chapter four:
¡girls rule!
STARCOURT MALL
SCOOPS AHOY
BOYS DAY, GIRLS DAY. tara and dustin decided to spend the whole day apart from each other and hang out with their best friends. tara was at max's house watching movies and learning to skateboard. while dustin was pushing in between people at the mall to get to his best friend. he makes his way into SCOOPS AHOY in which he was greeted at the service counter by a female.
"hi." dustin smiled
"hi," she responds.
"i'm dustin."
"i'm robin."
"pleasure to meet you. uh, is— is he here?"
"is who here?"
the door to the back room swung open revealing steve harrington in his sailor uniform. "henderson!" steve raised his hands above his head. "henderson! he's back! he's back!" dustin began to giggle, happy to see his best friend.
"i'm back!" dustin beamed. "you got the job!"
"i got the job!" steve says as he gestures to the big sign above robin and begins imitating a trumpet.
robin stared at the two boys blankly not knowing how to react to what she was witnessing.
"hey!" the boys started to do their handshake, they created before dustin went to summer camp. they ended the handshake with steve being stabbed with dustin's fake lightsaber as they laughed together. once they had calmed down, robin spoke.
"how many children are you friends with?" she asks.
sam saw everything. she was smiling
the whole time during their reunion. knowing steve her whole life, she would have never thought he would be best friends with a kid. this whole summer, she noticed steve was becoming the person she first met in the very beginning. he'd hang out with the kids and play board games in the basement. he would take them to the arcade, and play the games with them. he helped lucas with his first apology to max. he set up, tara and dustin's second date. he helped axel sneak el out of the house to see mike. something 1980s steve harrington wouldn't do. he changed.
dustin looks behind steve and sees sam by the doo steve came out of. dustin then smirks at him, wiggling his brows. "did i interrupt something?" he says.
"well i was in the middle of ranting to him about—"
"no. no. not at all." steve interrupts sam, placing an arm around dustin. "come on, tell me everything that happened at camp." he says as he took dustin to one of the booths in the ice cream shop. "robin, can you get us a banana split?! thanks!" he yells from across the shop, earning an eye roll from robin as she annoyingly starts to create dustin's banana split.
"dingus,"
she mumbled.
✮ ✮ ✮
"NO WAY,"
steve responded.
"yes way, and she also says kissing is better without teeth. i think i just won a trophy for having the world's best girlfriend in the universe." dustin said as he ate his banana split.
steve was speechless, his mouth was slightly open not knowing what to say. how did dustin get a girlfriend before me? he thought to himself. "wow. yeah, that's great. proud of you, man...that's- that's kinda romantic. that's like...wow."
"i know! then at camp we would sneak out at night and look at the stars while we slurped our slushies." dustin smiles.
steve was left speechless. the fact a kid has a better love life than him was shocking, but it warmed his heart to see dustin talk about tara. the way he talks about her is something you only see in the movies and books. although steve's face doesn't show it, inside he feels genuinely happy for dustin. as shocking as it sounds, steve wants what dustin has.
a happy love life.
"so do you just get to eat as much of this as you want?" dustin adds.
"yeah. i mean, sure. it's not a good idea for me, though. i gotta keep in shape for the lady." steve answers.
"yeah, and how's that working out for you?"
robin blurted out.
"ignore her."
"i mean, you did lose the second hottest girl in hawkins for being an asshole. you had sam right in front of you."
"thank you!"
robin yelled from across the shop.
"listen, i was going to tell her, but she was snuggling with matt at the dance. while you knuckleheads were just staring. you could have just pushed sam off of matt."
"how the hell was i supposed to know matt was chaperoning? i told you that entire week to chaperone because you might of had a chance with sam since she was going to be there. but, what did you say? no, it's too embarrassing." dustin mocks.
"i didn't say that."
"yes, you did. you seriously need to stop this whole popularity thing. you're too grown to be still acting like a high schooler. if you want a happy love life, change. you want to find your tara, change."
"yeah steve, change!"
robin calls out.
"ignore her,"
steve says.
"she's cool."
dustin smiles.
"eh, not really. anyways, where are the other knuckleheads?" steve asks.
"mike and el bailed on tara and me yesterday."
