chapter fourteen.
the snowball of 84'
nightmare town.
It was now December 15th and a month had passed since the night Eleven closed the gate and they defeated the Mindflayer and the Demodogs. Hopper had just recently obtained an official birth certificate for Eleven, Mike finally accepted Max as part of their party to which she happily accepted, Julie and Steve spent a lot of time together with the same group that she hung out with at his house but unfortunately had yet to go on the date despite their friend's protests and the obvious tension. However instead, they "unknowingly" flirted back and forth like it was a sport and they were all-star athletes. Julie also found a mother figure in Joyce Byers after the group reunited that terrible night and Joyce had been an emotional replacement for Julie's emotionally and physically absent mother. Joyce had been there for her with advice over the smallest problems that Susan didn't even know about.
Now, it was the night of the Hawkins Middle School Snowball dance which Julie, Sarah, Nancy, and Jonathan all volunteered to chaperone. In all honesty, Julie just wanted to see Max have a great time at her first dance even if it was just for a small moment and as a plus, the volunteering hours would look amazing on her upcoming college applications at the end of the school year.
At that moment, Julie and Max giddily ran up to Nancy who stood behind the punch bowl at the refreshment table. Julie used one hand to pull her dress down a bit and used the other to hold a bag of sugar that she and Max stole from the kitchen only a minute ago behind her back. Nancy furrowed her brows at the playful smirks on their faces. Despite the cold air drifting outside, Julie was sweating as the gymnasium held so many students along with adults that the air felt nonexistent.
"What's with the smirks?" Nancy questioned the two girls in front of her.
"Hoping you'll let us spike the punch bowl?" Max asked sweetly trying to persuade the junior that was completely shocked by her words before turning to Julie.
Julie shook her head knowing why Nancy seemed so shocked. She pulled the bag of sugar out from behind her back and held it in front of her, sticking it out to Nancy. Nancy sighed with laughter.
"You know, it did taste a little bitter," Nancy laughed before turning to face Jonathan who was in charge of the photo booth to shield her eyes, pretending like she couldn't notice the girls in front of her.
Max tore the bag open and held onto the top of it while Julie tilted it over the bowl that held the red liquid. Julie tried to stop after pouring a good amount but Max kept her hands on the bag making sure all of it went in. When the bag was empty, Julie tossed it into the trashcan at the end of the table. Julie and Nancy shook their heads at the unnecessary amount of sugar that Max added to the refresher.
"They have to drink it, not us" Julie giggled to Nancy.
Max playfully rolled her eyes walking away from the refreshment table and back to the party's designated table that Max had saved for them after she had to get there early because of Julie and Sarah who had driven them.
Julie walked around the table and took her place next to Nancy. She was in charge of the snacks and making sure that none of the kids took more than the limit they were given. They were silent with each other although listening to the music blasting out of the speakers set up around the gym. Besides Julie's first day at Hawkins High and Nancy being one of the two people to welcome her, they hadn't talked much. At least, always in a group but never alone. It was not as if they had much to talk about because they didn't know each other well. But now they were bonded after the whole Upside Down debacle. Julie loved to hide the fact that she was intimidated by Nancy and found herself growing nervous almost every time she had to talk to her.
Julie noticed how sure Nancy always was of herself and she admired that. She admired the way Nancy always went after what she wanted and she always got it because she worked so hard for it. Never once did Julie see Nancy hesitate and she thought it was because Nancy didn't. Julie was nothing like that, she hesitated way too often. It was more of an on-and-off feeling that depended on her situation or the problem and maybe that wasn't a bad thing but Julie didn't know it.
Unknown to her, Nancy was fascinated by Julie and not just because of her breathtaking hair. In Nancy's eyes, Julie was a take-action kind of person and though Julie believed she hesitated most of the time, Nancy knew and witnessed that she never did when it came to protecting the people she deeply cared about. Whether it was a mere bully or a monstrous dog from another dimension, Julie wouldn't have it.
"So," Nancy began capturing Julie's attention, "I like your outfit."
She wanted to start up a conversation but wasn't sure how to say what she really wanted to say.
"Oh, thank you. I actually wanted to say earlier that I love your dress" Julie complimented to which Nancy smiled.
It got silent between the girls again and it was honestly annoying. It wasn't like they were meeting for the first time.
