I hope you enjoy this edited chapter! Had a few mistakes to fix up. As always, I only own my OC.

We don't stick around Merrill's Pumpkin Patch for longer than we have to, all of us coming down from the adrenaline and needing to know everyone else is alright. If Will and El are alright.

Not trusting Steve to not crash the Camaro - he definitely has a concussion - I sit behind the wheel, spinning away from the empty clearing and back to the Byers house. And shit, we still have to deal with my knocked-out ex, and we need to get Steve's car, and -

"Veronica, you okay?" Steve asks, and I feel a weight on my right hand. I don't need to look down at it to know Steve's holding it, my own limbs clutching the steering wheel in a vice-like grip. "You're shaking."

"Yeah, and you got beat up." He huffs. "What? I thought we were stating the obvious."

"Will Billy still… be there when we get back?" Max speaks up from the back, squeezed between Mike and Lucas.

I shrug. "Probably. The sedative you gave him seemed strong enough. We haven't even been gone that long. Only… shit, almost two hours? Crap, your parents are going to kill me when I get you home, and they didn't even know I had you!"

"Please. We'll just blame Harrington." Lucas announces, and I laugh at the offended noise Steve makes.

"Hey, watch it, asshole." Is all Steve warns, but he lets it go.

I make the turn into the Byers house, and as we fly up the driveway I note that the only other car here is Bob's.

I cut off the engine but leave the key in the ignition, jumping out of the car. Steve slides the passenger seat forward to release the four monster-fighting kids, all of whom groan and stretch as they traipse up the porch steps. Steve and I follow them in a comfortable, tired silence, making sure to grab everyone's shit from the trunk.

I twist the knob, having kept the door unlocked in our haste to get to the hub. It's not like anyone would actually come out here to steal anything from the Byers family. Billy's right where we left him, knocked out and drooling on the floor. A small part of me's very conflicted - I liked him, you know? Or still like him, I guess. He was honest with me at a time when the people closest to me weren't. He cares for me - I know he does - and he looked out for me this past week. But now… a larger part of me can't stand to look at the monster he hid away.

I catch Steve watching us, and give him a small smile. "I'm going to get him in the car, I guess. I'll wake him up when Max is ready to go." I lean down to grab a limp, muscular arm, and suddenly he becomes easier to lift. My eyes flick up to see Steve supporting most of my ex's weight, not saying a word.

Together we manage to half carry/half drag Billy out of the house and into his car. "We'll have to come up with something to tell him." Steve reminds me as we gently close the door.

I bite my lip and nod, thinking a bit as we walk up the steps. "You came over to the Byers house… because you were stuck babysitting my brother. He heard Will got sick, and the others came over, including Max. They all wanted to visit their sick friend. Will's appendix burst, so Joyce took him to the hospital, and you were sticking around waiting for… for Mrs. Sinclair to come get the other kids."

"Okay. And you?"

"I already told him. I lost track of time. My mom called Dustin to tell him Mews was missing and that she was going to go looking for her. She had him radio me to check the woods since I know them the best. Max called me because she saw Billy had come and knew she'd be in trouble."

Steve sighs and rubs at his forehead, wincing when he touches his bruise. I lower his hand and squeeze it, the older teen staring at it. "He won't go after you, right?" He finally asks as I reach out to open the front door.

I look back at the Camaro. "No."

"How can you be so sure?" Steve whispers, voice tinged with fear.

"Because he told me he wouldn't." I look up at Steve, who glances down at my torso. "That was an accident." He snorts. "No, it was. Well, the squeezing was him being aggressively possessive, but it wasn't like he meant to do it. And, well, I put myself in the fight. Only an idiot would expect to come out of one unmarked. I'm not an idiot."

Steve holds up his hands in mock-surrender and I roll my eyes, reentering the house with the older teen right behind me.

The kids are in the kitchen, sitting at the table with big glasses of water. Stomach starting to growl more audibly, so I decide to check the freezer for some ice cream - I goddamn earned it.

I don't find any tubs of ice cream in it, though. Or even a TV dinner. Instead, I scream like a banshee, quickly slamming it closed and panting. "Which one of you assholes decided to put a demodog in the freezer?" I whisper yell, back pressed against the large kitchen appliance. Steve points to my brother, who gives me a nervous chuckle. "Why?!"

"For, uh, science."

I narrow my eyes and point at him. "Well, find a new science project. I'm burning this one. Jesus, Dustin, what if Joyce found it instead?" He looks a little guilty and I rub my eyes before reopening the freezer and awkwardly grabbing the blanket-covered monster. Steve comes forward to help and I struggle to point at him, somewhat succeeding. "Uh-uh. Nope. You are going to be a 'damn good babysitter' and feed the gremlins. And please, for the love of God, do not help my brother hide another interdimensional monster. 'For science'. Jesus Christ, I'm surrounded by dumbasses." I gripe, and a flash of red means Max is following me out.

I wait a moment for the Mayfield girl to open the back door for me, then follow after her. We quietly walk past the shed to an empty area in the backyard and I dump the demodog - blanket and all - on the ground, wrinkling my nose at the slime sticking to the ripped sleeves of my unfixable sweater. Seriously, this is getting trashed as soon as I get home.

