Joe Keery Imagines

Unsure Help-Steve Harrington

When I walked into work, my heart sank. Someone had altered our sign by moving some of the letters around and spray painting.

All The Right Moves Starring Nancy "The Slut" Wheeler

I wasn't sure what Nancy had done and to whom, but I'd be lying if I said I'd felt bad for her. I've known Nancy since we were little. I was never super close to her, but I saw her for who she really was: a selfish girl who thought she was waiting for movie-perfect life when in reality she was afraid of ending up just like her mom–in a loveless marriage.

"Y/N!"

I jumped when I heard my boss yell my name.

"Yes, sir?" I asked.

"Get signed in and clean that up."

"But sir," I stuttered.

"I don't want to hear it," he cut me off. "It was those stupid teenagers. Makes sense you clean up after your friends."

He nodded his head across the street before walking back inside. I followed his gaze and saw Steve, Tommy, and Carol laughing in the alleyway.

"They're not my friends," I mumbled.

After I put my stuff away and got signed in, I went outside to see a ladder and some cleaning supplies. I pulled my hair back and grabbed the paint remover. I climbed the ladder and started to scrub away.

About twenty minutes and barely any progress later, my shoulders were burning.

"Need any help?"

I looked down to see Steve Harrington looking up at me with his hands nervously shoved in his pockets.

"What are you doing here?" I scoffed.

He ignored my question. Instead he shrugged and stuttered, "I just. . . I wanna help."

"I think you've done enough."

"Y/N," he sighed.

"Go home, Steve," I cut him off and went back to scrubbing.

"No."

I looked down to see he hadn't moved.

"I'm not going home and leaving you to clean up mine and my friends' mess."

"Steve," I stuttered.

"Y/N, please climb down the ladder so I can scrub that paint."

I studied him, hesitating. I sighed before slowly climbing down the ladder. I felt my face burning when Steve gently put his hands on my hips, helping me down the ladder.

I wrapped my arms tightly around myself as Steve climbed up the ladder and started scrubbing the sign. Neither one of us said anything as he cleaned off the paint.

I couldn't understand why he was willing to do this. Carol and Tommy would've knocked the ladder over with me still on top. Why was Steve Harrington helping me?

"Why are you doing this?" I asked before I could stop myself. "I mean. . . Why are you helping me? Aren't you and your band of jerks the ones who did this?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Why?"

He glanced down at me and hesitated. "Well," he stuttered as he turned back towards the sign. "Last night, I went to Nancy's window and Johnathan was with her."