Say Anything | Steve Harrington |

Ch. 37 Snow Ball

   I used to think that I lived in a small, boring town, where everyone knew everyone. A town where nothing interesting ever happened.

   The towns still small, but it's far from boring. Somehow, in this past year alone, our small town of Hawkins has seemed to deal some serious damage. From missing kids to a dead teenager, and the emergence of a strange yet powerful young girl.

   All because of some laboratory that I never noticed in all sixteen years of my life. Everyone's life in Hawkins seemed to be affected, even if some didn't realize it yet.

   Though, luckily, since the release of a "mysterious" tape, the U.S. Department of Energy has closed the foreboding lab, even taking partial ownership of Barb's death, stating that she had been exposed to a harmful chemical. Rather than telling the dark truth.

   Though, I don't think they'd ever be ready to tell the world about what exactly happened within that lab.

December 6th, 1984
The Byers Household

   "Light's out! Eleanor, I know you can hear me!" My mom's voice rang through the quiet house as she walked down the hallway and towards her bedroom. "You want me to strain my eyes by reading in the dark? Shame on you." I called back.

   "Sorry for wanting you to get a good night's rest." She stated as she peeked her head into my room. "It's despicable," I stated, placing a piece of paper between the pages I was reading before closing the book. "You nervous about tomorrow?" She asked, leaning against the door frame.

   "What? No, I'm fine." I said with a grin only for her to squint her eyes at me. "Should I not be fine?" I asked dropping my grin slightly, causing her to laugh at me. "I didn't say anything." She stated, holding her hands in the air.

   Rolling my eyes at her, I pulled one of my pillows onto my face, "Okay, fine I'm freaking out. What am I supposed to do mom? What if he regrets asking me out, or what if I make a fool of myself?"

   "Hey, hey, you won't make a fool of yourself." She quickly made her way towards me, sitting on the edge of my bed, carefully pulling the pillow out of my grasp. "If he can't accept you because of your flaws then he isn't worth you."

   "Pretty sure he knows all of her flaws already, mom!" Jonathan's voice was slightly muffled by the wall between us. "I'd rather mine over yours, Jon!" I yelled back, elbowing the wall slightly, listening to the sound of one of his frames falling off the wall.

   "Please stop that, I've glued that frame together three times this month already." Mom stated with a frown before standing up from the bed. "Tomorrow will be great, and if it isn't then we'll egg his car."

   Rolling my eyes, I leaned over to click off my lamp. "Sure we will Joyce, goodnight," I stated before blowing a kiss in her direction. "Love you, honey." 

~~~

   As the house grew quiet, my impatience grew as sleep seemed to be the last thing my brain wanted to do.

   Twisting in my bed, I laid on my side, staring at the window that allowed the light of the moon to shine through the still open curtains.

   Letting out a quiet groan, I sat up in bed, glaring at the window, and silently blamed myself for not tying the curtains together before I laid down.

   Sliding out of bed, I approached the window, grasping the two pieces of fabric in my hand before pulling them together only for a hand to slap onto my window.

   Slapping my hand over my mouth to hold in my scream, I glared at the silently laughing boy on the other side of the glass. Pushing the curtains apart again, I raised an eyebrow at the still grinning Steve Harrington as he waved for me to open the window.