"You're really okay, right? Your sides?" Max asks as we swiftly dig out a pit, surrounding it with rocks then tossing our sacrifice in the circle.

"Yeah. I mean they're definitely bruised, but nothing's broken. I would know." She tilts her head. "It was worse last year. My injuries, I mean. I got fucked up by the Demogorgon twice."

"Oh." She hands me a box of matches. "Swiped them from the kitchen, in case we needed them for the… for the tunnels."

I light a match and drop it down on the blanket, the material catching fire quick and spreading all around. "Has it hit you yet? All of this craziness?"

Max shakes her head. "No. It just feels like today's been a dream."

I make a noise of agreement. "Holy shit, it's only been a day. Well, a little over."

"My mom's gotta be worried sick."

"Should I wake Billy now? Send you both home?"

Max shakes her head. "No. I need to know Will's okay. That Eleven really closed the gate. I don't want to go home thinking this isn't over."

I smile affectionately and nod. "Okay. But… Neil won't be mad? Your stepdad?"

She breathes in sharply then glances up at me, eyes narrowed. "Billy told you?"

"Yeah. He did. And I… right now I can't stand him, but I don't want either of you to go home if it means a different kind of trouble."

"I'll be fine, Veronica. And I'll… I'm going to tell Neil it was all on me. That I just wanted to go exploring and ended up lost. Billy found me and got me some food, first, because I was hungry and he was being a good brother." She practically hisses out, and I nod, watching the demodog burn away. "I'm not doing it for him, though. He could've hurt Lucas. He could've killed Steve."

"That's okay. You need to protect yourself from Neil. Who knows if he'll snap at you instead."

"I'm not doing it for me, either. I'm doing it for you."

"Max -"

She shakes her head, cutting me off. "No. You saved me, all of us tonight. I got you hurt by calling you. I thought Billy would've calmed down if he saw you. He cares about you, even though he's a complete dick." I sigh. "Plus, you know, you aren't like the other girls he was with. You… I mean, you bothered to remember my name."

"To be fair, he did tell me a little bit about you."

"Nothing good, I suppose."

I shrug. "Doesn't matter."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure he just called me Maxine. But you… you guessed that I prefer Max. Thank you."

I smile at her and throw an arm around her shoulders, the fire starting to die out. "No problem. And hey, if Billy ever tries anything - even though he said he wouldn't - or your stepdad pulls some shit, or you need a break from the boys, you can come to mine anytime. And now that El's back, you have one more friend."

"She doesn't like me very much. Eleven." Max frowns. "I don't know what I did."

"Max, hey," warm blue eyes meet my green, "she's spent the year alone with just Hopper for company. Before that, she, well. She didn't have a normal childhood. Just, uh, give her a chance to warm up to you. She will. I promise. Just be patient, Mad Max."

She nods, and the rumble of an approaching car makes us straighten. With matching grins we leave the crispy hellhound behind and rush into the house, just as Hopper and El storm in. While Mike latches onto the girl I hug Hopper, still pissed but relieved he's still around for me to be pissed at.

"You're okay!" I smile into his chest, and he pats my back.

"Yeah, yeah. We're both fine. And you? Do you still feel connected to that place?"

"No." I shake my head and step back, smiling. "Thanks to El." I grin at the girl who rushes over to me, holding tight. "I'm so proud of you sweetheart. You did good. You did really, really good."

"Christ, Harrington, what the hell happened to your face?" Hopper gruffs out.

"Let's just say Roni over there knows how to pick 'em. I would've looked way worse if the shit we dealt with in the tunnels didn't - oh, shit." Steve mutters as I motion for him to shut up, lacking a filter from exhaustion.

"That explains the kid drooling in his - I'm sorry. What tunnels?" Hopper turns to face me, and I smile innocently. He groans. "Tell me you didn't."

"It bought you time." I shrug. "It felt great. Besides, I remembered to bring backup when I decided to go to vine-ville."

"It was our idea!" Dustin whines.

The Chief rolls his eyes then looks at all. "We should get you kids home. I'm sure your parents are beyond concerned. That'll be great to deal with." He complains.

"Not until we see Will." Lucas argues, standing firm with the rest of the Party behind him.

"Okay." Hopper shrugs. "They'll be here soon. Nancy radioed me 15 minutes ago, to warn us that their battery was about to die. Harrington," I watch him refocus on Steve, "do you want to press charges against Camaro-boy?"

Steve looks at me, and I shrug. It's his decision to make - he's the one who got beat to a pulp. "No." He finally decides, and I raise an eyebrow as he sends me a soft smile. "He's the one who lost."

"How? You're the one who got knocked out! Your face is, like, a mess!" Mike comments, not getting it.

I do, though. I'm not an idiot.

Max and Dustin seem to get it, too, because they snort at his reaction and what I'm sure is the lovesick grin on my face.

Hopper looks between Steve and us, then runs a hand down his face. "Jesus, I need a pot of coffee."

"Make that two pots." I stifle a yawn, El leaning her weight against my right side. "Maybe there are Eggos here, too. I promised you Eggos last year."

"All the Eggos." She reminds me, tone serious.

I bite my lip as Hopper huffs. "Kid, I've given you enough for a lifetime."

