SWEET CREATURE//steve harrington

FOUR

THE HAWKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL PARKING LOT WAS SWARMING WITH KIDS. It wasn't hard to pick out Harper from the crowd, her cape fluttering behind her as she walked briskly to Vivian's truck. She swung the door open and jumped in. "How was your day?" Vivian asked, to which Harper made a noise of frustration. "These little assholes can't appreciate a good Halloween costume, that's how it was," she mumbled, adjusting her black dress. "I'm sorry, H," Vivian apologized. She decided to let the language regulation slide this once. "For the record, I think you look awesome." Harper responded with a small smile "Thanks."

As Vivian shifted gears, she saw a familiar head of red hair passing by her truck. She rolled down the window hurriedly. "Max!" she yelled, and Max's head whipped around. "Hey!" Max's face was set in a perpetual glare as she stomped over to the window; Vivian tried not to take it personally. "Hey, are you sure you don't wanna come trick-or-treating with us tonight?" she asked, and Harper pulled her sleeve roughly. "What are you doing?" she hissed, but Vivian shook her off. Max looked at Harper warily. "Uh, yeah, no. I'm good," she said, looking at the ground. "I'm busy." Vivian sighed. "Well, alright. See you, Max." Max nodded and threw her skateboard on the ground, gliding away from them. "Are you out of your mind?" Harper asked incredulously. "What, I'm not allowed to invite someone to come trick-or-treating with us?" Vivian argued.

"It's not about what, It's about who," Harper said, scowling. "She's a jerk, like I said. And I don't want her ruining my Halloween." Vivian tsked. Sometimes her sister was unbearably judgmental. And stubborn. "Well, seeing as I'm the adult chaperone, I can do whatever I want." Harper stuck out her tongue.

"Well, are you excited for tonight?" Vivian asked, trying to change the subject, and Harper's mood visibly shifted. "Oh, yeah. I'm gonna eat so much candy tonight, I'm gonna make myself sick!" she exclaimed happily. "That sounds really fun," Vivian laughed at her sister's outburst. "Are you going to Tina's party tonight?" Harper asked, and Vivian frowned at her. "How do you know about that?" she interrogated. "First off, keep your eyes on the road," Harper commanded, and Vivian instinctively switched her gaze back driving. "Secondly, people talk." She paused. "More specifically, Tina's sister couldn't keep her big mouth shut to save her life." Vivian shook her head. "Yeah, I'm going. And if one more person asks me if I am, I'm gonna scream."

Of course, as soon as they walked in the door of their house, Vivian's dad was waiting there, filling up a large bowl with bags of M&MS. "Hey, there!" he greeted them. "I didn't even hear you come home last night, party animal," he told Vivian. She rolled her eyes. "It was far from a party. I just gave a kid a ride home. Nothing exciting." Vivian's dad shrugged. "Are you going to be home late tonight?" he asked. She hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "I think so. Maybe. I don't know." Her dad laughed. "It'll be good for you to get out of the house." Vivian scoffed. "I do get out of the-" "Not for work," her dad interrupted, giving her a knowing look. She smiled. "Fine, I won't be home until tomorrow morning." He raised an eyebrow. "Now, don't get carried away, or I'm gonna have to let down the hammer on you girls." They laughed, and Harper ran to get her pillowcase.

"Take care tonight," their dad said as they left. "And exploit all the rich houses." "Always," Harper called, and they started off down the street.

꧁♡꧂

"Hell yeah! That last house gave me two full-size Snickers!" Harper cheered, shaking her bulging pillowcase. Vivian looked at it, intrigued. "The other one was probably for me," she suggested smartly. Harper looked at her like she was insane. "As if." "So I'm walking around with you in the cold for free?" Harper paused, thinking. "Ugh, fine," she relented, digging in the bag and slapping a candy bar in Vivian's outstretched hand. "And I'm thinking this gig comes with interest, too." Harper marched forward. "You wish."

