𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍; steve harrington

TWO

The drive to school was excruciating. Words that wanted to be said scratched at Aven's brain. The noticeable tension in the air itched at her skin. Memories of the previous night, of Billy just standing there, flooded her mind. Why? She wanted to know why?

"Are you dropping me off at school?" Max asked. Aven looked back at her with a smile.

"Of cour-"

"No, we're not," Billy cut his sister off, shooting her a quick glare. "It's like a two minute walk from our school to yours. Quit complaining and just walk."

"Billy!" Aven scolded, brows twisting in annoyance. "Do you have to speak like that all the time?"

He rolled his eyes, not looking at her once. "When you ask stupid questions, yes."

"It's not a stupid question when you don't know where the schools are," Max scoffed beneath her breath, head turned to look out the window.

"What did you just say?" Billy questioned, even though he already knew.

"Nothing-"

"No, what did you just say?" He demanded.

Aven sighed. "Billy, just drop it."

"I just wanna hear what dear little Maxine was saying, because what she says is so important to me." Aven scrunched up her face at him, blinking repeatedly. She wanted to laugh.

"I know you heard me the first time," Max mumbled, eyes glueing to the back of Billy's head.

"I'm sorry? I didn't catch that." Aven could practically feel the smirk on his face.

Max rolled her eyes, fingers twitching madly by the skateboard resting against her leg. "Whatever."

The rest of the ride was silent. Silence, a heavy word that lingered around every corner. The radio was silent. The air outside was rather quiet. The unspoken words within the vehicle led to silence. Almost everything, at one point in time, was silent. Just like the Hargrove family. Ever since December in 1977, the twins had been quiet.

As soon as Billy parked, Aven swung her door open and got out, head ducked low. She helped Max push the seat forward, allowing her to escape as well, before closing the door behind her. "Have fun, yeah?" She said while swinging the strap of her shoulder bag over her arm.

Max shrugged. "I'll try. See you later."

Aven watched her skate away for a second or two before turning around, catching sight of Billy puffing out smoke from his recently-lit cigarette. Aven sighed, averting her eyes to the ground, and started to walk away.

She felt the stares penetrating her skin. Having had quick glimpses of the town as a whole, the Hargrove girl quickly accumulated through various scenarios that Hawkins wasn't the liveliest of towns. She could only imagine how little people move there each year, and by the increasing amount of mutters she heard being whispered between people as she passed, that number within her brain significantly declined.

"Who is she?" She heard.

"I don't know, but her brother's hot," someone whispered in return.

"So is she."

Aven hid a laugh beneath her breath as her white and blue Pro 80's pushed against the footpath, inching her closer to the school as she walked. Just before she walked inside the daunting glass doors, she lifted her chin and quickly glanced around. Crowds of people jumbled together had their eyes moving between herself and her twin in the distance, who flicked what was left of his cigarette on the ground before stalking off. Girls swooned. A few boys in varsity jackets scoffed. Aven merely ignored his typical behaviour and walked inside.

Two people watched the girl enter the school from afar. "I wonder what she's like," Nancy Wheeler questioned aloud.

Steve looked down at her, the arm he had resting behind her back getting retracted. As Nancy glanced back at the boy with the curly mullet and denim jacket, Steve watched the now empty entrance. He hummed.

"Dunno. Doubt it'll be much like him though," he said as he finally let his eyes stray from the school opening, cucking his chin in Billy's direction.

"He's got asshole written all over him," Nancy scoffed before pulling her bag further up her shoulder. "Come on, I have a test first up."

As they walked towards the entrance, Nancy nodding at a few people they passed in greeting, Steve couldn't help but stare further down the school corridor, hoping to get another glance at the auburn-haired girl.

"Hey, I'll catch you later," Nancy said softly as she grabbed his bicep, willing him to stop in front of her classroom. He looked down at her and nodded.

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Later," he nodded. She smiled, patting his arm once before spinning on her heel and stepping into her Chemistry class.

As soon as she walked away, Steve did too, but not in any set direction. His head scanned the crowd, eyes flicking to anyone's hair who was no particular shade of red, only for his attempts to quickly fall futile. However, just as he was about to walk away, he watched the girl he'd been looking for turn a corner, her bag gone but replaced with numerous books.

For whatever reason was propelling him forward, the Harrington teen pushed himself through the sea of students.

"Yo, Harrington! Have you seen the new kids?" He heard someone anonymously shout from the side. He didn't look over, only nodding his head in their direction while mumbling an incoherent yeah beneath his breath. He had no reason to want to go over, to follow after the mysterious girl any further, but when he finally reached the corner and found her to have disappeared, he seemingly felt his chest deflate.

He felt a slap on his shoulder, which immediately snapped him out of his confused daze. He looked over with furrowed brows. "We got class, bro," one of his friends said. "I know English sucks but I'm tryin' to save your ass."

"Yeah, yeah," Steve muttered beneath his breath, but a breathy laugh still fell past his lips.

"I heard the new guy's a menace at basketball, you know. Might have some competition after all," the same teen teased, knocking his shoulder with Steve's. The latter rolled his eyes, his smile never faltering.

"We'll have to see about that, won't we?"