Halley's comet | Steve Harrington

i. closing time

"𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒂𝒑 𝒎𝒆?"

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

The arcade wasn't Halley Byers first choice in jobs. It was a far bike ride from her house when she didn't have the car, and it was filled with creepy guys that constantly tried to flirt with her. But it did have it's perks. Sneaking coins to her younger brother and his friends being the best in her mind. And Keith, wanting nothing more than to spend more time with the girl, was more than happy to let her pick up as many shifts as she'd like.

Which was exactly why Halley was there now. Closing was both the best and worst time to work. Guys her age would constantly try to show off by showing her their high scores, telling her they have 'stamina'. Acting like they meant the game when she gave them a disgusted look, but she knew.

There's always the good side though: kicking them out.

"You know, as much as I'd love to see your new score on Pac man, it's time to close," She said sweetly, twirling a key ring around her finger. She was stuck trying to get Carl to leave. And it wasn't the first time he had proven to be difficult.

"C'mon doll, why don't you close up, and you and I play a few games?" His voice was low, and he thought he sounded seductive. In reality, he sounded like he was choking on his own tongue, which is something Halley yearned for.

After a pedophile like wink, Halley had had enough. "Carl? I still don't like you. Nor will I ever. Now please get out so I can go home," she deadpanned, watching as Carl's smile fell.

Whatever feelings he had towards her, if they ever existed, aside from physical, in the first place, disappeared. Carl's fists clenched behind his sides and his eyebrows twitched. If a sinkhole could open up and devour Halley now, she would welcome it openly.

"Whatever, you're a bitch anyway," he said. And usually, Halley would have taken offence to the word, but coming from a lanky twig like Carl? There were more acne scars on his face than words in his vocabulary.

She sighed, examining the chipping polish on her nails. "Have a nice night, Carl." The door slammed behind him. But Halley didn't really care today. Keith had left early for something family related, and Carl, as usual, was the last one in the arcade, which meant all Halley had to do was lock up and she was free from the All Hawkins' Rejects' hangout.

The night air was cold, and it nipped at Halley's cheeks as she tugged her worn leather jacket around her. Since Jonathan had taken the car for a school project before Halley's shift, she was stuck riding her bike to the grocery store, then home.

Still standing where she had last left it, was her old metallic blue bike. It was a little banged up, from when she had crashed, and ran into a few poles, and gotten flat tires, but that's neither here nor there. It was still something Halley held close in her heart, probably because of the many bike rides she had taken the boys on when they were younger.