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 toyed with her charm bracelet as she reread her analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabelle Lee." It was a habit that she didn't even know she had, constantly playing with at least one of the charms when she was thinking. This time it was Dustin's dragon.
She could feel eyes on her as she read, lifting her head to see Steve staring at her intently. She shifted in her seat, looking back down, pretending to mark something on her paper. They hadn't really talked since she sat down over twenty minutes ago, but he kept looking at her like he had something he wanted to say. She had no idea what his deal was, but she wasn't about to ask.
Nancy sighed as her pencil snapped, standing up to walk over to the pencil sharpener. Ryan tapped her pen against the table, scanning her paper one more time. Everything looked okay to her.
Steve leaned forward the minute Nancy left, whispering lowly, "What's up with you and Tommy?"
"Nothing," Ryan rolled her eyes, focusing back on her paper. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
"Because it's so very obvious that he has a thing for you, Ryan." Steve shot back.
Ryan sighed in exasperation. She was so tired of hearing about Tommy's supposed crush on her from literally everyone in her life, everyone expecting her to do something about it. Why guys and girls couldn't just be friends was a mystery to her. "Apparently not, because I don't see it."
"Of course not," He sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Girls like you never do."
"Girls like me?" Ryan raised her eyebrows, dropping her paper back on the desk as she crossed her arms. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Steve leaned back in his seat, running a hand through his hair, "Girls like you. You know-"
"I can promise you, I don't."
"I just meant, girls that are focused on everything but themselves." Ryan narrowed her eyes, tilting her head. "I mean- shit, Ry. Help me out here."
"I'm supposed to?" She tapped her pen on the desk rhythmically. "I think you're doing just fine digging this hole on your own."
"Ryan, come on." Steve rolled his eyes, changing the topic back to Tommy. "He's so into you it's actually pathetic."
"Well, at least someone is." Ryan muttered, moving her paper over to open her psychology notes.
Steve leaned forward again, not hearing a word she just said, "What?"
Ryan shrugged, doodling in the margins of her psychology notes, not meeting his gaze, "Nothing."
Steve fell silent as he looked at his best friend, watching as she tugged on her already messy ponytail. She had haphazardly thrown her hair up when she sat down, not caring at all how many bumps and stray hairs were flying everywhere as she started her homework. She didn't even notice how had watched her the entire time.
