbara asked.

“I’ve been doing fine, what about you?” Josie asked, but before Barbara could answer, Steve Harrington and his friends strolled up to them. Steve had his hands in his pockets, his infamous hair ever voluminous, Tommy H. stood behind him, his little minion. Carol Perkins had almost her entire body wrapped around Tommy H.’s right arm.

Steve began to speak but stopped himself, seemingly trying to think of the right words. “You want to come share a beer at my place?” He began, “It’s a party, these two are invited too.” He said, dismissively pointing at Barbara and Josie.

Upon hearing this, Carol groaned quietly. Josie and Carol had always had a hate-filled relationship, since middle school. They had never liked one another, so Josie was hesitant to even go because she would be there but seeing that Barbara agreed, she shrugged and nodded. “Sure.”

Tommy H. is staring off into the distance and when everyone followed his gaze, they saw Jonathan putting up missing person’s posters for his brother on the bulletin board near the entrance of the school. The bright sunny day outside is a stark contrast to the dark, gloominess of those actions. “God, it’s almost pathetic..” Tommy H. said, putting his elbow onto Steve’s shoulder and leaning against him, one foot behind the other. Nancy, Barbara, and Josie look at one another, Josie knows Jonathan already knows about her worry and concern so she lets Nancy walk over to the brunette boy and comfort him. Josie and Barbara watch, Josie still feels so goddamn guilty for what happened.

SCHOOL FLIES BY and Josie ended up back in the car on her way to pick Jude. So much has happened in the last day, too much to even recount, and now she was going to a party? While a little boy is missing? She leans her elbow against the window sill, then rests her head against her hand. Her other hand gripped the steering wheel hard, her mind was elsewhere. Her speed picked up as her foot stepped down onto the gas pedal. A horn rang out around her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She snapped her foot to the break, hitting it quickly just as a car turned the corner to cross in front of her. She stuttered to a halt, her breath caught in her chest and her heart racing.

Nathan wasn’t paying attention, the music was too loud, everything was too loud. He was shouting obscenities and berating her mother, Eleanor. Which was ironic considering the song that was playing was Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles. Josie sat in the backseat, trying her best to focus on anything else but the raised voices only a few inches away. Jude was still in a car seat at the time, she was so young she couldn’t understand what was happening, she just absent-mindedly played with the toy attached to the side of the seat. She whined whenever it would swing away from her, Josie pushed it back in her direction every time.

The car was starting to get faster, but the arguing wasn’t stopping. Nathan wasn’t even looking at the road anymore, he grabbed Eleanor tightly on the forearm, even at her young age Josie could tell it would bruise. She saw tears in her mother’s eyes at the strong grip. “Don’t ever do something like that again, or I’ll break your fucking arm next time!” He threatened, pushing her arm away. Eleanor grasped her own arm gently, examining it in case of any bruising. Josie didn’t even know what her mother did to garner this sort of reaction, but what she knew was that she didn’t like how the cars were going by so fast. They were faster than normal and she felt a pressure in her chest, she whimpered against the feeling, reaching over to hold Jude’s tiny hand.

“Nathan, watch out!” Eleanor exclaimed and when Josie followed her gaze, she let out a yelp before everything went dark. That was the last thing she remembered until she woke up in the hospital three days later, she would learn that a car had rammed into them on Nathan and Josie’s side, leaving them severely injured. The medical bills essentially ruined the family, they had once lived comfortably but now they had nothing to their name. They had been basically bankrupted by this event.

The rest of the ride continued as normal, she picked up Jude and they headed to the store. The car bumped up as Josie drove into the lifted parking lot. Her hand rested on the steering wheel lazily as she turned into a spot. She clicked open the door and stepped out, ducking as to not hit her head on the roof. She jogged to the other side, helping Jude get out as well. She twitched her fingers next to her calf, a signal for Jude to take her hand. The little girl did, then they began walking into the store. When they got up to the entrance, Josie leaned over and pulled open the door, letting Jude walk in first. As Josie entered, the bell above the door rang out around the store, she just stood for a second, breathing in the familiar smell of Melvald’s. She gave a small tug to Jude’s arm and they began walking again, just looking for the basic things that they needed for the next few days. As Josie browsed, she heard a voice she recognized coming from the direction of the cash register. Josie looked over and saw Joyce talking to the cashier, she knew Joyce had worked here for many years, that was one of the reasons she liked this place so much, but she didn't expect her to be back so soon after her son went missing. And she wasn't back, it seemed she was buying something instead. Josie tuned out the conversation and by the time she needed to check out the things she was buying, Joyce was gone.

