the view between villages // a stranger things choose-your-own-adventure

PAGE 21: I feel great!

"See you. I love you."

You hesitate, biting your lip and nodding. Then you remember that Steve can't see you, and you blurt out, "Ditto. Bye."

You hang up, trying not to hate yourself too much for still being unable to actually say "I love you" back. You do love Steve with your whole heart, but letting people in isn't easy. And after last summer, when there were about seven different times you almost lost him...it makes being that vulnerable even scarier.

Still, Alicia is right. Steve knows you fully and loves you. And you know and love him. You take a deep breath to psych yourself up. You'll tell him you love him back this weekend. You can do it. It's not so hard. Right?

***

The game is neck and neck, but the Tigers reign victorious.

You and Steve give Lucas big hugs afterwards before splitting off toward Steve's parked BMW. You hear whooping in the distance and turn to see the excited Hellfire Club members, perhaps celebrating their own victory.

Steve opens the passenger side door of his BMW for you, making you beam and mumble a "Thank you." He's always such a gentleman.

"So," he says after climbing into the driver's side. "After movie night with Robin, I'll drop her off at her place, and then you and I will have my place all to ourselves."

"Oh, really?" you say. You lean closer and drop your voice to a whisper. "Just what will we do with all that alone time?"

"Oh, you know what I want to do to—"

Without warning, Robin clambers into the backseat of Steve's car, interrupting his sexy talk. He purses his lips and looks straight ahead, the tips of his ears and the apples of his cheeks turning fire engine red in embarrassment.

"What were you guys talking about?" she asks brightly, totally clueless.

"Nothing," you say, stifling a laugh. "Nothing at all."

"I got a great movie for us tonight," Robin gushes, holding up a VHS. The cover image is gory, and the text is written in a foreign language. "It's a German horror film. It's scary and really sexy."

"How can a film be scary and sexy?" you ask.

"It just is!" Robin protests. "Don't question it, okay?"

The movie Robin chose does nothing but make you nervous. You jump a little every time the monstrous creature on the screen swipes his claws at his newest victims, reducing them to piles of blood and bone. It reminds you too much of what happened in Hawkins last summer.

Steve—the ever-observant Steve, who can sense your moods the way a good meteorologist tracks an incoming storm—can tell that you're bothered by the film. He frowns and says, "Rob, do you think we can put something else on? This movie is giving me the creeps."

"But this is the best part!"

"Robin," Steve says, giving her a look. They've reached the stage of friendship where they can have whole conversations without words. Robin gives him a look back but eventually sighs and stops the movie, rewinding the tape and grumbling something about Steve's pedestrian taste in cinema.

You give him a quick kiss on the cheek when she isn't looking. A silent "thank you" for speaking up on your behalf.

After watching the much more pleasant "St. Elmo's Fire," you and Steve drive Robin home. When you're back at his place and up in his room, you two kiss like there's no tomorrow.

Something strange happens, however, breaking the magic of your makeout session. You suddenly feel a cold chill, sending goosebumps up your arms. You pull away from Steve with a gasp and try to get your bearings.

"Everything okay?" he asks, a little breathless from all the kisses.

"Sorry," you say. "I just felt weird for a second."

"You okay to keep going?" Steve asks. Again, always a gentleman.

"Yeah," you say. Then he's on you again, trailing kisses down your jaw, neck, and clavicle.

The sensation of apprehension sticks to you. It feels like a bad omen. You can't help but remember all the shit you went through last summer. All that is gone, though...right?

"Wait," you say, panic racing through you and sufficiently ruining your mood. "I'm sorry, Steve. I—I changed my mind. Can we just sleep?"

"Of course," he says gently. "Rain check?"

"Rain check," you agree. The two of you settle under the covers.

Steve's breathing evens out. However, you can't relax. You remember last summer and the horrors you faced. You remember the fear and the feelings of danger. It haunts you sometimes.

"Hey, Steve?" you say quietly.

"Hmmm?" he murmurs out, half asleep.

"Do you still get scared when you remember last summer?"

He tenses next to you.

"I'm sorry," you say quickly. "I shouldn't have said anything. Go back to sleep."

"No, no," Steve says. He rubs his tired eyes. "It's okay. Uh, yeah. All the time. I can't remember that stuff without getting freaked."

"What do you do to cope?" you say. "Because I feel like I'm fine most of the time, and then suddenly, I'll get hit with the bad memories all over again and I can't shake them."

"I started seeing a psychiatrist," Steve admits. He sucks in a breath. "It's pretty new, but she's been really helpful to me. If you want, we could find someone for you to talk to too?"

"Yeah," you say. "I think that would be good. Thank you, Steve. I—"

Say it, you think. Say it, coward!

"I love you," you say. It's barely above a whisper, but Steve must hear it, because he wraps you into his arms and says, "I love you too. So much."

The two of you fall asleep like that, intertwined in each other's arms, any unsettling feelings temporarily forgotten.

***

Your bad omen from the night prior comes to fruition the next morning. While at work at Melvald's, you hear on the radio about a Hawkins High student being murdered the night prior.

You quickly rush to the back room to call Family Video. You want to make sure that the victim wasn't any of your and Steve's friends. However, the line is busy each time you try to call.

Your boss lets you leave early when you tell him you aren't feeling well. You drive—somewhat sporadically—over to the Family Video, parking in two spots by accident.

You rush into the store and find Steve, Dustin, Max, and Robin hovered around the counter. Steve turns and looks happy, but surprised, to see you.

"Hey babe, is everything okay?" he asks, brow furrowed.

"I heard the news," you say, breathless. "Do you guys know who died?"

"A cheerleader," Robin says, "named Chrissy Cunningham."

You don't know Chrissy personally, but you think she may have come into Waldenbooks once or twice last summer. The fact that she's dead is shocking.

It turns out, your friends have a plan. They want to talk to Eddie Munson, because his trailer is where Chrissy's body was found, and Max saw him running out of his trailer last night. They think he may have seen something from the Upside Down kill Chrissy.

You feel sick to your stomach. Steve must be able to tell, because he says, "You shouldn't come."

"What?!" you say. "No, I—I want to come. I want to talk to Eddie about what he saw. We're all a team, right?"

"We are," Steve says gently, "but I don't want you to be involved if this is going to get dangerous. You should just go home and rest. We'll handle it all, okay?"

WHAT DO YOU DO?

A: LISTEN TO STEVE AND GO HOME - go to page 22

B: GO ALONG WITH THEM - go to page 23