my girl, forever and always || steve harrington

will the wise

part one

the next day, lydia decided that it was time to go to school. although claudia believed that she would benefit from another day off, the teen was in need of some structure and school work to take her mind off the breakup. luckily for her, she was in different classes than her ex and ex-best friend so her chances of running into them were slim.

she was sure that people at school had already heard about the breakup so she wanted to show them that she was unbothered by it. so she had straightened her hair and put on a little makeup to make herself look presentable- and it worked, she didn't look like she lost two of the most important people in her life. but there was still that lingering feeling inside of her. it gnawed at her insides and made her skin feel like ice. that heavy emptiness that resided in her gut that made her uneasy every time she thought of them.

she felt like a piece of her was missing and she was longing for something unknown. it felt as if her soul was reaching into the abyss, trying to find something it lost without knowing what was lost. her brain was in a permanent fog and she felt like she spent more time sorting through her thoughts than she did thinking them. essentially, she felt like a steaming pile of garbage. but that didn't mean she couldn't look cute.

"bye dust. bye mom. i'm going now." she called from the front door as she slipped her shoes on and adjusted her bag. it was either now or never. just like her mom used to say, 'rip the bandaid off before you even have a chance to think about the pain.' knowing that she had to face her fears and anxieties at some point, she decided that she should do it while her judgement was still questionable so that she had no doubt.

"wait, lydi, you're going to school?" dustin peeked his head out of his room at the sound of his older sisters voice. the girl at the door nodded without any more elaboration and gave mews a quick pet and kiss before walking out the door.

"do you think she'll be alright mom?" dustin asked as he stared at the door. claudia merely stood there with her arms crossed and a worried look on her face.

"it's lydia. she's stronger than steel, she'll be alright." she ruffled her sons mess of curly hair and gave him a tight hug and kiss before letting him finish up getting ready for school. but a mother's intuition is never wrong, and claudia knew that she was struggling with this whole scenario so she called someone who she knew would watch out for lydia.

"hey steve..."

~

  just as lydia suspected, when she walked through the halls people went eerily quiet and treated her like she was a grenade that could go off at any minute. this cautiousness surrounding her only fueled her desire to keep her head up and show everyone that lydia henderson wasn't going to get hung up on some stuck up cheater and a bad friend with questionable morals. she was better than them and she was determined to show it.

"hey there lydibug, what's up with you?" steve appeared from behind her locker scaring her into the next decade. her shriek only made the boy laugh at her reaction and pull her in for a small side hug. he remembered the conversation that he had with claudia not too long ago and held the girl tighter. no one was going to hurt her again, not on his watch.

"nothing much. also how many people know about my little," she paused and leaned in and whispered. "situation with laurie and steph?" memories of yesterday's little outburst made steve chuckle nervously but he decided that lydia didn't have to know about that.

"um, i doubt that hardly anyone even knows. why do you ask?"

"well, everyone's been staring at me and whispering since i came in and it's kinda nerve-wracking." it was at this moment that steve really took in her appearance. her hair that was usually in messy waves was straightened so her face was no longer hidden like it usually was. the concealer hid her dark circles while the mascara made her chocolate eyes seem bigger and more beautiful than ever. light blush dusted her cheeks and nose bridge which brought some color to her face. but what steve loved the most was the subtle pink lip gloss that shined on her lips.

  his eyes lingered on her lips and he watched them move but he didn't hear anything she said. the only thing on his mind was how he kissed her the other day. and how she kissed back. her lips looked so soft and pink. he wondered what it would be like to kiss her with that lip gloss on.

"hey is anyone in there?" the brunette knocked on her best friends forehead lightly to knock him out of his trance. after a few blinks and some awkward stuttering, steve was tuned in to the current conversation.

"yeah, yeah, sorry. zoned out for a minute, but people are probably looking at you because you look nice." not nice, he thought. beautiful. you look absolutely beautiful.