wild one - steve harrington

payback

Steve's heart rate quickened when he woke up. He knew he'd have to get to work soon, but he couldn't just waltz out the front door. Roxy stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open to see him sit up. She was still tired but figured she should get up. Not even a second later, Roxy's bedroom door burst open. Thinking it was her parents (Billy didn't hold a grudge anymore), Steve panicked more than he should have, throwing himself off the bed to hide behind it. After watching with wide eyes, Roxy whipped her head around to see Max and Eleven at the door. She put her hand to her forehead. 

"Someone's jumpy this morning." Max said, and they heard a sigh of relief before Steve stood up and put his work uniform over his boxers. 

"Didn't get much sleep. Obviously." Roxy replied, using her hands to point to her closet, signalling for Max to throw her some jeans to put on. "What's with the freakout?  Still having boy issues?" Roxy asked, slipping on her jeans. 

"Boy issues?" Steve asked, hastily fixing his hair in the mirror. 

"Mike." All three of the girls replied synchronically. Steve nodded.

"I know girl talk when I hear it. I have to run." Steve said, pecking Roxy on the lips before walking toward her window. 

"They're not out there. Coast is clear." Max called to him, and he thanked her before jogging out of the bedroom and through the house, leaving like a normal person to make it in time for his shift. Once he was out of earshot, Max continued. "It's Billy. Do you know where he is?"

Roxy started tucking in the shirt she threw on. "Probably at work, or with a girl. The usual. What's got you so worried about him?" She asked, paying no mind to the situation. Billy probably had the same attitude when Roxy was out setting fire to underground tunnels with thirteen year olds.

"El had a vision." Max said, looking at her friend to continue. 

"There was a girl, she was screaming. Not... happy screams. Then he looked to me like he saw me. He looked scared." El explained, looking genuinely troubled. Roxy grew concerned. 

"Okay... alright. Let's go find him." Roxy said, not really knowing where to start. After a second of deliberating with herself, she walked toward his room with the two younger girls following her. Roxy opened the door, hearing it squeak slightly, and wandered slowly in. Taking in the surroundings, it was no different from what it had always been. 

"Why do I get the feeling we're going to find all kinds of wrong in here?" Max stated. El stood by the door, moving closer to the centre of the room very slowly. Roxy looked in his closet, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Max went for his bedside table drawers. "Ugh. Gag me with a spoon." She exclaimed, and Roxy laughed at her reaction. 

"Oh please. There's always one day a week when he's not screwing someone." Roxy replied, walking toward the bathroom. She followed the two younger girls in, not entirely sure what she would find. 

"Guys." El whispered, her voice shakey. Max and Roxy moved to stand beside her looking into the bathtub that was full of water and empty bags labelled for ice. 

"Ice. It's just ice. Probably for his muscles or something. He works out like a maniac." Max stayed logical. Roxy agreed, but couldn't help feeling as if something was off. Looking around the room, she saw a cabinet that had blood around the handles. Impatient to find out what it was, Roxy took a stride toward it and opened it without hesitation. "Rox, what is it?" Max asked.

Roxy pulled out a small lifeguard bag and a blood-stained whistle. She shook her head in answer to Max's question. She didn't know what to say. Looking at the girls, they were still more shaken up than she was, and it wasn't calming her down. "We'll go see if he's at work." Roxy said, walking out of the bathroom. The girls followed her until she stopped in the living room. "Shit. We haven't got a car." She noticed, and went to the phone on the kitchen wall so she could ring Steve. After his parents answered and kindly said he was at work, the rain started to come down heavily. 

It was just now that her father and step-mother turned up in their car. Jackpot, she thought. "Max, ask them." Roxy whispered as they walked through the door. Max shook her head at Roxy who rolled her eyes back. "Hey, mind if I take the car to see Billy?" Roxy asked timidly and without eye contact. 

"You have a car." Neil responded, already done with the conversation. He didn't look at Roxy, he just occupied himself shuffling papers around the kitchen bench.

"Billy took it." Roxy said shortly, this time looking to her step-mother who smiled sympathetically at her. "It's urgent."

"No. Billy has a job." Neil replied in the same tone as before.

"So do I." Roxy lied, finally her father met her eyes. Max furrowed her eyebrows but decided that if she was going to side with anyone, it'd be Roxy. "At the record store in Star Court." 

Neil nodded at her, though his face didn't change. "Fine, have it back by tonight. If there's any damage-"

"Won't be." Roxy cut her father off, grabbing the keys off the bench and running out the door. Max and El ran out after her, and they all got into the white car and sped off to the pool with hopes of finding Billy. 

"So, you have a job, huh?" Max asked sarcastically.

"No, but now I'm going to have to get one."