Lauren walked to the cafeteria when Steve walked up beside her. "Harrington," she greeted him.
"Hop."
"What do you want?"
"Can I not talk? Just talk to you," he said in a sarcastic tone.
"No, you can, but I just assumed you want something."
"No, but if you're asking, my parents are out of town all weekend," he said a hundred percent, intending to tell her even though she was saying 'no'.
"Oh, I guess I'm busy this weekend." She faintly smiled at him.
"Ohh, okay," he said, defended. Lauren rolled her eyes at him.
"With you dumbass."
"Oh okay, good," a smile stretched across his face. "Wait, like all weekend?"
"Do you want me to stay all weekend?"
"I mean yeah that would be great, that would be great. " He nodded a few times like an awkward little boy.
"Okay dork I'll see you tonight." She walked into the cafeteria.
☆
"Where are you going?" Lauren said, somehow laying in Steve's boxers and a bra wrapped in his sheets.
"Get some food, I'm hungry." He walked out of the room in just his boxers. She sat on the bed thinking she could eat. She grabbed Steve's shirt that was on the lamp shade buttoning the rest as she ran down the stairs.
She slipped down the last few steps, hitting the ground with a bang. Steve came running into the room. "Are you okay?" Lauren let out a pained grunt.
"Whoever designed your stair needs to be fired. Why are they so steep?" She said, laying on her back.
"They're not steep. You're just a dumbass." He reached his arm down to her. "A dumbass who I thought just died."
"I'm telling you those are steep for someone that doesn't have stairs, and Nancy's or Walt's aren't that steep." She grabbed Steve's hand as he pulled her up.
"They're not steep, Hop. As I said, you're just a dumbass." Steve walked to the kitchen sitting down on the counter next to a box of fruit loops. Lauren grabbed the box and stood in between his legs, leaning back on him. He leaned over her, reaching into the box and pulling out a handful of cereal.
"Hey, move." He pushed Lauren forward, grabbing the box of cereal.
"Why?"
"I don't like you. That's why." He threw a price of cereal at her.
"That's not very nice, Harrington." He threw another one at her. "Do it again." He threw yet another piece, but this time she caught it in her mouth.
"I guarantee you could not do that again."
"Is that a challenge?"
"Sure."
"Okay, then Harrington, throw me some more." The first three he threw there was no possible way to catch. "Ones I can get to please." He rolled his eyes, throwing them up in the air, but she couldn't catch it. She knew she wasn't going to be able to, but she wanted to try anyway.
"You know if you bet someone you're supposed to be sure you can win."
"One more try."
"No, you're getting fruit loops all over the floor."
"I have to get one, throw me one more, please." She looked over at him with the eyes of a begging child.
"No. You can eat them by the handful like a regular person. I'm done throwing them." He rolled the bag up and put it back in the box.
"You are so annoying. Couldn't you have let me catch one?"
"I gave you about twenty chances. You're going to be here all weekend, and you will have more chances." Lauren stood in between his legs again, looking up at him. "Want to watch a movie?"
"Yeah, sure." They went into the living room, Steve opened the cabinet full of VSHs before he went to sit on the couch. "You're not going to help me pick?"
"No, yeah, I am, just from here." Lauren looked into the cabinet and pulled out the Sixteen Candles tape and tossed it to him. He shook his head.
"No. I already see Walt enough. I don't need to see his look alike." Lauren looked at him confused.
"What?" Steve tossed her the tape. She looked down at it, still confused. "What?"
"The nerd he looks like Walt?"
"No, it doesn't. You're on something. They look nothing alike."
"Hop you're on something they are like twins." She shook her head, looking back at the movies. She listed Midnight Madness, Footloose, Carrie, and Grease just for him to say no. "I thought you wanted to watch a movie, but you saying no to all of them."
"Because I've already seen them and didn't like them."
"You didn't like footloose?"
"No, I thought the pastor's daughter was a bitch."
"That is a far point. " She turned back, looking at the movies. "Oh, The Outsiders."
"Why? Want to watch you, Matt Dillon."
"Yes and my Rob Lowe, Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, my little Mr. Swayze."
"Do you want to fuck everyone in that movie?"
"You bet your ass if I was in that friend group I'd be passed around like a mother fucking joint and I would not give two fucking shits."
"I thought you were not a slut," Lauren rolled her eyes at him.
"Oh my god, you're so annoying I'm not a slut you are literally the only person I've ever had sex with."
"I know, I was just trying to piss you off, but pick a different movie. I don't like that one." Lauren threw her head back with a grunt.
"Why?" She whined.
"It's sad." Lauren rolled her eyes again going back to the movies for the millionth time. "What to watch a horror movie?"
"Whore? What like porn? You want to watch porn?"
"What hell no."
"Horror like Micheal Myers stabby stab."
"Horror?" Steve asked.
"Yeah. Horror."
"Hop, you are saying whore." Lauren nodded.
"Yeah, horror."
"Hop it's horror it's two syllables. Like whore-or. Not whore."
"Whatever."
She looked around and saw Alice in Wonderland immediately pulling it out, not caring whether he said yes or no. "What is it?"
"Alice in Wonderland. I haven't seen it since me and Sara were really little. So if you don't want to watch it you can respectfully fuck off." She turned on the TV and the VCR posing in the movie before sitting down next to Steve. He grabbed a blanket setting over top of the two. Lauren leaned her head on his shoulder and he leaned on her head.
The movie played from the beginning while Steve and Lauren watched. They saw Alice fall down a rabbit hole, her take to an all-knowing caterpillar, get called ugly by some bitchy flowers, and get cheated out of a win in crochet. "I want to be like Alice going into a wonderland or just out of regular life."
"I can take you somewhere else." He said unbuttoning the top button on the shirt.
"No, I'm being serious like what's stopping us from just getting in the car and driving to the mountains? Just because we can." She said with a smile.
"Nothing, my parents are in Arizona, your dad thinks you're with Nancy. What's stopping us?"
"Oh, nothing more than that we don't have any money, or an actual plan. I wasn't being for real there is no way we can actually do that." Steve slid down off the couch pulling Lauren with him. "Round four or did I start something by accident?"
