down hill; billy hargrove

22.1

"ERICA, do you copy?" annabelle spoke into the walky-talky.

"mhm. i copy. you nerds in position or what?" erica sassed back.

"yeah, we're in position. it's clear here so you've got the green light." annabelle informed her.

"green light, roger that" erica nodded. "commence operation child endangerment.".

"cool name, has nice ring to it" annabelle chuckled as robin snatched the walky-talky away from her.

"could we maybe not call it that?" robin questioned in a panicky voice.

"see you on the other side, nerd" erica dismissed, the line going quiet.

both annabelle and robin looked at eachother as the waiting game began.

in a mere 5 minutes, erica's voice boomed from the talky once again. "alright nerds. im there".

"do you see anything?".

"yeah, i see those boring boxes you're so excited about".

"any guards?" annabelle queried.

"negative".

"booby-traps?" robin joked, causing annabelle to snicker.

"if i could see them, they'd be pretty shit traps, wouldnt they" erica sassed back, causing annabelle to laugh, only to cover it with a cough.

"kid's got a point".

"thank you for that" robin half groaned, shooting a glare towards annabelle as she did. silence once again consumed them before erica spoke up again.

"i'm in".

steve sighed in relief, letting out a breath he didnt know he was holding. the four watched in anticipation as erica opened the door, a proud smile plastered across annabelle's face as erica revealed herself.

"free icecream. for. life!" she told them, as all four ran to meet her.

"that kid's badass" steve admitted, helping annabelle climb down the ladder. dustin and robin walked ahead, the fear of the unknown overriding them.

"you're telling me. she's fucking ace". the two trailed behind slowly, both wanting to speak but unsure what to say.

"how've you-" "what do you-" the two spoke, interrupting eachother as they did. an awkward laugh was shared between them, one of coyness and uncertainty.

"i'm good. stop worrying about me, steve-o" annabelle reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. steve let a small smile play on his lips, as he wrapped an arm around her, a gesture that didnt go unnoticed to either dustin nor robin who were anxiously waiting on the pair.

"i'm just expressing a reasonable amount of concern towards my best friend who has just gotten out of a relationship. it's really more of me returning the favour than anything else" he joked, though his words meant more than he let on.

"let's see what we've got" steve smirked, passing through the others and making a b-line towards the boxes. "knife?" he questioned annabelle, who handed her father's pocket knife to the boy, who quickly cut the tape and opened the cardboard box, everyone surrounding him in anticipation.

a metal box was revealed, and annabelle scrunched her nose slightly, not sure if it was the deafening silence or the box that was making her feel queasy. once steve opened the box, she could confirm it was the latter.

"well, that's definitely not chinese food" he joked, as they all peered into the container. putting on a brave face, steve reached his hand into the box, before pausing. "uh, maybe you guys should stand back" he instructed, both erica and robin doing so.