Steve was hiting the computer and cursing beneath his breath as I entered the store on Tuesday morning. "What's going on, boss?" I asked, a coffee cup on the desk. "Fucking thing keeps freezing, you'd think after everything they did over the weekend to make this place better, they'd give us a new damn computer." He slammed the machine again in frustration. I gave the store a look around, inspecting the new stain-free multicoloured carpet, and all the new movie poster's that had been hung in frames. "Not too shabby really, but I agree about the computer." I mused. Robin turned up a half hour late with no explanation but we were absolutely swamped so neither of us had any chance to ask about it. I caught her when she was re-entering after her lunch break, just as I was leaving for mine, "Everything alright?" I asked. Robin immediately swung her head, looking for Steve, when she was satisfied that he was being mobbed by a bunch of teenagers she shoved me into the staff room and began vomiting words at me. "I've been on the phone with Sheridan all morning about how we send over our tuition and get the financial aid set up, and I kinda told them that I'm estranged from my family because once we go I'm so done with them, and the lady on the phone told me they can give me extra money because of that. They're sending our dorm assignments and everything else we need to know soon. They want us on campus for the 19th September ." My head buzzed with this new information. We all knew Robin never spoke to her parents and that they basically ignored her existence wayyy before they found out she was a lesbian, and I'd always expected at some point she'd make the decision to cut them off completely, but actually hearing her say it was a shock. I gave Robin a huge smile and said, "You can share my mom if you want." Robin waved me off, "pfft Alice has been calling me her daughter since we were like 9 years old, you've always been my kick ass sibling." I nodded and did a dramatic sigh, "Well then you can be the one to tell her that both her kids are moving to Canada in two months." Robin's mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish suffocating on air, "Uhhh no way - I'm telling Steve, you're telling your mom. It'll be fine - she can't be mad at you on your birthday."
Steve drove us to the diner for burgers and milkshakes. "We did good today, that was a tough one." He saluted us and slurped his chocolate shake. "I'm never having kids." Robin sighed, with her forehead against the table. "What if Vicky wants kids?" Steve asked, munching his fries. Robin pondered for a second before answering, "I'd tell her we can get a dog instead, not everyone has to want a thousand crotch goblins like you Steve." I choked on my milkshake, Steve caught me and rolled his eyes, "I'm not a loser for wanting a big family, doubt it's gonna happen at this rate though." A look of disappointment washed over his face. "You'll find someone, she just isn't the right one for you." Robin leaned across the table to rub Steve's arm supprotively, referring to Nancy. We ate in silence for a few seconds before Steve spoke again, "Y'know, I don't even know what I want anymore. Feels like I'm floating through a life that doesn't actually feel like mine." I felt bad for Steve, he'd cruised through school on nothing other than his beauty and social status, but the real world didn't care about the ex-king of Hawkins High. "How about we try get you to meet someone at the carnival - people always come from outta Town so there's bound to be some babes there you haven't conquered yet." Robin Suggested. Steve considered but shook his head, "I dunno, maybe." Robin turned to me and asked, "Sure you don't wanna go on Thursday?" I stroked an invisible beard pretending to think about it, "Absolutely not." Steve leaned back in his seat, "You could come for a while before you and your mom start the movie marathon?" He suggested. I finished my shake and sighed, "You know I hate carnivals as is - let alone a 4th July carnival where someone was literally shot by a Russian gangster before." Robin and Steve locked eyes across the table, neither saying anything, a weird energy filling the air. "Anyways, my mom invited Eddie to join us." I said to end their strange staring. Steve raised an eyebrow in surprise, "He met your mom already?" Robin wolfed down the last drops of her shake and waved her hands in the air excitedly, "That's huge Rain! Why didn't you tell us sooner?!" She shouted so loud that people across the diner turned to glare at us. My face flushed pink, "It's not a big deal, they said like 3 sentences to each other. His uncle isn't home until Friday so she told him to spend the night with us - I'm pretty excited. He's uh, my boyfriend now." I admitted. Robin squealed, "I should hope so, with the size of that whopper on your neck!" I immediately slapped my hand over the hickey. Steve smiled at me but looked slightly worried.
Steve dropped me at home after taking Robin to Vicky's, but before I got out of the car he held my wrist tightly. "You and Munson are getting serious?" He asked in a weird tone. I tucked a rogue purple strand of hair behind my hear awkwardly. "I mean it's still pretty early but...yeah I think so. I mean, I want us to. I think I'm," I sighed and closed my eyes, "Steve I think I'm in love with him, and it's scaring me." I opened my eyes to find Steve chewing his lip and frowning out the window. "You've only been together a couple weeks Rain..." He trailed off. "That's what scares me," I replied, "I don't wanna rush anything and make an idiot of myself, but he makes me feel things I've not felt before, the kind of things you felt for Nancy and how Robin feels about Vicky." Steve's expression softened and he clasped my hand in his, flicking his big brown eyes to mine, where I could see that whatever battle he was fighting in his mind had been lost. "You deserve all of that, Rain. See you tomorrow." He let me go, but when I turned to wave as he drove away, he looked worried again.
