𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴 ~ 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Oh, my God!" Robin rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "She's such a priss."

"Tsk." Steve clicked his tongue, "Turns out, not really."

Robin paused, swallowing and glancing over at Ramona before continuing. "Are you still in love with Nancy?"

Ramona's back straightened as an uncomfortably awkward atmosphere fell over her. She dug her fingernails into her golden skin as she squeezed her eyes shut. Holding her breath as she waited for him to speak. Seconds passed agonizingly slow as her mind wandered to Nancy, wondering if she still had his heart before he finally spoke again. "No."

"Why not?" Robin continued, glancing over at Ramona again. She looked uncomfortable, like a tiger trapped in a cage as she awaited his response. 

"I guess because I found someone whose a little bit better for me." Steve said after a moment of silence. Ramona's breath caught in her throat as she looked at his shoes through the space under the stall. "Heh, it's funny.. Ever since Dustin got back, he's been tellin' me, find your Suzie, you gotta find your Suzie."

"Wait.. Whose Suzie?" Robin asked, looking over to Ramona.

"Girlfriend." 

"Some girl from camp, I guess Ramona's right. His girlfriend. To be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure she's even real." Steve confessed, shaking his head with a laugh as his smile slowly fell. "But, uh.. that's not really the point. That doesn't matter, the point is... this girl, the one that I like.. It's somebody I never got along with in school. And I don't even know why. Maybe it's because Tommy H. would've made fun of me or-or I wouldn't be prom king? It's stupid. I mean, really stupid. She's the coolest girl I've ever met, and I was too caught up in popularity to even look her way. And when I did, I was an asshole to her. I still feel guilty about that. Because there was no reason. I just wanted to be King Steve. Dustin's right, I mean, it's just a bunch of bullshit, anyway." Steve inhaled nervously, shaking his head. Ramona's heart hammered against her ribcage, echoing in her ears as nerves pumped through her veins. "Because when I think about it, I should've been friends with this girl the whole time. I mean, first of all, she's hilarious. She's so funny, I don't think I've laughed more than I have these past few months. She's smart, so fucking smart. Way smarter than me, I mean.. She takes AP classes. She's... God, she's my Suzie."

Ramona's throat dried as she stared at her feet, her eyes unfocusing and her mind becoming fuzzy. Robin glanced over at her before leaning her head on her knees. At Ramona's silence, Steve began to panic. "Ramona? Robin? You, uh... Did you guys just OD in there?"

"No." Robin answered shakily, "We... are still alive."

"Oh." Ramona muttered, watching as Steve slid himself into the stall with them. "Hello."

"Floor's disgusting." Robin pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt. So," His eyes trailed over to Ramona who had her gaze firmly set on his face. "What do you guys think?"

"About?"

"This girl." Steve answered. 

"She sounds awesome." Robin answered, leaning back and subtly nudging Ramona.

"Bet she has cool style." Ramona half-smiled, shaking her head as Steve looked over at her.

"She is, and she does." Steve continued, nervously gulping as he shifted positions. "What about the guy?"

"He's a lot cooler now." Ramona said quietly. Steve bit back a smile as he looked down at his feet. "Now that he's just himself."

"If he's just realizing this, I think he's on drugs, and he's not thinking straight." Robin said.