"No." I can hear her glaring at him and I struggle to hide my laugh. The urge to do so fades when another engine rumbles outside, the beat-up car squeaking to a stop.

The kids and I don't hesitate. In a mad dash we race out the door, pushing and shoving our way out of the narrow doorway and into the dark night. Well, very early morning.

The first person I hug is Nancy, and we cling to each other so tightly it takes Jonathan and Steve to ease us apart so that my brother can lift me into his arms, twirling me through the air and crying into my shoulder. It's relief and despair all wrapped into one sound, something I mimic as soon as I catch it. "You're okay. You're okay." He mutters, talking to himself as he presses kisses into my forehead.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I told you I would be." I whisper comfortingly, and Jonathan sets me down on the ground only to pull me into yet another hug.

"We-we didn't kn-know for sure. The Mind Flayer, he just… he just left, and we didn't know where he went. I… I thought he might've found you."

"He didn't! He didn't!" I promise, squeezing him around the middle.

"You stayed put, right?" I don't answer. "Right?!"

"We went to the tunnels to buy you time. It worked. We burned those fuckers." I tilt my head up to look at him, frown at the sheer panic in his deep brown eyes. "I didn't go alone. It was a group effort."

He just breathes out through his nose and kisses my forehead. "I'm too tired and happy to be pissed at your stupidity right now."

"Mike! Lucas! Dustin! Max!... Eleven?!" I gasp and stumble back when I hear the exhausted but ecstatic voice, hands covering my mouth when I watch Will running from his mother's arms to his friends, surrounded by his family.

He's here. He made it.

I start to sob quietly, and a strong but lithe arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me sideways into his body. Jonathan gives me another reassuring smile, his eyes becoming less sad.

I can't hear what the kids are saying, their voices mingling together into one uniform sound, each growing louder than the last. I hide my head in Jonathan's chest while Nancy burrows into me, and I can hear her speaking quietly with Steve.

"Hey, Ver. Looks like someone's trying to talk to you." My temporary pillow whispers, and I move my head from his chest to meet Will's tired but warm chocolate eyes. I unapologetically shove my friends off in order to crash into Will, my arms wrapping around the blanket-covered boy.

"You're here. Oh my God, it worked. It really worked. You're here." I whisper into his sweaty hair, and he nods, shaking with me.

"He's gone. He's really gone. I can't feel him anymore. I can't see them, either. The now-memories. What about you? Are you -"

"No tingles, no chills, no 'I've got a bad feeling about this' sparks going off. I'm… Will, we're free." We smile at each other, then keep hugging. "Free enough."

"Now we just have nightmares to look forward to."

I snort, soft and friendly. "Please."

He giggles into my neck. "Yeah, you're right. What are a few bad dreams compared to this past year?"

"Careful, Will. Things might start to get a little normal for us."

"Normal is good." He whispers, smiling into my skin.

I hold him to me even tighter than before and kiss the top of his head. "We're going to be alright. I've got your back, little brother. Always." I promise, and we cling to each other in the dimly-lit driveway, reassuring ourselves that this is all real. That we made it, that our friends - our family - saved us.

I sit behind the wheel of the Beemer, parked in front of the empty Harrington house while Steve runs in to grab some pyjamas, a toothbrush, and a change of clothes for school tomorrow. His parents aren't home to guiltily fuss over him, and now that this is all finally over I can actually fix up his face with more than a couple of cartoon-print Band-Aids and butterfly bandages.

This is the closest I've gotten to the Harrington house since that night last year. Normally I'd just sit here for a few moments then briskly drive away, but I've got the events of this past week and tonight to distract me.

Dustin's knocked out in the backseat, snoring away. I would've felt bad taking him home if the other kids were staying over at the Byers house, but it's a school night… day… and Joyce and Jonathan need to be with Will without feeling overwhelmed with guests. So Hopper briefly left El at Will's to drive the kids home, grumpily stopping at the part of the woods where Steve had parked before completing his task.

Before all that, though, I had been given the lovely job of waking Billy back up from his slumber. As soon as he was coherent enough he tried to talk to me, but I just narrowed my eyes in warning, Max harshly ordering him to drive her home. She sent Steve and I a reassuring smile before my ex drove away, leaving the rest of us literally in the dust.

Whatever, I'm covered in slime already.

I sit up when Steve leaves his big house, locking the door behind him and returning to the car to toss his shit into the trunk. It slams shut but Dustin keeps snoring away, and Steve winces as he settles into the passenger seat and tugs on his seatbelt. "You sure your mom will be okay with this?"

"Hey, Dustin and I will be grounded anyway if she's still up. And if she isn't… my mom loves you, you'll be fine. We'll be fine. She may even try to drive you to the hospital. Shit, should we be taking you to the hospital?"

"Nothing feels broken."

"Is that a yes?"

"I'm fine, Roni." Steve insists. I huff and tap the steering wheel. "Fine. Just drop me off at Hawkins General. You can leave my car at yours."

"I'm not just going to drop you off." I insist, glaring at him but starting the car. He sends me a small smile and reaches over to squeeze my hand.

"Listen, if I feel worse by the time we get to your house, I'll go. But seriously, aside from the headache and blurry vision I'm fine."

