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VALENTINA LOOKED in the mirror, admiring the little girl trying on her dress. It was the second dress Max tried on when Valentina took her shopping the other week. The older woman was appalled when she heard that Max still hadn't even thought about the dance, and even more terrified when Max bought the second one she saw. It would've been the first one they passed on a mannequin, the redhead told her, had it not been too big.
When Valentina was shopping for her own Snow Ball dress years ago, she spent the entire day at the store—from their open to close hours. Steve was so mad at her because he wanted to hangout, but she told him he would have to wait because this was a make-or-break moment for her. She was the only seventh grader going to the Snow Ball, which was an eighth grade dance. Steve didn't want to take any girls from his grade as his date. He just wanted Valentina there with him.
Valentina never went to her own Snow Ball. When she was in eighth grade, Steve was a freshman in high school, and everyone knows what that meant. She had no one to go with, and she didn't even want to go. It was before she'd gotten popular and after she'd lost her best friend. She didn't want to do much of anything that year.
Her dress was navy blue with ruffles on ruffles on ruffles. 1980 was a new year, and lots of loud styles were introduced. How dare Valentina not keep up with the trends?
Max's dress was black, which Valentina thought was fitting. She put a retro-patterned cardigan on top of it to block out the cold. Who puts a bunch of middle schoolers in short dresses in the middle of Winter? Valentina thought it was strange, but so was Hawkins. They couldn't just do it in a warmer season and call it the Spring Fling or something?
"So, he didn't ask you to be his date?" the blonde asked, putting a pin into Max's fiery hair.
The girl groaned. "No. He didn't even ask anyone."
"Isn't that better, though? Than asking another girl."
"I guess. I just wish he would he would make any sort of expression. Then I could know if he likes me or if I should move on. It's like he doesn't care."
Valentina sniffled a laugh, being reminded of when Steve advised Dustin to pretend like he didn't care. Lucas should've known that doesn't work.
Her laughter got caught in her throat. She continued putting clips into Max's hair, trying to act like everything was fine and that she wasn't stunned by the sudden reminder of the boy she'd been avoiding.
Steve.
Valentina and Steve hadn't spoken since the night she ran out of his bathroom. He was going to kiss her. She knew it. And she wanted to kiss him, but she knew it was better they didn't—for the sake of their fragile friendship. She couldn't believe she ran out, but she was grateful she did it.
Starting a romantic relationship when their friendship wasn't even secure was a bad decision. She just got him back in her life, she couldn't risk losing him again. Valentina was satisfied with the thought of having Steve in her life as just a friend, because at least he would be in her life again. But she didn't know how to tell him that without upsetting him, and that couldbe another reason she lost him. There was so much that could go wrong.
