STEVE AND ROBIN were right, Scoops Ahoy should have been a bore. Rain was pretty sure that if she didn't have those two there, she would be sitting at the counter bored out of her mind. Instead, she found herself more entertained than she ever had after graduating school.
"Have a nice day," Robin drawled, handing two ice-creams to the women standing in front of her. The lack of a smile on her face made it particularly amusing to watch, and the Ahoy hat sitting on the unimpressed girl's head topped the hilariousness off.
To stop herself from giggling, Rain pressed her lips together. "Lovin' the energy," she observed, sidling up beside the much taller girl, dropping her chin into her hands. There was a grin spread across her cheeks—because an ice-cream store was the last place you'd ever imagine someone like Robin to work.
"What are you laughing at?" Robin pestered as she shut the cash registers and turned her head to look at Rain's shorter form.
"Um, you," answered Rain truthfully, and grabbed a plastic spoon so she could steal some ice-cream from one of the tubs. Robin was watching her with a lip curled in slight disgust as Rain leaned back up with the chocolate-mint treat on the end of her spoon. "What? We work here!" Robin huffed playfully and moved towards the storeroom, and Rain made a noise of protest, chasing after the tall girl with her short legs and waving her choc-mint stick. "Don't start that with me!"
As they were talking, a pretty girl who Rainbow didn't recognise lined up at the counter. Rain tapped on Robin's shoulder and turned towards the counter, but Steve had already swooped in to serve the girl. He leaned against the counter as she ordered, trying to start up some spark of conversation. Rain and Robin simultaneously leant back against the wall, observing in silence. "I've never seen you around here before," Steve said as he scooped the peanut butter and chocolate ice-cream into a cone. "Did you go to Hawkins High, or are you new?"
The girl tucked a curly strand of hair behind her ear and she smiled a little. "Oh, I'm just here visiting family," the brunette told him as she took the ice-cream cone from his hand, "I'm actually from California. I'm just... having a look around today." A tighter smile pressed across her face and she glanced back at the girl who she was with, who must have been her relative.
