fast car | STEVE HARRINGTON [2]

31. sharon and ozzy

"JESUS, WHEELER," Eddie complained, rolling his eyes all the while as Ringo had somehow managed to bump her shoulder against a nearby tree as she walked. The blonde had been looking around in wonder at their surroundings, and not paying attention to those most immediate to her. "You're a walking liability. That's like the fourth time you've hurt yourself in the last ten minutes alone."

"What, are you keeping a tally?" She retorted, glaring at the back of the head of the boy as he walked ahead of her whilst rubbing her now aching shoulder. "Don't you have something better to do? Like play a board game with some kids?"

"First of all, it's an RPG," he defended, whirling on the spot and stopping his walk to point a finger at her. "Second of all, you guys are one to talk. You two have so many friends at Hawkins High and you know for graduates, it's starting to look a little shifty."

"At least we did graduate," she muttered under her breath, ignoring him to walk past as his jaw dropped in shock at the comment.

"Low blow," Steve snickered to her as she joined by his side, letting out a low whistle thereafter before looking back over his shoulder at the boy in question. "Despite the insinuation you just made I just wanted to say thanks, man. For saving my ass back there."

"Who's side are you on?" Ringo teased, although didn't push further.

To be fair to the metalhead, he had no loyalty to anyone in the group yet still dived straight into the lake after them - whether it was to save them or the fact he didn't want to be alone, the fact was that he still did it. Despite their relentless bickering, she had to respect him for that.

"Shit, you saved yourself man," Eddie admitted, sounding rather impressed as they recanted the earlier battle against the monstrous bats. "I mean, that was a real Ozzy move you pulled back there."

"Ozzy?"

"Ozzy Ozbourne?" Eddie clarified. "Black Sabbath? Bit a bat's head off on stage? No? It was just very metal, what you did. That's all I'm saying."

"Thanks man," Steve replied, not altogether sure how to take the comment but deciding it was a compliment ultimately.

"Henderson always said you were a badass, he was adamant about it, in fact. All I ever hear is 'Steve done this...' or 'Ringo done that...'. If I had to hear about Steve Harrington or Ringo Wheeler one more time I was gonna take a q-tip and jam it in my ear drum until it tickled my brain."

"Wait, really?" Steve recoiled in surprise, casting a glance toward his girlfriend who was now too far ahead to overhear the conversation, walking alongside Nancy and Robin.

"Yeah, Henderson worships you dude," the brunette revealed. "Like, you have no idea. It's kind of annoying, to be honest. The kid talks about you like you're some kind of celebrity. And apparently Ringo was his first love or the 'one that got away' or some shit. That, I was a bit concerned about until Mike reassured me it was completely one-sided. And not that I care about what the little twerp thinks but I guess I got a little jealous, Steve. I guess I couldn't accept the fact that Steve Harrington was actually... a good dude. Rich parents, popular, chicks dig him - and not a douche? No way, man. No way. That flies in the way of all the laws in the universe and my own personal Munson doctrine. But I guess you did manage to bag Ringo too, as annoying as she can be!"

His final sentence ended in a low shout so that the woman herself would hear, successfully so as Ringo responded by raising her left hand and aiming her middle finger behind her, unaware of the topic of the heart-to-heart currently underway several feet behind her.

"What do you mean by that last part?" Steve questioned, unable to stop a grin rising on his face.

He felt positively chuffed by Eddie's words, not at all realising that he had an actual impact on Dustin when he had never received anything but teasing comments from the teenager. Another part of him felt proud of himself for having come so far, knowing that Eddie had every right to believe Steve would be a douchebag when he in fact was one throughout most of his high school career. Until Ringo Wheeler had climbed into the back of his car to get a ride to a random bonfire party, and it was all uphill from there.