╭ ╮
━━━━ " 📂 "
𝙋 𝘼 𝙍 𝘼 𝘿 𝙄 𝙎 𝙀
╰ ╯
STEVE'S CHOICE IN BREAKFAST for the pair of teenagers - who were, self-admittedly, suffering from a post-Halloween hangover - was amazing. Sadie didn't think that currently there was anything better than the egg, bacon and cheese sesame bagel he had recommended and was now holding in her hands and trying her very hardest not to get the crumbs from it on the math below the passenger seat of his car.
"Honestly - you think I'm a clean person?" Steve blinked as he watched her careful movements. "Really, just eat it. You don't have to be careful or anything."
"But I'll get crumbs everywhere," Sadie replied. "Including your clothes." She gestured down at the jeans and sweater. "And I think I'll manage to get it everywhere else as well. You've never seen my room but it's not as organised as you would think. There's shit everywhere."
"Huh." He took a sip from the cup of coffee. "I wouldn't expect that. But really, I'll just bring it into the garage at the weekend and clean it." He reassured her, a smile on his face. "Just drink your coffee and eat your bagel, it'll make you feel better. Promise. Also - be quick. Because we still have to pick up your bag and car."
"If you drop me at Tina's I'll be fine," Sadie said between bites. "I can miss first period." She shrugged.
"Lucky." He was wiping his fingers as he spoke, getting rid of any remains of the food as he screwed up the wrapper and shoved it into the small gap between their coffee cups. "I don't think I can miss any more until I graduate."
"Hm - speaking of." Sadie copied his actions and sat up, taking the last bite of her breakfast. "Your essay. Have you finished it? Did you manage to have a look at it on Monday evening, after you went to Barb's?"
Steve looked moderately embarrassed as he pulled out of the small parking lot attached to the sandwich shop they had purchased their breakfasts from. "I haven't touched it." He admitted.
"Well, then I'm here to help," Sadie said, clutching her drink as tight as she dared as they drove towards Tina's house. She mellowed, became a little more serious; Hawkins was a small town and it certainly wouldn't take long for them to get to Tina's. "Can I ask about your dad?"
Steve paused for a moment. Not many people bothered to ask about him, just assumed that he was a dick and got on with it. David Harrington was a grade-A asshole, there was no doubt about it - but people just left it as that, never pushed further. "He's in Indianapolis, currently." He replied. "Uh - I - he... works away a lot. Big in the finances-accounting-banking industry. I'm not entirely sure what he does. It's me and my mom a lot, he's away at least a week at a time, and Halloween happened to fall right in the middle of that week."
Sadie nodded slowly. "And... what about when he's home? What's he like then?"
"Like he has a stick up his ass the entire time. Like being at home's a pain." Steve shrugged. "Ted Wheeler's the head of this region's offices... which is where he spends most of his time. He likes to be disappointed in me, and threaten to take away the inherited position of his job. Which is why I need early admission."
"Dude - you don't need early admission for that." Sadie scoffed. "Please - early admission means nothing when normal admission exists. You're still going to go to college... and somehow end up on the corporate ladder, which I don't personally see."
"You don't?"
"No way." She shook her head.
"Can I ask about your dad?" Steve reverted the question, glancing her way and finding just how easily she nodded.
"Like all parents in existence, they were in love - until they weren't. Because of my dad's work - he was a trucker and that obviously made sure he was away a lot... which isn't so easy when you have a newborn and a very curious four-year-old. They used to go together. When it was just him and my mom and he was earning enough for the both of them, and when I came along I could go with but then Dusty came and it was too much to squeeze up in the front cab. Then they started to grow apart. Slowly, but it happened." Sadie shrugged like it was the easiest story to tell. In all fairness, it that been repeated and regurgitated to several people who wondered why she didn't have a dad.
"So you've been all over then?" Sadie didn't want to admit it, but that was one thing she liked about Steve; he always seemed to make the best of things - like how he made her hangover an excuse into getting breakfast, and.. well pretty much the entirety of their conversation the previous night. "You won't remember it though, will you?"
"No - although my mom has pictures. I'll show them to you one day - I was a cute baby, you know, chubby cheeks, pigtails, the whole lot. Very cute - especially when I'm stood across from the Golden Gate Bridge."
