❝ in the seventeen years i've been on this earth, i've never met anyone as f#@!%^g stupid as you. ❞
in which two kids on the opposite sides of the social spectrum find solace in one another during a strange period of time.
ESTELLA COLLINS STAND ALON...
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CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN ; REEFER RICK also known as; ( vecna's curse ; part two)
★☆
DUSTIN, MAX AND ROBIN TOOK CONTROL OF THE PHONES, WHILE STELLA DECIDED TO HELP STOCK VIDEOS WITH STEVE. She knew the basics of the job, as she'd spent a lot of time in the store the previous summer. Luckily, not much had changed. Steve spoke to customers while she put films back on shelves and collected new returns. It was a good system, and kept them away from the hurricane at the main counter.
At one point, when there were no customers in the store, the couple huddled behind the drama section. Stella could see that there was some nervousness in her boyfriend, too. "Hey, you okay?"
Steve hesitated, his hands pressed against the top of the shelf. He moved so that he could lean against it, looking down at her with a frown. She watched as his thick eyebrows knitted together, and his eyes anxiously shifted between her, the floor, and the group at the counter. "I...I don't know."
Stella reached over and grabbed his hand. His palm was a little sweaty, an indication of his discomfort. She knew that she wasn't the only one who had been reliving the events they had been through the last few years - she had held him after nightmares, panic attacks, and angry outbursts. He felt just as obliged to the kids as she did - his attachment to this town ran far deeper, too. "We've done it before, Steve."
"We'll do it again," his voice was soft. He kept looking back at the counter, and Stella knew it was because he didn't want Dustin to see him in this state. Stella pressed her lips together and turned him around so that his back was to them. That way, his expression was hidden from the others. Steve's head fell, and he ran his other hand through his hair. "Man, I don't know if I can do it again."
"I know, me neither," Stella said.
"Do you..." Steve trailed off, looking down at their intertwined hands. "Do you think we should've stayed in Rhode Island? Should we even have left Hawkins in the first place?"
He had said exactly what Stella was thinking. Her shoulders sunk a little. "I don't know. But we're here now. And as much as I want to pack everything up and leave again, we can't."
"We could," Steve muttered. "But we won't."
"No, we won't," Stella shook her head. She blinked away the water that welled in her eyes. She looked up at Steve and reached up with her left hand, cupping his cheek. He stared back at her, face solemn. She sighed through parted lips. "Can you...can you just promise me one thing?"
Steve's nod was almost unintelligible. "Anything."
Stella tilted her head, forcing a sad smile. "Promise that we stick together this time?"
