TECHNICOLOR - stranger things.

iii. THE LETTER

iii. the argument!

susie carmichael and max mayfield walked behind steve and wendy, the couple held hands and walked close together.
"why can't boys our age be like steve? or at least why can't our relationships be that cute?" max sighed.

"maybe because steve and wendy are practically adults. they're actually kind of obnoxious! i always hear them talking about how they wanna get married and have kids and stuff like that." susie shook her head. the fourteen year old girls glanced up towards the couple seeing steve whisper something in wendy's ear to make her laugh.

"but that's kinda cute. whatever happened to you and dustin huh? you two were cute." max raised an eyebrow, curious of susie's relationship status.
"well i told him that i liked him, he said that he liked me blah blah blah. then he told me that he was going off to camp, so we agreed not to date. ooh the gap!" susie noticed the store to the left of her.

max gasped as well and the two teenagers grabbed hands, rushing over towards the store. "bye wen, we're going to the gap!" max called out resulting in a wave and a 'bye' from wendy.

"alright, where should we go?" wendy stopped in her tracks. steve stopped as well and took a look around the mall. honestly he would go anywhere if it meant that he was with wendy.
"it doesn't matter to me." steve shrugged.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

one trip to starcourt mall and five shopping bags later, wendy, steve, and the girls arrived back to the carmichael home.

they all walked in to see lori carmichael preparing dinner—her signature pasta that the girls loved. the carmichael mother looked up towards the teenagers walking into her home.
"geez girls, did you buy the whole mall?" she teased as wendy and susie set their bags on the counter.

"just about. i had to practically beg wendy to leave." steve chimed in, earning an eye roll from his girlfriend.
"i am exhausted!" wendy let out a sigh as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"i can tell. wen, go take your things up to your room. you too, susie! steve, max, are you two staying for dinner?" mrs.carmichael looked at the two. steve glanced at wendy and max looked towards susie.

"i'm not sure if i can, my mom really wants me to come home for dinner. she says that i act like i live here instead of at home." steve responded, looking down towards the floor.

lori nodded, his mother wasn't wrong. ever since wendy and steve started dating, the harrington boy was always at their house. the carmichaels didn't mind—steve was a joy to be around, but lori understood how much a mother could miss their child.

"maxine?" she looked towards max mayfield, waiting for a response. max nodded before speaking.
"i can stay! besides, i'm pretty sure my mom won't mind." the teenager responded.

wendy grabbed her bags and motioned for steve to follow her upstairs. the couple began to walk out of the kitchen, but not before hearing lori carmichael call after them.
"oh! i almost forgot! wendy, someone sent you a letter, i placed it on your bed for you!" wendy's mother called out.

wendy's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at steve. he was already staring at her in confusion.
"letter?" he questioned.

the two walked up the stairs and down the hallway, reaching wendy's room. anxious to read her letter, wendy dropped her bags to the floor and walked over to her bed. steve harrington followed suit, taking a seat at the foot of her bed. wendy scooped the letter up in her hand and stared down at the envelope. the only thing written on it was 'to wendy'. she opened the letter carefully, not wanting to make a mess of the envelope.

"read it out loud." steve stated as he watched his girlfriend's eyes scan over to paper. wendy looked to see who wrote it and her hazel eyes flickered back up to look at steve.
"i don't think i should." she spoke delicately.

steve scoffed and laid back on wendy's bed, staring at her ceiling.
"please wendy." he sighed.

wendy knew that the letter would only upset steve, and all she wanted was to put the past behind them. she just wanted to move forward. wendy took a deep breath before bringing the letter back up to read it.

"dear wendy, i know you don't want to talk to me and i can't blame you. not a day goes by that i don't think about what i did to you and how i wish i could be a better person for you. you're dating harrington now and i know that he's everything that i wasn't. when i told you that i loved you that night, i meant it," wendy read and steve sat up, becoming invested in hearing. "if you want to move on, i understand. but i just wish we could talk again. just once. you know where to find me. sincerely, billy." she finished, dropping the letter down on the bed.

"he just wants to get you alone wendy, why don't you understand that?" steve frowned. wendy shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.

"he sounds sincere, steve!" wendy was confused, she didn't know whether to trust billy or to listen to steve. a part of her was beginning to regret going to the community pool that day.
"did he sound sincere when he hit you, wendy? huh? or when he bruised your wrist? it's all bullshit to get you back into his mind games!" steve snapped, resulting in a frown from wendy.

"why are you so upset about this? if i want to talk to him, i can." wendy's eyebrows were furrowed in anger.
"why am i upset? he hurt you wendy! i had to sit and watch on the sidelines as this guy abused you physically and emotionally! your goddamn best friend had to watch this happen!" steve raised his voice.

from the room next to wendy's, max mayfield and susie carmichael listened as steve and wendy argued about billy hargrove.
"oh god i hope wendy doesn't talk to him." susie sighed, putting her new clothes in her closet. max set down the magazine that she had been reading.

"i don't know, suz. he seems different, especially with wendy. he would always ask me how she's doing. i don't think he'd hurt her again." max confessed, standing to her feet.

"wendy was a trainwreck after what happened to her, max. it was up to me and steve to help her. she wouldn't even tell mom and dad what happened. so no offense, but i don't want your brother around my sister." susie carmichael flopped down onto her bed.

wendy shook her head at steve, he was refusing to see her point of view.
"if i talk to him, we can finally put all of this shit behind us! that's all i want! can you just listen to me? not as steve the boyfriend but as steve, my best friend?" wendy pleaded.

steve's hazel eyes softened, he remembered wendy saying those words to him during their argument about her moving away. he knew that he was losing perspective of the right thing to do—he was only looking at the situation as wendy's boyfriend and not as her best friend. he sighed and nodded.

"fine. talk to him, but promise me something." he looked up at wendy, extending his hand out hoping that she'd hold his hand. wendy uncrossed her arms and placed her hands in steve's.
"what?" wendy stepped towards him.

she looked down at him, wendy knew how hard it must be for steve to sit and watch her talk to the guy that he hated most, but its what she needed to do to put her past behind them. steve intertwined their fingers before speaking once more.

"promise that after you talk to him, we're done with billy hargrove." he looked up at her.

"i promise."