_________
c h a p t e r s i x
Samantha, on the other hand, was talking to Steve towards the end of her break. She could tell her rejection had taken a hit to his ego, making her feel a little guilty.
"So what did Dawn say?"
"Uh, she said she has plans. Honestly, Sam- Henderson?" he looks around her, prompting her to give a look of confusion.
"Flores, actually," she jokes, before following his eye-line.
"Steve!" Dustin cheers, running up to the counter.
"Henderson! He's back!" he runs around the counter, engaging in some sort of special handshake with the boy.
Sam and Robin watch on in amusement, Sam smiling at the pair. "I'll leave you to it. It's nice to see you, Dustin."
"Yeah..." he dreamily responds. "Wait, actually, I need your help, too."
"I have to get back to work, but update me later!" she grins, walking back to the escalator.
"So you two still aren't..."
"No. I'm starting to think she's over me, man."
"Yeah, right."
"This stupid hat is hiding my best feature, I mean, God!"
"Yes, because Samantha Flores likes you solely for your hair. She's not that shallow."
"I know. It's easier with the shallow girls, trust me. Whenever I'm about to put the moves on her, she gives me this look, like she's looking into my soul. You know, reminding me of how much I don't deserve her. And no other girl compares to her, you know?"
"So why don't you tell her all of that?"
"Because King Steve would never get that sappy, it's embarrassing."
"I cannot believe you just called yourself King Steve in the third person."
"Yeah, I regretted it as soon as I said it," he shakes his head with a wince.
_____
Punching back in her timecard, Sam gets back to work, folding up some messed up t-shirt displays as Dawn comes in.
"Flores."
"Henderson," she nods, recentering the mannequins. "Why can't you come to the fair with Steve and I?"
"Because I have plans. Hawkins' favorite dealer is coming over," she grins.
"Right, Eddie... I'm gonna be honest, he still creeps me out a little. There's no way your mom would approve," she continues checking that every shirt has a price tag, placing the ones without into a bin.
"Well, he's not my boyfriend so he won't be meeting my mother."
"Yeah, I forgot you 'don't do relationships.' Still creepy."
"I know what he seems like, trust me. But he's actually a really sweet guy. You should come to one of his shows with me one day."
"Absolutely not. Why would I want to hear heavy metal?" she shivers at the thought. "My mom calls it 'la musica del Diablo.' For once I agree with her."
"I know you've got like Catholic roots or whatever but the music isn't that bad. They're not like... KISS or anything."
"We're not that religious, thank you. I just think it's an... acquired taste," she jokes.
"So if you don't think he's a devil worshipper, then what?"
"He failed to graduate twice. Twice, Dawn."
"And where exactly is Harrington going to college? Oh right, he couldn't get in anywhere."
"You can do a lot without a degree, okay? My mom built her salon with nothing but a dream. Diploma, not so much. And he's not even my boyfriend or whatever you two are."
"For now. Come on, don't tell me you can't see it. He's always over your house-"
"I was getting nightmares for a while and he just wanted to make sure I was okay."
"When was the last time you had a nightmare?"
"February."
"It's July, Sam!"
"Think of it like a fence. Right now, we're on the safe side. Sure, it can get a little hard shoving down how I feel, but I've still got him. The other side of the fence is like a vat of acid, okay? One big red danger zone."
"Fine, fine, whatever. Just try to avoid judging my love life until you get yours together," she crosses her arms, a laugh brewing at the surface. "I like him, Sam. I never like anybody."
"Alright, I'll go. Ooh, I can make us rock outfits!" she grows excited, envisioning the leather and fur jackets to come.
"Right. What time are you off?"
"3. Wanna go to the pool?" Sam asks. "I've been dying to wear my new bathing suit."
"Yeah, but you know who works there now, right?"
"Shit, I forgot," she shrugs. "Uh, we can go to my house? My dad bought me a bunch of paint."
"Alright, I'll meet you here at 3:15?"
"See you!" she waves, getting behind the register.
_____
Bianca, Max, and El get off the bus, grinning at the entrance of the mall.
"What do you think?" Max turns to El, and both girls recognize her hesitancy.
"Too many people. Against the rules."
"Seriously? You have superpowers. What's the worst that can happen?"
"Trust me, you'll love it. Malls are the best product of capitalism," Bianca nods, and the brunette's smile slowly grows.
"So what should we do first?"
El looks around in shock at the flashiness of the mall.
"You've never been shopping, have you? Guess we're just gonna have to try everything."
"Suddenly, I feel a lot better about Mike," Bianca chuckles.