"Both." He said, dragging her up the stairs and into his room. He grabbed a bag from his closet, throwing in two shirts and a pair of sweatpants. "Under my bed, there's a sock, grabbed it." Lauren gave him a dirty look.
"I'm not grabbing any socks from under your bed."
"It's not that type of sock, just grab it." He said hopping into a pair of sweatpants. Lauren got on the ground reaching for the sock.
"Are we actually going somewhere?" She said tossing him the sock that obviously had something in it.
"Yep." Lauren rolled her eyes that they were doing it. "Get some pants on."
"You're telling me to put pants on? I thought you said round four." She threw her hands up.
"Yeah later." Lauren rolled her eyes looking for her pants and not being able to find them. "Can't find them, guess we can't go." He reached into the closet for a pair of sweatpants and threw them at her. She pulled them on, having to roll them twice for them to relatively stay up. Steve pulled some money out of the sock before setting it down on the dresser. They both threw on their shoes and coats. Steve grabbed a few blankets while Lauren got her backpack and keys and books to read on the way. They threw the stuff in the back of the truck because it was bigger.
"What are you doing?" Lauren said to Steve getting into the driver's seat.
"Driving."
"No. I am." She said, trying to push him over to the passenger side.
"Umm no." He said pushing his body back at her.
"It's my truck." She pushed back but didn't move as she just pushed back.
"It's our lives." She rolled her eyes and just climbed over him.
"I'm not that bad." She said once she had gotten in the passenger seat.
"I'd say you are about as good a driver as you are at saying no to literally anyone you relatively like." She hit him on the arm.
"I can't help it, I'm a pushover, I know." He looked over at her smiling while she defined herself.
"Relax, It's okay, I can say no, and I say no to you driving." Lauren kicked off her shoes and grabbed one of the blankets using it to cover herself.
"I'm picking the music then."
"You should play that one cassette that we listened to at the laundromat." Lauren looked through her bag but didn't have it.
"I don't have that one, El must have it." Lauren opened her glove box full of albums, cassettes and mixtapes. Lauren pulled out the A Day at the Races tape, throwing it in the radio. The first song to play in full was Somebody to Love.
☆
Steve pulled into the parking lot of the gas station running on about three miles till empty which was really ten. He pulled up to the pump pulling the keys out of the ignition and hopped out of the car. "Make sure you get diesel, not gas." She walked into the gas station not caring that she looked homeless in Steve's sweatpants that were relying on the jaw string a little too heavily and the large blue button-up. She ran straight to the bathroom and made sure to wash her hands thoroughly after touching the sketchy door.
Lauren grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of Lay's making her way to the counter. She set it on the counter and grabbed Steve's wallet from her pocket. When she was digging for a few dollars Steve threw a Coke and box of dots with her stuff. He stood behind her putting his chin on her head. He reached down under the counter and grabbed a pack of condoms throwing them on the counter.
"Oh, and a pack of Marlboro reds, please."
"He does need those."
"Umm, yes, I do."
"No, he doesn't. He's not even eighteen yet."
"Well, the age here is fifteen," the woman said as a rebuttal.
"Damn, get me a whole carton then." Lauren rolled her eyes.
"Is this everything?" The woman behind the counter asked as she picked up the bottle of water. Lauren nodded, surfing back and through the wallet grabbing a twenty dollar bill. "So how long have you two been together?" She said while scanning the rest of their stuff.
"Oh, we're not," Steve said, causing the woman to look at them with a questionable look.
"Hum?"
"Together. We are not together." Lauren added, shaking her head. The woman picked up the box of condoms.
"Well, what about these?" She put them in the bag with the rest of the stuff they got.
"Those are so we don't become parents at sixteen and seventeen years old." Lauren smiled at her handing her the money and grabbed the bag. "Keep the change," Lauren said, walking out the door ahead of Steve.
"I'm sorry but that was kinda hot."
"What."
"You're being a bitch to someone other than me." He said getting in the driver's side door.
"Well, she doesn't need to know." Lauren opened up the map and a pen drawing where they would have to go. "And you are not smoking your nasty ass cigarettes in my truck."
"Relax Hop, that carton will probably last me a while. I haven't been smoking that much anymore."
"Yeah, you better not. I will send you home again if you taste like a cigarette. I fucking disgusting."
"Have you ever had one? Where am I going?"
"You take a right here, and no I haven't had one and I don't plan on it. I've drank plenty of cigarette butts before. I don't need to smoke it." He looked at her with a disgusted look on his face.
"Drank?"
"Yeah, you've never actually drank cigarettes before?"
"No, I don't think that's a universal experience." He shook his head.
"No, It was always when I was at my grandparents when Sara was having a bunch of treatments at one time. They would put their ashes in pop cans and I would drink them thinking it was my pop." She shrugged her shoulders, opening her bag of chips.
"Tell me you are not one of those people that say pop and not soda." Lauren gave him a dirty look.
"Shut up, you call your grandma Meemaw."
"Leave Meemaw out of this, and start the book that we brought."
"Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, or Frankenstein?" She dug through her backpack.
"Why did you bring Alice?"
"I don't know, we just watched. I thought why not?"
"Okay whatever, read that one."
"Get on the interstate here it should be this one until exit one forty-eight." She grabbed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and began reading to fill the four hours to the smokies. Sitting her back against the door stretching her legs across the truck's bench set, "Chapter one- Down The Rabbit-Hole. Alice was beginning to go very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank,"
☆
They pulled into the Greenbrier Campground when the sun wasn't set to rise for a good hour. This was the highest point they could get to in Gatlinburg. In those four hours that turned into six, they had read the entirety of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Took a two and a half hour nap outside a Pilot & McDonald's truck stop. Listened to three whole cassettes and read four chapters of Frankenstein. Steve pulled the truck over at the scout's shelter.
"Good evening, or should I say morning, what can I help you with?"
"Do you have any campsites open?"
"Yes we do, we only have about seven other sites booked in fact. Any preference?" Steve looked over at Lauren.
"Highest up."
"Okay. How long are you planning to stay?"
"Just tonight." The man suffered through some papers and handed Steve a parking pass.
"That's ten dollars for the night and you're on-site two sixty-two." Lauren handed him ten bucks that he exchanged for a parking pass. He also received a map with their site highlighted. They drove up the mountain pulling into their campsite. It was the very last on the side road. There was a bridge to a hiking trail that was closed until April.
