CONNECTION |steve harrington x oc| BOOK 4

chapter 8- reefer rick

"I still don't understand why we have to do this here?" Phoebe asked again as they parked in front of Family Video, Dustin and Max practically running inside. 

"Steve, how many phones do you have?" He asked hastily. 

"Have you guys seen this?" He motions to the TV. Usually it plays movies, but they've got it tuned to a news station getting the latest update on the situation. "Someone was murdered."

"How many phones do you have?!" Dustin repeated. 

"Uh, two. Why?" He glances to Phoebe, but she is just as lost. 

"Technically three if you count Keith's in the back." Robin answered, her confusion showing on her face. 

"Yeah, three works." Max agrees as she and Dustin share a head nod, him taking off his backpack. 

"What are you doing?" Steve mutters just as Dustin slides the bag across the counter. 

"My tapes, dude!" Steve yelled. Dustin opted to hoist himself over the counter, only to fall off the other side. 

"My pile!" Robin whines as she shoves the teenager aside to collect the fallen tapes.

"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked.

"Setting up base of operations." Dustin said it like it was obvious. 

"Base of operations?" Robin repeats, gesturing to Phoebe.

"Stop, dude, get off of it." Steve tries to stop Dustin from using the computer, but it quickly devolves into a pointless argument. 

"No, we need it."

"What for?" Phoebe asks.

"Looking up Eddie's friends' phone numbers." Dustin answers like it's obvious.

"Oh, Eddie." Steve starts. "Your new friend who you think is cooler than me because he plays that weird ga-"

"Okay, yes, Eddie." Dustin stops himself. "I never said that."

"Seriously, guys. Maybe on a Monday you can play around in here like toddlers, but it's Saturday. It's our busiest day." Robin ranted as she attempted to reorganize the countertop. 

"Yeah, Robin, I totally empathize, but this cannot wait." Dustin argues with a notepad in one hand, pencil poised in the other. 

"What, because calling all of Eddie's friends is an emergency?" She asks again. 

"Correct!" Dustin spats. 

"Do you want to strangle him or should I?" Steve looks between the girls. 

"We could take turns." Robin offers sarcastically. 

"Can you just fill them in while I do this?" Dustin pleads with Max.

"Fill us in with what?" Robin looks between Phoebe and Max. Max is silent. 

"Max knows who that student was. And where exactly she was found." Phoebe finally lets it out. Robin and Steve both froze. "Yeah."

Max finishes the story just in time for Dustin to split up the list of names he's compiled. Robin had grabbed Keith's phone from the back office and found a spare jack to hook it up. The three of them paced behind the counter going through the list. Phoebe had gotten bored after only a few failed phone calls and made herself busy by reorganizing the candy shelves and display. Steve was the only one doing any real work. Phoebe stood to get a new box of candy from the back storage room and saw Steve interacting with a customer. She recognized the girl from school, she was a junior. By the fake smile and the strand of hair twirling between her fingers she spotted the obvious flirting. Normally she would roll her eyes, even enjoy watching Steve squirm as he tried to let them down gently with rejection, but today a pang hit her stomach. Most people in school, town even, knew of their relationship and were respectful. There were of course the few girls at school who didn't care and shamelessly talked about Phoebe well within her earshot, but she always told herself it was nothing. She knew how Steve felt about her and she about him. So why was this girl's juvenile act of flirting with the cute video store guy so threatening? The prospect of the looming future had been on her mind more recently. She always had dreams of moving away to college in a city, leaving behind the quaint, small life she'd always known. After the first incident with Will moving away didn't seem bad, leave and ignore the past. But after two more world ending threats the idea of seeing Hawkins in her rear view mirror was a daunting topic.