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STEVE GRUNTED as his feet sank into the ground, the dirt squelching under his weight. He looked down to find his Nike kicks covered in the goop that coated the walls of the tunnels and groaned. The kids did the same as they looked around, shining their lights along the vines and craters.
"Alright, saved the best for last," Steve snickered, looking up to the blonde girl standing on solid ground. She squinted her eyes with a false smile.
"Y'know, I could just leave you all down there. You left me with the keys and the rope."
Part of Steve couldn't tell if Valentina was joking or not. She'd been repeating for the last 48 hours how much she hated the Upside Down and this whole sequence of events. He wouldn't blame her if she ditched them. However, the rope that they required to escape with was tied to the back of Billy's car, and driving away would strand them all down there.
"You wouldn't leave me, would you?" Steve teased. He hoped his goggles hid the semblance of genuine curiosity in his voice.
Valentina pretended to think about it for a moment. "I guess not," she said, then squatted down with her hands on the rope.
Steve's heart warmed at her response, but then his eyes grew wide in shock. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait-"
"What?"
"Don't jump. It's farther than it looks."
Valentina scoffed. "I'm not afraid of heights, Steve."
"You're gonna hurt your leg," he shook his head. Valentina frowned. She hadn't thought about the impact of landing on her leg after a ten-something foot drop.
"Okay, so, what do you want me to do? Dive head first?"
"Do you even know how to dive?" Steve laughed when Valentina went silent. "Just give me a second to think."
He'd already thought and come up with a solution, but he didn't know how to tell Valentina without scaring her off. He would gladly carry her down there in his arms, wowing her with his strong muscles and commitment to taking care of her, but he knew Valentina would not be glad to receive that kind of attention and physical touch.
Thankfully—for Steve at least—Dustin had been eavesdropping while he and the other kids waited for the teenagers to hurry up, and he felt an obligation to step in as Steve's newly assigned wingman.
"Why don't you catch her?" the baseball capped boy suggested. Steve looked at him, his eyes narrowed and a mischievous grin pulling at his lips. This middle schooler was really beginning to grow on him.
Meanwhile, Valentina looked appalled where she stood above the hole. Was she absolutely enthralled by the thought of her lifelong crush holding her in his arms? Of course. But was she also terrified? Of course. What if she was too heavy and he dropped her? What if he was repulsed by her and didn't want to touch her? What if-