"Blurry vision?" I hiss, pulling away from his house and driving down the empty road.

"I've had blurry vision for hours. I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping great."

"Because of Nancy?" I question, eyes focused ahead so I can make a turn without pulling a Max and destroying private property.

"Because of you."

"Oh." I mutter at his admission, and we lapse into silence. "Sorry."

"You're not the one who has to be sorry." I give him a quick eyebrow raise. "It's on me."

Inhaling sharply, I turn onto Cornwallis. "Halloween." I utter.

"Halloween."

"Look, can we just agree we were both dickish?"

"I was worse. You were just trying to check on me. And I was so wrapped up in my bullshit that I took it out on you. After you'd slipped into the Upside Down, again." He growls. "I was the bigger dick."

I keep my crude response to myself, and give his hand a firm squeeze instead. "I was pissed, yeah. But… you weren't wrong. You were very, very right, and you woke me up from my own bullshit. I hadn't been acting like myself for a while, and you had the balls to tell me it to my face when no one else would."

"I should've told you sooner. Maybe all of this could have been… you wouldn't have felt alone." I carefully pull into my driveway and park behind the Millenium Falcon. Turning the engine off, his hand leaves mine to touch under my chin and turn my gaze on him. "I never ever want you to feel alone."

"I don't want you too, either." I read him, and his lips twitch. "Yeah, that's right Harrington, I see you, too. I know you." I repeat his words from Tina's party back to him, and he grins. "I'll give you the proof later. I'm tired, Harrington."

"Get my bag, I'll wake your brother up." He promises. I shake my head though, looking at him worriedly.

"No. No, we're going to go inside, I'm going to change, and hopefully my mom is still up so I can let her know I'm taking you to the hospital."

"I thought you said -"

"I'm not taking any chances. We'll say we were hanging out by the quarry and you got jumped… or, Billy said he stopped by to check on me. We can just… it won't be a complete lie." I mumble, feeling guilty about how dishonest I've been with my mother this past year.

He huffs. "Fine. Only because it'll make you feel better."

"Thanks Steve." I smile at him, and he smiles back.

It takes a couple of moments to wake Dustin up and an even longer time to get him out of the car. Despite my twinging sides I manage to carry everything I don't need for school towards the house, Dustin fumbling to get the door open.

When he does, we're greeted by an anxious Claudia Henderson. "Where have you been?! I've been worried sick! You didn't leave a note, you didn't call to say you were going to be - oh, Steve, what happened? Oh, you poor dear." Steve falters a bit at my mom's emotional whiplash, but Dustin and I take full advantage of her distraction to go to our rooms. Dustin and I hug for a solid few minutes before I send the half-asleep boy to bed. My own movements are just as sluggish as I strip and pull on a robe, eager for a shower.

I keep it short, not wanting to leave Steve waiting for too long but also needing to just stop smelling like demodogs and the tunnels. I dry off and make sure to grab a few pills for the morning before creeping back into my room. Black, pink, and white tracksuit on as well as my converse, I grab a smaller duffel and pack a change of clothes for school, my Lady's Choice deodorant, some easy-to-carry makeup, and my brush. My wet curls are held up by a scrunchie and I'm as ready to face the world again as I'll ever be so I make to leave my room, only to stop briefly at my desk, staring at it like it's on fire.

My mom has Steve resting on the couch when I return, an icepack on his forehead. "What happened?" She asks us, mouth straight and eyes hard.

"Well, uh, Billy…" I bite my lip. "Um, I was supposed to meet him tonight, but I lost track of time. So I decided to stay out one more night and just come home early tomorrow. I went out for a walk, and ended up at the quarry. I found him and Steve -"

"Fighting. We were fighting." Steve says, and my mom frowns.

"What about?" Steve and I look at each other and I shrug.

"He didn't say. Neither one of them did. But, well, Steve came out looking worse. Steve said he dropped Dustin off at the Byers house, to go rally the kids and look for Mews. I'm so sorry I wasn't here, mom. Did you find her?" I ask, smoothly changing the subject despite knowing the heartbreaking truth.

My mom sniffles. "No, dumpling. She must have just run off." I reach over and grab her hand.

"I'm sorry." I repeat, and she gives me a wet smile.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'll be okay. I'm sure she'll come back home soon. Now," she clears her throat and dabs under her eyes with a tissue, "are you going to be taking Steve to the hospital?"

I nod and smile. "It's probably a good idea to at least get him checked on. I made sure to stop by his place after we picked up Dustin, so we both have a change of clothes for tomorrow if we end up needing to stay."

"Good, good." She yawns, sniffling a bit. We both stand up and she gives Steve a motherly hug first, followed by me, and I discreetly wince when her arms wrap around my ribs too tightly. "You know, he seemed like bad news anyway." I pull back and stare at her in confusion, but her eyes slyly flick down to my right thumb. "You wouldn't be wearing that if you were still with him." With a kiss to my cheek she's walking down the hall to her room, flicking the lights off as she goes.

I turn to look up at Steve, who's gesturing to the front door. I nod and follow after him, grabbing my flight jacket from the coat rack and locking up behind us. Steve gets comfortable in the passenger seat while I toss my duffle bag in the trunk and slam it closed, getting behind the wheel moments later. I turn the key in the ignition of the Beemer and Steve leans his head on the window, looking out into the dark night.

