Basic Instinct [stranger things]

54. First Dates

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
FIRST DATES

Aaron, Kimmy, Dustin, Robin and Steve were sat in Kimmy and Aaron's usual booth with bored expressions. Milkshakes and ice cream sundaes covering the entire table as they tried to bribe Erica into helping them.

Steve slid yet another bowl of ice cream over the table to the younger girl in hopes to get her into the air duct. However Erica shook her head, pushing to bowl back to Steve.

"More fudge, please." The young girl spoke mockingly, ushering Steve away with her hand when the older boy just looked to her blankly. "Go on."

Steve clenched his jaw, as if he was debating if it was even worth it. He then shook his head and grabbed the bowl of ice cream before walking off, clearly annoyed.

"Okay, you see this? This is the route you're gonna take." Robin explained to Erica, holding up the air duct blueprints that she had drawn on to highlight the route. "Then we just wait until the last delivery goes out tonight. Then you knock out the grate, jump down, open the door-"

"Then I find out what's in those boxes." Erica finished the older girls sentence with a blunt voice.

"Exactly." Robin nodded, placing the blueprints back on the seat.

"And you say the guard is armed?" Erica asked suspiciously.

"Yes, but he won't be there." Dustin reassured with a smile.

"And booby traps?" The young girl asked, looking unsure.

"Booby traps?" Robin asked with her brows knitted in confusion.

"Traps." Aaron explained in an obvious tone, rolling his eyes. "Like when stuff comes out the wall and the floor falls out beneath you, lasers, or like-"

"There won't be any booby traps." Kimmy reassured from next to Aaron, stomping on his foot to shut him up when she saw the wide eyed expression Erica was sending his way. "You'll be fine-"

"Well, you know what this half-baked plan of yours sounds like to me?" Erica retorted, looking to Aaron with an attempt at an intimidating expression. "Child endangerment."

Robin spoke up in attempt to try convince her to go along with their plan. "We'll be in radio contact with you the whole time-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Erica interrupted, shaking her finger in Robin's face, Kimmy holding back a slight laugh at the interaction. "Child endangerment."

"Erica, hi, um..." Dustin sighed, trailing off in thought as he quickly decided what was the best way to go around the situation. "We think these Russians want to do harm to our country. Great harm. Don't you love your country?"

"You can't spell 'America' without 'Erica'." The girl mumbled as she took a sip of her milkshake.

Kimmy looked away, confused for a moment as she thought about it. Sure enough, the smaller girl was right. Kimmy couldn't help but wonder how long it had taken Erica to realise that said fact.

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Oddly, that's totally true." Dustin nodded, sounding as confused and surprised as Kimmy had felt. Dustin then smiled, rushing to add on to what she had said. "So don't do this for us, do it for your country. Do it for your fellow man. Do this for America... Erica."

"Ooh," Erica spoke with a grin, placing her milkshake down as she looked to Dustin. "I just got the chills!"

Dustin nodded and smiled proudly, however this smile was soon wiped of his face when Erica continued.