𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄! ✽ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

57

𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 in the back of scoops. while steve paced behind her, snacking on a banana, dustin did his best to convince the two teens to help him out—nothing out of the ordinary for the henderson boy. of course steve not only agreed because he would do anything for dustin, but he was also holding out hope that his translation skills and heroic display of bravery might possibly push sherrie right over the edge and into his arms.

steve and sheridan shared puzzled expressions as dustin's russian recording came to a stop. "so what do you think?" he inquired.

before dani could get a word in, steve piped up. "it sounded familiar." he popped the last of his banana into his mouth as sherrie spun around in her chair to face him.

"it sounded familiar?" she repeated back to him. her brows were raised in sincere disbelief.

"well yeah, didn't you hear the music? there, at the end?" he questioned, his mouth full.

"why are you listening to the music, steve?!" dustin exasperatedly fired back. "listen to the russian! we're translating russian!"

"i'm trying to listen to the russian, but there's music-" steve's sentence was cut short by robin, who had burst in through the swinging door. sheridan jumped in her seat.

"alright, babysitting time is over. you need to get in there," the buckley girl demanded of steve. she motioned towards the lobby with her silver scooper. steve stepped back, next to dani in her chair, as robin stepped further into the break room. she noticed that russian had replaced the store's projected quota she had drawn up on the backroom whiteboard. "hey, my board! that was important data, shitbirds!"

"i guarantee you, what we're doing is way more important than your data," dustin responded. steve tossed the banana peel onto the table, directly in front of sherrie, before crossing his arms across his chest. the redheaded girl's face briefly contorted with disgust, before she picked up the compost and squished it as far as she could into steve's scooper holster.

"yeah?" robin asked dustin. she sauntered over to the table, hovering above him as he sat. "and how do you know these russians are up to no good anyway?" dani couldn't help but giggle at the boys' faces, now void of expression and white as sheets.

"how does she know about the russians?" dustin asked steve accusatorily.

"i don't know!" steve cried, his plea of defense muffled by his last bite.

"you told her about-" sheridan's laughter grew louder, the girl dumbfounded by her friends.

"it wasn't me."

"hello, i can hear you," robin admitted. "actually, i heard everything. you two are extremely loud." sherrie's lips curled into a smug smile, noting that she had not been lumped in with dustin and steve. the two boys didn't utter a word. "you think you have evil russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you're trying to translate but haven't figured out a word because you didn't realize russians use an entirely different alphabet." steve and dustin's eyes met, their worry evident on their face. "sound about right?"

"yes," sheridan instantly replied.

"dani!" the pair behind her cried as they nudged her shoulders. she whipped around to face them.

"what?!" sherrie exclaimed. she stood from her chair and leaned against the sliding glass windows. "do you honestly think robin would come all the way back here just to tell you to shut your traps?"

"i'm fluent in four languages, you know," robin amended in hopes of bettering her chance.

"russian?" dustin asked, hope shimmering in his eyes.

"ooh-yay, are-yay, umb-day," robin replied. steve and dustin let out sentiments of awe and success, while dani buried her head in her hands. she was sure that if she laughed at their stupidity once more, her lungs would collapse. "that was pig latin, dingus."

steve smacked dustin's shoulder. "idiot."

"and the pot calls the kettle black," sheridan exhaled.

"i can speak spanish and french and italian, and i've been in band for 12 years. my ears are little geniuses, trust me," robin explained to steve and dustin in hopes of winning them over.

"uh..." steve groaned, unsure of letting her in.

"come on, it's your turn to sling ice cream, my turn to translate. i don't even want credit, i'm just bored." just as robin finished her sentence, the bell at the front counter dinged incessantly. steve held eye contact with robin, searching for any sign of a bluff; and he couldn't find one. he handed her the tape player, and grabbed her scooper with a sigh.

steve began to head for the door, sherrie following on his heels. she figured that, after siding with robin, keeping steve company was the least she could do with the few minutes she had left.

steve slid the ice cream scooper into its designated pocket on his uniform, his brows furrowing as he realized something else was inside. "dani," the boy groaned as he retrieved the mangled banana peel. residue and particles lined the uniform's polyester pocket. snickers escaped the shaffer girl's lips, and she immediately made a break for the dining area as steve chucked the skin directly toward her, narrowly missing.

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