He put the car in park pulling the three blankets from the back, up to the front. "Are you going to sleep?"
"Yeah, I've been driving all night. It's like three o'clock," He leaned his back against the door so they were facing each other.
"I thought you wanted to hear about "the true Frankenstein" being resurrected." She picked up the book from the ground. "Well, not resurrected more like erected." Lauren's smile dropped realizing that he was going to make it like that.
"I think I could stay awake for other things to erect." Lauren rolled her eyes, she scooted closer to him. Unbuttoning her shirt one button at a time. Making them slower and slower. "Are you going to take the shirt off and keep teasing me?" He grabbed the shirt once she had all the buttons undone and threw it in the back. She scooted in between his legs laying a kiss on his lips then his chin and neck and chest before she flipped over and picked up the book.
"It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, so that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning;" She read, Steve just accepted it. "more horrid contrast with his watery eyes,"
"Wait, does he not like it?"
"I mean not really, he thinks It responsive." She looked up at him.
"Well, if I was the people in this town I'd tell him to stop stealing body parts and just go have sex with your step-sister, fiance, wife whoever she is. Just stop making a horrifying monster thing."
"She is his fiance and his adopted sister."
"Yeah her, just find her and start doing her not an undead thing." Lauren went back to ready for around fifteen minutes making it to the part where the creation is "erected."
"Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived." As he listened, another part of the movie was ruined for him.
"Wait so he didn't say it's alive. First, you tell me the creature isn't named Frankenstein then this." He looked down at the girl laying on him flipping the page of the book.
"I'm not going to keep reading. If you continue to complain about it not being like the movie." She leaned her head up looking at him.
"Well that's fine I didn't want you to read anyway so, we can find something else to do." He pushed the book to the floor. He put his finger on her chin making her flip over. She sat with him between her legs wrapping her hands around his head. He kissed her, running his hand down her back, unhooking her bra.
"Do you hate my bra or something?"
"No, just like what is under it more." She laughed pulling him in for another kiss his hand ran down her body slipping under his boxers that weren't even close to fitting her. His finger moves to her clit. She took a deep breath in, closing her eyes, laying kisses down his cheek. She tilted her head allowing him to kiss her while he continued rubbing her clit. Lauren's hands moved down untying Steve's sweatpants. With his free hand, he reached into the backseat grabbing the box of condoms from the gas station.
Once he got one he ripped it open with his teeth and put it on. Lauren, still sitting on top of him, let him fill her. "None of our family can catch us out here. We can be as loud as we want."
"Let's not talk about them right now." Lauren moved her body up and back down while she ran her fingers through his hair grabbing at it as she thrust herself down harder.
"Oh god." She left one hand in his hair moving the other to the back of the chair. They slowly turn over so they are laying on the car's bench. Steve pushes his body into her and grabs onto the steering wheel as he moves back and forth.
"Harder Steve." He does just that while grabbing her thigh, pushing it up. As he moved Lauren's hand slipped to the horn pushing it not on purpose. He reached down and grabbed it holding it on the top of the steering wheel. He moved even harder causing both of them to throw their heads back.
"Holy fuck." He said doing it again. Lauren's heart started beating faster. Her free hand moving to his hair again grabbing it she pulled him closer. She felt his breath against her as he thrust back and forth. She rolled him back up so he was sitting up and she was sitting on his lap. He grabbed her hips pulling her down. She kissed his neck while he moved her.
"Goddamn it." She yelled pulling away from him. She was close but closer than him and he could tell. With every movement they couldn't help but moan. She bit her lip as he pulled her hips down harder. "God." She leaned over kissing him on the neck then his chin to his cheek somehow ending up with his bottom lip in between her teeth. They were both breathing as if they had just run a mini-marathon. The windows had completely fogged over leaving them in a heat bubble. Steve wrapped his arms around her bear and sweaty back as she came down one more time. Pushing them both over the edge.
"Fuck." They both said at the same time. Still wrapped in each other's arms Lauren pulled away moving off of him. She pulled up the sweatpants that had still been caught on one of her legs. She grabbed one of the three blankets off the ground and pulled it to her chest.
"Fuck me." She said under her breath.
"I just did." They both chuckled at that.
"No, like that was fucking... I fucking loved that."
"Me too." Lauren grabbed the steering wheel to help herself sit up. "And I love you." Lauren's hand slipped right on the horn when he said that. He said it hoping she didn't hear it, not meaning to say it, it just slipped out.
"Shit. We need to trade sides. That's the second time I've done that." He let out a breath realizing she didn't hear it. "Wait, look, it's snowing."
"Well where in the mountains in early March."
"You don't have to be a smart-ass." He slid on his clothes before opening the car door. "Where are you going?"
"I'm walking down to the bathroom. I'm not about to freeze my ball off out here because I couldn't walk five hundred feet."
"Well let me get a shirt on and I'll come with you." Lauren grabbed the button-up that had been thrown in the back during her little strip tease.
"Or you don't."
"Are boobs your favorite thing or something?" She said buttoning up the shirt.
"Actually they're like fourth." She slipped on her shoes and took the keys out of the ignition. Steve extended his hand helping her out of the car.
"Oh really what's above them?"
"First is chicken obviously." He waved his hand in the air to show it was the top of the list.
"Well of course, obviously." She said making fun of him.
"Anyway's bitch, second is your boobs."
"I thought you said they were fourth?" She looked at him walking down the hill.
"If you would let me finish the rest of your body is third and then other boobs are forth."
"Damn I must be pretty hot because you're like seventy fourth place on any of my lists." He smiled at her before flipping her off. "I'm just kidding. I won't tell you where any of your body parts are on my list." She said looking down at his crotch. They made it to the bathroom with the sketchy lights, but to Lauren it was better than peeing in the woods and getting covered in poison Ivy and better than not going pee at all and getting an infection.
"Meet me right here?" She nodded walking into the girls restroom that wasn't as sketchy on the inside. It was honestly cleaner than the gas station. She went really fast considering she was starting to get really cold. She washed her hands and walked to the campsite map that Steve said to meet at. She was looking at the up and coming events of the summer while Steve was still in the bathroom. She didn't know it but Steve grabbed her by the waist picking her up. She kicked him and even scratched the hell out of his arm before he put her down. She turned around and saw that it was Steve. She hit his chest then did it again.
