𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 • Steve Harrington

Chapter 14

TWO WEEKS LATER
( Wednesday, February 13th 1985 )

DURING their fourth period free, Julie told Steve all about how she saw a college dorm in a magazine that Tonya had at her house the night before and it made her realise how little she had to take with her.

She said she wanted the luxury of being able to go back to her bedroom during spring break and such and still have it feel like her room. They had been hanging out together for a while, but Steve had yet to see it from an angle that wasn't on the other side of her bedroom threshold.

She explained she didn't want to take down the posters she had or get rid of any random ornaments. She wanted to go home and be home, not an empty room that she barely recognised.

So after soccer practice, she went home, showered, changed into a long brown skirt, a hippy graphic tee and a cream cable-knit cardigan that hung off her arms so bad she had to roll them up to her elbows, then met Steve at his BMW parked out front.

He was waiting in the driver's seat in his usual striped shirt, jeans and bomber jacket ensemble with Hall & Oates blaring out the speakers.

And when she slipped in the passengers seat he said, "You look nice."

That was the first time he said anything like that, but she liked it. "Thanks."

And he just smiled, pulled up the handbrake and drove them to a general store downtown.

She had no real idea if there was anything she really wanted or if they were just window shopping, but at the very least they both looked around.

"And ever since you showed him that flyer, he hasn't shut up about this dumb camp."

They were stood on either side of a circular men's clothing rack.

"It's literally the opposite of dumb," Julie fired defensively. "Smart people go to Camp Know Where to do STEM led activities."

"You're only defending it because you were one of the dorks singing campfire songs about the periodic table."

"Well, sorry if I thought that'd be something Dustin would be interested in."

Steve halted his skimming through the randomly assorted clothes. "Wait, you actually do that?"

"Yeah, then we all feast on the blood of our sworn enemies." She gravitated towards a shelf full of ornaments. "Next time I'll start with you."

Steve shook his head, but he was smiling, and no less than a moment afterwards, he spotted a mustard yellow sweater. "What about this?"

Julie looked over her shoulder. "What is it with you and sweaters?"

"I'm just trying to gage what your deal is with my collection. You know, get to the nitty gritty of the situation here. Is it the colour, the style or the fabric?"

"You really remember everything I say, don't you?"

"Only the things that sting."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She returned to the shelf she was skimming full of ceramics, snow globes and collectibles. "If you squint hard enough and look at it from certain angles... the red one isn't awful."

"The red one?" Steve jerks his head back. "I wore that-what?-once at most in December." The longer he thought about it, the more he realised, "We didn't even talk back then, not really."