I looked at my red wrist from Billy holding on too hard. It stung to the touch, but wasn't as bad as it has been in the past.
I watched as Nancy grabbed a cup and Steve made his way over to her. I did too, because she was going ham on the punch.
"Hey... Whoa, whoa! Hey... Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy! Nance!" She looked over at him and shrugged.
"We're just being stupid teenagers for the night. Wasn't that the deal?" She got more to her cup and chugged it. Me and Steve made eye contact making my palms sweat and heart race. Nancy wiped her face and made her way into the crowd.
"Steve, let her have fun. It's a party, go have fun with her." He smiled and nodded.
"Thanks." He then left me and went to dance with Nancy. I never left the kitchen.
It was a good thirty minutes of them dancing, and Nancy was super drunk. She could barely stand up straight. She went for more punch but Steve grabbed her.
"No, no, no."
"Get off!"
"No, you've had enough, okay?" He told her.
"Screw you!" She pushed him away and scooped another drink.
"Nance, i'm serious. Hey. Hey. Hey. Stop. No, i'm serious." He grabbed the cup but she wouldn't let go. I went over to them to try and help, but I didn't wanna get in the way. "Put it down."
"No!"
They continued to fight and pull on the cup, until it dumped all over her white shirt. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over and watched as Nancy stormed off into the bathroom. Steve followed and I ran up to him.
I know I shouldn't have, but I wanted to make sure things didn't get heated and worse. I flipped off a kid who was staring and made eye contact with Steve as he closed the door. I slumped down the wall and took off my stupid headband, running my hand through my hair. I waited a few minutes until Steve came out of the bathroom slamming the door behind him.
"Steve, what happened?" I asked sitting up to catch up with him. He didn't turn around or even acknowledge me. "Steve Harrington!" I grabbed his arm and pulled him into an open room.
"What the hell?" He asked.
"Oh, get over it." I locked the door so no one would enter. "Listen, I want to know what happened there." I told him straight up, he looked upset like something serious happened.
"Why do you even care? You're new, and the only reason I talk to you as does Nancy is because you're new. So this is none of your business." I felt like something was stabbing me over and over as he poured those words out. I slapped him hard across the face.
"What the hell is your problem? I have no one, no one, and you think because you are the 'Steve Harrington' and you got into it with your girlfriend you can treat me like shit?" My eyes welled up and his face softened, like he realized what he had said. "Go to hell Harington."
I unlocked the door, and stormed out. He grabbed my hurt wrist,"Liz." I flinched back as a swell of pain went up my arm. I held it in my other hand and he noticed the red marks that swelled around it. He softly picked up my hand and looked it over.
"Liz, what is this?" He asked.
"Like you said, i'm new. Why do you care?" I yanked my hand away from him and wiped the tears from my cheeks. I ran and ran, and pushed through the crowd to find Billy. He was drinking more beer when I grabbed his arm.
"We need to go home." I urged.
He studied me,"what happened?"
"Nothing, let's just leave." I looked over and saw Steve standing on the porch watching me. Billy followed my gaze and his face hardened, his jaw set.
"Get in the car." I shook my head pushing him.
"Billy, come on. It's nothing, just something with his girlfriend she's drunk and they're leaving too. Please." He rolled his eyes and we left.
-
The next day I avoided both Nancy and Steve. Not that Nancy did anything wrong, it's just that with Nancy comes Steve. And i'm not sure i'm ready for him. I keep playing the words he said in my head over and over. And the sting is just the same.
I headed to the library to study and get my mind off the whole Steve thing only to be pulled into the office room.
I locked eyes with Steve. His face looked upset and devastated, but I couldn't let him get to me. I went for the door, but he stopped me with his arm.
"Please, Liz. Just let me talk." I rolled my eyes and looked at him.
"Are you sure you wanna talk, because you're right, i'm the new kid and Nancy isn't here so you don't have to?" He sighed and looked into my brown eyes, and I looked into his.
"Listen, I'm sorry. I was so mad, and upset over what Nancy said, that I wasn't thinking straight. None of what I said was true. I promise." I scoffed.
"Yeah, but Nancy was drunk, and guess what, you weren't. So obviously you meant some of it." He shook his head at me.
"Stop, please. I'm so sorry. Nancy really does care for you a lot, and I don't wanna ruin things between you two over something stupid I said." The bell rang and he sighed. "Listen, meet me after school. I will try and make it up to you." I sighed and nodded while walking out the door.
-
STEVE HARRINGTON POV
I was playing basketball in gym, dribbling the ball and trying to block Billy.
"Harrington, right? You made my sister upset, and I heard you used to run this school. Is that true?" I really wasn't in the mood to talk to this ass, but he just kept pushing up against me. "King Steve, they used to call you, huh? Then you turn, bitch."
"Hey, maybe you should just shut up and just play the game." He then pushed me down taking the ball. I got up quickly and Billy threw the ball under his leg shooting.
