STICKS AND STONES ↝ S. HARRINGTON

[24]

"Something's really wrong with Steve," Becca said, looking around the hallways to make sure her cousin wasn't within earshot before turning back to Anna. "Like... really wrong with Steve."

Since the Halloween party the night before, Anna hadn't been able to get Steve driving them home from the party out of her head. The look on his face when he'd come to find her to tell her they were leaving, his white knuckles against the steering wheel, and the catch in his voice as he spoke about his argument with Nancy.

While she'd managed to get a few hours of undisturbed sleep on her own, she felt much more run down than she'd been once she'd grown used to getting a full night's sleep again, and the weird jitteriness her brother had had that morning while getting ready hadn't helped matters much. As Dustin nearly pranced around the house proclaiming he was about to have a new scientific discovery, Anna had simply translated it in her head to mean he was fueled by a sugar rush after eating way too many Three Musketeers bars from his trick-or-treat stash, which she knew she'd have to break into later when he wasn't home to steal a few of.

"Has he said anything about it?" Anna asked, shoving her backpack into her locker and grabbing her books for Mrs. Click's class.

"He won't talk about it." Becca sighed. "Not to me, anyways. And I had just gotten Billy Hargrove to come talk to me when he interrupted and told me to go wait in the car." she rolled her eyes playfully. "Such a shame. But seriously, if he says anything, let me know, though? I'm worried about him, but I know you have a couple classes with him this morning, so maybe he'll talk then."

"Absolutely," Anna assured her, slamming her locker door shut as they parted ways for their first period classes. "I'll let you know if I find anything out."

Anna wasn't able to catch a hold of Steve during first period, the boy coming in right as the bell rang with his sesame seed bagel in tow, making a beeline for his seat without so much as sparing a glance in Anna's direction. When the bell rang for second period, he was the first one back out the door, though Anna had to go the opposite direction to get to her math class, rather than the path he would take to get to study hall. However, during third period gym, while running laps outside, Anna watched as the door back to the gymnasium opened and Steve and Nancy walked outside, ducking into the alley around the side of the building.

Anna tried to keep an eye on them as best as she could, making an effort to run faster when they were out of her eyesight to try and reach them again, but it was only a few minutes before Steve stalked back inside, leaving Nancy alone in the alley. It was a couple moments later that the girl walked back inside too, and Anna had a sinking feeling that even though they'd talked, something was still very, very wrong.

She tried to find him after the girls were sent back inside to change, quickly pulling back on her sweater and jeans in exchange for the Hawkins Physical Education t-shirt and shorts that had previously adorned her body, but Steve waited until the last moment to emerge from the boys' locker room back into the gymnasium, making a beeline straight for the exit as the bell rang overhead.

"Hey Steve, wait up!" Anna called as he ducked out of the gymnasium after him, and she hurried ahead to keep up with him before he got lost in the crowd. "Harrington!"

Steve paused as he reached a quieter spot in front of a few lockers, looking back at her with one eyebrow raised. However, there was something in his expression as he looked at her that Anna couldn't quite put a finger on, causing her eyebrows to pinch together as she looked back at him.

"I just wanted to see if you were doing okay, after last night." Anna explained. "I saw you go outside with Nancy during gym."

"Oh, so now you care enough to talk to me about last night?" Steve asked, causing Anna's heart to plummet into her stomach as she recognized the look in his eyes as one of hurt and anger, directed at her.