Blondie | Steve Harrington

VIII

Eloise

My legs are exhausted by the time we reach the old junkyard "Oh, yeah. This will do." Steve sighed as he began walking away "This will do just fine. Good call dude." Steve looked back at a smiling Dustin, impressed with his idea of coming to this area.

"Keep throwing it around, well dump it all out once we get up further," I say throwing several pieces of meat out of my disgustingly gross bucket. Each one of us took turns emptying it all on the grass making a massive pile of raw grossness below us. "I said medium-well!"

We turned our attention towards the voice of Lucas as the waving young boy stood with his bike alongside my sister who had her hands in her pockets with a smile on her face. "Who's that?" Asked Steve who looked over to Dustin who had his attention locked onto something else, or by something else I mean my sister. "That's my sister..." I trail off looking back and forth as Dustin couldn't take her eyes off of her.

I looked at the older boy he looked as confused as me which to why my sister came along as well as Dustin's little crush. "Max, what the hell are you doing here?" I drop the buck throwing my gloves off as I walk towards her. "I could ask you the same thing." she smart-mouthed back to me. "Did you tell-" Immediately cutting me off she shook her head "No, I left out of my window."

I sighed closing my eyes "If he finds out we're both dead."

"Okay, children!" Steve shouted as he gathered each one of us to the abandoned bus "We lose light in approximately fifty minutes. Gather as much metal scraps or anything to board this old thing up." He pointed to the bus. "Please for the love of God, don't mess this up." he directed toward the young boys which was followed by the two of them placing their middle fingers in the air and walking off.

"Be careful." I smiled at Max as she gave a slight head nod and walked away.

Scoping out the piles upon piles of rusted metal I drag out the best looking and more importantly, sturdy ones into a pile which Steve took to the bus and laid them against it. I never pictured my Saturday evening with three kids and Farah Fawcett- wait, I mean Steve Harrington, collecting scraps of metal and tossing raw meat out of a bucket would be my kind of weekend but I'd rather be here than at home where I did not feel as welcomed to even breathe. The urge to touch my cheekbone and follow up on my eyelid was impossible as the pain pulsated through it constantly since we began this hike up to this old junkyard. "Hey! Dickheads!" quickly looking over my shoulder Steve hit a chair against a car "How come the only two helping me are Eloise and her sister. We're about to lose light in forty minutes. Let's go." The two boys stared at Steve which backfired in them getting yelled at to hurry once more which lead Dustin to cuss out "All right, asshole! God!"

I let out a laugh as the boys hurry behind Steve walking over towards Max and helping her bring metal onto the school bus.

"Damn kids." Mumbled Steve as he ran his fingers through his hair. "yeah, tell me about it." I laughed while handing him another piece to go over to the bus. "I didn't want to ask you but," he looked at me as if I was not going to answer him "Your eye, what happened? It looks fresh." I sucked in a breath forgetting about the times when I'd have to lie about every cut or bruise on my body while I'd be in school during time back home in California. "I didn't pay attention to my surroundings last night." I fixed a fake smile on my face. "I was talking to my stepmom when I wasn't paying attention where I was walking and ran right into the door frame," I slap my palms together "and, bam! My cheek hit right on the corner." he furrowed his brows and gave me a slight nod "Well, put some ice on that thing when you get home."

"Will do." I smiled and walked past him carrying a very heavy scrap making me have a limp in my step as my knee pushed it as I walked.

"Jeez Hargrove, that thing is bigger than you." Taking it out of my hands he swapped it with an ever so smaller piece he was carrying "Thanks." I mumbled as walks off onto the bus.