ruby's body ━━ steve harrington

019. 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚

She looks at Steve, who's already hurling himself into the closet. Ruby pulls her underwear back up, making sure her dress lies flat. Her mind shuts the closet door just as her dad storms in.

"You know," says Ruby, crossing her arms. "I could be naked in here!"

Hopper looks at her weirdly. "It's nine o'clock, why would you be naked in here?"

Ruby thinks of the boy hiding in her closet.

"Maybe I want an early night," she tries. She can imagines Steve's face now, rolling his eyes. An early night for Ruby, ever the night owl, doesn't exist.

Her dad frowns, but decides to focus less on his daughter's suspicious comment, and instead on his other daughter's terrible boyfriend. "I keep on telling her to keep the door open, and she just won't listen to me! I keep on saying, three inches!"

Hopper hates Mike. Ruby finds it funny because her dad loves Steve, but Mike? Mike could be found dead and Ruby would instantly blame her dad... In fact, she'd be more surprised if someone else killed Mike.

"Mike just doesn't respect me as a father, he's such a whiny brat! I'm not asking for much, am I, wanting them to keep the door open? I just don't want any funny business going on, they're young—"

"Totally," says Ruby, putting her hands on her hips. "That's exactly why I'm waiting until marriage."

This is the Very Big Lie she was talking about.

Don't get Ruby wrong, there's nothing wrong with waiting until marriage, but that's not the life for Ruby. Have you seen her boyfriend? It's a miracle she isn't pregnant.

But, back when she first started spending nights at her dad's, he refused to let Steve visit. And, her room's positioning meant that an open door made no difference — no one could see in anyway, unless they stood directly outside of it, so the 'three inch' rule wouldn't even work. So, her dad was apprehensive about Steve coming over. To combat this, Ruby told her father the fattest lie of all time: that she was waiting until marriage to have sex.

And, somehow, Hopper believed that.

The issue is, the current situation with Mike is making Ruby worry that Hopper will become more strict with her and Steve, Very Big Lie or no Very Big Lie. So instead, Steve sneaks in — which Ruby prefers, because it means Steve can sleep over. It's only a problem in these moments, when her dad needs someone to complain to about the newest teenager in the family, and Ruby has her half-naked boyfriend hiding in her closet.

"Maybe you should speak to her," Hopper suggests. "She looks up to you! I bet she'd trust you more if you told her how important it is..."

"To, what, respect you, or not have sex?"

Hopper protests at the word sex.

"She's, what? Thirteen? You don't need to worry about anything crazy for a while," Ruby tells her dad. She tries not to glance over at the closet, knowing her dad will quickly pick up something's wrong. Really, she's surprised her nonchalance to sex has not made him question if she has had it. "But I'll talk to her tomorrow... I'm kinda tired, so I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yeah, sure," Hopper scratches the back of his neck, looking lost. "See you tomorrow..."

He leaves his eldest daughter's room, closing it behind himself. There's a moment's silence, filled with the sound of Hopper's footsteps moving further away, before Steve steps out of Ruby's closet.

"Hey, Mrs Harrington," he says, quietly.

"What?"

"I just figured, 'cause you're waiting until marriage—"