━︎ VOL ONE. CHAPTER TWO
❝︎ something about you made me
feel a little more alive and a far less lost ❞︎
Jack's favorite season has always been fall. From the crunchy leaves to the perfect weather, he fell in love with the season. But his absolute favorite part of fall is Halloween. He loves dressing up, every year since middle school, he's dressed as a famous rockstar for Halloween. Last year he was John Lennon, it was his favorite costume ever. He wore his dad's old white suit, with sunglasses he found in his mom's jewelry box. He went all out every year.
He's had this year's costume planned out since November first of last year. He's being Bowie, of course. Thanks to his mother's lipstick stash, and Keiths dead uncle's old jumpsuit, he's made out just fine costume-wise.
The one thing Jack did hate about Halloween was parties.
"Have you seen this?" Keith asks the second he sits at their lunch spot, which is a table at the library.
Jack looks at the bright orange flyer Keith had slammed on the table. He didn't even need to read it to know what it was suggesting.
"I'm not going to a party, Keith," Jack says in a monotone voice.
"C'mon Jack! We're seniors, you need to come to at least one party instead of spending your Halloween trick-or-treating with Erica Sinclair." Jack rolls his eyes.
"I actually enjoy Erica's company, very much. Plus. Mrs. Sinclair pays me good money." Jack responds.
"She doesn't enjoy yours," Keith mumbles under his breath.
"Still not going." Keith groans in annoyance.
"C'mon, this is my one chance to make out with Nancy Wheeler!" Jack has never laughed as hard as he did at this moment.
"There is more of a chance of me making out with Steve Harrington than you making out with Wheeler!" Jack exclaims, earning an 'Shhh' from the librarian.
"Bullshit."
"Relax, I'm joking. You and both know, I would never smooch Harrington. I don't think I hate anyone more than Steve Harrington." Jack spits out the last two words like their poison.
He and Steve just have a mutual agreement. They hate each other. Ever since Jack can remember Steve was the cool, popular kid, who didn't let anyone get in his way. Jack, on the other hand, was the skinny, epileptic, loser kid. Every time they see each other it's always a sarcastic remark or a disgusting look between the two teens. He doesn't know how or when it began it's just always been this way.
"Listen. I'll cover any shift you need for the rest of the year, I'll do anything. Just please, go." Keith negotiated.
"You'll cover them until February, then I'll go," Jack said.
Keith shrugged. "Fine."
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Jackson Miller is regretting every decision he ever made as he walks up to Tina Watson's house.
He is two seconds from turning around and running all the way back to his house when he feels Keith clap him on the shoulder.
"Tonights the night I make Nancy Wheeler Mine." He says.
Jack removes Keith's hand from his shoulder blade. "Keep on dreaming."
The brunette rolls his eyes. "Let's go inside shall we?"
"We shall." Jack sighs.
The Inside was far more worse than it looked from the outside. There were couples making out in almost every corner, the new kid was currently dominating the keg stand while everyone cheered him on, and he was surrounded by drunk toddlers.
He really did wish he went trick-or-treating with Erica instead.
There is only one thing he plans on doing tonight. Getting blackout drunk.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥
An hour later, and Jack is not blackout drunk. The punch is useless, and would only work on lightweights. He's lost Keith who probably found some nerd to make out with. He looks like even more of a loser than Johnathon Byers who is creepily watching Nancy Wheeler dancing with Steve.
The worst part is Jack can't even leave until Keith does, or the deal is done. This is the worst night of his entire life.
Then, Steve Harrington spills his drink all over his girlfriend, and suddenly Jackson is having the best night of his entire life.
"What the hell?" says Nancy Wheeler, obviously very drunk.
'It's like live entertainment.' Jack thinks to himself, trying to hold back a giggle.
Then suddenly Nancy is marching towards the bathroom, Steve following behind his girlfriend.
Jack takes another sip of his punch, his night just got a whole lot better. Watching Harrington suffer is definitely one of his guilty pleasures.
Five minutes later, Harrington exits the bathroom and he is angry. He should probably let Keith know Wheeler is most likely on the market, but he looks around and realizes he was so absorbed in his self-entertainment that Keith's already left.
