Violet wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen. Her dad had told her that it was over between him and her mother. Violet hadn't exactly cried or been shocked. She'd known that it was going to happen. She'd known that they wouldn't last forever and a part of her was relieved. Her dad told her that he didn't know where Mariana had gone. She'd taken a car somewhere without bothering to say where. A part of Violet should have been upset that her mother had just left without a word to her, but she wasn't. She never really understood why her mother disliked her. She knew that her mother had a life before she had been born and a part of Violet wondered if her mom resented her for taking that away from her.

Either way, Donnie had told his daughter that he was going to look into everything and sort it all. Violet had asked her dad if it was likely she would be able to stay with him and he'd told her that he'd fight for sole custody, despite the fact she was almost eighteen and an adult who could make her own mind up.

She'd gone to school on the Monday morning not entirely sure how she was going to function. She wasn't exactly sleeping well since the party and a part of her wondered if she was over-reacting. Nothing had happened, had it? He hadn't had the chance to do anything to her. It could've been much worse. But that didn't calm her. Her mind kept going to what could've happened. But more often than not it went to her mom's reaction.

Steve had seen her at school on Monday morning. She'd left earlier than he had, no doubt to use the gym and train. He had biology with her and she was sat on a stool near the front of the class. Looking at the back of her, he wanted to go over and ask her how she was. He didn't. Daisy sat down next to her before he had a chance to go to her. He hadn't told anyone what had happened. It wasn't his place.

He'd let her sleep in his summer house on his lap. She'd woken up at about four a.m. and Steve had manoeuvred her to sit up and had put his arm around her shoulders and walked her back home. Donnie had been in the entranceway to greet them, carrying a glass of scotch from his office. He'd taken Violet from Steve, guiding her upstairs and to bed, but not before she turned her head over her shoulder and looked to Steve. He just nodded once at her and managed an encouraging smile.

It was lunch time by the time he managed to find Violet on her own. She was in the library considering she had a free period straight after the break. She was in her own study room, books opened in front of her. It didn't necessarily look like she was doing much studying though. She was twirling her pen between her fingertips and gazing into the distance.

"Hey," Steve said, poking his head round the door.

Violet looked to him and he slipped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Hey," she greeted him back.

He was wearing a blue sweatshirt and light blue jeans with white sneakers. His hair seemed higher than usual, but he imagined that was from tossing his fingers through it too much during the day.

"How're you holding up?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Violet said, trying to be bright and breezy. "I'm sorry about the other night."

Steve's brows furrowed and he shook his head at her. "Why are you sorry?" he asked from her.

"For crying…and just being an emotional mess…it's embarrassing."

"No, it's not," Steve said to her and he went to sit on the edge of the table where she sat. "Nothing about what happened was embarrassing and don't you dare think that, Violet. What happened to you was horrible and you're at liberty to feel how you feel. But don't you dare apologise to me. Do you understand?"

Violet looked him in the eye and she knew she was probably about to cry at some point. She didn't want to. She felt like she'd cried enough over the past few days. Steve moved a hand to sit on top of hers on the table. He squeezed her fingers inside of his and Violet glanced down to her lap.

"Is it bad that I'm relieved they're getting a divorce?" she wondered. "Does that make me a bad person?"

"Not in the slightest," Steve said. "There are times when I wish my parents would get a divorce. I know how tough it can be…the constant fighting…the not knowing what you're getting home to…I get it, Vi, and it doesn't make you a bad person for not wanting to go through that anymore."

"I told Daisy," Violet said to Steve. "She knew something was wrong during first period and I couldn't lie to her…but I…I just don't want anyone else to know."

"I'm not going to tell anyone if you don't want me to," Steve said. "But you know that you have people here for you, right? You're not alone."

Violet felt the tears form in her eyes. She could feel Steve's thumb running over her knuckles and she longed for the comfort he could offer her. Steve looked to her face as she kept staring into at the denim short skirt covering her lap. He drank in the way she tried to subtly sniff and stop herself from outright sobbing. He noticed the way her teeth chewed the inside of her cheek and her nose wrinkled every now and then.

Before he could say anything to her, a knock sounded on the door. Turning his head over his shoulder, he saw Nancy stood there. She waved through the glass wall and Steve instantly pulled his hand from Violet's, his fingers seeming to twitch and want to go back to rest in hers.

"Hey," Nancy said and she looked between the two of them, seeing how close to Violet he was sat, legs dangling off the table and her sat in a chair next to him. But then she saw Violet's red rimmed eyes and her brows furrowed. "Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," Steve was the one to answer.

"Vi, you've been crying," Nancy said, ignoring her boyfriend.