JOSIE WAS SITTING on the couch, her legs under her as she watched the television. She had her elbow resting against the arm rest, her chin sitting on her hand. She held the remote in her other hand, repeatedly pressing buttons to change the channel. The remote was broken, she had to press the buttons roughly and repeatedly to get it to even work at all. The news station's introduction music began blaring, she sat the remote down, actually interested in what was being reported right now. As Josie sat on the couch, Jude was sitting on the rug in the middle of the room playing with a few toys she had dragged from her bedroom. The news anchor introduces a reporter, a woman with puffy curly hair who is holding a microphone close to her face. Her glasses halfway down her nose, they definitely aren’t doing anything. She is standing on the scene, behind her Josie can see a glimpse of bright yellow caution tape surrounding a building. The building looked familiar but Josie couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Benny Hammond, owner of Benny’s Burgers has been found dead in the restaurant of an apparent suicide.” The reporter stated. Josie let out a small, shaky breath, her heart had dropped. Josie and her family used to go to Benny’s Burgers all the time, it felt like everything from before was falling apart right in front of her and she could do nothing to stop it. She hurriedly stood up, jogging into the kitchen, she was going to wash dishes to get her mind off of everything.

NATHAN AND JUDE were asleep by the time Josie got done deep-cleaning the house, she had done this numerous times before, she did it every time she was stressed. She ran into her bedroom and packed a small bag of things for the party, then she tip-toed out of the door, not wanting to disturb her father or little sister. She locked the door behind her then made her way to her car.

First, she decided that she wanted to join the search party for a few hours before the party began. She drove to where a sign she had seen said the search party was starting, she left her bag in the car and got out. She walked up to the group of citizens already there, she joined Chief Hopper and Mr. Clarke, the science teacher at Hawkins Middle School. She walked with them while they searched, talking quietly and yelling out for Will.

The Hawkins National Laboratory came into view, Josie could see the gray walls looming in the distance, as they got closer they stumbled upon a sewer pipe that connected to inside the gates of the place. At first Josie thought nothing of it, then Mr. Clarke spotted something, a torn piece of cloth lay in the murky water. It was discolored from the time it had been laying in the dirt. Hopper picked it up with his index finger and thumb, he examined it closely. “I can take this in as evidence,” He stated, putting it into his breast pocket.

Other than that one piece of cloth, the search party came out of the forest empty handed. That saddened Josie, she just hoped Will would be found safe. She quickly said her goodbyes to Chief Jim Hopper and Scott Clarke then walked back to her car. She sat down, put on her seatbelt and started the engine. She began her drive to Steve Harrington’s house.

The drive was short and sweet, her headlights illuminated the beautiful gardens in front of all the houses. This was a wealthy neighborhood, Josie had never lived anywhere like this, even before the car accident. She looked at the streetlights, which were few and far between because the houses were quite far apart. This far down Cornwallis was getting into the countryside. The houses all looked very similar to one another, they were very molded and pristine, almost an exact copy. Each one had paneled siding, they were just all different colors, and each one had brick accents somewhere. The yards were perfectly manicured, grass cut short and perfect landscaping everywhere. Which was a contrast to Josie’s house at the trailer park. Sure, her grass was mowed, though it hadn’t been in a little over a month, but the decorations were carelessly put down with no thought for how it would look from a distance. Josie was the one who did the outside, she just put down things where she liked them and didn’t bother enough to change it.

She arrived in front of Steve’s house, the lights were on and she could faintly hear music coming from the backyard. She spotted Barbara and Nancy in a parked car in front of the house, she used someone else’s driveway to turn around so she could park right behind the other two girls. Josie looked turned and grabbed her bag from the backseat, she opened the door and stepped out, slamming it behind her. She leaned over so she fixed her hair in the side view mirror. Once she was sure she looked fine, she stood up and walked toward the other car. She knocked on Nancy’s window, once they looked over, she waved and thrusted her thumb in the direction of Steve’s house. Nancy puts up one finger, signalling for Josie to wait a second. They swiftly snatched everything they needed before exiting the car. Josie stood between Nancy and Barbara as they walked toward the ever increasing volume of music. It was eerily quiet, Josie could hear the chirping of the crickets and see the abundance of moths swirling around the lightpost. No one spoke as they climbed the stairs to the entrance, Nancy volunteered to knock.

A few seconds later after a few scurrying footsteps, Steve appeared at the door. He was wearing a green sweater, the same one he had been wearing at school, he leaned against the door with one hand resting on his hip. “Ready to party?” He asked.

The group entered the house, each of them taking turns wiping their feet on the welcome mat. They followed Steve into the living room, through the window they could see Tommy H. and Carol getting stuff ready. He led them out to the deck. “You can sit anything down here.” He said, putting his hands up and spinning. Josie sat her bag down on the armchair before turning toward Steve again, with the flick of his wrist he signalled for the rest of them to follow him. Josie held onto the sliding door as she stepped down into the backyard.

The radio was sat on a lawn chair that surrounded the lit up pool, a cooler filled with ice cold beers was placed directly next to that same lawn chair. Tommy, upon hearing the footsteps, looked up and his face lit up. He beamed as he yelled, “Let’s get this party started!”