As we drive to the hospital, the gold arrow ring glints under the passing street lights, a comfortable weight on my right thumb.

Before too long I'm pulling into one of the many free parking spots in front of Hawkins General, Steve and I tiredly climbing out of his Beemer. "What are we telling them again?" He murmurs, yawning a bit as we shuffle towards the entrance, pushing the doors open.

"You were jumped at the quarry. I took you here because I was worried."

"How nice of you." He tiredly sasses, and I laugh sardonically at him as we head to the front desk, where the elderly night receptionist is clicking away on her computer, graying blonde hair pulled up into a slick bun. I don't recognize her, but then again I've been avoiding this place like the plague since they took the stitches out of my forehead. Until now.

I'm starting to realize I'd make a lot of exceptions for Steve.

"Hi. We, uh… need a doctor?" I awkwardly announce, my companion nodding like I didn't just announce the most obvious thing.

The old woman looks up and gasps when she sees Steve. "Oh, you poor boy! Here, if you could just fill out this paperwork, I'll find a nurse." She passes a clipboard over to Steve, but I take it instead and lead him over to the vacant waiting area.

I start to fill out his information, Steve leaning his head against my shoulder to read what I've written down - the uninjured side of his head, of course.

"I know for a fact I never told you my middle name." He mutters, and I smile as I jot down his date of birth.

Steven Theodore Harrington, born April 17 of 1966.

"Back in the seventh grade, well, eighth for you, your parents actually went to a parent-teacher conference. Your mom was pissed because she found out you and Tommy had been skipping English class. Your dad was mad you got caught." I glance down at him. "Sorry."

"You remembered it because my mom yelled it?"

"Kind of. I also thought it was a super pretentious name at the time. Totally preppy."

"Oh. Huh."

I smile, writing down what had happened. "I've had to physically restrain myself from calling you 'Teddy Bear' ever since. I figured teasing you about it would be stooping to your level."

"Thanks, for taking the higher ground. I never would've lived that shit down." He mutters.

I smile wider and kick his ankle lightly. "Oh, no, don't thank me yet."

"You suck, Veronica."

"I swallow, too." I pause and blush, then clear my throat. Damn, I'd said the same thing to Billy, but somehow saying it to Steve makes me all flustered. "Uh, I need your blood type."

"A+. Totally ironic, I know, considering my grades."

Snorting, I pass over the allergy section. "You don't have any allergies. Well, you're allergic to good music, but that's it. Right?"

Steve slaps my arm lightly. "Rude. But yes, no allergies. How'd you know?"

"You were bragging about it in my freshman year, because you overheard me and Barb going over our biology homework. I told her how I went into near-fatal anaphylactic shock because my parents and I didn't know I'm allergic to penicillin." I look away, frowning when I think about the friend I'd lost.

"I remember." He mutters. "You told me I was a dick."

"Was I wrong?"

"No. But I didn't mean to be a dick. It was a… I was scared when I heard it. So I reacted poorly. I just said the first thing that popped into my mind. I'm sorry for the shit I used to pull on you."

I blink at his admission and look down at him, but Steve's refusing to meet my gaze as he keeps staring at the clipboard. "I was a bitch right back. A cold bitch."

"Yeah, well, you had your reasons. How I behaved was one of them."

"You've made up for it, okay? I let that shit go after you swooped into the Byers house and saved me from being Demogorgon-dinner."

"You know what's strange?" He asks, picking his head up to take the clipboard, getting ready to fill out his insurance information. "I don't even remember going back in. I was at my car, ready to leave, then I stopped. Next thing I knew, I heard you scream and then seconds later the bat was in my hand."

"Adrenaline's funky like that." I comment. "Hey, what are you going to tell your parents? They'll find out about this, right?" He's 18, but the insurance is still under his dad's name.

"Yeah. It'll fucking suck. I'll just say I got jumped. Dad'll want to press charges for the attention, mom'll cry about it, but then dad'll have to go away for another conference or whatever, and mom'll follow him because staying with that dick is obviously way more important than me. They'll forget all about this, then." He bitterly announces, pen scratching violently into the last page. I reach over and squeeze his free hand. He glances down at our entwined limbs and visibly calms down. No words need to be exchanged.

I take the clipboard from him to return it to the receptionist, who promises a nurse is on her way. I sit back down next to Steve, this time resting my head on his shoulder. We wait only a few more minutes before nurse Ellen introduces herself, leading us further into the hospital and into a room.

She gets Steve comfortable on the bed, and we answer her questions as clearly as possible, given our state. I get more and more relieved as she checks Steve's vitals and announces - aside from his obvious physical condition - that he's going to be "a-okay."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't be here, sweetheart. You're lucky to have a girlfriend so worried about you." She pats his shoulder and powers on before either one of us can correct her. "Now, Dr. Richards will be here in a few minutes. You two just sit tight." The middle-aged woman leaves us, and I pointedly refuse to look at Steve.

"The wall's more interesting than me, huh?" He asks, and I blink away from it to stare at him. He grins cheekily. "I mean, I know I'm pretty messed up right now, but at least I've got some color on me?"

