Steve's alarm went off both of their bodies shot up. Lauren hit her head on the wall. Steve hit the alarm to turn it off while Lauren rubbed her head. "Now, this is why I don't sleep on this side," she said under her breath.
"Want me to kiss it better?" He leaned over with pursed lips just and kissed her on the head. Lauren wrapped her leg and arm over top of him closer. "Better?" He kissed her cheekbone, pulling her closer as well. They sat in each others arms in silence, fighting to fall right back to sleep. Steve hand ran over the indentations from her scars.
"I know they're bad," she whispered into his chest. Lauren had four major insecurities. One, when people said she talked a lot. She knew she did. She just had so much to say. It just made her feel like complete shit when people told her she talked a lot. That's why when she went on her useless rants that she couldn't stop, people would interrupt her. It made her feel the understood she couldn't help it.
Another being is her uncontrollable emotions. Her temper. Her temper was ticked every time she was in a situation she didn't want to be in or when she was with someone she didn't like. She hated that she would cry at the simplest things. Though it was better than not crying.
The third was her voice. It was deep. She noticed it before Steve said anything, but when he said it was really deep, she hated it. She would never tell him that he made her majorly insecure about it. She didn't want to make him feel like shit because she hated something. It truly sounded like she smoked twenty-five/eight.
But her scars had become her biggest insecurity over the last few months she had been covered in them. Whether it be her back, her hand, the scar that remained from her snapping her bone coming out of her leg, the scratches on her back, the few inch-long cut on her wrist, or even the little scars from her childhood. She could feel his glance down at her.
"What?"
"I know, my scars. They're bad." He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her body.
"No, they're not. Nothing about you is bad. Maybe badass but not bad." Lauren laughed a little as she listened to his heartbeat. "I like them."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I do, because when I do this," he ran his hand over the middle scar, the one that was the deepest. Her body winced into his as she was unable to control it. "You get even closer to me."
"You can just ask." Lauren tightened her leg on his body along with her arm.
"Weres the fun in that? Besides scars are cool, they show you survived something. In your case, several somethings."
"Okay." She knew he was right. He was just trying to make her feel better about them, but it really didn't.
"Give me a maker," Lauren rolled over and grabbed one. "Thank you," she tried to roll over, but Steve pushed her back down.
"What?"
"Take off your shirt."
"No." Steve pushed up her shirt, pulling the marker cap off for his teeth.
"What are you doing."
"Just wait. Patience is a virtue." The cold felt tip of the marker ran on her back.
"What are you doing?"
"Wait," he continued drawing on her back for a while. Lauren sat in silence. "Done,"
"Now, what did you do?"
"Since you don't find them as beautiful as I do. I made them flowers. The scratches are the stems. And they're you're favorite, tulips." Lauren turned over and smiled at him. Steve grabbed her hand and turned her hand over. "This isn't going to be a flower. It's going to be a signature line." Lauren looked at him like he was stupid. He wrote S+L. He pulled the blanket off of her. "Not yet, ten more minutes."
"I never said we were getting ready." He moved down, pushing her legs open. He pushed her tiny pajama shorts out of the way and began rubbing her clit. His fingers slid into her, she let out a soft moan. "Shh," she glanced down at him and nodded. His tongue moved against her now sensitive clit. Wanting more she moved her hips on his finger.
Her hand moved threw his hair the other tightening on the sheets. He pushes into her deeper making both her eyes and hands squeeze shut. "Goddamn," she pushed her head into the bed.
"Shh," he said again his fingers pushing further and harder into her. She bit her lip to keep quiet. She turned her head reaching for the radio to mask the little sound. She bearly reached it only flipped it on with her finger. Have a Cigar by Pink Floyd pour quietly out of the speakers.
A glistening of sweat fell out of her skin as well as her breathing picked up. The radio made the sounds more forgiving. Lauren started down at him pulling his head back up to her clit. He moved his fingers faster and harder, along with running and sucking along her clit.
"Yes," she let out a short shallow breath. "Yes, that." She said rather loudly, Steve's other hand moved up to her mouth. Another thing that allowed her to be somewhat loud. He mumbled something into her body making her head fall back into the bed. Steve's hand disconnected from her mouth when she did this. In turn, Lauren pulled a pillow to cover her audible pleasure.
As he kept pushing and sucking she grew closer. Her mind couldn't help but think about anything else other than finishing. Her legs began squirming as she did so. Steve's hand moved back down to keep her legs open.
Every part of Lauren's body tightened and then relaxed as the orgasm flushed over her. Her eyes fluttered closed when they rolled back in her head. Steve's tongue ran over her one more time making her gasp again. He kissed her thighs. He moved up pushing her shirt out of the way, laying wet kisses on her body. He propped himself over her. "Good morning?" he pushed a little hair out of her face.
"It is a great morning Steve. You should do that every morning." He shrugged pushing off on her. He layed next to her staring at the ceiling.
"Good morning to you too,"
"Okay, you got to get ready now." She pulled away from his grasp rolling over. She went to kiss him but instead softly bit his nose. She quickly turned away trying to get out of the bed. Steve wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her back into bed making her squeal.
