The Midnight Hour - Steve Harrington

Chapter Three

Jade hated Gym class. She despised it with all her heart. The girl just did not see any point in running around the gym a billion times. She only ran when she needed to. And when she did need to run, Jade ran for her life in the Upside Down last year.

The boot cladded girl huffed and puffed in annoyance at how her hair turned frizzy as she walked towards her locker unbeknownst to the new boy who was behind her, eager to approach Jade. Opening her locker, Jade began to braid her thick wavy hair as she looked at the mirror she glued inside.

Suddenly as her locker door closed, revealing a new face that was admired by all of Hawkins in a speed of light, Jade couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows. The boy was leaning on the lockers with his hand resting of his hip, a cocky smirk plastered on his face.

"Can I help you?" Jade said coldly which was not what the boy expected. Already in his first day, many girls wanted to be involved with him. Why was the girl in front of him different?

"I bet you can." The boy's blue eyes scanned her, going from her head to her feet, pretty much enjoying her shape.

As Jade rolled her eyes in annoyance, it went unnoticed by the muscular boy in front of her. "You know, you're prettier than every gal here."

"I'm flattered." Jade said flatly, not really impressed. The unnoticed girl who was behind Jade chuckled to herself as she hid behind her locker's door.

"You should be." The boy cocked his eyebrow, licking his lips as he locked eyes with Jade. "Billy."

"What?"

"It's Billy." Billy was slightly annoyed that he had to repeat himself. "Billy Hargrove."

"I didn't ask." Jade's hand reached for her locker's handle only for Billy to place his hand on the metal door, refraining her from opening it. As they were inches apart from each other, Billy towering over her, many of the high school girls stood by and watched the scene.

"It's only polite to tell me your name too." Billy smirked and Jade's eyes traveled behind Billy only to see the huddled girls.

"Well, I'm not polite." Jade said with a bright fake smile on her face that fell suddenly, causing Billy to chuckle at the girl. Even though Jade thought she was irritating him, Billy only enjoyed it even more.

"You know, maybe it's better if you approach those who are interested." Billy's eyes followed to where Jade was pointing only to see the girls in the hallway huddling and whispering amongst another.

The blond let out a chuckle as his eyes drifted back to the red head. "But I'm interested in you. Is that so bad?"

Jade, however, did not answer. As Billy's hand was off of her locker's door, Jade opened it to block his face and pulled out her books. Billy shook his head and smiled to himself, before he stood behind Jade. He looked at the both of them through the mirror she stuck in her locker's door and smirked at their sight, making Jade roll her eyes once more before he took his leave.

While the girl thought that that was the last of his antics, the boy was certainly entertained and intrigued.

"What a dick." Jade scoffed to herself as she slammed the locker door closed.

"Tell me about it." The girl beside her caught her attention.

"Sorry you had to deal with that." The short haired girl said as she closed her locker door.

"I feel sorry for myself too." Jade scoffed, "why can't he just go to one of the girls who's ready to spread her legs for him."

"You wouldn't believe how crazed they are. It's embarrassing."

Both girls shook their head and before the other girl could take her leave, Jade caught her attention.

"Robin, right?"

"Yeah." Robin said in disbelief. Robin knew she reserved to herself and barely made any noise in school but she didn't expect that Jade, the girl she used to crush on, would even know her name.

Before Will and Barbara's disappearance, Jade was always tightly knit in her trio group with Nancy and Barbara and didn't seem to pay attention to anyone else. So Robin did not even expect Jade to know that she existed.

"Im-"

"Jade. I know."

Jade gave a big smile to Robin as the two began to ramble on before going to class.

***

As school ended, Jade hitched a ride with her brother. Jonathan and Jade both listened to Ramones through the radio, humming about being sedated as Jonathan drove while Jade relaxed with her feet up on the dashboard.

"So-" Jonathan started, remembering how she teased him about Nancy constantly. Now it was his turn. "Steve couldn't drop you off?"

"Nope." Jade popped the p, knowing exactly that her brother wanted to have a go at her. "He had basketball after school. You thought those long legs were for nothing?"

Jonathan chuckled before he glanced at her direction for a second, remembering a certain incident that he witnessed happened to his sister.

"Are you okay? By the way? I saw that new kid was talking to you." Jonathan began. "You didn't seem...comfortable."

"Who? Billy?" Jade groaned as she rolled her eyes, "he was just-"

"Hitting on you?" Jade faced her brother as he gave her a small knowing smile.

"Yeah. That." Jade turned towards the scenery of the road. Sometimes, Jade could see how dull Hawkins was. "I don't get it."

Jonathan turned to his sister confused as he turned his steering wheel with one hand.

"I don't get why he was hitting on me."

"What do you mean?"

"There are so many other girls that would want his attention. Why'd he approach me?"

Jonathan looked at his sister in slight bewilderment. He didn't know if she was clueless or dumb.

"Why'd he approach you?" Jonathan scuffed. "Jay, you're beautiful. Maybe that's why he talked to you."

"Beautiful?" Jade snorted. "Dude, please. I'm not beautiful. Nancy is, or Mrs. Wheeler, or mom, or-"

Before Jade could start rambling on, Jonathan put a halt to it. "Each one of you...are beautiful in a unique way that belongs to each individual. You shouldn't compare."

Under the judgement of his sister's stare with an eyebrow raised, Jonathan knew how he sounded and immediately he tried to sound less serious.

"Maybe you should be asking Steve that question instead of me."

"Alright, alright." Jade shoved her brother lightly. "Keep the Steve jokes comin'."