"It's working already, come on!" Max leads them into the Gap.
They look around, Bianca picking up a few items, before turning to the girls. "I feel bad for never suggesting we do this before."
"You tend to get a little distracted when a certain dumbass is around," Max teases, while El looks up at a blue button-up.
"Do you like that?"
"How do I know... what I like?"
"You just try things on. Until you find something that feels like you."
"Like me?"
"Yeah. Not Hopper, not us, not the boys, you. Everyone has their own style," Bianca agrees, as Sam approaches.
"Hey, I thought you had a date?" Sam questions, smiling at the other girls.
"Mike's being a... jerk?"
"Yes, exactly," Max high-fives her.
"What they said," Bianca points to them with a frown.
"Well, do you need help with anything?"
"We could use a fitting room? And maybe a little style advice for El."
"Done. As for El, you've gotta stop dressing like Hopper. You look cute, because you're you, but they don't feel like El. I say try on a few pieces that make you feel good before anything else. I'll ring you guys up when you're ready."
"Thanks," El nods, clearly processing everything she was saying.
"As for you, B," Sam holds up a matching pink vest and skirt. "Brand new collection."
"Oh that's so cute!" she holds it to herself.
"It's perfect for you," Max agrees, trying on various sunglasses.
Eventually, El finds a few outfits she likes, even deciding to wear one of them out of the store.
"You guys are gonna look so cute in all this stuff. Also, don't tell Hopper I saw you," Sam winks, holding the bags out.
"Of course," Bianca smirks, and they run out, heading straight for the JC Penney photo booth.
They put on the craziest of costumes, Bianca choosing a 20s flapper style ensemble, and pose for the pictures.
"That's it, girls! Wardrobe change!"
Next, they try on some heels at the DSW next door, cracking up while El struggles to make it across before falling.
The girls around the store turn to them in disdain, and the trio simply laughs harder at being such a disturbance.
Once they walk out, they prepare to head to Scoops for a cone when they see the same group of girls at Orange Julius, chatting up a group of guys.
"Guys, look," Bianca points to them.
Peering around a column, Max and Bianca watch as El makes their drinks explode onto their faces.
"See? More to life than stupid boys!"
"Totally!" Bianca laughs, completely forgetting about the morning's events.
If only the boys were having as fun of a time.
Finally strolling up to the Scoops Ahoy counter, they're met with Steve once they walk in.
"Hey, Bumble. Max, Eleven."
"Hey, Steve."
"I told you to stop calling me that," Bianca groans.
"I don't take orders from small people. What can I get you guys?" he points to the freezer.
"Uh, vanilla with rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream."
"Strawberry."
"Mint chocolate chip with extra whip," Bianca finalizes their order. "And Sam said you'd give it to us on the house."
"Of course she did," he chuckles, scooping their cones.
"Here you go. Wait..." he looks up in realization as they continue eating their ice cream. "Are you even allowed to be here?"
"Later, Harrington," Bianca waves, as they exit.
_____
Realizing the bus would be coming any minute, they walk outside, not expecting to see the boys at the bike racks.
"What are you doing here?" Mike points to El. "You two know she can't be here."
"It's one day, Mike. Nothing even happened. We just wanted to take her shopping," Bianca argues, stepping forward as well.
"And the real question we should be asking is what are you doing here?" Max cuts in, crossing her arms.
"Yeah what happened to dying Nana Wheeler?" Bianca tilts her head.
"Nana's still sick. Like really sick, like super sick," he stutters, Lucas joining in to co-sign his lies.
"Yeah, she's really sick."
"That's why we're here actually. We're shopping, but not for us. For-For Nana. And for you?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, but, like, everything that you'd like was crazy expensive and I only have 3 bucks. And then I tried to ask Sam for ideas but she like... shunned me."
"Friends don't lie, Mike," El shakes her head, and he winces.
"I'm not lying!" he defensively responds, softening his voice as he turns back to Bianca. "I'm not."
"Okay, so why'd you really bail on the date today?" she raises an eyebrow. "Because last I checked, neither Lucas nor Will are your grandmother. No offense, guys."
"None taken."
He glances at Lucas, who vehemently shakes his head no. "Because Nana's sick."
"If you can't be honest with me, then maybe this relationship isn't working," she sighs, rolling her eyes.
His eyes widen and he gives a look of a mix of confusion and annoyance. "What?"
"You heard me. We're done," she walks away, the girls following her onto the bus.
"Did she just..."
"Yes, my friend, she did," Lucas sighs, patting his shoulder.