Remedy ••• Stranger Things

{8} Coincidence

Hot steaming water cascaded over Steve's face as he took a shower after gym.

He wished desperately for the water to wash some of his stress away, but he had no such luck. He was up to his eyeballs in college applications, his girlfriend just broke up with him and now he had some shirtless rocker-wannabe threatening his social-standing and his place on the basketball team. Maybe all the shit he was getting lately was karma for those times he was a jerk?

Shaking his long hair out of his eyes, he noticed that Billy was beside him when he loudly blew air out through his nose.

"Don't sweat it Harrington," he smirked, "today's just not your day man."

Steve stared back at him in silent annoyance. He knew that he shouldn't start a fight, especially since neither of them had any clothes on, but god, Billy really irritated him and he wanted nothing more than to throw a punch then and there.

"Yeah, not your week." Tommy, his ex-best friend added, "You and the princess break up for one day and she's already running off with the freak's brother."

That caught Steve's attention, and he looked at Tommy to make sure he wasn't lying. Tommy noticed the boy's melancholic eyes and immediately started laughing.

"Oh shit. You don't know." he taunted. "Jonathan and the princess skipped yesterday, still haven't shown. But that must just be a coincidence, right?"

Tommy laughed cruelly and pushed away from the shower, wrapping his towel around him and leaving the room.

Steve swallowed the big lump in his throat and carried on with his shower. He wasn't exactly surprised. He knew Jonathan and Nancy felt something for each-other, that's what caused the fight between him and Jonathan last year. He also knew that Jonathan would probably be the boy that she would go for if they ever broke up. He just didn't think she would move on so fast. Did their relationship mean that little to her that she could just go to another boy that quickly?

Jonathan Byers. What the hell was so special about that guy anyway? Sure, he was smart, but he was a complete loner and he always looked so uncomfortable and out of place. Not to mention the creepy stalker pictures he took of them last year. Steve couldn't understand what Nancy saw in him. Hell, even Jennifer Hopper liked the guy.

Billy watched Tommy leave and turned back to Steve with an unreadable expression.

"Don't take it too hard man."

He leaned his arm against the shower pole. "A pretty boy like you has got nothing to worry about. Plenty of bitches in the sea."

Billy smirked and turned the water of Steve's shower off, leaving him with a big head of soapy hair.

"Am I right?"

He slapped Steve on the shoulder and started to make his way out of the room but before leaving, he paused and looked back at him.

"Hey, do me a favor and tell that Hopper chick to call me will you?" Not waiting for an answer, he chuckled and winked at him, leaving him in the showers alone.

Steve was almost shaking with anger. Billy really knew how to get under his skin and all of his little comments were getting to him. And tell Jenny to call him? No way in hell was Steve going to let that douche-bag step foot near his somewhat-friend. Jenny was way too good for a dick like him.

Steve hit the shower valve in frustration, turning the lukewarm water back on. He was having a really shit week.

••••••••••

Jenny had spent the night away from El and Hopper, and it seemed like one night too many. Her stay at the Byers' house had helped her cool off and she felt like she was now prepared to deal with the troubling pair once again.

She entered the cabin to find it looking almost the same as it was before the fight, despite the windows having no glass. El must have cleaned the place, she thought.

Speaking of El, Jenny searched the room for the short-haired girl, hoping to have a word with her and apologize for leaving.

Seeing no sign of her, she went into the girls room and found her snoring quietly in her bed.

Jenny smiled slightly at the sight before turning to go into her own room. She really hoped that El would be able to go outside soon and experience things a girl her age should be experiencing, although the only reason El wanted to go outside was to see Mike. Oh yes, Jenny knew all about her and the Wheeler boy, she still remembered the night when a red-faced Eleven had told her that they had kissed, and Jenny thought it was beyond adorable. She hasn't told her Dad anything about them however, knowing that he wouldn't like El being with a boy.

Maybe one day she would be able to see him again, Jenny thought. But she just didn't know when.