i. HOME SWEET HOME.

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i. wendy's return!

the day had finally came—the students at illinois state university had finally made it to spring break and they had a week long hiatus to dedicate to relaxation and partying. across the campus, the student body dispersed from their classes to their dorms and cars, ready to leave to start their spring break festivities.

"are you sure you don't wanna come with us?" two girls walked side by side, the shorter one with curly blonde hair had been the one to speak.

lauren rhodes was an education major from chicago, illinois and ever since she had moved into her dorm room, she had been attached at the hip with her roommate. the two girls had just finished their last class of the day—english 101, her roommate's least favorite class of the semester.

"laur, i can't. i have to go back home, i pro—"
"i know, i know, you promised your sister and your mom and steveee," lauren said the last name in a sing-song voice.

wendy carmichael felt her whole face flush at the mention of her boyfriend.

"i just thought you'd wanna come to the beach with us instead of going back to your hometown that you always complain about but...i would skip the beach for steve too." lauren pointed out, she had been secretly envious of her roommate's relationship.

"lauren!" wendy found herself grinning extra wide at her friend complimenting her boyfriend.
"what? he's hot!" lauren defended.

steve harrington had driven to illinois before to visit his girlfriend and he won the approval of her roommate as well. once he left, all lauren could talk about was how "nice" and "smooth" steve was.

"which is exactly why i have to go see him. i haven't seen steve in," wendy began to count on her fingers. "eight weeks." she sighed.

the two girls approached the parking lot of the dorm, eyeing wendy's car. she had already managed to pack up her necessities for her spring break vacation—she was more than ready to leave her college campus.

"come back in one piece, okay?" lauren clutched her books to her chest.

as wendy climbed into her car and gave life to the engine, she stuck her head out of the window and nodded.

"i will! have fun at the beach, laur!" wendy called out, and began to back out of the parking spot.

✧・゚: *✧・゚:*    *:・゚✧*:・゚✧

wendy carmichael never thought that she would live to see the day where she was excited to go back to hawkins, indiana. yet once she pulled into the parking lot of family video, her heart rate began to pick up.

the bell over the door chimed and robin buckley was the first to look up and notice wendy.
"wendy!" robin nearly knocked the girl over trying to hug her.

wendy's smile widened as she hugged the girl back, she had genuinely missed her friends.
"hi robin." the two girls swayed slightly before pulling out of their embrace.

"he's in the back getting more tapes, but he is going to freak when he sees you. it's all he's been talking about all morning." robin pointed out and wendy felt her face flush with heat.

wendy and steve were trying their very best to maintain a healthy, successful long distance relationship, but it was hard. steve tried to visit when he could but between his work schedule and wendy's school schedule, he couldn't visit as much as he wanted. he had only seen the inside of wendy's dorm room twice.

"wen?!" wendy carmichael heard behind her, causing her to turn around.

steve harrington rushed over to his girlfriend, nearly tripping over the cart of vhs tapes. he wrapped his arms around her torso, spinning her around.
"steve!" wendy exclaimed as she laughed.

"sorry, sorry, its not every day that the most beautiful girl in the world walks into family video." steve said, placing his hand to wendy's cheek.

wendy carmichael's hazel eyes stared up at her boyfriend as he leaned down to kiss her and once he did, wendy thought that she was in heaven. the eighteen year old girl felt herself press against her boyfriend, but not for long.

"alllllright, let's remember that the store is, in fact, called family video. and this is not something a family, or myself, would like to see." robin pointed out, causing the couple to pull away from one another.

"i haven't seen my girlfriend in two months, robin, cut us some slack." steve pulled wendy's hand to bring her behind the counter.
"and whose fault is that?" wendy folded her arms over her chest as she stared at her boyfriend.

steve looked down at his girlfriend and then looked behind him as if he were wondering who wendy was talking to.
"steve!" wendy playfully hit his arm when she realized what he was doing.

"oh you're talking to me? sorry, not talking, i meant sassing...its not my fault! keith has been scheduling me like crazy, you know this." steve defended himself.

wendy did know that—if the two couldn't see each other, they were always talking to each other. the many nights that the two stayed up talking were the proof.
"i'm teasing with you, babe, you know that." wendy caressed her hand along her boyfriend's arm.

"i know, i know, but don't worry. tonight i'm gonna make up for it all." steve gave wendy a smile, but she only furrowed her eyebrows.
"i thought we were going to the basketball game." she didn't care about what she would do with steve, she just wanted to be with him. yet she didn't quite understand how a basketball game would fix their relationship.

the phone on the counter began to ring and steve walked over to it.
"after the game, after....family video, this is steve, how can i...goddammit dustin, you've got to stop calling here." steve groaned and leaned against the counter.

"he rented your favorite movie." robin muttered while steve's back was turned to them.
"aw, steve rented annie?" wendy felt herself smiling at the thought of her boyfriend finally giving in to watching a musical.
"wait what? he said your favorite movie was star wars a new hope." robin scoffed.

wendy was embarrassed—she didn't want robin to think that she was lame for liking annie.
"oh right! i don't know what i was thinking." wendy facepalmed herself and shook her head.

"what, to hang out with you and eddie 'the freak' munson? uh yeaaah, i'll pass," steve played with the slinky that was sitting on the countertop. "...ew, ugh, whatever. besides, its wendy. i haven't seen her in so long," the bell above the door chimed and a group of girls filed into the store.

"oh, i've got some customers. call you back. bye." steve hung up the phone, and wendy gasped as steve walked over to help the girls.

"you're unbelievable!" wendy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

"a customer is a customer, winifred!" steve called out.

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