𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐎 ✯ steve harrington¹

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 : party girl

WORD COUNT : 4.6k

Owen's father's jacket that she had thrown on before leaving the house was the only thing protecting her from the November chill. Part of her midriff peeked out between the bottom of her striped long-sleeve shirt and the top of her ill-fitting jeans. Barb only had the heat blowing mildly warm so as not to fog up the windows, leaving all of them on the brink of shivering in their seats. Some song Owen had never heard played in the background of the car as they rode along in quiet anticipation over the night ahead.

Owen wasn't entirely sure what to expect in the coming hours. Her very first house party could be added to the multitude of firsts she had experienced since moving to Hawkins. Part of her wished that it was just a traditional house party full of a bunch of strangers chaotically dancing to whatever song was blaring through the speakers. Instead, she was stuck spending her evening with some of her least favorite people in Hawkins. She just hoped that her and Barb would be able to just keep to themselves without any issues.

"Barbara, pull over," Nancy requested, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"Pull over!" Nancy repeated her request, her voice whiny and playful. Despite her hesitation, Barb followed the direction and pulled off onto the side of the road. She put the car into park before turning to the girl in the passenger seat.

"What are we doing here," Barb inquired, the question causing Owen to actually divert her attention away from her window in the backseat. She just presumed that Nancy was the only one who knew where Steve's house was, but the confusion in Barb's voice made it seem otherwise. "His house is three blocks away," Barb continued, saying it as though Nancy may have forgotten.

"We can't park in the driveway," Nancy reasoned, her eyes nervously glancing around the surrounding neighborhood.

"Are you serious," Barb wondered, sounding defeated. Judging by Nancy's expression, she was dead serious.

"Nancy, I'm not sure if you noticed but it's cold outside. And you're wanting us to walk three blocks," Owen piped up from the backseat. She was suddenly very much regretting wearing anything other than one of the droopy sweaters she would have typically worn.

"Yeah. I mean, the neighbors might see if we just park in the driveway," she insisted, eyes drifting down nervously to her hands in her lap.

"This is so stupid. I'm just gonna drop you off. Owen and I can just head home," Barb grumbled, clearly just as blindsided by the walk as Owen was. However, Nancy was set on not showing up to this party alone, her hand reaching out to grab Barb by the shoulder.

"Calm down, Barb. Come on," she blurted urgently. "You promised that you'd go. You're coming. We're gonna have a great time." Owen sighed audibly from the backseat, slouching as much as she could in the cramped space.

"He just wants to get in your pants," Barb retorted, still not totally sure why she even had to be there when that equation certainly did not involve her.

"No, he doesn't," Nancy replied, fighting the grin that wanted to creep onto her lips. Why she was choosing to be coy about her relationship with Steve never failed to confuse Owen. She had been present for only a handful of Nancy's stories about Steve's antics – everything from sneaking through her window to their multiple make-out sessions. Anyone with a brain knew where this was headed and that included Nancy.

"Nance...seriously," Barb trailed off, smiling knowingly. "He invited you to his house... his parents aren't home. Come on, you are not this stupid." Yet again, Owen could rely on Barb to voice their shared thoughts when it mattered.