THE KIDS AREN'T ALRIGHT ｡ STRANGER THINGS

21 - RETROUVAILLE

Long hours passing, repeating songs on the radio, long silences that turned into conversations choked through laughter about old times. Too many packets of candy wrappers and takeaway cups of coffee shared between two teenagers was the opening to an almost eight hour road trip to Memphis, Tennessee.

"We really didn't think this through," Steve Harrington yawned out, his voice muffled slightly. His hair looked almost flat and darkness painted his eyes. It was almost two o'clock in the morning and they had been driving for only a few hours so far. They were somewhere in Missouri and not even half way through their trip just yet. "We could have at least started the trip during the daylight."

Daisy was curled up against the car door, her legs tangled underneath her leather jacket while her head was propped against her hand. Her muscles ached a little bit from being cramped up so long and the tiredness was quickly taking shape in her mind. Glancing across at Steve, she couldn't help but agree in the early hours of the morning. The thing was, she hadn't been thinking when she had packed a bag and hurried into the arms of the one boy who would indeed not question her and join her in some crazy midnight adventure. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." she admitted quietly, rubbing at her eyes.

Steve yawned again. "Isn't that always the way."

With doubt dancing in his mind, he suddenly realised how foolish this idea had been. He had been so quick to drop everything and tag along with Daisy Lonsdale, not only to find his lost best friend, but to spend time alone with her. In all honestly, he never really could say no to Daisy. They had been on the outs for the better part of a year and each day, he would see her in the school hallways and question his mistakes that had driven her away in the first place. There had been so many times where he had driven by her house and almost gone inside to tell her how much he missed her. But he never had. Now, it was almost like he was catching up on lost time before things slipped away from him again.

"Eight hours didn't seem that long in theory," Daisy started, rearranging herself in the seat, trying to get comfortable. Darkness blurred by in the window and she caught herself in the reflection, almost a worn out face. She couldn't help but wonder if Marigold still had the same shade of blonde hair. While she combed some blonde locks away from her face, she spotted a neon light blinking in the distance. "Pit stop?"

The boy also saw the blinking sign of a roadside motel. "How much money did you hustle from your mum, Goldilocks?"

Daisy was reaching into the backseat to grab her bag, knowing she had stuffed some of her savings from the Hawk somewhere. It wasn't much, but it seemed like a logical idea to bring it along just in case. "Actually, mother dearest doesn't know about our little trip."

"What?" Steve blurted out, mouth gaping open.

Daisy winced. "I left a note."

Steve Harrington was already freaking out as they pulled into an almost empty carpark. Red neon light blinked down on them both and he turned to face her, his face riddled with confusion once again. "Are you serious? You drag me along on some goose chase across the country to try and find Marigold and you didn't think letting your mother know was a good idea? She already hates me, Daisy." He yanked the key from the ignition. "How do I land myself in shitty situations all the time? First that weird monster stuff weeks ago and now, this."

Daisy was hurrying out of the car, slamming the door shut behind her. Her natural temper was rising to match his own. "You wanted to come, remember? I didn't force you into driving down to Memphis."

The teenagers stormed across the carpark together, Steve's long legs carrying him towards the reception building quicker. They continued to throw around insults, both overtired and saying things they didn't really mean. "I should never have gotten involved with you Lonsdale girls." Steve boomed out into the cold night air. "Nothing but trouble, that's for sure."