"That's not funny." I frown, eyes flicking worriedly to the gash on his forehead. "I thought… I couldn't tell if you were breathing." I whisper.

"Hey, come here." He offers out a bruised-knuckled hand and I stand from the chair in the corner to take it, standing between his open legs. "I'm fine. Nothing feels broken. At most I only have a concussion, but I'm not nauseous or dizzy. I'm just tired. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here, you're here with me. Will's going to be okay, your brother's at home sleeping just like the rest of the kids. Nance is with Mike, and Jonathan's with his mom and his brother. Eleven is alive and with Hopper." He promises, voice gentle. "And you never have to deal with that bullshit dimension again. No more visions, no more tunnels, no more vines." I nod at his words and bow my head, and he lets go of my hand to wrap his arms around my waist and pull me closer. Our foreheads press against each other's gently, and my green eyes meet his hazel. They're mostly brown and a touch unfocused, but his pupils aren't as dilated as earlier. "We're all going to be fine."

"Okay." I smile at him, hands holding his shoulders. My right reaches up to cup his chin, avoiding the cuts. "I'm sorry. For slapping you." I apologize, stroking the slightly reddened cheek.

"Don't be." He shrugs. "I mean, I messed up. Should've gotten Dustin out fast-

"That's not why I slapped you." I cut him off, shaking my head.

"Why did you?" Steve asks, but his brown-hazel eyes are reading me, like he knows the answer already. He probably does.

"I… you scared me, Steve. I thought I lost both of you, and I can't… I can't go through that. Like, Nance and Johnny are my siblings, and I love them, but you…" I trail off, trying to figure out what words to use. "Shit, Steve. You're my best friend. Sometimes I think you know me better than Jonathan does, and we've known each other all our lives. You matter to me."

He nods and leans in closer to me, our lips a breath away. "That's what I thought. You matter to me too, Roni."

It would have been an amazing first kiss… if Dr. Richards hadn't chosen that exact moment to waltz in. I jumped away from Steve and turned around to greet the older man, who had no idea what he interrupted as he was busy reading Steve's chart.

As the good doctor and Steve talk, I settle back down in my chair. For the first time in a year, I'm starting to believe that things will get better.

I'll deny this to Steve's face for the rest of my life, but I absolutely did not tear up when Dr. Richards confirmed it was only a minor concussion. Steve was lucky - he didn't require stitches, the wound on his forehead clotted and wasn't as deep as we believed, but he'd have a scar for a while. No broken bones or ribs, just a lot of cuts and bruises.

Steve was kept overnight, though, for observation. You can never be too sure when it comes to a head injury. It was a quiet enough night - and it's a small town, people know what happened to me last year - that the doctor let me stay with him. Nurse Ellen even brought in a cot for me to rest on.

I woke up to Steve being discharged, Dr. Richards handing me his medicine like I was more prepared to handle them than the older teen. I ran out to the car to grab our change of clothes, and twenty minutes later we were rushing to make second period, the doctor's notes tucked carefully in our backpacks. I'd also made sure to call my mom, delivering the good news as quickly as possible.

"Wow, perks of still technically being King, huh?" I ask as Steve parks in his usual spot, the two of us getting out of the car with about as much grace as a newborn giraffe given how drained we still are.

"Not a king anymore." Steve mumbles, yawning with his jaw so wide I'm worried he'll reopen the cut on his lip.

"I don't know about that." You're still the King of my heart.

"Well, at least I've got my Ice Queen. You've always been good for my social standing." I snort and slap his chest, and he laughs before throwing his arm over my shoulders and pulling me into him as we walk towards the school. I'm still wearing my converse, so Steve towers over me.

The halls are empty when we walk down them, and we stop in front of his locker first. "Shit, I didn't even bother doing the homework." Steve pouts, and I nod.

"Same. Ah well, we were busy saving Hawkins."

"Yeah, we can't tell them that." He deadpans at me, and I smile.

"I've got an excuse. My brother's demon dog ate my homework."

My lips twitch as we stare at each other, and Steve's shoulders shake until finally we break into laughter, covering our mouths so we don't draw attention to ourselves.

After a few minutes we calm down, and Steve pulls out what he needs before lunch. "Shit, I don't have my gym clothes either." He bemoans.

I snort. "Yeah, doctor's note. You aren't playing for a good week, so relax and get to class. And don't forget to show your note to your teacher." I point at him. He rolls his eyes then quickly leans down to kiss my cheek.

"Mhmm. Okay, beautiful." He closes his locker and walks away from me towards his math class, and I watch him go with a red face and a gaping mouth.

As he disappears I smile, then shake my head and rush over to my own locker. I grab my history textbook and rush off to my class.

"Ms. Henderson, how kind of you to join us." Ms. Peterson quips, beady eyes boring into me through the thick lenses of her glasses. The class doesn't make a sound, and I feel wary eyes on me.

I give her a pleasant smile and pass her my hospital note.

"Sorry, it was a long night."

She purses her lips and nods, eyes flicking over the note before she passes it back. "I see. Make sure to give this to the office. Have a seat, Ms. Henderson. We were just reviewing last week's lesson on the American Revolution."

