June 28th, 1985
The Byers Household

"It's such bullshit," Nancy stated as she paced around my bedroom while I read my textbook on electromagnetic fields. "Men are stupid, Nance. You'll prove yourself to them at some point." I droned on for what felt like the umpteenth time.

   "They won't even give me the chance. Hell, I shouldn't have to prove myself to them in the first place." Nancy continued to complain about her work environment before running a hand through her hair, loosening the tight curls. "And your brother doesn't even notice it. Or even try to help."

   "He's a guy, they don't notice anything unless it affects them," I stated marking the chapter I was on before placing the book onto my desk. "Can you stop pacing, you're making me anxious." I stood from my seat and placed my hands on her shoulders to stop Nancy in her place.

   "If it's so bad why don't you just find a new job?" I asked her as I slowly let her go, only for her to turn and start pacing again.

   "So that they'll what? Hire me to be the coffee girl at the next place I go?" Throwing her hands in the air, she sat on the foot of my bed, placing her head in her hands. "This is so stupid." She mumbled.

   "Remember when you said getting summer jobs would be a good idea?" I asked with a smirk.

   "Don't rub it in, Nell." She stated with a roll of her eyes. "I couldn't stand being a babysitter like you." Sitting next to her I shrugged my shoulders. "How is the Hawkins Post any better? They can't even deliver news properly."

    "I know, that's why I want to be a reporter. I could deliver the news that's actually important." Nodding in agreement, I placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll prove yourself at some point, but until then, give 'em hell." I stated with a smirk while she rolled her eyes playfully.

   "I miss this, we barely hang out anymore." Nancy groaned, laying down on my bed while I looked down at my watch. "Maybe if you stopped spending all your time with my brother we could see each other more."

   The light coming from the lamp on my desk began to flicker before shutting off, as well as the light in the hall that peeked in from beneath my door. "Shit..." I mumbled before walking across the room to flip the light switch by my door. "What happened?" Nancy asked before looking out my window.

   "The lamppost is down too." She called out, taking a seat on my bed before all the lights suddenly turned back on again. "That was freaky," I mumbled, clicking the light on one more time.

   The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut made the two of us jump slightly in panic before Jonathan announced that he was home with a shout."He's so loud." Nancy mumbled, rolling off of the bed before fixing her hair in front of the mirror by the door.

   Nodding in agreement, I followed her to the door. "You should come over tomorrow, we could watch scary movies and talk trash about Jonathan," I stated as I grabbed the jacket off of my desk chair. "I heard that!" Jonathan called out from inside his room.

   "Quit eavesdropping!" I yelled back while Nancy opened my bedroom door. "Why are you both so loud? Jesus." She questioned with a grin as we both stepped out of the room and into the hallway.

   "Hey, Jonathan. Can I borrow your car for the night?" I asked with a bat of my eyelashes as I leaned on the doorframe while Nancy entered the room and gave him a peck on the cheek. "What, why?" He asked, loosening the red tie he had on. "Cause, I'm picking up Will from the mall. Unless you want to?"

   "No to both. The last time you took my car you scratched it." He stated with a scoff. "You can barely see it," I said with a groan as I crossed my arms. "And, I just got home. So, no. Why don't you just ask Steve for a ride?"

   "Because he's working and I actually like driving. Please, Jonathan." I asked, giving him puppy dog eyes. "That worked when you were cute. Answers still no, so either take the bus back or ask Steve." Jonathan stated before lightly pushing me out of his room and closing the door while Nancy laughed at the two of us in the background.

~~~

   Starcourt Mall was the newest addition to our small town in Indiana. After all the news was released about the laboratory, the town somehow received the opposite of backlash.

   Tourists seemed to come from everywhere after hearing about what had happened because of the lab. And with them came an influx of money, meaning a new mall for some reason.

   Everyone loved it at first, that was until family-owned stores had shut down due to the lack of customers and profit. Mom luckily was one of the fortunate few who got to keep their jobs.

   But, the number of people who hated the mall was outnumbered by those who preferred it, primarily the kids and teens of Hawkins.

   I have mixed feelings. The only other mall in Hawkins was small, trashy, and decrepit. Starcourt was a serious upgrade for Hawkins. But, Hawkins practically runs on family-owned businesses. It's practically a guarantee that comes with any small town and it's heartbreaking to see them shut down.

   It's hard to hate Starcourt though, it's bright and flashy, even as I pushed through the revolving doors to the mall I couldn't help but smile. Walking through the crowd of people that gathered in the center of the mall, I made my way towards the practically empty Scoops Ahoy.

   Steve had landed a job at Scoops early into the summer vacation after not receiving an acceptance letter to any of the colleges near us, and he told me he refused to work with his father. Stating he'd rather make an honest living. So, he got a job at Scoops Ahoy, along with Robin, a girl from my drama class, and a few other teens from the high school.

   "Hey, dingus. Your dream girl's here." Robin called out in a singsong tone to Steve as she leaned against the counter. "That's a new one, Robin," I stated with a grin as I stopped in front of the counter. "I try." She mumbled as Steve came out of the break room. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked as he rounded from behind the counter and pulled me into a hug.

   "It's my turn to pick up, Will. I told him to meet me here after the movie." I started as Steve kept one arm wrapped tightly around my waist while Robin rolled her eyes at the two of us before exiting into the break room. "And, I was hoping you could drive us home?" I asked with a hopeful grin.

   "What's in it for me?" Steve asked as he arched his brow down at me. Letting out a hum, I shrugged my shoulders and leaned up to whisper in his ear. "I'll let you decide." As I pulled away, I placed a quick kiss on his jaw while he stared down at me with wide eyes. "Gross." The voice of Will drifted through the empty ice cream shop.

   Turning to look at the entrance I spotted Will with his arms crossed over his chest, along with Max, Lucas, and Mike who all had slight frowns on their faces. "Agreed," Robin stated, from behind the open window that connected with the break room. "Whatever." Steve mumbled under his breath before walking into the breakroom to get his keys.

