Chapter Thirty-One:
Ghosts
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
"Woah!" Ramona giggled, stumbling over her feet as she struggled to get into the cart beside Steve and Robin. A loud gasp left her lips as her back hit the metal and she looked over at Steve. A dazed grin spread across her face as she scooted closer to him. "Steve! Steve! Steve! Robin, Robin, Robin! Hey, hey, I thought you guys died! I'm glad you didn't!"
"Hey!" Steve drawled, smiling warmly as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He leaned into her touch, relief mixing with the drugs flowing through his vein. "You're alive! I thought I'd lost you.."
"Unless," Robin gasped, causing Steve to look over at her, "She's a ghost!"
Steve jumped back suddenly, pulling away from Ramona's warm embrace as he looked at her in horror, "I'm scared of ghosts!"
Ramona frowned at the sudden loss of touch as she made grabby hands at Steve. "I'm living! Swear!"
"Jesus Christ." Dustin muttered, "She's not a ghost, Steve."
"Why are they actin' so weird?" Erica asked as Dustin shrugged in response.
"I'm not!" Ramona insisted desperately, waving her hands around. "Watch!"
A loud yelp left her lips as her hand connected with her black eye, causing a throbbing pain to spike suddenly before disappearing seconds later, leaving a dull ache behind. "Fuck!"
Steve gasped, pulling her hand from her face and carefully examining it. "What was-"
"See? I'm not a ghost!" Ramona exclaimed as Erica and Dustin shared a look, wildly waving around, "If I was... My hand would've gone through! So ha! Ow.."
"Woah! Slow down!" Steve slurred, wrapping one arm around Ramona and one hand around the metal to keep himself steady.
"Woah, speedy, speedy." Ramona burst out in a fit of giggles, resting her hand on Steve's chest.
"Yeah, what is this, like, the Indy five-hundred?" Robin scoffed, shaking her head.
"It's Indy three-hundred!" Steve corrected, as Ramona shook her head.
"No, dingus!" Robin slurred, "It's five-hundred!"
"You two are stupid!" Ramona giggled, "It's the Indy-I-Don't-Give-A-Fuck!"
Steve gasped, looking down at her as she pushed herself off of his chest. "It's three-hundred-"
"Let's say... a million!" Robin trailed off as the trio burst out into a fit of laughter.
"What is wrong with them?" Erica asked, glancing back at Ramona as she gazed up at Steve, repeatedly poking his cheek as the two giggled like lunatics.
"I don't know-"
"Dustin, watch out!" Erica shouted as Dustin swerved, crashing into three metal barrels.
"Ow!" Ramona laughed, raising her hand to rest on the top of her head. "Careful, up there Dusty Roads!"
"You guys alright back there?" Dustin asked, earning a groan from the three. "They're fine."
Ramona groaned, sitting up and shaking her head, "Ow."
"Come on," Ramona looked up at Dustin as he pulled open the door. "We gotta go, now."
Ramona stubbornly shook her head, "No. I like it here. It's cozy."
"Come on!" Erica hissed, "Let's go!"
"Get out!" Dustin shouted, reaching forward and pulling Steve out. "Now."
"Get out, now." Ramona mimicked, carefully climbing out of the vehicle. "Perra mandona."
"We're coming, jeez!" Steve whined, "This sucks!"
Ramona nodded in agreement, "I wanna go back in the car thingie! Go zoom."
"No.." Steve whined, sliding his hand into Ramona's and pulling her back to him.
~~
"This is even better!" Ramona whooped, cackling as she stumbled and fell to the ground, "Zoom but spicy!"
"Hey!" Robin gasped as Steve whipped around to look at her, "You look like you're-"
"Like I'm surfing!" Steve shouted as Ramona pulled herself to her feet and stumbling over to them, "Yeah!"
"Whoo!" Ramona cheered, clumsily jumping around as Dustin and Erica watched in confusion. "I wanna surfy surf."
"Come on, then." Steve grinned, reaching forward and pulling Ramona up with him, laughing loudly as she stumbled into him, sending them both into the handle behind him. "Woah, woah, woah!"
Ramona cackled giddily as she attempted to stand straight up and keep her balance. "Surfy surf, bitches!"
"They seem drunk." Erica said, shaking her head and looking over at Dustin.
"Why would they be drunk?" Dustin deadpanned.