God I hate him.
"Steve?" I look over and Nancy is standing there at the doors.
We ended up at the ally. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
"What do you think? Where were you this morning? I missed first period."
"I figured Johnathan would take you."
"Wha... What are you talking about?" She asked, and she seriously looked confused.
I scoffed. "Jesus, you really can't handle your alcohol. Uh, you remember going to Tina's party last night, right?"
"Yes."
"And then what?"
"I remember dancing, and... spilling some punch. You got mad at me because I was drunk... and then you took me home."
I scoffed again. "No, see, that's where your mind gets a little fuzzy. See, that was your other boyfriend. That was... that was Johnathan."
"I don't understand."
"It's pretty simple, Nancy. You were just telling it like it is." I said holding onto the towel around my neck.
"Uh... apparently, uh... we killed Barb and I don't care, 'cause i'm bullshit... and our whole... relationship is bullshit, and... I mean, pretty much everything is just bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. Oh, yeah, also, you don't love me."
"I was drunk, Steve. I don't remember any of that." She was defending something she couldn't defend.
"So that makes everything that you said... it's what? Just bullshit too?"
"Yes!"
"Well, then tell me." I wanted her to shout the words to me, I wanted her to tell me the truth at least. But I knew she would say the thing I didn't wanna hear.
"Tell you what?"
I paused. "You love me."
"Really?" looked at me shocked, and annoyed I asked for that request. But really if she did love me, she would have said it to me. Then the door was thrown open.
A boy came running over, "Harrington! Dude, we need you, man. That douchebag's killing us. Let's go!"
"All right!"
"Come on!"
I waited for her to say it and stared at her for a moment, pleading, yet not caring enough to cry and pull it out of her. She looked up at me and her face showed sorry all over it, but she never said it.
I began to walk away, "I think that you're bullshit." And now I have more time to focus on fixing things with Liz and basketball.
-
LIZ POV
I met Billy by his car, "Billy." He looked up at me, "I'm leaving with Steve today."
He gritted his teeth together and stared at me. "Hell no, Liz. Get in the car, I don't like Steve Harrington." He said his name as an insult. "Now get in." I shook my head at him.
I went to walk away when he grabbed my wrist. The same one from before, I groaned in pain and tried to push away but the more I did the harder his grip became. I saw Steve standing at his car in the distance waiting for me. I then shoved off Billy as hard as I could and made a run for it. I nearly fell over trying to get away.
My wrist hurt worse than it ever has before and tears streamed down my face I wiped them quickly and stopped at Steve heavy breathing.
"Steve get in the car, now." I insisted.
"Liz, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" He held my shoulders looking over me.
"Steve, I will explain in a minute. Just go!" Steve hopped in the drivers seat and drove off. We were long gone by the time Max would have been there.
I hissed as I touched the now bruised ring around my wrist. Steve looked at it and then at me, he put his eyes back on the road.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But are those from Billy?" I looked at him and opened my mouth then closed it again. I had never told anyone but Max.
And it wasn't like it helped cause that was one person. I didn't look up at him. "Yeah." I took a deep breath.
"My dad used to take all his anger out on my mom and Billy. When they split up my mom wasn't able to keep Billy, and he became so angry all the time. Our dad took all his anger out of him and then he takes it out on me. Because I won't let him take it out on Max, yet he kinda does anyways. He doesn't hit me or anything. Just this. He usually just yells at Max and bothers her."
I felt his eyes boring into my head.
"I would watch out for Billy, he doesn't like you after what happened the other night. He doesn't know what exactly happened just that something did." He nodded.
"I'm sorry." I looked up finally.
"I know."
We kept driving until we got to a park, it didn't have a play ground it was just trees and grass. There was a small areas in the middle with white boards that made a spot to sit with shade. It was beautiful.
We both got out and he rested his arms on the top of his car.
"My mom took me here when I was little. It's peaceful." I nodded and walked.
He ran to catch up with me his hands in his pockets. "What happened with you and Nancy?" He looked at me for a moment thinking of what to say.
"Uh, she told me we are bullshit, she doesn't love me. And more things are bullshit." He half smiled and looked at me.
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh." He chuckled a bit.
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"But I feel like it is, even though I know it's not." It was silent for a moment. Just the wind blowing in our faces and bird chirping.
We sat down at the bench. "Do you like it here?" I looked up at his brown eyes wanting to pull him in. Wanted his arms holding onto me. Which was crazy, because we met just a few days ago.
"It's been fine. Met some okay people, Max seems happy ish. So I guess it's not as bad as we all thought." I kicked dirt that was sitting on the ground and he was staring deep into my eyes. We didn't say a word and we just kept inching closer until I shot up.
"We should probably go. Billy is already gonna kill me." He nodded as I brushed hair behind my ear.
"You're right." So we went back to his car and left.
-