Pretty Boy

Chapter 10

 The hallway that loomed in front of them was seemingly never-ending. They had finally escaped the elevator after two Russian guards came to pick up a delivery, opening the door. The group had hidden above the elevator room as the guards grabbed their shipment. After they left, Steve jumped down and used the green canister to prop the door open. However, they now wondered if they would have been better off in the elevator than facing this endless hallway.

They had been walking for a little over an hour, but it felt like they had been walking for at least four hours. Erica led the pack. It would normally be frowned upon to allow a ten-year-old to lead the helm into potential danger, but Erica Sinclair was no normal ten-year-old. Dustin and Steve had fallen to the back of the group, whispering frantically to one another. Robin and RJ walked together.

"No, do you remember at the Christmas concert when Henry Morrison puked into his Tuba?" Robin asked, strangely enthused.

"Oh my god, how could I forget that. He was absolutely wasted you know," RJ replied.

"No way you really think so?"

"Oh yeah, he shared a flask of peppermint schnapps with Jeff, the guitar player, before the show."

The two laughed at the absurdity of it all. The conversation flowed like old friends. The fact that they both endured the torment of being band kids was a bonding experience. The band kids at Hawkins sat far down in the social hierarchy standing only above one group: The Hellfire Club.

"So uh, what's going on with you and Steve?" Robin asked.

RJ smiled softly, "Oh, well, it's a bit...complicated at the moment, but long story short, we dated for a few months earlier this year, and then we broke up, and now...well, we're something I'm just quite sure what."

"Why did you guys break up in the first place?" Robin questioned further.

RJ sighed, "Oh, it's kind of a long story. Well more convoluted than long."

Robin gestured to the endless hallway before them, "We've gotta fill up this time somehow."

RJ giggled, "Well, it was the last Saturday in April, and I was getting ready for my Junior Prom."

~

The only reason RJ was going to Prom was for Steve. She wanted to give him the perfect Senior Prom. RJ's mother was thrilled that RJ had decided to go. She took her to buy a new dress, new shoes, and everything.

On the day of Prom, RJ sat in front of Max's vanity while her mom did her hair. Max sat on her bed reading while RJ got ready.

"Ouch, don't tug so hard," RJ complained.

"Oh, come on, I'm not even pulling that hard," Her mother replied.

The two softly laughed together. RJ had a good enough relationship with her mother, it was better when she was still with RJ's father, but their relationship was still good.

"Ok, turn so I can do your makeup," Her mother said as she strategically set the final roller in her hair.

RJ rolled her eyes and groaned an extremely teenage groan, "Mom, I can do my own makeup."

"Yes, you can, but the makeup you girls are doing these days is horrific, makes you look like clowns," Her mother protested.

RJ giggled at her mother's disdain for the current trends. Her mother had even removed the giant bow on the side of the dress. RJ agreed that it looked much better without it. Susan lightly swiped blush across RJ's cheek and then turned her face to apply it to the other side.

"Did you know that your father and I went to Prom together?" Her mother mentioned.

Max looked up from her comic book, intrigued by the mention of her father.