Violet glanced to Steve for a moment and then to Nancy. She looked at the young woman as the door clicked shut behind her. She just nodded her head at Nancy. "I'm fine," Violet said. "There's just…I just…" Violet wasn't sure how to spit it out. She had told Daisy so easily, but she wasn't sure she could tell Nancy. But she wanted to. She wanted to because Nancy was her friend and she trusted her. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to relive it again.

"Hey, it's alright," Nancy said and moved around to where Violet was sat, an arm going over her shoulders. She exchanged a glance with Steve who just looked at her silently as I to say that something had happened, but Nancy needed to tread carefully. "Vi, it's okay."

"I'm sorry," Violet blabbered. "It's just…I keep thinking about it…seeing it…"

"You don't need to do this if you don't want to," Steve assured her. Nancy wondered if Steve knew what had happened.

"I want to," Violet replied. "I want to, but just…don't tell anyone else…please."

"Of course not," Nancy promised her.

And so Violet told her everything that had happened.

…

"You're going to crumple it if you hold it like that."

"I'm not gonna crumple it."

"You need to hold it straight. Do you know how long it took us to paint this?"

"Okay, I'm sorry," Steve relented. He was feeling particularly ganged up on by Nancy and Daisy. The four of them were stood in the arrivals lounged of Indianapolis Airport. Steve was holding up one end of a long sign whereas Nancy was holding up the other end and Daisy was stood in the middle of it. Jonathan was stood beside Nancy with his own camera around his neck. Steve didn't mind being ganged up on by them. In a way, it was nice to have friends who weren't insistent on being mean about other people. Summer had arrived in Hawkins and the heat was humid. The airport was particularly sweltering.

Steve had noticed the gaggle of journalists stood to one side and he wondered if Violet would even see them when she walked out. He imagined there would be flashing lights going off in her face as soon as she stepped through the door. Steve knew that the past few months had been difficult for Violet.

Her parents divorce was going through, but surprisingly her mother wasn't contesting it. She was giving Donnie fifty percent of everything and leaving him the house. Steve wondered if guilt had played a part in it. Violet had told Jonathan what had happened that night, but then she drew a line at it. They had been hanging out in a group more often than before, almost as though the four of them had silently agreed not to let Violet be by herself when she didn't need to be.

But then she had gone off to London. She had flown out the week before Wimbledon started to get acclimatised. And then the tournament had begun. There wasn't much talk of Violet except for on the local news. But then she had gotten through the first round with a straight set victory. Steve, Nancy, Daisy and Jonathan had huddled around the radio together and listened intently to the match, cheering each time Violet won a game. But then she'd gotten through the second and third round. Making it to the quarter-finals, even Violet thought that she had gone as far as she could.

She'd come up against the number six in the world and she was expecting to get beat in straight sets. By then, she was on more than local news. She'd gained attention in some of the national newspapers and on some of the national news stations. She'd gone out and played that match as though she had nothing to lose and that had clearly helped her. She'd won in a three-set thriller that had gone to a tie break.

By the time she won her match in the semi-final, Violet wasn't sure how to feel. She was excited. She couldn't believe that she'd made it that far. Her dad kept her grounded though. She did the post-match interviews and remained humble, but behind closed doors she was hungry for it. She didn't think she'd get this far, but she wanted more. She wanted that winning feeling.

But the final had been a step too far. Coming up against the world number one, Violet had been outplayed. Her serve wasn't strong enough. Her backhand wasn't accurate and she hit the net more times than she cared to admit. She let her opponent dominate the match. She let her dictate the game and that had cost Violet in a straight set defeat. She'd smiled for the cameras and said how amazing it felt to come runner-up, but then that night, sitting with her dad in the hotel room, the trophy between them, she told him she wanted more.

The final had been broadcast on television and it was all anyone in Hawkins could talk about. Steve had gone to the Wheeler house with Daisy and Jonathan to watch the match. They'd sat on the sofa, cramped together and shouting at the television. They watched as Violet took hold of her trophy and raised it in the air, smile on her face. Steve could tell she was happy, but he also knew from her face that she wanted more. And, judging by the way she'd played, she'd get it in time. Her opponent had said as much in the press.

"You think we've got any chance of her seeing us?" Jonathan asked.

"I can shout very loud," Daisy replied. "Don't worry. We'll get her attention."

"That's true," Nancy agreed. Daisy had practically reached the pitch of dogs during the tournament.

