Tension (Steve Harrington)

Chap. 35; In or Out

The bleachers filled with residents of Hawkins to celebrate Senior Night. Lauren, Walt, Samantha, Jonathan, and Nancy sat in the student section. The student body size was so small that the middle schoolers joined them. The game went back and forth in the beginning. The whole gym was overwhelmingly hot. Between the player's heavy breathing or the whole town coming to celebrate the graduating student's body heat from being scrunched together.

Lauren yawned, watching as the fast passed game moved from one side to the other. Jonathan noticed this and turned to ask her, "I'm sorry, I have to address this. How are you not frecking out right now?"

"Oh, because I don't know a single thing about basketball. The only reason I'm here is because of St- senior night." Lauren swallowed down her worry of anyone hearing her slip concerning no one paid any mind to it. Jonathan, however, looked confused.

"Okay, so what you're telling me is you understand football. I think it is one of the most confusing sports to exist. But you don't understand basketball and you live in Indiana?"

"Well, football is different. I only love it because of Walt," she glanced over at him, and he nodded as he shoved food in his mouth. "I watched that every weekend for hiwever many weekeneds of the year for years. But like with basketball, I never did that and know I'm a bad Hoosier, or whatever. It's just that there's so much that I don't understand. Like sometimes the get fouled for like touching someone, and then they can tackle , and they don't. Or, or traveling. I don't get that shit, like I swear sometimes these motherfuckers take like fives steps with the ball and that's not a travel. I don't fuckimg know."

"Oh, I guess I kinda get it." Jonathan nodded going back to watching the game. He did go down and take pictures during halftime for the yearbook. The game was head-to-head as they approached the last quarter. Lauren was on the edge of her seat. She was beyond nervous. She may not understand everything all that well but she was smart enough to know they were losing, but not by a lot. Lauren wanted Steve to win the last home game of his high school season. At least before the tournament started.

"The tigers take the lead. A three-pointer by twenty-four Steve Harrington." The crowd cheered as the announcement played. The band began to play as they did for every shot. The game was far from over, having four minutes on the clock anything could happen that's what sucked.

As it had been all game the guy had been getting hotter and hotter. Till Lauren could not be in there due to both the heat and her own competitive nerves and the nevers that weren't just routing the tigers maybe just a specific one. Lauren turned to her friend next to her, "Hey Nancy, I'm going to go get some corn nuts or something. I can't watch this." Nancy's shoulders dropped when she saw that Jonathan was now taking pictures of the actual players and she'd be left with Samantha and whatever Walt was round her.

"There are only four minutes left and you can't stay."

"No Nance, I'm about to crawl out of my skin. It's so hot and I'm too competitive to watch these close games." Nancy sighed looking over to the two tjat were currently making out in the middle of the student section and accepted her response watching her walk down.

Lauren felt a slight bit of relief walking out of the gymnasium doors. The concession stand was blinding with neon signs. "Do you have any corn nuts?" The guy just shook his head. There was a roar of cheers coming from the wrong side of the gym. 'Fuck' Lauren thought. "How about Spree's?" Lauren asked for her childhood comfort candy. The man handed her a box of sprees in exchange for seventy-five cents.

Not being able to go back in, Lauren sat outside of the gym. Cheers erupted from one side of the gym to the other back and forth. Not knowing who had the ball, the score, or anything the buzzer went off. The crowd was silent for a mere second before she heard the Hawkins High fight song.