✷ Part One / Chapter Three
Yurina and Cedric sat in Starcourt's food court on their annual fake couple date. If they wanted their relationship to look believable, then the pair had to look the part. Holding hands, occasional pecks, all the touchy touchy things.
Right now, they are french fries and shared a strawberry milkshake while they scoped out the people in Starcourt mall.
"Dude with the plaid vest, definitely a serial killer." Cedric pointed at a man standing near the edge of the mall. Receding hairlines, thick square glasses and one of those creeper mustaches. "One hundred percent."
Yurina pointed at a blonde girl in a group with her friends leaving the Gap. "She bullies girls because her parents don't love her. I've seen it with my own eyes, the bitch is brutal. Something has to be wrong at home."
Cedric sat back in his seat tapping his fingers against the table.
"You alright?" Yurina asked.
"How long do you think we have to keep this up?"
She shrugged, playing with the straw of the empty milkshake cup. "I don't know. Probably until we're out of this god-forbidden town..." she looked down and back up at him. "... you'll be out of here by this year. You're a senior, you're gonna go to NYU and find the boyfriend of your dreams."
"I don't know if I can enjoy it if you're stuck here." Cedric sighed. "Come with me."
Yurina chuckled. Cedric looked serious. "You're not joking? My parents would kill me, file a police report and kill me once they get me back."
"The bus station cameras in Hawkins are busted, who'll know?"
Under any other circumstance, Yurina would be totally down to pack her things and never see her parents again. Her eyes trailed back at Scoops Ahoy. She couldn't. As much as she'd love to, she'd actually made friends she'd liked. For once in her fake, plastic picture-perfect life.
"I don't know. It could backfire on us and you'll get a kidnapping charge, get kicked out of NYU. I couldn't live with myself if I ruined your life."
"It was worth a try, right?" He smiled, eating the last of his fries. "I'll call you later."
"Okay." They kissed eachother and went their separate ways. Yurina went on her way to grab an ice cream when she saw two big-big heads crouched down behind a bush. She knew that stupid hat anywhere. She walked toward Steve and Dustin and crossed her arms. "You guys look like idiots back there."
Dustin waved her to them. "We're hunting down our Russian."
"I can't believe I'm doing this." Yurina carefully stepped behind the plant and plopped herself in the middle of Steve and Dustin. Not only would she be associated with weirdos, everyone would think she's a weirdo too. "In search for our Evil Russian?"
"Exactly." Dustin said. Steve was busy looking through the binoculars when he stopped.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me?"
"What?" Yurina and Dustin said, waiting to see if he'd seen a possible suspect.
"Anna Jacobi's talking with that meathead Mark Lewinsky."
