𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐎 ☆ steve harrington³

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 : heat wave

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 : 2.7k

☆゜·。。·゜゜·。。·゜★

𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐁𝐁𝐒 had left it: quiet, tired, and hot. So very hot.

With the Starcourt Mall opening up nearby, Hawkins' town center was left almost entirely deserted. Although, the most populated place within town limits had to be the community pool. The shade of the sun-bleached umbrellas and cool water was enough to pull residents of all ages. And when the Webbs' air conditioning unit gave out in late June, the pool was the first place Owen and Law thought to go.

Gordon had been hanging out at Eddie's nonstop since they got back into town, so Frank was invited to take his place in the Webb siblings' shared vehicle as they made their way to the pool. He had been standing out on the curb in front of his house when they arrived to pick him up, a flower-patterned towel draped around his scrawny neck.

If she hadn't immediately recognized his slouchy stance, Owen likely would have mistaken the boy for someone else. Since the last time she saw him, his usual bowl cut had grown into a shaggy mullet with a few brassy blonde strands sprinkled throughout. She couldn't believe his mom actually let him do that to his hair.

"Cool hair, dude," Owen commented as Frank slid into the backseat. The hair seemed to be the only real change, as the younger boy only bashfully laughed at her compliment. It was comforting to know that his shyness was still intact. The two younger boys launched into a discussion about Frank's new job at Starcourt as soon as the car door shut. Apparently, he was working at some video game store next to the JCPenney. As luck would have it, they were still hiring, in need of another sales associate and who better than Frank's best friend to apply?

Owen listened to the boys prattle on as Steve's mixtape blared from the car's speakers while the three of them drove through town, all of the windows rolled down. Although the hot wind probably wasn't doing much to alleviate the beads of sweat dripping from their foreheads, the three just felt like it was better than cooking inside the enclosed car instead.

The community pool was teeming with people when they arrived, everyone trying to escape the hot and sticky Indiana summer. Neon-colored inflatables floated in the shimmering water, their hue matching many of the patrons' swimsuits. Owen had settled on a bright red bikini, one that she had purchased at the very start of the summer with what was left of her police station paychecks. She had stolen one of Gordon's Red Wings caps before she left the house, its black rim shielding her eyes from the sun.

Once they found a place to lay out by the pool, Frank and Law tossed all of their shit into a couple of chairs before taking off towards the water. Owen slid her headphones on, slid off her shirt and shorts, meticulously stretched her towel across a chair, and began slathering sunscreen on. With the sound of Blondie playing in her ears and the smell of coconut wafting from the creamy lotion, Owen felt quite content with the summery dream she was living in.

☆゜·。。·゜゜·。。·゜★

If it weren't for his friend, Scotty, there really would've been no reason for Steve to be hanging out at the community pool. The pool at his own house was way less crowded and came with so much more freedom. Freedom to eat and drink what he wanted, smoke what he wanted, and listen to whatever music sounded right at the moment. But despite knowing all these pros and cons, Steve still accepted Scotty's invitation to drop by the pool with a group of their other buddies from school.

Although, he knew that it was the promise of all the girls by the pool that intrigued him. And Scotty didn't make this promise lightly. There were cute girls in cute swimsuits in every direction Steve looked. However, he found that the canteen was the perfect place to scope the entire place out. From there, Steve could see the whole line of lounge chairs, the entire pool (including the lap lanes), and even the people who lingered by the perimeter chain link fence.