Cosmic Optimist [1] {STEVE HARRINGTON}

three.

Chapter Three: The Coolest

It was Halloween night in Hawkins, Indiana and despite the fact that it was a school night, drunk high schoolers flooded in and out of the home of Tali's ex friend, Tina. The Henderson girl had already given up on trying to find the boy she had attended the party with. She was slightly tipsy and hungry and that's how she found herself stood in the middle of the dark street looking at the once king of Hawkins, Steve Harrington, sat on the road leaning up against his car.

"Too drunk to drive," she laughed removing the headset of her Walkman from her ears. It wasn't till she got closer she noticed his face was somber and his eyes were watery in the light of the lamp post.

"Hey Harrington, are you okay?" She asked stopping to stand a foot away from him. Steve suddenly aware of her presence quickly jumped up, brushing his hands on his jacket.

"Yeah, yeah," he said turning quickly to unlock his car door. Tali shrugged and continued to stagger her way home. Steve noticed how she looked like a newborn deer walking. He felt bad that she was planning to walk home when he would have to pass her street anyway, he called out.

"Hey Henderson, need a ride?"

The Henderson girl stopped abruptly and turned a goofy drunk smile on her lips and shrugged, "If your offering". He stretched over to unlock the passenger door from the inside, and she slumped down on the chair. Unlike Billy, Steve drove at a reasonable speed, which comforted her as her head seemed to balance out. The world no longer spinning as Steve pulled out of the street Tali let her drunk mind ask a question.

"So why were you sat outside your car?"

Steve took a moment to ponder an answer, "Just thinking..." Tali nodded. "Didn't you come here with Hargrove? Doesn't he drive?"

"Like a maniac. He ditched with some of your old friends," Steve nodded.

"Nancy?" she asked wondering where his girlfriend was.

Steve simply shook his head in response and Tali nodded.

Obviously, something had happened between them if he was going home alone, but she wasn't gonna press for more details. They were nearing a road Tali was extremely familiar with when Steve stopped at a stop sign. A lightbulb when off in the girl's mind. She suddenly enthusiastically turned and said, "Okay I'm not gonna ask what happened because it's none of my business, but I just need to know. Do you have somewhere you have to be or are you heading home?"

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, "Just going home,"

"Want to get a burger?" Tali looked at him with pleading eyes, "Please, I'm starved you just have to turn here instead. And you're obviously sad." She spoke animatedly with her hands, "The best cure for sadness is burgers and milkshakes from Joe's. Please," she said stinging out the e.

Steve looked over at her seriously before the corners of his mouth twitches up seeing the ridiculously exaggerated pout on her face, "Okay. Yeah, fuck it. Let's go".

The slightly intoxicated girl let out a whoop before slipping up the headset toward her ears and pressing play. The nighttime radio host playing from Steve car was dull and annoying. Along the way the brunette gave him directions to the diner that sat near the edge of town.

When they got there they were greeted by purple neon lights radiating off the building. The Joe's sign blinked above them. The open sign at the door flickered, reading 'op n', the e lights having died out. Tali directed Steve to park behind the diner. Slightly confused, he followed her directions.