002 - Steve Harrington

MADMAX

I'm just stepping out of the bathroom when I hear noise coming from my bedroom. With a towel wrapped tightly around me, I peak through the cracked door, and I see Dustin... stealing my money out of my piggy bank.

"Hey!" I say as I slam the door open.

Dustin screams and quickly turns around.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I ask him as I step closer to the bed.

He's dumping out the money onto my neatly made bed.

"Dani, you don't understand. I need quarters." Dustin says.

"Yeah, it looks like you took more than quarters." I say, noticing some dollars missing.

"I'll pay you back, I swear. I'll do your chores for a month, like last time." He tries to bribe.

"No."

"No? But Dani-"

"You'll do my chores until next year."

It's October, so I don't think it's that big of a deal.

"And you'll give me some of your allowance every week, just so I know you'll pay me back." I say sternly.

"Okay, yeah, yeah it's a deal." Dustin says and holds out his hand for me to shake.

"Deal." I say shaking his hand.

We stop shaking hands and Dustin runs into his room. I shut my door and get dressed into some pajamas. Putting my glasses on, I sit down at my desk and call Nancy.

"Hello?" She asks when she picks up.

"Hey, Nance." I say.

"Oh, hey Dani. What's up?"

"Well, um, I've been thinking, and I think I should just wear my glasses tomorrow?" I say into the phone.

I got contacts today, so I won't have to wear glasses. 

"It's not that I don't want to wear the contacts, I do... but-"

"But you don't want everyone to stare." Nancy finishes my sentence. 

"Yeah..."

Over the summer, I changed more. My hair is longer and a little lighter from the summer sun. I have some curves. Guys don't exactly care about the glasses, but the comments will just get worse when I show up to school without them.

"Dani, you'll be fine. I'm sure you'll look great!" She says reassuring me.

"Ugh, okay. Will you walk in with me at least?" 

"Sure. But Dani, you need to stop being so shy and timid. You're seventeen, eighteen in January. Maybe you could get a boyfriend? I'm sure you'll have guys lining up tomorrow." 

I blush shyly, grab my necklace and hold it in-between my fingers.

"I... I don't know about that..." 

"Trust me. Tomorrow, guys will be knocking at your door. Oh! have you figured out your Halloween costume yet?" Nancy asks as she changes the subject.

"Yeah, I'm going to be Sandy from Grease. I was going to be Madonna, but I figured everyone else is going to dress like her."

"Oh, Sandy is a great idea! You'll look great. Steve and I are dressing up as Joel and Lana from Risky Business." She says.

"Oh, cool, to be honest, I still haven't seen that movie."

"Well, don't tell Steve that. He'll be pissed." Nancy says as she laughs into the phone. 

I laugh with her and I hear some noise on the other end. It sounds like Mrs. Wheeler.