"Holy shit. You gave me a heart attack."
"Yeah and you gave me tetanus." He said sticking his arm out.
"That's rusty metal cutting you dumbass."
"I'm sorry I wasn't trying to scare you."
"You're fine. You just got my heart beating crazy fast and not in a good way. I'm just a little jumpy after we almost got killed by some creatures two years in a row. It also doesn't help that we are like the only people at Camp fucking Crystal Lake."
"I'm sorry."
"No you're fine. I'm sorry for going all wolverine on your arm."
"You're fine."
☆
The afternoon sun reflected off the side-view mirror hitting Lauren right in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes while sitting up seeing Steve dead asleep with his arms crossed in the back. She leaned over and grabbed his wrist looking at his watch. Lauren read two nineteen before setting his arm back on his chest, sliding her shoes and coat on, and walking to the bathroom.
When Lauren got back she grabbed her backpack and a blanket. She walked over to the hiking trails bridge, the railing had about three inches of snow sitting on top of it. She wiped it off and climbed it, swinging her legs over the edge. Sitting there she thought about how much she loved the cold. She hated being cold but she loved the cold. The snow, ice skating with Nancy Barb or Walt, drinking a warm cup of hot chocolate, sweaters. The more she thought about it thought it was more winter that she liked, not the cold.
Nonetheless, she sat in it overlooking the snow-covered creek wrapped in a blanket rummaging through her bag for the Altoids tin can. The tin held some poorly rolled joints and a lighter that she grabbed, lighting one up and taking a hit. She looked at the additional snow falling onto the blanket where you could see every individual snowflake if you actually looked.
Steve woke up to an empty car covered with multiple blankets piled on top of him. The light reflected off the snow into the car. He sat up seeing an empty front seat. Throughout the night that car had cooled down tremendously, confiding they turned off the car not trying to waste all the gas they had left. He got out of the car stretching his legs. He saw Lauren laying on the railing he walked up to her with his arms crossed on his chest.
"Hop what are you doing?" She sat up looking at him with big eyes.
"Steve." She said laughing, holding the joint her teeth using her hands to grab a disposable camera from her backpack.
"What?"
"Your hair." She pointed the camera at him and the hair the size of a skyscraper.
"It looks great, I know. Glad you finally took the time to appreciate it." She took a photo of him while he was talking, not caring about the rest of his face, just his hair.
"No, it's the size of the World Trade Center." She brought her other leg back over the rail. Her hands moved to his hair trying to fix it. He reached up grabbing the blunt from her mouth.
He put it in between his lip, exhaling as he stepped over the rail sitting across from Lauren only making her bring her leg over yet again. Steve took the blunt out of his mouth, pulling her legs closer. He leaned over, kissing her. Lauren inhaled the smoke from his mouth and blew it out of her nose. She put her hand on his cheek, pulling him into another kiss. "I love kissing you."
"Me too." He leaned in for another kiss. His hand moved to her back. Even though it had been five months her scars were still tinder so she always pushed herself into him when he did this. Lauren pulled away looking into his eyes as she grabbed the blunt out of his hand.
"Your eyes look like honey in the sun."
"They do?"
"Yeah, there like really pretty.'' She paused really looking into them. "I've never noticed this they're literally gorgeous."
"Your one to talk about gorgeous eyes. You don't need to sun to see how pretty they are."
"Thank you. I used to hate them, but I guess they're alright."
"Why did you hate them?"
"I wanted them to be blue."
"Why?"
"Oh, it's some dumbass morbid reason," Lauren took another hit handing it back to Steve.
"Tell me? Why not we got all the time in the world."
"It's stupid and honestly depressing." She shook her head as she began to trace on the palm of his hand.
"Hop? Please, I don't care. I like hearing you talk. Why else do you think I let you read me a book and a half."
"I wanted to look more like my mom and sister. I know now, but I thought that was why my mom only spent time with Sara because she looked like her. It's stupid I know." She swung her feet over the edge in her thoughts.
"Who do you look like? You don't look much like your dad."
"I look just like my grandma on my dad's side."
"So want I'm hearing was your grandma was hot?" He glanced over at her a faint smile stretched across her face at his stupidity. "That wasn't very morbid I was expecting like holocaust morbid."
"Nothing about my life is hologram morbid."
"Okay maybe not that extreme but I was expecting something a little juicier."
"Well, that wasn't necessary all of it." She shrugged blowing smoke from her lips.
"So tell me more. I'm all for dark stories." Lauren sighed and shook her head.
"Really, I was just dumb eight grade me," he looked at her with a pouty look on his face. "Fine. I didn't think my mom could simply just hate more for existing." Steve looked at her confused.
"She hated you?"
"So basically when my sister died she, she umm went on a whole rant about how it should have been me and she never wanted kids, Yada, Yada, you know regular mom shit." She laughed at herself, making Steve feel like he could.
"Yeah regular mom shit," he said in a sarcastic tone.
Lauren went back to the point and said, "And well besides that, me as the young kid trying to think of a reason that their mom doesn't love them. I thought maybe she didn't like me because I look just like my grandma and she hated her. Probably because my grandma hated her from the beginning. Simply because she knew she was a cunt which is beside point."
Steve gave a look that said not really with a shrug. "I don't know she kind of does seem like a cunt." Lauren was looking down at her feet but she glanced up at him with a smile. When he saw her smile he couldn't help but smile back. "Continue,"
"Okay well, it wasn't just after Sara died that I thought this because as long as I can remember, it was always my dad and me and my mom with Sara." He nodded showing his understanding. "My dad would do stuff with Sara because he's a good dad and actually loved both his daughters-"
"Unlike your mother."
"Previously, but like for example, my mom would only ever do things with Sara. I think it was my fifth birthday. My mom she said happy birthday to me, you know, like you do. That day, she took Sara bowling, like a three-year-old can even bowl, but she said that I didn't clean my room, so I couldn't go. Sorry that stuff wasn't needed. I just had that moment pent up for a while."
