Matchbox

IX. Fail-Safe

Nine. Fail-Safe
Mentions.  Eating Disorder

            There was something so perfect about Steve Harrington's hands. Vera's hand just fit perfectly in his. And when she was younger, she'd watch her parents, and her mother's hand just never looked good in her father's palm. I guess it was a sign, because Blue Stonem had left Diane Stonem alone some time after that.

  Steve Harrington had never left Vera alone. Not since he got her.

   "Hey, you still with me, sweet thing?"

   Vera's light eyes flickered away from their connected hands. Her gaze moved up to Steve, the boy looking over his shoulder for a second. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry." They we're in the dark school halls, flashlights shined the paths for them. Steve nodded gently, tugging Vera into his side a bit more. "Don't apologize. It's okay."

   "Found it." Max called out to the couple and Dustin, the redhead stopping in front of Miss Kelley's door with her stolen key.

   Vera gently let go of Steve's hand as the door closed behind them. He tried not to let the absence bother him, she was right there.

   Dustin flung around his flashlight, a giddy grin on his face. "It's like a mini Watergate or something." Steve and Vera shared a glance, then turned back to the boy. "Hawkins gate!" Steve sighed at Dustin's words, "didn't those guys get caught?"

   Vera huffed as she moved towards Max and the file cabinets, "can you two not speak that into existence, please."

  Dustin's brows creased, attention turning towards Steve. "What's with her? Speak that into existence? Is she a witch do something?" Steve scoffed, rolling his eyes gently as he ignored Dustin's words. "Have you guys found anything yet?"

   Max paused on the files under her fingertips, Vera gently leaning over her shoulder as she tapped on the cursive hand writing that read Chrissy Cunningham. "Holy shit." But Max was staring at another file, the one right before Chrissy's. Fred Benson, no way.