He knew it was risky having a party when his parents were out of town, but he didn't really care. It wasn't as if it was going to be a big party anyway. It was just going to be a few friends from school with a few beers. It wasn't as if things were going to get out of control. Besides, he had even managed to persuade Nancy to come and that was definitely the highlight. Ever since he'd gotten to know her, he knew that he was a lost cause. He knew that she had his heart, even if he hadn't told her that. She was smart, pretty and kind. She was everything and he couldn't stay away from her.

"You're lowering your arm too quickly. You're getting lazy."

Steve had just pulled into the driveway when he heard the voice snapping. He was on his way to the back of the house to let himself in as the snapping continued.

"You need more topspin on the ball…and you're far too slow moving to get the ball at the net."

He tugged his key from his jean pocket and walked around the edge of the pool to the back door. He picked his gaze up and looked over to his next-door neighbour's yard. While his family had a pool, his neighbours had opted for a tennis court. He much preferred the pool, but he knew why his neighbours had the court: their daughter. She was in the same year that he was in, but she didn't exactly hang around in his friend group. If he remembered right, she'd flipped Carol off once when she'd snickered something behind her back. It wasn't as if she was uncool or a loner in school. She had friends, but she was also somewhat closed off. She always had been for as long as he had lived next door to her.

"Maybe I'm not getting to the net quick enough because I was up at five running track?" she snapped back at the man.

Steve looked over to the tennis court and saw her flapping her arms to the side, her racket hitting against her thighs as she lowered her arms. Her father was stood on the other side of the neck, dressed in a black tracksuit with his hands on his hips. He had thick black hair that was slicked back on the top of his head. He was in his mid-forties with a strong, chiselled jaw and bright blue eyes and a muscular figure. Steve's mother hadn't exactly been loath to look away whenever he had been exercising outside.

Pushing the key into the door, Steve didn't bother to eavesdrop any further as the father and daughter continued arguing. Instead, he went into the house and dropped his bag onto the floor. He closed the door behind him before heading up to his bedroom and planning on getting changed. He had a few hours before they arrived for the party. He guessed that Tommy was going to bring the beer. Steve didn't exactly want his dad to know that he'd taken any from his fridge.

Just as he was about to close the curtains, his eyes flickered up. From his bedroom, he had a pretty clear view of the neighbour's yard. His hands gripped the edges of the curtains, but he paused when he realised what was going on.

Donnie Mattheson's fingers were tangled in his daughter's ponytail, gripping it tightly and tugging her head downwards, clearly causing her pain as she tried to grab his wrist and prise it from her hair. He was hissing something into her ear before he pushed her off to the side, watching her stumble and struggle to remain on her feet. He spat on the ground before storming off and leaving her alone. She moved a hand to her scalp and stroked her fingers along the flesh there before crouching down and picking her racket up with her other hand. She walked in the opposite direction of her father and Steve knew where she was going.

"Shit," he muttered to himself.

He had wanted to spend a bit of time relaxing before the party. Plus, he had to do his hair considering that he'd had gym class earlier that day. But he found himself heading back downstairs and out of the back door. He locked the door again, tucking the key into his pocket. Hands went to his hips and he stalked into the forest behind both of their houses. The ground was dry and hard considering they'd had no rain fall for quite some time. He didn't have to walk too far before he saw her sat on the large tree stump, legs crossed and hands twirling her racket in her hands.

"Hey."

He greeted her with a simple nod and she looked up. She sniffed and he noticed how she tried to wipe her eyes without him noticing.

"Hair-ington," she replied and Steve rolled his eyes at her greeting. It was the same greeting he'd had for years since he'd known her.

"You know, that's hardly original, right?" he said to her.

"Never claimed to be original," she retorted. "What're you doing here?"

"Saw you heading out here…figured I'd see if you were alright."

"How very chivalrous of you. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone at school. I'd hate to ruin your bad boy image," she said and Steve's lips arched upwards before he sat down next to her on the tree stump, legs dangling off the ground and hands gripping the edge of the stump.

"Glad to hear it," Steve said to her and they lapsed into silence then.