"No you're fine, you just giving me more info about a cunty your mom is." Lauren smiled at him again. She liked that he was listening. It felt a little weird since the information was intimate but she was already so vulnerable with him anyways. "Keep talking," she smiled again.
"Do you remember your freshman year? Probably not, but I had blonde hair for like a month." He immediately nodded.
"Yeah, I remember. Tommy said something about it." Lauren tilted her head, knowing it wasn't anything good.
"What did he say?"
"It's a little morbid."
"Tell me, we're already talking about my morbid shit."
"Well, it's still kind of your morbid shit too. Not holocaust morbid but still." Lauren raised her eyebrows wanting him to just tell her. " At that point, you were seeing that the therapist and everyone knew and started making assumptions..." Lauren nodded as she remembered it very vividly. The only people that really knew were her close friends and whoever her dad told. She didn't really care then about what people said because then nobody truly knew, and all that they said was just rumors.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. What did he say,"
"He said at that point he wouldn't be surprised if somebody found you in a bathtub with your wrist slit open." Steve scratched the back of his neck hopping him saying this didn't upset her. Lauren glanced down at the scar on her wrist and pulled her sleeve over it.
"Fuck, he wasn't wrong which pisses me off." Steve looked at her with sympathy.
"He was wrong. You went in the bathtub were you?" Steve said immediately regreting it. I wasn't intentional to sound like such an ignorant dumbass but he felt like he did.
"Nope, just the bathroom." She scoffed.
"Hop?" Steve eyes locked with hers. "Can I see it?" Again he had no idea what came over him. He just wanted to know every detail of her life and that meant the shit parts of life too. "You don't have to." Lauren held out her arm. Steve pushed the long sleeve up and he few bracelets out of the way. Looking at the long red scar.
"It doesn't hurt you can touch it." Steve's finger ran over it softly looking up at herself.
"Did it hurt?"
"Um, I don't remember any physical pain, no." He pulled her sleeve back down holding on to her hand.
"I'm glad you're here." Lauren smiled, kissing his cheek.
"I am too." They sat there fingers and eyes interlocked with each other.
"Okay. Umm, do you want to finish your long story about why you wanted blue eyes." Lauren sighed, realizing her simply talking about how gorgeous Steve's eyes were turned into the longest conversation she's had about her depression since she stopped going to therapy.
"Oh well, I kind of did. All I was going to say was that at that time I really needed a mom and my grandma had just passed, and she was really the last woman in my life so I thought for a minute that somehow that would get her to come back and actually be a mother to me at least."
"So I'm a little curious there were so many rumors as to why you went to therapy is that why?" Lauren shrugged as it was only part of the reason.
"Kinda, I think it was just the lifetime of shit piled onto each other. Sara's death, me moving away from the little bit of a mom I had, the fact that for a year, I would refuse to cry. Then my Dad started working all the time because of his promotion, my Grandma died and my grandma was my mom. So it felt like I lost my mom twice. Finally, my mom called me and told me it was early but she was pregnant again."
"Why? It thought she didn't want kids," this is when Lauren knew he was listening really listening to what she was saying.
"Right like that would make me happy, like, oh, you didn't want to be a mom to me, but a new one, yeah, that's nice. That definitely was the straw that broke the camel's back. I just started to feel like maybe I was the cause of all the shit in my life going wrong. Hell, I was really good at hiding it for a while till I just couldn't leave my bed and i stopped eating. I don't really know how my friends liked me then, and I think they feel like I'd break if talk about it." Steve hard rubbed her knee to comfort her even though she didn't want it. "I am so sorry you literally called my eye pretty and I just made this whole fucking talk so goddamn morbid."
"No, I wanted to hear. I want to know everything about you." He said rubbing his hand on the outside of her thigh for reassurance.
"I did, but I feel bad we're not even in a relationship and I just dumped that all on you."
Steve sighed, "Right." He pushed some hair out of her face.
"Hey, you want to go do something we're in Gatlinburg. We passed all those tourist things on our way here. Also, how much money did you bring? No way can I sleep in the truck again." Lauren tried to change the subject from such a dark topic.
"We have enough for gas on the way home and a hotel." Steve gave her a kiss before stepping off the railing. He raised her hand out, helping her off. Lauren grabbed her backpack before walking off to the truck.
☆
Steve pulled into the parking of the sketchy ass hell hotel. They decided to grab a quick shower before they went out in public, or else they smelled sweaty, dirty teenagers. He parked the car right by the door.
"What are you doing?" He said as Lauren got in the car.
"I don't want to sit in the car alone. It's creepy as hell." He rolled his eyes, walking back to the cat. "What?"
"I left the key in the ignition because I thought you dumbass was staying in there." Steve opened the door to the truck and pulled out the keys.
"I'm not a dumbass I just prefer not getting murdered in a different state. When my Dad has no clue, I'm here."
"Okay, far point." Lauren grabbed the door, holding it open for him
"Ladies first," Lauren said, slapping his ass as he walked in the door. "and I know it was a fair point. I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't."
"Afternoon." The man behind the counter said. The two of them looked at him with smiles on their face. "In or out?"
"Checking in."
"How long are you planning on staying?" Steve started writing on the record book, so Lauren replied with just one night. "You got yourself a pretty lady, man." Steve glanced up at him but finished filling out his information.
"She's single, actually."
"Really?"
"Yep, very single," Steve replied.
"Could I call you sometime?" Lauren raised her eyebrows at the nearby sixty-year-old man.
"It would probably be easier if I called you. The kids hate it when men that at their dad call, right Stevie?" She said grabbing Steve's waist pulling him closer.
"You two have kids?"
"Yep, how many Stevie, it's so hard to keep track of?"
"I don't know, too many," he shrugged as he continued writing in the book.
"Yeah, too many. Do you still want that phone number?"
"No. Wouldn't want to upset those kids."
"Oh, okay, I was so excited. After a while, he just doesn't do it anymore, you know?" The man slid over a key with a tag saying the room number.
"Did it enough to get you pregnant with a bunch of kids." Lauren looked up at him with a fake sad look.
"Oh Stevie, It's alright, happens to the best of them." He rolled his eyes at her. "Thank you, sir. It was very nice to meet you." She said as they walked out the door.
