A/N: I always wondered what Steve was like before the show, and specially his friendship with Tommy and Carol. How did he become the King of Hawkins? Here's my take on it!
I decided to also start representing thought via dialogue, as opposed to narration, after some feedback. Let me know how you feel!
Story Content Warnings: Language, Disturbing Content, Violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or it's properties, they are all under the ownership of the Duffer Brothers.
Monday September 3rd, 1979 - Hawkins, Indiana
"Steve, please say something."
He ignored his mother and remained silent, staring at the ceiling from where he laid in the back seat of his father's car. He kept his eyes focused on the roof, arms crossed behind his head.
His parents had been lecturing him since he had woken up that morning. From the moment he left his bedroom, their constant criticism had been never ending.
A deep sigh escaped Steve's mouth as he wiggled his feet back and forth.
Yeah, maybe he should have just been happy that they were even home to begin with, but any joy he would have found quickly vanished as they let him know how much of a disappointment he was.
He used to argue, when his parents had first started treating him this way. But not anymore.
So, Steve had remained silent. Silent when he walked down the stairs and was told his grades weren't good enough. Silent during his breakfast when he was told that he wasn't popular enough. Silent in the car as he was told he was an embarrassment to the family.
"Steven," came the stern voice of his father.
"Huh?" Steve muttered petulantly as he continued to stare upwards. "Did you say something? I quit listening about an hour ago."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother turn in the passenger seat to look at him. "Stefano, don't be like that. We only want what's best for the family."
'The family?'
He frowned and abruptly sat up, angrily rotating forward to glare at where his father sat in the drivers seat. He clenched his fist against his khaki pants.
"Yeah, sure." Steve spat out with disdain. "I just love when you show up out of the blue after being gone for weeks and decide that now you want to be parents."
"That's enough!" Elena dropped the fake sweetness that had been in her voice prior as she shot him a dirty look. Her accent became more noticeable with anger. "You are tredici. It's time you stop acting like a bambino."
He watched as his father's cold brown eyes met his in the rear view mirror, preparing himself for the inevitable dress down that was coming his way.
"You've upset your mother. I have half a mind to ship you off to military school, but having you as our son is already embarrassing enough. We can't have the other family's questioning the Harrington name."
Steve couldn't help himself, leaning forward and snickering as he shot back. "Half a mind is right!"
His father didn't respond to him, only gripped the steering wheel tighter. His mom turned back to face the front, shaking her head in disgust.
"How did we raise such an ungrateful mostro for a son?" She complained loudly. "We will deal with you when we return from your father's business trip."
'How did 'we' raise? That's a good one'
He scoffed, choosing not to respond to the inaccuracy of her question, and looked out the back window on his right. He laid his head against the glass and watched the streets pass as they drove through downtown Hawkins.
'And business trip? Yeah, okay.'
He would have believed that about two years ago. But ever since he had started middle school, his parents travelled more and more and returned home less and less. He was willing to bet they wouldn't be back from their 'business trip' until the holidays.
Steve looked up as the car pulled to a stop, seeing the familiar sidewalk leading up to the steps of Hawkins Middle School. A sprinkle of other school children were standing around or walking about, but most had yet to arrive.
Without wasting a second, he grabbed his sky blue backpack and threw the door of the car open, stepping out onto the pavement. He slammed the door and started to walk forward when his father's voice called after him.
"Steven."
'Seriously? Can't they just go?'
Steve sighed again deeply and slowly turned to look through the now rolled down passenger window at his father, whom sat staring at him with a firm gaze.
"Remember, Steven. You are an investment." His father's deep voice was laden with judgement as he lectured him. "This is your last year of middle school. I expect you to finally start proving your worth by the time we return."
He didn't get a chance to respond as his father rolled the window up and sped off toward the airport, leaving him standing on the sidewalk to stare after them.
'Sure, Dad. I live only to please.' Steve huffed and shifted his weight back and worth. 'I don't believe this.'
He failed to notice the footsteps approaching him from behind, jumping in alarm when a new voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Steve! How nice to see you here so bright and early." He spun around quickly to find his favorite teacher, Mr. Clarke, smiling down at him.
"Where the heck did you come from?" Steve sputtered, eyes wide as his heart thumped heavily from fright.
Mr. Clarke's reason for being there was entirely between the lines as he answered, "Principal Coleman is expecting you in his office. Not the best way to start off your eighth-grade year, I'm afraid."
"Cool, thanks." Steve ignored the look of pity that the science teacher gave him and turned to his right, beginning to walk off again.
And again he was stopped.
"His office is that way, Steve." Mr. Clarke corrected. "In the main building."
He slumped his shoulders and looked behind him to see his teacher pointing toward the blue school doors.
He was supposed to meet up with Tommy and Carol to discuss their plans for the year. Tommy had called the night prior and urgently requested that he wait for them near the bike racks before class.
'Guess they will just have to wait for me instead.'
Steve begrudging made his way down the sidewalk, dragging his feet as he approached the entrance.
The halls weren't very lively as he walked through them, only a handful of students actually inside the building. His parent's had booked an earlier flight than usual, which meant he had been dropped off a full hour before class was supposed to begin.