She kept on twirling the racket in her hands and Steve noticed how her blond hair had strands that had fallen out of the ponytail. Her tennis whites were pristine and clung to her body. Her legs and arms were bare and Steve guessed she must be cold considering there was a slight chill in the air.

"You saw, didn't you?" she finally broke the silence and Steve clasped his hands together and looked down.

"Why don't you tell your mom?" he just asked her.

She shrugged ruefully and moved a hand to play with the end of her ponytail over her shoulder. "She's too busy off with Dr Jameson…as if dad doesn't know…he does…he just doesn't care about her," she said to him. "So long as mom keeps her affairs on the downlow, he couldn't care less where she is or what she's doing. It's not as if she really cares about what happens at home."

Steve knew that he couldn't exactly say that he was surprised. It wasn't as if his parents were too bothered about him either. Of course, they cared that he was living up to the Harrington name, but apart from that, it wasn't as if they pushed him or encouraged him at school. He was a school athlete. He was the most popular boy at school. Granted, his grades weren't the best they could be, but he had never really cared about that before.

"He shouldn't treat you like that," was all that Steve could think to say to her.

"He just wants me to push myself."

"To the point of almost killing yourself?" Steve replied.

"You know, this might come as a surprise to you, Steve, but sometimes we need to be pushed. We can't all be naturally gifted."

"And it is a curse," Steve assured her and she snorted, rolling her eyes and smirking despite everything. "But he still shouldn't treat you like that. Do you even enjoy this…being this child tennis prodigy?"

She shrugged. She kept playing with the ends of her hair as she considered what to say to him. "I love playing," she said to him. "I love the feeling I get when I'm on the court and it's just me and someone else…and I love the feeling of winning. I know that's maybe not exactly the right answer, but it's the truth. I want to be the best. I want to win the regional tournament and then go onto national competitions…I want to be seeded and play the big four grand slams. I do want it…but I just…I want to do other things too."

"And he won't let you?" Steve asked her.

"All professional athletes need to make sacrifices," she said. "And this is my sacrifice. I can't go to parties, even though the idea of going to a party isn't exactly my idea of a good night…I can't spend Saturday's hanging round town and trying on new clothes. I can't even eat popcorn when I go to the movies because my dad has me on this strict new meal plan."

Steve listened intently and he had to admit that he wasn't envious of her. He loved playing basketball. He was good at it and he knew he might get into college, but he didn't let it dictate his life.

"Yeah, your life sounds shit," he agreed with her and she laughed at that.

Her head was thrown back and her eyes were set on the canopy of the trees. She had a small gap between her two front teeth which showed whenever she laughed so hard. She let her chuckles die down and she just nodded once. "Yeah, it's not that shit," she said. "It could be worse. I shouldn't complain really. I'm just…it's been a tough day."

"Well, if you want to get out of the house, I'm having a few friends round tonight…beers…you know…just a small, intimate gathering. It's not a party. Besides, you seem to hate parties."

"True," she said. "But I'm good. Besides, I imagine Carol is going to be there right? She hangs off Tommy's arm like they're conjoined."

"What is it with you and Carol?" Steve asked and folded his arms over his chest.

"I caught her trying to bully Jenny Robinson in the girl's bathroom and might have had some choice words for her. She's been a stuck-up bitch ever since her boobs came in. Besides, she never liked me for having seven minutes in heaven with Tommy when we were fourteen."

Steve blinked then. "You had seven minutes in heaven with Tommy?" Steve tsked at that. "Violet Mattheson, you sneaky hussy."

Violet rolled her eyes. "All we actually did was sit in the closet in complete silence. It wasn't as if I wanted to be in there with him," she said. "But don't tell anyone I told you that. He made me promise to say that he was the best kiss I'd ever have or he'd tell everyone that I'd been frigid…which really is ridiculous because we were fourteen and still kids really."

"Yeah, Tommy's always had a big mouth," Steve assured her of that. "But your secret is safe with me."

"Good to know," Violet said. She jumped down from the tree trunk, legs uncurling and feet hitting the ground. "Anyway, I should get back. I need to do some homework. Enjoy your party, but try to keep it down. You know my dad would call your parents without thinking twice if he suspects you're drinking."

