Let The World Go By || Steve Harrington

Bullshit

Parents had decided that Halloween of all nights was the night to be actual parents to my little sister. Making it so I couldn't go to Tina's party. Someone had to hand out the candy. At least one of the 4 TV stations had a marathon of 60s horror on tonight. Something to keep me entertained while I waited in the 10 minute intervals between the groups of kids coming to the door. I heard another knock and shook my head a bit. Night must be picking up. You'd think with everything that had happened a year ago, people going missing, the kids would be less likely to be out so late. Grabbing the bowl I opened the door to see, not a group of middle schoolers but instead,

"Harrington?" The boy seemed distraught, eyes begging me to just let him into the house. I stepped aside, setting the bowl back down onto the table for when actual trick or treaters came to the door.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here." Then he just stopped. He stopped talking, swapping it for pacing.

"Harrington, not to burst your bubble but what the hell is going on?" Stressed, he was clearly stressed. There was something going on.

"Stupid fucking party. I just wanted us to have one night. One night!" Nancy. This was about Nancy. Of course it was. Everything in Steve's world revolved around Nancy, that was why I hadn't seen him in a year. She decided I was beneath her, and so no more Sunday night sundaes, Halloween horror marathons, none of it.

"What happened this time?" I snagged a snickers out of the candy bowl. If I was going to be the shoulder to cry on then I might as well be fed.

"She doesn't love me. She called everything bullshit. All of it." He started loud,

"She's probably drunk, you know how she gets." I'd been on the receiving end of Nancy's bullshit. A "party" at Steve's when they first started dating. The night she decided to tell Steve that I was a waste of their time, and he obliged.

"This is different. I- I left her there. I told Jonathan to give her a ride home." I just stared for a moment, processing the fact that he left Nancy alone at a party. "Luce. She doesn't love me. I don't know that she ever did."

"Steve, I know she loves you. She has too." I stopped myself before I said how could she not. Shit he was Steve Harrington. There was only one girl who people knew rejected him, and the rumor was that she was a lesbian. I mean come on, he's Steve Harrington. The guy of Hawkins, IN.

"That's the thing though. She doesn't. She doesn't have too. Just because I love her doesn't mean shit." He started getting loud again. I held out a candy bar. "The fuck is that for?"

"You dipshit. Eat something. Balance the hormones or whatever the fuck is going on with you." He wasn't being himself. He and girlfriends had fought before, this was nothing new just a different girl.

"Lucy I think Nancy and I just broke up."

"And that's why you came here. Now you're off leash?" Lashing out. It was stupid and petty and ridiculous.

"What the fuck?" He was pissed. Good, get pissed. It wasn't like I hadn't been pissed for months on end.

"I don't hear from you for a year, you break up with Nancy and suddenly I get to be graced with your presence again?" It was bubbling. I needed to get my shit in gear.

"Luce you know this isn't fair." His voice broke, and at first I felt the anger I had at the fact that he felt like he could just dip for a year and then I would still be here. A shoulder to cry on. I didn't want that, I wanted him to realize there are consequences to actions.

"Isn't fair? You know what isn't fair?" I stopped myself. He didn't need it. I was going to be the shoulder, just for tonight. He can learn about consequences later. I shook my head before I switched gears. "Why Byers?"

"What?" He set his candy bar down, not willing to eat. At least not willing to eat the snickers bar.

"You said you asked Jonathan to take her home. Why him?" I shrugged as I reworded what I'd asked. She didn't seem like the type to be willing to have a ride from Byers.

"He and Nancy have been inseparable since-" He cut himself off. "Since what happened with Will and Barb." I forgot. Barb was Nancy's best friend. She'd gone missing a year ago too. They didn't find Barb like they had Will. That had to be hard on Nancy.

"I'm sorry." It came out like a whisper. I was so far out of the loop, but I hadn't had a choice in that anyway. "I didn't realize you three were close."

"We aren't, I-" He stopped himself again. He was hiding something, but I didn't wanna pry. He wasn't my best friend anymore. It was none of my business. "I hung out with him maybe once. It's Nancy who is close to him. I don't get it but they have some kind of fuckin bond."

Then a knock on the door. I turned and grabbed the bowl again, headed for the door.

"Trick or Treat!" There were 2 ghost busters and a female Mike Meyers at my doorstep.

"Well alright then." I handed the kiddos each 3 funsize bars. "Happy Halloween." When I turned around to set the bowl down, Steve was gone. Probably went to find Nancy. To get some sort of answers, that sounded like something the Steve I'd heard whispers about for the last year would do. I plopped back down on the couch, technically looking at the screen but really, I was looking through it.