His shoes squeaked on the tile as he turned a corner and entered the main office area. He gave a half-hearted salute to the secretary as she gestured to the room behind her. He walked forward and grabbed the door handle, turning it slowly as he steeled himself for what lied beyond.
Principal Coleman looked up from the papers on his desk as Steve entered his office, fixing his eyes firmly on the thirteen year old.
"Ah, Steven." The man greeted.
'Oh, great. I can already tell where this is headed.'
He groaned and slid his body into one of the chairs in front of the wooden desk. He dropped his backpack onto the carpet and gave the older man an blank stare.
"Uh-huh." Steve replied dismissively.
"What?" Principal Coleman leveled a sharp look of disapproval at him. "'Uh-huh' what?"
"I meant, yes Sir." Steve corrected apathetically with a wave of his right hand.
"That's more like it." Principal Coleman gave an affirming nod, grabbing a stack of papers and tapping them on the desk as he spoke. " Now let's see here..." He looked over the papers in his hands. "I must say, I'm disappointed Steven. In the past two years, you've gained quite the reputation. Foul language, skipping class, disrespecting faculty.."
Steve crossed his arms and continued to look at the man blankly as he listed off the things he and his friends had gotten up.
'And of course I get blamed for most of those instead of Tommy.'
"It's only because of my friendship with your father that I swept all this under the rug, Steven." Principal Coleman admitted seriously. He set the papers down and crossed his hands in front of himself. "Now, when James called me this morning, I told him that I would make an example of you, and I intend to keep my word. By the time you finish the school year, we will shape you into a respectable young man that will make your family proud."
He furrowed his brows harder with each word the man spoke. 'My dad called the Principal? Is he for real?'
"Yeah, for sure." Steve shook his head and fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair. He cast his eyes to the office door on his right and then back to the man in front of him. "Can I- can I go now?"
Principal Coleman raised an eyebrow at him, before shaking his head in affirmation. Steve quickly grabbed his bag and stood as the man added, "Just remember, Steven. Stay out of trouble, and be the man I know you can be. I'll be watching."
He rolled his eyes and slung the backpack over his shoulder as he pushed the door to the office open. He exited Principal Coleman's room, passing by the secretary and walking out into the hallway.
Steve paused for a moment, gripping the strap of his bag tightly in irritation.
'Nobody ever cares about anything but my stupid family name. Like that's all I'm good for.' He looked back over his shoulder at the office he had just exited, shaking his head. 'I'm tired of just being 'Steve Harrington'. I want to make a name for myself. Something other than just 'son of a respected and wealthy family'.
He moved forward, shuffling back down the hallway and rounding the corner as he made his way back to the exit.
'Man, I hope Tommy can turn this day around.'
Steve pushed open the front door of the building, bumping shoulders with one of the jocks from the football team. The pair exchanged dirty looks but kept on their way, Steve stepping down the stairs glumly.
As he moved down the sidewalk toward the side of the building, he paused and felt his body tense. A familiar head of messy brown hair stood about thirty feet in front of him.
'Shit..'
Cody Miller was the most popular student at Hawkins High School. He was also a massive bully, and would frequently pick on the middle school students before, during, and after school.
Cody also loved to target him especially, clearly resentful of his money.
And he had never really fought back, mostly due to his scrawny frame. Or, to be more accurate, his formally scrawny frame. This year he had finally had his growth spurt, and was now standing proudly at 5' 8", with room to grow.
He debated trying to go around Cody and his friends, but it was no use. They had already spotted him.
"Harrington, guess what time it is!" Cody taunted with a grin as he sauntered over, flanked by two of his side-kicks.
Steve rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically, "Time to get a watch?"
Cody stopped about six feet from him and punched his left fist into his right hand, sporting an ugly smirk. "Nope! Time for a beat down."
Steve clenched his fists tightly and prepared for a fight, but a large figure interrupted the brawl before it could begin. Mr. Turner, the notoriously hot-headed math teacher, grabbed Cody by his shirt and pulled him onto his tip toes.
"What do you think you are doing, Mr. Miller?" Mr. Turner said lowly. "Not picking on children, I hope." The man released the older student's shirt and the teen stepped back, smiling sheepishly.
"Of course not! Just wanted to talk to ol' Stevie-boy." Cody lied smoothly.
Mr. Turner clearly did not buy it, and nodded roughly over to the building across the street as he snapped, "Get to class immediately!"
Cody nor Steve pointed out to the man that class wasn't supposed to start for another forty-five minutes, the former quickly walking away. Mr. Turner shot Steve a glare and sauntered back over to the front of the school where he waited for other arriving children.
Steve relaxed his hands, kicking his feet against the ground.
'This really isn't my day.'
Losing count of which number he was on now, he let out another groan of irritation and continued on his way to the bike racks.
As he rounded the corner of the building he spotted Tommy leaning against tree nearest to the bikes, his friend grinding all over Carol. Ever since they had slept together the year prior, their public displays of affection had gotten outrageous. He wouldn't be surprised if they started doing it in broad daylight at this point.
As he walked up to the pair, he caught Tommy's eye. His friend pushed Carol away and gave him a big grin. Carol turned to see who Tommy was smiling at, giving him a smile of her own when she spotted him.
"Hey, guys." Steve greeted as he carelessly tossed his backpack on the grass next to the tree and flopped to the ground.