"no."
"our first day back, and they left not even five minutes into our walk. can you believe that shit?"
"woah. seriously?"
"they're gonna regret it, though, big time. when they don't get to go on double dates with tara and i, anymore."
"this is why you my friend gotta learn the word balance. you gotta balance between your friends and relationship."
"that's what i was saying!"
"what about the others?"
"well tara...you can guess where she's at..."
"max's?"
"yup and lucas is going to tell will and mike about the glory we all witnessed last night."
"glory? what glory?"
steve questioned.
dustin scooted closer to steve. "so last night, we were all trying to contact suzie, tara's new best friend and marco which is my new friend. and uh..." dustin looked around the shop making sure no one heard.
"weinterceptedasecretrussiancommunication," he whispers quickly. steve not hearing a word said.
"what?"
steve whispers back.
dustin clicks his tongue, covering the side of his lips so no one tries to see what he is saying. "we intercepted a secret russiancommunication."
"just speak louder."
"we intercepted a secret russian communication!" he says out loud as everyone whips their heads toward the two boys.
"jeez, shh. yeah, okay, that's what i thought
you said...wait, what does that mean?"
"it means, steve, we could be heroes to our ladies. you know, me with tara and you with sam. true american heroes."
"oh."
steve smirks liking the idea.
"yeah."
dustin smirks back.
"american heroes."
"just think, sam tied on a chair yelling for help and you coming to rescue her."
"rescue her, i like that."
steve said picturing everything dustin was saying.
"then, sam jumps into your arms and thanks you with kisses and then falls in love with you for being her hero."
steve smiles at the idea.
"so what's the catch?"
"there's no catch. i just need your help."
"with what?"
dustin pulls out a russian translation book from his backpack. "translation."
✮ ✮ ✮
TARA WAS ON MAX'S SKATEBOARD attempting to do some tricks on them while max was guiding her. one of the tricks is the kick flip.
"okay, just like how i taught you,"
max said, encouraging her best friend.
"flick my foot off the nose of the board."
tara began repeating the steps.
"yup."
"catch the flip with my back foot, and jump straight up and down?" tara questioned.
"yes, but you're missing the main part."
"umm...keep my shoulders lined up with the bolts!"
"yes! now try doing it, but the way i did it."
tara looked straight ahead, and she started to skate, gaining momentum to do the kickflip in which she failed.
"flick your foot!"
max called out.
tara tried again but failed.
"you're making the board jump with you, but you're not flicking your foot!"
tara attempted one last time but almost tripped onto the ground. max ran to her, "are you okay?"
"yeah..." tara sighed as she looked around. "where did the board go?" she looked towards the street to see el with it in her hand, walking to them.
"hi."
"hi!" tara smiled.
"what happened to your date with mike?"
max joined.
"can we talk?"
was all el told them as max welcomed tara and el into her house, and towards her room. tara jumped onto max's bed and patted a spot for el. "sit." she said.
"talk to us,"
max spoke
"well, i am...confused. mike was supposed to be at my house at 9:30. so, we could hang out in my room, but he never came. so i called and his mom answered, then mike. he tells me he was about to call, and he can't see me."
"that motherf—"
"i'm not done." el interrupted tara while max paced back and forth. "he then tells me that he can't see me because nana is sick. but i remember hopper telling me that nana was okay. then, mike got quiet. but then, he says nana got very sick and he thinks nana might die. he then tells me his mom was so upset about nana and they're going to a nursing home?" she says, confused about what a nursing home was.
"nursing home is where old people live. but those, who are very sick and need lots of doctors to help," tara explains.
"okay...so, i tell him to come over after he sees nana, but he says no because he has to be alone with his feelings? then, i started to think he was lying, so i asked if he was lying to me, but he says friends don't lie."
"he's so stupid! he's not your friend, he's your boyfriend." tara complains.
"but then he says his mom was calling him, and he'll talk to me tomorrow, and then he said he— he missed me, and then he just hung up." el finished ranting.
"he's a piece of shit."
max finally spoke.
"what?"
el questions.
"mike doesn't have jack shit to do today, and his nana isn't sick." max explains.
