Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN | BEER AND CIGARETTES
__________
darling, you were never meant to be atlas; lay down the world for a moment. i promise you, it will not fall.
-heavy is the head that does not rest // p.s.
__________
"What do you mean you're not going?"
Sighing, Jackie shut her locker and turned to fully face Steve.
"Someone's gotta give candy out to the kids."
She smiled at him and began walking towards the main doors of the school, where his car was waiting for them.
"Jack, you have to go," Steve said, throwing his arm around her shoulders. "What's the point of me going if you don't go?"
"Um, you have a girlfriend to have drunken fun with," Jackie said, rolling her eyes. Steve's dedication to their friendship was sweet, but she couldn't deal with the false hope anymore. "I don't have a boyfriend to have drunken fun with. It's not the same."
"You've got Shelly!"
"And Shelly's been hooking up with David Bryant for the past month," Jackie said. "Tonight isn't gonna be any different. And, besides, it's a Wednesday! We have school tomorrow."
"Jack. Jackie. Jack," Steve groaned, stepping in front of her and placing both hands on her shoulders. "It's Halloween. It's senior year. We— we're gonna be in different places next year. I want to enjoy every moment we have together."
"Different places?" Jackie's heart twisted in its cavity, screaming out in anguish. "Steve, we— we both applied to Indiana State. We're gonna be at the same college. Steve?"
"I— I didn't send my application in."
"What?" Jackie nearly shrieked. A group of girls in the hallway looked at them. Shoving Steve towards the door, Jackie stomped outside. "Steve Harrington! This is your future and I refuse to let you throw it away! You missed the early deadline but you can still make the normal deadline!"
"What's the point, Jack?" Steve asked, throwing his hands up. "I'm just gonna end up working for my dad, no matter what. I'm stuck here. And it's not like I'd get in."
"It's state school, Steve! Not Harvard!" She groaned loudly and ran a hand over her face. "Who made you believe this bullshit?"
Steve's eyes were wide as he looked at her. Jackie was furious. She knew that Steve wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of Hawkins, but here he was: telling her that he was stuck.
Sniffling, she reached forward and pulled him into a hug. "You're not stuck here. You know that, right?"
"Jackie?"
"Yeah?"
Steve turned his head into the crook of her shoulder. "I love you a lot."
[ ... ]
I love you a lot. Because of those words tramping around in her mind all afternoon, Jackie had been unable to focus on anything. She knew he meant it in the same way she said 'I love you' to Peggy, but she couldn't help but wish he meant it in a different way. She didn't want him to love her. She wanted him to be in love with her. But, of course, she couldn't have everything she wanted.
Trick or Treating had ended and it was only 8:30. Jackie, starting to regret her decision to not go to Tina's party, flopped onto the couch and put in Halloween.
When the movie ended, she would have been content to just go to bed. After all, it was nearly 11:00 and she had a quiz tomorrow in psych on all the vocabulary they'd been over in the year. Most of her classmates thought he was an asshole for scheduling a quiz for the day after Halloween. Jackie had to agree. After changing into pajamas and brushing her teeth, she went downstairs to clean up the mess she'd made and turn off the lights. As she was taking the VHS tape out of the player, there was a loud knock on her door.
Despite herself, she jumped at the sound. Michael Myers's haunting white mask floated around in the back of her brain. Don't be stupid, she told herself, jumping as another knock sounded out. Slowly, she creeped toward the front hallway. No serial killer was to be found; only Steve with a rather forlorn look on his face.
"Hey," Jackie said once she opened the door. "You scared me."
"Sorry," Steve mumbled. "Can I stay here tonight?"
"If you tell me what's wrong with you," Jackie said, closing the door behind Steve when he came inside.
"Nancy dumped me," Steve said with a loud sigh. He kicked his shoes off and pushed them towards the wall. "Said I'm bullshit."
For a moment, Jackie was silent, standing by the wall and watching Steve struggle with the zipper of his jacket. His face was red and he looked more pissed than sad.
"And, you wanna know the dumbass thing about all this?" Steve said, giving up on his jacket and throwing his hands in the air. "I'm not even upset about us breaking up! I'm pissed that I wasted all that time on a girl who doesn't even care about me!"
Licking her lips, Jackie stepped forward. She placed her hands on his face and ran her thumbs over his cheeks.
"Hey," she whispered, forcing his eyes to meet hers. "Steve, listen to me. Nancy was not a waste of your time, okay? Jesus, you're eighteen not thirty."
Every line constructing Steve's face softened. He bit down on his bottom lip and nodded. He lifted his hand up and curled his fingers around Jackie's wrist.
"Why couldn't I have met you before last year?" he whispered.
Something unplaceable flashed in Steve's eyes, and his free hand not went to her cheek. All air left the room when he started to lean in.
"Steve," Jackie whispered, looking away from him. She couldn't look at him; she knew if her eyes met his she would crumble and let him kiss her. "You're sad, and you've been drinking. You don't want to kiss me."
"You're not a mind reader," Steve said, a crooked smile on his lips.
Sadly, Jackie smiled. She patted his cheek lightly and stepped away from him.
"C'mon, Harrington, you need a shower. You smell like beer and cigarettes."
____________________
I feel like this story is mostly dialogue but oh well it's cute
