more than a feeling, stancy

Chapter 6

The night went on for several people. Mike had crashed a few moments after Nancy left. Eleven went with her boyfriend, giving Max a room to herself. The redhead was more than excited since she tended to snore. Billy occupied the bathroom with whatever girl he brought. Guests could hear several noises but the majority just blocked them out of their memory. The rest of the group stayed up sharing conversations and messing around. Eddie managed to keep the group engaged, but the clock drew closer to four a.m.

"Oh, come on! It's not even three yet. We gotta stay up and paaarty." Eddie smirked, chugging down a beer in less than thirty seconds.

Max rolled her eyes. "Eddie, we have a rehearsal so early tomorrow. Some of us like to sleep." She stood up, tossing her red locks behind her shoulder. "Plus, I have the room to myself and I'm taking advantage of it. And, it's almost four. Not three."

Robin nodded. "Agreed. Plus, I want to check up on Nancy. Poor girl has me worried sick."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Maxine, you're a smart ass. Nancy is having an episode and we all know it."

Robin returned the favor of rolling her eyes. "It doesn't mean we should ignore it, Munson. What if that was you?"

"You already know what I would do." He gestured towards the beer can in between his fingertips. Eddie glanced at Steve then smiled. "Harrington!"

Steve looked up from the ground. His buzz had gone down an hour or two ago. His eyes were bloodshot, his body begging for rest. All he was thinking about was Nancy. Her entrance left him wondering why she acted this way, why she had to go so soon. She barely interacted with anyone at the party. Steve couldn't deny that he glared at her occasionally. And every time he looked, her eyes were gazing over the party in an uncomfortable manner. He shook his head before standing up. "I gotta get rest, man. Jim will kill me if I don't get up early to wake all of you up."

Eddie waved his hand. "Jimmy won't do shit."

Robin sighed. "Eddie, if he wants to go to bed then let him. We will continue the party tomorrow, you know that."

Steve looked over at Robin. Her hair framed her face; bangs outlining her temples. Her lips were in a crooked smile, showing off her pearly whites. Icy blue eyes met brown ones, making Steve blush a bit. He looked away before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

He turned on his heel and exited the room in one swift motion. He made his way down the hall with a sigh. Steve was tempted to stop by Nancy's room and pay her a visit. Check and see if she's doing okay. Deep down, he knew that wouldn't be a good idea. Nancy Wheeler despises him and he knew it. It was written all over her face whenever Steve entered the room. The two would lock eyes and Nancy's face would fill with disgust. Of all the members, he needed to be on Nancy's side. But she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

For some odd reason, Steve found himself right outside Nancy's door. Not right up against it but leaning on the wall next to it. He stared at the numbers written in the center. He licked his lips before closing his eyes. If he wanted to succeed at this, he needed to get into Nancy's life. Granted, the other members provided great information. But Steve knew that the lead singer, the one representing the band, was on the journalism radar. The lead represented the band and everyone adored Five Seconds to Hawkins. The rule behind 'no interviews' drove Steve insane. Why wouldn't she want to be interviewed?

"Steve?"

He opened his eyes to see icy blue. A crooked smile. Short hair matched with bangs. "Robin." He stood up from the wall. His body reacted slowly due to the traces of alcohol in his body. The blinking of his eyes made the world go blind for a minute.