THE PARTY DRAGGED on, most people just sat around and talked for a while. Nancy and Steve sat on the edge of the pool, their feet resting in the cold water, they were just talking. Josie hated even looking at the two being close to one another. Barbara and Josie stood next to each other, arms crossed as they watched everyone from afar and talked. Tommy H. and Carol were sitting together in a chair, snuggling close and being very affectionate. Josie and Barbara were definitely third and fourth wheeling, but at least they had each other.

Steve suddenly stood up, his hands on his hips again. “Time for drinks!” He announced, striding over to the cooler, he flipped the lid open and pulled out a cold one. He reached down and drew out a pocket knife. He stabbed into the side of the can roughly and hurriedly brought it up to his mouth to drink it, Tommy and Carol followed suit, all without any problems. Next, it was Nancy’s turn so she walked over and reached down to grab ahold of a can. She was able to get the drink open without any problem but when she tried to get it to her mouth, a bunch spilled out all over the ground. She laughed through a mouthful of beer.

Josie ambled over to the cooler. She carelessly grabbed a drink, Nancy handed her the knife and she speared through the can, almost missing but thankfully relocating to the can at the last second. She leaned back as she brought it up to her mouth, the cold liquid flooded her senses, you could taste the money, this was one of the most expensive beers she had ever tasted. She hadn’t drank that many beers in her life, but still..

Finally, it was Barbara’s turn, she clumsily leaned down to take hold of a beer, I passed the knife to her. She took it, tried to puncture the can, and missed. She cuts her thumb open, blood begins dripping onto the patio. She winced, dropping the can, “Shit!”

Josie gasped, grabbing the knife from her, she breathed out through clenched teeth, a small hiss. “Do you have a first aid kit?” Josie asked Steve, turning her head toward him as she walked over to gently grab ahold of Barbara’s arm.

“Yeah, it’s in the cupboard under the sink in the bathroom.” He stated, pointing toward the sliding door. Josie held onto Barbara’s arm with one hand and patted her back with the other, they began to walk into the house. Josie guided them through the house, even though she didn’t know the layout.

They eventually made it to the bathroom, she pushed Barbara gently down onto the toilet, she leaned down, opening the cupboard to seize the first aid kit. She clicked open the lid and took out the gauze. “They don’t have any disinfectant so we just have to put the gauze on raw,” Josie said with a small laugh. Barbara smiled softly. She handed Josie her hand and Josie began to wrap the bandages around her thumb.

Once she finished doing that, she put the first aid kit back where she found it. The duo wander back to the backyard, the others are talking but once they see that the two are back, Tommy H. yells out, “Swimming time!” He began to pull off his shirt. Carol pulled off her shirt and stepped out of her pants, she ran, jumping into the water. It took a few seconds before she resurfaced but once she did, she laughed loudly. Tommy jumped in after her, then Steve followed him. As Nancy undressed, Josie could feel her face heating up. She forced herself to look away, but she heard Nancy jump in.

After a few seconds of peer pressure, Josie grabbed the hem of her blouse and began to pull it over her head. Her hair was picked up by the shirt, it fell messily against her back when she fully removed it. She kicked off her flip-flops. She unbuttoned her jeans, unzipping the fly and pushing them down her legs. She stepped out of the mass of denim below her and walked back a few steps to get a running start on her jump into the pool. She used one of her hands to close her nose, all noise escaped as she splashed into the water. Once she resurfaced, her hair was hanging loosely on her shoulders. She looked over and saw Barbara was still standing, holding onto the gauze around her wound. “You sure you don’t want to get in?” Josie asked.

Barbara nodded. “Thank you, though, I’ll just watch..” She stated. Josie swam to sit in the corner, holding her legs close to her chest. If you blocked out the screaming from Carol, this was actually quite relaxing.

“Yeah, he’s such a weirdo, he probably killed his brother.” Carol laughed.

Josie’s eyes opened and she looked over at her. “What did you just say?” She asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

“You heard what I said, Jonathan Byers is a weirdo who probably killed his brother.” Carol said, matter-of-factly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Why would you say that?” Josie asked, standing up straight now, making her way toward Carol. “I’m fine with you not liking him,” she began, Nancy looked between the two girls, “But you don’t have to bring his missing little brother into it.” She bit the inside of her cheek, “That’s just fucking despicable.”

“It’s the truth!” Carol exclaimed, her voice was annoyingly high-pitched as she said it.

