𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 - 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

19. the mall rats

THE NEXT DAY

Aubrey woke up around nine, walking out and being met with the phone cord stretched to El's room, Hopper standing in the kitchen eating cereal with a shit-eating smile.

"What are you up to now?" Aubrey asked him, ducking under the cord.

He just smiled, "Oh, nothing."

She opened the fridge then turned around to him, "Oh, god, what did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything!" He swore, taking a bite of his cereal and smiling again, "Mike is late, don't know if he's... gonna show."

Aubrey snickered, shaking her head. "You are awful."

El walked out of her room then, "Hey." Hopper said to her as she hung the phone back up, "What's going on?" he played dumb.

El didn't respond, just walked back to her room and slammed her door. Hopper smiled even wider, "Hm. Interesting."

"You're cruel!" Aubrey told him.

"Oh, no. I did us all a favor." he snickered, eating his cereal happily.

Aubrey shook her head, grabbing the pitcher of orange juice as the phone rang again. "Can you get that?" her dad asked her.

She rolled her eyes, "Too busy gleaming?" she mocked him as she picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Aubrey!" A voice replied, it took her a second to recognize it, "It's me."

"Dustin?" She questioned, "Hey! You're back home."

"Sure am." He replied, "I was wondering if you'd be willing to give me a ride to the mall?"

"Oh, the mall? What for?"

"To see Steve, of course. I need to surprise him."

She chuckled, "He gets a surprise and I don't?!"

"Aubrey, please. You're lucky I'm asking you for the ride and not literally anyone else." he replied, unamused by her humor.

"Rude." she scoffed, "I don't think I wanna give you a ride then."

"No, please! I'll buy you an ice cream."

She smiled, knowing she was going to give him the ride no matter what, "Deal, I guess. I'll pick you up by ten."

"Perfect! Thank you, see you then!" he hung up before she could even say goodbye. She sighed.

"What was that?" Hopper questioned.

"Dustin wants me to give him a ride to surprise Steve at the mall."

"Oh perfect, you get to babysit with your boyfriend again." he mocked her, karma for her mocking him a minute earlier.

Aubrey rolled her eyes at him, "He's not my boyfriend." she smiled, unfazed, turning around and heading back to her room. She got ready and then headed to Dustin's house, "Hey! I think you got a little taller." she teased him as he got into her passenger seat.