"You as well." Lauren smiled up at Steve as he went to grab the bags from the car.
"What was that?"
"You trying to turn the eighty-year-old on to me."
"You'll never see him again."
"I was just joking Harrington." She said, walking to the room.
"I know, unless you are pregnant and not telling me." His eyes widened for a second. "You're not pregnant, right?"
"No, Steve, I am not pregnant." He let out a breath.
"Okay, good. I worried myself."
"Don't. We're good." Steve stuck the key in the door, opening it up the cold dark room. Steve flipped on the lights that flickered before they turned on Steve threw the bags on the couch before he jumped on the bed. Lauren walked over to the bathroom, pulling her hair out of the messy bun just to put it right back up again so she didn't have to wash it with the motel shampoo, which was worse than Walt's 3-in-1.
They hadn't even been in the room for five minutes before Steve turned on the TV. Lauren pecked her head in the other room. "What are you watching?" He was laying on his stomach pillow between his arm, shoes off already making himself at home.
"The Jetsons," he pointed at the tv like it was the most obvious thing in the whole world.
"Aren't you going to shower?"
"I thought you were going to shower first."
"Or we could shower at the same time?" He gave her a weird look.
"There's only one shower, hop?" Lauren's shoulders dropped, and she rolled her eyes. "What?"
"Never mind, just watch your cartoons. I'll be quick." Lauren turned back to the bathroom, turning on the shower. She took off Steve's clothes before she slid into the shower of scorching hot water something she didn't get at the cabin. She ran the bar of soap over her body, washing off the sweat from the night before.
This weekend, they had done so much, and it was only Saturday afternoon. Lauren had told her dad she was staying with Walt all night working on a project and told Walt she was visiting her aunt so he wouldn't try to call her house.
Lauren turned off the shower wrapping a towel around her body. She walked out into the cold room where Steve was laughing at one of the jokes in the cartoon. "Your turn Harrington." He stood up putting his finger on her chin pulling her face up for a kiss. He kissed her a few times, "Get in the shower Harrington." She pushed him the bathroom.
She dug through her bag but she only brought clothes to sleep in that were covered in holes or the clothes she brought to wear home. Apparently the clothes she wore to Steve's on the night prior were still on his bedroom floor. She moved over to his bag because he brought more clothes than he'd need for a week considering he was just throwing things in the bag. Lauren grabbed a dark green t-shirt sweater and gray sweat pants before moving back to her other bag to grab a bra and underwear.
Once Lauren was dressed, she caught herself laughing at the stupid cartoon Steve put on. Steve came out of the bathroom shortly after with a towel around his waist. "What do you want to do?" He looked back at her when he was digging through his bag. "I know what I want to do."
"And that is?"
"Arcade we passed on the way here."
☆
Steve and Lauren were playing pinball when they moved on to the basketball game."Oh, Hop, we are most seriously playing this."
"Why so you can beat a girl."
"I thought you were sporty," he joked.
"Only with football, and it doesn't mean I'm good at it." He slipped money into both machines, not listening to her. "Okay, Harrington your just mad I'm better at pinball."
"I am not." He grabbed onto her sweatpants waistband, pulling her closer to the machine. The balls rolled down, and the time started. Steve was making ninety percent of his shot, Lauren making about five. "You suck at this."
"I don't play basketball, Harrington." With thirty seconds left Lauren was just going to fuck with Steve's score. She started throwing her balls at his.
"Hop, that's cheating." He pushed her hands down as he kept shooting. She threw another ball at his only for him to push her behind him with one arm shooting with the other. "You're making this way harder than it needs to be."
"I know, but I'm a sore loser." Once he finished his round, he turned around while the ticket came out of the machine.
"That's ninety-six tickets for me and three for you." He said victoriously, Lauren turned to his giving him a kiss.
"You win Harrington, you win. Can we go back to the hotel and play a game we both win at?"
"Huh?"
"Oh god Harrington are you stupid that's the second time today. Let's so have sex please?"
"Oh yeah, but let's use our tickets." He grabbed her ass causing her to squirm from shock. She hit his arm with a smile on her face. He held her hand, walking to the tickets. Steve handed the tickets to the man at the counter to count.
"Three hundred fifty-two." There were three things they could actually get unless it was little useless trinkets.
"What do you want?"
"Whatever you want?" He turned away from her, her being no help.
"We'll take the handcuffs." Lauren hit him in the chest.
"Steve." She turned back to the man. "We don't need those."
"Just give us as much candy as we can get." The man behind the counter ducked under the counter, grabbing handfuls of whatever candy.
"Lauren Hopper?" Lauren turned around, searching for the person calling out her. She saw a boy who looked familiar but couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Charlie." Lauren let out a soft gasp as she went to hug him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I moved a few years ago dad got a new job."
"What are you doing here?"
"Umm, I don't really know. We kind of- Charlie, this is my... this is Steve. Steve, this Charlie. The Walt before Walt."
"Nice to meet you," Charlie said, and Steve nodded. "So you got with this Walt without consulting me. I don't remember our divorce." Lauren smiled at him having completely forgotten about them getting married. He seemed to be the only guy Jim supported.
Jim didn't like any of the boys her age in Lauren's life. Whether it was people he was right about like Tommy or people he was wrong about like Shawn. Lauren's first and as of nineteen eighty-five only long-term boyfriend. Or even people as platonic as Walt. For some cosmic reason, Jim liked Charlie. Something neither of the knew the reason why.
"A, Walt isn't your replacement, and B, in my defense I left rather abruptly. Our divorce was the last thing on my mind." Charlie smiled at her.
"Divorce?" They both looked over at Steve.
"Oh, your girl here-"
"She's not mine..."
"I'm not his..." They said at the same time.
"Oh yeah, well, Lauren here is my wife. We're going nine years strong. Until now apparently." The man behind the counter handed Steve a bag full of little fun-sized candies. "I can have the papers signed by tonight if you want. I see you have found a new man." He paused. "Or haven't found," he corrected himself and winked.
"Why'd you wink?"
"Because unlike you I'm not blind."
"Maybe not blind but definitely a schiozo." He shook his head, not believing her in the slightest.
"Charlie is it?" He nodded. "If it's not too much of a problem I'm going to go sleep with your wife now."