Jack practically rushes out the door, hoping Keith hasn't left without him, he is his ride after all.
But Keith's Subaru is already gone the second he steps outside, he thinks about calling Mrs. Sinclair or his mom to pick him up, but they're both busy right now and he doesn't want to disturb them.
He looks around and is surprised to see Steve Harrington sitting on the curb by himself his arms wrapped around his legs, which his head is currently buried in. Jack's head fills with thousands of jeering comments and approaches the teen.
He sits down next to Harrington, wrapping his arm around his shoulder.
"Nancy?" He mumbles out.
Jack snickers and Steve's head shoots up.
"Oh great! Exactly what I need right now!" Steve throws his hands up in the air.
"So... fun party, right?" Steve laughs, he laughs.
"So much fun," Steve says in a sarcastic tone.
"I don't know why you're so upset. Weren't you guys only together for like two weeks?" Jack asks.
"We've been together almost a year you asshole!"
Jack puts his hands up in defense. "Sorry I don't keep up in the world of Steve Harrington."
"You sure act like you do." Steve barely whispers.
"I'm sorry, what did you say," Jack replies.
"You're obsessed with me!" Steve almost yells.
"I'm the obsessed one? Am I the one who sat in front of your house and waited for hours until you showed up just to dump water on you?" Steve rolls his eyes.
"I was eight. I had nothing better to do."
"God, you act like you're in love with me or something." Jack spits out.
"Me- In love with you- I- why would I- what-." Steve stammers out, and that makes Jack lose it.
He bursts out laughing, tears rolling down his eyes, Steve just stares at him.
"Oh, so this is funny to you?"
"Yes, actually it is." Jack laughs again.
Steve stares at him, really stares at him. Then he slowly starts laughing with Jack.
It takes them almost five minutes to calm down, still on the high from the laughing.
The realization hits Jack. "Oh my god did I seriously just get along with Harrington."
Steve laughs in response, still trying to calm down.
"Hey, do you have a ride?" Harrington asks.
"No, my asshole of a best friend left without me." Jack thinks of Keith who is probably fucking some girl in the back of his car.
"Want a ride?" Steve asks as he stands up.
What.
Jack would never willingly do this sober, but he finds himself nodding, then he's walking towards Harrington's car and locking the door and buckling his seatbelt and listening to Queen on the radio and arguing with Harrington over the best Queen song. He actually feels happiness and forgets about his epilepsy and suddenly Harrington's hair is looking nicer than usual...
Steve turns the radio down. "This is going to sound really weird, but I was supposed to sneak into Nancy's house tonight. My dad's home from his business meeting and I can't stand being in the same room as him... so I was wondering if-"
"You could crash at mine? Sure. Hope sober steve won't mind in the morning." Jack responds, knowing that tomorrow morning they'll probably go back to hating each other and he was fine with that. He was.
"You're a savior, man," Steve says as he turns on Jack's block.
"How do you know where I live?" Jack asks.
Steve suddenly gets nervous. "Third grade? Remember?"
Jack hummed in response, not fully believing him.
The two teens exit Steve's car. Jack gets embarrassed, realizing how his house probably looks like a shed compared to Steves's house.
When he opens the door, it's messy as usual. "Sorry about the mess."
"It's fine you should see my room." They awkwardly walk towards Jack's bedroom, and he's starting to regret every decision he's made in the past hour.
Jack flips his light switch on revealing the small room, containing a bed, his bookshelf, and desk topped with thousands of college applications. His guitar rests against the bookshelf, and his walls are almost fully covered with posters.
Jack walks towards his bed, his backside facing Steve. He takes a throw blanket and a pillow off his bed, placing them on the floor.
He turns around. "I would offer you the bed but my doctor-"
Steve is staring at him like he was on the curb an hour ago.
"What?" Jack asks as his newfound friend approaches him.
And suddenly Harringtons' lips are on his.
AN
ahhh! do not worry this is not instalove.
i hate that trope with a burning passion.
just get ready for some angst. sorry for
all the dialogue. if you couldn't tell yet,
arguing is steve and jacks love language.