"Stevie, where ya been, man?" Tommy asked as he joined him on the grass. Tommy pulled Carol onto his lap and gave him an serious look. "You said you'd be here like twenty minutes ago."
Steve frowned and narrowed his eyes, detecting a hint of judgement. "What's it to you, Hagan?" He knew he was probably being a bit standoffish but he was in a bad mood already.
Carol kicked his leg and chuckled, face warming with another grin. "Friendly today, I see."
"Give me a break, losers." Steve snapped, crossing his arms behind his head again and staring at the sky.
"Dude, relax." Tommy snapped back. "Take it easy, we're just messing with you."
He sighed and sat up, giving the two an apologetic look.
"Yeah. I know. Sorry." Steve muttered. He crossed his legs and began tapping his thigh as he recounted the morning's events.
Tommy and Carol sat in silence, listening for a few moments as he explained.
"Ah, it's all so much clearer now. And here I thought you were just on your period." Tommy joked, freckled face warped in amusement.
"Shut up!" Steve shoved his friend's shoulder lightly.
"Actually, we kind of wanted to talk to you about all of that..." Carol carefully exclaimed. He frowned at her and narrowed his eyes. She continued, casting a glance at Tommy as she spoke. "We know your dad has been on your case about living up to the family name, and we think we have a solution."
Steve groaned for the who even knew which time, before sarcastically replying,"Super interesting. Now, if you'll excuse me."
He really didn't want to talk about his family any more that day. As he moved to stand up, Tommy reached over and gripped his wrist tightly, yanking him back down.
"I said relax, Steve." Tommy said in agitation.
Steve yanked his wrist free. "Get off of me, man."
Tommy pushed Carol off of his lap and leaned forward, looking intently into Steve's face. "Listen. We have a plan that can make all of our troubles go away, your family issues included. So, you gonna place nice or what?"
He huffed and looked between his two friends. Tommy still sat glaring at him, and Carol was looking at him with what he thought was an entertained expression. He weighed his options. He really was tired of hearing about how much of a disappointment he was. But if they could help, and they had always stood by him, then he would go along with it.
'Fuck it.' Steve nodded, giving the pair a soft smile. "Yeah, sure."
Tommy's eyes lit up in excitement and he made a whooping noise as Carol started to explain, "Great, so at lunch-"
"Well, well, well." Steve and the others turned to see Cody standing over them, already back from being sent away by Mr. Turner. "If it isn't the three musketeers."
They all quickly scrambled to their feet, shooting a cautious look at one another before looking back at Cody, who was now joined by the same friends from earlier.
"What do you want, Miller?" Tommy growled out with a dark glare.
Cody raised his eyebrows at Tommy in amusement, clearly not threatened. Tommy looked at Steve again, the pair communicating mentally.
'Should we take 'em?'
"Absolutely not." Carol seemed to pick up what they were asking as she interrupted their internal conversation to point out, "Last time the douche nearly put you both in the hospital."
Tommy looked down in embarrassment as Steve flushed.
She wasn't wrong. But they had been quite a bit smaller the time before, and now Tommy had, like him, had a growth spurt. They were the same height now, and he was sure they could put up a valiant effort.
"Oh, you dweebs think your tough?" Cody mocked, flexing his shoulders to intimidate them. Behind him, the two other high schoolers cracked their knuckles.
Steve gave Tommy a disappointed look and shook his head. Tommy sighed and relaxed his posture.
"Come on, Miller." Tommy said with a frown. "Lay off us, man."
"You know the rules." Cody gave them an ugly grin and held his hand out toward Steve. "Your money. Now."
"Don't you, like, have a job or something?" Steve muttered as he dug in his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill. He handed it to Cody, who grabbed it and shoved it into his own pocket, before jerking forward like he was going to hit Tommy. Tommy flinched, making Cody laugh as he turned and walked off with his friends.
"See you later, losers!" Cody called back to them.
"I hate that asshole," Carol admitted, rubbing Tommy's arm affectionately.
"What a prick." Tommy spat out. "We should really teach that tool a lesson."
'And die in the process.' Steve chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, I'll get right on that."
Tommy suddenly tensed again, turning to give him an unreadable look.
"Steve."
"What?"
"Stevie," Tommy said in a sing song voice, slowly approaching him.
"What?!" Steve snapped, staring at his friend incredulously.
Tommy jumped at him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him close, rubbing his fist in his hair. Steve struggled against his friend, pushing Tommy away with all his strength. Tommy stumbled backward, cackling, before fixing him with an intense look again.
A look he recognized.
'Shit. Shit, shit, shit.'
"Oh, no. No way, Tommy. I don't think so!"
"I can't believe we are doing this," Steve whispered harshly as Tommy whipped his head back and forth from his spot at the corner in front of him.
"Okay..." Tommy looked both directions down the hallway one more time before turning his head to Steve. "Coast is clear."
When Tommy had suggested that they break into Cody's locker, he had of course immediately shot him down. But Carol also joined in, insisting that they needed to start standing up for themselves.
"Don't prove your Dad right, Steve. Be a man!" She had said, picking on his insecurities.
So, very begrudgingly, he had agreed. And thus, Steve found himself standing in the hallway of Hawkins High School, desperately hoping that no faculty or students caught them trespassing.