"Wow, San Fransisco." Steve nodded, somewhat approvingly. "I went to California when I was ten. I hated it... made my hair deflate." Sadie covered her mouth with her hand, unable to stop herself from laughing. "It was the summer I started to do all that stuff with it and it was humiliating. But.. we got really off track."
"That we did. Can I request to see pictures of said deflated hair? I mean I literally slept in the same bed as you and I woke up and your hair was exactly the same."
"Nobody will ever see those pictures. I've got to maintain my air of mystery. This hair? It's where I keep all my secrets." Steve hummed as Sadie actually laughed then, feeling particularly proud of himself. "But please, continue."
"Alright. So... I was at the point of Dustin being born." Sadie said. "When I say the process was slow, I really mean it. They clutched to their relationship for as long as possible. But instead of adhering to the conventions that many parents do when their marriage fails, my mom wanted a divorce. So she got it. I moved here from Cincinatti when I was thirteen and Dustin was nine. My mom grew up here, so it was easy enough for her, and my dad always stopped by on his routes. He wasn't a bad father. I'm lucky to remember so much of him, Dustin doesn't really, but he always brought us gifts and stories and took Christmas off that one time..."
"Gifts like your necklace." Steve nodded.
"Yeah, like my necklace." They we're approaching Tina's house now, something that Sadie found oddly upsetting. "Anyway.. he - um - he died after that first Christmas. He was about twenty minutes away, you know on the road you take if you're going in the direction of Muncie and ended up in a crash." She shrugged. "Then it was just me, my mom and Dustin. And Mews. We got Mews very quickly after moving in. For my mom."
"You love her a lot." He nodded, fingers tapping along to the very quite beat of the music that Sadie had chosen, pulling up the mess that was Tina's drive. The Henderson shot him a look. "What? It's obvious enough."
"Exactly. Blindly-so." Sadie let it a sigh, knowing she would follow it with quick deflection. She had decided she had had enough pity at her dad's funeral, and didn't want to deal with anymore ever again in her life. It was a useless emotion, in that sense. "But that's my sob story. I kinda feel bad for Tina though... I don't think anyone's house has been wrecked like this for a long time... did someone TP her house during the party?"
"Geez." Steve leant forward on the wheel, peering at the house in the early morning sun. He could quite easily understand why Sadie didn't want to speak of it, and found himself unable to push the subject any further despite his slight tendency to be rather nosy about things. That was Steve from a year ago - not who he was now. "Do you remember where you left your stuff?"
"Yeah." Sadie nodded, her hand wavering by the door handle. "I left it in a bedroom, in a dresser I think. So nobody would find it and if I... ended up blackout drunk then I could easily find it the next day."
"Seems like you're pretty good at telling the future." Steve replied, watching her fingers curled around the door handle, about to get out. He wanted to say something, to somehow make it all better, but he didn't know what, so; "Hey - Sadie." He stopped her, just as the door clicked open.
"Hm?"
"Second period I have basketball. I'm pretty sure you have a free period at the same time." Steve had remembered it all too suddenly, and it wasn't helping with the dull headache. But he was right, and Sadie nodded. "Come and watch for a bit, maybe - um - we can have a conversation? About... things."
His palms were beginning to sweat. Sadie didn't think she'd ever seen him that nervous to speak to her. "Yeah. Okay." She finally agreed. "Thanks for everything, Steve." She smiled, before getting out the car and began to make her way up the driveway to Tina's front door.
He didn't know what the hell he was doing. And he didn't know if he hated the feeling he got when he was doing it.
✧
Sadie wasn't going to lie and say that she knew exactly what she was doing - because she didn't. She had no idea; she had no idea why she had gotten drunk; no idea why she had gotten breakfast with Steve Harrington after sleeping in his bed; no idea what she was doing and no idea how the hell Tina was planning on returning her home to its once immensely clean glory.
Because she was only standing on her porch and already she was cringing at the sight before her, picking her way carefully over the puddles of spilt drink and... other fluids and pushing open the front door. It wasn't locked, and honestly, Sadie hadn't expected it to be.
It appeared that the inside was even worse than the outside. For starters there were people dozing on a mismatch of furniture, either having been too drunk to realise they weren't home or too drunk to bother. There was toilet paper not only hanging from the trees and outside of the house, but also from the light fixtures, balconies and columns inside the open-plan home. Solo cups were everywhere, it stunk distinctly of sick, the bitter punch and sweaty bodies, Sadie could see at least five singular shoes and several parts of costumes laying around. And Madonna was still playing faintly in the background.