Josie was beginning to feel uncomfortable at this party, she turned away from Carol and toward the ladder, “I’m leaving.” She started, pulling herself up the ladder. Barbara tried to get her to stop but she just kept walking. Josie grabbed a towel from her bag and wrapped it around herself, she picked up her bag and walked out. ‘God, Carol’s such a bitch.’ She thought to herself.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

words: 3503 !! i hope you are enjoying this so far! i wanted to further develop barb and josie's relationship before tragedy strikes 😭 this chapter isn't the most interesting but it does show some backstory and steve's party!

we got a little cameo of joyce going out to buy a new phone! my bbg jonathan doesn't deserve any of what steve's friends say in this chapter 💔 next chapter covers josie finding out about barb's disappearance and them finding will's “body” in the quarry. anyways, i hope you all enjoyed! bye-bye <33

# Gilded Lily

( ⋆ )

Stranger Things Fanfiction

☆ nikiscooler, 2025 ⋆

| CIRCA NOVEMBER 6-7TH, 1983

Stranger Things S1

I. The Disappearing Kid

THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE Josephine’s alarm clock was supposed to go off for school, she was woken by the wall-mounted phone blaring in the kitchen. Her eyes strained against the morning light that flowed in through the window. She pushed up with her elbows, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed. She didn’t want to get up, the warmth of the blankets was almost like a magnet, pulling her back into the comfort. She defied it, lazily standing up, her arms hanging loosely by her side. She grasped the bedspread and pulled it up to wrap it around her shoulders. She heaved it tighter around herself as she trudged out of the bedroom, her feet dragging beneath her. Once she crossed the threshold of her room, the ringing seemed to get louder. Her footsteps thumped against the newly mopped linoleum floors. Other than the floors, the house was in complete disarray. The counters were covered in beer bottles and old Chinese take-out containers. Once Josie reached the phone, she rested her hand against the cold plastic for a moment. Then, she pulled it off the switchhook and put it up to her ear. “Hello, Josie Ainsworth speaking..” She stated, she has always felt the need to be more formal when answering calls.

Josie heard breathing on the other side for a moment, “Hello, Josie,” The woman began, Josie immediately recognized the voice. “This is Joyce, I was wondering if you saw Will at any time last night?” The night was a bit blurry in her mind, she sucked a breath in through her teeth as she thought back to the night before.

Josie had been hanging out with her friend Barbara Holland all day, studying and whatnot, and now she was biking home because it was getting dark. Though she didn’t want to get home, didn’t want to face her father’s rage at her being out so late. So, she kept circling the neighborhoods closest to the trailer park, stalling as long as possible. The street lights flickered as she drove underneath them. The crickets were particularly loud tonight, perhaps they knew something she didn’t.

As she continued riding, the lights seemed to be acting increasingly more sporadically. As she turned the corner of Cornwallis and Kerley, the lights went entirely dark. It only lasted a few seconds but it felt like an eternity in which she spent in the blackness. Josie heard the click, then the humming as the lights started back up again. She sat there for a second, one foot on a pedal and the other planted on the ground to stop herself from rolling. She was trying to gather her thoughts. She heard the sound of a wheel spinning and when she jerked her head toward the sound, she saw a boy also rounding the corner on his bike. She knew who the boy was, it was Will Byers.

She smiled politely as he rode past, waving. Will looked away from his strict eye contact with the road in front of him to wave back, then he disappeared again as he turned the corner in the direction of his house. Josie straightened herself back out on her bike and started off again.

Josie felt her heart sink in her chest, had something happened to Will last night? She saw him, she could have helped! She could have done something! Her mouth opened but no words came out, just a stuttered breath. She closed her eyes to recompose herself, then she finally spoke. “I saw him last night, while riding my bike through town.” She admitted.

Joyce gasped, the relief evident in the sound. “Where did you see him exactly?” Josie could hear shuffling on the other side of the phone.

“Where Cornwallis and Kerley meet,” Josie stated, “Or, uh, it might have been the corner between Cornwallis and Randolph.” She really couldn’t remember the exact location, so she just said the two to cover all her bases. “All I know for sure is that it was close to your house.”

Joyce made a small, almost inaudible noise, “Thank you, thank you so much for telling me.” She doesn’t give Josie any time to say anything back before she hangs up the phone. Josie sighed deeply to herself, running a hand through her disheveled hair, she put the phone back on the switchhook before returning back to her bedroom to get ready for school.

JOSIE’S ARM WAS rested against the window sill as she turned the wheel and pulled into the high school parking lot. Her blue 1979 Hatchback stalled a bit as it struggled to get over a small speed bump. She wanted to park close to the school, but it was just her luck that there were no spots open. She guessed that is what happened when you have to drive all the way across town to take your little sister to the elementary school.

She ended up having to park a good ways away from the building, she pushed open the door and stepped out into the lukewarm November air. She reached over to the passenger side to grab her backpack, her fingers grazed the metal pins that lined the stitching. She stood up straight and slung it over her shoulder. She closed the door noisily and started toward the entrance.

Once Josie arrived at the door, she leaned forward and grasped the handle. She stumbled with the weight of it. She used her foot to hold the door open and she slipped inside through the small crack. The clammer of students drowned out her footsteps as she walked through the hallway toward her locker, she was interrupted by Jonathan, he looked distressed, and Josie could understand why. “Hey Josie.” He greeted, looking at her, concern riddling his features.

