in which hawkins' most popular babysitter may have some competition on her hands from the school's resident cool guy
OR
in which the school's resident cool guy has lost just about everything except for the one girl who was always there for him.
STEV...
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: chapter three: the art of getting by :
Diana was used to feeling lost. Somehow, even dancing wildly in a classmates living room, surrounded my friends, acquaintances and virtual strangers she could still feel lost. Maybe it was the alcohol that lined her lips as she sipped from a plastic cup, or maybe what Jonathan had said had struck her to her core and she hadn't stopped wondering since; what if he was right? What if she was just as unfeeling as he claimed? She shook her head and dismissed herself from her friend Lydia, who barely noticed her absence as she was trying to manoeuvre herself closer to Billy Hargrove through a very subtle swaying of her hips and if she just happened to bump other girls out of the way in the process, so be it. Diana laughed to herself and kept walking in search of another drink. She hadn't seen Jonathan anywhere since she had entered the party and she was thankful for that. She was on the verge of believing that he had left when she spotted his solemn figure in the frame of the front door. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second before Diana looked away, darting between sweating, dancing bodies finding herself in the kitchen.
"Take it easy! Nance, Nance, Nance..." Immediately, the desperate voice caught her attention. There Steve stood, concern painted on his face as his girlfriend chugged the last of her drink not waiting a second to pour another, ignoring Steve's attempts to stop her.
"We're just being stupid teenagers for the night. Wasn't that the deal?" Nancy bit back, Steve himself, was taken aback by her tone of voice. Diana looked away, feeling ashamed that she was so openly observing a private moment. Instead she turned her attention to the boy chanting 'pure fuel' as he walked by her, smiling intoxicatedly and pumping his fist in the air. She let out a giggle at his goofiness and raised her drink in response. When he'd left the room her attention was automatically drawn back to the quarrelling couple against her will but instead all that was left was a defeated looking Steve, who held onto the counter before him with a tightening grip.
"Rough night?" The words had fled Diana's mouth before she had registered them. Steve's head shot up from where it had been hanging, a shy smile overcoming his lips as he noticed who was talking to him. Diana slowly walked over to him, almost cautiously as if she didn't want to stun him. She didn't understand why she was approaching him as if he was a lost puppy.
"Not rough....Just difficult." Steve laughed, but it ended up a sigh, giving away his real feelings about what had just happened between him and Nancy.
"Maybe it's Halloween" Diana theorized. Steve grabbed a drink, raising his eyebrow in question at her statement. He moved around the counter, to lean against it with her, his shoulder brushing against hers. "How do you mean?"
"I don't know. All this dressing up and facades. Maybe we lose sight of who we really are because we get so caught up in it." Diana shrugged, not knowing exactly why she thought a high school party was a time to get philosophical yet Steve seemed to be nodding, looking lost in his own thoughts. "Give Nancy time, we all need a night off once in awhile."
