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JONATHAN GROANED, dropping his BLT sandwich onto the table with a louder thud than any piece of bread and slice of vegetables and meat should make. Nancy replicated the sound, though hers held a stronger tone of disappointment, one that affected the blonde sitting across from the couple more than any look from the boy could.
"You're ridiculous!" he said again, the same thing he'd been telling the girl for weeks. He didn't always phrase it like that. Sometimes it was 'unrealistic,' 'crazy,' or even, 'in love with Steve Harrington.' That last one was the worst.
"And you're mean!" Valentina shot back, pointing a finger at her friend while the others held onto her cheeseburger. She rolled her eyes and took another bite of the greasy food, not minding the ketchup that dripped down her chin.
"What he means," Nancy cut into the two's nonsensical argument, "is that there is nothing wrong with asking your close friend, who no-doubt would do anything for you, for a ride."
Valentina huffed. She loved Nancy and Jonathan, but they were totally missing the point.
"It's not the ride. It's the fact that it's to a job interview, something Steve has never been to once in his life. What if he thinks I'm, like, foolish?"
"You are foolish," Nancy sang sweetly, reaching across the table to wipe the ketchup off her friend's face. Valentina sent her a thankful grimace.
"A fool in love," Jonathan whispered to himself. The other two heard anyway. Nancy elbowed him while Valentina kicked him under the table, much harsher than his girlfriend.
Valentina put down her burger, swallowing the large bite in her mouth while the thoughts in her head circled like sharks. Their teeth scraped the ridges of her brain, and she could feel the pain ceasing to subside throughout her veins.
Of course, Steve wouldn't hesitate to give the girl a ride while her mother used the car this Wednesday. Valentina was very aware that the man would do practically anything for her. But Steve grew up very rich, as did she, and she didn't want him to think any less of her for now needing to get a job.
As if she could read the blonde's thoughts, Nancy scolded, "He's not going to think any differently of you just because you're trying to get some duties under your belt."
The blonde sunk deeper into the leather booth. "He could," she groaned.
"He could not," Nancy corrected. It gave Valentina the slightest bit of hope. Not enough to convince her to ask for the favor, but enough for the sharks to swim back to the ocean and leave her shallow brain. Even though Nancy was Steve's ex-girlfriend, she was undoubtedly Valentina's favorite person to go to for advice on him. She never made Valentina feel bad for basically friend-zoning the guy, even though everyone—including Valentina—could see that they were meant for more. Nancy understood the need to wait.