“Hey Jon,” Josie said, “I heard what happened with your brother.” She kept her hands on the straps of her backpack as she turned toward him, “How are you doing?”

Jonathan winced a bit at the thought, “Yeah, my mom’s been freaking out,” He chewed on his lip momentarily. Josie unlocked her locker as she listened, taking off her backpack and stuffing it in there. She unzipped it to get the books she needed for the day out. “I’ve been feeling pretty bad about it too, I was supposed to take him home last night.” He stated just as she slammed the locker door shut.

The brunette girl nodded in understanding, she reached her hand out to comfortingly squeeze Jonathan’s shoulder. “Just don’t blame yourself for what happened,” She started, “It’s not your fault.”

“I’ll try..” Jonathan’s facial expression revealed what he didn’t say, he was definitely going to blame himself, and they both knew it but Josie didn’t push anymore. They fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to walk through the hallways. The duo reached Jonathan’s homeroom, “I’m gonna split off here.” He stated, thrusting his thumb back toward the door. Josie nodded and waved as she began her walk down the hallway again. She makes it only a little way down when she sees Nancy Wheeler and Steve “The Hair” Harrington, the king of this school, making out next to someone’s locker. Josie grimaced, turning away, disgust rising in her chest. Nancy and Josie had been friends in freshman year, but since she started dating that douchebag, they had become distant. She tried her best to avoid them, walking over to Barbara Holland, who stood only a few feet away, back against her locker. Josie grasped Barbara’s hand, pulling her away from the lovebirds.

“Let’s leave them,” She let go of her hand once they were halfway down the hallway, they shared the same homeroom, so they were headed to the same place anyway. “Have you heard what’s going on with Will Byers?” Josie asked.

“Like Jonathan’s brother?” Josie nodded. Barbara thought for a second before tilting her head. Her face was laced in confusion, “No, what’s going on?” She queried. A curl from her short auburn hair fell into her face, she quickly moved it back.

Josie didn’t want to tell her the whole story, especially the part about her seeing Will the night before so she just resorted to saying, “Apparently he disappeared last night.”

Barbara took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly. “Oh, that’s terrible,” She began and Josie nodded solemnly, “I hope he is found safe.” She stated, but before they could expand any further on the topic, they reached their first period. They stepped into the room and said their goodbyes as they headed toward their assigned seats at opposite ends of the classroom.

THE REST OF the day went off without a hitch, it was just the usual monotony of school that always left Josie struggling to come back the next day. She picked up her younger sister from the elementary school, as they rode down the winding roads they listened to a mixtape Josie had made, it consists exclusively of children’s songs for car rides like this with Jude.

As the compact blue car pulled into the trailer park, Josie could already sense a feeling of dread looming over the area. She gripped the steering wheel, turning it aggressively to the left to pull up to the Ainsworth family trailer. She scanned the front, the door was closed; which is uncommon for her father, but the door looked like it had been closed so forcefully, it had almost fallen off its hinges. It was slightly crooked as far as Josie could tell from her view in the car. She whispered a little reassurance to herself as she opened the door and stepped out, slamming it behind her. She walked around to the other side to help Jude out as well. She grabbed ahold of her hand and guided her toward the front door. She reached out to touch the plastic button-latch door handle on the glass screen door, she pulled it open and walked inside.

The atmosphere immediately shifted, Nathan, Josie’s father, sat on the couch, a beer bottle in hand. Josie had been around him long enough to know that he was angry, the way his other hand was balled into a fist beside him, the way he clenched his jaw as soon as he saw his two daughters stumble into the old, muted trailer. Josie’s thumb rubbed a comforting circle onto Jude’s knuckles as she tried to walk past him to their rooms, but she was stopped by a loud, thundering voice next to her. She almost jumped out of her skin, she turned toward Nathan slowly, closing her eyes tight and taking a deep breath. She was already preparing for the beration she was about to endure. “Where were you?” He questioned, eyes narrowed as he stared at her.

Before Josie answered, she pushed her sister away, toward her bedroom, whispering, “Go, go into your room Jude.” Jude didn't say anything, she just listened to her sister’s instruction, entering her room and closing the door behind her. Josie turned back to her father, “At school, dad.” She said, twirling her necklace with her thumb and index fingers anxiously.

“Don’t be a smartass,” Nathan commented, “I meant last night.” He was calm, so calm in fact that it was terrifying.

Josie had hoped he hadn’t noticed her absence last night, but of course the one time he is sober enough to think about her is when she is gone. “I was at a friend’s house.” She stated, not wanting to elaborate any further.

The blond man looked from his gaze at the television over at Josie, “Who told you that you could be out so late?” The volume of his voice was rising rapidly, the hand holding the beer bottle shaking. His eyebrows were furrowed.

