Tension (Steve Harrington)

Chap 57; Weekend From Hell

August 30 1985 Hawkins Indiana 6:30 PM

Steve rubbed the water off his face with his sleeve. "Again, I'm sorry. I wasn't actually trying to pour it out."

"Again, you are fine it's water. I couldn't possibly care less."

"You're extra cheery today. What's up?"

"Nothing.

"Bull."

"Where?" Steve looked out the window of the car jokingly. "Nothing, really. I'm just feeling better. Feeling like things aren't that bad anymore. Lauren and I have finally got a consistent schedule with our calls and stuff so we can actually talk. We finally got this job together again."

"The fact that you're done with high school add to it." Robin asked, wishing she had been done.

"Oh hell yeah, I'm beyond glad I'm done with that shit." Steve stepped out of the car, walking around to Robin's side.

"Oh. Thank you, Harrington." Robin said. Stepping off the door, he opened for her a Syd's to-go cup in hand. "I envy you. School better go faster than a cheetah."

"I'm sure it will." Again, he pulled the door, opening it for her. "God, I hope it does." He said under his breath two months is a lot longer than he thought it was, and he still had a whole nine months before Lauren was back.

Things were weird no that Eleven and the Byers were gone, too. He'd visit her to make sure she was doing alright, but he couldn't do that now that she was even further than Lauren.

As for his little friend group, the only one reminded in town aside from him was Nancy. Truly, they hadn't even had a not awkward conversation, just the two of them in months. He hadn't even seen her around much. Dustin dropped by sometimes, but he had school now and was busy after school. Robin was really his only person he talked to in person.

Like typical, his mom stopped trying to put herself into his life, and things went back to normal. She began working just as much as Kenneth again and was never home. He didn't mind it. The house to himself was nice to have once again. He picked up more shifts while Robin was in school to make extra money, and he hadn't had much better to do.

"What made you think you both can go to lunch at the same time?" Robin walked behind the counter.

"I'm sorry, Keith. I thought, considering someone forgot to say that we were open and we had no customers because of that. We could waist fifteen minutes and grab a burger."

"What?"

"You left the closed sign up Keith, people just kept walking away, and we wondered why." Robin winked at Steve behind Keith's back.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. So I think you made the bigger wrong here."

"Yeah, whatever, don't let it happen again." Keith walked away from the counter.

"Will do, boss." He waved Steve, closing the office behind him.

"I don't have to integranize him."

"You're the one that gaslighting him."

"I would never." Robin put her hand on her heart before Steve jumped over the counter. He leaned his back against its eyes on Robin. "So back to what I was saying before to pour the water on me, I don't think the Rocky Horror movie is bad."

"That amazes me. I don't see you as the type to-"

"Oh, I did not watch it myself. Lauren made me." Steve cut her off. She nodded her head while slightly throwing her hand up.