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STEVE WAS silent and brooding the entire drive back to his house. Jackie couldn't blame him, not with the giant antenna wheel stuck right between their heads and ruining his perfect car. Wordlessly, she flicked the radio on and stared out of the window. I think I'm In Love by Eddie Money played quietly as they turned down another street. She knew he wasn't angry at her, but he was angry, and the tension was thick she couldn't stand it.
The town of Hawkins blurred by, something that had once been unfamiliar to her was now a place she knew better than her home in California. She knew every road name, which intersection connected to what, and which streets had more military police circling around them than other. For example, Maple street was so suburban you couldn't go twenty-five without seeing one. Her old street on Cherry, however, had only two guards per round. The trailer park? Hardly anything.
And Steve's road? It was swarmed.
As they pulled up to the house, Steve switched the car off with a sigh. "I look like an idiot driving this thing around now."
Jackie winced, looking at the antenna wheel. "Yeah. It's.."
"I'm gonna kill him," Steve muttered. "Actually kill him this time. Throwing his attitude around is one thing, you know? This.. this is..."
"Destructing your most prized possession?" She quipped, grimacing. "He has kind of gone off the rails."
Steve scrubbed a hand over his face, slumping back into his seat and squeezing his eyes shut. He stayed like that for a moment, all Jackie could do was stare at him. Then, she reached to squeeze his hand.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I feel like everyone is at their limit and Dustin is.. he's taking it out on you specifically. That's a good thing, though."
Steve didn't react, only the slight lifting of his brows. "How is that a good thing, exactly?"
"He's comfortable enough with you," she said. "He knows that no matter how many times he tries to push you away, you won't leave. That's real little sibling behavior." Jackie gnawed at her lip, turning to stare out the window. Just don't let him push you away. She could dish out the advice and be entirely correct, it wouldn't change what she'd done to Max. Leaving her. Being pushed away and pulling back all at once. Sleeping at the Wheeler's because she was embarrassed of her home at the trailer park. She'd missed out on so much of Max's freshman year, and now she might never wake back up.
She blinked rapidly. She didn't like how easily the thoughts swirled, how quickly the memories dampened her mood. Steve's thumb rubbed circles around her hand, and when she looked up, he was peering at her in concern.
"Hey," he murmured, softly. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she whispered. "Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to.. turn it back on me."