Josie continued to fidget with the heart locket, she stammered for a few seconds, trying to figure out the best thing to say. “You weren’t home.” She finally remarked.

Nathan grumbled under his breath, Josie could see the gears turning in his brain. “Don’t ever do that again,” He had chosen mercy, for once. “Now, go fetch me another beer!” He exclaimed, holding up the beer bottle threateningly. Josie listened, jogging into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, leaning down to grab another thing of booze. She silently walked the beer back over to him, she held it out to the man. “Open it for me.” He demanded. Josie took a deep breath and shook her head, she wasn’t going to open his drink for him, he was a grown man. She knew he was going to get angry at that, so she sat the bottle down on the coffee table and started immediately toward her room. “Don’t you dare say no to me!” He yelled, standing up drunkenly and tossing the empty glass beer bottle at Josie’s head. It smashed into the wall behind her, shattering into pieces. She finally reached her bedroom door, she opened it and stepped inside, closing and locking it behind her. She turned around, resting her head against the smooth wood, taking deep breaths, she closed her eyes in exasperation. She doesn’t cry, she has gotten so used to living with this man that she doesn’t cry about these things anymore.

Josie took a deep breath to collect herself, then pushed herself off the door and strolled over to her desk. She sat down, running a hand through her hair tiredly. She already had the books laid out from yesterday, so she just dragged them over to infront of her and began to study for her upcoming geometry test.

JOSIE LOOKED AT her alarm clock upon hearing the front door slam shut, it had been a little over an hour since she started studying. She placed the papers in the book, so she wouldn’t lose her page then closed the book gently. She leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. Will, that little boy who was always so sweet to her didn’t deserve any of this, she wished there was a way she could help them find him.

That is when an idea sprang into her mind, she would go help the Byers in their search for him. She used her arms to throw herself up, circling the chair and walking out of her bedroom. She took large steps on her way into the kitchen, she worked fast, making a quick ham and cheese sandwich. She placed it on a plate and carried it over to Jude’s bedroom. She knocked gently, “Jude, I have some food for you.” She said softly.

Jude opened the door, “Jo-Jo!” She squealed in excitement, grabbing the plate from her with one hand and holding onto her doll tightly with the other.

“I am heading over to my friend's house; just stay in your room, eat the sandwich, and stay quiet.” Josie commanded, “Even if dad comes home, okay?” She asked, tilting her head. Jude nodded a bit and closed the door. Josie heard her drop the doll onto the floor before she walked away.

THEN, JOSIE WAS off, it wasn’t a very long drive to the Byers house, only a few minutes. When Josie pulled up, she noticed the high amount of movement going on inside the house. She parked beside Joyce’s car and stepped out, she slammed the door behind her and jogged up to the door, knocking firmly. She waited a few seconds, hearing rushed footsteps behind the door. Then, finally, a disheveled and panicked Joyce answered. Her brown hair was up in a messy ponytail and she looked as if she had been hyperventilating. “Josie, hey, what are you doing here?” She asked, almost breathlessly.

“I want to help you search for Will.” Josie stated and Joyce’s face softened. She stepped aside so that Josie could step inside. She had been to the Byers house before, but under very different circumstances, last time it had been for a sleepover between Jonathan and Josie.

Joyce leaned back a bit to yell for Jonathan, “Josie is here to help us search!”

Just as she said that, Jonathan turned the corner, coming out of the kitchen, he speed-walked over to the brunette girl and hugged her close. “Thank you for helping.” He said, “We were just about to head out to the woods, near Castle Byers to search for him.” Jonathan held Josie by the shoulders, “You can join us out there.”

THE TRIO HAD spent almost two whole hours combing through the woods, yelling out Will’s name, searching every little nook and cranny that they possibly could but they came up empty handed. Josie could feel the desperation rising in the others as they entered the house again. She let out a deep breath, her neck craned up a bit, she was just hoping they would find the boy soon. Josie followed Jonathan into the living room, where a whole art station had been sat up. There were markers, photographs, and large pieces of paper. Jonathan leaned over, “We are making some posters, you’re welcome to stay and help.” Josie, of course, stayed and made several posters. Joyce was on the phone with people, trying to get a hold of anyone who might know where her son is.

She looked toward the two, who sat criss-crossed on the ground, making these posters. “I’m going to try and call Lonnie.” She explained as she dialed a number. Josie had never met Lonnie, she had met the family after Joyce and him had divorced. But she had heard stories from Jonathan about how bad of a man he was. Joyce held the phone up to her ear. Someone answered and Josie tuned out the conversation as best as she could, wanting to use all her focus to work on the things in front of her. She was startled by Joyce slamming the phone back on the receiver and yelling, “Bitch!”

Suddenly, a car door slamming could be heard and Joyce ran to the windows, looking outside. “It’s the police.” She stated and unlocked the door. A knock rang throughout the house, Joyce opened it and Chief Jim Hopper stepped inside.

