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Chapter 57, Nightmare on Maple Street (Ep. 1 & 2: The Crawl & The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler)
Gwen could have sworn her heart stopped beating the second she saw Steve Harrington.
Lit by the neon lights of the WSQK sign, he was painted by a mixture of pinks, purples, and blues. His brown eyes were darker under the dim lighting, but it was impossible not noticing the hint of caramel in them. He was surprised that she was joining them on this drive, but his joy was undeniably honest to the point it was considered humorous.
Gwen hopped into the van and maneuvered her way past the transmitter to the passenger seat. She tightened her hands into fists, focusing on the memories that were confirmed to be true and thinking of that one song that never seemed to leave her mind.
The melody was intimate, as if it were meant for a dance between two souls. It was the first thing that came back to her when she awakened from her coma, but she still couldn't find a connection as to why it was so important.
As if it were her life vest, Gwen took out her walkman and hit play. If she was going to spend time with him, then she needed to silence the voices... and Cyndi Lauper helped.
From the driver's side, Steve observed her, almost too ardently. An instant warmth embraced him once she settled down next to him that not even the presence of Jonathan Byers mattered. He instinctively felt the pockets of his jacket and ran his thumb along the edge of the cassette – and it was just for a moment when he forgot about the severity of their situation.
He loved her, but she didn't remember them.
And here she was... so beautifully haunting.
Jonathan closed the door of the van and situated himself under the wheel. He appeared nervous, almost like he didn't believe himself capable of working the antenna. "Alright, let's go."
With a clearing of his throat, Steve averted his gaze to him, "You comfortable back there, Byers? Or you want me to get you a pillow?"
Gwen almost smiled.
Jonathan glared at him, unimpressed, "Just focus on driving."
Steve sarcastically hummed and proceeded to start the engine. He began to drive away from the WSQK headquarters and into the desolate streets of Hawkins. Like all crawl missions, there was an unsettling silence. Since his usual partner in crime wasn't present, he felt much more disturbed at receiving a silent evening.
Somewhere along the way, Steve found the perfect spot to lay low. In between an alleyway, he placed the van into park and tried finding the needed patience. He listened to the faint melody of Cyndi Lauper coming from the walkman, thinking of the recent cassette Murray managed to sneak in. It was tempting to hand it to her, but the contents inside it wouldn't be proper to give.