"Not yet, ten more minutes." He pushed the hair off her neck laying little kisses down it.
"Steve you have to work."
"Robin can hold down the fort for a minute by herself." She rolled over so she could look at him. "Seriously though she will be fine. I want to spend ten minutes with my girlfriend. Just laying here nothing else."
"You can survive ten minutes without me." He let go of her as she slid out of bed she reached her arms out to pull him out of bed. "Come on." He reluctantly took her hand she pulled him up. He stood up laying a kiss on her head. They walked to the door, before they made it to the door Steve slapped Lauren's ass getting his arm slapped in response.
Eleven was pouring a bowl of cereal for herself when they walked to the kitchen. "Awh little Hop, you made me a bowl of cereal." He grabbed the bowl of cereal out of her hand.
"No, it is mine." She tried to reach for it but he slid it further away. Eleven jerked the bowl back to her whipping the blood from her nose.
"That's so not far." Lauren laughed as the girl started eating her cereal.
"Just make yourself a bowl."
"Why when you made me one." Lauren rolled her eyes grabbing a thing of animal crackers. Steve reached into the box taking a handful. "Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?" Lauren hit him with the palm of her hand right between the eyes.
"Eleven that's what you do when people are stupid. Get their brain to work a little better."
"But not too hard like this." He bearly touched her. "Or it's assault."
"Unless they deserve it and are an asshole. Then you hit them hard right between the eyes." Jim walked out of his room rubbing his eyes. His faint smile dropped when he saw Steve.
"Did he stay again?"
"No," both of them said.
"Yes," Eleven said by accident.
"Bitch." Lauren said quickly looking over at her.
"Snitch."
"Sorry," she shrugged scooping a spoon full of cereal into her mouth.
"Why was the door closed?" Lauren leaned against the counter beginning to open a banana. She ignored her dad's question as she took a bite. He glared at her awaiting a response.
"I have no clue must have left a window open," she shrugged as if she didn't know yet she was completely lying. "Draft must have closed it," she took another bite acting unknowingly.
"You don't have a window, Lauren."
"Guess we'll never know." She shrugged yet again.
"Lauren!" He said in a stern voice.
"Dad? Seriously I have no clue how or why that door was closed." She said in a very sarcastic voice. Steve picked up a box of cigarettes on the counter watching the whole ordeal unfold. When he flicked the lighter all three heads turned to him.
"Well, it sounds like it seriously should find its way back open, until you boy seriously finds his way to a cell," Jim said as he took the box out of Steve's hand. He removed a cigarette from the box putting one to his lips.
"Dad," Lauren looked at him with his hopeful jokes about sending Steve to jail continued. He lit the cigarette taking a quick drag before removing it from his lips.
"Lauren, I'm serious," Lauren walked over to him after discarding the banana peeling in the trash.
She smiled at him reaching up to his mouth, "and I'm serious." She pulled the cigarette from his mouth, "Stop smoking." She did the same with Steve. Lauren dropped them in the sink running water over them. "Both of you."
"Lauren,"
"What?"
"Why was the door closed?" She started walking backwards to her room. "Lauren," she found the wall as she continued walking backward until she was in her doorway.
"I don't know dad truly we just slept last night. I guess it was an accident." She closed the door only to get yelled at. "Lauren, open the goddamn door." She opened it three inches as he always said.
"I think he likes me," he said throwing himself onto the bed.
"Oh yeah, he differently loves you." She said grabbing his arms and pulling him off the bed that he had just laid on. "You and Mike are his favorite people ever."
"Oh yeah." He grabbed his bag off the ground digging for his uniform. When he got it he took off his shirt throwing on his blue sailor outfit. "Are you staying in the back today?"
"For a little bit, but I'm going to stay here a little while and do some shit."
"Okay," he slid his pants jumping in tot he others but failing miserably falling back onto the bed.
"Wow, ten out of ten dive there Steve." He flipped her off before he pulled his pants up. He got up grabbing his bag he was at the door when he came back and kissed Lauren.
"See you later."
"Yeah." Steve walked to the door.
"Brush your teeth before you leave please." He nodded as he slide out the door. Lauren heard slight banter between him and her dad as she started collecting her laundry.
☆
Lauren came into scoops seeing both Steve and Robin in the front doing nothing. "You guys need to try this." She held out the corn dog. They both gave her a look. "What?" She extended to both of them. Both of them shook their heads, "I know what you guys are thinking. I mean I don't like hot dogs either I actually hate them but these, these are really..."
"No, Lobster. We know what it taste like-" Robin said.
"Lobster?" They both looked at Steve, Lauren thinking the same thing.
"I couldn't think of an L name at the moment." She drew her attention back to the girl eating the corndog. "You've never had a corn dog before?"
"If a corn dog is a hot dog on a stick then no. Not until today." They both looked at her. Steve's head fell into his head, and Robin just slowly shook her head. "What did I do now?"
"You've like never had one before."
"No, am I not speaking English didn't I just say no?"
"No, you did..." They looked over at each other. "It's just, have you like never been to the state fair or something?"
"I have."
"Then how have you never had a corn dog?"
"I don't know, I just haven't. Why are you shaming me for it?"
