slay 'em dead//Steve Harrington

22

I'm about to leave for the mall when the phone rings.

"Hello?"

"It's me," Jonathan tells me.

"Shouldn't you be at your internship?" I ask.

"I got fired," Jonathan tells me. "Well, more like Nancy got both of us fired."

"What happened?" I ask.

"We were told to forget the rat thing, but Nancy kept pushing it. Our boss found out and fired us," Jonathan explains. "Then we got into a fight because she couldn't see how this was her fault."

"Did you break up?" I ask.

"I don't think so," Jonathan tells me.

"So, the two of you can still fix it," I reason. "You both just have to talk it out."

Dustin, Robin, Steve, and I are in the breakroom at Scoops. Apparently, Dustin did more recon this morning on what was in the room we saw last night.

"That keycard opens the door, but unfortunately, the Russian with this keycard also has a massive gun," Dustin tells us. "Whatever's in this room, whatever's in those boxes, they really don't want anybody finding it."

"But there's gotta be a way in," Robin insists.

"Well, you know... I could just take him out," Steve offers.

"Take who out?" Robin asks.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"The Russian guard," Steve tells us. I clever my mouth to stop myself from laughing in his face. "What? I sneak up behind him, I knock him out, and I take his keycard. It's easy."

"Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" Dustin asks.

"Yes, Dustin, I did," Steve assure him. "And that's why I would be sneaking."

"Ah," Dustin says. "Well, please, tell me this, and be honest, have you ever actually... won a fight?"

"Okay, that was one time..." Steve says.

I make a face. "Twice. Jonathan. The year before."

"Listen, that doesn't count," Steve tells me.

"Why wouldn't it?" Dustin asks.

"I was there," I remind Steve.

"It looks like he beat the shit out of you," Dustin tells him.

"It was..." Steve starts.

Dustin ignores him. "You got a fat lip, crooked nose, swollen eye, a lot of blood... things that all added up..."

"That just might work," Robin says.

She grabs my arm and drags me out to the front of the store.

"Uh, Robin..." I start.

She grabs the money from the tip jar. She continues to drag me along behind her as we head towards the door.

"Robin. Hey, Robin!" Steve shouts. "Hey, what... what are you doing?"

"I need cash," Robin tells him.

"Well, half of that's mine," Steve reminds her. "Where're you going?"

"To find us a way into that room, a safe way," Robin tells him. "And, in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up. We'll be back in a jiff."

Since Robin rides her bike to work, I thought it best that I should drive us to wherever we're going. Neither of us speakers for the first few minutes. It's never been just Robin and I anywhere besides Scoops' back room.