~~~

   The ride home was quick, but something seemed off about Will. He was a quiet kid, sure, but he was jumpy throughout the entire ride and refused to talk about it. Once the car was parked in the driveway he had hopped out and ran inside before Steve could even turn off the car. "Does he hate me or something?" Steve asked after getting out of the car and opening my door for me.

   "No, he'd tell me that. Maybe he's just tired?" Walking through the door that Will had left open, I could hear Jonathan and Nancy bickering in the kitchen. "That's disgusting," Nancy stated. "What are you talking about? It completes the sandwich." Jonathan argued back.

   "Mustard doesn't belong on a sandwich." Nancy stated as Steve and I entered the kitchen. "Nellie, doesn't mustard complete a sandwich?" Jonathan asked, holding up the mustard bottle in his hand. "It's gross, right Nell?" Nancy asked with a hand on her hip.

   "Well, what do you use, Nance?" I asked while Steve lazily threw his arm around my shoulder. "Mayonnaise." She stated simply. "Gross." I stated with a grimace, shaking my head at her response. "What is wrong with your family?" Nancy rolled her eyes before pulling the mustard out of Jonathans' hand.

   "So, does mom know he's here?" Jonathan asked as he took a bite of his sandwich. "No," I stated with a shrug. "Why does it matter?" Steve asked with a furrowed brow. "Something about wanting to meet you properly," Jonathan said with a shrug. "She feels bad."

   "Don't guilt-trip him, Jon." I muttered as I felt Steve's arm pull away from me. "Sorry." Jonathan raised his hands in the air in mock surrender. "I think we're gonna retire for the night." Nancy stated pulling Jonathan out of the kitchen by his arm. "Us too. See you guys in the morning." I called out to them, Jonathan's door slamming shut was the only response I got back.

   Taking Steve's hand I led him down the hall and into my room. "That wasn't awkward," Steve smirked down at me as I closed the door behind us. "Definitely not, I really cherish these little moments." I smiled up at him as he played with the sleeves of my jacket. "Did you steal this from my closet?"

   "What? No, you left it here." I stated, "It looks good on you, I like it." His tone was soft as he pulled me closer to him by the collar of the jacket. "Good, I cause I wasn't planning on giving it back," I whispered as he leaned down to capture my lips in his.

   His hands trailed down my arms before pulling them above my head before disconnecting our lips. "This is new." I rasped out as he kissed down my neck. "So, is this my payback for the ride?" I whispered.

   Pulling his slightly puffy lips away from my neck, Steve smirked down at me before shaking his head slowly. "I'm actually gonna need you on the bed for that."

~~~

   I woke the next morning in an empty bed. I don't know how Jonathan and Nancy get away with spending the night together, but Steve's always gone before I wake up. I'm kind of jealous of my brothers' relationship with Nancy, in my eyes they're perfect.

   Ever since they both landed the internship at The Hawkins Post they've been inseparable. They love each other.

   The relationship I have with Steve is great, it's strong and we have a lot of trust in each other, but I feel like there's this unspoken issue between us.

   The issue being Steve's refusal of labeling us as a couple, even after being together for six months.

   At first, I thought it was sweet. Steve wanting to take his time in a relationship was practically unheard of, so much so that Nancy didn't even believe me when I told her. But, multiple dates later and nights like yesterday just confuse me about what exactly we are.

   We've talked about it a few times but it feels like something is holding him back. He won't talk about it, and that's the part that kind of hurts.

   His whole demeanor shifted when he graduated, and then it shifted even more after he got his job at Scoops. But, I love our relationship and I honestly think he does too. I just don't know what to do with the situation.

   Sliding out of bed, I made my way across my carpeted floor and towards my dresser. Sliding on a pair of shorts before I walked out of my room to find that no one in the house was awake.

   Walking into the kitchen, I pulled the coffee pot off of it's cold burner. Making my way towards the sink to filled the pot with water, but stopped short on my path when a small stack of papers stole my attention.

   Sliding the papers down the counter and towards me. I furrowed my brows together as I read and reread the first line trying to make sense of the words in hopes that I was misunderstanding the purpose of the letter.

    Your home is now on the market.

    Clutching the papers tightly, I folded them up before shoving it in the pocket of my shorts.

   Just as I placed it in my pocket and smoothed my shirt back over to hide the paper, the sound of one of the bedroom doors opening caught my attention, before mom walked out from around the halls corner. "Morning, honey." She gave me a tight lipped smile before placing a kiss on the top of my head.

   "Do you mind waking up Will? I'll get started on breakfast." Her question hung in the air while I stared at her with a heated gaze. "Hello, Earth to Nell?" She called out with a grin before lightly rubbing my shoulder. "You okay?"

   Nodding, I quickly grabbed the coffee pot that had been long forgetten on the edge of the counter before placing it back on the burner. "I'm fine. Just tired."