STARCROSSED ▷ steve harrington

09. the nina project

CHAPTER NINE — THE NINA PROJECT

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THEY RETURNED to the Wheeler's that night. Jackie had no where else to go, and neither sister would leave the other's side, anyway. So Max's company was expected. Steve's parents were in New York on some business trip, so he had nothing to worry about. Dustin and Lucas were... well, Dustin and Lucas, and they practically lived in that basement to begin with.

Robin had called her mom and explained that she was at a sleepover, to which her mother sounded very surprised at the fact, but did not ask further questions.

Jackie took a shower first, excited to finally wash off the grime from the graveyard, and the rest of the day's activities. The mirror was fogged up when she was finished, and she wiped it with her wrist. The bags under her eyes were more apparent than ever—and she couldn't wait to sleep.

She pulled her hair into a loose braid before stepping out into the hallway, and making her way back into the basement. Everyone was where she had seen them last, except for two.

Her skin prickled. "Where's Dustin and Steve?"

Nancy looked up from the item she was holding. "They went out to grab something. They'll be back in a bit."

Jackie bit her lip but said nothing, and she fell onto the couch next to Max. "We're gonna need to make a run back home soon. For one, I miss my own car. I think my ankle is healed enough, anyway. It doesn't hurt. And two, I need to grab the rest of my good clothes before mom chucks them in the trash."

Max blinked, cocking her head to the side confusedly. "Why would mom chuck your good clothes in the trash?"

Jackie was only slightly surprised that her sister hadn't heard. "She threw me out."

"What?!" Lucas interrupted, then held out an arm. "Sorry. I was eavesdropping. Continue."

Max was shaking her head. "She didn't throw you out."

"She definitely did, dude. I went back to apologize for the shitty things I'd said to her and boom, I'm out on the streets."

"What?" Max's concern grew. "No. No, that doesn't make any sense. I saw mom the day before yesterday, and she said—"

"What's good, suckers?" Dustin entered the room, throwing a bag of candy onto Jackie's lap before glancing back to Steve, who was descending the stairs behind him.

"What's all this?" Nancy asked.

Steve waved something in his hands. "The Poltergeist movie."

Jackie sat up. "What?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "You said you fell asleep halfway through, right? Maybe there's some super secret at the end on how they stop the... Poltergeist, from coming through their TV. If not, then at least we didn't sit here all night doing nothing."

Jackie hid her smile on the knee that was drawn up to her chest. "A horror movie, Steve?" Nancy asked. "Really? Max has trouble sleeping enough already."

"Eh," Max shrugged. "I know I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight anyway, so, screw it. Let's have a movie night."

Movie night, unsurprisingly, was not a success. Dustin had fallen off the couch in complete oblivion not even ten minutes into the film. Lucas went to the bathroom and came back with a plate full of food, which Ted Wheeler was very displeased about. Max had abandoned her spot next to her sister to take the solo chair that Lucas had been in, leaving Jackie right next to Steve.