A NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION
Ryan Fordman has lived next door to Steve Harrington her entire life. Her entire life, he'd always been a window away, occasionally shouting across the space between their houses. They were inseparable... at least, they we...
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Ryan walked out of the arcade just as the boys parked their bikes in the bike rack, talking animatedly with one another. A few seconds later, Joyce Byers pulled up, Will jumping out of the car, running over to the group.
Ryan bounced over to the car, poking her head in the window of the door Will had just exited with a bright smile, "Hi momma!"
"Hi sweetie!" Joyce smiled, waving at her. "I told Will that I'd be back around nine. Keep an eye on him for me?"
"Always do, momma." She said. "Tell Bob hi from me!"
Despite her secretly wanting Joyce to be with her adoptive father Hopper, Ryan loved Bob Newby. He replaced her Walkman for free when Aaron had lost it a few weeks ago. He even replaced her Queen tape that had been in it when her dumbass of a brother had lost it. He was a truly great guy.
"Sure thing, call if anything happens?" Joyce gave Ryan a knowing look. She looked over her shoulder at Will laughing with the boys still waiting for her.
After the events of the last year, Will had these flashes, visions of the Upside Down. Everyone called them memories, flashes of PTSD, not sure what else to say. None of them knew what had happened to Will when he was stuck there. Seeing as Ryan occasionally had nightmares of her own about the place having been there for just a short period of time, she could only imagine what he was going through now.
"I will, I promise." She swore, stepping away from the car as Joyce started to pull out of the parking lot. "Bye momma!"
Ryan turned around to face the gaggle of boys waiting for her by the door, still joking around with one another, "Okay nerds! Who needs extra quarters?"
*•*•*
Thirty minutes later, Ryan sat on her stool behind the counter, watching as the boys crowded Dragon's Lair, screaming directions at Dustin. It reminded her of all their D&D games in Mike's basement.
"Hey Fordman," A voice snapped her out of her thoughts. On the other side of the counter, Tommy H grinned. "Bored?"
"Never bored when the kids are screaming over a video game they are close to winning." Ryan leaned over, opening the gate for him to sneak behind the counter.
Tommy pulled up another stool as Ryan heard the disappointed groans coming from the boys. She was sure this time was going to be the time they actually won at Dragon's Lair. After all, they'd spent every single night of the past week crowded around the machine, screaming as each one of them tried to beat their best level.
"So what are your plans after work?" Tommy asked, leaning forward on the counter. "Meeting Aaron at the Quarry for some not so legal street racing?"
Ryan shook her head with a small laugh. After the events of the past year, her and Aaron had started a new tradition of sorts, one that both irritated and amused Peter, as well as Hopper. Around ten o'clock, maybe eleven, the streets of Hawkins emptied out, not a single person on the road. One night while Peter was working a night shift, Aaron and Ryan had gotten bored sitting at home doing nothing, so they decided to race his motorcycle and her car. Now, months later, they still did so, sometimes even borrowing from the impound lot at the station.