The four of them kept on chatting until commotion seemed to pick up and the gaggle of journalists began lifting their cameras up. The doors to arrivals opened and Violet and Donnie walked through. Violet was carrying her trophy in her hands while her dad pushed the cart with their cases on it. Donnie was wearing jeans and a dark blue shirt, silver watch on his wrist and polished shoes on his feet. Violet was wearing a flowing blue summer dress with a floral pattern that came down to her calves with her white sneakers. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail and Steve could see that she looked exhausted. No doubt it had been the most intense two weeks of her life.

"Violet!"

"Violet, give us a smile!"

"How does it feel to be one of the youngest Wimbledon finalists in history?"

Donnie knew that his daughter wasn't used to this. He hadn't really been used to it either. His career had never taken off like this before. But he knew that he wanted to shelter Violet as much as he could. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it. A part of him felt a bit out of his depth, but he knew that they had limited funds to hire someone like a press liaison officer or someone to manage brand deals. Instead, Donnie suspected he would get home to missed calls and mail asking for Violet's attention. On top of being her coach, it looked like he needed to be her manager.

Steve watched as Violet struggled with the lights of the cameras and questions being thrown at her. A part of him wanted to drop that sign and rush over to her, wrap his arm around her shoulders and guide her away. But he didn't. He forced himself to stay rooted to the spot.

"Violet! Vi!" Daisy yelled for her friend.

"She won't hear you," Steve muttered and then Daisy hit a higher octave and Steve moved a hand to his ear. "Yeah, that should do it," he muttered and Nancy smirked at his comment.

But it worked. Violet looked over to them and drank in the sight of them holding a sign that said 'Congratulations Violet!' in big purple letters. Nancy and Daisy had made it the day before. Steve watched as Violet's face lit up. Her dad pressed a hand to the small of her back and urged her to go to them, helping her move through the journalists. She was finally free and rushed forwards to them.

The sign was soon forgotten as Nancy and Daisy dropped it and embraced Violet between them, the trophy squished between them. Steve was just left holding the middle of the banner and he rolled his eyes. They'd made such a fuss of holding it straight and then tossed it to one side and forgotten it entirely.

"Good job I'm taking this sign holding seriously, huh?" Steve commented and the two girls shot him a look as Jonathan filmed everything on his camera, capturing the moment. Nancy and Daisy stepped back from Violet and Jonathan hugged her before Steve did. He tried not to linger too long, but her familiar perfume wafted into his nose and she felt so familiar against him. He wondered if she still felt it.

The two of them had been purely platonic, but Steve would be lying if he said that a piece of heart didn't belong to Violet still. But he knew that Violet had a lot more going on in her life right now. He knew how in demand she was going to be.

"I can't believe you did it!" Daisy screeched. "Well, I mean, I can because you're awesome…but this…let's see it…"

Violet held the trophy up for them to look at and Steve looked at it in awe.

"That's pretty big," Jonathan said.

"And shiny," Nancy added on. "Where are you going to put it?"

"In my bedroom, I guess," Violet said.

"Absolutely not," Donnie suddenly said, managing to push the cart to where they were stood. Photographers were still taking pictures of the group of them together, but Violet didn't care. She was enjoying spending time with her friends and she wasn't going to give that up for anything. "It's going on the mantlepiece."

"It deserves to be shown off," Nancy agreed.

"I'd carry it round with me all the time if I had it," Daisy tacked on.

"It needs to be shown off, but not at risk of being stolen, Daisy," Donnie said to the girl with a curve of his lips.

"Good point," Daisy said. "We were wondering if we could take Violet out for dinner? Is that okay, Mr Mattheson?"

Violet looked to her father and waited for his approval. He nodded once and he guessed that it was only right that his daughter had a night off to celebrate with her friends. "Alright," Donnie said. "But don't be too late home. You need to get a good night's sleep before the jet lag can kick in."

"I'll have her home early," Steve promised Donnie.

"Thanks, dad," Violet said and she stood on her toes to peck him on the cheek and Donnie swore he'd never felt as content as he did at that moment in time.

…

If doing well in tennis tournaments earned Violet free milkshakes and burgers then she figured that was a plus. The five of them had gone to the diner in town after driving back from the airport. Donnie had taken a cab and had taken Violet's case and trophy home with him, letting her go off with Steve in his car. She'd sat in the backseat, squished between Daisy and Jonathan in the middle seat, all of them talking animatedly.

Having dinner in the diner, Violet had tried not to pay attention to people as they stared at her. She figured as much might happen, but she wasn't used to it. Usually when she played tennis it was in front of a crowd of about fifty maximum. She hardly made the news. She'd enjoyed the dinner with her friends, sitting in a booth next to Jonathan and Daisy, Steve sat opposite with Nancy.

