We ride into the Family Video parking lot, hopping off our bikes while they're still moving and propping them against the store before barging inside. The ring of the bell on the door pierces through my brain, ricocheting off the walls and making my headache harder to ignore. Still, as Steve and Robin turn around from where they were watching a small television in the corner, I mask my expression into something unreadable, avoiding my brother's gaze.
"Hey, Steve," Dustin says as we approach the counter.
"You guys see this?" Steve gestures to the screen, where I can see the trailer that Chrissy was killed in staring down at us.
"How many phones do you have?" Dustin ignores Steve's inquiry like I ignore the pressing stare he adopts the minute he notices I'm here.
"Someone was murdered," Steve states after realizing I'm not gonna look at him.
"How many phones do you have?" Dustin repeats, louder this time. Steve tears his eyes from me and looks to the curly-haired boy before glancing at Robin.
"Uh, two, why?"
"Technically three," Robin says, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb, "if you count Keith's in the back."
Max turns to us and nods. "Yeah, three works."
Dustin swings his bag off his shoulders, and I step away to avoid being slammed in the side. Steve watches with quiet exasperation.
"What are you doing?" Steve asks a split second before Dustin throws the duffel bag onto the counter and pushes it forward so it falls at Steve's feet, taking out a stack of tapes in the process. "Woah! What are you—?!"
"My pile!"
Dustin climbs onto the counter himself, knocking over just about everything else that's there as he slides to the other side.
"No no no! My tapes! Dude!" Steve throws his hands up as Dustin positions himself in front of the computer. "What are you doing, man?!"
"Setting up base of operations here," Dustin says as I circle around to the small door that leads to behind the counter, holding it open for Max as she shakes her head.
"Base of operations?" Robin repeats, looking at the mess on the floor as Max and I peek over Dustin's shoulders.
"Stop, get off of that," Steve says as Dustin pulls up the customer database.
"No, I need it," Dustin says.
"Need it for what?
"Looking up Eddie's friends' phone numbers."
"Oh, Eddie." Steve nods, disgruntled. "Your new best friend Eddie you think is cooler than me because he plays your nerdy game."
"Eddi — yes —" Dustin stops and looks at Steve. "I never said that."
"Seriously, you guys, maybe on a Monday you can play around in here like toddlers, but it's Saturday," Robin rants, picking up the tapes and whatever else Dustin knocked over. "It's our busiest day."
"All right, look, Robin, I totally emphasize," Dustin says absentmindedly as his fingers click away, "but this cannot wait until Monday."
"Oh my god." Steve presses his hands into his eyes and turns away.
"What, 'cause calling all of Eddie's friends is an emergency?"
"Correct!"
Steve walks over to Robin, and I turn my attention to the screen, leaning in further to read the names that are appearing. Dustin suddenly turns to me, a strange look in his eye as he gives me the once over and then searches my face. I feel uncomfortable as he studies me; I've always felt like Dustin could read my mind.
YOU ARE READING
Harrington 4
FanficLiz Harrington is at peace with how things have turned out. At least, that's what she tells herself. After everything that went down in Hawkins last summer, she is happy to be away from the cursed town she grew up in. She's getting used to her new l...