"We'll be as quiet a mouse," Steve said and he watched her smooth her tennis skirt down. "Sure you don't want to come?"

"Can I can push Carol into your pool?"

"Think I might have to say no on that."

"Then I'm good," Violet replied and he watched as she twirled the racket in her hand without even thinking about it. "Hey, did I hear that you're dating Nancy Wheeler now?"

Steve scratched the back of his neck and he nodded, lips arching and cheeks warming slightly. "Yeah," he confirmed. "She's pretty cool."

"What happened to Becky?"

"Didn't work out," Steve said.

"Couldn't keep it in your pants?" Violet enquired, a teasing tone to her voice and Steve took his turn to roll his eyes at her comment. He slipped down from the tree, white sneakers landing in a pile of leaves.

"Despite what you might think, I do have some self-control," Steve said. "Besides, Nancy is different to anyone else I've dated."

"She seems nice enough," Violet agreed. It wasn't as if she'd had much to do with Nancy in the past. "I don't know her all too well, but she seems clever."

"Yeah, she is."

"Well, just try to behave yourself, alright?" Violet warned him. "I'll see you later, Steve."

"Bye, Vi," Steve said and he watched her walk away before trying to drag his attention back to his friends coming over.

…

"You were with that Harrington boy again."

Violet was sat at the dining table, a plate of salad in front of her. She hadn't bothered to change out of her tennis whites, choosing to do that after dinner when she could shower and then just hide in her room. Her father was sat at the head of the table and Violet was sat to the right of him. She was picking at the lettuce with her fork, not entirely hungry but knowing she should eat something.

"We're in the same school," Violet said to her dad who was also eating a salad, but with a side of fries too. "We live next door to each other. We just talk."

She didn't tell him how the two of them would often sneak into the woods and sit on that tree stump and just talk about things going on at home. She'd grown up next door to Steve, but they had never really socialised until he'd followed her into the forest when she had turned eleven and had cried after losing some school tournament and her dad had yelled at her. Since then, they didn't really acknowledge each other at school, but they could sit on that rock and talk for hours if they wanted to.

"You know that the last thing you need is a boyfriend, right?"

Violet let out a laugh at that, but her dad looked less than impressed with her response. She crossed her legs under the table as he arched a brow at her. "Something funny?"

"Dad, you have nothing to worry about with me and Steve," she assured him on that point. "We don't even move in the same circles. Besides, he has a new girlfriend every other week. I'm not stupid enough to get involved with someone like that, trust me."

"Good, because that kid is trouble," Donnie said to his daughter and pointed his fork in the direction of the Harrington house. "He's popular in high school, but wait until he leaves. He'll be a small fish in a big pond. He has no ambition or determination. He's bad news."

Violet chewed down on a slice of cucumber. "He's not all that bad," she said. "I mean, he's a bit annoying, but there's worse people at school than Harrington."

Her father let out a soft 'hmm' at that, not entirely certain if he agreed with her on that point. He didn't push her on it though. "Well, just make sure you stay away from him because we can't afford any distractions. If you're going to play tennis at college then we need you to be playing better than anyone in the region. You need to win the regional competition coming up."

"I'm going to try," Violet said.

"No, you're going to do it. You need to work on your serve there," Donnie said. "You're dropping your arm too quickly and that's why you're hitting the net so often. After dinner, I want you to spend half-an-hour out there practicing."

"I have homework."

"Which you can do after practice," Donnie said. "Eat up and head on out there. I'm going out for a bit."

Violet didn't bother arguing. She knew there was no point.

…

"Why is your slutty neighbour playing tennis this time of night?"

Steve was laid on one of the sun loungers with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a can of beer in his hands. Nancy was sat on the edge of another lounger after having downed a beer. Her friend, Barb, was stood off to the side, looking like she'd rather be anywhere but at the party. Tommy and Carol were wrapped up in each other on one of the loungers, limbs entwined and lips pressed together. Steve looked over to the garden behind the Mattheson's house and saw that Violet was back on the court, a basket of tennis balls beside her. She tossed one into the air and it hit her racket, the cracking noise echoing from it as the ball landed over the net and she went again.

