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"jamie! there's someone cute at the door for you!"
jamie adams was a light sleeper and she was used to waking up due to her grandmother's voice. the girl groaned in fatigue and peeled herself out of her bed. she drew the curtains open, allowing the dim morning light to hit her via the window.
it was a saturday meaning fliss was either at max's or asleep in her room, with max. they were always together, they were best friends.
"jamaria!"
"coming, mimi." jamie yelled back.
the adams girl quickly seized her grey sleeping gown and pulled it on. she rushed out of her room and down the stairs, excited to see who this 'cute person' was. to her surprise, steve harrington and mimi jeong were sitting on the couch together.
"harrington!" jamie gave him a look, "what are you doing here?"
"hey, jamie." steve stood up. "i need your help."
it wasn't that unusual of steve to be asking the girl for help. ever since nancy broken up with him on halloween, steve chose to focus on building a friendship with jamie. however, he had never stepped foot in her house.
"yeah sure." she nodded, "could you give me a second?"
"yeah."
jamie pivoted around, about to run up the stairs again, but then she realised something. "how long have you been here?"
mimi and steve shared a look before the boy spoke up: "20 minutes."
"mimi!" jamie sighed.
her grandmother simply shrugged, "we have been having a good gossip."
"about?"
"you."
"go on, jamie. you don't want to keep this handsome boy waiting." mimi gave her a wink.
jamie glanced at steve, who had a large smirk on his face. she shook her head at his arrogance and trekked up the stairs.
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"what are you doing here?" lucas asked felicity.
the girl was leaning on one of the machines, a strawberry slushie in her hands. lucas' voice and presence had startled and confused her.
"waiting for max..." she told him, "what are you doing here?" the girl wasn't particularly happy to see him, especially because of what had gone down at school.
"i was hoping max would come here." lucas started. he had been there for a good ten minutes, yet he hadn't seen felicity in the small area.
"mhm." felicity nodded. "so... you're stalking her. again?"
lucas shook his head. "no, no, no." he explained. "it's not like that."
"what's it like, then?" felicity challenged.
"i wanted to apologise to her, and you." lucas admitted. "i need you to come with me."
"yeah right." felicity shook her head. "where to?"
"to the back..." lucas informed her. he watched as her face morphed into a look of disbelief. "trust me, i want to explain everything."
"lucas-"
the boy glanced behind her, out the window. he saw max flipping the bird to a car driving off. lucas grabbed felicity's arm and yanked her to the back of the arcade.
"are you crazy?" she hissed as he shut the door.
"ready, keith!" lucas called out.
"okay." a bored voice replied. "keep things pg, all right?"
felicity heard a loud click, the door had locked. "is this a joke? lucas, let me out."
"do you want to know the truth?" lucas negotiated. "i want to tell you and max everything, why mike doesn't want you to come to some of the meetings."
"don't you think it's a little too late for that?" felicity muttered. "you don't know how it feels."
"how what feels?"
"i thought i had finally made some friends." she explained. "i'm lucky that max moved here at the same time, because if she didn't... i'd have no one. do you know how hard it is to make friends with people in the middle of the last year of school?"
"felicity-"
"but i thought you guys were different. you actually seemed to be interested in me and what i said. then all of a sudden you started acting like i had killed your family." felicity exemplified.
"that's not the case." lucas shook his head. "listen, we really like you. i really like you. but things started getting bad again, things i couldn't explain. but i can now, once max gets here."
"this is your last strike, sinclair." felicity warned him. "i don't usually do third chances."
lucas grinned. "you won't regret it."
felicity smiled at him. "i better not."
the lock clicked once again and the door opened. standing there was max, holding a bag of cheese puffs and her skateboard, and the manager of the arcade - keith. max's face dropped when she saw the two in the room together
"you better get me that date now, sinclair." keith threatened.
"i told you i will." lucas reminded him.
"what is this shit, stalker?" max stepped over to them once keith had closed the door. "don't tell me he's got you roped into this too, felicity."
felicity held her hands up in defence. "i wanna hear what he has to say."
"sorry." lucas apologised. "i just needed a safe place."
"a safe place to what?" max scoffed. "be creepy?"
"listen. i'm gonna tell you guys the truth about everything that happened last year." lucas said. "but if anyone finds out, you could be arrested... possibly killed."
"excuse me?" felicity gave him a look of incredulity.
"killed?" max echoed.
"i need to know. do you two accept the risk?" lucas spoke, sincerely.
"oh, my god! this- this is so stupid." max laughed, but felicity kept quiet.
"do you accept the risk?" lucas reaped.
"yeah. sure. fine." max sighed. "i accept the risk."
the two glanced at felicity, who was deep in thought.
"felicity?"
"hell yeah!" she nodded. "this better be good."
felicity and max took a seat on the chairs that were facing each other while lucas perched on the table.
"let's hear it."
"last year will didn't get lost in the woods." lucas began, "he got lost somewhere else."
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"are you okay?" steve glanced over at the girl who was leaning against the window.
"i'm fine." jamie nodded with a smile.
the two were currently on their way to nancy wheeler's house. steve had purchased a bouquet of roses and was going to attempt on winning her back. jamie was a little baffled at his master plan, but thought it was cute.
"are you nervous?"
"no." steve shook his head. "but... what if she doesn't take me back."
"then, she isn't the right person for you." jamie gave her honest opinion. "steve, you are perfectly capable of finding someone else. if it doesn't work with nancy, you have you're whole life to find someone, you're only 17."
