Alice the Amazing ⇒ STRANGER THINGS

[5] Party Hard

{The Weirdo on Maple Street, Part III}

Barb and Alice were tense the whole ride over. Alice thought about her brother and Eleven, and Barb worried about Steve's intentions.

"Barbara, pull over," Nancy demanded.

"What?" Barb asked. They were still on the road leading to Steve's house.

"Pull over!" Nancy repeated.

"What are we doing here?" Alice asked, leaning forward from the back seat. "His house is three blocks away."

"We can't park in the driveway," Nancy said, as if that made all the sense in the world.

"Are you serious?" Barb huffed.

"Yeah," Nancy explained. "The neighbors might see."

Alice rolled her eyes. 

"Nance, you're being ridiculous."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"This is so stupid," Barb interrupted their childish bickering. "I'm just going to drop you two off."

"Calm down, Barb," Nancy said. "You promised that you'd go."

"Technically, I didn't promise," Alice piped up. "I was dragged here against my will."

"You two are both coming!" Nancy said. "We're going to have a great time."

Barb shook her head at Nancy's naivety.

"Steve just wants to get in your pants," she said sharply.

Nancy's face flushed.

"No, he doesn't!"

"Nance, seriously," Barb continued. "He invited you to his house. His parents aren't home. Come on, you are not this stupid!"

"Tommy H. and Carol are going to be there," Nancy pointed out.

"Tommy and Carol have been having sex since, like, seventh grade," Barb said with a scoff. "It'll probably just be, like, a big orgy."

Alice gagged.

"Gross," she said.

"Come on, Al," Nancy said. "You don't think Steve only invited me to sleep with me, right?"

Yikes.

"I mean," Alice began, "Steve is kind of known for being a horndog..."

"Ha!" Barb said.

"...But he really likes you, and he doesn't seem like the type to make you do anything you don't want to," she finished.

"Ha!" Nancy said, sticking her tongue out at Barb.

"Honestly, I have no idea what Steve is—what the hell?" Alice interrupted herself when she noticed a familiar car. "Why is Samuel here?"

Nancy and Barb continued their conversation while Nancy changed her top, and Alice pushed open the door of the car and slammed it.

"Hi, Al," Samuel said innocently when he saw her walking toward him. "I thought you weren't coming?"

"Don't 'Hi Al' me! Why are you here? No one actually invited you!"

"Yeah," Samuel said, putting his hands on his hips. "When you said you probably weren't going to come, I made other arrangements. Carol is in my history class. She said I could come if I brought beer."

He held up a six pack.

"You're ridiculous."

"No, I'm not, I'm a method actor."