ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʟᴀꜱᴛꜱ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ ☆ ꜱᴛᴇᴠᴇ ʜᴀʀʀɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ

003.

[1983]
003.sorry

"No, no, no, Fleetwood Mac over The Rolling Stones." Annabelle argued back, taking a bite out of her burger.

"No. The Rolling Stones over Fleetwood Mac." He shook his head back, taking a sip of his vanilla milkshake.

"Okay, favourite song then? Go." She smiled and popped a fry in her mouth. ".... Girls on film by Duran Duran or... I'm still standing - Elton John."

"Really Steve?" She gave him a look while he just shrugged. "What?" he chuckled back. "They're good. What are yours then? huh?"

"Easy." She smiled and grabbed her milkshake and lent back. "Heroes by David Bowie, always. Right now, Dreams by Fleetwood Mac."

"Good choice." He nodded and ate the food he had. "but I win." She sent him a glare but continued to eat as well.

The two sat in comfortable silence while they finished eating, until Annabelle spoke up. "Steve?" He hummed back to her. "Why did we stop being close?"

Steve froze for a second. At the time, he had a crush on her and starting high school. He thought that due to Liam and Annabelle being so close, that she liked him and that made him feel left out as well. When they started high school, they just drifted away.

"I don't really know, Annabelle."

"See, there. You haven't called me by your nickname for me since we were fourteen. If I did something tell me." Steve's eyes widened, he didn't realise that she was blaming herself.

"No! No, no, no. It wasn't you, Annab-. it definitely was not anything you did."

"So why?"

"I guess we just began school and became two different people. It would've felt weird to call you.... We just weren't that close anymore." He shrugged. "Yet today you walk up to my locker at nearly eight am and called me princess."

He let out an airy chuckle and rested his arm on the back of the chair. "Because, Annabelle Penelope Lewis." She rolled her eyes at him using her full name. "you will always be my princess."

Steve dropped the girl of at the Byers house, making sure she got to the door safely before driving off to visit his girlfriend to study.

Annabelle made her way to the front door, gently knocking onto the wooden oak. The door opened, revelling Jonathan.

"Hey." She said once she noticed him, also noting the look on his face. "Is everything okay?" Annabelle asked concerned.

"Umm.. yeah, Anna. Do you, uh, need something?" He asked, glancing back to his mom on the sofa. He didn't mean for his words to sound rude, he was just overwhelmed with everything and on edge from the phone crisis earlier.

"No... I heard about Will and wanted to check you and Joyce were okay, as can be. Sorry it took so long, I kind of got... interrupted earlier." She sent him a small smile.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" He quickly asked, making the girl furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "Sure." She saw him grab his coat and shut the door behind him.

Tension filled the air as the two walked in silence down the street. "Sorry f-"

"I'm sorry ab-"

They both said at the same time before stopping and letting out a small chuckle.

"I'm sorry about Will, J." She asked first.

"yeah.. We'll find him. Mom's a reck over it but I think... I don't know." He sighed. "I'm sorry to."

"For what?" Annabelle pulled her jacket closer around her, confused on why the Byers boy was apologising. "For not being around as well. You know I'm not great with people-"

"Yeah but it's oaky." She cut him off and sent her signature smile, one that would make anyone warm at the heart.

Silence took over the duo again, but Jonathan was the first to break it with his thought;

"How did it feel? Losing your brother?" He was trying to be careful when he spoke, not wanting to step over the line. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that-"

"It Hurt. It hurt a lot at first. Now it feels like if you wake up one day and you forget a memory but it randomly returns later. It feels like I'm losing slowly him in my mind. But then sometimes I'm watching a movie and think how he would probably make fun of it if he was here. I don't think it ever really goes away, but it does hurt less"

"What if I lose Will?"

Annabelle was quick to step in front of him, making him stop. "Don't think that. You'll just feel bad now and then when you see him again you would have worried over something for no reason."

"How are you sure he's alive?"

"Because, Jonathan, if you believe in something enough, then it will become real. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

Jonathan seemed to be in thought on Annabelle's word. "Remember, if you need any help, you or Joyce, I'd be happy to."

"Thanks Anna."

They continued small talk back to the house and the older boy offered a ride back to her house which she happily excepted.