Forever Young ━━ Steve Harrington

twenty eight! ⋆ I CAN'T STAY

"You look beautiful, too."

The blonde sat Eleven down on her bed, before sitting down ahead of her. She applied light makeup to her eyes and cheeks – nothing more than some eyeshadow and a bit of blush. Kate then moved onto her hair. It seemed El had grown quite fond of the slicked back look her sister – Kali was her name, she later learned – had given her all those months ago.

So she used a small bit of hair gel to remove the curls that normally covered the girl's face; except for one small wisp of hair that couldn't quite be tamed. One curl hung down over her forehead.

Kate pulled back, looking at El with a soft smile.

As the two girls got ready to leave, Jim looked like he was on the verge of tears. He took as many pictures as the film would allow, before finally letting them go.

When they arrived at Hawkins Middle, the party was already in full swing. There was hardly anyone in the parking lot, because everyone was already inside. El gripped Kate's hand tightly as the two walked to gymnasium. It was apparent she wanted to impress Mike and that she was terrified of him seeing her so dressed up. Kate tried to deflect her worries as she lightly squeezed her hand back.

"Every Breath You Take" by The Police was playing from the speakers as they entered the gym. Most of the kids were with their date's on the dance floor – holding each other from arm's length, a sight that made Kate laugh lightly. She could even see Max and Lucas together in the sea of students. But there were quite a few who stayed on the bleachers or against the walls.

Will and Mike were beside each other at one of the tables, and the two girls made their way over to them. Upon seeing El, the darker-haired boy stood up, his jaw dropping at the sight of her. He walked to meet her in the middle of the room, while Kate continued walking to the table he was previously sat at.

"Hey, Will," she greeted the lonely boy. "Wanna dance?"

He looked up at her, his cheeks going red. "I- I don't, uh–"

"C'mon, let's go," Kate smiled before grabbing his hand and leading him to the middle of the dance floor.

The stood in front of each other for a few short moments, before Kate picked up his hands and put them around her waist. She put hers around his neck as they began to sway to the music. Will's eyes were downcast as he subtly began to look around them – seeing all the girls who were staring.

It was mostly because Zombie Boy was dancing with a senior from Hawkins High. But the blonde took one look at Stacy, a girl Will had talked about several times, and knew the girl was practically melting with jealously.

"You know," she started, causing the younger boy to look up at her. "Out of all the boys... You're my favourite."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You've always been my favourite," Kate confessed with a grin. "That's why I wear this necklace all the time. I never take it off."

A smile tugged at Will's lips as he looked down at the butterfly charm necklace he got her nearly a year ago. "Never?"

"Never... And girls this age are dumb. Just give them a few years, and they'll wise up. Soon you won't be able to keep them off of you."

Will shook his head before admitting. "I don't care about girls. They're too mean."

"Like I said, just wait a few years," she laughed lightly.

It grew silent between the two, as they just enjoyed being together. Kate peeked through the crowd to find El, only to see her sucking face with Mike. She shook her head with a smile, realising her thirteen-year-old sister was getting more action the she was.