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__________ c h a p t e r t w e n t y - n i n e
THREE MONTHS LATER
The one and only thing about summer that sucked was that it had to end eventually. The last two months flew by without any threats to their lives, and suddenly it was time to say goodbye to days at the pool and hello to high school.
By now, it was October, which meant three things.
1. It had been officially 32 days since Dawn left Hawkins for NYU, leaving Sam and Steve behind with promises to keep in touch.
2. Sam, Nancy, and Jonathan were this close to finishing their own college applications.
3. It was time to say goodbye to the Byers.
Sam was going to help them move out, but her boss scheduled her for a last minute shift, prompting her to simply leave a gift for Will and El with Bianca and say her goodbyes the day before.
For El, she made a collage of things that would remind the girl of Hopper and made her a romper similar to some of the ones she'd bought at the mall back in July.
For Will, she gave him a supply of her favorite art supplies with a note about how great of a kid he was to babysit all those years, and how if he ever needed anything, to call her.
Hawkins Records was a pretty great job, honestly. It allowed her weekends off most of the time, the pay was decent, and the customers were, for the most part, pretty cool. Also, it happened to be next door to Family Video, which meant if Steve got the job, it'd be that much easier to see him.
Speaking of, Sam walks into the store hoping to hear some good news. She walks up to Steve with an excited grin, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Please tell me you're the newest member of the Family Video family."
"He hates me."
"He's Keith, he hates everyone," Sam rolls her eyes. "I'm sure Robin can convince him. He should be so lucky to have an employee as charming as you."
"I know right! I don't know what to do, this job was perfect," he shakes his head, as she runs a hand through his hair.
"If anything, I'm sure you could be, like, a receptionist at my mom's salon?" she suggests.
"But this place is right next door to your job. And I can score the kids free movies."
"It's sweet that you're thinking of the kids," she smiles. "But you know they're teenagers now, right?"
Before he can respond, Keith shouts, "Harrington, you start Monday. One strike and you're out."
Sam cheers as the man walks into the back, hugging Robin, who held a triumphant look. "How'd you get him to change his mind?"
