Your parents decide to relocate after an incident the summer before your freshmen year of high school, one that leaves you irrevocably changed.
But after three years away, you decide to stop running from your demons and return to Hawkins High for y...
"May I have this dance?" he says, extending a hand, giving his trademark smirk.
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You laugh, shaking your head at how sweet he was. He must've saw how sad you were looking at the table all my yourself and wanted to cheer you up. You sigh, extending your hand to take his, "Sure."
He pulls you up to standing and guides you to the dance floor. You put your hand on his arm and let him hold your other hand in his, a gap between you two.
"Oh come on, this isn't middle school," he laughs and pulls you in closer, his hand around your waist. You relax into him, putting your head on his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" he asks earnestly. "And I'm not talking about when a teacher asks or your mom. How are you really, Y/N?"
You sigh, holding back the flood of emotions that threatened to pour over. "I...I'm scared, Steve. I'm scared that justice won't prevail. I'm scared of Billy....I don't know, finding me? Trying to silence me? Touching me again," your voice breaks. You feel Steve push you tighter to him with his hand on your lower back.
You audible let out a huge exhale and clear your throat. "And, um....I know this sounds maybe stupid in the grand scheme of bringing a rapist to justice but... I miss Eddie, so much. I've never said this out loud, not even to him....but I love him, Steve. But even so, I have so much...anger toward him. The fact that he let me fall in love with him and then dropped me just as fast..."
"Well he's an idiot," Steve interjects, as if it's a fact. "You're amazing, Y/N. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your friend. You're smart and beautiful and funny as hell. You're getting back to the person you used to be which is someone who was unapologetically, authentically yourself."
"Thank you," you say, your voice small.
"But..." Steve continues. "I think there's something you need to realize."
You remove your head from Steve shoulder to look into his eyes.
"Eddie...if I were a betting man...loves you too."
"What? Steve no..." you shake your head furiously. "He said he doesn't want to be with me. He broke up with me."
"Oh come on," Steve laughs, rolling her eyes dramatically. "That's what guys do. When we feel like we're not enough we cut and run. We don't exactly admit to it. Before Nancy, if I thought I cared about a chick more than she did for me, I'd cut and run. I was so insecure that I needed to be the one in control and cut loose instead of letting anyone see the King of Hawkins High have a chink in the armor. And then I met Nancy, and...I realized that she was worth potentially throwing away a stupid image I had created for myself."
"So apparently, I'm not that girl for Eddie. Because he certainly didn't come to that realization with or for me..." you begin.
"No, Y/N..." he shakes his head again vigorously. "He just hasn't come to the realization yet. It took me a while, going through girls, not realizing the problem wasn't them...it was me. He doesn't seem like the type of guy who trusts easily. As long as I've known Eddie, I've never seen him with an actual girlfriend. I've never seen him look at a girl the way he looks at you. He's scared shitless, Y/N. And from what you've told me of that exchange, he's afraid he can't give you what you want."
