𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞; 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞; 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭

Song: Art Deco by Lana Del Rey

Warnings: strong language, mentions of alcohol

There weren't many things to do in Hawkins. The bars were mediocre, and the seasonal events felt cheesy and unremarkable. The three girls drove across town lines to get to a club. "I know you're not a party person, Jo. But Vickie and I were going and we figured you could let down your guard a little bit tonight. Live a little." Robin said, genuinely concerned for Jo's well-being. Despite her best intentions, Jo still felt a bit out of her element.

"As long as I can get drunk. You're not drinking, right Robin?" Jo heard Robin scoff as they pulled into the club's parking lot, not particularly concerned about her crooked parking job.

"Of course, Vickie can't drive for shit so someone has to be responsible tonight." She planted a small kiss on Vickie's hand. "Ready, my love?"

About 30 minutes into their night, Jo began to warm up to the idea of dancing and indulging in some drinks. She sipped gingerly from a glass of champagne, observing her two friend dance as if nobody was watching. The vibrant lights intermittently dazzled Jo, briefly blinding her with each movement directed her way.

She let out a quiet huff of air and absentmindedly traced the rim of her glass. Jo was simply out of her comfort zone. While she wanted her friends to have a great time, her thoughts were consumed by Steve. She hadn't found a suitable distraction from him other than joining her friends at the club on this Thursday night. Who goes to the club on a Thursday? Thankfully, the place wasn't overly crowded, something Jo was grateful for. She despised packed nightclubs with strangers dancing too close to each other. It just wasn't her idea of fun. But if Robin and Vickie were having fun, she could too.

She was so deep in thought that she hardly noticed the bell ring when the door opened, but she glanced over anyway. Nevertheless, her eyes drifted toward the one person she had been relentlessly trying to forget. Steve.

Jo managed to discreetly slip away to her friends after nearly choking as she hastily downed the flute of champagne. She had come to this party with the sole intention of getting drunk, but now she found herself contemplating whether or not to approach him. With her being incapable of talking to him without stuttering or slurring, she was certain she'd either make a fool of herself or do something she'd regret in the morning. Even though he didn't act like it, he was still her boss, which made all the difference.

Grabbing her friend Robin's arm with an urgency that bordered on aggression, Jo blurted out, "Robin, what the fuck? Did you invite Steve here?" She immediately regretted her tone but couldn't contain her concern.

Robin shook her head in response, shouting over the loud, pulsing music. "He must have had the same idea! Why would I ever invite my boss to go clubbing with me? Of course, I didn't invite him!" Robin shouted, bumping into a couple of innocent bystanders as she jumped around with Vickie.

Vickie, always the voice of reason in their group, chimed in, offering a potential solution. "Maybe you should take this chance to talk to him!" Robin tended to panic easily, but Vickie always made sure to keep her grounded-her rock. Jo loved them to death, but couldn't help feeling a tinge of loneliness in moments like these.

"Nah, I think I'd rather not. I can hardly be close to him at work, how can I relax now?" Jo laughed to herself, pitying herself about the situation she put herself in. Robin rolled her eyes at Jo's self-pitying remarks and pulled her back into their enthusiastic dance session.

Unbeknownst to the girls, Steve had been observing them since he arrived, unable to approach Jo as she mingled with her friends. He came here for the same reason she did, an escape from reality. The reality was that he found himself falling in love with his friend's daughter and his own employee. Ordering a stiff drink, Steve discreetly watched as Jo lost herself in the loud rhythmic club music. It was a shitty remix of a song he had heard years ago, but it hardly mattered to him.