𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒 • Robin Buckley

XII: STEVE...

The three oldest, who were currently acting like the youngest, were seated in a movie theatre, but left when they soon realised they simply didn't want to be there.

Steve drank from the water fountain, as Robin and Claudia leaned against the wall. "That's amazing," he said.

"So, like, I wasn't totally focused in there or anything, but... I'm pretty sure that mom was trying to bang her son," Robin said, Claudia cringed.

"Wait, wait, the hot chick chick was Alex P Keaton's mom?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"But they're the same age."

"No, but he went back in time," Claudia said.

"Then why is it called Back to the Future?"

"He has to go back to the future because he's in the past. So the future is actually the present, which is his time."

"Wh... what?" Steve said.

"No, no, it's my turn, you've had enough," Robin shoved Steve away from the water fountain, drinking as he looked up at the ceiling. Claudia followed him.

"Wow," the said, looking up at the lights shining down from the glass ceiling.

"Hey, Robin, you gotta check this out," Claudia said.

"This... The ceiling, it's beautiful," Steve said.

"Oh, wow," Robin chuckled. They suddenly began to feel sick, running into the bathrooms. Steve and Robin ran into the women's, while Claudia ran into the men's. She didn't want to listen to them throw up.

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When she'd finally emptied her guts, Claudia ate a whole pack of mints. She had tons of packs in her pockets, for emergencies like these. She wondered why the Russians's hadn't took them. She drank a ton of water from the tap, then tested her breath against her hand. "Minty fresh," she said to herself.

She sat on the floor for a few minutes, contemplating everything that had just happened to her, and the recent realisation she'd just made, before getting up. She paced around the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror.

Girls? Surely not. What girl had she ever liked? Then it hit her. Robin. Middle school. She was so upset about Robin, but why? She was nowhere near as upset about Daniel. She chose Robin over him when he'd told the two not to hang out. She'd felt so jealous when Dustin suggested that Steve and Robin date. But she wasn't jealous of Robin. She was jealous of Steve.

"Holy shit."

Claudia walked into the women's bathroom, Robin and Steve seemed to be mid conversation. Instead of interrupting them, she hid behind the corner, listening in. Was it creepy? Kind of.

"Are you still in love with Nancy?" Robin asked.

"No," Steve said.

"Why not?"

"I think it's because I found someone who's a little better for me."

"Claudia?"

"No."

There it was. The confession. Claudia felt something tug at her heart, like someone had reached in and grabbed it, squeezing it as hard as they could. A worse pain than she'd experienced in the Russian base, which was saying something.

"It's crazy," Steve said, "Ever since Dustin got home, he's been saying 'you know, you gotta find your suzie, you gotta find your suzie'."

"Wait, who's Suzie?"

"It's some girl from camp, I guess his girlfriend. To be honest with you, I'm not even 100% sure she's even real. But that's not- that's not really the point, that doesn't matter. The point is, this girl, you know, the one that I like, it's somebody that I... didn't even talk to in school. And I don't even know why. Maybe cause Tommy H would've made fun of me or... I wouldn't be... prom king. It's stupid. I mean, Dustin's right, it's all just a bunch of bullshit anyways. Because, when I think about, I should've been hanging out with this girl the whole time. First of all, she's hilarious. She's so funny. I feel like, this summer, I have laughed harder than I have laughed... in a really long time. And she's smart. Way smarter than me. You know, she can crack, like, top secret Russian codes and... you know? She's honestly unlike anyone I've ever even met before. Robin?" Claudia looked around the corner, confused to see Robin with her head in her knees. She hid again when Steve knocked on the wall. "Robin, did you just OD in there?"

"No," Robin sighed. "I... am still alive." Steve slid under the wall into Robin's cubicle. "The floor's disgusting."

"Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt, so... What do you think?"

"About?"

"This girl."

"She sounds awesome."

"She is awesome. And what about the guy?"

Claudia braced herself for Robin's confession, but it never came.

"I think he's on drugs and he's not thinking straight."

"Really? Cause I think he's thinking a lot more clearly than usual."

"He's not. Look... he doesn't even know this girl. And if he did know her, like- like really know her, I don't think he's even want to be her friend."

"No, that's not true. No way is that true."

"Listen to me, Steve. It's shocked me to my core, but I like you. I really like you. But I'm not like your other friends. And I'm not like Nancy Wheeler."

"Robin, that's exactly why I like you."

Claudia felt tears form in her eyes, letting them fall with no attempt to hold them back.

"Do you remember what I said about Click's class? About me being jealous and, like, obsessed?"

"Yeah."

"It isn't because I had a crush on you. It's because... even though she was with a boy, she wouldn't stop staring at you."

"Mrs Click?"

"Claudia."

Claudia's ears pricked up, and she stood straight, peaking around the corner.

"I wanted her to look at me. But... she couldn't pull her eyes away from you and your stupid hair. And I didn't understand, because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor, and you asked dumb questions, and you were a douchebag! And- and you didn't even like her and... I would go home and just scream into my pillow."

"But... Claudia's a girl."

"Steve..."

"Yeah? Oh."

"Oh."

"Holy shit."

"Yeah, holy shit."

Claudia finally plucked up the courage to walk into the bathroom. "Holy shit," she said. Robin looked at her in shock, he eyes falling to the ground.

"I should probably be in the men's bathroom," Steve said, getting up and quickly leaving Robin.

"Claudia, I-"

"Don't worry, Robin."