Driving them all home, Steve dropped them off at their houses, first with Jonathan and then Daisy. He'd dropped Nancy off at her house and she left the front door open for Violet to take her place instead of sitting in the back seat. Nancy had hugged her before heading inside, watching as her boyfriend drove off with Violet next to him.

"You know how proud I am of you, right?"

Violet looked across to Steve as he spoke, both hands on the wheel and sunglasses on his eyes as the sun set. Violet snuggled back into the leather seat, tiredness taking hold of her after a long flight back to the States. "Really?" Violet asked him.

"Yeah," Steve said. "I don't know…we listened to and watched every match…and each time you won…it was like I was more excited for you than I've ever been for any of my own wins."

"That's really sweet, Steve," Violet said to him and he had to admit that he didn't know if sweet was what he'd been going for, but he'd take it. "It was so weird. I mean, I went into every match just feeling like I had nothing to lose. I never expected to make it past the first round, but then as I kept going…I don't know…a part of me started to think about the final a lot more…and I wanted it, Steve. I wanted it so bad."

"I know," Steve said to her.

Violet's brow knitted together, forehead crinkling. "You knew?" she asked, not sure if she believed him.

"It's weird," Steve confessed, "but when I watched you in the final, I could see behind the smile. I could see that, yeah, you were happy. I mean, you were runner-up in one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world…but I just knew that a part of you had wanted more. You wanted to win. I could just see it…told Nance as much."

Violet wondered if she'd been that transparent or if Steve just knew her better than she wanted to admit. "Does that make me greedy?"

"I think it makes you a sportswoman," Steve said. "I don't think it makes you greedy."

"It made me…well…I know that I want this for definite now. I want to be the best I can be."

"And you will be," Steve said.

"Sounding awfully confident there, Harrington."

"Well, I know how stubborn you can be. You don't stop until you've got what you want," Steve said and he threw a smile over to her, meeting her eye. "Anyway, you're going to be even more popular than me now. Your face will be splashed all over Hawkins."

Violet rolled her eyes. "I doubt it," she said.

"I don't. You're all anyone can talk about," Steve said. "Besides, I saw you in the paper at that ball after the final."

"Ugh, you didn't."

"Yeah," Steve said. "In that blue ballgown and everything."

"It's tradition," Violet told him. "It's the Champion's Dinner and most of the players turn up. The winner of the men's single dances with the winner of the women's single…I had to dance with the runner-up and I almost stood on his feet numerous times. I swear that dad was laughing at me for most of the time."

"You can't dance?" Steve asked her.

"When have I ever needed to dance?"

"Ermm…you're a teenager. You're supposed to know how to dance."

"I have no rhythm," Violet protested. "Anyway, I got out of most of the dancing for the night and dad even let us grab a burger on the way home. He was pretty relaxed…but I imagine training kicks in tomorrow morning first thing again."

"I guess it has to," Steve said. "Y'know, if you want to win it all…then again, that might not be good for prospective dancing partners."

"Ha ha," Violet drawled.

Steve tried to keep it light, but he had spent his entire morning looking at the photos of her in the ballgown. It had been strapless with a cinched waist and a large skirt. She'd kept her hair loose down her back in wavy curls. He'd seen her dancing with that man too, seeing the two of them laughing at something and he wasn't sure what it was he'd felt or why he'd kept looking at it. He'd never been jealous before. Was that what jealousy was?

"So, how have things been while I've been gone?"

"Nothing strange to report," Steve assured her. "To be honest, we've spent most of our time at Nancy's following the tournament…going to the diner…me and Nancy have been to the cinema a few times and on a few walks, but nothing too crazy. It's been nice, Vi. We've just chilled, but my dad's on my ass about writing my college essay. I know that I need to start at some point and get applications in, but I don't know…I mean I could work for him. It would mean that I could stay in Hawkins and just be with Nancy while she finishes school."

"Well, yeah, you could," Violet agreed, "but is that what you want? To work for your dad?"

"No," Steve admitted to her. "I don't know what I want though. I can't work it out."

"Well, there's no rush," Violet said. "I mean, you could always find a job until you work it out. I think it's a lot of pressure to know what you want to do as a seventeen-year-old. If I didn't have tennis then I don't know what I'd do…not really."

"But you do," Steve said. "And you're amazing at it. Are you still thinking of going to college on a scholarship?"

Violet shrugged. "Honestly?" she said. "I'm not sure anymore. I was talking with my dad about this and if I go to college then that means studying…probably less time for practice, but at least I'd have a degree to fall back on if tennis doesn't work out and I don't make enough money from it in the long-run."

