Crush Culture [M.Wheeler]

[43] IT'S OVER

While Steve, Nori, and Dustin sit in the back room at Scoops, Robin has the ice cream job. "Steve!" The girl calls while Dustin plays the tape to him.

He paces around, eating his banana. Dustin pauses the recording. "So what do you think?" Dustin asks.

"It sounded familiar." Steve comments. "What?" Dustin squints his eyes, confused. "The music. The music right there at the end." He explains, mouthful of the banana slice. "Why are you listening to the music, Steve?" Dustin yells. "Listen to the Russian!"

"We're translating Russian!" He adds. "I'm trying to listen to the Russian, but there's music—"

"Alright, babysitting time is over." Robin comments, barging in. "You need to get in there."

"Hey, my board. That was important data, shitbirds." She shouts, pointing to the whiteboard, now crowded with Russian letters.

"I guarantee you, what we're doing is way more important than your data." Dustin argues. "Well, anyways, it's all going to shit because we've gotten nowhere." Nori rolls her eyes.

"Yeah? And how do you know these Russians are up to no good anyways?" Robin asks, shocking them as neither of them had even told her about it.

Dustin and Nori both look up at Steve, assuming he had told her. "How does she know about the Russians?"

"I don't know." He shrugs. "You told her about—"

"It wasn't me." Steve denies. "Hello, I can hear you. Actually, I can hear everything. You are all extremely loud. You think you have evil Russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you're trying to translate, but haven't figured out a single word because you didn't realize Russians use an entirely different alphabet." She says confidently.

"Sound about right?" She raises her eyebrows. Nori forms a smile, while Steve and Dustin remain silent. Robin reaches forward for the tape, but Steve quickly pulls it back.

"Whoa! What do you think you're doing?" He asks. "I wanna hear it." She states. "Why?" They all question.

"Cause maybe I can help. I'm fluent in four languages, you know." She explains. "Russian?" Dustin says hopefully.

"Ou-yay are-yay umb-day." She says, causing Dustin, Nori, and Steve to cheer excitedly. "Holy shit!"

"That was Pig Latin, dingus." Robin grins. "Idiots." Steve slaps his sister and Dustin on their shoulders. "Ow." Nori comments.

"But I can speak Spanish and French and Italian, and I've been in band for 12 years." Robin continues, taking a seat. "My ears are little geniuses, trust me."

"Uh.." Steve shakes his head hesitantly. "Come on, it's your turn to sling ice cream, my turn to translate. I don't even want credit. I'm just bored." She groans.

She holds out her hand for the tape. Steve sighs, exchanging it for the scooper. "Ellie's coming with me." He says.

"What why?" Nori, Dustin, and Robin all ask, not wanting the girl to go. "Because I said so, and I don't want to be bored alone. Come on." He takes her by the arm, pulling her out.

"I hate you, you know that, right?" Nori comments. "Yeah, I love you, too, kid."

***