"Let's go!" Tommy urged with a whisper.
Steve nodded and the pair quickly dashed across the hallway, maintaining a low crouch. After passing about thirty lockers, they came to a stop. Tommy snorted loudly in front of him, Steve casting his friend a curious look. Tommy gestured to the locker, and he looked around his friend to see what was up.
Cody's locker was easy to find, mostly because Tommy already knew where it was somehow. But also due to the message in marker written on the front.
'It's Miller Time? What a freaking douche' Steve snorted too, before standing and flexing his fingers. 'Time to work my magic.'
He had discovered a nifty trick that would open any of the lockers on either campus. And by discovered, he meant that Mr. Clarke had showed him one day after school after he had promised the teacher not to use the information for evil.
Steve looked around quickly before moving forward toward the door.
Bang clink.
"I don't know how the hell you do that, Stevie." Tommy whistled lowly in amazement.
He ignored his friends praise, slowly swinging the locker door open. The inside was a mess, and he was pretty sure there was what seemed to be old chewed up gum attached to the inside of the door. He shuddered and hesitantly rummaged through the contents of the locker.
'Pencil case, textbook, what is... gross! Calculator, trash... Aha!'
Steve gripped onto the stack of papers and carefully pulled it out, making sure not to send the haphazardly stacked items in the locker tumbling out.
"This will work!" Steve gleefully pointed out. He shut the locker and spun the combination lock, resealing it. He turned to his friend and held up the stack. "'The American Civil War and Reconstruction - by Cody Miller'. Perfect."
Tommy grinned victoriously and high-fived him, letting out a quiet noise of celebration. "Hell yeah! Everyone knows Mrs. Click takes summer book reports super seriously!"
Steve was very much not looking forward to that in high school, but in this particular instance, it was a great thing. He fist pumped triumphantly before a sound down the hallway caught their attention. Tommy spun around to look for it before turning to Steve with an expression of alarm.
"Dude!" Tommy spat anxiously. "Bail!"
'Don't have to tell me twice!'
Steve nodded in affirmation and bolted down the hallway, Tommy close behind, as they scrambled for the nearest exit. After a moment of running, they found a door to the outside and threw it open, narrowly avoiding hitting a high school girl.
"Hey!"
They ignored her and sprinted back across the street to their own building, feet pounding on the pavement. The pair didn't stop until they were inside Hawkins Middle School, firmly out of the danger zone.
"Holy shit!" Tommy leaned forward onto his knees, panting heavily as they caught their breaths. His excited eyes looked at Steve, mouth wide in a smile. "I can't believe we did it!"
"About time." The report was pulled from Steve's hand as Carol appeared next to them, bored expression on her face. She looked at it for a moment before grinning at the pair. "Nice work, gentlemen."
Tommy snickered and moved over to kiss her cheek as Carol gripped the report with both hands. She walked over to a nearby trash can and held it over the opening.
Rip!
Steve watched the pieces of paper float down into the canister, Cody's report ceasing to exist.
'That will teach him to pick on us!'
He had to admit, standing up for himself like that... getting even... It felt amazing.
"You too?"
He looked up to see Tommy flashing him a toothy smirk. He knew what Tommy was asking. If he also felt powerful, if he too was experiencing that rush of adrenaline. And he was. He didn't want to lose the feeling.
Tommy nodded, seeing confirmation in Steve's eyes. "Yep, you feel it too."
"As much as I would love to stand here while you two have a touching bro-ment..." Carol muttered in exasperation, arm now hooked around her boyfriend. "Tommy and I have a quick date with the broom closet scheduled."
Steve crinkled his nose in disgust as he imagined that in his mind. "Ew, Carol. Too much information."
She smirked at him as Tommy cackled loudly. Carol started to pull Tommy away, and as they passed him Tommy clapped him roughly on the back.
"Hey, before I forget." Tommy called as he was dragged away to make out. "About the plan. Come to the cafeteria as soon as the lunch bell rings!"
"Yeah, okay." Steve called back to their retreating forms. "Later!"
He glanced at the black leather watch on his left wrist, gold metal shining in the light. He still had about ten minutes. Sliding his hands into the pockets of his grey jacket, he stood there silently for a moment.
'Might as well head to class early, I guess.'
Steve whistled to himself as he strolled down the hallway, slowly making his way to Mr. Clarke's classroom. He had just passed in front of one of the paintings of the Hawkins Middle School mascot when he caught sight of a red-headed girl crying. He stopped, looking around quickly, before cautiously approaching her.
"H-hey?" Steve asked quietly, reaching his hand out. "You okay?
The taller, stocky, red-head whipped her head up to look at him, clearly caught off guard by his sudden appearance.
"Oh!" The girl sniffled and rubbed her eyes roughly. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."
"It's all right." Steve assured her awkwardly. He stared at her... admittedly matronly blouse... before looking her in the eyes. "What's wrong?"
The girl sniffled again before answering, eyes bloodshot from crying. "I-uh-my glasses. One of the guys on the basketball team took my glasses and now I can't see."
He frowned, but wasn't surprised. The jocks were known for picking on the nerds, and this girl was definitely a nerd if he ever saw one.