"We're not we're just messing with you." Lauren looked to Robin.
"When did you become a 'we'?" She said as if she was heartbroken.
"We're not," they looked at each other with dirty looks. "We were just enjoying making fun of you." Lauren rolled her eyes.
"Doesn't everyone." Steve grabbed the corn dog and took a bite. "I thought you didn't want any," he grabbed he waist and picked her up. He coved her mouth to stop her from screaming. He pulled her into the bag room sitting her on the counter.
Robin slid open the glass, "that is giving me a very Stockholm syndrome vibe and I don't like it."
"I was thinking the same thing." Steve rolled his eyes pushing the glass closed.
"What's Stockholm syndrome?"
"Oh, but me not having a corn dog is funny." He gave her a look that he still wanted to know. "It's like when people that like get kidnapped start liking the people that took them."
"Oh," he said quietly with a nod. Lauren took the corndog back out of his hand taking a bite.
"Seriously though, theses are really good," she said with her mouth full. She swallowed her food quickly, "I'm probably going to eat these like twenty-four seven. That is until I find some other food to hyper fixate on for a couple weeks, like I just did with the cheerios." Steve handed her a cherry milkshake. "Still need a little something it's not right." His shoulders dropped.
"I know, I just can't tell what it is." Steve had been trying to make the cherry milkshake since he started working here. She had gotten them all the time so he was trying to make them perfect.
"Maybe just-"
"You're gorgeous," he cut her off. She couldn't help but smile at him.
"Thanks."
"God," he threw his head back.
"What?"
"I'm not ready for summer to end. You weren't here for a few hours and I missed you like crazy."
"Steve we have two months,"
"Hop I l-ike you, I really like you and two months isn't enough." He thought back to what Walt said I love you's scare girls I think, he thought back to what happened with the last girl he loved. It was hardly three months after he broke up with Nancy before he was already in love again. He knew it was fast but he couldn't help it. Now it had hardly been four months after they started dating which he thought was still too early. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off.
Lauren nearly cringed at his use of the word like. She thought it was fast but she loved him. The first time she really knew was after finals when he made her dinner, knowing how stressful her tests were. She wanted to tell him, but her biggest fear was telling someone something like that. Being that vulnerable with someone and getting shot down.
"Maybe we could just get a place," she raised her eyebrows at him. "A place without my Dad." This pecked his inteist. He move in front of her standing between her legs. "Where were are alone twenty-four hours of the day," she whispered in his ear. He pulled her hips closer to him making here squel.
"When?"
"I was kidding. My dad would not let me live with you as long as he lives on God's green earth."
"So we send him to space."
"Oh yeah, we'll send him on which ones next? Thirteen? Yeah, we'll send him to space on the Apollo Thirteen."
"Okay, anyways the milkshake? What did you do this time?"
"I don't know I added a few more cherries. Not much else." Steve's hand cupped her cheek. He had the stupid sex smile on his face. Lauren shook her head. "Yeah I think so."
"Steve we can't."
"But you want to." Lauren nodded her head.
"Just because I want to doesn't mean I can just because I want to kill you doesn't mean I can."
"Well we can and we want to so are we going to?" He raised a eyebrows. She nodded even though she new the shouldn't. But she couldn't say no. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last. Steve kissed down her.
"Again?"
"Again? He mocked her. "Yes again." I was far from complaining she loved it, but he seemed to love it even more. He was trying to unbutton her pants but couldn't. He kept pulling. "What are these pants titanium?" Lauren scoffed and pushed his fand out of the way.
"No just let me do-" Steve's finger lifted to her mouth to get her to shut up.
"Did you hear that?" Lauren stared at the finger between her eyes. "Shh." She didn't say anything. "There it is again." Steve pushed away from her and ran out the door. "Henderson." This immediately filled in the blank. Steve walked out the door.
"Wait Steve. I love you." Lauren sighed rebuttoning her pants. The glass slide open making Lauren jump.
"I don't think he heard you." Lauren pushed of the counter to face the girl.
"That was the point." Lauren rolled her eyes at herself. "I know it's pathetic."
"Have you guys not?"
"No." She ran her fingers threw her brown hair. "It's only been like four months officially."
"And unofficially?"
"Seven."
"Seven months and you haven't." Lauren's head dropped and shook. "I just can't believe that." Robin pushed the hair out of the girl's face to see her reaction.
"Why?"
"All he talks about is you. And if I didn't like you I'd find it unpleasant. Hell, I like you and I find it annoying. He talks about you and makes stupid jokes I don't find funny, but I laugh because of how stupid he is for telling them. For example today it was like a double whammy he was making a joke and taking about you all at the same time. He asked me if I knew why he was dating you. Of course, I said why dingus. In which he responded with a horrible punch line that it's because you need glasses and how could you see other people when you can even see your surrounding or something unfunny like that. Anyways we kept going with his attempt of getting ''bitches" but he does have a chance unless they're you for some reason. If this mall was just full of a bunch of yous every single talky mark would be on the left side. So what I'm saying in a very roundabout way is that he clearly loves you and you love him so why not just say it? Sorry for the word vomit."