I smile in thanks and sit down in my usual seat, attempting to pay attention to Ms. Peterson while stopping myself from falling asleep.

A note drops in front of my desk, and I tiredly flip it open.

You okay? - Tina

I look over at her and shrug, and she gives me a sad smile. "Later?" She mouths, and I nod.

The rest of the class passes pretty fast, and before I know it I'm shuffling off to the library to spend my free period doing the homework I'd ignored.

I take a seat in the furthest spot in the library, left to my own devices as I pull out my worksheets and loose paper to bullshit my way through this academic mess.

As I'm rolling my wrist, trying to finish up the last of my physics assignment - thankfully only a couple of teachers assigned homework - someone drops down onto the seat across from me.

"Hey." My eyes flick up, seeing through the loose, long blonde curls covering my face.

"How's Will?" I ask Jonathan. "I'm surprised your mom let you leave the house."

Jonathan smiles softly at me and shrugs, pulling out his portfolio for art class in fourth period - right after lunch. "He's fine. Sleeping and watching movies with mom. She let me go when I reminded her I had to check up on you. How are you?"

"One minute." I mutter, scratching down my final answer before heaving a sigh and shoving my work into my folder. "Better. I'm… tired. Not sure everything's hit me, yet."

"How's Steve? We didn't see him earlier."

"Took him to the hospital. Just a minor concussion, but we stayed there until a little before second period. He's in gym now, probably pissed he's been put on the bench." I smile, thinking about how pouty he must be.

"There it is." Jonathan grins at me, and I raise my eyebrows in confusion.

"What?"

"That smile."

I roll my eyes and pat his hand. "Buddy, I do smile, you know."

He shakes his head, giving me that soft brotherly expression of his. "Not like that, you don't. Not since we were younger."

"God, that feels like so long ago." I murmur, staring off into space.

"Yeah. Things were so…"

"Different." I finish. Then I smile at him, still holding his hand. "You look so happy. It's nice to see."

His eyes flick over me, and he lets out a small sigh. "I don't blame you, you know. For everything that happened. I shouldn't have acted like you did. I should've told you that I knew you weren't okay."

"I should've told you. We both messed up. So, from now on, no secrets?" I release his hand and offer my pinky finger. With a snort, he takes it in his own.

"No secrets."

I sit up then wince when I twist the wrong way, bruises on my ribs making my torso feel tight. They should have healed by - oh, right. The gate's closed. No more rapid healing. Is it bad that I miss that particular perk?

Jonathan clears his throat. "Starting with whatever happened to you. I kind of figured some shit went down with Billy before Steve mentioned it last night, but Steve was a little fuzzy on the details. Or maybe he just didn't want to talk to me. I did take Nancy from him." He mumbles guiltily.

I roll my eyes. "No one took anyone, Nance is her own person capable of making her own decisions, so let's stop thinking girls are prizes to win." He sputters a bit. "Yeah, I know that's not what you meant. But she and Steve said they spoke and they didn't seem to be upset with each other, and Steve never told me he wants to kill you or anything -"

"Gee, thanks, that's reassuring." Jonathan interrupts, and I laugh under my breath.

"Just… God, just clear the air with him, I guess. I don't know."

Jonathan nods and sighs. "I'm so tired."

"Join the club."

"Does it start before or after 'Our Dads Suck' club?" He sasses me, and I grin.

"You're hilarious, Johnny."

"Yeah. I also forgot one of my photos." He starts to stand up and gather his belongings. "I'm gonna go grab it then pick up Nancy from her class." I coo and he shoves my shoulder, my torso tweaking a bit but I don't make a sound.

"Alright. Why don't you two lovebirds meet me at my locker after? We'll go to the cafeteria together."

"Okay. See you in a few. Try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone."

I grin. "Doubtful, Johnny."

He rolls his eyes and leaves the library, almost bumping into a cart of books in his haste. I snort then sigh, figuring I should put my recently completed homework back into my locker for safe keeping.

With a groan I stand and stretch, wincing at the tugging in my ribs as I grab my belongings and leave the quiet place behind.

The halls are relatively empty. A few students move out of my way and I shuffle tiredly to my locker, unlocking it and shoving everything in. Money pocketed in the back pocket of my tight jeans, someone clears their throat.

I slam my locker closed and turn, arms crossed and face impassive. "What do you want, Hargrove?" I ask, tone bored.

His eyebrows shoot up but he leans forward like he usually does, getting in my space. Any butterflies flapping around are held down by every vengeful urge I have to mess him up worse than he did Steve. To get payback for how he treated the kids, how he treated Lucas and Max. How he could've killed my brother. "Baby girl, you alright?"

I scoff, laughing incredulously. "Seriously? You have to ask?"

"Whoa, Queen V. Let's tone down the fucking ice." He orders, non-threatening but eyes burning.

"Fat chance." I mutter. "What do you want?" I ask.

"Clarification."

"On what? The fact you're a dick? Sure." I shoot at him, smiling innocently. "You're a dick."

"That wasn't what I was asking, Veronica." He growls, then leans forward some more. "See, I'm a little hazy about last night. Foggy and shit." He gestures at his head. "But I thought I heard you say 'we're done'. See, I wasn't so sure, because I drove to your house this morning to pick you up, only your mom gave me the third degree before sending me on my way. Then I find out from some little birdies that you came to school with Harrington. I also heard he had his arm around your shoulders. So, again; you broke up with me last night?"

