𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥

001. Are We Okay?

     

     APPROXIMATELY SIX months have passed since the Byers moved away, nine months since the "fire" at the Starcourt Mall and Scoops Ahoy died, (R.I.P. Scoops), nine months since Val and Robin technically became a couple. Everything was sort of going great.

The only problem was high school was sort of separating Val and Robin, with Robin's band practice and Val's cheerleading practice, they kind of rarely had time together. But at least they still work together at the Family Video, after schools and the weekends.

But now that Valerie has her own car, she's constantly driving herself to school, to work, everything, without Robin and Steve, she picks up Robin occasionally but Steve was more of Robin's personal chauffeur than Val was, plus she's always picking up other girls from her cheer squad in the mornings, Chrissy, Riley and Marcy, which admittedly, was awkward at first due to Riley being Valerie's ex.

But they got comfortable pretty quickly, and Riley doesn't see her that way now. Thankfully. And though, Valerie hates to admit it, but she's noticed a wedge being driven between her and Robin. Sure they spent time together on the weekends, at work, at Val's and such, but there was one little thing. Vickie.

It was always Vickie this, Vickie that, Val doesn't want to admit it, but she does feel a little jealous everytime Robin brings up Vickie, so she sort of just leans over and plants a kiss on her girlfriend's lips to make her stop talking about Vickie. Robin always gives in, kissing back just as passionately as they lay in Val's bed together. But still, Valerie can't help but feel like her girlfriend's drifting from her.

So she showed up to Robin's that morning, smiling at the sight of her blonde girlfriend running up to the car, waving. "Hey! I thought Steve was picking me up." The girl said when she hopped in. "Well, I wanted to see you..." Val says, staring at her with a small smile.

Robin leans over quickly, pecking the girl's cheek gently before leaning back and opening up the sunblocker, opening up the mirror as well. "Uh, mascara?" Val says as she drove off. "Rob, you literally never wear make up." She chuckles and Robin shrugs. "My mom thought it'd be nice... and I don't know, I wanna look all pretty and dolled up like you do for me." She glanced over at Val, teasingly smirking.

Val rolls her eyes, staring straight ahead. "Sure..." She chuckled and sighed. "I called Steve super early this morning to tell him I'd pick you up, and he just ranted about Linda. Heidi. Cindy? I don't know." She shook her head as Robin rolls her eyes, applying chapstick next. "That boy is hopeless." Val whispers, glancing at Robin for a split second.

"Hey, are we okay?" She asked suddenly and Robin glanced over quickly. "Yeah... why wouldn't we be?" She asked and Val just stared before glancing ahead. "Just... wanted to make sure." She whispers and Robin softly nods, holding her tube of chapstick before quickly tossing it into her bag, taking out lipstick next.

The truth was Val felt worried Robin was actually getting all pretty and dolled up for someone else... another certain band geek that will come in and swoop Robin up into her arms. "Do you want to hang out later tonight? I mean, first night of Spring break, I'd like to spend it together..." Val smiles and Robin glanced over, smiling forcefully. "We have work tomorrow..." She reasoned and Val glanced away, her smile fading. "Right, yeah, no, uh, another time..." She said quickly and Robin stared again.

She felt bad but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Neither could. This... whatever it was, driving them apart, because when they arrived at school, Robin just glanced at her. "I'll see you later?" She simply said and Val nods quickly. "Later." She forced a small smile as Robin rushed off, holding her band stuff as everyone was gestured towards the gymnasium building.

"Hey, wait up!" Robin shouted out and of course, up ahead was Vickie, the girl joining by the redhead's side as Val sighs quietly. Then two arms are thrown around her. "Good morning!" Chrissy said cheerfully with a wide grin at her and Riley tugs on Val playfully. "You look like someone pissed in your Cheerios, V," she says and Valerie rolls her eyes. "Good morning to you girls too..."

In the gymnasium, the girls did their routine for the whole school as the band played, Valerie kept looking over at Robin, smiling softly. Robin kept glancing at her too, just staring as she blew into her trumpet. Once the routine was done and the girls sat down, a man walks up to the microphone set up in the middle.

"And let's hear it for your tigers!"

Just as the other cheerleaders did, Val cheered loudly and proudly as she shook her pom-poms together before glancing over at Robin again to see her girlfriend was whispering quietly with Vickie. She quickly glanced away, sighing as she looks to the front where Jason and the rest of the basketball team came out.

Valerie smiled at how happy Lucas looked to be on the time, waving to the crowd and his eyes and smile faded a bit and Val figured it was because of Max so when the boy finally made eye contact with her, she excitedly waved a pom-pom and he smiles, waving back. Val had been there when Lucas first thought of joining the basketball team, and being the good friend she is, highly encouraged him.

She didn't know at the time that it would unfortunately pull apart him and the other boys apart. "Good morning, Hawkins High!" Jason Carver says into the mic and all of them cheered once more. "First off... hey, I'd like to thank each and every one of you. Without your support, we wouldn't be here. Give yourselves a big hand." The blond boy said and everyone erupted in cheers and whoops once again.

"And of course, of course, I have to give a special shout-out to the best and prettiest fans of all time, the Tiger Cheer Squad." Jason says, smiling and staring straight at his girlfriend between Val and Riley as the cheerleaders cheer and clap. "Chrissy..." He pats his chest softly. "Chrissy, I love you, babe." He says and the crowd aww's as Val looked to Chrissy at her side who softly kissed her hand and blew the kiss towards her boyfriend.

"You know... I think I can speak for all of us when I say it's been a tough year for Hawkins." He said and it suddenly got quiet and serious. Val just glanced around, realizing what he'd meant. "So much loss. And sometimes I wonder, "how much loss can one community take?" In dark days like this, we need something to believe in. So, last night, when we were down by ten points at half to Christian academy, I looked to my team, and I said, "think of Jack. Think of Melissa. Think of Heather. Think of Billy." At the mention of the Hargrove's name, Val felt a lump in her throat at the memories of last summer.

She glanced over at Max, looking behind at the crowd right away before looking back ahead as Jason continued. "Think of our heroic chief, Jim Hopper." At that, Val had to use every might inside of her not to yell don't use what we went through for a stupid basketball game. No, she couldn't. She had to keep a straight face on, she had to hide what they gone through, she had to pretend to be a ditzy cheerleader like all of the other ones she's standing with.

It was sort of an NDA thing too, to never speak of what they'd gone through. "Think about each and every one of our friends who perished in that fire. What did they die for?" Not for you. Whatsoever. "For us to lose to some... some crap school? No. For us to return home with our heads hung low in defeat? No! No. Let's win this game for them. And that's exactly what we did!" He said, everyone cheers, all the cheerleaders and other students, all except a select few. Val. Robin. Mike, Dustin and Max.

"We embarrassed those candy-asses in their own house, and now tonight, tonight, we're gonna bring home the championship trophy! Let's go!" The man exclaimed and everyone shouted and cheered once more.

authors note i finished love my way, to cope, here's my fav lesbians 🫶 they're finally back and i missed them a lot