"It's alright. But I do love him. It's just that it seems like a big thing for him. With his parents and what really happened with Nancy. It just seems really big for him. Not that it's not for me. The only person I've ever said it to romanticly was Shawn and that was nearly nine months in. And well, that ended almost two months after. Not that it was because we said I love you. Back on track though, I don't want him to say it if he doesn't feel it. And even if he does love me back, I guess I'm just scared. Just like I was scared in March when I started liking him. How I was scared to be around him because I figured he'd find out and end things. Because even then if it was just sex at least I got to be with him. And now I'm scared that if he doesn't he'll leave me without more than just sex. Because somehow in the anomaly that had been the last year I have not only had sex with him but fallen in love with him. And to you sorry for the word vomit."
"You're alright. So are you waiting for him then?" Lauren shrugged.
"I don't want to but I feel like I should let him set the timeline. As much as that sounds like a relationship straight out of a fifties movie."
"Robin, get the kid some ice cream." Robin looked at Lauren who was giving her a dirty look.
"Make him get it himself." Robin nodded having the same idea.
"That's what I was thinking."
"Getting you lazy ass around the counter and do it yourself, sailor." He came across it and starts scooping it himself. "Next time say please, jackass." He scooped a little bit of ice cream before he flipped her off. Robin turned to the girl.
"That's the man you're, in love with." She whispered
"Don't remind me." Lauren's eyes moved past Robin and to the boy. "Hey, Henderson."
"Hey Lo," he said with a smile on his face.
"How was camp?"
"Come sit and I'll tell you guys all about it." Lauren grabbed her milkshake and pushed off the counter. Before she walked out the door toward the boys that were moving to a table.
"I'll be back Buckley."
"I win." Lauren threw her head back with a grunt. Robin had a large smile only ever having one twice.
"I'll be back Rrr..." Lauren held on to the R looking into her head thinking of a name that starts with it. "Resin." Robin's smile dropped with the word.
"Resin."
"You called me Lobster I don't want to hear it." Lauren turned back on her short trek to the table.
"Wait Leslie," Lauren looked over at her with raised eyebrows. "I love you." She said in an extremely over exaggerated and sarcastic tone. Lauren threw her a fake smile and both middle fingers. Robin's hand moved to her chest as if she was hurt when Lauren walked way.
Lauren sat next to Steve while the boy was mid-sentence. "My girlfriend-"
"Girlfriend?" Lauren raised her eyebrows. Dustin smiled. "Girl space friend? Girl no space friend?"
"Girl no space friend." Lauren looked at him so happy, egger to know more. "Suzie Bingham."
"So what's she like? Where's she live? What's she look like?" Lauren and Steve asked at the same time. All three of them looked at each other with big eyes. "That was creepy as hell?" They looked at each other again.
"Utah."
"Utah? That's like fifteen hundred miles away. How'd yall even meet?" Steve asked.
"Camp keep up Steve." Sustin said looking from Steve to both of them. "Anyways. She has brown hair and she is the hottest girl on the entire planet. And when I say this I mean hottest. Phoebe Cates." Steve nodded. "Hotter." Dustin took a huge bit of ice cream.
"No. No. Hotter than phoebe Cates? No." Dustin swallowed his ice cream.
"Brilliant, too."
"Smart. Hot. One person. No." Lauren looked at Steve. "You're an exception, babe." Lauren's face scrunched up and not in the cute way he liked.
"Don't call me that again." Steve nodded aggressively knowing better. There was almost nothing Lauren hated then being called anything other than a form of her name. Hop, Lo, Wren, any of her nicknames were fine. The second it became Honey, Sweetie, Babe, Princesses, even if it was meant with indearment it made her feel a certain type of way. One she did not like. At all.
"Yeah right sorry."
"You're fine."
"Well she is. She's like an a-grade genius." Steve glanced at Lauren. For some reason he was convinced Lauren was. At least for math. Ever since he was in middle school and she offed to help with his math he's thought so. "And. And, she doesn't even care that my real pearls are still coming in." He flashed them a toothless smile. "She says kissing better without teeth." The look on Steve's face said a lot along with Lauren's words.
"Nothing's better without teeth." Lauren said quietly still enough for them to look at her with a concerned look. "Did I say that out loud?" They nodded in unison. "Pretend I didn't." She smiled. Steve arm draped over her shoulder. She relaxed into his arm, crossing her leg with his.
"Yeah, okay." Steve took a long breath possessing. "Umm. Yeah, that's great. We're proud of you, man." Lauren mouthed the word very with a smile. "Yeah, that's kinda romantic. That's like-"
"Wow." The teenager said at the same time again. Honestly, it was freaking them out. Dustin was only partially listening while he was devouring his ice cream.
"So do you really just get to eat as much of this as you want?"
"Yeah. I mean, sure. It's not really a good idea for me, though. I gotta keep in shape for..." Steve glassed at the girl drinking her milkshake. "Her." Lauren rolled her eyes turning her head.
"It's fine as long as you get a good workout." She whispered in his ear before drinking the remnants of the cherry milkshake. Dustin had his finger pointed into his mouth.
"Literally gagging."
