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"You don't even really like Brenda, Steve." Robin's voice echoed in my ears as the sun finally came to a full rise.
"I do!," He argued back with her. "She's just way too... scholarly." He said with a pause.
Robin looked at Steve and then turned towards me. "You have a class with Brenda Jenkins, don't you Quinn?" She questioned me as she turned back to Steve. I nodded in agreement.
"And does she seem scholarly to you?" She asked me again before turning back towards Steve.
"Uh-" I began to answer before Steve cut me off quickly.
"Jesus, Robin. Are you trying to air out my love life to anyone who will listen or what?"
Robin scoffed and smacked his arm off of the middle console. "Hey!," she scolded the older boy. "Quinn is not just anyone. She's cool."
I felt my heart flutter. Something it hadn't done since the last time I saw Katherine. The thought of her makes my heart stop fluttering. I finally come back down to planet earth and see Robin looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry," I fake a cough. "Did you say something?"
She laughs and turns her body towards me a little more. "Are you doing anything tonight?"
My mind pauses for a moment, it's Friday. I usually would call Katherine or Henry tonight, or maybe send a letter. "No, why?" I shake my head deciding my California friends can wait.
She opens her mouth like she's about to say something but nothing comes out. Steve looks over at her from the drivers seat and then at me from the rear view mirror.
"Quinn, right?," I nod at him before he continues. "I'm dragging Robin here bowling tonight with Jessica Sawyer and I. I would hate for her to have to 3rd wheel, you should come with us."
"I thought you liked Brenda Jenkins?" I question him. Robin laughs while she looks at him. I see Steve roll his eyes and look back at the road.
"We'll pick you up at 6," He huffs before making the right turn into the school parking lot and stopping quickly. "Get out, quick. I don't want anyone to see me dropping two teenage girls off."
"Brenda and Jessica are literally both in my grade, dingus!" Robin yells over Steve's now blaring car radio causing me to laugh as we watched him pull off, leaving Robin and I alone facing a sea of students that was fading into the school.
My backpack weighed down my shoulder. I must've had 7 books stuffed inside of it. "Ouch." I whined quietly before adjusting it to an even more uncomfortable position.
"Here," Robin smiled and grabbed my bag from the top loop. "I'll carry it." My eyes caught hers as we walked further into the now mostly dispersed crowd.
"So, Steve seems like kind of a serial dater. Any reason why?" I ask before both of us enter the wide double doors leading into Hawkins High.
Robin sighs as we make are way through the hallway. "Nance. Nancy Wheeler. They dated when she was a sophomore and he was a senior, she totally broke his heart and it's safe to say he isn't over it."
I nodded, stopping at my homeroom and facing her. "This is me," I peak into the doorway and catch a glimpse of the fiery red hair I almost dreaded seeing. "Thank you for walking me to class."
She smiled lightly at me before handing me my book bag. "No worries. I'll see you tonight, 6 o'clock, got it?" Robin yelled over the morning chatter as she walked backwards.
"Got it, 6 o'clock!" I yelled back before reluctantly turning around and walking into home room. I felt the weight that was once lifted off of my shoulders pile back on as I sulked my way back to the chair next to Max.
Mrs. Kanders must have been sick that day because we had a sub. I quickly pulled out my notebook and began working on Max and I's project. I assumed she wouldn't talk to me since she had her headphones on and she was doing her 'usual face in notebook' act.
"So, why weren't you on the bus?" Max said, she took her headphones off of her ears before turning her head towards me. I could hear "What I Like About You" by the Romantics still faintly playing.
"Uh," I let out a deep breath before looking back at her. Our eyes connected automatically. "Steve Harrington gave me a ride."
Her brows furrowed as I said the boys name. "You don't seem like the type to like a boy like Steve Harrington." Her eyes held my gaze as she questioned me.
"Well, Robin was there." I followed up before breaking our gaze and began writing in my notebook again. I felt her still staring at me, almost like she wanted me to say something else.
"That's more your type?," She moved closer to me and whispered. "a... girl?"
I stayed quiet but I heard what she said. Her voice, her eyes, her question especially, it all caused me to pause exactly where I was. I felt her move back to where she was and open her notebook, quickly writing something down. She slid it closer to me. My eyes carefully looked down at the paper.
"It doesn't matter to me." I carefully read the words before turning my attention back to my own notebook and away from the paper. I felt her eyes study me before grabbing the paper again and writing something else.
"That's my type, too." I read it again but this time I looked up at her instead of back down at my paper. We smiled at each other lightly before the silence was broken by the bell that dismissed us to 2nd period.
"Hey, are you busy tonight?" Max asked me as she walked behind me closely out of the classroom.
"Oh um-" I started to say before I felt a hand on my backpack loop.
"Hey, Quinn! I was thinking tonight after bowling we could get something to eat, if you want?," Robin quickly asked while she threw my backpack over her shoulder and looked at Max. "Oh hey, Max!" She cheerfully said.
Max smiled at her dimly. "Hey, Robin," her voice trailed. "I'll see you later, Quinn."
