Tension (Steve Harrington)

Chap. 14; Fourth Visit is the Charm

The phone rang, waking Lauren up. Typically it wouldn't. It would take a bomb to wake her up, but she hadn't been able to sleep all night. She hadn't been able to sleep for days. Barbra's birthday was a few days prior and Lauren was racked with unmeasurable amounts of guilt.

Lauren turned over despite everything in her telling her to just ignore it and go back to sleep. She was beyond exhausted she had bags under her eyes. Though crazy small. She noticed. She couldn't focus in class. Or even listen to Walt. She could see that he was upset too. They did something for both their birthdays at the same time considering they were born two days apart. So he felt just as awful. Lauren picked up the phone not wanting to listen to it and or wake up the others in the house.

"Hello?" She forced out of her asleep mouth and brain.

"Hop," a groggy-deep voice said on the other end. One she could immediately recognize as Steve. Hop, being just as a dead give away. He was the inky person that called her that. Though she had no idea why. He dad was Hop, she was just Lauren.

"No, it's not like you didn't just call my number. You actually called the past, this is Lincoln's oval office private number." She said sarcastically influenced by the complete and utter exhaustion.

"Oh well then done got to the theater." Lauren laughed a little. "Is this girl Hop though?" Lauren sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Do I sound like a man?"

"Yeah kinda." Lauren rolled her eyes. She knew it but she hated when people broght it up.

"How'd you get my number?"

"The phone book."

"What do you want?" She said, whipping every ounce of sleep she had left from her eyes. At this point she wasn't alert and sound, she hadn't been that for days. She was more eyes open sleeping

"I need your help." Lauren's interest was pecked considering she would be the last person he would call.

"Why would I help you?"

"The kindness of your heart." Lauren laughed at him.

"What."

"My car broke down."

"And you called me, why?" She made sure to emphasize the 'me'.

"My parents are out of town, Nancy wouldn't answer..."

"Do you not have any friends?" She interrupted him.

"None that will answer. Will you help or not?"

"No, actually, I'm pretty comfortable in bed, so I'm just going to stay here."

"Hop wait, please." Steve pleaded.

"What's in it for me?"

"What do you want?" Lauren pondered for a moment.

"I'm in need of some new clothes, actually."

"No," he said almost immediately

"Have fun on the side of the road." Lauren pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Fine, fine, fine clothes." She heard him yell.

"Fantastic, where are you?"

"Anderson."

"The fuck you in Anderson for?"

"I'll tell you later please just come. I'm at the Anderson library."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't get mugged."

"Not planning it." Lauren rolled her eyes, setting the phone back on the hook. She grabbed her glasses and some of her pajama shorts, not wanting to show up in her underwear. She slipped on her Chucks before walking to her dad's room.