Tension (Steve Harrington)

Chap 43; amErica

After drooing the spooing wet boy off at his house, Lauren sat in her car in the makeshift driveway with Joyce Byers car parked next to hers. After thinking of all the reasons, she might be here, the only one who made sense with what had happened the night before. There was another thing she didn't want to be true, and for that very reason, she just simply reversed the truck out of the driveway and back to the real road.

The only person she had in mind was Steve. The only destination was in his arms. The only sight she wanted was his carmel eyes. Lauren was with him all the time, but she wanted to be with him more than that. He was the what felt like something she'll want forever. But he also scared her to death. There was always a doubt in Lauren's head that she wasn't even close to that for him. There was always a what if Carol was right and she was a replacement.

Fear is something that plagues every single person. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. There is something about fear that follows you through your life it changes, takes new forms. It starts with the dark or monsters, and then it becomes the fear of trying a bike without training wheels to things like failure.

For Lauren, she fears all of those, and her biggest fear in this world is that not a single person in her life feels the same way for the as she feels for them. She's scared that she doesn't deserve it if they do, and she's scared that she could be right to have that fear.

The truck stopped in its tracks and turned into the Syd's. A girl still dripping water pulled open the door to the diner, ringing the bell attached. "Well, don't you look, Darlin," Annabelle smiled at the girl.

"Thanks. I thought it should be the new look for a Vogue magazine."

"More like America most wanted." Lauren knew the voice without even looking. Steve was already sitting in their unassisted assigned, both with the exact things she was going to get to bring back to him. Two Cherry Milkshakes and a basket of French fries.

"You too, partner." Lauren said, sliding beside him in the table.

"You mean like in crime? Like Bonnie and Clyde. But better."

"Better. All you have to do is change your middle name to Clyde. You know cause I already got the Bonnie."

"While we're at it, you can make your name Lauren officially. Because if we go robbing banks and killing people, they're gonna use your legal name and Loretta Ann Bonnie Hoppers, a long ass name."

"Just be glad I'm not Loretta Ann Bonnie Atkins-Davis-Hopper." Steve's eyes were extremely large.

"Why would it be all that?"

"Those are my mom's maiden names, but my grandma said no."

"Thank you, Grandma Hopper." Steve said, looking up at the ceiling, Lauren couldn't help but laugh.

"If you're talking to my grandma, I'd probably look down. She was a bitch to other people." Steve had a smirk on his face as he finished chewing his fry.

"Apple doesn't fall far." Lauren kicked him under the table. "Hey, she wouldn't condone violence now, would she?" Lauren shook her head like he was stupid.

"Let's see. My grandmother, my dad's mom. Doesn't condone violence? I'd try again." Lauren lips were tight with a smile as she sucked on her milkshake.

"I have a question about your mom." Lauren rasied her eyebrows and nodded. "Has she called recently?"

"No. I told her not to, why?"

"No reason." Steve shugged through his cherry in mouth. Lauren gave him a look. "It's nothing, really. We have other shit to worry about. Like what the fucks in those boxes. Am I right, I can't wait to figure it out, can you."