The age old story of two best friends falling in love...
... Only, one's a lab experiment with an entire Upside Down hunting her down, and the other won't leave her side, no matter how hard she tries.
steve harrington x fem oc / season 2 o...
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chapter two the worst day of ruby brenner's life
🖤
IT STARTED AT THE PARTY.
Everything was in full swing; the black solo cups were littered around the rooms, Tommy's keg was set up in the backyard, the stereo was blasting music, Madonna playing through the speakers on more than one occasion. Ruby, in her Dorothy costume, had spent most of the party with Carol, dressed as a witch (Ruby thought this was super fitting.) She kept on looking out for Harrington and Nancy, even though she knew she shouldn't care. She was just interested, OK? If they were actually going to turn up.
"That's how you do it, Hawkins!" She hears her boyfriend shouting as he staggers back into the kitchen. His shirt's unbuttoned, his bare chest wet from the beer that dribbled down.
Billy lays his eyes on her, and goes, "Baby."
Ruby laughs, pulling him away from the others and towards the hallway, where it's less crowded. He moves so she's pressed against the wall, and she puts her arms around his neck.
"What do you think, then?" says Ruby. "Of the costume?"
"I like it," he says. "You're always the hottest, though."
Ruby smiles, tilting her head up to invite him to kiss her. "I know..."
He kisses her, hard, his lips smashing against hers. She feels his tongue slip in, and she follows suit, just as—
"... Um, Ruby?"
She breaks away from Billy. Nancy's standing in front of her, holding her coat awkwardly. Harrington's next to her, too, and she accidentally makes eye contact with him; she feels like she's been punched in the gut, seeing the look on his face. She doesn't know why he looks so hurt, because he's seen her kiss Billy before...
... But it upsets her, seeing him like that. She feels like she's cheating. Which is so stupid, and she doesn't get why she feels like that, but still. She can't look away from Harrington, until Billy clears his throat.
Nancy looks at Harrington, then at Ruby. Shit. Of course she noticed, and of course Billy noticed too. Ruby can feel her cheeks warming up. The fuck is she meant to do about this? What if this turns Billy off of her, and that's it, she's fucked it up and she's no longer popular—?
"Can I, um, put my coat somewhere?" says Nancy.
"Oh, uh — yeah, sure," says Ruby, and gestures to the door she was leaning next to, the door leading to the laundry room. "Just, um, put it wherever..."
Nancy nods, and smiles awkwardly. Ruby likes Nancy — she thinks she's cool, and after last year, they've got an unspoken friendship. Ruby thinks, anyway. But Harrington's with Nancy and Ruby can't be associated with Harrington, so Ruby doesn't talk to Nancy all that often... (Ruby wonders how much Nancy will like her, though, considering a minute ago...)