"yeah! and sam has gotten closer to nancy. if nana was sick, nancy would have told sam, and sam would have told me by now," tara says.
"so mike lied to me?"
"yes!" max and tara said at the same time. max walks to el. "i guarantee you, he and lucas are playing atari right now."
"but friends don't lie,"
el says.
"boyfriends lie too,"
max responded.
"okay, can we maybe exclude dustin from this? "
tara asks.
max looks at tara. " boyfriends lie too, but dustin." she corrects herself.
"thank you."
tara smiles.
"trust me el, you think boyfriends don't lie, but believe me they lie. all. the. time."
✮ ✮ ✮
"WELL YOU'RE FUCKED, MIKE."
lucas sighs, not being able to help his friend out.
"why would i be fucked?"
"once el tells tara what you did to her. she will beat the shit out of you. i still remember the first and last time i hurt max..." lucas said as he began massaging his arm. "believe me, tara might be tiny, but she can punch."
"i am not scared of a five-foot girl! i am taller than her. she won't do shit especially hurt her best friend's boyfriend. maybe you, since you've been best friends with her longer than i had."
lucas puts his hands up.
"i warned you."
"this isn't about tara right now. it's about hopper, he threatened me!"
"did he say he'd kill you?"
"what? no."
"so then, what's the big deal?"
"the big deal is if i don't do what he says, then he'll stop me from seeing el. like, permanently."
all lucas does is sigh and run his hand across
his face, stressfully.
"you don't understand, lucas. he's crazy, crazier than axel and scott. hopper isn't okay, he lost his mind. he acts like a grandpa who's never been loved."
"hey guys, i'm almost set up here."
will speak, but the two boys completely ignored him.
"i had no choice, lucas! i had to lie."
"i just wished you'd consulted me first. i would of helped. i would have prevented you from getting beaten up by tara..." lucas said as he remembered something. "shit..."
"what?"
"because of you, max might end up breaking up with me again. she probably thinks i helped you lie. you see what you have caused!"
"you're making this about you!? this about me lucas. about me! i could end up killed!"
"agh!" lucas says stressfully as he rocked back and forth, worried that max might end up breaking up with him.
"i had no choice, lucas!"
mike yells.
✮ ✮ ✮
"YOU'RE GOING TO STOP CALLING
HIM." max advises.
"and you're going to ignore his calls. as far as you're concerned, he doesn't exist," tara added.
"doesn't exist?"
el questioned.
"he treated you like garbage. you're too beautiful to be treated that way. so you know, what you're going to do with him?" max asks.
"what?"
"you're gonna treat him like garbage. give him a taste of his own medicine." tara responds.
"give him the medicine."
el repeats.
max hums in response. "and if he doesn't fix this, if he doesn't explain himself..."
"i will beat the shit out of him,"
tara says.
"then, dump. his. ass."
max adds.
✮ ✮ ✮
"NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S GONNA BE REAL BAD." lucas says.
"agh!"
mike groans.
"but...you can fix this. it's just one little mistake. i've made hundreds, thousands. max has dumped me five times, and tara has punched me five times. but what have i done? huh? have i despaired? no. i marched back into battle, sucked up all that pain from tara's punches, and became an even better boyfriend to max, and i have won her back every, single. freaking. time." lucas advised.
"how?"
"i'll show you."
✮ ✮ ✮
"YOU KNOW WHAT? LET'S GO."
tara jumped off max's bed.
"where are we going?"
el asks.
"to our girl's day, we can't do it without you. let's have some fun today." max said as she followed tara, grabbing el's hand. "there's more to life than stupid boys, you know."
"it's good to take a break from boys,"
tara adds.
✮ ✮ ✮
MATT ARRIVED AT THE POOL IN A DRUNK-LIKE STATE. he was stumbling around the area, sweating more than normal, and physically uncomfortable.
"mathew?"
he heard monica say.
but he didn't respond.
"i heard what happened this morning. i had to switch shifts with a damn co-worker because your dad couldn't switch shifts and forced me to come check on you. so, what's going on?"
he was listening, but didn't respond.
"kill her. she hurt you."
he heard a deep voice telling him.
"can't you just say something and make this go any faster. i have somewhere to be."
her voice began to start sounding
echoey to him.