"This is stupid," Nancy rolled her eyes, "It's probably, most definitely not my place to say this but I think you should go out on that date with Steve and if the reason you're holding back is because of me then don't because I would feel terrible about that. There are absolutely no feelings between us at all, not anymore. I want him to be happy and I'd like you to also be happy and I'm not saying that you need a guy to make you happy but I just mean romantically at least."
Julie had been completely taken back by Nancy's random outburst and so had Sarah who had walked up to the table to grab a drink and talk to two of her favorite girls. Julie had heard pleads from everyone that surrounded her on a daily including her younger sister, so they didn't expect Steve's ex to be persuading her to go on a date with him. It was an interesting situation to overhear.
"Oh, uh," Julie tried to form her words while Sarah stared at them completely engulfed in the scene unfolding in front of her eyes, "Don't feel bad at all, it's not your fault at all. The reason I haven't done it is because-" Julie cut her words short.
Now that she was forced to think about it, she couldn't come up with a reason as to why she hadn't gone on a date with Steve yet. She didn't care what Billy thought at all anymore especially after he got his ass handed to him by his younger sister, she was single and so was Steve, Nancy and Jonathan were romantically involved and without offense to Steve didn't care about him getting in the way even slightly. Steve had even reassured Julie himself that Nancy was no longer in the picture for him and she was the one he had growing feelings for so really what was stopping Julie?
Maybe a part of her would feel embarrassed if she randomly brought it up to him a month after practically rejecting him and instead pretending they were just friends but that was something she could easily get over whether he rejected her or not.
"I have no idea why" Julie finished embarrassingly, a blush creeping up to her face after realizing she shut everyone's pleading down for no reason.
"Because you like to pretend to be blind to the obvious fact that no one is more perfect for Steve than you," Sarah barged in, "And you're also perfect at pretending like you wouldn't jump into Steve's backseat and make out with him if he asked."
Now it was Julie's turn to turn to Sarah in disbelief with her words while Nancy just laughed. She didn't deny it though Sarah was secretly correct but she wasn't going to admit that out loud as a children's dance.
"Well, this conversation to a took turn so I'm going to go outside and get some cool air and I hope that when I get back the thought of Steve and me making out in his car fades away from your thoughts" Julie snickered making her way towards the exit, leaving Sarah to start pestering Nancy about her and Jonathan.
Julie held a smile on her as she headed for the door that lead outside. She was aiming for Joyce's car where she knew the woman was parked outside to give Will some space but not too much space that she would have to worry about something happening to him. Julie was going to explain the newfound information on the Steve situation to Joyce and ask her opinion on it. She stop short when she noticed Dustin getting out of Steve's car with a huge grin on his face which only grew bigger after he saw Julie by the door knowing that he and Steve had just been talking about her.
Julie held the door open for him and complimented him on his new hairstyle which Dustin smiled at before laughing to himself about how crazy it was that they were just talking about her in the car and now here she was like she had known about it. Dustin walked inside while Julie walked out and found herself changing the direction she was headed. Maybe she wouldn't need Joyce's expertise on this she thought as she walked towards the passenger side of Steve's car.
Steve had practically been gawking at her in her formal outfit and the light makeup applied to her. He always noticed that she had a great sense of fashion (thanks to the child support money her father funded to their mother) but tonight, she captured the look of elegance better than anyone could ever imagine which was what he believed.
She leaned onto her arms that were placed on the open window on the passenger's side with a smile on her, "So this is why you turned down volunteering? You were babysitting behind my back."
"Sorry Red, Henderson just likes me better" Steve joked, keeping his hands on the wheel.
Julie wouldn't accept defeat, "Really? Well, wait until he finds out I accepted that last position as a counselor at his summer camp."
Steve's grin faltered as he continued, "You're going away for the summer?"
He still hadn't decided whether he was going to college or not despite his father's pleas and the conversation he had with Julie but he knew that no matter his decision that summer would be their time to spend the most time together whether he stayed in town remaining for her senior year or went away to college.
"Don't miss me too much," she quoted herself from the night at the junkyard, "I'll only be gone for a little over a month, Harrington. And besides summer is six months away."
Steve smiled to himself turning away from her for a second, "A lot can happen in six months."
