CHAPTER ONE: the hellfire club
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SALEM THORN WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT.
"Well, maybe we could have a picnic," Steve tells Salem, both trying to think of something they hadn't done for a date.
"We'd have to check the weather for that day," Salem replied but agreed. "We could go and actually watch Back to the Future, if the weather is bad."
"So, picnic or movie?" Steve asked.
"Oh, we can do both. The picnic during the day and the movie sometime before the movie close at night." Salem suggested.
"Robin, are you are listening?" Steve asked, as usually, the girl would tell the two to shut up before giving her own opinion.
"Uh, yes," the girl lied.
"What did we say?"
"Something about skipping your next shift to take Salem to the new book-" Robin says.
"No!" Steve yelled. "And that was supposed to be a surprise."
"You can't go skipping your shifts," Salem tells Steve.
"Look what you did! You ruined the surprise!" Steve yelled at Robin.
"Cut me some slack, please! All you ever do is talk about Salem. It is seven in the morning, and we have the stupid, pep rally. And I woke up looking lime a total corpse!"
"Oh, you're worried about a pep rally? Except us to believe that?" Steve asked the girl.
"Yeah? So?"
"So all of us know what this is about. Okay, I'm but buying that. This is about Vicki."
"Absolutely not."
"It absolutely is," Salem mocked.
"Yes if is. You know what else?" Steve asked Robin.
"I don't care-"
"I think you gotta stop pretending to be someone else when you're around her. You just gotta be yourself."
"Oh, because you immediately asked Salem out. Oh, wait, you didn't because he asked you out!" Robin shot back.
"Why did I tell you that?" Steve questions.
"But, Steve is right. Robin, just be yourself. And if not, lie and start acting drunk or something," Salem suggested.
"It's not the same thing. I ask out the wrong girl and bam; I'm a town pariah," Robin says.
"Normally, I would agree with you, except, Vicki isn't the wrong girl."
"We just don't know that, do we?"
"She returned Fast Times paused at fifty-three minutes, five seconds. Do you like who pauses Fast Times at fifty-three minutes, five seconds? People who like boobies, Robin!"
"Ew! Gross, don't say, bobbies!" Robin yelled.
"Not a big deal, only? You like boobies. Vicki liked boobies. Definitely!"
Salem sighed, placing his head on the window.
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Both Salem and Steve we're at the Family Video store, bored out of their minds as there was barely anyone else there. Except, the phone rang; Steve picked it up. Before he could say anything about where the other person as calling, apparently the person spoke.
Steve turned to Salem, annoyed. 'Dustin' he mouthed. "No."
Another pause. "What, to hang out with you and Eddie 'the freak' Munson?" Steve asked. "Uh, yeah, I'll pass."
Salem elbowed Steve.
"No. Salem and I have a date. And you will not call Salem," Steve tells Dustin. "Oh, I got some customers. Call you back. Bye."
Except the second Steve hangs up, the phone rings again. Steve sighs, about to pick it up before Salem grabs it, and gestures to Steve to be attended to the customers. "Hello-"
"Salem! I need for you to sub in for Lucas in Hellfire." Dustin quicky says.
"When?" Salem asked back.
"Today, after school-"
"Lucas has a game. I've already said that I would be there. You guys aren't going to his game?"
"There's a hellfire meeting!" Dustin exclaimed.
Salem hummed. "Okay. Well, bye. Don't ball here again."
"Sale-" Dustin was cut off as Salem hung up on him.
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Steve and Salem walked side-by-side, glancing around to make sure that nobody was watching the two has they held each other's hands. Once, they noticed someone; they stopped their hands. They entered the gym, Steve extending a hand to Salem as he walked up the steps. Everyone was too distracted as the players were warming up.
An older man-possibly sixty- walked into the middle of the court, where a microphone had been placed. "Everyone now, please rise for our national anthem. Singing for us tonight, we have a very special guest. All the way from Nashville, our very len Tammy Thompson!"
Salem laughed; luckily, no one was able to hear him as they had started to clap ad cheer, some even whistling. Steve laughed, smiling at hearing Salem's laugh. Both immediately silenced themselves when the crowd began to get lower.
Tammy Thompson started to sing, off-key. "O say, can you see," the microphone feedback was loud. "By the dawn's early night..."
Steve looked at Salem, unimpressed and as if he was in pain before he turned to Robin. "Told you," he whispered. "Muppet."
"Okay, she does sound like a Muppet," Robin slowly whispered.
"Hey, is Robin talking to Vicki?" Salem whispered. "Guess I don't need any of my plans. Maybe she can talk to her herself."
"What plans?" Steve asked.
"Can't say anything. It'll get you arrested. God, when will she be done singing?"
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Hawkins team has gotten the basketball. First, Jason scoring the first hoop. Then the other team scored.
"God, I hate basketball. Couldn't Lucas sign up for literally any other sport?" Salem asked.
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Jason had passed the basketball to one of his teammates, only for that same boy to get knocked down. Salem laughs, immediately covering it with a cough as a few people turned it him.
"Think those were his family members?" Salem questioned lowly.
"With the way they looked at you, probably," Steve shrugged, both missing Jason yelling at the played and then the reffe.
"Wait, wait, Lucas is in!" Salem yelled as he saw the boy run onto the court. "Finally!"
"Shh!" Steve immediately shushed him when people turned to look at him.
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Lucas dribbled the ball, passing it to Jason when someone started to block him. Jason scored.
Lucas scored the next shot, and Salem yelled loudly, Steve pulled him down when the did.
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Hawkins High scored many other times. As did the other team. Hawkins only being a point higher then then.
"Do you think Lucas is hydrating himself?" Salem asked.
Steve scanned the court, trying to recall if he has seen Lucas drinking any water.
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Jason had the ball again, throwing it at the hoop. The ball bounced off the rim, and multiple players were under the ring. Lucas jumped up, taking the basketball and rippling it away from the other players. He ran away from the other players, jumping in and throwing the ball at the hoop. The buzzer went off as the ball went into the hoop.
Everyone cheered.
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The Hawkins team has ran to Lucas, Jason, and another player lifted him up.
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Salem had tried to find Lucas, planning on buying the other dinner to celebrate his win, but, once he has gotten outside, Lucas was with the rest of him team.
Salem turned to Steve. "I'll just see if he wants anything for dinner tomorrow." he shrugged as he first looked around before he pulled Steve to the other's car.
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