♔ Sloane Harrington was the princess of Hawkins High, reigning just under her brother and recent graduate, Steve. Perfect hair, perfect body, perfect grades, perfect record, and a perfect older brother who ruled the school himself ensured that Sloan...
TW: GRIEF, FUNERALS, SUBSTANCE USE, PROCEED WITH CAUTION ❤️
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BONUS SCENE HERE LIES THE PRINCESS
"Ready?" Mrs. Harrington announced, gently knocking on the oak door that separated her from her son.
"What'd we say about locking the door?" Steve rolled his eyes, ever since Sloane's 'death,' his parents had been particularly helicopter. Ending their vacation early as soon as they heard word of the earthquake, only to get home and earn a knock on the door from a certain Sheriff.
Usually, it was Sloane who cleaned up Steve's mess. And this was a mess Steve was particularly sure he couldn't handle —
Holding a fake funeral. Pretending Sloane was dead. Being the only one who knew anything about where she'd gone and what had happened.
And in a way — Sloane was dead. The Princess was long gone, replaced with a girl too young that had seen far too much, watched as friends died and fought in an invisible, unbelievable battle.
"We are gathered here today to celebrate and honor the life of Sloane Amelia Harrington."
Steve lit a cigarette, a nasty habit he'd picked up over the past week, one that Sloane would positively kill him for. He told himself he'd be okay, because none of this was real. The closed casket, covered in pink flowers ahead of him was completely empty. He knew that, too. He knew she was okay, and by now was in New York with a shit ton of daddy's money that laid in the safe that was conveniently destroyed in the earthquake, despite the fact that the Harrington home had gone untouched.
Good thing money can't fix stupid.
"Trick or Treat!" Sloane all but screamed, spit flying from the mouth that had no front teeth. Sloane wanted nothing more that Halloween than to be a princess and of course, that meant Steve had to be a frog. He didn't mind, though, anything for Sloane.
"Oh, daddy's gonna kill me." Sloane mumbled as she looked at the front bumper of their dad's brand new BMW, the one she had ruined when she ran into Dustin Henderson's bike. Why was his bike at their house, anyway? "It was me." Steve blurted as the two teens met eyes with a rather red Mr. Harrington. Steve knew his punishment would be ten times worse than that of his sister's, but he didn't care. Anything for Sloane.
"Woah, woah, woah. Absolutely not." Steve grabbed the red cup from Sloane's hands. "Stevie!" She whined, words slurring from her clear drunken state, stumbling back into Steve's friends, Tommy and Carol, making out by the pool. "Have I ever told you how good of a brother you are?" She tumbled back, loosing her balance and falling backwards into the pool. Steve's hands immediately shot out to grab her, which landed him his own spot in the pool, drenched and freezing. He knew the pool water chemicals would completely ruin his new shirt, and just about give him hypothermia, but he didn't care. Anything for Sloane.
"It was our grandmother's. Sloane loves this thing, she always got in trouble for stealing it from mom's jewelry box when she was younger." Eddie marveled at the ring Steve gently placed in his hands. He'd never seen a diamond ring, much less a three carat rock that was now his responsibility. "Don't make me regret this, Munson. I know you'll take good care of my little sister." Steve knew that taking a family heirloom would somehow be his fault, but he didn't care.
Anything for Sloane.
Life since Sloane flashed before Steve's eyes, from her sneaking into his parties to the first Halloween he could remember, when she ruined his trick-or-treating schedule by having to tag along, to handing his sister over to none other than Eddie The Freak Munson.
This fake funeral that Steve had to plan himself, his parents being all too hysterical to talk to a mortician, (with the help of Sloane via telephone - whose only request was to have pink flowers at her funeral) was harder than he expected it to be. He was mourning the loss of who his sister was. Sloane The Princess Harrington was dead, replaced with Sloane, the boss-ass-bitch-who-attempted-to-save-the-world-and-found-an-unlikely-love-in-the-process Harrington.
And this funeral was going to be, probably, the hardest thing Steve would have to pull out of his hat.
