my girl, forever and always || steve harrington

the pollywog

part one

the next morning was, quite honestly, a painful blur. lydia's brain felt like it was trying to fight its way out of her skull and the incessant throbbing behind her eyes was not helping. steve had decided that it would be best for her not to go to school in the state she was in, so he dropped her off at home and gave her mom a call at work to ensure that everything was okay, despite the situation being quite the opposite. the only time that lydia's tears had fully stopped was when she was sleeping, and now that she was back in her bed sobs wracked her body.

"i'll check on you after school, okay lydi?" steve rubbed her back as she clutched a stray stuffed animal. she nodded through her tears. on her bedside table, her friend had left a water bottle along with a few pills to help relieve her headache. with a kiss to her temple, the teen left.

the tears wouldn't stop no matter how hard she tried. her nose was red from how much she had rubbed it, and her eyes were so puffy she could barely open them. her body ached, and she just wanted to wither away and die from the pain. they were her best friends. she would've moved heaven and earth for them and they went and stabbed her in the back.

with zombie-like movements, lydia got up from her bed and made her way into the bathroom. she stripped and filled the tub with hot water, stepping in immediately and ignoring the searing heat that pricked her skin. the drips from the faucet mesmerized her as she laid her head back against the cool tile and let the exhaustion fully engulf her as she closed her eyes.

~

at school, steve was having a hell of a time. the first thing on his list was finding that matthews bitch boy. he spotted him halfway down the hall at his locker and called him out before punching him harder than he had ever punched anyone in his life. the boy didn't even try to retaliate, knowing damn well that he deserved it. a certain stephanie foster had watched the ordeal and came to laurie's aid which made steve roll his eyes and scoff.

"steve, what the hell?" she had the nerve to yell.

"what the hell me? i should be the one saying what the hell to you! you were supposed to be her best friends and you guys pull this shit!" at this point, a small crowd had surrounded them, and laurie still hadn't said anything to defend himself. at least he knew that his actions were irredeemable. "if i see either of you around lydia again, you're gonna regret it." and with his final warning, he walked off to his class.

~

apparently everyone was on a mission to piss steve off today because billy was toying with him the entire class period. at first he was able to tune it out, seeing as he was trying to insult his popularity. but then, he made it personal.

"that friend of yours sure looked hot yesterday, how's she doing now?" although he was taunting the teen, he genuinely wanted to know if she was alright. but he would never admit it. the comment took steve by surprise so the blonde took his chance to make a layup.

"hey, don't you dare try anything with lydia." he said firmly with one hand balled up in a fist and the other pointing directly at the other teen. before he could threaten the boy again, a familiar voice knocked him out of his anger induced trance. he turned around and made eye contact with his girl- his ex-girlfriend.

"what are you doing here?" steve really didn't want to be having this talk right now.

"what do you think? where were you this morning? i missed first period." he fought the urge to roll his eyes at her comment and settled on exhaling loudly.

"i figured jonathan would take you." the confusion on her face was obvious and it dawned on him that she probably didn't remember what happened last night.

"jesus, you really can't handle your alcohol. you remember going to tina's party last night, right?" she agreed. "and then what?" she tried to recall her night but it was wrong. he scoffed.

"no see, that's where your memory gets a little bit fuzzy. that was your other boyfriend. that was- that was jonathan." take a breath, steve.

"i don't understand." you should.

"it's pretty simple, nancy. you were just telling it like it is." he really didn't want to have this talk right now.

"what?"

"uh, apparently, uh, we killed barb and i don't care, cause i'm bullshit. and our whole, relationship is bullshit, and pretty much everything is bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. oh yeah, also you don't love me."

"i was drunk, steve. i don't remember any of that." doesn't mean it's not true.

"so that makes everything you said, what? it's bullshit too?" he knew it wasn't. he saw the look in her eyes last night. even if she didn't remember it, he knew it was the truth.

"yes!"

"well then tell me."

"tell you what?" he was desperate at this point, but he hoped that last night was just a big misunderstanding and that they'd be okay. that she would say it and that the heavy tangled mess of knots in his stomach would untangle he could relax.

"that you love me." she looked at him in disbelief, but she couldn't find the words. three simple words and she couldn't say them, even after they were interrupted. then it dawned on her, maybe she never loved steve. maybe she just convinced herself she did.

~

back at the henderson household, lydia sat on the couch and stared at the blank tv screen. she had finally stopped crying and her headache had subsided for the most part, but the dull pain behind her eyes persisted. she replayed the scene last night over and over trying to remember every detail. it was so surreal she was sure that it was a dream. the echoing of the doorbell in her empty house surprised her, but the sight of her best friend put her at ease.

"hey there liddybug," she teared up at her childhood nickname and gave steve a big hug. "i brought bagel bites, doritos, and a shit ton of apple juice." he held up the grocery bag and she managed a small smile before letting him into the house.

"so how was school today?" she asked half-heartedly. she wasn't sure if she wanted to know, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"well," immediately, steve started firing up the toaster oven and getting everything prepared for the two. the doritos were in the biggest bowl he could find, the bagel bites were getting cooked, and the apple juice was split into two glasses. "i saw the brainless microdick today so i punched him in the face and told them both off." he seethed.

"steve, you didn't need to do that. i can fight my own battles." she said apathetically. actually, she was quite happy that he did that for her, even if she didn't necessarily approve of the level he stooped to.

"i know you can," she leaned on the counter next to him and picked at her nails, a nervous tick that she had adopted from her mother. "you're the strongest person i know." he took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze before taking out the pizza bagels. he looked at the girl with the plate in one hand and the bowl in the other.

"star wars?" she smirked and grabbed the two glasses of apple juice.

"you know it."