Tʜᴇ Fʟᴀʀᴇ ꕥ Lɪᴢᴢɪᴇ Jᴏʜɴsᴏɴ

sᴇʀɪᴇs ғᴏᴜʀ ꕥ 15

The ride got easier as they left the trailer park. And when they were on the road, Dustin knew he had to take his chance.

Lizzie was sitting up the back, hand propping up her head, listening to music and looking out the window.

"Hey..." Dustin said. "You... you okay?"

"Yeah," Lizzie sighed. "I just feel so... so guilty, you know? I mean, Max is... always putting on a brave face but... I don't know, this time? It just... feels different."

Dustin sighed, chuckling slightly. "You're doing what you always do."

"What... do I always do?" Lizzie asked.

"Find a way to put everything on yourself," Dustin explained. "Because, Lizzie, I'm just gonna say it, this is not your fault. You didn't choose Max to be cursed, you didn't choose yourself to be cursed. Plus, Max has music, which saved you last time-"

"Music didn't save me," Lizzie murmured, looking down.

"What?" Dustin looked up.

"Music... it didn't save me," Lizzie said hesitantly. "Erm-"

She struggled to explain. "He... he used my memories against me. But... they were only my darkest memories. Same with Chrissy and Fred and now Max, right?"

"Right," Dustin said unsurely.

"It's like he only sees the darkness in us," Lizzie sighed. "So... when I started to lift... I just... ran in the opposite direction. To the light."

"So... how exactly did you do that?" Dustin asked.

"I used... memories," Lizzie smiled slightly. "The times in my life... when I was... happiest."

Dustin smiled, looking away then back to her. "Was... I there? In those memories, I mean..."

Lizzie smiled. "Dustin..." she admitted. "All the times I was happiest... were with you. All of them."

Dustin let out an audible gasp. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Lizzie said, reaching her hand down slowly to touch his.

Dustin took this in, smirking. "You're in most of mine, Johnson, but I wouldn't tell you how many, don't want you getting a big head now, do we?"

Lizzie giggled. "Of course not, Henderson."

And just from that tiny conversation, Lizzie knew two things.

One, that she and Dustin were alright.

And two, that she was ready for love again.

ꕥꕥꕥ

When they got to The War Zone, Eddie, Dustin and Lucas all decided to stay in the car. Eddie, naturally, because he was wanted for murder, Dustin because he was known for being friends with Eddie, and Lucas because he was now being hunted by his basketball 'buddies' and couldn't be seen by them.

But the rest of the group were going, full speed, into the store, looking at it immediately as a place they shouldn't be.

There were thousands of people in it, and loads of labels in the air, including KNIVES, SURVIVAL and GUNS.

"So much for avoiding angry hicks," Robin said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yup," Lizzie said firmly.

"Let's be... fast," Nancy decided.

"Yep."

"Definitely."