"You don't even know what she said." Dustin nodded with a devilish smile that told them he heard. "So where are all the other knuckleheads?" Dustin's whole demeanor changed.
"They ditched me yesterday. My first day back. Can you belive that shit?"
"Whoa. Seriously?"
"Think about it. You got Mucus, my sister and Wheeler, and Will. Tell me I wrong this is how it played out." Dustin nodded. "Mike and Eleven had to leave for curfew?" Lauren said with air quotes. Dustin threw his hands up.
"Yes. Which I know it's a lie because you're curfew isn't till midnight." Lauren narrowed her eyes at the boy.
"How do you know my curfew?" The boys eyes drifted to Steve and back to the girl. "Then," Lauren went back to her sequence of events. "Max and Lucas left. So ot was just you and Byers. With you talking to your girl he left you too. Tell me I'm wrong."
"Dead freaking on."
"Damn I'm to fucking good." Dustin took another bite of his final scoop of ice cream.
"They're gonna regret it, though, big time, when they don't get to share in my glory." Lauren's eyes narrowed again.
"Glory? What glory." They said at the exact same time. "Stop." Dustin scooted closer to the two rubbing his mouth.
"So, last night, I was trying to get into contact with Suzie." Dustin leaned even closer looking around the ice cream parlor. "And ugh," Dustin started whispering incoherent words. The teens hummed in response needing him to repeat himself. Again he said some incoherent words.
"Just speak louder."
"I interrupted a secret Russin communication," Dustin yelled drawing the heads of several people in the ice cream parlor.
"Dustin there's a different between whispers and fucking screaming." Lauren said starting with a regular vocie turning into a whisper and then into a slight scream. She too drew heads but moments later nobody cared. "Sorry."
"That's what we thought you said. What, what does that mean."
"It means we can be heroes. True American heroes." Steve smiled and seemed into it. Lauren had the opposite reaction.
"American heroes." Steve moved closer to him. Lauren didn't listen to them. Her head fell back with the thought running through her head. Something about the words Russian and American heroes didn't go well together in her mind.
"I need your guys' help."
"With what?"
"Translation." He pulled a book out of his backpack. Lauren shook her head.
"No." The boys looked at her like she was crazy.
"What?"
"No."
"Lo."
"No. We don't need to translate anything." She shook her head.
"What do you mean. Russians." He exclaimed shaking the book.
"I. Don't. Care. I don't care. We don't need to translate anything. Leave that to the government." Dustin tilted his head.
"The same government that did experiments on El?"
"Don't go and say that. I'm just saying we've almost died twice. I don't think we should get into all this Russian stuff. I'm sure it's dangerous, and you know what comes with danger. Death. Death, Dustin. The last thing we need to be doing is pushing ourselves closer to it. Not when we don't have to. I don't know about you but I like my simple life. In which I wake up next to my boyfriend and then go shopping with money I don't have, and then go to hang out with my two favorite guys and sometimes Nancy. When she's not this Jonathan. Have you ever seen a Russian movie you know what they will do if they find out we are translating one of their communications? We'll be captured and tortured and we'll die for absolutely no reason. So can I see the tape?"
"I have about zero clue what half that was but yeah sure." Dustin dug through his bag setting a few things on the table. He put a tape on the table. Lauren picked it up and pulled out the film out of the tape. The boys looked at her like she was crazy, but she was legitimately scared. She didn't tell any but her dad but she had been having nightmares. And generally she was just scared of losing those two or anyone close to her.
"Hop, what the hell."
"It's alright Steve that was a mixtape she let me borrow." Lauren hand dropped full of black film.
"Which one?" Dustin didn't listen to her before pulling out the tape recorder.
"We should go somewhere more private."
"Yeah, I got one." They all scooted out of their seat and walked to the backroom. Lauren grabbed the dish and threw it away. As soon as the door was closed Dustin pulled the tape recorder out. "Come on Henderson play it," Steve said eager.
"God Steve give me a second. Let me sit down and get comfortable." Steve rolled his eyes. "Okay so this is like hot off the press like freshly last night." Steve nodded aggressively. "Damn Steve I'm about to play it relax." Steve sat down and pushed a chair out for Lauren with his foot.
"I'm cool. You're cool. We're cool." He said talking with his hands. Lauren sat down across from Steve. "So cool. Play it Henderson." Dustin set the tape recorder on the table.
"So this is like-"
"Play it, Dustin." The two yelled
"Stop saying this at the same time it's freaking me out." Dustin pressed the play button playing the audio of a man with a deep voice and faint music in the background. Hearing it makes her stomach turn. The last thing she wanted to do was try to "save" America. Truly if the Russians killed them she'd be fine because everyone including herself would die, but if it was just those boys she wouldn't be able to live. Steve's eyes were wide, and Dustin nodded as if they were talking telepathically. "Right?"
"Okay, that just sounds like a bunch of gibberish. How are we supposed to translate that, Henderson?" Lauren said splitting her hair into and beginning to braid it. Dustin held up the book. "We have to be able to tell what it's saying to be able to translate it."
"We're going to try. Let's start with I don't know their alphabet." Dustin left the player on the table and walked to the white board. "What's this?"
