Insane in the membrane-Stranger things

Chapter 20

The day of the 'Hawkins middle school snowball dance' arrived and Jess was going through her closet seeing if she had anything appropriate for the date that she would be going on with Steve, her first date ever while Dustin paced around the house, cursing as he looked for some hairspray for his hair. Jess had finally found the perfect dress, she of course didn't have many dresses in her closet but she had one that was fitting for the season, it was a red dress with a frilled out bottom. Surprisingly, it just about fit the young brunette since it was a dress from when she was in her freshman year, she grabbed a sparkly red headband and slipped into her hair before brushing it down, and she sprayed on some perfume and of course laced up her converse which she practically always wore.

Suddenly there was the loud honking of Steve, he was picking up both Jess and Dustin. Jess finalised the touches of her outfit with her usual jean jacket and followed Dustin out to the car. Jess sat in the back while Dustin sat next to Steve in the passenger seat, the two siblings clicked on their seatbelts. Steve pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road to Hawkins middle, when they arrived Dustin started doubting himself and Steve started giving him the pep talk to boost his confidence.

''All right buddy, here we are. So remember once you get in there...'' Steve explained.

''Pretend like I don't care,'' Dustin finished.

''You don't care,'' Steve exclaimed.

''I don't care,'' Dustin repeated.

Jess clamped her hand to her face. ''Dustin, don't listen to Steve's shitty advice if you act like you don't care girls aren't going to want to dance with you, okay? You see, how I started dating Steve when he became a better person?''

Dustin didn't listen and continued to doubt himself, Jess placed a reassuring hand onto his shoulder. ''You're going to be okay, you look great, okay?''

''You're gonna go in there,'' Steve said.

''Yeah,'' Dustin smiled.

''Look like a million bucks.''

''Yeah.''

''And you're gonna slay em' dead.''

''Like a lion,'' Dustin purred.

''Maybe don't do that,'' Jess assured him.

''Okay.''

Dustin unlocked the car door and headed into the middle school but as soon as he did he heard a car door open and his name being shouted. ''Dusty.''

Dustin turned around and he was straight away engulfed into a warm embrace. ''Good luck,'' his sister told him.

''Thanks Jess,'' Dustin returned the hug and smiled a toothy grin at his sister.

Jess walked back into the car, she sat at the passenger seat beside Steve now, and she clicked on her seatbelt. ''Jess?'' Steve questioned, placing a hand on top of her twiddling thumbs.

''Yeah?'' Jess looked up at her boyfriend.

''He'll be okay, all right?'' Steve reassured.

Jess just smiled, she nodded and believed Steve's words. ''Did I tell you that you look absolutely beautiful?'' Steve asked.

''No you didn't and thank you,'' Jess smiled.

Steve smiled back, he pulled out of the middle school and drove down the road to the place where he was taking Jess for her first date. Steve stopped the car in front of the burger place and stepped out, Jess did after him and they walked hand in hand to the front door of the restaurant. Jess looked around, the place was absolutely beautiful and she wondered how her boyfriend had the money to afford this but she didn't want to pry so she remained to be silent.

The young couple walked over to one of the booths, sitting in it with the menus. ''I know exactly what I'm getting,'' Steve smirked, perching over the top of the menu.

''Oh, yeah? What are you getting then, Stevie boy?'' Jess asked, laughing at his boyish smirk.

''Cheese burger and a chocolate milkshake,'' Steve replied.

''That sounds so good right now, I'll have the same but a strawberry milkshake instead,'' Jess smiled.

''Then it's settled.''

Steve ordered his food and he ordered Jess's too, the waitress smiled and said that the food and drinks will be ready soon. Steve looked up to see his girlfriend was staring out the window, and nervously tapping her fingers on the table in front of her. ''Hey, hey, hey Jessie bear, he's going to be okay, I promise,'' Steve reassured her.

''You really think so?'' Jess questioned, now looking into Steve's chocolate brown eyes.

Steve glared back into her emerald green eyes. ''Yes, I do, he will be okay. I promise.''

Jess and Steve became quite the couple, they remained the IT couple of the school and people thought them to be quite a weird combination. King Steve and Jessica Henderson, but Jess had changed Steve for the better and that's what everyone loved. Jess was known to be the cheekiest in the couple, always teasing and playfully hitting Steve while Steve was the one to make her laugh and playfully tickle her. Nancy and Jonathan had gotten together and Jess and Steve were happy for them, Nancy had a better person for her and Steve had a better person for him. Jess really brought out that goodness in Steve. And of course who could forget Steve's first day at 'Scoops Ahoy' Jess wasn't planning to get a job there but she liked to be there for Steve and she had made good friends with his co-worker Robin. The two had in fact become very close, Jess knew who Robin was from sophomore history but the two never really hung out, the two would constantly tease Steve and Robin had made a whiteboard of Steve's success and fails with flirting with either Jess or trying to impress his girlfriend by flirting with other girls. Jess found this to be rather funny and the three of them together would get up to all kinds of messes and chaos.

However, what they didn't know was that the upside down was still lurking about as the mind flayer hovered above the middle school, looking down on everybody, ready to consume, ready to destroy the human race.