"Excuse me.. excuse me - sorry," Sadie muttered as she climbed up the passed-out body of the boy who had been advertising the punch dressed as someone from Ancient civilisation times. "By the way - I know you don't care - but your costume is really inaccurate. The toga were worn by the Romans and the laurel wreath was used in Greece during the Ancient Olympics... you don't care - it's fine, it's fine." She watched him groan and roll over, before making her way past him and over the fallen lamp and into the bedroom she had left her bag in.
It took her hardly a moment to extract the small bag with her keys, and soon enough she was emerging back out into the living room. And when she stepped over the sleeping attempt of an Ancient Roman-Greek crossover, she found she wasn't the only one who was conscious in there. Tina was too - and she was stood by the kitchen counter.
"Sadie!" The brunette smiled, holding up a cup of coffee. "Nice sweater - you know, you clean up well after all that fake blood.. and I think I saw you puke in the bushes."
"Morning, Tina." Sadie replied, swerving around furniture until she stood in front of the counter. She held up the small bag. "Just came to get my bag and pick up my car. You sound... cheery."
"I have a cleaning crew coming in twenty minutes. My parents will never know. And I was too anxious about my mom's rug to drink that much so I'm not even hungover." Tina shrugged. "But you - you were drinking more than I was and you look better than I do! And why did Billy look so grumpy when he came back inside after being with you? Good job getting him to come by the way - also, was that Steve Harrington holding your hair whilst you puked?"
"What?" Sadie blinked, trying to process the massive influx of questions thrown that way. "Um... With Billy I'm not sure, could be absolutely anything I said or anything else. And... it was Steve, yeah."
"Oh, that's sweet." Tina nodded sagely, sipping her coffee. "I mean, I thought it was his car that I just saw drive away but you just confirmed it. He moves on quick."
"Nothings happened. That would be stupid. We just talked because he was sad and because in the past year he's turned into this really nice guy he didn't want to leave me stumbling and tripping up everywhere. You've been to his house - you know how big it is." Sadie didn't want to hurriedly jump to an answer - that was just suspicious. If Tina already knew that Steve had taken Sadie to his house (it was automatically assumed that her own home wasn't brought into the equation, simply because Sadie went and came back in the exact same position), then the Henderson knew that there had to be some control over what went around.
Technicalities meant they had done nothing wrong, although it didn't feel like that deep down. But if Sadie slept in a guest room there was no harm - and everyone knew that Steve had lost his reputation for the sole reason of becoming nice.
Sadie hated really lying about something: it made her feel sick and overwhelmed and carry a guilty feeling in her stomach all day. Of course, given her actions that was already there, so what she told Tina was the truth. She never said that she slept in a guest room, but she insinuated. Which didn't mean that she was lying, and Sadie could relax.
"Of course - I don't think you would've done anything with him. If I just think about Steve it's a different story because Nancy was being a total bitch to like everyone last night... including you now that I think about it - but I know you wouldn't do that to her. You're actually one of the more genuine girls around here." Tina shrugged as if what she had said hadn't just added another load of complete bad feeling to Sadie's stomach. "Don't look at me like that." She shook her head. "Nancy was being a bitch to everyone."
Sadie wasn't going to fixate on it... but she couldn't help but ask now that Tina had brought it up twice. "In what way?"
"Well, she literally took Carol's cup out of her hand - who does that? And she kept going on about being there to have fun and whatever. People have their demons, right? And I don't think she's much of a drinker so everything just got spilt." Tina hummed to herself. "I guess emotions are high. It's almost been a year since her other boyfriend's brother went missing right? Jonathan Byers? And your friend as well... Barb was it?"
"Yeah, Barb." Sadie nodded. She felt the urge to throw up again, despite having thought that phase of her drinking was behind her. "Listen, Tina - I've gotta go grab a couple of books before I go to school, but good luck on your cleaning process. If you need any help with anything just call me... you have my number, right?"
"My mom knows your mom, she speaks to her all the time. I'll check around for it and let you know." Tina smiled after her, flicking dark brown curls from her eyes. "Come sit with me and Vicki at lunch one day, Sadie. Carol usually sits with Tommy, and she's in the grade above so it only makes sense."
