Billy's gone.
Ruby Buckley's world ended with him.
But Hawkins isn't done with her yet.
When strange deaths begin again, Ruby is pulled into the heart of the storm. Between shadowy nightmares, the town's newest outcast, and someone she was never s...
( songs for the chapter ) the first i love you // st soundtrack there is a light that never goes out // the smiths
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Max cast a quick glance back at Steve's car before stepping into Ms. Kelley's house. From the front seat, Steve, Ruby, and Dustin watched her like hawks until the counselor closed the door behind her.
"Okay. She's in," Steve muttered.
"I'm missing collarbones, not eyes," Dustin said, leaning between the front seats.
Ruby laughed softly. "Good one, Dustin."
Steve just rolled his eyes.
"I hope you two don't mind," Ruby said, slipping on her headphones, "but I'm about to pretend neither of you exist."
"Can't say I blame you," Steve replied.
She smirked faintly, hit play on her Walkman, and leaned her head against the window, eyes fluttering closed as Rock You Like a Hurricane blasted loud enough for both boys to hear.
The music was an escape, one of the few things that still drowned out the noise in her head. Sleep hadn't come easily in days.
Between the nightmares, the grief, and the chaos that now defined their lives, her body felt like it was running on caffeine and adrenaline alone.
Steve recognized the song instantly.
Billy's mixtape.
He glanced at her again, the rhythm of her leg bouncing softly against the floorboard. If she was listening to Billy's music, she wasn't okay.
Dustin broke the silence. "So, are we gonna talk about it?"
Steve didn't look away from the front door. "Talk about what?"
"Your temporary insanity earlier today when you basically had a stroke when you saw Ruby half-naked," Dustin said matter-of-factly.
Steve's head snapped toward him. "Okay. First of all, that's not what happened. Okay?"
"Pretty sure that's what happened. It was pretty public. There were like, a lot of witnesses."
Dustin grinned, flicking a glance at Ruby, still lost in her own world, oblivious, then back at Steve, whose expression was inching dangerously close to defensive.
"Are you implying I've got a thing for Rubes?" Steve asked.
"I'm not implying," Dustin said, all faux-serious. "I'm stating. And, considering your whole 'I'm-not-dating-Robin' routine, it's basically the only logical explanation."
Steve bristled. "That's not the only explanation."
He couldn't say what the real reason was. Robin's secret wasn't his to tell. But Dustin wasn't entirely wrong either. The truth was, something had shifted the day he met Ruby.
