NO SURPRISES --- Steve Harrington

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.

- SECRET RUSSIAN COMMUNICATIONS
- luneetoilex

"RONNIE , TALK TO RUSSIA BEFORE ITS TOO LATE

BEFORE THEY BLOW UP THE WORLD"

SHE'D SPOT THE BOUNCING HEAD OF CURLS ANYWHERE. Dustin was dressed head-to-toe in his 'Camp Know-Where' merchandise, hair squashed down with his signature baseball cap. He walked through the middle of the mall, bouncing slightly as he walked into Scoops.

Amelia was only working through the morning, her shift finishing at twelve o'clock on the dot. The clock read eleven-ten and Ruby was working until closing.

"Hey, Ruby," The dark haired girl looked over at her, still peeling oranges. "Can you cover my last 10 minutes?" The girl nodded, red lips quirking into a smile.

Amelia thanked her, grabbing her purse and getting out of the small kiosk as quickly as she could.

A generic, sea-themed tune reached Amelia's ears as she walked into Scoops Ahoy. The ice cream shop was significantly cooler than the rest of the mall, the icy air hitting Amelia as she walked into the threshold.

Standing just in front of the counter was Dustin and Steve, doing one of the nerdiest handshakes she'd seen in her life.

"Nerds," She laughed, pulling Dustin into a hug. "Missed you." Dustin was slightly taller than her now, maybe by an inch. He was shorter than her when he left for camp.

"Missed you too." He hugged her back, drinking in her familiar smell of strawberry's, now mixed with a citrus-y tang.

"How many children are you two friends with?" Robin asked, leaning against the counter.

"This is practically my child," Amelia smiled at Dustin mischievously while he rolled his eyes.

"NO, NO WAY," Steve clattered the banana split Dustin had asked for on the table, alongside a tub of strawberry ice cream with sprinkles that Amelia hadn't asked for. She raised an eyebrow at him to which he replied with a small, sad smile. "Hotter than Phoebe Cates? No."

His eyes flicked to Amelia, attempting to see if she took any offence. If she did, she wasn't showing it on her face.

Dustin hummed in protest. "Brilliant, too. And she doesn't even care that my real pearls are still coming in," He smiled, he clearly liked this girl. "She says kissing is better without teeth." He said proudly.

Amelia and Steve locked eyes, both holding back combined disgust and laughter.

"Wow, yeah, that's great. Proud of you, man."

"Yeah, you do you dude."

Both teenagers clapped the younger boy on the back like proud parents, hands brushing slightly.