"Nothing?" Lauren looked at the additional tally marks. "Did you keep going?"
"Yeah, I still suck. As you can see."
"You don't suck. Not to me, at least," she winked. Dustin rolled his eyes and started to erase the whiteboard.
"Shut up and toss me that book." Dustin begain to right the alphabet in English and then begain to right the unfamiliar alphabet of the Russians.
"Thos efuck are those?"
"Their letters dumbass."
"That." He pointed at one on of their letter. "That's a chair that ain't a letter. What sound is a chair making?"
"What goddamn sounds is a loppty loop making Steve? But that is what half our letters are."
"What?"
"It only makes sense to you because you speck English dumbass if you spoke russin you'd wonder how the letter H makes a sound." Steve shugged while Dusin finished up his letters "translation" after he agreed with Lauren.
"Whatever." Steve grabbed the radio and began playing the Russians message. "This just sounds like gibberish to me, Henderson." Dustin and Lauren rolled their eyes.
"Give it here." Lauren took it from him. "Of course it's going to sound like gibberish we speck English, dumbass." Lauren pressed play again and Steve was a hundred percent right it did sound like gibberish, but for the exact reason she had said. "Wait do you heat that." Both boys looked highly intrigued. Dustin ran to the table and got really close to the radio.
"Hear what?"
"That right there. I think I understand it." Dustin grabbed her shoulders looking in her eyes.
"Well tell us woman." Lauren tried not to laugh.
"I think it says, "Listen to Lauren she's right that this and you are dumb as fuck." She said with a smile. Dustin's hands and hope dropped.
"Oh my god you're so funny. I'm nearly dying of laughter." Lauren couldn't help but Lauren she was serious, but she thought she was quite funny even if she wasn't. "Steve you really need calm your girlfriend down. I think she's going insane.
"No. No. No." The boys then looked at her like she was crazy as she bust out in a loud voice.
"What."
"When did I become Steve's girlfriend?" Dustin looked both confused and at her like she was stupid.
"Umm. March twenty second? I think.
"Twenty-third." Steve corrected him.
"No. When did I become Steve's girlfriend?" Now both of the boys looked confused.
"What?"
"He's my boyfriend." Dustin nodded.
"Yeah, that's what I said."
"No, Steve is my boyfriend. I was here first. I was your friend first." When Lauren said this Dustin couldn't help but rool his eyes.
"Oh my God, Lo, you're still my friend, but you are also weird as hell."
"Yeah, she is." He mouth dropped open when Steve agreed.
"I'm not weird." Steve tilted his head at her guving her a look that said nothing else but really.
"You don't think the moon is real." AGAIN Dustin couldn't help but look at her like she was insane. "She thinks Paul McCartney died and was replaced with a look alike. And the woman that wrote the murder on the oriental express pretend to lose her memory."
"All of those are true. I'm not weird."
"You believe all of that, but you don't believe in the Russians."
"I believe in Russians. I never said that. Russians are very much real, but you intercepting their radio, that's crazy. I think you're crazy." Dustin grabbed the radio and started playing again.
"This doesn't sound make-believe to me." Steve stood up and listened just as Lauren and Dusin did. Time passed of listening to the sound over and over again. Not getting any closer. Steve paced back in fourth while he ate a banana. Lauren tied her shoes and untied them just to tie them again while they heard nothing but gibberish.
Dustin eventually stopped the tape and looked up at the boy shoving banana into his mouth. "So what do you think."
"That music, right there at the end. It sounded familiar."
"Did you get played little Russian lullabies as a baby, Stevie." Lauren teased.
"Never mind that. Why and the hell are you listening to the music, Steve. You're supposed to be listening to the music. You are supposed to be listening to the Russian, not the stupid ass music."
"I'm trying to listen to the Russian, but there's music-" Robin busy through the door, looking quite annoyed.
"All right, Sarge. Babysitting time is over. You need to get in there." She looked over at the white bourd. "Hey, Lauren our bourd."
"I win."
"That was important data, shitbirds." Lauren shrugged there would have been no stopping them from erasing it.
"I guarantee you, what we're doing is way more important than your data."
"Oh yeah, and how do you know that these Russian are up to no good anyways?" Lauren smiled, happy that someone else doubted this as well. The boys, however, didn't look so happy. They looked like thay and seen a ghost.
"How does she know about the Russians?" Dustin asked the two quietly.
"Hello, I can hear you. Actually, I can hear everything." Steve and Lauren shared a glance and got a quick nod from Robin. Lauren's face tured a faint red. "You three are extremely loud. You think you have evil Russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you're trying to translate, but you haven't figured out a word because you didn't realize Russians use a entirely different alphabet."
"I told you. You guys are dumbasses." Robin tried to reach for radio, but Steve quickly grabbed it. And Lauren grabbed it from him. Tossing it to the girl.
"What the hell, Hop?
"She's smart and let her try. I'm going to go do your job. I'm done tying my shoes." She grabbed Steve's hat, winking at them while she pushed open the door. "E!"
"Finally a woman with some since. Can you get me a sample of the cherry chip?" Lauren washed her hand real quick and grabbed the scooper.
"What do you really want, on the house." Erica smiled.