"I don't think she's slutty, Carol," Steve said.

"She made out with my boyfriend. She's a whore," Carol settled on saying to Steve as Tommy stroked his girlfriend's hair. Nancy laced her fingers together and looked down almost as though she didn't want to be involved in the conversation.

"She's not a whore," Steve said and clearly Carol and Tommy thought he was too defensive as they made 'oohing' noises and Steve flipped them off. "You two are so immature sometimes."

"Careful, Nancy, looks like Steve's eye might be wandering already," Carol said.

Steve looked to Nancy and she just glanced at him with an arched brow. He shook his head and dropped his cigarette to the ground before standing up. "You can be a right bitch, you know that, Carol?" he said and he offered Nancy his hand. She took it and stood up from the lounger before following Steve into the house, throwing Barb a reassuring glance and ignoring Tommy and Carol's jeers.

Once they were in the kitchen, Steve let go of Nancy's hand and put his beer can down on the worktop. "They're just being idiots," Steve said to her.

"I know," she said.

"Vi is…I mean…she's alright…"

"I didn't know you two really knew each other," Nancy said, arms folding over her chest and leaning back against the worktop. "I knew she lived round here, but you don't talk to her at school. I don't really know her except for she's Hawkin's tennis star…some kind of child prodigy."

"Yeah, I don't know, we've talked a few times," Steve said, not entirely sure why he was downplaying it. "I think she struggles sometimes with everything going on…there's a lot of pressure on her to do well…her dad is kind of a hard ass."

"I'm not jealous, Steve," Nancy assured him. "I don't take anything that Carol says seriously."

"Best not to," Steve confirmed. "Come here," he urged from her and he saw her smile as he enveloped her into his arms.

…

Violet tried to ignore the cackling laughter coming from the Harrington's back yard, but it was pretty distracting. She kept on tossing balls into the air and practicing her serve. Once she'd done her half-an-hour, she picked them all back up in the basket and left it on the edge of the court. She wiped her forehead, feeling a sheen of sweat there. She put her racket back into its cover and started to walk inside before she heard a rustling from the trees. Looking into the forest, she felt a shudder go through her as thought about Will Byers. He'd gone missing and ever since then most people in Hawkins insisted their kids were in before dark.

She headed inside and locked the door behind her, ignoring the calls from Carol and Tommy who she could hear hollering at her. She left her racket by the back door and climbed the room to her bedroom, closing the curtains and shutting the night out as she saw all of the people at Steve's impromptu gathering jump into the pool.

"Idiots," she muttered, not quite seeing the figure hiding in the trees.

…

It had gone six and Violet knew that she had to practice before going to school. She hit her alarm clock forcefully to stop it from making a shrill noise and trudged out of bed. She dressed into a pair of white shorts and a long grey sweatshirt before lacing up her sneakers up and heading to the backyard. There was a mist in the air and it felt cooler than normal. It was all quiet at the Harrington household, but the pool area was littered with empty beer cans and cigarettes.

"Hey, Violet, right?"

Violet turned her head over her shoulder, ponytail swaying with the motion as she watched Nancy Wheeler moving towards her, dressed in clothes which were clearly too big for her. Violent arched her brows and started to tug her racket from its cover.

"Yeah," Violet replied. "Nancy, isn't it?"

Nancy nodded once and shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly, motioning back to the house with her thumb. "You haven't seen anyone leave this morning, have you?"

"I've only just come out here," Violet said. "Why?"

"Nothing…just my friend Barb was supposed to have gone home last night, but her car is still parked round the corner. I guess she might've walked…she might've had a drink or two, I guess," Nancy said, but there was something wholly unconvincing about her tone. Violet just nodded her head once, not entirely finding herself concerned about the situation. "Anyway, thanks a lot. I should get going."

"You're going to walk back?"

"It's not that far."

"Steve didn't offer you a lift?"

"Well, he's kind of still sleeping," Nancy said. "I didn't want to wake him. I'll be fine. Thanks again."

"No problem," Violet said and she went back to practicing her serve as Nancy walked away and down the side of the Harrington's house. Violet didn't think twice about their interaction. Little did she know that what happened that night was going to change everything she thought she knew.