MY TEARS RICOCHET 𛲕 STRANGER THINGS

3. Steve Harrington

CHAPTER 3: Steve Harrington

Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
What doesn't kill me makes me want you more
— Cruel Summer, Taylor Swift

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

16th September, 1983: Harrington Home

WHEN DAPHNE STEPPED OUT OF THE CAR AT STEVE'S house, she wasn't all too surprised to see how luxurious his home was. She already knew his parents were well off; she had heard whispers throughout her time at school of Steve's famous party house. The house in question was plain and muted in colour, with its back facing off into the woods and several potted plants adorning the windows. Steve walked up close behind her, placing his hand on the small of her back.

He guided her up onto the porch, where he took out a key out from inside a plant pot and unlocked the door. Daphne followed him inside, her eyes flickering around as she observed the expensive wooden floors, the large open rooms and the marble counters.

"Wow, your house is really nice," she said, her voice unusually shy.

"Thanks," said Steve, a cocky smile appearing on his face. "Do you want anything to drink? We have soda, juice, beer..."

"I thought we were studying for the science project," replied Daphne, smiling in amusement. "I'm not sure shotgunning a beer is going to help with that."

"Right," agreed Steve, scratching the back of his neck. "Soda, then?"

He grabbed a grape soda each for him and Daphne, before leading her upstairs to his room. Daphne felt his stomach plummet with nerves. She had never been alone with a boy in his room before. She wasn't naive; she knew Steve probably didn't want to study all night. But with the reality of it settling in, Daphne found she was much more anxious than she thought she would be.

Steve's room was large and painted cream, like the rest of the house. In one corner, piles of sports equipment lay askew, with a gym rack adorned with dirty towels. Beside that was a small table, with an assortment of empty soda cans littered across it. There was an electric guitar leaning against the wall, and piles of dirty clothes lay across the ground. Steve hurried in ahead of her, picking them up and shoving them into a pile on his desk chair. Daphne made her way over to his bed, which was made but slightly crumpled, and sat down on the navy sheets.

"Sorry for the mess," Steve apologised. "I didn't think I would be having company when I left this morning."

"It's okay," Daphne reassured him, opening her rucksack to get out the chemistry books they needed. "Hey, where are your parents?"

"Mom's on holiday in New Mexico and... I'm not sure where Dad is, actually. Probably on some business trip."

Daphne smiled sympathetically. "I know the feeling. I have no idea where my dad is most days."

Steve made his way over to the bed to sit beside her. "But hey, at least we can throw as many parties as we want, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," shrugged Daphne, who was most definitely not a party thrower. "Um, do you want to get started on the project? I was thinking we could get the boring research stuff out of the way first and then go to the science lab after school tomorrow."