Crimson Skies | Steve Harrington

Chapter 1: Drifting Apart

     Steve was her first everything.

     When Savannah moved to Hawkins in 1973, the first person she met was her 7 year old neighbor. The little girl watched through her bedroom window as he pedaled his bike back and forth in front of her house, wondering who was inside. She ducked under the window pane each time he looked her way, until he finally decided to toss a rock at her window, which sent a crack through the glass. Both children were scolded by their parents and Steve was enlisted to help Savannah unpack her room as a punishment.

     He was her first friend.

     After that day, the two were inseparable. They spent every day at each other's houses, playing games, riding bikes, and building forts. Their mothers would get together and joke about how the two would probably grow up and date each other one day, and the kids would crinkle their noses at the thought. Savannah didn't want to date Steve. She didn't want to date boys at all. Boys were gross.

     She didn't know why she felt butterflies when he gave her a compliment, or why she loved peeking through her curtains to watch him play basketball. She would brush her hair before he came over to her house and always tried to sit next to him in the car.

     He was her first crush.

     When Savannah was 13, the two of them were invited to their first boy-girl party. Tammy Thompson's birthday party was the most talked about event in middle school, and she spent weeks bragging at school about her parents' inattentiveness and how games like spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven were going to be main attractions at her party. Savannah was terrified. She didn't want everyone in school to know she was inexperienced, and when she expressed her concerns to Steve, he volunteered to teach her.

     "Steve, no," Savannah protested, sitting on his bed. "That's weird. We're friends."

     "It's just kissing," Steve insisted, with his usual cool demeanor. "Come on, I'm sure you're not as bad as you think. It's easy."

     Steve was her first kiss.

     When she was 16, she had her first hangover. Steve had become incredibly popular in high school, and Savannah by association, gained popularity as well. Most of the time, Savannah attended without consuming alcohol, but eventually peer pressure took its toll and she got blackout drunk. Not only did Steve manage to sneak her back into her house without her parents noticing, he also slept on the floor so he would be there to nurse her when she woke up.

     "You really didn't have to stay," she said, barely able to sit up in bed.

     "Come on, Sav," he smirked, holding a glass of water. "You know I couldn't miss this."

     She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment as her head continued to pound. "I'm glad you stayed," she admitted softly.

     He smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I'd never leave you."

     Steve was her first love.

     The tragic thing was, Steve's firsts never involved Savannah. He always had plenty of friends, his first kiss was Amy Johnson at the age of 12, his first hangover was the day after his first basketball game...and his first love was Nancy Wheeler.

     Savannah became friends with Nancy Wheeler the first day of sophomore year, and the two bonded instantly. Nancy was different from Savannah's shallow cheer friends that she had surrounded herself with since middle school. For the first time in her life, Savannah had a girl friend who actually understood her. They both loved to write and watch movies and geek out over famous actors. The two girls would have study nights and movies dates and rants about boys and parents. Steve, of course, hung out with them as well, and he seemed to like Nancy as much as Savannah did. Everything was perfect. Savannah was content to spend the rest of high school with her two best friends. She didn't need anyone else. They were the perfect trio.

     But it didn't last long.

     "Savannah, wait!" Steve jogged down the hallway behind his best friend, trying to catch up to her. "I can explain."

     "Don't talk to me," she said, pulling open her locker and blocking his face with the door.

     "Let me explain," he said, pushing the locker shut so she was forced to look at him. "I didn't mean to, it just happened."

     "You can't accidentally kiss someone Steve," she said, shoving him aside and opening her locker again.

     "I just mean I didn't know it was going to happen," Steve explained. "I swear I wasn't trying to–"

     "To what?" Savannah spun around to face him, giving him a death stare like he had never seen before. "Steve 'the hair' Harrington, the heartthrob of Hawkins. I'm surprised you didn't pounce on her sooner."

     Steve was hurt. He owned his reputation at school, but things were always different with Savannah. She knew him. Like really knew him, and he always trusted that she saw him as more than the playboy jock everyone made him out to be.

     He stared back at her, letting her harmful words hang in the air. "I'm going to ask her out," he said finally.

     Savannah's stomach dropped. She said nothing.

     "She's different, Savannah. You know she is." Steve's eyes were soft, and Savannah knew it was different this time. "I really like her."

     "You want my blessing?" she replied coldly. "You can date whoever you want, Steve. I really don't give a shit."

     That was the first time she ever lied to him.

     The distance came naturally. Nancy told Savannah everything about her and Steve's relationship at first, and Savannah pretended to be happy for her, but Nancy could sense Savannah's discomfort, and the two girls slowly grew apart. As for Steve, after their fight in the hallway, the two hardly talked at all.

     He didn't crawl through Savannah's bedroom window anymore. He didn't sneak up and scare her when she was loading books into her locker. He didn't drive her to school while she fixed her makeup in the mirror.

     All of those moments were with Nancy now. Everything was about Nancy.

     Savannah had watched Steve date half a dozen girls through middle school and high school, but none of it had mattered until now. Steve was in love with Nancy. Savannah knew that.

     And Savannah was in love with Steve.

     Sophomore year wasn't completely brutal. Savannah spent most of her time hanging out with Tina, Carol, and Nicole, discussing mindless drama, going to sporting events, and having sleepovers on the weekends. She had always had plenty of friends, but she still felt a sense of loneliness without Steve and Nancy.

     When Will Beyers went missing in November, everything seemed to shift. Savannah could feel that something strange was going on, but she couldn't figure out what. Jonathan Beyers, who worked with her in the photo lab, suddenly stopped talking to her and befriended Nancy. The two were then spotted together often, and Nancy and Steve's relationship got rocky. Savannah watched from afar, wishing she could talk to them. She wished they would tell her what was going on, but they were practically strangers.

     Eventually Will reappeared with no explanation other than a few sketchy newspaper headlines. Jonathan dodged all questions about the incident, Steve and Nancy's relationship returned to normal, and Savannah remained on the outside, feeling more alone than ever. After spending the entire summer gazing out her window at Steve's house and pitying herself for how they all abandoned her, she began her junior year with the resolution to forget her old friends and move on.