STARCROSSED ▷ steve harrington

14. the battle of starcourt - part two

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT - THE BATTLE OF STARCOURT

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"JESUS," STEVE MUTTERED TO himself from the drivers seat. They'd left Starcourt mall about ten minutes prior, and had been on the road since, listening to Dustin's directions. Now they were on a back street with hardly any overhead lights. "How far is this thing, man?"

"Relax," Dustin snapped. "We're almost there."

"You said that ten minutes ago," Jackie said over her shoulder. She could practically feel Dustin roll his eyes.

"That's because you both have the patience of toddlers."

"Suzie must be pretty special, huh?" Robin questioned from the backseat once they all lapsed into silence again. "I mean, if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?"

"I mean, no one's scientifically perfect, but Suzie's about as close to perfect as any human could possibly be."

"Awwww," Jackie teased. "Are you in loooovvvee?"

"Shut up," he leaned forward and smacked her head. She swatted him away immediately in return.

"You little shit! That's my thing, you asshole."

"Boo-hoo."

It was her turn to roll her eyes as she moved to face the front again, pulling her shorts farther down so her thighs wouldn't stick to the leather.

"She sound made-up to me," Erica stated. "She sound made-up to you?"

Steve opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. "Why are you hesitating, Steve?" Dustin accused.

"I'm—I'm not!" He defended, sharing a look with Jackie. "I'm not, okay? I'm not."

"He's not," Jackie repeated sarcastically.

"I think she sounds real. You know, totally, absolutely, real. Right, Jackie?"

"Oh for sure," she replied, the lie falling smoothly from her mouth. "I'd believe it. She's a lucky girl to be dating our little Dustin." Jackie gave the younger boy a teasing smirk, who flipped her off in response.

"Left," Dustin ordered randomly. "Turn left!"

"There's no street there you moron!" Jackie yelled. "Fuck, I need an Oh Shit handle!"

"Just turn left!"

Steve abruptly turned the wheel, and they ran straight into a wooden fence. He pressed harder on the gas as the car struggled to climb up the hill.

"We're not gonna make it!"

"Come on, come on!"

The vehicle stopped mid-way up the hill, dying with its wheels dug into the soft dirt. Jackie sighed and dropped her head. "Guess even the Toddfather has its limitations," Robin commented.

The six of them scampered up the hill, and by the time they reached the top, Jackie was completely out of breath. "Well, there's my exercise for the rest of the month."

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"What's the My Little Pony thesis?" Robin asked, her gaze fixing itself on Dustin. Jackie cocked a brow and peered over the top of her head at the question. The younger boy avoided her gaze, he definitely knew that would get him even more teasing.

"Don't get him started," Cynthia and Erica replied in unison. The girls high-fived. "Nice."

"Hey, guys?" Steve called, and Jackie's head snapped up at the worry in his voice. She immediately pushed herself off the ground to see what he'd grabbed their attention for. She could feel the grass stuck to her knees but it was the last thing on her mind the moment she saw what had caused Steve to worry.