Julie bit the side of her mouth to keep from smiling. She opened the passenger door to his car and hopped in without hesitation. She wanted to keep talking to him, she didn't want to be anywhere else but here, even if it mean sitting in a car that smelled like nothing but hairspray and cologne mixed. However, she didn't respond to him, she was just enjoying his presence.
He turned his attention away from the cars in the parking lot and to the girl beside him, "So, how's Max doing? You know after all of this chaos that you guys got dragged into."
At those words, Julie could've jumped onto him and Sarah's thoughts would come true. Steve not only cared about Max now but knew how important her sister was to her and that was all she needed to push her into the conversation she wanted to have. But now, she could only think about one thing. And that one thing was kissing Steve Harrington.
"Can I kiss you?" she questioned curiously, switching her eyes from his lips back to his eyes that were widened being completely surprised by her words.
No words fell from Steve's mouth, he just stared at her. He was taken back by her random question, it wasn't what he expected out of their conversation.
Julie shook her turning her head away from him and focusing on the building beside them. There was no one outside as the dance was now in full swing and the adults were watching the students inside.
"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that. It was stupid of me-"
Steve moved his left hand to sit under her chin as he turned her head to face his direction. Him rapidly leaning in had given her the brilliant idea to do the same thing. His right hand pushed her hair out of the way and rested on her cheek as their lips collided, initiating their first kiss. Julie's right hand reached over to the back of his neck, intertwining her fingers with some of his hair as a means to pull him closer.
Neither of them wanted to back away, but they knew they had to. After a few seconds, they did with huge smiles stretching across their face. Steve's handed stayed glued to her cheek while they were two inches away from each other's face. As if on cue, they both laughed before pulling away.
"I don't think it was a stupid question at all," Steve began, "Actually, I think it was long overdue."
Max, Sarah, and Joyce were going to eat this whole interaction up when she told them. Hell, the interaction involved her and she was eating it up herself. She just kissed Steve Harrington, king of Hawkins High.
"Does this mean you want to go on that date?" Steve questioned innocently, both hands now on his wheel.
"I'd love to," Julie confessed, "I mean I know it's a little cold for swimming but how does now sound?"
Steve rapidly nodded his head, starting his car back up allowing the radio to come on and provide them with background noise.
"We don't have to go swimming, you know," Steve grinned running a hand through his hair, his mind still partially on the kiss," I just know that you said one of the things you miss about California is going to the beach and the closest thing I can give you to that is my heated pool."
Julie Mayfield really liked Steve Harrington, and the feeling was more than mutual. Steve had been head over heels like a kid in a candy store.
"Let's go swimming first" she voiced as Steve obeyed, turning up the radio slightly and putting the car in drive. She knew that Sarah would cover her and she was fairly new so the staff wouldn't even notice she was missing.
Both teenagers smiled to themselves, the radio stopping it from being completely silent. Julie smirked to herself as "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor began to blast through the speakers. She turned to Steve questionably, not completely believing that this was on his mixtape even though they were in his car and he was nodding his head to the beat.
He felt Julie staring at him and kept glancing at her and the road in front of them before coming across a red stoplight.
"What?" he asked.
"You, Steve Harrington, are willingly listening to this song?" Julie retaliated happily, looking at him with an amused look on her face.
"What you don't like this song?"
"No, no," Julie interrupted him, "I'm in love with this song, I just didn't think you would be?"
"Are you kidding me?" Steve took his hands off the wheel since they were still stopped at a red light and turned the volume knob up further, "Just turn around now, cause you're not welcome anymore. Weren't you the one that tried to hurt me with goodbye" he sang louder and louder holding his hand up as a pretend microphone before reaching it over to Julie so she could continue the lines.
She happily obliged and leaned down a few inches from his hand, "Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die?"
The light turned green and Steve put his hands back on the wheel to continue driving but the duo remained happily singing especially excited with the breeze from outside giving them air so that they weren't hot in his car.
Both Julie and Steve sang in unison but off key, "Oh no, not I, I will survive. Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive. I've got all my life to live and I've got all my love to give and I'll survive, I will survive. Hey, hey!"
LOVELUMAX
THE END OF S2 OMG. im
trying my best for julie to develop
a distinct relationship with each original character instead of just randomly throwing her in and unfortunately she hasn't been able to interact with will yet because he's been possessed 🫢 also yes it's clear that julie has massive mommy issues lmao. next up, season 3!!!