𝘼𝙪𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩 [𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣]

[The Un-Pep Rally]

The next morning, Steve pulled into Robin's driveway, the car idling as Cherry sipped on her coffee in the front seat. Steve honked the horn a couple of times before Robin finally emerged, looking as if she'd rolled straight out of bed. She climbed into the backseat, clutching a crumpled paper bag and her band uniform. As the car pulled away, Steve launched into a rant about work, eager to let Robin know after nearly talking Cherry's ears off. "And Keith, I swear, he's been putting me on closing shifts just to spite me."

He let out a sigh, "Like, what kind of manager actually schedules himself off for every Friday night? It's ridiculous. Not to mention, he keeps moving the horror section around for 'better feng shui,' and I'm like, dude, it's a Family Video, not a yoga studio." Robin, barely listening, was staring out the window with a vacant expression. "Robin," Steve called, glancing in the rearview mirror to catch her attention. "Are you even listening?" "Huh?" Robin blinked and sat up straight. "Yeah, yeah, I'm listening."

Steve's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What did I just say?" "Uh..." Robin hesitated, then threw out the first thing that popped into her head. "Something about working with Keith today?" Steve let out a dry laugh. "I was talking about Keith yesterday, not today. You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Robin shrugged, looking entirely unbothered. "Cut me some slack, Steve. It's 7:00 a.m., and I'm still half-asleep." "Well, excuse me for wanting to vent about my terrible boss before you completely check out," Steve replied, shaking his head.

Robin leaned forward, resting her arms on the back of Cherry's seat. "Look, I could care less about Keith right now. We've got this stupid pep rally, and I woke up looking like a corpse. Can we not make Keith the center of the conversation?" Steve smirked, eyes flicking toward Cherry before returning to the road. "You're worried about a pep rally? Come on, Robin, we both know what this is about." Robin rolled her eyes, knowing exactly where this was going. "Oh my god, It's not." Steve shook his head, "You know, you gotta stop pretending to be someone else when you're around her."

"Just be yourself," Steve said, flashing Robin a look. Robin scoffed. "You're literally quoting me to me. You realize that, right?" She folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at him. "Maybe you need to listen to yourself for a change." "I did listen," Steve retorted, gesturing toward Cherry with a smug grin. "And look at me—back in business." "Gross," Robin muttered, making a face. "Well, it's different for you," she continued, her tone softening slightly. "You ask out a girl and she says no. Big deal. Maybe your ego's a little bruised."

She huffed, "But I ask out the wrong girl, and bam, I'm a town pariah." "I'd buy that, except Vickie is definitely not the wrong girl," Steve replied, his tone growing more serious. "We just don't know that, do we?" Robin replied with a sigh, leaning back against the seat. Cherry, who had been quietly listening, spoke up. "Honestly, Rob, you've been hung up on Vickie for weeks. You talk about her every time she comes into the store. What if you're overthinking it?" Robin shrugged. "What if I'm not?"

Steve glanced at her. "She returned Fast Times, paused at 53 minutes, 5 seconds. You know who pauses Fast Times at 53 minutes, 5 seconds?" Cherry pursed her lips, "People who... appreciate a certain moment..?" "People who like boobies, Robin," Steve said, his voice deadpan. Robin let out a groan, covering her ears. "Ew! Gross. Don't say boobies. That's weird." Steve grinned, enjoying Robin's discomfort. "Boobies," he repeated with exaggerated emphasis. "Not a big deal, okay? I like boobies. You like boobies. Vickie definitely likes boobies."