𝗨𝗚𝗟𝗬 // 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

012

"They wanted the chocolate one Steve what is that?!" Dustin scolds him as a pair of students around the tweens age stand in front of the till, angry at the popular boy mistaking their order.

"That's two now," I point out as Steve walks towards me, he shakes his head and scoffs, "okay, well.. I didn't know you were counting so, that doesn't count!"
I ignore him and shake my head, scooping up an order of chocolate and vanilla swirl creatively named 'riptide,' this store really stuck to their boat theme.
"That's not fair! You're really good at this!" Steve comments and I roll my eyes jokingly at the fact that apparently scooping ice cream normally means I'm good, "May I remind you I'm good at this and I'm working for free." I lean over the counter and pass the cone to the customers standing idly waiting before happily waving goodbye as they leave.

Steve dramatically clasps a hand across his chest, "what would we ever do without you!" He sighs, clearly joking, but I feel my face flush red anyways.
"Well.. I like this kind of stuff so.." I trail off, feeling flustered but Steve just gives me a small smile, "you do? What, like baking and stuff?" He questions and I avoid his stare, anxious under his eyes, "yeh I uh- um- I baked some cookies the other week for Robin." I managed to stutter out.

Steve gives me a bright look and his smile grows wider and eyes bigger in surprise, "no way! That was you?" My mind starts to wonder at his tone, he seems happy but, what if they were bad? What if he's making fun of me?
My baking was something I never really thought of as stressful, in fact, whipping up cupcakes and cookies helped my anxiety fade away, but now, as I stand in front of Steve Harrington, knowing that he had tried them, I feel.. well I feel scared.

"Ruby you don't understand," he grabs my shoulders and faces me towards him, and for a moment I can feel his breath on my own lips, "those were the best cookies I'd ever had."
The anxiety leaves my body like a faded storm and I let myself smile and squeak out a small, "really?"
He lets me go and I try to hide the feeling of disappointment at the lack of his touch.

"Ruby you have a real talent!" He's basically shouting as he paces behind the counter, clearly excited, head shaking and a large smile plastered on his handsome face. "You should be a baker or something."

I shake my head and give him an awkward smile, rubbing a hand on my neck, "what-no.." I grimace, but Steve just stops and stares at me for a moment, "why do you always do that?"

There's a silence as we lock eyes and I try not to flush at the eye contact, "what?" I question him, unsure what he means but he just tilts his head and furrows his brows, "like.. putting yourself down and stuff." He seems to be struggling to say the words, as if he's realised he's created an awkward situation.
I widen my eyes, skin crawling, Steve Harrington just asked me why I doubt myself.. why I put myself down, a question I don't even know the answer to.

I'd just always been that way, life never seemed to come easy to me and well, I guess I assumed that meant I was the problem. Me and Robin used to rant about how things seemed to come easily to people like Steve and Nancy, whereas for us, it was harder.
God we'd lost so many friends throughout the years, except for each other, not because we were mean to them or untrustworthy, in reality I tried so hard not to say the wrong thing every day. God I tried so hard.
I suppose that's one of the reasons I doubt myself, it's difficult not to when the world around you seems to doubt you too.

Sometimes I think that's why I don't like my face.
Because pretty people like Steve never make mistakes.. and me? I make them constantly.

Stop Ruby.
Remember what Miss Cook said.

I straighten my spine and shrug as the words my therapist told me to repeat fill my head.
I am beautiful.

I open my mouth to give Steve some half assed joking reply, but Robin rushes in and saves me from rambling. She grabs my arm and begins pulling me into the staff room and as I follow behind her Steve looks at me, eyes serious so I give him a small smile, one of those awkward ones you always do in the hallways, and mouth, "what?"

***

"It is fascinating what 20 bucks will get you at the county recorders office!" She excitedly exclaims and lays out a sheet on the break room table, a large smirk plastered on her lips.
It looks like plans of some sort?
"Star. Court. Mall." She confirms matter of factly as if reading my mind, "the complete blue prints."
She begins to point at the paper with her painted black nails, studded bracelet moving along her wrist as she does, "this is where we are," she moved her finger again, "and this is where we want to get."

I furrow my eyebrows,
"I don't-"
"I don't see-"
But Steve speaks at the same time as me, causing us to stare at each other embarrassed, I feel a blush present on my cheeks and Steve stutters as he brushes a hand through his hair, "you go," I shake my head and politely reply, "no you- can.."

I can feel Robin smirking at us behind amused eyes and Steve gives me a polite nod and carries on, hair bouncing, "I don't see any way in?"
He's taken the words right out of my mouth, we keep doing that.
"That is," she flicks the paper over, "if you're thinking exclusively about doors."
Dustin's adorable smile grows, "air ducts!"

Ugh, that kids cuteness will be the death of me.
Robin excitedly runs to the other side of the room to grab her red whiteboard pen, one she only used when Steve actually succeeded at picking up a girl in that dumb hat which hadn't happened yet.. to Robin's knowledge, she didn't have to know that I thought Steve looked very cute in it.

"These air ducts lead all the way.." she scribbled on the sheet, "here!" She looks around the room and I can't help but smile.
My best friends a genius.
Steve nods and heads over to the supply box in the corner of the room, grabbing a screw driver and beginning to twist open the vent, torch hanging from his mouth.
"Yeh I don't know man," he stutters out, "I don't know if you can like.. fit in there? It's like-" he turns to face us, "super tight."
I resist the urge to make a dirty joke and by the look on Robin's face, she's doing the same.

"I can fit," Dustin nonchalantly shrugs and Steve climbs down the ladder and hands him the torch as the tween continues, "trust me, no collar bones remember?"
Robin perks up, arms crossed, "excuse me?"

The popular boy jumps down from the ladder and is replaced with Dustin as he climbs, "oh yeh he's got uh.. yeah he's got some disease?" He seems unsure and I can't help but want to chime in, "uh.. it's chrydo something.."

"Cleidocranial Dysplasia." I chirp up eagerly, excited to share the information, the room looks at me for a moment, Steve's big eyes locking with mine
"What? I read." I shrug, I see Dustin turn and give me a smile of approval from on top of the ladder before he squeezes in.
Steve shakes his head and chuckles, muttering under his breath, "Ruby White you are something."

It makes me want to smile, the way my name sounds on his lips, like my name is a candy to him, sweet and soft.

"So he bends?" Robin questions and Steve shrugs, "like gumbo."
Gumbo?
"You mean.. Gumby." My best friend clarifies as they chat, "uhhh I'm pretty sure it's gumbo," the popular boy replies matter of factly, as if he genuinely believes it.

He makes me laugh so much, sometimes I just want to burst out in giggles because Steve Harrington is probably one of the funniest boys I've ever met, but then as always I replay the last minutes over and over and begin to question myself as always. What did he mean by something? Was I being a show off? A know it all?
God that had been a minute ago how could I be so thick, what if he was insulting me?
I kept getting so comfortable around Steve that I forgot my own personal motto, don't talk unless spoken to.
It's what people like me needed to do to survive.

But that rule didn't apply to Robin. Because Robin is my friend.
So maybe.. despite the fact that we hadn't put a label on our friendship, maybe that wouldn't apply to Steve either?

I zone back into the room despite my internal battle, watching as Steve comedically tries pushing Dustin into the vent and I stifle a laugh.
There's a ringing of a bell from the counter and me and Robin turn around to face Erica Sinclair, who is angrily demanding ice cream samples.

My best friend turns to me, eyes filled with mischief and I grin, nodding my head.
We had a plan.