"Superman." Lauren nodded, grabbing a large cone.
"And you're friends?" She replied with their various orders scooping each one into a large cone.
"Thank you, Lo." The girls ran off, and Steve grabbed Lauren's hat.
"You make them pay?"Lauren turned around with a smile on her face. "Of course not."
"Don't worry, I'm stealing from corporate America, not you." She hit his chest softly.
"I really don't give a shit anyways. How many bananas did I eat."
"Then why do I have to pay."
"Because I don't need to get fired like you do." Lauren rolled her eyes sitting on the stool.
"I wasn't fired per se. It's more like let go."
"So fired." Lauren slowly nodded her head.
☆
Robin, Lauren, Steve, and Dustin started at the translated message written on the bourd. "The week is long, the silver cat feeds, when blue meets yellow in the west." Lauren clapped her hand softly together.
"Okay I know I said it was gibberish in Russians but that's just as much gibberish in English." Everyone started heading out of the back room to close the place down.
"I mean, it can't be right. That's exactly what Hop was saying, gibberish." Steve said as he locked the gate.
"It's right."
"Honestly, I think it's great news."
"How is this great news?" Steve and Lauren said at the same time.
"Seriously you two stop saying things at the same I'm it's creepy." Dustin said before Lauren cut him off.
"How is this great news that tells us what exactly?"
"So much for being American Heros." Lauren and Robin rolled their eyes. "It's total nonsense."
"It's not nonsense."
"It's nonsense, Henderson."
"No, Lo, it's not nonsense . It's too specific. It's obviously a code."
"What do you mean, a code?"
"Like a super secret spy code."
"Henderson, that's a stretch."
"I don't know, is it?" Robin said, and Lauren's head fell back.
"Not you too, Resse? You're buying in to this bullshit too."
"Listen, just for kicks, let's entertain the possibility that it is a secret Russians transmission. What do you think they're gonna say, "Fire the warhead at noon"? Because I'm not so sure." Lauren sighed. It was a good point, but she didn't want anything to do with it she didn't want anyone of them involved
"Exactly."
"And my translation is correct. I know that for sure, so... "The silver cat feeds." Why would anyone talk like that unless they're trying to mask the true meaning of there message unless the message was somehow sensitive?" Everything Robin was saying was more and more logical.
"Exactly." Steve begain to make both people talking.
"So I guess that confirms your suspension."
"Evil Russians." Steve rolled his eyes.
"I thought you were all for it?" Lauren whispered to him, giving his hand a little squeeze.
"I am-"
"I can't believe I'm about to agree with this strange child, but, yeah, totally evil Russians." Steve let go of Lauren's hand, but she paid no mind to it as she continued walking with Dustin and Robin.
"So how we gonna crack this bitch open?" Lauren asked getting a look from both of them. "What? I'm kinda invested now."
"Well, I guess we translate the rest, and hopefully, a pattern emerges."
"A pattern like maybe silver cats a meeting place."
"Or a person."
"Or a weapon."
"Or a silver cat." Again, they both looked at her.
"Thought you said you were invested."
"Yeah, and I also believe in reality."
"It's probably going to take a super genius to crack it, but..."
"Good for us. we got one right here." Lauren put her hand on Robin's shoulder making her look back.
"Where is Steve?"
"What?" Lauren looked back and Steve was feet behind them digging into his pocket. "Steve, what are you doing?"
Uh, it's a quarter. I need- do you have a quarter?" All three of them walked over to Steve while was frantically searching for a quarter.
"Sure you're tall enough for that ride."
"Sure is that hair gives him a solid four inches." Robin laughed at her.
"Quarter!" He screamed before Lauren grabbed on out off her pocket and tossed it to him. Steve put the quarter in the machine and it began to play music.
"You need help getting up, little Stevie?" This time Lauren laughed at Robin's comment. Steve didn't answer, listening to the music.
"You know I sure you could ride Walt for free."
"Would you two just shut up and listen." The listened and listened ot only took Dustin a minute to recognize it.
"Holy shit. The music. The music." Dustin screamed pulling out the recorder and playing the tape over the music.
"I don't understand?"
"It's the exact same song in the recording."
"Maybe they have horses like this in Russia."
"The Indiana Flyer? I don't think so."
"Probably just manufactured? Catered to wherever?" The boys looked up at her.
"What side are you on."
"That of reality."
"This is reality, Hop. I don't think this code came from Russia. It came from here." Steve stood up making Dustin do the same.
"What does that mean?"
"The message came from here. They're in Indy." The group began walking again. "Maybe they're closer than we thought. Like in this mall close." This whole thing quieted down the teenagers that very thought was scary as hell. What were they doing in indiana? Why were they here? WHY HERE? Hasn't everything in God's creation already happened here?
In the parking lot was when the first words were shared many quiet words between Steve and Lauren while Robin and Dustin began their bike and walked home. "You coming over, right?"
"Yeah, I was planning on it. Want me to grab some food?" Lauren nodded as if that was really a question. "Chicken or Pizza?"
"Get what you want." Steve's eyes lit up. "Chicken?" Steve nodded. "Figured. Grab some for El? I'll pay you back."
