A Harrington Heartbreak

Banger

(Pre-Season)                                                                                                                                                            Monday, May 6th, 1985                                                                                                                                        Steve's POV

I glanced at my watch before looking back at the mirror. I ran my comb through my hair and snapped my fingers. I had showered and changed into slightly fancy clothes for my date. Well, it wasn't a full date. Mollye and I were friends. Only friends. She was already in love with someone else. Last year she asked down the truth. I didn't tell her the truth at all. Somebody who had not experienced everything that the rest of us would not and could not understand what was going on in Hawkins. Yes, I did embellish a little about being a hero and saving the kids, but I made sure that everything remained quiet.

Earlier this morning I had dropped off Caytlinn at Mike's house for their D&D game. She told me that it was going to be a very, very, very long game apparently since Dustin planned the campaign, and I was counting on that. If I could just talk with Mollye, we could get further in our relationship. Mike, Max, Lucas, Will, and Dustin were already waiting for her and were super happy when she showed up.

I glanced at my watch and patted the top of my hair before spraying a tiny bit of Farrah Fawcett on. "Okay. Okay. Phew..."

I stepped back and looked at myself. I grabbed my keys and headed for my door when it swung open on its own. Well, sort of. My dad busted into my room. I could tell that he was drunk. He was very drunk. He only got super drunk when someone pissed him off.

"You son of a bitch! You made her leave! You made your mother leave!" He shouted, grabbing onto my shoulders and pushing me against my wall. My keys scattered to the floor as he pushed harder. "She left because of you and Crayolatlinn!"

I wanted to tell him that that was not her name, but it wasn't my place or time to do so. Not the most unexpected thing happened. He slammed his fist into my face, hard. Jerking the collar of my blazer and pulled it close to him. I could smell the alcohol on his breath and the horse smell of hate that ran in the family.

"That slut shouldn't have had you! You're sister's better than you'll ever be! But then again she's an idiot who wasn't raised right!"

He punched me in the face again. And then in the stomach. I wasn't sure what followed, but it hurt. I tried to block the attacks, but it was useless. Then it went all downhill. I heard the front door shut. I knew how Caytlinn shut the door. Caytlinn was home. She wasn't supposed to get home early. Not this early. Dustin's campaign should've lasted longer. I heard her drop the keys in the bowl.

"Oh...ho...oh. Now I'm gonna have some fun now," He threw me against the wall one last time and headed for the door. His alcohol breath lingered in the air from where he was just standing.

"Steve...! I'm home!"

I scrambled to my feet and grabbed Dad's jacket. I spun him around and punched him in the face. Some trick that Jonathan taught me when we fought. "You think punching me in the face is going to stop me?"

Once again he threw me against the wall and it was starting to hurt really bad. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Caytlinn step in the doorway. She was watching this whole scene unfold. She couldn't. She already had enough on her plate with the end of school and summer coming up. Ever since our mom left it's been hard on our dad. He would leave for weeks and then come back like nothing ever happened. That was the hardest part. We had to take care of each other. Since two years ago after the first attack, we've become more friends than siblings. But that's also the weakness in our relationship.