CONNECTION |steve harrington x oc| BOOK 4

chapter 4- the game

The roar from the gym was deafening as Steve opened the door for Phoebe. Everyone was shuffling around the bleachers, fighting for the best seat. They opted for a back row of the student section. Normally seniors were front row, but tonight's game was going to be insane and they were already cramming as many people onto the one row. Phoebe didn't mind. She was never that into sports and Steve couldn't very well push his way up there with her. He'd become a sort of joke amongst the seniors. He was expected to carry his high school glory to a university on a basketball scholarship and make Hawkins proud, so when he graduated with only okay grades, no scholarship, and no plans, it disappointed everyone. At the beginning of the year lots of people asked Phoebe how he was doing, only to follow up with a sarcastic quip about him peaking in high school. She hadn't told him about the first few times. It was a sore subject for a while. Then one day, some of the senior football players went into Family Video and spent twenty minutes torturing him about being stuck in Hawkins. They had even gone as far to bring Phoebe into it, claiming that she was only still with him for his parents' money and sex, and that she would dump him as soon as she graduated and could get out of town. Nobody else knew what Steve was really like. He never told anyone that his parents, specifically his dad, were complete assholes who didn't care about him. Nobody knew that he didn't get a dime of their money after he graduated and didn't go to college. They all just assumed that his parents were letting him freeload until he figured something out, and that his job was so he had something to do and money for alcohol. It was hard to ignore the sideways glances and whispers when they were in town together, but nobody seemed to bat an eye as they made their way up the bleachers and sat, waving to Robin as she stood with the band. The buzzer sounded, ending warm-ups, and everyone settled. 

"Aren't you Steve Harrington?" A girl in front of them turned and asked. Phoebe recognized her as a freshman and held back the urge to roll her eyes. 

"Uh, yeah, why?" Steve answered flatly.

"You were on the team all four years right?" The girl's friend asked. 

"Yeah, I was." Steve glanced at Phoebe, confused. 

"It must really suck to see them go all the way to the championships the year after you leave." The first girl said plainly before turning back around. Phoebe's jaw hung open and her eyes bore into the back of their heads. 

"It's fine, Pheebs." Steve said as he noticed her staring. 

"It's not." She replied hotly and raised a hand to tap the girls on the shoulder, but Steve grabbed her wrist and shook his head. 

"It's fine." He repeated. She took a deep breath and forced a smile as the principal walked to the center of the court. 

"Welcome to the Indiana High School Basketball Championship!" His voice boomed into the microphone and the crowd erupted. "Tonight's game with start with our National Anthem, performed by Hawkins High alum- Tammy Thompson." Steve and Phoebe's heads whip towards each other in shock before they both turn to see Robin staring at them with the same surprise on her face. They all stifled a laugh as she squealed into the microphone and performed a very off-key rendition of the anthem. Phoebe was somewhat mad that she wasn't singing tonight, but the jealousy melted away as she and Steve sniggered throughout her performance. 

The game was rigorous, both teams defending as if their lives depended on it. The score was tied almost the entire first half, both teams exhausted as they left the court for halftime. The cheer squad soon replaced them for their routine that they had performed at the pep rally early. The same freshman girls began whispering and glancing back at Phoebe and Steve, Phoebe knowing that they were rehashing the drama of last year. Not many people knew that she and Chrissy used to actually be friends in elementary school. They were in the same dance classes growing up. Phoebe had stopped as they entered middle school to focus on singing more. Most kids saw this as them choosing the activity over one another and decided with a herd mentality that they were no longer friends. The separation did drive a wedge of sorts between them, but it was nothing compared to the mocking. If they were seen talking in the halls or at lunch everyone would gawk and whisper. "Singers and dancers can't be friends." One of the other girls in the dance classes told Phoebe one day after school. "Stay away from Chrissy." It hadn't bothered Phoebe, but Chrissy was always reserved and more of a follower. One day she just stopped resisting the bullying and stopped talking to Phoebe. Steve noticed the clenched fist in her lap and grabbed it, working it open with his hand and lacing their fingers together.