"your dad and jackelyn are worried. can't you just say something, so your dad would stop bothering me about you?"
matt can hear his heartbeat pounding. his mother's voice still sounding echoey.
"kill her."
a voice says again.
"mathew just—"
he cuts his monica off mid-sentence by attacking her. well, he briefly thought. he was breathing heavily, dripping sweat as monica was calling his name.
"mathew just say a damn word. i don't have time to deal with you." she says.
he finally turns around facing her. monica had an annoyed face. his face was sweaty, and he looked ill. "just say you're sick, so i can leave." monica said. matt doesn't respond as he walks and pushes her out of the way.
"stay the hell away from me."
he says leaving her in the pool closet.
matt makes his way to his lifeguard chair in a long sleeve which heather found weird, but brushed it off. he can feel the heat burn his skin. he sighed as he felt his whole body burn up.
✮ ✮ ✮
ROBIN WAS SCOOPING A SAMPLE OF MINT CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM FOR ERICA. robin had the most annoyed look on her face as she watched erica try the mint chocolate.
"can i try the peppermint stick?"
erica asks.
"haven't you already tried the peppermint
stick?"
"yes, and i'd like to try it again."
robin rolls her eyes.
"steve!" she called out.
meanwhile, the two boys were listening to a recording of a male voice speaking russian. trying to figure out what the guy was saying. dustin looked at steve waiting for him to say something as he stopped the recording. "so, what do you think?" he asked.
"it sounded familiar,"
steve says with a full mouth.
"what?"
"the music. the music right there at
the end."
"why are you listening to the music, steve? listen to the russian! we're translating russian!" dustin yelled.
"i'm trying to listen to the russian, but there's
music—"
"okay, boys day is over. steve go out there and help robin. erica is killing her." sam spoke as she came from the doors that lead to the service counter, startling the boys.
sam waited for a response from the boys, but both were completely silent. "hello? robin is dying out there."
"i guarantee you, what we're doing is way more important than robin being annoyed by erica." dustin spoke.
"oh yeah? and how do you know these russians are up to no good anyways?" sam crosses her arms as the boy's eyes went big.
dustin slowly looked at steve.
"you told her about the russians!"
"i didn't tell her anything,"
steve says.
"hello, we can hear you. we all heard everything. you are both extremely loud and don't know how to talk in secret. you think you have evil russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you're trying to translate, but you haven't figured out shit because you didn't realize russians use an entirely different alphabet than we do. am i speaking the truth?" sam spoke quickly.
dustin stared at sam with nothing else to say while steve was just amazed at the way she spoke so quickly. sam attempts to grab the recording, but steve grabs it first. "woah, what do you think you're doing?" steve says.
"i wanna hear it."
"why?" both boys say at the same time.
"cause maybe i can help."
"why?"
dustin asks.
"because i am bored out of my mind, and i am going through a heartbreak. besides, i wanna do something today besides crying."
the boys don't say a word and stare
at the girl.
"i'm trilingual."
sam says.
"russian?"
dustin says.
"сука"
she says.
"oh-ho-ho!"
steve was in awe.
"holy shit!"
dustin smiles. "what does that mean?"
"it means bitch. now get out there, and scoop some ice cream сука while us girls translate." robin bursts into the break-room, and takes a seat next to dustin.
"uh..."
"come on, steve." sam begged as steve looked at her. she walked to him as she placed a hand on his arm. "please." she said softly. the feeling of her hand on his arm sends electricity through his body. which,
he gave in.
"fine."
steve says as he hands the recording over to sam and walks out to the service counter to assist erica.
robin leans over to dustin.
"i can't believe that worked."
A.N:
i know the chapters are taking forever to publish and i have been gone for a couple of months, but i really want this story to turn out good. i've been trying to plot each other and make it work with the plot i had in mind for season 3. i've also reread past books i wrote and they're just not good. so, i want this to be better than the others. and i guarantee you guys, axel, scott and maria will make an appearance in the chapters, trust me! last thing, keep on the look out for the tik toks i have posted which gives/shows some highlight points of some chapters in the book!
tik tok:
@ unlessitsmrsreid01