"i'm 18." steve told her.
"what?"
"i'm a senior."
jamie sat up straight, completely blown away. "you are?!"
steve chuckled, "you didn't know?"
"i just assumed you were in the same year as nancy." jamie shrugged.
"well... thank you for the advice, adams." steve nodded as he parked the car at the side of the road.
"good luck." jamie sent him a smile as she handed him the flowers in her lap.
steve took a deep breath and combed his hair back with his hands as he stepped out of the car, "thanks."
jamie watched as the boy walked up to the house, not noticing the curly-haired boy coming his way.
"fine, fine." the boy decided to quickly recite his words. "listen... i've been thinking... i love you. i'm sorry." steve paused. "i'm sorry? what the hell am i sorry for?"
"steve, are those for mr or mrs wheeler?" dustin, who had just exited the wheeler house, stopped him.
"no?" steve gave him a confused look.
"good." dustin snatched the flowers from his hands and headed to steve's burgundy bmw.
"hey. what the hell? hey!" steve yelled, following dustin.
"nancy isn't home." dustin explained.
"where is she?" steve asked, concerned.
"doesn't matter. we have bigger problems than your love life," dustin stated as he opened the passenger door, "oh... hello."
"hi." jamie waved at him.
dustin handed her the flowers, "for you."
she gasped in surprise, pretending it wasn't the exact ones he had taken from steve. "thank you, kind boy."
"i'm dustin." he introduced himself as he entered the back seat. steve watched the two interact in astonishment from outside his car. "come on, steve!"
"jamie."
"as in, jamie adams?" dustin questioned.
"yeah?"
"felicity's sister?"
"yeah!" jamie grinned, "you know fliss?"
dustin's face began to warm up as he nodded. "she's in my class."
"that's cute."
"what are you here for, dude?" steve questioned while getting into his seat.
"do you still have that bat?" dustin leaned through the middle of the two front seats.
"bat?" steve raised his eyebrows in perplexity, "what bat?"
"the one with the nails." dustin informed him.
jamie's face visibly lit up. "you have a bat with nails?"
"yeah, why?" steve questioned.
"i'll explain it on the way."
"now?" steve turned back to him.
"now!" dustin slammed his door shut.
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"and that was the last we ever saw of her." lucas concluded his story. "after that, she was just gone. i can't believe it's been that long. feels like yesterday."
felicity was fascinated. she couldn't believe that the small town they had moved into was so interesting. on the contrary, max didn't believe a word that was coming out if his mouth.
"yeah. i mean, i bet." max spoke.
"woah." felicity fawned. "that's insane."
"it's crazy." max agreed.
"i know." lucas sighed.
"it's crazy, but i really liked it." max clarified.
"liked it?" lucas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"yeah." max nodded. "well, i mean, i had a few issues."
"issues?" felicity quizzed.
max turned to her, "i felt it was a little derivative in parts."
"what are you talking about?"
"i just wish it had a little more originality. that's all." she explained.
lucas frowned. "you don't believe me?"
"lucas, come on, seriously? how gullible do you think we are?" max rolled her eyes.
felicity got to her feet. "i believe it." she shrugged.
"thank you, felicity." lucas gave her a small smile. "why would i make this up?"
"i don't know. to impress fliss or something? seems to be working." max suggested. "or you're just, like, insane."
"i tell you both all of this." lucas rasied his voice as he stood up, clearly frustrated. i mean, top-secret stuff. risking my life. and this is how you react?"
"risking your life?" max smiled.
"oh, so this is funny to you?"
"yeah. i mean kind of funny." she got up, "stupid, but funny."
"where are you going?"
"story time's over, isn't it?" max taunted. she gave the two a smile before exiting the room.
"what's wrong with you? i gave you what you wanted." lucas pointed out. "at least felicity accepted it."
felicity trailed behind them, staying silent as they argued.
"we wanted to be a part of the group, not a part of some joke." max justified.
"it's not a joke.
"you did a good job, okay?" max persisted. "you can go tell the others we believed your lies if it gets you experience points or whatever."
"we have a lot of rules in our party, but the most important is: friends don't lie. never ever. no matter what."
"is that right?" max challenged. "then how do you explain this?" she walked over to the machine that read 'out of order', pulled off the sign and stuck it to his jacket.
"i had to do that." lucas told her. "to protect you guys."
"to protect me from who, exactly? the big bad government baddies from hawkins lab?"
"lower your voice." lucas ordered.
"maybe it was to protect me from the demogorgon from another dimension?" she resumed.
"max, i'm serious, shut up!" lucas pleaded.
"oh, no, no! you know what it was? It was eleven. the girl-"
lucas placed his hand over her mouth. "stop talking. you're going to get us killed. do you understand?"
"you're serious?" max asked once she removed his hand.
"i really wish i wasn't." lucas frowned.
"prove it." max challenged.
"i can't."
"so what? i'm supposed to just trust you?" max questioned.
"yes."
"i trust him," felicity finally spoke up.
max stared at her, trying to understand why she believed him so quickly. it was no surprise that felicity was open-minded, but it had still confused the redhead why felicity instantly accepted his story. perhaps she had taken a liking to the boy?
"shit." max swore, her focus now out the door. "i gotta go. um... don't follow me out. both of you."
"okay?" felicity gave her a look.
"do you believe me?"
⎯ ❃ neens speaks!
FIANLLY STEVE AND JAMIE ARE HANGING OUT IM SO EXCITED