There's No Place Like Hawkins//Stranger Things. SH

THIRTY ONE

***

Cat sat in the gym, bored out of her mind as she watched the boys play basketball. The only reason she was even there was to support Steve- and maybe to talk to the cheerleaders about joining them. She was finally considering trying to becoming a cheerleader. She had tried to become one of them back when she first started high school- and she had succeeded, briefly. But when all the bullying started and her dad passed she stopped showing up to practices and games and had been forced off the team.

"Let's go. Pass it up now." The coach yelled at the boys as they all tried to get the ball. "Get open!"

One of the boys threw the ball and Billy grabbed it. Steve stood in front of him, trying to block him. Cat barely knew what was going on- she wasn't a fan of sports. When her dad was around she would watch some of the games with him, but her mind was always elsewhere.

Billy let out a laugh as he bounced the ball around. "All right!" He yelled. "All right, all right! King Steve. King Steve, everyone." He walked towards Steve, still in possession of the ball. As Billy moved closer, Steve backed up slightly, his hand out in front of him, ready to grab the ball. "I like it. Playing tough today." He looked behind the former king of the school and spotted Cat watching from the stands. "Trying to impress Henderson, huh?"

Steve shook his head and scoffed. "No." Part of him was telling the truth, the other part was lying. Truth be told, there was something different about the way he saw his best friend. The way she laughed brought butterflies to his stomach and the way she smiled at him made his heart flutter in his chest. He wasn't sure what was happening to him. Was he getting a crush on Catherine Henderson? He couldn't be, could he? "Why would I be? We're best friends. I don't need to impress my best friend." And that's all they'll ever be.

Billy let out another laugh. "Really? Well, then, maybe I should be trying to impress her. Wouldn't mind scoring a bit of that."

"Jesus!" Steve yelled, irritated by the words leaving Billy's lips. "Do you ever stop talking? Come on!"

Billy laughed, walking forward as he continued to bounce the ball against the floor of the gym. "What? You afraid that the coach is gonna bench you now that I'm here? Huh? And that I'm gonna get your little psycho friend to go out with me? Get a little taste of her?" He ran forward, slamming his body into Steve's. Steve let out a grunt as his body was sent flying to the ground.

Cat shot up from her seat, running down the stands to see if Steve was alright. Billy shot the ball into the net, scoring for his team. He walked back over to Steve, holding out a hand. Steve grabbed it, thinking the boy would help him up off the ground. Billy pulled him up slightly, leaning his head closer to Steve's. "You were moving your feet." He told him. "Plant them next time, draw a charge." He shoved Steve back onto the ground before stepping over his body. Billy sent a wink at Cat as she ran past him to help Steve.

"God, he's such an asshole." She announced as she grabbed Steve's hands and helped him off the floor.

Steve shook his head slightly. "Tell me about it."

Cat smiled slightly. "You stink, you know that right?"

Steve let out a small chuckle and patted her shoulder slightly. "I'm gonna go shower. Meet you at my car?"

Cat nodded. "Of course. You're my ride home, Stevie. My bike's at home and I don't have a car. Of course I'll meet you at your car." Steve couldn't help but feel his heart flutter at the nickname she gave him.

***

"Don't sweat it, Harrington." Billy said to Steve as he joined him in the showers. "Today's just not your day, man."

"Yeah. Not your week." Tommy H. added. "You and the princess break up for one day, she's already running off with the freak's brother and psycho's boyfriend." He chuckled. Steve's face fell at the new information, and although he knew that Jonathan and Cat weren't dating, his heart still shattered slightly at the idea of what Tommy said being true.

"Oh, shit." Tommy said, a big smile on his face. "You don't know. Jonathan and the princess skipped yesterday. Still haven't shown." The hurt on Steve's face was obvious, although he somewhat tried to hide it. "But that must just be a coincidence, right?" Tommy laughed as he turned the shower off, walking away.

"Don't take it too hard, man." Billy told him as he leaned against the shower. "A pretty boy like you has got nothing to worry about. Plenty of bitches in the sea." A sadistic grin crossed his face as he leaned closer to Steve. "Like that psycho, Henderson. Am I right?" He reached over and turned the water off, just as Steve finished running the shampoo through his hair. "But she's mine. So I suggest you look for some other bitch." Billy patted Steve's back before grabbing a towel and walking out of the room. Steve dejectedly turned the water back on to finish his shower, his mind wandering to Cat and how he could keep her away from Billy Hargrove.

***

Edited: 17/4/2020

Edit 2: 10/9/2021