"I'll think about it," Sadie replied, making her way past piles of trash before exiting through the main door again, unsurprised to find a couple of others in the same position as her; coming to pick up their cars after drinking too much the night before.
At least she wasn't alone in that. But Sadie couldn't help but sense that they didn't feel so guilty about their actions as she did.
✧
Neither her mom nor Dustin had been home by the time she made it there. Which was probably the best scenario; she didn't feel the best about things and as much as she knew that Claudia would be somewhat proud she had managed to have a little fun at the party - the woman never had so much of a problem with Sadie potentially getting drunk - and in her nature would be worried about her returning home... all Mrs Henderson would be is glad that she was safe and alive and well.
And from what she knew, Claudia pretty much liked Steve. Which made the ultimate result even better; Sadie might have been drunk, but Steve - not a random boy but one her mother liked - had made sure she was alright. And Sadie had been to a party. That was something that Claudia Henderson never thought she would see. And... Sadie believed she was in the clear.
But first, she had to deal with first period. Kaminsky wasn't necessarily surprised with the lack of students sitting before him as shown by the several scathing comments made. Chemistry first period was never fun, but chemistry first period with a headache, a pit of worry in her chest, a pop quiz - which was a Kaminsky special, and the other students would suffer not only from doing poorly but for missing it - and an utter lack of her usual seat-mate.
Nancy hadn't made it to first period. She was always at first period. Except for that day, apparently. It didn't help Sadie's guilt at all... nor did the fact the guy sat behind her kept gagging into his hand but never needed to excuse himself to hang up. Those who hadn't attended the party looked on disgusted.
When the bell finally rang and created an ear-splitting pain in her head, she made her way to the library for her free period. There, she set up her stuff; sheets of homework, an essay she was in the midst of writing, several references books, her water bottle, and a pencil case present on a table in the corner where the lights above buzzed louder than any others but were dimmer than the rest, something that Sadie needed, and she was well practised on tuning out the noise.
Ten minutes in and she decided that it was enough time to wait before making her way to the back of the school, where the gym and football field sat. It took her a moment to compose herself but eventually, she built up the confidence to push open the doors and made her way in.
A basketball game was in full swing, and from the looks of it the team had split up into shirts and skins. She didn't say anything, instead ignoring the gaze of Eric and the few other guys sat above her as she took a seat on the bottom row of the wooden bleachers. Her hands knitted together, watching the game continue. It didn't take her long to figure out who was winning; Billy Hargrove appeared to be the Coach's new best player. A position that had been held between Steve and one of the other guys for a while. They'd been demoted, in his eyes, and now Billy was absolutely demolishing them.
When the whistle blew and Steve was pulled into a team huddle, Billy's eyes landed on her. "Morning, princess. Can't say I expected it from you, but you do know how to have fun." He came to stand in front of Sadie as she stared up at him. "I don't remember much... But you know how to drink."
"Yeah, and I wish I didn't." Sadie replied. "Don't you have a headache?"
Billy shook his head. "Nah, I'm used to this shit. Immune to it." He reached for a water bottle and sat down beside her. "You got all the fake blood out then?"
"Yeah, it came out easier than expected. I had a shower and then it was gone." Sadie shrugged, not accepting the offer of water. Her gaze flickered to the silver chain around his neck and then further down momentarily, before back up to his face, where a prominent smirk now sat. "Shut up." She looked away.
"I mean, I don't blame you... but I thought you'd been too caught up in things with your boyfriend to notice." Billy's tone was teasing, and then he saw Sadie's confusion. "What, planning on telling me he isn't your boyfriend? I didn't see you again after he took over our conversation, so I assumed-"
"Nothing happened." Sadie said, all too snappily and he just looked more and more snarky. "Seriously - we talked, I threw up, refused to go home, slept in his guest room."
"Huh, I would've thought he'd be the type to move on quickly." Billy hummed, before looking back onto the court. "Listen, don't take up too much of his time, you're interrupting important game time." He stood up, and Sadie watched after him, seeing as Steve walked towards them. Billy's shoulder shoved into him as he passed, but nothing was said and he ignored it.
Steve smiled - or attempted it, Sadie couldn't tell which - before glancing back at Billy and his coach. "Come on." He nodded towards the door and she followed him out, coming to a stop in front of him as he leant against the wall of the small gap between the gym and the block of changing rooms. Behind them, the football coach let out a piercing whistle and several helmet-clad boys ran past the gap and onto the pitch.
