Adventures In Babysitting | Steve Harrington

: Chapter Seven: The Annual Identity Crisis :

: chapter seven: the annual identity crisis :

Diana let her eyes fall on the bedside clock once again, it was five minutes till eight. The same time it had been the last time she checked, twenty seconds ago. Absentmindedly, she bit down on her thumb nail, something she always did when anxious. Usually in scenarios when she was at a height, in the doctor's office, before an exam and even the rare event of battling interdimensional monsters that infiltrate the small town of Hawkins. But never when meeting up with a friend and that's exactly what Steve was, a friend. Only a friend. Maybe if she recited it for herself enough times then she wouldn't let her mind think any differently. Her eyes glanced back at the clock again seeing only less than a minute had passed since the last time.

Sighing impatiently, she pulled herself from the bed and over to her desk where hours previous she had been studying for a history quiz happening the next day, something that warranted her feeling anxious instead of going to the movies with a boy. Knowing she was going to be home late, Diana closed over her books to pack up her bag for the next day for school. As she clutched her bag from the ground she heard a rattle as something fell against her carpeted floor. Spotting the source of the noise, Diana's brown eyes widened as she rushed to pick up the canister from the floor. She had almost forgotten about the pint sized bottle of small white pills that were stuck at the bottom of her bag. She clutched the bottle between her hands close to her chest and her rapidly beating heart. She had begun to feel somewhat normal the past few days but this bottle was a reminder that she was anything but. The guilt of being a liar, a cheat, a border on addict at this point surged through her, Diana winced at the pain. But most of all she winced at the part of her that would ignore the guilt of it all and still want to take one.

"No." Diana hissed at herself before going to the line of shelves on her beige wall, reaching the highest one where the teddy she had, had since she was a baby sat in all its nostalgic glory. Pushing away the irony of it all, Diana placed the bottle behind the bear, shielding it from view. Out of sight, out of mind. When she was satisfied, she grabbed her jean jacket from the end of her bed throwing it over her shoulders, grabbing her money and keys, pushing them into her pockets. Without even checking the time, Diana fled her bedroom leaving the door open to avoid suspicion. She decided that even if Steve wasn't there, she'd just wait for him. She was content to make a beeline down the stairs and to avoid her mother at all costs but seeing Erica leaning against her bedroom door frame and staring across the hall into Lucas' bedroom caused Diana to stop in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" She asked Erica, stopping to lean against the wall beside her little sisters bedroom door. Erica stood with her arms crossed against her chest and an eyebrow raised. She glanced at her older sister from the corner or her eye before replying. "I think the real question is what's wrong with him?"

Erica nodded towards the open door of Lucas' room, Diana's gaze followed to find her brother standing in front of his mirror doing different poses and talking to himself. "He's been talking to that mirror calling it Max for ten minutes and I'm not exaggerating." Erica informed Diana, the two exchanging a look that before either of them could contain it had the two girls giggling. Their laughter was loud enough for Lucas to finally take notice of their presence and quickly catching on to what they were laughing about, an angry Lucas stormed to his door.