I grin and nod. "That would be correct."

"What the hell Veronica?" He growls, nearly drowned out by the dismissal bell. "You broke up with me? Why?!" He shouts, and the students piling out of their classrooms stare at us, but also keep their distance.

"You seriously have to ask?" I harshly return, arms crossed.

"Is this because I hurt Harrington? Because the whiny bitch deserved it!" He hisses back, and I choke a little.

"How? What did he do?"

"He -"

"Oh, and 'hurt him'?" I cut him off. "No, Billy, hurting him would've been a couple of licks and a swipe at his ego. What you did was potential manslaughter. You nearly beat my best friend to death. I can't be with someone who acts one way with me, then completely different with other people. That isn't healthy, Billy. It's a relationship based on a lie, and that shit never ends well."

"Jesus, Veronica, so I lost control! Harrington's a punk." He shoots at me, and I feel everyone's eyes on us. But I'm not going to back off.

"Don't you dare use that tone of voice with me, not with the shit you pulled." I poke his chest, completely unimpressed.

Billy rolls his eyes then looks around, smiling like some sort of demon at the gathered crowd. At his warning gaze they start to disperse. He deflates then looks down at me. "Fine. I'll apologize to Harrington -"

"This isn't just about Steve!" I growl, poking him again. "It's also about you attacking a kid I've known most of his life because of the color of his skin." I harshly whisper to him, and he narrows his eyes. "Hell, the fact you terrorize someone as amazing as Max definitely isn't doing you any favors. She may not share the same blood as you, but you're supposed to be her older brother. The 'step' part shouldn't matter. But the straw that broke the camel's back? Finding out that you almost ran my brother and his friends over on Halloween. I don't care if you didn't know it was Dustin. You would've killed three kids just to keep Max 'in line', and that isn't okay."

"Oh. Yo-you know." Billy gets out, stepping back. Then his face hardens. "Goddamn Maxine told you, right? C'mon, baby girl, that little bitch just wants to ruin us."

I raise an eyebrow. "No, actually, my brother told me. But way to be a douchebag and blame someone else for your dick move. That was my brother you could have run over. My little brother!" I shout and shove Billy away, using all the force I have. "Fuck you, William Hargrove." I growl as I keep moving him.

"Veronica, wait -" He grabs my ribs to stop me and I yelp at how strong the touch is, almost gasping in pain. He freezes and removes his hands. "What the hell was that?" He asks, and I pale.

Look, I'm beyond pissed at him. But my ribcage is something I didn't want him to learn about. I know he didn't mean to do it, I know he never wanted to hurt me.

"Billy, it was nothing, stop -" I try, looking around but noticing the hallways are empty, sound wafting down them from the cafeteria.

Billy ignores me and instead lifts my tight green turtleneck, eyes glued to the bruising on my ribs. I haven't checked on them since last night, so I don't exactly know what they look like now. "Who did that? Veronica, who… oh." He whispers, blinking at the bruises before looking at me, ocean eyes lost. "Oh, shit. I-I hurt you? Why didn't you start off with that?" He questions, voice the softest it's been since he started this conversation.

I shake my head and frown, lowering my shirt. "No, Billy, these were accidents. They were the only things you didn't mean last night. You have more than enough to feel guilty about, focus on this shit you meant to do."

"Don't." He shakes his head, stepping away from me completely. "Don't make excuses. That's how it starts, as accidents, and then the next thing you know I'm screaming at you like he did, and I'm punching you exactly like he did." He alludes to his dad. "It's a slippery slope. I hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you." He keeps walking backwards, and my hands start to lower after my failed attempt to stop him. "I'm sorry. I'll stay away from you and your friends. I won't bother Max, like she made me promise. I'll even leave Harrington alone. I won't spread shit, I won't let anyone spread shit about us or you. I'll tell everyone the truth, that you dumped me because I fucked up big time. And I won't… I'll leave you alone. I'm sorry, Veronica. You deserve better." He walks away from me, head a little bowed. The butterflies he used to give me go with him.

I don't know how long I stand there - it's probably a shorter time than I think - before someone clears their throat. I turn around to see Nancy smiling down at me, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes as she stares down the hallway. "You guys heard all that?"

"Only the end. Can't say I'm too upset to see him walking away, but… how are you?" Nancy asks, and I smile.

"I'm… I feel fine. I mean, I'm still coming to terms with everything, but this," I gesture in the direction Billy disappeared, "this I understand."

Nancy gives me a relieved smile, then I'm pulled into a careful hug. "I'm so glad you're okay." She lets me go then rubs at her stomach. "I'm also starving, so if we could go eat I'd be even happier."

I laugh but nod. "Jesus, me too."

"Drama queens." Jonathan murmurs, but he tugs Nancy into him and the new couple leads the way to the cafeteria.

I glance up at Steve as we walk, but look away when he notices. Seconds later an arm is wrapping itself around my shoulders, and I lean my head on him as we walk into the lunch room, uncaring of the stares and whispers. There are more important things to focus on.