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CHAPTER ELEVEN: once there's a beginning, there's no end _______________________________ THE SUMMER OF 1985 HAD COME QUICKER THAN VALERIE INTENDED.
Considering she was in her senior year, she wanted to enjoy every second she had left of school. Unfortunately, her year got interrupted by the demo-dogs and the appalling outcomes of the Upside Down. However, she could try and go to college. I mean, she had the grades for it and passed the standards! But.. college was never really on her radar. So, I guess you could cross out that option.
To top it all off, Melina Revora had returned to town. Why? Valerie herself had no idea. Apparently, her mother decided it was time she took a break for herself. Whatever! I mean.. how much damage could her presence make in Valerie's already fucked up life?
On the bright side, the mayor finally decided to build a mall in Hawkins! It wasn't a surprise that Valerie had an obsession with styling clothes. Buying every piece of clothing she found cute had become a coping mechanism over the years! And Selina.. you already know how insane she went when she found out they were building a mall. They went to Starcourt at least four times a week, stocking up on their 'necessities'. However, the biggest shock of the summer was walking into the Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop, and finding Steve Harrington slinging ice cream. Plus, he had totally lost his game! Valerie caught Steve flirting with this one girl, and let's just say.. she couldn't watch any longer than five seconds. Poor Steve.
Dustin Henderson had gone to some camp that he told Valerie about a month or two before he left. She was absolutely devastated when she found out that he was leaving. She had no one to rant to about her everyday life anymore! But, since the summer was going by so fast, he would be making his return in approximately.. one day and three hours!
Valerie and Selina had just arrived at Starcourt, Selina happily hopping out of the car. Selina excitingly skipped to the building, Valerie struggling to catch up with her. "This view will never get old." Selina spoke, kissing her fingers and pressing them against the building. "You were just here less than twenty-four hours ago. ." Valerie shook her head. Don't get Valerie wrong, she absolutely admired shopping. However, Selina had a severe addiction to the mall ever since it opened. It was like heaven on earth in Selina's eyes. Valerie turned around to see Mike, Max, Lucas, and Will running to the building. "I don't even wanna know what they're up to." Valerie sighed.
The shop Selina was in was way too crowded for Valerie's liking. So, while Selina took forever doing God knows what in that shop, Valerie decided to do some shopping of her own. She took the escalator, which was a nightmare. Escalators were quite literally one of her worst fears. What if her shoelace got caught in between the steps, or her leg got sliced open because of the escalator? She sighed of relief when she reached the bottom, her breathing uneven from the anxiety she encountered. She looked around, trying to find a store that caught her attention, when suddenly.. every light went out. The mini carousels stopped spinning, the water in the fountains immediately fell to the surface, and the people's gasps and whispers were barely distinguishable. Valerie turned to the right, only to see Steve Harrington flipping the light switch on and off over and over again. "The stupidity of men." Valerie shook her head. "You're wasting your time if you think that's gonna work." Valerie spoke, entering the Scoops Ahoy shop. "Oh, really?" He began to flip the switch even faster than he was before. Valerie didn't even know the girl he had been working with, but they both knew Steve well enough to understand that he lacks common sense. They both shared a look, shaking their heads in disapproval at Steve. He continued to flip the switch, until after awhile, the lights finally returned. "Let there be light." Steve shrugged to Valerie. "My deepest condolences go to you, since you have to work with that idiot." Valerie pointed to Steve, who had already walked away from the counter. "I appreciate your concern." The dirty blonde laughed. "I'm Valerie." She introduced herself, holding her hand out to the girl. "I'm Robin." She returned the gesture, using her other hand to point to the name tag on her uniform. "You could've told me you were leaving, y'know!" Selina rushed into the shop, carrying multiple bags around her arms. "And.. this is Selina." Valerie pointed to Selina. Robin looked as if she was trying to find the right words, but instead, she could only come up with one response. "Hi." Robin awkwardly waved. Selina smiled kindly at the girl, which for Selina, was really fucking rare. "Hi." Selina waved back. Selina and Robin just stood there, at loss for any other words. "Your turn to scoop. I need to tidy up. This is around the time all the ladies come in." Steve threw the ice cream scooper to Robin, her catching it with one hand. "Good luck with that." Valerie called out to Steve. "Like I'm gonna need it." He replied cockily. Valerie rolled her eyes at his conceit. "He's so gonna need it."
