There's just something about the past. Sometimes, the worst parts catch up with you and other times, it is supposed to meet you again. Maybe what we think has left our lives actually belongs in our souls forever.
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Steve Harrington x fem original...
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CHAPTER FOUR Steve
THE HEAT WAVE HAD FINALLY HIT HAWKINS. I had decided to grab an ice lolly and head on down the street on my bike I had got for Christmas. It was always nice riding it this time of year. If you peddled fast enough, it felt like free aircon. After making it to the park just around the corner from my house, I tied my bike up and enjoyed my ice lolly.
I always waited a few minutes before eating it. Mom always says that, if you don't, you can break your two front teeth. Someone like me needs their front teeth, so they can tear apart homemade barbecue ribs. I mean, if I had to go the rest of my life without eating barbecue ribs, I think it would be a pretty awful life.
A few kids in the grade above me skated by the park as I continued to eat my ice lolly. The one at the back waved. I recognised her to be Emma Rucker. Her brother had fixed my dad's car once. My parents had an argument over that dumb car. Apparently my mom broke it, but she had only used it once to go get groceries, and Thomas Rucker had said something about wear and tear. My mom said that the day that car was fixed was the most peaceful day of her life, because dad wasn't home at all.
I got up and decided to put my lollypop stick in the bin. As I made it, I saw a girl racing down the street in the coolest pair of roller blades I had ever seen. Rainbow ones with flashing lights on the side. She didn't follow the wind, the wind followed her. Most of the kids around here had plasters on their knees from the roller blades. Spend most of their time kissing the ground I guess. This girl was free of them. Moved around like some type of, I don't know, pro? That was the thing. She wasn't even trying to be cool.
"Cool skates!" I shouted. The girl stopped in her tracks to look at where the voice was coming from. When she found my face, she smiled.
"Couldn't choose one colour, so I went with all of them at once."
I chuckled. "I like your thinking."
She skated over to me. Finally making it to the bench at the park. "Thank you. I always have to wear a thick pair of socks underneath my skates otherwise my heels look a bit mutilated."
"Is that because they're new?" I asked.
"Basically," she nodded. "I got them as a present for graduating elementary school. I'm starting at Hawkins middle school in September."
"Well, well, well, so am I," I said. Jesus that sounded dumb.
She smiled.
"Did you not go to Hawkins elementary?" I asked. The girl shook her head.
"I went to the valley school that was further out of town," she replied. "My dad works close to there so it was easier for him to give me lifts."
"Cool," I nodded. "My dad works at a factory."
"Mine is an engineer," she replied. "My mom is a doctor."
"What do you want to be when you leave high school?" I asked.
"A teacher," she smiled. "My teachers have always been there for me, and they teach you so many things about life as well. I just want to inspire a kid. Make them feel passionate about their learning because books saved me."
"If I had you as a teacher, I think I'd want to learn something."
She chuckled. It was a nice sound. "You're just being nice."
"Nuh-uh," I said honestly. "I am being honest."
She laughed again, looking down at her skates. She looked up at me again. Her eyes were green, reflecting hope. "Do you roller skate?"
"Sometimes. Not often though," I nodded. "My roller skates aren't cool like yours. No rainbows or lights. Just army print."
"Two different kind of prints can be cool at the same time," she replied, still making eye contact with me. "Taste is subjective. That's what my mom says."
"Subjective? What does that mean?" I asked, hoping that she didn't think I was being stupid.
"That was my reaction too," she laughed. That made me feel better. "It means based on personal feelings. Feelings are based on experience, aren't they?"
I nodded, taken aback by the way this girl's brain worked. "I suppose they are."
"See," she smiled. "Therefore, your army print skates are cool."
"We should go skating sometime," I suggested. I expected rejection. This girl probably had plans with every kid in this neighbourhood. Still, I hoped she'd say yes.
"I'm free anytime," she replied, standing up. "How about tonight? You can come around to mine for dinner first. My mom is making lasagne."
"I would love that," I beamed.
"Great. Make sure your skates are on and meet me here at 6pm," the girl said. "I live just around the corner, so I'll show you my house."
"Okay, great," I nodded. "Shall I bring plasters?"
"Maybe for you, army print boy," she smirked. "You might be a bit rusty. You'll need a professional to teach you again."
"Hey, I'm not that forgetful," I said, folding my arms. "Who is the professional around here? You with the rainbow skates?"
The girl laughed. "Fair enough. See you."
The girl sped off, but I called out. "Wait!"
She stopped. "Yeah?"
"I'm Steve!"
"Genevieve," she smirked. "You can call me Gen."
With that, she went skating with the wind. Going wherever it would take it her. I stood back for a moment. A skater, and she was smart. Cool enough to be in Fleetwood Mac and she was hanging out with little old me.