"Already in mind." Steve put his finger on her chin, tilting her face up for a kiss. "Want me to get cookie dough and some popcorn too? Pretend there aren't Russians among us for the night."
"Steve? Is that even a question." Lauren kissed him again before walking to the opposite side of the parking lot where her car was. On her way, she saw Dustin walking extremely slow as if he was waiting for her. She rolled her eyes with a joking smile. "Hey Henderson?" The boy tured around to look at her batting his eyes. "Want a ride home?" He smiled, running to her.
"Hell yeah."
"One condition." She said pulling her door open. As the both slide in Dustin was eager to hear. "No Russian talk in my car. I got Steve's Born In The USA cassette in the tape deck, and I'm not afraid to use it." Dustin held his hands up.
"Hey, I am a proud American. That's why I'm trying to take down the commies. It seems like you're trying to take us down." The boys eyes narrowed as Lauren pulled the car onto the road. "You're a russian, arnt you, Lauren? If that's even your real name." Lauren shrugged.
"Well, I mean, it's not. Legally." Dustin gasped.
"Oh my god I should have a have known. You're a communist."
"Damn, you found me out." Lauren added to the joke, making him laugh. Without even the slightest transition, Lauren jumped into another conversation. "So Suzie, would I like her?" Dustin couldn't help but smile when she said Suzie.
"I think you would. She's really smart like you, but in computers and science and not as much math and history." Lauren nodded at the boy that lit up when he was talking about his girlfriend. "Like I was saying she's beautiful with this long brown hair and brown eyes."
"You kiss her, or did she kiss you?" Dustin adjusted in his seat and didn't answer. "Cat, got your tongue? She kiss you first?" He nodded. "There's nothing wrong with that. Technically, I kissed Steve first."
"Technically?"
"Well, I tried to kiss his cheek it was a whole ordeal." She said as she was making a turn.
"You know you're not as bad as Steve says." Lauren laughed faintly.
"I'm noting going to lie. This is the best I have ever driven. Ever." She bit the inside of her cheek. "So, did you, too, have to sneak into each other tents? For all this kissing without your teeth?"
"No, we had a little place in the woods."
"So romantic." She joked, and Dustin just nudged her. "If your in to a whole kissing in the woods thing. Seems a little Friday The Thirteenth to me but whatever you like." Dustin rolled his eyes. "You plan to see her any time soon?"
"No, she lives in Utah..." Lauren nodded. "And, and umm, she's Mormon..." Lauren couldn't help but laugh.
"After-"
"Yes, after I constantly made fun of Walt for being Mormon, yes. My girlfriend's Mormon, is that a crime?"
"Nope, no body, no crime, right. If they can't prove shit, you're not breaking any Mormon customs or some shit." Lauren stopped the car in front of the boys' house. "See you tomorrow, dork?"
"Yeah, yeah, see you tomorrow, dork." The boy shuffled out of the car, Lauren waited till he was inside to drive away. When he was inside she made her way home were Steve had already been waiting in his car.
"And how and the hell did you beat me here?" Lauren said tapping on his window. He shrugged.
"I don't know." He said stepping out of the car. The two looked hands and walked to the cabin. While Steve set the chicken on the counter, Lauren knocked on the door to Eleven's room before opening it.
Max and her were sitting on the bed. Lauren wasn't surprised to see here hear after she saw them at the mall. She wasn't going to tell her dad she's not a snich, and she was glad she was having food. "There's fried chicken in here if yall want some." The girls immediately got up and ran to the kitchen. Steve had been putting a chicken leg for himself in a plate when the girls reached their hand in the bucket, taking most of it.
"Hey, hey, hey, my chicken."
"Relax, Steve, there's plenty." Max said, patting him back. He just gave her a look before they ran back into her room. In utter amusement, Lauren watched Steve look in the bucket.
"Those little brats left us two drumsticks and a singular breast." Steve's shoulders dropped. "I paid from that."
"Well, we have three drumsticks." She looked down at his plate.
"Well, I'm hungry. I was gonna eat like four."
"Have mine. I'm not hungry." Lauren said, grabbing the cookie dough and a VHS tape popping it in the VCR. "We're watching A Star Is Born. Sorry, not sorry." Steve didn't dislike it, but if they didn't go to the video store, it was the goto. Steve came to the couch with his plate. Sitting down with Lauren in between his legs and head on his chest, he finished his chicken while Lauren took down some cookie dough.
About half way into the music, Lauren headed her dad, pulling his car in rather loudly. Steve and Lauren pulled apart on the couch, returning to the movie. The door flew open, and Jim looked over at Steve. "You get out of my house!" And he went over to Eleven's room, pushing the door open. "I said three inches!"
They heard screams from Jim and words from the girls but chose to ignore them. "I'm not trying to get arrested today." Steve stood up, kissing Lauren's forehead.
"Just run to my room. He's not looking." Lauren looked at her open door, and so did Steve. "Go." He did just that running into the room, closing the door behind him. Lauren started picking up her and Steve's stuff, rewinding the tape and throwing away trash while her dad relaxed. "So what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing." Lauren nodded, going to her room with Steve throwing in some random shirt he had.