“We found the bike.” He stated, Joyce looked over at Jonathan. “It was down the road from here, so we thought the best decision would be to search the property.” He stated.

“What, you think I didn’t search my own house?” Joyce snapped, but Jonathan rested a hand on her shoulder to try to get her to calm down. Everyone knew she was stressed and worried, so no one held her reactions against her. So, the cops sprawled out, searching everywhere; the house, the shed, the woods. Josie, Jonathan and Joyce could just stand there and wait. The police didn’t end up finding anything.

JOSIE PULLED UP beside her father’s car, it looked like he had hit one of their garden gnomes in the front yard, a white painted fluff of hair was underneath his front left wheel. She opened the door and stepped out, closing it gentler, so as to not bother her father who was inside. The front door was open, it seemed Nathan had forgotten to close it when he got home, he always does that. She walked into the trailer, closing the door behind her. She spotted her father passed out in the living room, one arm slung over the top of the couch, the other over his chest and both legs hanging off the side. Josie sneaked past her father’s slumbering form over to Jude’s room. She cracked the door open a smidge to peek inside, her sister was also fast asleep but she had eaten the food she was given so Josie took the plate and placed it into the sink in the kitchen. With that, she sneaked back into her own room, sighing in relief at the sight of her untidy bed. She trudged over to it and flopped down onto it, her arms splayed out around her, one leg hanging off the side. It was like the weight of the day finally hit her like a truck and she was out like a light. Dozed off into a deep sleep.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

words: 3365 !! i hope you enjoy this first chapter, i enjoyed writing it a lot! but you can probably tell i was rushing near the end 😓 i love josie and jonathan’s friendship so much. this chapter was kinda short bc i just wanted to use this to introduce everyone. this chapter covers the first episode because each chapter will cover one episode each!

next chapter will include more backstory and the party at steve's house! i’m so excited to write more of josie's relationships with steve, nancy and barb. i hope you are excited as well!

☆

☆

“but i know you'll take me with you,

we'll live in spaces between walls.”

GILDED LILY ⋆ CULTS

ACT I. Strange Happenings In Hawkins

“i've started not to doubt it,

just wrap my head around it.”

GILDED LILY ✎ CULTS

ACT I.

# Gilded Lily

STRANGER THINGS FANFICTION

☆ nikiscooler, 2025 ⋆

❝ i was made for lovin’ you, baby,

you were made for lovin’ me,

and i can't get enough of you,

baby, can you get enough of me? ❞

I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN’ YOU ✎ KISS

: ̗̀➛ SEASON ONE EPISODE ONE —— SEASON ONE EPISODE EIGHT

# Gilded Lily

STRANGER THINGS FANFICTION

nikiscooler, 2025

N. Wheeler x OC

━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛

━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛

˚₊‧ ꒰ა 📻🔦🕰 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

| • ° ☆ all the lonely people, where do they all come from? all the lonely people, where do they all belong? ⋆ ° •

━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛

˚₊‧ ꒰ა SOUNDTRACK ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

[ 001 ] vienna —— billy joel

[ 002 ] gilded lily —— cults

[ 003 ] eleanor rigby —— the beatles

[ 004 ] we fell in love in october —— girl in red

[ 005 ] unfair —— stray kids (felix)

[ 006 ] hey jude —— the beatles

[ 007 ] good luck, babe! —— chappell roan

[ 008 ] birds of a feather —— billie eillish

[ 009 ] the night we met —— lord huron

[ 010 ] somewhere only we know —— keane

[ 011 ] you're on your own, kid —— taylor swift

[ 012 ] what was i made for? —— billie eillish

[ 013 ] i was made for lovin’ you —— kiss

[ 014 ] social path —— stray kids

[ 015 ] funeral —— phoebe bridgers

[ 016 ] do you remember me??? —— emily jeffri

[ 017 ] francesca —— hozier

[ 018 ] the water is fine —— chloe ament

[ 019 ] i want you to love me —— fiona apple

[ 020 ] i bet on losing dogs —— mitski

[ 021 ] i wanna be yours —— arctic monkeys

[ 022 ] family line —— conan gray

[ 023 ] little dark age —— mgmt

[ 024 ] headlock —— imogen heap

[ 025 ] not strong enough —— boygenius

[ 026 ] slipping through my fingers —— abba

[ 027 ] scott street —— phoebe bridgers

[ 028 ] kids —— current joys

[ 029 ] fine line —— harry styles

[ 030 ] war of hearts —— ruelle

[ 031 ] seven —— taylor swift

# Gilded Lily

( ⋆ )

Stranger Things Fanfiction

☆ hyunjulovebot, 2025

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I made a playlist and Pinterest board for this fanfiction! Here are the links: https://pin.it/6W5ISL3pi & https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2SJCoDJoBup1lySYUZZ6C2?si=nkCKhergSdu9aEjNgxS2bQ&pi=JhDyxWuyQoyH7 !! Thank you so much for your support, I will try to get this started as soon as possible!

p r e s e n t i n g . . .

