Lauren sat down in English a week after the night at the theater. The inteir week Lauren thought about that dream she couldn't get it out of her head. She hated it just as much as she liked it though she'd never admit it. Her brain may not have wanted anything to do with it but there was just a little something that changed. She felt Steve kick her chair.
"Hey space cadet." He said while she was turning around. "Damn took you long enough I was trying to get your attention."
"What Harrington?" Lauren said, holding on to the back of her chair.
"Was just wondering if you were going to the party." Lauren furrowed her eyebrows at him.
"Yeah right after we drop Eleven at the dance why?"
"I don't know I was just curious."
"Bullshit what?"
"Well the only other person I've spent any real time with since like the beginning of November has been Henderson and well you. I was just seeing if you'd be there."
"Yes Harrington I'll be there after we drop off Eleven."
"We?"
"My Dad's dropping us off." Steve looked at her for a moment before saying,
"Well I'm dropping Dustin off I could just pick you and Eleven up. Save you dad the trip."
"No you don't have too."
"It's really not a big deal we are going to the same place."
"Okay Harrington, if you insist we'll be ready at seven. Eleven doesn't want to be late."
"Noted I'll be there." Lauren turned back to listen to the teacher ramble with the last 5 minutes of class about something with his divorce. The bell rang Lauren opened her locker when Walt kicked the back of her knee.
"You know I fucking hate it when you do that."
"You are going to fall sooner than later. I'll keep doing it till then." Walt said, leaning on the lockers.
"If you make me fall in front of the whole school I will never talk to you again."
"Oh god it's really that easy I've only been trying for years." He joked.
"You are the funniest person I have ever met. It was so funny I forgot to laugh." Lauren exchanged her notebook for a textbook. "You aren't going to believe me when I tell you I'm going to do something with Harrington and It wasn't forced."
"Why?" Walt looked at her with a confused look on his face.
"Well I'm not really doing something with him, I'm just riding with him."
"Where?"
"The party that you're too lame to go to."
"I'm not lame I'd rather sleep with my girlfriend than go get drunk on some trash beer at Shawn Wildly's party."
"Oh yeah forgot you can't keep your dick out of her. Poor girls probably tried."
"Your just mad it's not you." Lauren closed her locker holding her books in her hands.
"Oh damn you caught me. I want you so fucking bad Walt." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"I fucking knew it." They both laughed before walt pulled away while they walked into Mr. Kenly's Earth and Space Science joke of a class. The two did nothing in the class but talk and would occasionally do a lab.
☆
"Eleven I couldn't find the exact dress." Lauren said running threw the door. Eleven came out of the room with a huge smile on her face. They both walked into the bedroom. "I found a dress very similar if there's no sequence around your waist but I figured when you were in the shower I could glue some jems I found in the craft section and put it on this belt. Oh yeah I also finally found the shampoo and conditioner that is good for your natural curls. It's normally sold out so I bought like 4 bottles of each." Lauren just kept talking until even El hugged her.
"Thank you." Lauren reached in the bag, grabbed the shampoo and conditioner out of the bag and handed it to her. "Go shower. I'll have the belt done." Eleven left the room Lauren slid open the closet door looking for her hot glue gun. Lauren plugged in the gun and laid the belt down putting gems on one by one which was made extremely fast when she just put the glue on the belt section by section and not on every individual gem. Just when she finished the belt the shower turned off. Eleven came into the room with a smile on her face. She was so excited Lauren could see the smile on her face all week.
"Okay El. So this was my old bra. I can get you some new ones soon. So you probably don't want to ask my dad about that kind of stuff. He really doesn't know anything about it. I had to get Mrs. Wheeler to take me for the first time." El grabbed it and the dress, throwing them on while Lauren was putting away the glue gun. She turned around and saw Eleven in her dress. A smile rose to her face. "You look so pretty."
"Thank you."
"Okay, let's get to your hair." Eleven sat down on the chair of Lauren's makeshift vanity. She started by blow drying then used a little styling cream until Eleven liked it. Eleven asked if she could do a little make up. Lauren put a little make up knowing she didn't need it. Lauren threw on a pair of jeans and a puffy maroon red shirt and some mascara before walking out of the bedroom. She sat down next to Eleven and Jim on the couch while they waited for Steve to get there.
There was a knock on the door. Lauren got up and opened it to see Dustin standing in the doorway. The other too got up. Jim kissed them on the forehead before they walked out the door.
"You're looking quite spiffy, Henderson." Lauren put her hand on the back of his neck. He swatted it away.
"Hey hand off Lo, this took forever." He said getting in the front seat. Lauren slid in the backseat with Eleven. The ride was pretty quiet aside from the quiet music. When they pulled up to the school Eleven hugged Lauren and hopped out of the car seconds after it stopped. Steve parked the car.
"So remember when you get there remember..."
"Pretend like I don't care."
"You don't care."
"There you go, you're learning my friend. You're learning." Dustin grabbed the rearview mirror to look at himself. "Hey. Come on. You look great, okay? You look... You look great. Okay? Now you go in there looking like a million bucks. And you're gonna slay 'em dead."
"Like a lion." Dustin purred Lauren couldn't help but let out a quiet giggle.
"Don't do that. Okay" Steve said reacting to the purr
"Good luck."
"Good luck Henderson." Lauren said when he was grabbing the door handle. He turned around to look at her.
"I forgot you were in here. Would you kiss me if you were in middle school?"
"I'm not even going to answer that Dustin."
"Great so a yes." He said running out the door.