"Mi casa es su casa." Lauren rolled her eyes hugging Charlie so happy that she got to see him. "Not his my ass," he whispered in her ear before she pulled away. Steve's hand was soft in hers pulling her away. "Bye Lauren."
"Bye Charlie. I'll find you if I'm ever in town again." Lauren's body moved closer to Steve's hand still in hand.
"I forgot the candy." He let go of her and tossed her the keys before running back over to the counter. Charlie caught him before he return. "Yeah?"
"She's pretty great."
"Yeah, I know."
"Make her yours before you can't." He nodded before he ran to the door. Lauren had started the car. As soon as he got in the car Lauren kissed him.
He started driving down the road as Lauren kissed his body. He kept looking between the road and her. She softly bit his ear while her hand moved to his thigh. She moaned in his ear quietly. "Drive fast," she pulled the string of his pants to untie them. "Really fast," he kissed her back a few times before looking back over at the road. She reached to the bottom of Steve's shirt pulling it up. He drove with his knees as he pulled it off.
The arcade was nearly six blocks from the hotel so it took less than eight minutes to get there. He parked the car grabbing the keys. They ran to the outside door. Steve put the key in the keyhole but couldn't get the door to open. Lauren jumped on his back laying kisses on his neck. She looked up at the unopened door. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to open the door."
"Is it the right room?" She went back to kissing his body when he looked at the room number. She was right, it was the wrong room. He grabbed her legs holding her up as he walked to the room right next to the one he was trying to get into. He wiggled the door open. He pushed it all the way open kicking it closed behind her. He set Lauren on the counter and while she was taking her clothes off Steve was putting a condom on his hard dick. He came back to the counter kissing her as he aligned himself with her entrance. He pushed himself into her making both of them moan with pleasure.
Steve's face was in both her hands as she kissed him. She leaned against the wall for support when he pushed slowly and hard. His arms held her legs in place. Lauren wrapped her arms around him. Her breasts pushed against his body. His hand ran up her left arm. When he reached her hand he interlocked her fingers. He kissed her hand. Something about this gave her butterflies, not the same butterflies she had with him normally.
She looked at him, really looked at him. He thrust into her hand sending an uncontrollable moan out of both their mouths. Lauren stopped thinking about the butterflies and thought more about the pure ecstasy she had right now. One hand moved to the wall allowing him more control as he slammed his hips into hers. Lauren couldn't help but bite his shoulder trying to scream at the top of her lungs.
He picked her up and brought her to the bed. Her legs propped up against his body. She grabbed his hands putting them on her breasts. He pushed into her she bit her lip. His hand strayed from where she put them to run his thumb along her clit. Both of their minds were clouded empty but yet so far from empty.
They thought of each other. They thought about how attractive the other was, and how they made each other feel this good. Lauren thought back to the butterflies but tried to push it out of her mind passing it off for something else. Steve thought about his accident I love you. It had only been four months. He loved another girl five months ago. How could he already love someone else, let alone her best friend? He tried to push it out of his mind, knowing she didn't feel the same way.
They both came in seconds of each other. Steve lay next to her. Their breath was heavy. Lauren crawled under a thin sheet. Steve did the same after discarding his condom. Steve ran his finger in circles on her chest. Lauren stared at him her subconscious still thinking about the butterflies. He looked up at her bring bringing more than the idea back her brought them back.
Lauren was in her mind, stop looking at me like that, Harrington. You going to make me like you. I'm going to like you and I'm going to like you and not just like what you do to me. God your eyes are just so gorgeous. God, stop thinking about his eyes stop thinking about the butterflies, his lips. Stop looking at me your going to make me like you. Unless I already do. No fuck that you don't like him. He's just looking at you he can't tell you like him. Because you don't. You don't like him. He thought were interrupted when he reached over her grabbing a small notepad. "What are you doing?"
"Making something," he rolled over on his stomach. Lauren did the same to see what he was doing. He wrote Guide to the perfect weekend at the top. "How's this sound?" He wrote lots of sex for number one.
"I don't know I think we have to have a lot mote sex for it to qualify. " Laurenshrugged. He leaned over and kissed her. "What?"
"We still have all night, babe." He said the babe in an ironic tone l. Lauren rolledher eyes at him. In bracket/perintacies and in all caps "No interruptions"
"Yes wonderful addition,"
"I know that's why I added it." He poked her with the pins cap on the dimple her face made when she scrunched up her face. It was the cute way he really liked. "Should I add that cute face?" Lauren shook her head while rolling her eyes.
"How about this?" She took the pen from him picking up the pad. When she started righting Steve tried to look at it. She pushed it back up and flicked Steve in the nose before she went back to writing.
"There it is again?" She glanced over the pad at him with his stupid little smirk.
"What? Is there again?"
"Your face when you wrinkle your nose." Lauren coved her face with the pad.
"Stop your going to make me insecure."
"Why it's cute?" He pushed the book down to see her face. "Let me see what you wrote?" He turned it over it read, Steve shuts the fuck up for once. He ripped it off and rewrote the first thing. "Hey, that was important data about my perfect weekend."
"Yeah, I don't care." He wrote road trip as a second thing and looked at her to see if it was good. He wrote Hop in all caps, looking at her and smiled. There they were again butterflies. She took it from him writing Harrington. She wrote weed and he wrote music.
"Oh yeah, music is a must." She leaned her head on his shoulder drawing his attention to that. He leaned his head on her head. "Book?"
"Oh yeah books," he wrote it while thinking of something. "One morbid ass talk?" Lauren laughed and nodded her head still locked against his shoulder. "Looks pretty good to me. You?"
"Yeah looks perfect," She said ironically. Steve turned his head kissing her lips she kissed him back. "Wanna make it lots now?" He nodded never having broken the kiss. His fingers inner twined with Lauren's. He kissed he hand again. "I like that," she wispered.
"You do?" He said in-between kisses.
"Yeah," he continued doing it till he moved back to her neck. She pushed his head into it wanting more. Eventually, he moved back to her lips. They kept kissing loving every single one. Steve started moving the kisses down her body. When his lips met her nipple she was lost he kept moving down and he began kissing up her body again she let go of one of his hands and reached for a condom on the nightstand.
