Never Let Go

chapter 3

Steve and Robyn make it back to the my house.
"Robyn go knock on Dustin's window, get him to come open the door." Steve said with me still drifting in and out of sleep in his arms.
It was past midnight probably a good idea for them to stay as quiet as humanly possible so not to wake Mom up.
Robyn quickly ran to the side of the house. She threw stones at the window.
"Dustin!... Dustin!" She half whispered half shouted.
A light came on in the room and a window slowly opened.
"For the love of all that is holy WHAT?" Dustin replied in a sleepy tone.
He looked down and saw Robyn, she smiled and gave a little wave towards the front door. A look of worry came over Dustin's face.
The front door opened Dustin's eyes widened seeing Steve with me in his arms.
"Not right now Henderson, let's just get her inside shall we?"

Steve lay me down as I was coming to again.
"Eddie?"
"No Mandy it's me Steve." He said gently.
"What?... how did you??" I reply confused.
"Call it instinct. After the way you left the gym today we were worried So we decided to watch you."
I look up and see Robyn handing me a glass of water.
"Answer me one thing Mandy, no BS. Are you suicidal?" Steve asked firmly.
"What??" Spat Dustin.
"Of course she's not Steve!"
"You wanna know where we found her?" Steve asked my Brother.
"Steve don't!" I begged.
"In the upside down... where Eddie died."
"Ok lay off her Steve!" Robyn said as she sat next to me on the bed and put her arm around me tears streaming down my face.
"No... I'm not suicidal." I quietly sobbed.
"Could of fooled me." Steve coldly snipped back.
"Fuck you Steve!" I'm getting really angry with him now.
"I've had my heart ripped out thrown on the ground and stomped on... I loved him with every part of my being I fucking loved him! But this fucking fucked up town can't stand to see anyone happy can it!
I went back into the upside down because I can still feel him in there! I want to be close to him... it's not fair we only had a few days and it was torn away from us.
He promised he'd never let me go...."
In my confusion my sadness turned into anger my face and eyes red with tears.
"He promised... why?? Why did he have to push me to safety why did he give his life for this shitty Hellhole??"
Steve had come to the other side of me and pulled me into him. I allowed myself to fall against his chest.
"I'm sorry Mandy." Steve whispered with a broken voice.
All of us were crying now.
"It's just not fair Steve... we'd just found each other."
"I know honey." Steve held me tight.
A noise came from outside we all jumped out of our skin.
"I'll go." Steve let Dustin take over comforting me and went to go and check.
Steve went outside armed with an umbrella. Talk about grabbing the nearest thing possible.
A gust of wind nearly knocked him off his feet but that was all. He returned but still looked sceptical.
"Hey Robyn I think we should stay. The winds getting up and I don't feel right leaving Mandy."
Robyn nodded and I was in no position to argue.
Dustin and Steve took my sofa bed and Robyn climbed in the bottom of my bed.
Dustin and Robyn soon fell asleep.
"Try get some rest Mandy." Steve said.
I laughed.
"I've slept too much... funny I sleep better in the upside down." I smile at him.
I drift off into a deep thought.
"Talk to me Mandy it's what I'm here for." Steve noticed tears forming again.
"You'll think I'm crazy!" I scoffed.
Steve just shrugged and sat up.
"I'm here all night."
I sighed.
"I was convinced you were him when you were trying to wake me up. My dream it was so vivid and lucid."
"What did you dream about?" Steve asked.
"The day we found Eddie." I smiled at the memory of the feeling of relief we all had.
"When you all went to find Nancy we... well you can guess."
Steve wolf whistles.
And for the first time in days I laugh.
"You dork!" I threw a pillow at him.
"Anyway we fell asleep after we'd... yeah." I blushed.
"Ugh..."
I was really careful not to mention the fact that I heard Vecna's voice before this...
"instead of your voice waking me up I was hearing Eddie.... it sounds stupid. But Steve I know this is a stupid thought but what if he's still alive stuck there and can't come home?"
I look across to Steve and he looks lost in his own thoughts.
"I know I'm lost in a sea of false hope aren't I?"
"No Mandy it's what love can do. I know I've been in that very same sea recently." Steve replied.
Steve was referring to the fact that him and Nancy had been getting rather close again until Jonathan came back with everybody else. It seems to me that Nancy has just swept it all under a rug because her boyfriend has come home.
We all know Steve still has feelings for her this was made obvious by the fear and panic in his face when Vecna had her in a trance while the two of them were still in the upside down. His face mirrored Eddie's when Eddie was worried that I had suffered the same fate as Chrissy.
As soon as Jonathan came home Steve became almost invisible to Nancy.
"You know when Byers came home it was like she kicked you in the nuts." I say.
"It felt like it yeah." Steve looked sad.
"You want Robyn and me to beat her up." I say putting my fists up.
"Now who's being a dork?" Steve laughed.
"I'm serious... nobody hurts Steve "the hair" Harrington on my watch." I winked.
"Thanks Mandy." Steve smiled.