"We're naturals!" Steve cheered, letting his hands slip from Ramona's waist as he threw his hands in the air. "Check it out-"
"Whope!" Ramona exclaimed, wincing as her wrist slammed against the metal floor of the elevator as Robin pulled back the Dolley from under them. "Fucking ow, Robin! Owing fuck!"
"Woah!" Robin laughed, "Wipeout!"
Ramona winced as she pressed her right palm against the cold floor to push herself up, "Woah.. Why the fuckity fuck are you putting your hands all over his face? You're gonna hurt him!"
Dustin rolled his eyes, struggling to press his palm against Steve's forehead as he Steve fought back, "He's burning up."
"You're burning up!" Steve argued, slapping Dustin's hand away.
"One sec, okay, Steve?" Dustin answered as Steve protested, trying to escape Dustin as he pulled open his eye to examine his pupil.
"Dustin!" Ramona whined, stretching to try and push him away. "You're being a bitch."
"I'm not being a bitch." Dustin said pointedly, rolling his eyes as he pulled his hands away from Dustin's face. "His pupils are super dilated."
"Maybe he's drugged." Erica suggested, tearing her eyes away from Ramona and Robin who sat facing each other, having a staring contest.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Robin murmured, placing her hands on Ramona's shoulders. "Go!"
"Boop." Ramona whispered, reaching forward and poking Robin in the eye, cheering loudly when she shut both her eyes. "Ha! I win."
"Ugh," Steve groaned, reaching forward and poking Dustin on his nose, "Boop!"
"Steve," Dustin asked, patting Steve on the cheek, "Are you drugged?"
"How many times, dad? I don't do drugs! It's only marijuana!" Steve said, causing Ramona to topple over in a fit of giggles.
Dustin sighed loudly in disappointment, "This isn't funny, okay? I need to know what they did to you."
"Bad things!" Ramona shouted, throwing her arms in the air, "Look!"
Dustin's heart sank as she pulled her hair back to reveal her bruised neck. Purple marks, in the shape of a handprint, littered her neck as she looked down at her feet. "Ramona-"
"Bad, bad, bad, bad things!" Ramona exclaimed, letting herself fall back to the ground, "Bad things."
"Are you gonna die on us?" Dustin asked, turning his attention back to Steve.
"Boop." Steve answered.
"I wanna make it to at least sixty-nine, because-"
"We all die, my strange little child friend. It's only a matter of how and when." Robin said, pulling her hands from Ramona's hair.
Dustin blinked slowl, shaking his head in confusion, "Uh.. Okay, they're gonna be looking for us up there, so I need you to tell me where you parked your car."
"Oh, can we make a pitstop at the food court?" Steve asked, looking over at Ramona who nodded excitedly.
"I would kill for a hot dog on a stick!"
"Ooh.." Steve whistled, a grin spreading across his face.
"All right, food, yes." Dustin relented, nodding his head in exasperation. "You can have as much food as you want, but only if you tell me where your car is parked."
"Uh-oh!" Steve gasped.
"What?"
"The car's off the board!" Steve laughed, sticking his hands in his pockets and turning them inside-out. "They took the keys. The Russians, they took the keys, like, forever ago."
Ramona gasped, "But I loved that car!"
Robin cackled, shaking her head and falling backward. Steve shook his head with a laugh, "That's a bummer, right?"
~~
Ramona spread her arms out as she left the mall, "Steve! The air!"
Ramona sighed in relief, raising her arms above her head and spinning around to face him. "The air! It's so.. sweet!"
"Oh, my God!" Robin exclaimed, her eyes falling shut as she inhaled the fresh air. "That tastes so good! Ah! Steve, Ramona, can you taste the air?"
Ramona nodded excitedly, "Si!"
"I taste it, I taste it!" Steve shouted, reaching forward and pulling Ramona towards him, "I taste it."
Ramona giggled loudly, sliding her arm around his neck and using him to support herself, "It hurts to talk, but I don't even care right now!"
"Stop!" A Russian soldier shouted, causing Dustin's back to straighten as he whipped around.
"Shit, come on! Come on!" Dustin shouted, ushering the three drugged teens back into the mall. "Let's go!"
"Stop right there!"
"Woah.." Ramona coughed as Stev pulled away from her, running back towards the mall. "Wait, hey!"
"Why are we running?" Robin asked as Dustin shoved her and Ramona into the mall, shutting the metal door behind him with a slam.
Ramona leaned over resting her hands on her knees, "That was fun."
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
{ A/n: vibes }
{ Translations: bossy bitch, yes }
{ Edited: No }