She ripped it out and rolled it on, locking their hands back together. He pushed in her slowly. He took a deep breath as he felt her around him. He pulled her hand up and kissed her hand as he found out she liked it. She was so gorgeous to him. "Can I go a little faster?" She nodded, holding his hand tighter. He normally wouldn't ask he'd just do it unless she told him otherwise. This time seemed a little different, and neither of them knew why or at least wouldn't admit it.
A cold sweat ran down Steve's back. He allowed Lauren to move to the top of him. Lauren's hand moved to Steve's chest. The other stayed connected to his. She rolled her hips on his dick. Making them both moan softly. She moved back and forth on him, pushing him deeper every time. Her hand fell back as she pushed herself down on him. Once again, Steve started kissing her hand. Both butterflies and getting close sent a whole sensation she's never felt before. She loved it.
Steve ran his hand down her spine, pulling her closer to him. It didn't take long, several more movements, and the two finished. Lauren lay next to him, her head on his arm. He watched as her chest rise and fell.
☆
They had two more hours left on the drive home and Lauren couldn't stay awake any longer. The car door was hard. Lauren unbundled her seat belt. She pushed up the middle console and laid her head on his leg. "What are you doing?"
"Taking a little nap. We only slept for like seven hours all weekend." He glared down at her and then back at the road.
"Yeah, I know. And you don't see me getting to taking a little nap." Lauren shrugged closing her eyes. Steve pushed his leg up trying to get her off.
"Asshole." He set his leg down and Lauren sat her head back down.
"No. You don't get to sleep if I don't." Lauren ignored his words relaxing into his body. "If you don't stay awake who will I have to talk too? Who's going to keep me awake?"
"I don't know. Figure it out yourself." He started bouncing his leg so she would move.
She turned over and proped up on her elbow. Her hand slid into his waistband, he glanced down at her hand. His eyes then moved to the girl, "what are you doing?" Lauren could already see the bulge framing in his pants.
"Eyes on the road, Harrington." She pulled his hard dick out of his pants. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as she pumped her saliva soaked hand down. He kept glancing between the road and her. Heavy near moan breath left his lips. "Tell me when you're close."
"Why," he said short of breath. She didn't give him an answer continuing the action. He pushed his head back into the chair. "Faster."
"Ts, ts, ts, ts," she clicked her tounge against the ruff of her mouth. "Demanding are we?" He rolled his eyes. She pulled her hand down faster like he wanted. His head fell back only to get pushed back up to look at the road.
A few minutes passed of the same thing, "Shit," he grunted. Lauren's hand tightened pulling down harder. "Hop," she looked up at his and he nodded. Lauren let go of him licking the precum from her head. "What you're just going to st-"
"Do not push into me I will vomit,"
"O-" He was intuppted when Lauren's mouth moved around his dick. Almost instantly he released inside of her mouth. "Goddamn," he said as him body relaxed. Lauren swallowed the cum in her mouth and licked the rest off of him. He pulling his pants the rest of the way up. She turned back over as whip her mouth off with her sleeve. "I was right,"
"Huh?"
"One of our fights you said I suck and I said you swallow. I was right," Steve said with a smile.
"Fuck you, second where the hell am I supposed to spit it the ashtray? Third, it's already in my mouth." She rolled her eyes, "Can I go to sleep now?"
"Umm yeah, yeah, you can." Before she layed back down she turned the radio to something a little quieter. Patsy Cline's, Crazy come from the speakers sending an overwelling calm over then both. Lauren Lauren her head in his lap and the rest of her body on the bench. Before she really settled down she playfully bit Steve's hip. When she finally tried to go to sleep Steve ran her hair through his fingers, sending her into a resounding relaxation. That she was snoring before the end of, Tears on My Pillow, the second song.
☆
Lauren came into the house with her bag in her hand. "And where on God's green earth have you been?" Lauren looked at him with tired eyes.
"Walt's I told you Friday night." She threw her bag in her room as she came into the kitchen for food. Lauren didn't think about it but they hadn't eaten anything but fruit loops, the chips they got at the gas station, and a basket of fries.
"I don't remember that." She pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and ran it under the sink.
"Dad you don't remember half the useless shit I tell you anyways." She opened up the cabinet pulling out a bag of pretzel rods.
"You stink."
"Gee thanks dad." She put a pretzel rod in her mouth pouring a glass of juice.
"Just telling the truth, kid." He hugged her from the side kissing the top of her head. "Shower," he said walking to his room.
"I was planning on it."
"Love ya,"
"Love you too," she drank the last bit of her juice and walked to the bathroom to shower. This time actually washing her hair before school the next.
☆
Lauren sat on the couch with Eleven laying on top of her. Lauren played with her hair as they watched a movie. Jim was in the kitchen shifting threw mail they got sent to the post office. "Lauren, why did we get a ticket for using the bridge over the Ohio River?" She looked over at him in the kitchen.
"What?"
"When you cross the bridge they charge you. So are you going to tell me why your truck crossed it?"
"How do they know?"
"Your license plate. Why did you cross the bridge, Lauren."
"Walt and I went to Louisville for the weekend. I knew you'd say no." She sat up to look at him. "So forgiveness over permission."
"God, you are so my kid." Lauren smiled at him. She was both happy he didn't care but also that he believed her lie. Even though she gave him no reason to believe she was lying. Jim sighed, "You know your grandma always said you're cursed with what you were then."
"So you're say cursed with me?"
"No, of course not you, my little angle baby." Jim said as a joke.
"You could barely get those words out, could you?" Jim nodded.
"Yeah, no, they felt like vomit. Still love tou though." Lauren sighed too.
"What I'm getting from this is grandma, and I are more alike then having the same face."
"Your grandma would kill me If I told you want she was like as a teenager."
"Ironic because she's dead."
"From beyond the grave."
"So she was bad?"
"Wasn't good." Lauren sat all the way up on the couch more intreased than ever.
"You have to tell me now." Jim shook his head.
"Nope. I like not being haunted. She loved us but she'd haunt us to death."
"Dad was grandma a slut?"
"I'm not saying no." Lauren screamed a little bit. She had known so much about her grandmother yet nothing at all.
"What was she like?" Jim kissed his daughter on the head and walked off to his room. "That's not an answer."