"Do you know which guy?" Steve asked with a serious look."
"Umm..." The red-headed girl paused to think for a moment, giving him weary eyes as if she didn't trust him. "Thad, I think is his name."
Steve nodded, recognizing the boy. He also knew where Thad hung out before class. "Thanks. Stay right here."
Without waiting for a response, he heel-turned and doubled back the way he came, headed toward the nearest vending machine. He didn't know if it was the adrenaline of stealing from Cody or what, but as he stomped toward the dark-blonde boy standing next the machine, he acted way more aggressive than he normally would.
"Hey, Thaddeus." Steve shouted the boy's full name. The blonde barely had time to react before Steve shoved him hard against the brick wall, forearm against his throat.'Looks like my growth spurt paid off!'
"What the hell, Harrington!" Thad choked out, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Where are the glasses?" Steve demanded quietly, leaning forward to intimidate the smaller blonde boy.
"What glasses?"
"The ones you stole."
"Barb's?"
Steve leveled an annoyed look of disbelief at Thad. "You steal any other pairs of glasses, man?"
Thad tried to shake his head from where it was being forced against the wall. He roughly reached his hand into his left jean pocket, retrieving an item.
He looked down at Thad's hand to see a pair of... really dorky looking glasses. He released his arm, snatching the glasses as Thad started to sputter and cough.
"Thanks, Thad." Steve said cheerfully.
Again, without waiting for a response, he turned and made his way to where Becky or whoever was waiting for him.
"Screw you, Harrington!" Thad's raspy voice yelled after him, but Steve paid it no mind.
He twirled the accessory in his hand as he smiled and whistled his way down the hall once more. He had just stood up to a jock. And not only that, he had actually came out on top. He was now big enough and strong enough to intimidate the other boys. He walked with swagger around the corner, feeling full of himself, and took in the sight of the nerdy girl still waiting for him.
"Here you go!" As he walked past her, Steve tossed the glasses her way.
"Wha-" Bethenny, or whatever her name was, fumbled with the glasses before catching them and putting them on her head. "Thanks, Steve. I really appreciate it."
He hadn't felt this great in a long time. And it was an addictive feeling, if he was honest. Twice now, he had acted out against someone else, really asserted his dominance, and he felt like a new man.
'Maybe my dad is right.'
Strolling leisurely into Mr. Clarke's class, Steve nodded at his teacher and walked over to a desk by the window and slid into the seat.
"Nice to see you, Steve. Everything go okay with Principal Coleman?" His teacher asked kindly.
"Yeah, went great." Steve answered distractedly. "I got a great feeling about this year."
He leaned over and unzipped his backpack, pulling out his science book and his folder for class. He set the items on his desk and kicked the bag under his chair.
Ring.
The bell signaling first period that would begin shortly echoed through the room. As the rest of his classmates spilled into the class, he stared at his reflection in the window. Running a hand through his chocolate-brown hair, he fixed his mirror image with a look of determination.
'Whatever the plan is, I know one thing.' Steve nodded to himself and turned to face Mr. Clarke. 'The new and improved Steve is here to stay.'
Science class was one of Steve's favorite subjects, after PE of course.
Part of the reason for that was Mr. Clarke. The thin, kind man was friendly, attentive, and most of all fun. Unlike other teachers who jumped immediately into the schoolwork, Mr. Clarke always dedicated the first day to entertaining the students with interesting experiments.
That particular day he had devoted the class to having the students figure out what can melt ice the tastes. Hawkins was known for getting a decent amount of snow in the winter, so it was both useful and enjoyable.
The students had been paired up, Steve partnered with some girl who's name he didn't know but whom had an obvious crush on him, and given an hour and ten minutes to try and melt ice using various materials. They were provided with a muffin pan, and a bunch of ice, but other than that they were left to their own devices.
Checking back every ten minutes, Steve had discovered that salt was the winner! Mr. Clarke then explained that the police department used salt to keep the roads drivable at winter time.
But if you asked Steve what happened after that class, leading up to lunch, he wouldn't have been able to tell you. Apart from the subjects he enjoyed, he had a bad tendency to pay little attention in class. That was why he made such poor grades.
Ring.
Steve sighed in relief and gathered his belongings, existing the history class as quickly as his legs would carry him.
'It kind of sucks I don't have Tommy or Carol in any of my classes this year.'
Maneuvering between the students in the hallways, he made his way to the designated meeting spot outside of the cafeteria and waited for his friends.
And waited.
And waited.
He tapped his foot impatiently as he looked at his watch for the third time.
'Lunch is already half over, where are they?'
The sound of laughter drew his attention and he looked up to see his two friends slowly walking toward him, giggling as they hung all over each other.
"Ugh, you two are out of control." Steve groaned in frustration. "Didn't you get enough action before class this morning?"
Tommy pulled himself off of Carol and gave him a lecherous grin, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Carol smacked Tommy on the arm and turned to face him.
"Don't be jealous." Carol chided mockingly. She jerked her head over to the cafeteria. "Let's get inside, we have some things to go over."
Tommy cackled as Steve rolled his eyes. The freckled teen slung his arm around Carol's shoulder and guided her into the lunchroom, following closely behind Steve.
"Ah..." Tommy exhaled loudly as he looked around the room. "Feeding time at the zoo!"