GILDED LILY

production made by nikiscooler

“but with my double vision, how was i supposed to see the way?”

cults, gilded lily

━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛

STRANGER THINGS FANFICTION

━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛

: ̗̀➛ S U M M A R Y !

JOSIE AINSWORTH WAS AFRAID.

Strange things have been occurring recently in the small midwestern town of Hawkins, Indiana. It all started with the disappearance of Will Byers, a young boy who went missing while biking home from a friend's house late at night. But that wasn't the only reason Josie was afraid, her home life scared her too, she needed to get her sister out of that hellhole before it was too late.

Josie felt guilty. She hadn't wanted to go home that night, so she was biking around town after being at her friend Barbara’s house when she saw Will on his way home. She didn't say anything, if she had said something, he would still be here now. Everything was piling up on her already burdened shoulders, she felt like she was going to crack, like a porcelain doll.

Josie and Nancy Wheeler had been friends at the beginning of high school, but they had drifted apart since Nancy started dating that douchebag Steve Harrington. They now only talked through their mutual friend Barbara Holland. So, when Josie walked out of a party that would end in disaster, she felt the guilt suffocating her. None of this was supposed to happen, she was just angry at fucking Carol.

The Ainsworth family was well known in the community as being a story of unexpected downfall. Before the car accident, Josie’s parents Nathan and Eleanor were well-respected, they hosted parties and were church-goers. The family got into a terrible car accident, and the hospital bills cost them basically all they had to their name, it essentially bankrupted the family. Eleanor left, just walked out on her two young daughters and Nathan began to drink heavily. He was fired from his job because he kept showing up to work drunk. They lost their home because they couldn't pay for it since Nathan wasn't working. They had to move to the trailer park. Now, people refuse to speak to the Ainsworths, most of them are scared of Nathan, who has grown violent over the years.

Her friends are the only bit of comfort she has left in her life. Though, after what happened to Will, talking to Jonathan has gotten harder and harder.

At school, she sinks her brain into her work, keeping her mind off everything else going on. She doesn't let anyone see what she is dealing with and no one seems to notice either. She is invisible to the world around her.

With Nancy and Steve's relationship growing distant, and Nancy and Jonathan growing closer, a friendship blossoms between Nancy and Josie. And when Nancy and Jonathan start dating, Josie is happy for them.

But that wasn't true, was it?

━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛

⋆ nikiscooler, 2025 ♡

N. Wheeler x OC

━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛ ━━ : ̗̀➛

🎸⋆⭒˚｡⋆ I N T R O D U C I N G ,, : ̗̀➛ THE CAST -^-

JOSEPHINE “JOSIE” AINSWORTH ⋆ Hailee Steinfeld

( xv, lesbian, she/her, sagittarius )

#You're On Your Own, Kid / The Punching Bag.

NANCY WHEELER ⋆ Natalia Dyer

( xv, closeted bisexual, she/her, scorpio )

#What Was I Made For? / The Sharp-Witted.

Act One, 1983 / STRANGE HAPPENINGS IN HAWKINS

Lucas Sinclair ☆ CALEB MCLAUGHLIN

Dustin Henderson ☆ GATEN MATARAZOO

Mike Wheeler ☆ FINN WOLFHARD

Jane ‘El’ Hopper ☆ MILLIE BOBBY BROWN

Will Byers ☆ JAEDEN MARTELL

Jonathan Byers ☆ CHARLIE HEATON

Steve Harrington ☆ JOE KEERY

Jim Hopper ☆ DAVID HARBOUR

Joyce Byers ☆ WINONA RYDER

Karen Wheeler ☆ CARA BUONO

Ted Wheeler ☆ JOE CHREST

Holly Wheeler ☆ ANNISTON & TINSLEY PRICE

Nathan Ainsworth ☆ GARY WEEKS

Jude Ainsworth ☆ PIPER RUBIO

Act Two, 1984 / SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH WILL

Maxine ‘Max’ Mayfield ☆ SADIE SINK

Murray Bauman ☆ PEDRO PASCAL

Billy Hargrove ☆ DACRE MONTGOMERY

Eleanor Ainsworth ☆ MELANIE LYNSKEY

WARNINGS

This is a Stranger Things fanfiction, so anything included in Stranger Things will happen in this book, those things include; child abuse, violence, gore, death, mommy issues, daddy issues, etc. This fanfiction will also include period typical transphobia, racism, misogyny, and homophobia.

DISCLAIMERS

I don't own the Stranger Things characters or their storylines, all rights are reserved to the Duffer Brothers and Netflix. I did however, make my original character Josie Ainsworth and her whole story.

if i were to make a stranger things fic would anyone be interested?? <33

there's more but i can't put them on here!! i'll post another!!

another one thank you

posting my edits here since tiktok may be getting banned !!