✓ Adventures In Babysitting / Steve Harrington ¹

𝙭. the long drive

"Nancy?" A voice blearily questions.

Steve's eyes have finally fluttered open and his gaze is set on Mike, who stares at him with his eyebrows pinched together, incredibly offended while Alex suppresses a laugh.  Steve reaches up to touch his battered and bruised face but Dustin is quick to put out a hand to stop him.  His condition had only worsened considerably as more time passed.  Though they had managed to clean most of the blood off of Steve's face, some of the gashes that they hadn't been able to cover with the tiny rainbow-striped band-aids that they had uncovered still oozed a little blood as they started to scab over and his nose had swollen considerably.

"No, don't touch it," Dustin whispers.  "Hey, buddy ... shh, shh ... it's okay, you put up a good fight.  He kicked your ass, but you put up a good fight.  You're okay."

"Okay," says Lucas from his spot in the passenger's seat.  "You're gonna keep straight for half a mile, then make a left on Mount Siani."

"What's going on?" Steve asks faintly, his words slurred as he looks around the car in a panic.  

Max turns back from the wheel to look at Steve in concern and Abby snaps her fingers to get the girl's attention.  "Hey!  Eyes on the road, Max."

Steve's eyes widen in panic as the pieces click into place.  "Oh my god!"

"Just relax, she's driven before," Dustin assures him.

"Yeah, in a parking lot," Mike scoffs.

"Hey, at least she has some idea of what she's doing," Alex argues.

"Yeah!  That counts!  It's still driving," Lucas agrees.

"And that's the best we have right now," Abby adds.

"Oh my god," Steve repeats as he attempts to push himself up.  "Oh my god!"

"They were gonna leave you behind," Dustin is quick to interject.  "I promised that you'd be cool okay?"

Alex lets out a groan.  "And I promised that he'd freak out, regardless.  But did any of you listen?  No!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Steve exclaims.  His voice rises an octave with each 'whoa' as Max presses down harder on the gas pedal and the speed of the car accelerates.  "What's going on?!  Oh my god!  No.  Stop the car!  Slow down!"

Alex leans over both Abby and Mike to glare at Dustin.  "See?  I told you he'd freak out!"

"Stop the car!" Steve screams desperately again.  

Abby clamps her hands over her ears as the ringing grows louder and her head pounds harder.  The clamor in the car does nothing to decrease the incessant noise.  Neither do her hands.  Max notices this and screams, "EVERYBODY SHUT UP!  I'm trying to focus!"

"Oh wait!" Lucas scrambles for the map.  "That's Mount Siani!  Make a left!"

"What?"

"Make a left!"

Max's eyes widen and she frantically, violently, jerks the wheel in a desperate attempt to not miss the turn.  The Camaro goes flying into a mailbox, knocking it off of its post and sending it flying.  Screams fill the air as the car flies into the air for a brief moment, bouncing roughly as it hits the ground and sends the occupants of the back seat rolling into each other.  The side of Alex's head hits the window with a crack, Abby is sent flying forward into the front seat and barely puts her arms out in time to buffer the blow, the can of gasoline goes tumbling from Mike's lab as he is thrown forward, and Dustin's elbow catches the side of Mike's head.  But the car doesn't slow down, it only goes faster and faster down the road.