𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄! ✽ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

25

𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐔𝐏 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 against her knees, a sigh escaping her lips as steve rushed to her side. he fell to his own knees with a stunned expression painting his face. sweat coated his forehead. "steve, i'm fine," she insisted through gritted teeth. the boy glared at the blood pouring out onto her arms, and the tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.

"you are not fine!" he argued, with jonathan and nancy gathering around now. horrified expressions took claim of their faces. nancy clasped a hand over her mouth.

"yes, i am!" sherrie yelled. her forceful tone shot a sharp pain to her stomach, the girl letting out another whimper. as dani began to push herself up, her knees buckled; she had begun to lose complete feeling in them. her legs wobbled like jello before she came crashing back down. she felt childish, almost as if she were learning to walk for the first time in her life.

"you're not fine, and it's okay to admit that sometimes-" steve stated in a tender voice. he extended his arms in an attempt to give her some assistance, but she smacked them away almost instantaneously. the girl left bloody handprints in her wake.

"quit trying to be the hero, steve!" sheridan screamed, her voice breaking. "you don't always have to save me!" she noticed that he had seemingly always come to her rescue every time she needed someone. he was slowly creeping into the walls she had taken years to build in order to protect herself. her feelings were conflicted; she had always longed for steve and his affection, but now that he was ready to dish it out, dani realized she might not have wanted him—or love— as badly as she thought she did. she was simply scared of falling in love and getting hurt, just like she had with every other guy. she was tired of picking up the mess they left. and if she really had fallen for steve harrington, she was in for the mess of a lifetime.

silence pervaded the house. steve exhaled a sigh and bowed his head. he could walk away. right now. his mind told him to; to stop giving his all to people who didn't want it or deserve it. but his heart pleaded something different. "i might not have to, but i want to." with that, steve placed his hands underneath the girl's arms and propped her body up. her arms were doused in the hardening wine-red stains. three large gashes stretched out across her mötley crüe t-shirt.

the harrington boy rested sherrie gently against the same wall she had just tried to sever herself from. as he moved her over, she howled out cries of agony and helplessness. pity hung her stomach low; it almost physically weighed her down. poor sheridan, she thought. can never do anything for herself.

"i can't believe you," the girl breathed out as steve fiddled with the rips in the faces of tommy lee, nikki sixx, vince neil, and mick mars. "i'm fine, steve," dani persisted once more. her eyelids grew heavy, seemingly weighing in at 1,000 pounds. sherrie's throat felt like it was going through a drought. she could feel the cacti sprouting from her tongue.

ignoring her pleas, he took the hem of her t-shirt in his fingers. "do you mind if i...?" steve's question trailed off as he held up the shredded material. the girl gulped and her orange locks tussled against the wall. steve let out a shocked huff as he lifted the cloth. three large cuts spanned all the way from the right side of dani's ribs down to her left hip, missing her belly button by a hair. the gashes were deep and bright; they contrasted against her skin which was growing paler by the second. "holy shit," he mumbled. he also noticed the bottom of the cup of her bra, in all its red lacy glory. it was just slightly more vibrant than the blood that plastered her body. the sight made his pulse quicken. his heart was beating out of his chest. "sherrie..."