music project - steddie

01

steve:

steve smashed his foot on the breaks and hastily ripped his car keys out of the ignition lock. he grabbed his backpack from the passenger seat and ran to the entrance door of "family video".

"robin? robin!", steve's voice echoed through the empty shop.

"i am here!"

the young man rushed to the door and stopped, swiping the stress sweat from his forehead.

"jesus christ, steve! what kind of monster hunted you?!"

"i failed music class! i can't believe this!"

"what in gods sake are you talking about?", robin furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms infront of her chest while leaning against a stack of cartons. "we don't get our grades until next month how are you supposed to already know that?"

"we got this massive project to finish until next month"

"okay, so? you obviously didn't fail music class then. you can still get a good grade for this project-"

"no, robin!", steve stressed his best friends name "you don't understand! we have to write a god damn song!"

"okay? so? just write one then", robin turned away from steve to unpack the new arrived movies.

"just write one?! are you kidding me? i cant even read sheet paper! how am i supposed to write an entire song? the niveau of my music talent is like literally zero! god how did i deserve this bullshit- i don't want to repeat this dumb class!"

"okay slow down my dearest friend, you're trying to tell me that you would have failed", the young woman drew bunny ears with her fingers in the air "without even TRYING? and come on writing a song isn't that difficult. it doesn't have to be a masterpiece okay- no one expects you to suddenly turn into fucking beethoven or i don't even know"

"robin, you don't know how this teacher grades i am telling you she rolls the dice for each grade and only keeps the high numbers to give each of her students an F!"

"Hold the horses Steve! You're exaggerating! I am being honest I never had your music teacher myself and I've heard that she grades pretty often very weirdly but you can't just give up without even trying! because well then, you will fail a hundred percent"

"wow", steve put his hands on his hips "such encouraging words. definetly what i needed to hear" the irony was almost spilling over from steve words even though he knew himself that his best friend was right. he didn't even give it a try. however steve was also completely hopeless since he had no clue how or where to start with writing a song so at least him having no hope was reasonable.

"okay listen. how about you help me stacking those new trashy horror movies on the shelves and afterwards i will think about a serious solution for your dumbdumb music project okay, stevie boy"

"thank you robin but god don't ever call me that again"

"i know you secretly like nicknames don't try so hard to act like the cool and fresh steve everyone "knows" at school"

steve jokingly rolled his eyes and grabbed two of the boxes robin opened already. he went to the horror section and kneeled down to sort the movies alphabetically by their names. since the shop was empty most of the time, robin and steve got used to talk to each other loudly even if they were on opposite sides of the room.

"god, everytime we get those movies i wonder who would actually and without doing it for a dumb dare lend one of those low budget produced horror movies and watch it?!"

"i don't know i also don't understand how people can watch some stuff like that without their brains literally melting", steve heard his friends voice from a distance. "i watched one of those kind of horror movies at a sleepover like two or three years ago and i fell asleep after ten minutes"

"would probably also happen to me if someone would ever force me to watch one. i mean just listen to those basic descriptions on the back: haunted house, ghosts, monsters, people went missing, murderer blah blah blah... always the same stupid things! no original story line, context or plot!"

steve heard shoes shuffling into his direction and stopping behind him.

"just look at this cover, robin!", he held the movie above his head and it got snatched from his hand before he heard after a few seconds chuckling behind him.

"thanks mate i was looking for this one"

steve, still kneeling, spun around in surprise and lost his balance until a hand grabbed his uniform's collar and pulled him back on his feet. as soon as steve caught his balance his gaze shot up to the unknown-not-completely-unknown face leaning above him.

"sorry dude didn't mean to scare you"

"y-you're not robin", steve stammered still surprised about the sudden entry of the young man leaning above him whose face showed a wide laugh right now.

"no i am in fact not the girl who you agree with that these golden movies", he shook the movie in his one hand a little "are "stupid" and "bad""

"steve you're okay?", robin's face appeared at the end of the long shelf he was still kneeling infront of with a random strangers hand still tightly grabbing his collar.

"eddie! god hey, when did you come in?"

steve watched confused how his best friend ran the last few steps and pulled the man in a short but tight hug.

"oh just now. wanted to check out your new selection since my uncle decided to move back to hawkins"

"thats so cool i am glad you're back. does you chocking steve also has an explanation or what's going on?"

"nah we're good. he was just a little clumsy", eddie let go of steve's collar and instead put his hand in his jeans pockets while still holding the movie in the other one.
"where can i check out?", he asked and smirked down at steve.

steve didn't enjoy this angle at all so he quickly stood up and removed the dirt from his knees.

"just follow me", robin said and walked straight to the cash desk.

steve felt left out and decided to just follow them even though he wasn't sure if that wouldn't make the situation for him even more awkward.

"did you move back to your old place in hawkins, eddie?", robin asked the guy in front of her while writing down the names of the two movies eddie chose.

"yup same place. feels almost as if nothing has changed to be honest. how much do i owe you?", he asked when robin pushed the movies towards him.

"nothing it's on me. think of it as a welcome home present"

"thanks i appreciate it. we'll see each other tomorrow at school"

"oh okay nice. see you tomorrow!", robin waved her last goodbye until the shop's door fell back in its lock and left robin and steve in silence again. or well unless steve found his words again.

"who the hell was that?!"

"you don't remember him? eddie? he moved two years ago but he went to our school before that"

"can't remember him..."

"really?", robins voice was filled with surprise "eddie. you don't remember eddie? "eddie the loud one", "eddie the freak", "eddie the-", steve's friend went quiet for a second. "HOLY SHIT THATS IT!"

"what?! what's now?", steve asked confused one unanswered question after another filling his head.

"EDDIE THE GUITARIST!", robin exclaimed, almost screamed through the shop. "That's it! He can help you with your music project!"

"woah woah woah slow down! how is he supposed to help me? i dont know him, he doesn't know me- not gonna happen"

"steve i am very sorry to be the person to tell you this but if eddie can't help you with that stupid project so that you won't have to repeat this class- no one can help you and i am being serious. this man is crazy talented!"

steve rolled his eyes and crossed his arms "if you say so..."

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hope you liked this first chapter <3