Steve and Carol laughed before the three made their way to the lunch line, virtually empty due to their late arrival. Steve impatiently shuffled back and forth, anxious to know what Tommy and Carol had to say. As they made their way down the line, he stopped in front of Phyllis.
"What'd'ya want?" The lunch lady barked out impatiently.
He pointed at the pizza, not really feeling the meatloaf. Phyllis threw the square slice onto his tray, and he continued down the line, grabbing more items. After paying, he followed his friends over to their usual table and took a seat, opening his carton of milk.
"So, here's the deal..." Carol began as Tommy struggled to open his container of applesauce. "What's been our legacy at this school?"
Steve poked at the vegetable medley on his tray with his right hand, resting his head on his left. "I don't know, bad grades?"
Tommy snorted loudly, before tossing the applesauce to him. He caught the plastic container, rolling his eyes as he peeled back the foil. He reached back across the table to return the applesauce to Tommy.
"No, genius." Carol corrected him with narrowed eyes. "Nothing. Our legacy is nothing." She gestured around to the students sitting in the room. "We aren't popular, we aren't well liked, and we won't be remembered."
"That's not true." Tommy joked with a smirk as he shoved a spoonful of the substance into his mouth. "Steve had that birthday party in sixth grade that everyone came too."
"Eat shit, man!" Steve shot back, throwing a wadded up napkin at his friend.
"Back to me." Carol snapped her fingers, gaining both of their attentions. "Look, this is our last chance to get the ball rolling."
'Just like dad and the principal said. It's just eighth grade, how serious can it be?' Steve took a slow sip of his milk before asking, "What does that mean?"
"Think about, dude." Tommy interjected, banging his spoon on the table. "What happens next year?"
"We start high school?"
Tommy nodded and gave him a look. "Exactly, which means if we don't end up on top by the end of this year, we will continue to be losers until we graduate."
Steve frowned, not really making the connection. "How do you figure?"
"Come on, Steve, open your eyes." Carol scolded him. "If we don't show up to ninth grade with a splash, nobody is going to give us the time of day. And then it'll be too late. Each year the new students will show up, having no idea who we are and not giving a shit about finding out."
He furrowed his brows, mulling over everything he had been told that morning. His father had been adamant that he turn his image around by the end of the year. As had Principal Coleman.
'I think I get it.'
Hawkins was a small town, and not much ever changed. The same students funneled through the system as they aged up, which meant whoever they were popular with now they would stay popular with. Going into high school already popular would make the upper class men like them more, too. And by the time they were in high school, the middle schoolers would forget about them. Which meant as they aged up, they would immediately see who the top dogs were and fall in line.
"So... the plan you called me about, that we are currently talking about, is to become popular?" Steve pointed out with heavy skepticism. "And how exactly are we going to do that?"
"We're still working on that part." Tommy muttered, tapping his fingers on the table as he looked around.
Carol nodded in agreement, joining her boyfriend in observing the surrounding classmates. "Let's go over what we do know. Social hierarchy."
"Hierarchy?" Steve repeated slowly, confusion in his face. 'What the heck does that mean?'
"Yes, stupid. Hierarchy. The ranking system of the school?"
'Oh.'
Steve nodded in embarrassment before joining Tommy in his assessment of the room. The two watched carefully as Carol began to break down everything they had learned in Middle School.
"The hierarchy here will be the same at Hawkins High, so listen carefully. The student body can be broken down into five main groups." She gestured at a table toward the back of the cafeteria. "Over there we got the nerds, or geeks, or squares. However you want to call them. Of course, they are at the bottom of the food chain."
Steve and Tommy glanced over to the side of the cafeteria where the more academic of their peers sat, no doubt studying or something else equally lame.
"They look pretty harmless to me." Steve pointed out.
"They aren't. Never underestimate the smart, quiet ones. They are the sneakiest of all. We can usually find them hanging out in the library, or some other sanctuary of learning."
Tommy furrowed his brows and nodded his head intently, as if she had just revealed a fascinating secret.
Carol directed their attention to another group and continued, "And of course, we have the preps. They're all style over substance, with stuck up attitudes. You know... the kind of people your families associates with."
"Ugh, don't remind me." Tommy groaned. "Every time my dad has a fundraiser I have to mingle with those douchebags."
"Poor you, spending your time around a bunch of expensive food and entertainment." Carol drawled sarcastically. "Anyway, they're pretty high ranking, all thanks to kissing ass and throwing their money around. Very popular with the faculty, too. Then, we have the misfits."
They all turned to glance at the side of the cafeteria with the least amount of cohesion in it's students.
"They don't really fall into any one group. It's just a giant swarm of kids who think they are edgy and different."
"Or try to be anyway." Steve muttered with a look of judgement. "They all seem like posers."
"Total clichés, man." Tommy agreed with disdain.
Steve looked around at the varied faces, seeing some goths, some theatre kids, some of the poorer kid from the trailer park. But there was one thing they all had in common... insisting they were above putting themselves into a box.
'Which is funny, because they just put themselves into another box'
"I wouldn't advise messing around with them. Most of the delinquents fall into that group." Carol pointed out. "Now, that leaves two other groups. The partiers really aren't so much a group as they are a collective of students who just love to have a good time. But the jocks..."
