𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 - 𝐒.𝐇 (𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬)

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲

Lea was never one to keep secrets from her friends and family. But, she was one hell of a liar when she needed to be.

She had punched that strange man and ran to her house where her dad was waiting for her. He was waiting to tell her he was going to the morgue with the Byers'.

She said ok and tried to calm down about what the strange man told her.

"You are very special."

She also thought about the man literally being swallowed by the earth.

I couldn't have done it. Could I? It was just a freak accident. Right?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging on the door.

Did they find me? Lea got up slowly and made her way to the door. She swiftly looked put the window and saw someone who has never been to her house before.

Steve?

Lea yanked the front door open and pulled Steve inside by his wrist. She stood there for a minute trying to catch her breath, looking out the window, still holding onto Steve.

"Whoa whoa whoa. What the- are you okay?" Steve said when Lea let him go.

"Why are you here?" Lea asked putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, i-i-i" Steve stopped and took a deep breath. "I just had a small fight with Nancy and now I'm here 'cause I remembered that I have something for you."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a blue hairband. Lea let out a breath and tilted her head to the side. Her eyes darted between him and the hairband.

"Steve..." Lea thought it was sweet that he did that for her even though she almost pummeled him.

"I just feel bad that I broke it and then you freaked out, so I went and got you a new one," Steve explained.

"I can't take that." Lea whispered. Although she thought it was sweet, it wasn't Sara's.

"What? Why? It didn't cost me a lot." Steve said stepping closer to the blonde girl. She shook her head and looked up at him with tears forming in her eyes.

"No, Steve. You don't get it. I cannot take that. It's sweet and y-you're sweet but I just can't." she started to walk away to the kitchen but Steve gently grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, remember last time you did that I almost kicked your ass." Lea chuckled, still trying not to cry in front of Steve. He looked into her eyes.

"What's the matter? Why can't you take it? Hey, look at me." Steve moved her face so she was looking at him. "What happened?"

Lea looked at him and how close he was. She subtly moved back.

"The hairband was my sister's." Lea nodded, wiping away a tear that fell. "She died when I w-was twelve. She had Cancer. And uh, before she l-lost all her hair..." Lea took the broken hairband out of her pocket. "She wore these uh, hairbands in her hair. In little pigtails." Lea smiled at the memory of her sister's hair. "Sara loved when I would braid it. But when I would put it two pigtails, Sara would run around the house snort like a pig. I would laugh, my dad and mom would laugh too."