STARCROSSED ▷ steve harrington

03. mall rats - part two

"She doesn't work here, she just stalks me," Steve stated. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not your fan."

Cynthia snickered as Steve flicked her with a spoon. "Hey," she looked relatively nervous for a moment before she spoke. "So, this is a bit of a weird question, but um, you're Billy's sister, right?"

Jackie shifted on the table and felt Steve eye her warily. "Unfortunately so. Why?"

"My sister lifeguards with him. Apparently he was acting really shady at work the other day and then... he just didn't show up. Same with another girl Heather. I just thought I'd ask if there was something going on with him."

Jackie shrugged. "Billy is an unreliable douche. I could ask him, but I honestly haven't seen him."

The glass doors made a sound as they slid open before Cynthia had the chance to reply, and Robin poked her head through. "I have-" She awkwardly trailed off once she saw Cynthia. "Um."

"Hey, who's your friend?"

"Robin," the girl introduced, her eyes gliding up the brunette in front of her, which didn't go unnoticed by Jackie. "We had a class together last year."

"Oh," Cynthia replied, looking momentarily embarrassed. "Yeah, I kinda only used to pay attention to myself back then. Sorry, nothing personal."

"Well it's nice to meet you, technically, Cynthia," the girl replied. "I'm Robin."

"Right," Cynthia said with a growing grin. "You told me that already."

Robin literally facepalmed herself, and Jackie let out a laugh. "I know, just felt like um, clarifying?"

"Appreciate it," she said, then turned to Steve. "Sorry, not to cut this short, but my break isn't that long. Can I just get a small butterscotch?"

"Yeah, sure," Steve nodded.

"Y'know I thought you were really cool until you said that," Jackie confessed, and Cynthia raised a brow. "Butterscotch? You disappoint me."

"If you think I'm cool now just wait until we have to wear those uniforms. I look like a grandma who is trying to be groovy. The baggy pants do not hug my legs the right way."

"Ugh," Jackie pulled a face, before looking to Steve. "Can't be worse than theirs."

"Hey!" He protested in offense.

"Mm, maybe not," Cynthia responded with a smile, walking away with a wave as she paid for her ice cream. "See you guys around!"

"Huh," Jackie mused, turning back to Robin with a quirked brow. The other girl looked away quickly, cheeks flushed, and shut the doors without a word. "That was interesting."

"What was?" Steve asked, clearly not catching on.

"Nothing." She sidled up to him, and he smoothly wrapped an arm around her as the two of them leaned against the wall. "So what do you think about this whole situation?"

"I think it's weird as hell, but also not impossible considering what happened in the past."

"Yeah," Jackie agreed, staring off into the distance, watching people briskly walk by the shop with an insane amount of bags in their grasp. "We have some interesting lives, huh?"

"Don't I know it."

𑁍

Hours after the mall was closed, the four of them stood in the break room. Robin and Dustin had managed to figure out the Russian code, much to Jackie's surprise. She didn't actually think it would work out.