A NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION
Ryan Fordman has lived next door to Steve Harrington her entire life. Her entire life, he'd always been a window away, occasionally shouting across the space between their houses. They were inseparable... at least, they we...
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Ryan walked through the hallway at the end of the day, ready to leave. Her day had been long and eventful, something that didn't seem to want to end. All she wanted to do was walk out the doors and go home, maybe take a nap before family dinner night with Hopper.
She passed the guidance counselor's office on her way out, stopping to glance at the posters tacked up on the bulletin board for colleges around the state. To her surprise, there were even some for colleges in New York and Boston. College was less than a year away. College. Almost a full year ago, Ryan was fighting monsters from another dimension and now she was staring at posters for colleges. It almost didn't seem real.
"I meant to ask you about that earlier," Steve's voice came from next to her. "Have you applied yet?"
"Yeah," She nodded, slowly starting to walk with him through the hallway again as everyone darted around them at a normal speed. "Indiana University and Tech."
"That's it?" Steve blinked in disbelief. "What about NYU or Emerson? What about your writing?"
"Well, if I stay in Indiana, I can come home on the weekends, visit the kids, visit Jonathan and Nancy, Dad- I mean, Hopper." She shrugged. The East Coast was a pipe dream. Indiana was her home, she couldn't just leave. "My life is here, you know?"
"Okay, no." Steve grabbed Ryan's hand, pulling her into a corner by the lockers.
"Steve, what are-"
"There is no way you are putting your life on hold or giving up your dream school for a lame small town." He shook his head, leaning against the wall. "No way."
Ryan leaned into the lockers, looking up at him, "Steve, NYU and Emerson are both so far away. Besides, I probably wouldn't even get in."
"Is that why you didn't apply?" His eyes widened as she glanced down at her shoes. Okay, so maybe that was the real reason, but in her defense, it was a lot of pressure. "Ryan, I've read your stories, you're good. You're better than good, you're amazing. They'd be crazy not to accept you, Sunshine."
Ryan shook her head as she rolled her eyes, clutching her books to her chest, "You have to say that, you're my best friend. It's mandatory."
"Ryan, why would I lie to you about that?" He said softly. "You're a goddamn genius, you deserve to go to a school like NYU or Emerson. Hell, you could get into Harvard if you wanted to."
"I think you're stretching that one a little far."
"No, I'm not." He chuckled. Ryan was the top of their class, the administration expected her to graduate as their class valedictorian. If anyone could get into an Ivy League school, it would be her. NYU and Emerson were nothing. "You're an amazing genius, Ryan Diana Fordman. The only person who doesn't believe that is you."
Ryan glanced back down to avoid his gaze, shifting the books in her hand as her hair fell in her face. Of course Steve would have to say something like that and make her feel those stupid little butterflies. How the hell was she supposed to continuously shove her feelings down if he kept acting like that?