As they turned the corner, Vivian heard the familiar buzz of four boys arguing. Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will were standing there, each of them looking disgruntled, Will holding a hefty-looking video camera on his shoulder. "I am cold, Will," Mike snapped. "I wanna go home." "Come on," Will whined. "We've been planning this for months." On the outskirts of the squabbling group, Max stood, wearing a pair of blue coveralls and a Michael Myers mask hanging from her hands. She was watching in condescending amusement as the boys argued for what Vivian assumed was the umpteenth time that night.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them, and they ceased their bickering abruptly. "Hey, Sweets," Mike said, his voice still laced with hints of annoyance. "Are you four getting a good haul so far?" she asked, and Dustin nodded. "I'm chocolate rich!" he yelled, and they all laughed. Vivian's eyes flickered over to Max, who was standing there looking a little uncomfortable. Vivian narrowed her eyes. "Are you freaks stalking her again?" she accused, crossing her arms. Dustin and Lucas shared a panicked look. "Um, no!" Lucas spluttered. "She actually tracked us down this time. "Yeah, to scare you," Max piped in, shaking her mask pointedly. "Not to hang out with you."

Vivian looked at Max curiously. "I thought you were busy tonight, Max." Max's cheeks turned red. "I-I was, but my plans fell through," she lied obviously, but Vivian decided to give her the grace of playing along. "Right. Sorry to hear that." Vivian glanced at Harper, who was engaged with an intense conversation with Will about the details of his camera. "It's actually Bob's," she heard him explain. "My mom's boyfriend." Harper nodded excitedly, running her hands over the various buttons on the camera.

Vivian shivered and tried to rub some warmth into her arms. "Hey, H, can we go home? I might lose a finger if we stay out here much longer." Harper sighed and looked into her pillowcase. "Yeah, I think I have enough candy to make me sick," she concluded, and the party laughed. "Let's go." Her and Vivian turned back the way they'd come, and hollered their goodbyes. They made their way back down the cold, dark street, toward home.

When they got to the front door, Vivian poked Harper's shoulder. "You look like a dead girl walking," she told her. Harper's eyelids were fluttering in exhaustion. "Actually, it's undead girl walking," she corrected, and Vivian chuckled as she guided her younger sister to the stairs. "Don't stay up too late," Vivian directed. "You'd better be asleep when I get back." Harper laughed. "Okay, thanks Mom." "Seriously, you look like you're about to fall over." "Yeah, yeah, I get it," Harper groaned, beginning to amble up the stairs. "Don't get too drunk tonight, party animal." Vivian mock-saluted. "You have my word. See ya."

Vivian felt her insides begin to buzz uncomfortably as she started her truck and drove in the direction of Tina's, the crumpled orange flyer on her lap as a guide. Steve, King Steve, was most likely going to be at this party. A possibility she hadn't given much thought to until that moment. And a house is significantly smaller than a school, which results in way more opportunities for an awkward reunion. Not a fan. But, she was already driving, and her anxiety had made her alert and awake; there was no turning back home now.

A few blocks before Tina's, Vivian didn't need the flyer for directions anymore; the street was completely packed with cars, and the house was practically thumping with activity. She parked a couple houses down from Tina's, in the culdesac. She braced herself, took a breath, and started to walk.

There was the first red flag.

Billy's car sat right outside Tina's driveway like a bad omen. Vivian's stomach jumped at the thought of him approaching her again; he was just so damn weird. The front door opened as Vivian came near it, almost knocking her off the porch. "Jesus," she breathed, and a couple came out stumbling. "Sorry, Sweets," the girl called as they walked precariously down the steps. Vivian hadn't even seen who it was. She opened the door the rest of the way, onto a sight that overwhelmed her.

A dense mass of bodies, dancing, jumping, pushing, moving. She could smell the sweat from here. Gross.

Vivian took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. I won't be intimidated, she thought, and walked into the gauntlet before her.

this is a shorter chapter because it's kind of filler, but its still necessary

PARTY TIME WOOO