Steven and WIll pulled up in front of the Byer's house, which certainly looked worse for having been partially demolished and set on fire. At this point, Steve wouldn't have been suprised if the entire building didn't sink into the ground like that scene from Carrie. That was another story about about a girl with what basically amounted to superpowers, and it and ended just as badly as this one. He considered asking the question that had been bothering him since he'd seen Will walking along by himself. At first he thought better of it, then decided to hell with it. "Have you guys heard from Nancy at all?"
Will's silence lasted so long he thought he hadn't heard him, or maybe just offended the shit out of him. But then he answered with a question of his own.
"Do you ever think she was the only one of us who ever stood a chance?"
Steve cut the engine and sat, thinking the question through. "I mean, she was smart, and good, and deserved better than I could give her, but...I mean, after everything she and Jonathan went through, to just up and leave…"
Will fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "But that's what I'm saying. The rest of us, we were damaged. Jonathan included. Nancy was the only one who achieved enough velocity to escape. Lucas and Max, maybe, but they left and who the hell knows what they're doing. I haven't talked to either of them in 10 years. Dustin's still in the army, serving as a idiot meatbag for the government. You don't think he was so much smarter than that, capable of so much more than that? No, he's just out there, looking for more monsters to kill. And Mike, well...and then you've got me. I'm a complete waste of oxogen. It's not just you. Hawkins is poison, and the only cure is to get as far away as you possibly can."
"Well," Steve said after a moment, "that's certainly one way of looking at it. But here's how I choose to look at it: after what happened to Hopper and I tried to step into his shoes, which, believe you me, is a massive order to fill, I made it my mission in life to make sure no one else ever has to go through the kind of shit we went through. This is my town, and it's my job to keep it safe. It may not be what I wanted for myself in life, but you have to remember that there's honor in protecting what you love. I think Hopper understood that better than anyone, and I try to remind myself of it every day."
He glanced at Will's pale face, and was pleasantly surprised to notice the ghost of a smile there. Will turned to get out of the car and go inside, but Steve stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Please. I know you've been through hell. But no one who cares about you drug you back so we could sit and watch you kill yourself. Okay?"
Will simply got out and walked inside. Steve sighed and started the car back up, heading back down the driveway. You could lead a horse to water, sure, but short of holding its head underwater and potentially drowning it, that was about all you could do.
He didn't realize he was being watched.