"You feeling any better?" He asked, and watched as she nodded. "Even after Billy spoke to you?" She nodded again. "I guess he does seem to be nicer to you."
"I guess." Sadie hummed, her arms clutching her sides. "Nancy wasn't in first period."
"Oh... right. I usually pick her up." Steve replied. His gaze travelled over her face, the avoidance of eye contact, the way her fingers tightened around the material of her sweater - no, his sweater. "Sadie.. what do you want to do about this?"
"I.. I don't know. I just feel so guilty. And I'm obviously grateful to you for not taking me home and letting me sleep in your bed and giving me clothes and giving me breakfast... really Steve, I don't know if I said it yet but thank you." Sadie met his eyes then, and Steve stared at her for longer than necessary.
"It's fine. Really. I would have done the same whether me and Nancy broke up or not." He itched the back of his neck. "I think I kissed you first, so I'm to blame for that, and even though we were broken up that's still not...." He let out a sigh, head dropping. "I have no idea what I'm doing. I have no idea what we're doing."
"We were drunk. And you said I shouldn't let my moral compass go haywire - so you shouldn't either." Sadie took a deep breath. "I think we should pretend it didn't happen. Tina saw me leave with you, and I've told her that I slept in one of your guest rooms."
"Right, smart - thank god you're smart. Yeah. You slept in a guest room, there we go. It didn't happen - done, it's gone. Can't remember anything."
The pained look on her fast disappeared as she laughed, and Steve looked relieved. "Okay, we're good." He continued with a nod. "Didn't happen, wipe the slate clean. So, how did you like that bagel?"
Sadie shook her head, still smiling. "You are good at segues, Harrington." She looked on approvingly as the football players ran past on their way around the tracks. "But I think it's safe to say that's the best breakfast I've had in a while. The hangover simultaneously made it taste better and got better because of it."
"Good to hear." Steve glanced at the watch on his wrist. "I should probably get back in there. But seeing as we've forgotten everything, and you're my friend... you wouldn't mind helping me out with my essay, would you?"
"I don't know... I think you should speak to Nancy first." Sadie walked slowly alongside him, and entirely expected his reaction; stopping and looking towards her. "Why?" She spoke his unasked question and he silently nodded. "She was drunk when you broke up... just see what she feels now, and when you've talked to her she'll inevitably speak to me and then I can figure out how I treat you. As much as we get on... I was friends with Nancy first."
"Yeah, I get that." Steve didn't like how that felt in his stomach. He didn't like how this entire conversation had gone. Because although he agreed the kisses would only cause trouble, he couldn't ignore how he felt whenever he thought about them. But if Sadie wanted to forget it, then he could too. It was a good idea anyway; if Nancy hadn't made it into school that morning a later conversation would need to be had about everything. Sadie was right about that too, he needed to speak to Nancy.
"Okay. So we're in agreement. We forget about it, I thank you for your hospitality, and I hope your dad is nicer when the week comes to an end and he's back from Indianapolis." Sadie turned to look at him as they stood out the doors into the gym, and Steve didn't know what his expression must have been because she hesitated before pushing herself up onto her tiptoes and hugged him.
"Don't worry about it." She said as she came back down. "I'm a sucker for helping people with academic failure potentially in their future. I'm supposed to be mad at Billy for almost running my brother over and I'm still thinking up plans to help him catch up."
"Billy did what-" Steve began, but Sadie was waving her hand dismissively.
"You and Nancy talk, then come to me."
"I don't think a conversation will change much." He scoffed, feeling suddenly bitter about the whole thing. Nancy's words last night had clearly been what she had felt about their relationship for a while. So why should he suffer for it? "It's not my fault we broke up-"
"Steve, what the hell?" A voice called, and both their heads snapped up. Nancy was approaching, looking furious and clutching her books. "Where the hell were you?" She asked, her gaze landing on Sadie, who flushed pink. "What's happened?" Her eyes narrowed. "Morning, Sadie." She added, almost as an afterthought.
"I... er..." Sadie hoped her feelings didn't reflect on her face. "I'll let you two talk. I'll be in the library if you want me." She slipped past them, hating the way her stomach tightened, hating the way it all made her feel.
And she hated the way that the early hours of the morning had been the most comfortable time she had spent with anyone she wasn't automatically close to in years.