"I did not say that." Lauren got out before the door was shut. Steve watched him walk out and he stared at the window for a moment staring at Nancy. Nancy had completely moved on from Steve with Johnathan yet they weren't tactically together yet it was only a matter of time before. Nancy ended things with Steve in a really abrupt way added to the fact that she had sex with Johnathan while they where still toget her but Lauren didn't know if her knew that but didn't see it as any of her business. Steve pulled out of the parking lot hitting scan on the radio. The radio played tiny bits of each channel before changing it. Last Christmas by Wham came on. Lauren reached over the back seat hitting the button to keep it from moving to the next station.
"Sorry but I have to hear this song."
"Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?"
Steve said it was fine.
"Well it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me."
Lauren sang alone with the song under her breath.
""Merry Christmas," I wrapped it up and sent it"
"Are you going to sing the entire time?"
"Didn't know you could hear me." She sank down in seat, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I don't really care I was just tring to fuck with you. How do you even know the word to it though it came out a month ago."
"I don't know I've heard it a shit ton and it's so damn catchy."
☆
"Nancy! Finally," Lauren said from across the room. Nancy looked over to the girl. She pushed off the built-in bench nearly falling over. When a random bystander helped her regain her balance. He reached a kiss on the cheek in response. It didn't surprise Nancy, Lauren was we weird when she was drunk. "How was the dance?" Lauren pulled her into the hug. Nancy could smell the Tequila on her breath.
"Good Mike and Eleven already made plans for tomorrow."
"I don't think, think our dad will like that." Lauren studded over her words.
"Oh well she can escape for a few hours. Maybe with her sister's help." Nancy adjusted her cross body bag.
"Let's get you a drink." Lauren wrapped her arm around Nancy's shoulders dragging her to the kitchen.
"Lauren I'm really not trying to drink tonight I have to drive home."
"Oh okay."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be that's a good reason to. We can just hangout for a little. I feel like we haven't hung out in forever. I mean not just you Walt to him and Samantha are always together not that its bad those to look good together, and your with Jonathan. Hell I've reverted to hanging out with Steve. But you know it's fine he's still an asshole but a more tolerable one. So maybe it's not so bad with the tequila. Hey, I can just drink enough for the both of us." Lauren said on one of her rants. Completely in her own world.
"Steve?" Nancy seemed more shocked than Lauren had been by how far they had come in their "relationship." "The same one I dated for a year. Not Steve Jobs or."
"Yeah Harrington." Nancy's mouth was open figuratively.
"And how did that happen?" She sat on the table facing Lauren.
"He asked me because he's lame and doesn't have any friends. Wait, don't be mad it didn't occur to me until now that he's like your ex." Lauren brought the bottle of tequila that she had found to her mouth, taking a few gulps before pulling it away and wiping her mouth. "Are you mad?"
"No, I'm not mad. I'm with Jonathan now anyways." Lauren put her arms on her shoulders.
"Oh good. Do you want to dance? This song Is so good. Remember listening to it on repeat in the seventh grade." Nancy grabbed the bottle from her hand, setting it on the counter.
"Lauren, maybe you've had a little tiny bit to much to drink."
"Maybe, but it's a party so why not drink way too much." Lauren grabbed the bottle and walked out of the room.
"Lo?" Nancy yelled to her but had no luck. She walked into the living room where she saw Steve on the couch watching a football game that was on the TV with a bunch of other guys. Nancy walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He leaned his head back so that she was upside-down which he wouldn't do if he wasn't so drunk. When he saw who it was he turned around on the couch to talk to her.
"Nance. Hey."
"Hey Lauren's pretty druck make sure she gets home safe she said she came with you so."
"Oh yeah I will." He nodded at her.
"Okay well I'm just going then. Thank you." Nancy pulled her purse higher on her shoulder before walking out the door to the party she only came to for Lauren. Steve went back to watching the game.
Lauren grabbed a shot glass taking it to the living room she was walking like she was on a tightrope to try and keep her balance. When she made it to the couch she wrapped her arms around Steve. "Come on, you got to catch up." She poured him a shot right in front of him, spilling the tiniest bit not enough to care. He grabbed it from her pounding it back, handing it to her to pour another one. Lauren walked around the couch sitting next to him. "Who's winning?"
"Dolphins." Shawn grabbed the two shoulders with his head in between them.
"You two getting along? Think you could get along for a game of beer pong?" He looked back and forth.
"Yes." He got up dragging her behind him to the table. They were playing with some guys that had been playing all night. "Do you know how to play."
"I'm not an idiot Harrington. I got it." They got to the end of the table grabbing one of the ping pong balls.
"Ladies first." One of the guys at the other end said. Lauren turned to Steve.
"You hear 'em Stevie? You first." He rolled his eyes and just threw the ball bouncing off the back cup. Lauren threw it, making it in a middle cup completely surprising herself. Cheers came from people watching.
"Is this one of those things that you are like crazy good at for no reason?" He said looking down at her.
"I don't know, well see." She lied to him, if anything that was beginner's luck. The guys split the beer before throwing their balls each making it in the corner cup in the exact cups they were trying for. Steve picked up the cups, handing one to her. "I don't think you know what you got us into. They know how to play."
"Yeah I think you're right."
"Come on, drink up." One of the viewers said. The two linked arms drinking the beers as people had done all night before them. Steve threw it, making one in followed by Lauren making another in.
"Oh we are too good." Lauren gave him a high five watching their opponents chug their beers. They throw it in the last cups in the back row. They grabbed the cup chugging them back like they had just done. The game went back and forth except Steve and Lauren stopped making them in after the third round in the five round game. The other team did not miss a single cup.
"Good game. Anyone else what to play they're a little too drunk."
"No we're not." Lauren started laughing in Steve's chest.
"Yes we are." He started laughing too.