The three all stared hesitantly at the final group, made up of the most influential and popular of the students at Hawkins Middle School.
Carol turned back to look at Tommy and Steve gravely. "The jocks rule the school. They have the popularity, the support of the faculty, and the brute force to push everyone else around."
"Stupid freaking 'riodos." Tommy growled out as he turned in his seat and began to stab violently at his meatloaf.
"I doubt they take steroids, man." Steve said as he took a bite of his own food before continuing as he chewed. "So, we know how the system works. What now?"
Carol sighed and placed her pointer finger on her chin, staring vacantly into space in thought. "That's the hard part. I need time to think it over."
"Cool, so we can quit talking about it now?" Tommy mumbled through a mouth full of food. "Cause honestly, my head is starting to hurt."
"Oh, you poor baby ." Carol joked, but nodded, beginning to pick at her own meatloaf. "Spend the rest of the day thinking about it, and after school we can grab dinner and put our heads together."
Steve hummed in agreement, and they spent the rest of their lunch talking about more exciting things. Tommy shared what had happened on his summer trip to visit his family in Nicaragua. Carol brought Steve up to speed on her summer road trip to the Great Lakes, and Steve recounted his exciting summer of lounging around at home and ordering delivery food.
All too soon, lunch had ended, and the feeling of dread gripped his stomach.
Ring.
"You okay, Stevie?" Tommy asked with a look of concern. He grabbed Steve's shoulder firmly and looked him over. "Seem like you're gonna puke. Pizza wasn't any good?"
Steve shook his head and sighed heavily as he answered, "English."
"Ahhh." His friends exhaled simultaneously, understanding on both of their faces.
"Good luck with that." Tommy clapped him on the back and lead Carol off toward their class.
"Later, Steve!" Carol called back over her shoulder.
His feet dragged heavily as he forced himself to walk to his English class. A few students elbowed him, or bumped his shoulder, as he pushed through the busy hallway. Eventually he found himself standing in front of the offending classroom, taking a deep breath.
'You can do this, Harrington.'
Steve gathered his courage and walked into the classroom, choosing a desk at the very back, out of the eyesight of the teacher and other classmates. He went rigid when Mrs. Grabowski turned to the chalk board and began to write.
"Okay, class!" The older woman spoke loudly as her hand moved. "Today, we are going to start by testing your vocabulary skills."
"Motherfucker!" Steve whispered loudly in desperation.
The squeaking of the chalk on the board halted as Mrs. Grabowski whirled around and glared at him in his chair.
"What was that, Mr. Harrington?" She demanded.
"Nothing..."
Steve slumped over in his desk and tried not to cry.
"Oh, Steven, how wonderful to see you! Take a seat anywhere, honey, and I'll be right with you."
Carol flashed him a look of amusement as the older woman walked away.
"I swear, Stevie." Tommy said through his laughter. "Gladys is like in love with you."
Steve blushed furiously as he punched Tommy in the upper arm, leading the way back to his favorite booth by the jukebox machine.
When he had first started middle school, his dad began to travel for business more. And with his dad's wandering eye, that left his mom with no choice but to join him. But he didn't know how to cook, and they never left food for him, so he frequently found himself eating out or ordering delivery.
Steve's favorite place to visit was right in the middle of downtown Hawkins, located across from the Family Video and The Palace arcade. Many a night had Tommy, Carol, and him found themselves at the Two Moons Diner.
After school, they had biked straight over, Steve riding on Carol's bike as she rode on the back of Tommy's. Despite it only being about 4:00 pm, they were hungry again. That was the curse of being a growing teenager.
Tommy and Carol never even fought about where they ate anymore, always coming back to this place. And, in Steve's humble opinion, they had the best damn burgers in all of Hawkins anyway. It also helped that Gladys, the waitress, was very fond of him. Almost like a second mom.
He spent a while talking to Tommy and Carol about how the rest of their school day had gone, wincing when he learned Mr. Miller had given the two a ton of homework already. Gladys eventually came by to take Tommy and Carol's order, already knowing his by heart.
They chatted absently while they ate, but by the time the food was gone nobody had brought up the reason for their gathering. Steve excused himself to go to the restroom, stopping to pay the tab at the front on the way back. He exchanged brief pleasantries with Gladys, promising that he would get his grades up, before he returned to see Carol and Tommy whispering intensely.
"It's a good idea, right?" He heard Tommy say with a hint of cockiness.
"Honestly, yeah." Carol responded as he slide back into his original seat. "I'm kind of proud of you."
Tommy blew a raspberry at her as Steve looked at the two in confusion. "Hey, guys. What'd I miss?"
His freckled friend leveled him with an innocent look. "I was just telling Carol about my plan to take over the school." When Steve gave him a glare Tommy corrected himself. "I mean, my plan for us to take over the school."
"What plan?" Steve asked incredulously. His eyebrows scrunched together as he flickered his eyes between the two again. "You didn't mention you already had a plan. I thought we were coming up with the plan together?"
"Don't worry, Stevie." Tommy leaned back against the leather surface of the booth and waved his hand dismissively. "It's just a little something I came up with. It's sink or swim, man. And since you're good at swimming, you have to let the losers drown."
