Gold Dust Woman - Steve Harrington*

chapter four.

trick or treat, freak

october 31st 1984.

"Hey, Dallas."

She smiles as Jonathan takes his seat beside her before burying her head back into the textbook, "You going to Tina's party?"

She looks up to answer him, but he's no longer paying any attention, his head turned away from her, following his gaze to the doorway where Nancy and Steve stand together, the latter having his arms wrapped around her waist as he whispers something into her ear making her giggle, a red tint rising up her cheeks as she pushes on his chest, a proud smile arises, that stupid proud smile.

"I don't know."

"Please? To keep me company."

She scoffs, "Jonathan Byers is going to a party?"

He shrugs a little, opening up his bag and taking out the things he'll need for the class, "Nancy asked me to go."

"Kevin Jordan asked me to go."

Jonathan raises a brow, dropping his bag under the desk, "Kevin Jordan?"

"Yeah." She mutters, flicking through the book infront of her to try and hide from his burning gaze, "Yesterday, in front of Harrington."

He chuckles a little, "I bet Steve was happy with that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She glances back to the door where Steve still stands as he watches his girlfriend walk into class, when she looks back at Jonathan she misses the way Steve's eyes fall to her, like a magnet, his eyes always seem to fall to her.

"Come on," When he notices Nancy walking past, giving them both a quick respectful smile before she takes her seat a few rows back he lowers his voice, "It's like he needs to prove a point to you- to himself- that he's not this big bad jerk you think he is."

She looks at him quickly in the corner of her eyes, seeing the way he's raised his brow at her, to which she ignores and keeps flicking through the book, paying no attention to the words written on the pages, "It's like because everyone has been telling him-including you- you guys can't be friends, he needs to be your friend, he needs to be. He's gained an obsession."

"Shut up!"

Everyone turns to look at them and she shrinks down in her seat, lifting the book a little higher, "Shut up." She whispers it this time as everyone goes back to their work, "If he'd gained an obsession he'd be like a stalker and I'd be getting threats through my door or something."

"Just saying." Jonathan shrugs and nudges her before they both burst into quiet giggles, missing the way Nancy turns to watch as Dallas leans her head onto Jonathan's shoulder.

"So, about the party?"

"I don't know." She shrugs.

"Didn't you used to have a crush on Kevin?"

She lifts her hand, thumb and index finger almost touching, "Just a little one, then I grew up, realised he's not my type."

"What is your type?"

"Harrison Ford characters."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

The bell goes and Dallas slams her locker closed, headphones sat on her head, a Fleetwood Mac song playing as she hums to herself.

Something is presented in front of her, and she looks up meeting the eyes of Kevin who smiles widely as he says something.

She ducks her head, taking her headphones off before peering back up at him, "Sorry?"

"These are for you, you know, since I'm meeting you at Tina's instead of picking you up. I got them this morning ready to pick you up, but, you know-"

She takes the flowers from his hand slowly, they're red, she doesn't know the name of them but they're pretty, the petals kind of look like hearts.

Hiding her smile behind pursed lips she nods, "Thank you."

"What are you going as? You know, your character? Costume, I mean?"

"I guess you'll have to find out tonight." She shrugs as she starts off down the corridor towards the gym ready for her next class

"Wow. Really gonna make me wait, huh?"

She nods with a little hum, "Okay, then you have to wait too."

"Fine."

"See you tonight, Dallas Hopper."

He leans forward and kisses her on the cheek making her cover her face with the flowers to hide any evidence of a blush, "See you tonight, Kevin Jordan."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

"Hey, El. It's just me, Dallas."

She knocks on the door again and it slowly opens up, Mac bounds past making the young girl jump back in what seems to be a mix of confusion and fear. "Hey."

Dallas smiles as she closes the door behind her, stopping beside the frozen El who watches the dog sniff at the sofa before jumping on it, "Dog?"

"Yeah, this is Mac, she won't hurt you, look."

Dallas crouches down, patting her thigh and Mac happily runs over, tongue poking out from her mouth as she sits in front of them.

Dallas holds her hand out for El who slowly crouches too and pats the dog's head, Mac lifts her head, lips curling into that weird kind of dog smile.

"I brought her over to keep you company."

"Me?"

"Yeah, she can do some cool tricks."

She turns her attention back to the dog, "Mac, paw." The dog gives her a paw and she pats her head, "Spin for me." The dog twirls around a few times and El giggles, "Roll over, quick."

She drops down rolling over and gets back up again, "Good girl."

El smiles as she moves forward to pat the dog's head again, "Mac?"

The dog turns to El hearing her name and licks El's face making the young girl giggle as she stands again.

"I've got to go to a party, but I will be back tomorrow, maybe we can take her for a walk together?"

"No walk. Hopper's rules. No leaving the house."

"I'm sure we can convince him." Dallas says, putting a hand on her shoulder gently, a car horn beeps outside and she stands to her full height, "I've got to go, I'm going to a party."

"Party?"

"Yeah, it's this thing where a bunch of people will meet up together to have fun, you can have Christmas parties, Birthday parties, I'm going to a Halloween one."

"No trick or treating?"

"Not for me, I'll see you tomorrow," She turns her attention to the dog, "Bye, Mac, be good. Bye, El."

"Bye."