𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙥! 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣

SCENE FIVE. heart pop

09:30

and the alarm blurred out. the girl who laid in the bed screamed into the pillow. the woman who was already sitting in the kitchen. reading the newspaper which had been delivered that morning. and piper remembered steve, and the mall. throwing herself out of her bed. almost slamming into two doors on her way to the bathroom. the cold water spurting out straight away. not even bothering to turn the dial as she got her shower. scrubbing the paint from her skin and hair. and twenty minutes later the girl was running back into her room. the smell of vanilla following her. and not long after she was running from her room. now dressed in baggy jeans, and a green and black sweater that looked like an old man had died in. 

"bye mum!" piper shouted as the girl ran around, dragging her socks on.

"do you want my car?" mary shouted 

"i'll bike!" the girl shouted as she ran out the door. before freezing half way out, looking down at her head. and mary laughed, noticing her daughter's lack of shoes. watching the girl run to grab her shoes before slamming the door shut as she continued to laugh out. and the girl realised how warm she would get if she kept the jumper on. tugging it off and tying it around her waist as she hopped on her bike. thankful that she had put on a vest, even if it was thin. and before long the girl was paddling towards the mall. 

as usual it was bursting with life, little people walking around in their own silly lives. something that drove her mad sometimes, the concept of everyone living separate lives. and the second she appeared at the doors of the ice cream parlour robin looked up. smiling at the girl. 

"dingus! cherry!" she shouted and the doors behind ehr slammed open. a flustered harrington appeared from behind. 

"parker! i got you something." a boy shouted practically throwing himself out of the back, making the two girls laugh as he stumbled to his feet. and he held out his hand. and in his hand was a lollipop. a heart one. and she smiled as he handed it over. 

"go i wanna be sick.'' robin spat as she disappeared behind the counter again. serving more teenage customers who were having fun during the summer. 

"piper parker? is that you?" a voice behind her asked, the girl freezing up as she stared at steve who still stood before her. he too had gone wide eyed, something wasn't right. 

and she finally turned. and stood there as a couple. a couple she could never forget. partners of crime to the old steve harrington. tommy and carol.  

"eh look, harrington's hanging with gaps.'' carol laughed looking at the two who now stood side by side. and she just stood there, surrounded by the people who called her names. people were still calling her names and it all came flooding back. 

spotty freak

oh my god, look at her teeth!

didn't anyone tell you? 

oh look at the size of her

nobody likes you piper, you should kill yourself

ew get it away from me!

did you actually think that he would like you? pathetic ugly freak

"look at her tommy, is the little baby going to cry?" and she crumbled. steve just watched as everything she had built up whilst away crumbled. 

"guess she's joined the long list of steve harrington's dirty sluts." and he had enough. remembering how he used to just sit and laugh at their snide comments. of course he had never realised how they had affected the girl. but he could see her hands shaking. one rubbing her clothed hip softly. 

"why don't you two just fuck off!" steve spat, wrapping his hand around the girl's wrist. tugging her behind him, he didn't want them to see her like this. not after she had changed. and the two laughed at steve's actions. till his fist met tommy's jaw as he went to add another snide remark at the girl. the boy stumbling backwards and the blow into his girlfriend. and their act fell. the pair ran out of the shop straight away. thankfully the only people in the ice cream parlour was an old couple who were sitting eating their coffee ice cream. 

"just ignore them, piper, they're just jealous because you're pretty and way better than them. trust me, i was one of them.'' steve tried to comfort her as he squatted beside her. the girl who had crumbled to the floor the second they had left. wrapping his arms around her, not knowing how to deal with crying girls. but all he could think about was how he used to be. how he used to be the one calling her names. did she go home and cry like this? did he actually act like that? treat people like that? did he ever make her want too- and he remembered how her hand had brushed over her hip as she just stood in silence. and he wanted to cry. but instead, picked himself up. running to his bag which was hung on the wall. rifling through it as she just watched him. til he was scrambled back over to her with another lolly. and she laughed. and he sat and watched her, head tipping back in laughter she brushed the tears away. her cheeks flared up and burning red, eyes puffy making them look even brighter. and he couldn't help but join her as she laughed. 

'are you falling in love?'