"That doesn't even make sense." Steve muttered in agitation. Carol sighed heavily before reaching down into her backpack.
"Alright, let's break it down." Carol's face shifted into a focused expression and she pushed her empty plate to the side, pulling out a binder.
She was notorious for being well organized and planning ahead. Not that she was book-smart, by any means. None of them were. But Carol was incredibly street-smart. That was why she was arguably the closest to being the brains of their group.
Carol flipped a few pages before sliding the binder forward to the middle of the table. "This is what we know."
Steve and Tommy looked down at the paper to see the earlier conversation summarized into a flow chart. In the middle was 'The System' which branched out into each group.
"Originally I thought we would have to talk more about this, but Steve-" Carol looked at him seriously as chewed his lip in thought. He lifted his eyes to meet her's. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Tommy's plan will work."
"Yeah, I'm right. It happens often." Tommy snarked, crossing his arms.
Steve stifled his chuckle as he asked, "Okay, so what is it?"
Tommy shifted forward, his mouth spreading wide into a mischievous, toothy, grin.
"It's a classic military tactic, Stevie." Tommy's voice grew sinister as he growled out, "Divide and conquer."
Carol nodded enthusiastically, tapping her fingers together. "We infiltrate each group one by one and take them down from the inside."
'The inside?'
He frowned in confusion as he played out that scenario in his mind.
"How exactly will that work?" Steve asked skeptically.
They weren't popular, so it wasn't like they were competing for top dog. Instead, they were fighting to make a name for themselves. Taking down the other groups wouldn't do anything to help boost their reputation. If anything, he was pretty sure it would make an enemy out of each of the different factions.
'This is exactly why we shouldn't let Tommy come up with the ideas.'
"Don't give me that look." Tommy grumbled. "It will totally work."
"Tommy's right." Carol began to explain. "If we take one of the groups down, the people that hate them will love us."
"But then the group we take down will hate us." Steve countered, sounding like it should be obvious.
"Not necessarily." Carol disagreed. "Because once we tear them apart, we will build them back up."
His eyes widened in realization. Tommy recognized the look, nodded his head, and chuckled, leaning back again with a snide expression.
"Exactly, Stevie. Then they'll worship us. All we have to do is make sure that the other groups see how much better things are and they will be like putty in the palms of our hands."
"I can't believe I am going to agree with Carol..." Steve muttered in awe. "But, that is actually a great plan. Good job, Tommy."
"Shut the hell up!" Tommy snapped back, interrupting Steve and Carol's cackles. "I'm smart, okay!"
Steve calmed down and gave the pair a serious look. "So, where do we start?"
"Well... the partiers will will be the easiest hurdle to overcome, so I recommend saving them for last." Carol pointed out. "Like a victory lap."
He nodded his head in agreement. There was no point in wasting effort on them. He could just throw a rager and they would be on his side in a heartbeat. The only reason that hadn't worked before was that they were nobodies, so the goodwill they had earned quickly disappeared. But if they were the top dogs, the other teens would keep coming back for more.
"Good point." Steve said. "And the jocks will be way too hard to start with."
Tommy slammed his pointer finger down on the table, pointing at the flow chart and startling Steve and Carol.
""Let's keep is sweet and simple." Tommy said lowly. "The nerds."
"Good idea." Carol agreed. "They should be easy enough to butter up by just treating them well."
"And Steve is already off to a great start after this morning."
'What in the...' Steve's face twisted up in confusion. "How did you hear about that?"
"I see everything, Stevie." Tommy answered ominously. "Just like I know you almost beat Thad's ass."
"Okay..." Steve moved right on past that, turning to address Carol. "So, what do we call this little operation? We get to use a cool code-name right?"
"Oh, I'm already one step ahead of you, Steve." Carol smiled wide, pulled out a marker, and grabbed the binder, flipping closed to write on the cover. "I learned about this from my dad, used to be a big chess champion."
"Nerd." Tommy muttered quietly.
Carol shot him an ugly look before finishing her writing and turning the binder around
In big bold letters were the word's 'The King's Gambit.'
"What does that mean?" Steve asked in confusion.
"It's a famous opening move of a chess match," Carol explained. "Basically, you trick the other player into weakening all the pieces on the king's side until they are left vulnerable. The king falls, the game's over."
The three exchanged a look, communicating without words. After a second, they all nodded. They were going to do this. The plan was fool proof. Before the year was up, Steve, Tommy, and Carol were going to be the rulers of Hawkins.
"Alright, let's go, losers." Tommy ordered them, standing up from the table. "We ride at dawn."
Carol and Steve groaned in unison, throwing what little food was left on the table at him.
"Shut up!"
A/N: And there we go! The stage is set for Steve's rise to fame!
A couple of things to go over/acknowledge.
I have obviously read a number of works already about Stranger Things, and I pulled some ideas from a few that I found interesting.
Steve, for instance, is Italian. I also made Tommy Latino, as his actor's mom is really from Nicaragua.
As far as the premise, I was greatly inspired by the media of the 80's and how it portrayed school dynamic, in particular bullying and cliques. Of course, as we see in the show, this dynamic isn't really present anymore, but that will be addressed!
All of the chapters will be named after chess terms.
Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Next time, our little trio will start phase 1 of their operation.
Until next our stars align!