World's Best Babysitter | Stranger Things

4 - Railroad Talk

The trees' branches softly danced in the light breeze. Brown and crumpled leaves crunched under Steve and Dustin's feet as they walked up the abandoned railroad tracks, dropping small cubes of raw meat down for Dustin's little monster friend. A little while before, Dustin had told Steve that he hadn't been telling the full story, and he had actually picked up the frog sized creature to try and get some girl to like him back. To which Steve responded with, "I thought you were the smart one."

The walk was mostly silent, aside from the sound of the chum hitting the ground with a splat and the sounds of the leaves rustling in the wind.

"Alright so, let me get this straight," Steve threw some more meat on the ground. "You kept something you knew was probably dangerous, in order to impress a girl who… you just met?"

"Alright, that's grossly oversimplifying things." Dustin denied.

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug, anyway?" Steve asked from behind.

"An interdimensional slug?" Dustin questioned. "Because that's awesome." He chuckled with his half-toothless smile.

"Well, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I-- I just--" Steve stuttered as he tried to find a reason. "I don't know, I just feel like you're trying way too hard." He quickly said.

"Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right?" Dustin mumbled.

"It's not about the hair, man." Replied Steve. "The key with girls is just-- just acting like you don't care."

Dustin's head perked up like an intrigued puppy. Was this it? Was the talk that would get him what he wanted? Was this the way to get Max to like him back? "Even if you do?" He asked, hope bleeding through his voice.

"Yeah, exactly," Steve nodded. "It drives them nuts."

"Then what?" Dustin swiftly asked.

"Then you just wait, until, uh…" He trailed off, throwing more meat behind and thinking of what to say next. "Until you feel it."

"Feel what?"

"It's like before it's gonna storm, y'know?" Steve began to explain in a way the small child would understand. "You can't see it, but you can feel it, this, uh, this-- electricity, you know?"

"Oh, like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere--"

"No, no, no, no, no." Steve cut him off. He should have known Dustin would have gone into his nerdy explanations. "Like a sexual electricity."

"Oh," Dustin nodded, now sounding a little bit uncomfortable.

"You feel that," Steve pointed to Dustin. "And then you make your move."

"So that's when you kiss her?" Dustin grinned.

Steve winced. Jesus, this kid was desperate. "No! Woah, woah!" He exclaimed. "Slow down, Romeo!"

"Sorry." Dustin quickly put his head down in embarrassment.

"Sure, okay yeah, some girls, they want you to be aggressive." Said Steve. "You know; strong, hot and heavy, like a-- I don't know, like a lion." He shrugged.

Dustin said nothing and nodded as he listened to Steve's advice.

"But others, you gotta be slow. You gotta be stealthy, like a ninja."

"What type is Nancy?" Dustin wondered.

"Nancy's different. She's different from the other girls." A soft smile made its way onto Steve's face.