"And is that what you want? To go to college?" Steve asked.

"No," she confessed to him. "I hate studying, Steve. I hate having to sit in front of textbooks and memorise things for tests…writing essays…I hate it. Every minute I do it feels like a minute I've lost when I could be out there working on my serve or backhand. I just want to play tennis, but it's a big risk and you know me, I'm not a big risk taker."

Steve did know that. It had been what had held her back in the past. He also knew it was why nothing had happened between the pair of them, despite both of them clearly wanting something to. But that had been months ago now. Violet thought they'd moved on. Well, she thought Steve had moved on. He seemed happy with Nancy and she was working on other things now. That didn't mean that she didn't miss him though. She would sometimes lay awake at night and think of what could have been.

Pulling into his driveway, Steve saw a car parked by the curb outside of Violet's house. "You got visitors?" Steve asked.

"Shouldn't have," Violet answered him.

He stopped the engine and Violet climbed from the car as someone from the other car slide out of the backseat. Violet's breath hitched as she realised it was her mother. She hadn't seen her since the night of the party. She'd asked one of her friends to come by the house and pack her things for her. Any contact had been through lawyers and not direct.

"What is she doing here?" Steve wondered.

"No idea," Violet said.

"Come on, I'll walk you back," Steve said and he fell into step as they made their way towards Violet's house.

Mariana looked to her daughter and threw her arms out wide. "Darling, I can't believe it!" she exclaimed and Violet wasn't sure what she should say as her mother stalked towards her. She was taken back as her mother wrapped her arms around her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "It's all anyone can talk about!"

Steve was uncomfortable with this. He shot a look at the front door, hoping that Donnie might walk out soon enough.

"What are you doing here?" Violet asked from her mother.

"I came to see you, of course," Mariana said as if it were obvious. She was wearing a form fitting green summer dress with strappy sandals. Her cheeks seemed hollow and she looked almost gaunt. Violet's mother had always been thin, but she looked almost unhealthily skinny. "You're practically America's sweetheart, Violet. I know it might be overwhelming for you, but you're going to be famous and on the front of magazines and newspapers and I can help you handle that…get you into the most exclusive parties…"

Violet blinked repeatedly. "But I don't want any of that," Violet said to her mom. "I just want to play tennis."

"Well, of course, but there are perks that come with that now," Mariana said.

"And what?" Violet asked from her. "You're suddenly interested in me because I did well? Do you remember what you told me before you ran away?"

Mariana's lips pursed together and Steve looked between the two of them. He didn't want to get involved, but he didn't want to see Violet get upset either. He just stood there, ready to jump in when he had to.

"I'd had a drink, Violet," Mariana said.

"No. You were stone cold sober," Violet retorted. "You might not have said it explicitly, but you basically told me it was a waste of time me going to London and competing because I wouldn't be good enough. You never believed that I could do anything. You thought it was just money being thrown away."

"And whose money was it, Violet?" Mariana snapped at her daughter.

"Yours," Violet relented on that point. "You funded me playing and I know that, but you never did it out of love. It always felt like it was begrudging…never because you believed me…it was more so that it would keep me out of your way and that worked. It worked because you never cared."

Mariana bit her tongue and Steve could hear Violet's voice get higher as she continued.

"And I pretended it never bothered me," Violet said. "When you would rather fly off to Europe than come and watch me…or say that you need a lie in…I pretended it didn't matter, but it did, mom. It mattered because I wanted you to come. I never felt that I was good enough for you. I always felt like I was a disappointment."

"You think I wanted this, Violet?" Mariana asked. "I never knew how to bond with you. I never knew what to do with you."

"I was a kid, mom, you don't need to do anything…just be there…just be with me," Violet replied. "But it was too much for you and that was why I gave up trying to please you because I realised nothing ever would. And then that night…the party…you didn't even believe me. You believed some random stranger over me. I'm your daughter."

"Because Victor isn't like that, Violet. Besides, don't act so innocent. You think I don't know about the two of you sneaking off together? It's quite obvious what you were doing. So don't play the prude when you've clearly been sleeping with him."

"Whoa," Steve said quickly. "Nothing ever happened between us. It's not like that."

"Of course not," Mariana said disbelievingly.

"It's not," Steve spoke up again. "A man you know almost raped your daughter and you can't even manage a comforting word for her. Do you know what it did to her?"

"Steve," Violet urged from him not to continue, but he just kept on going.

"No," he said. "She can't come waltzing back here and expect everything to be okay. She left you when she shouldn't have. She abandoned you. She has no idea of the nightmares you've dealt with in the last few months…the way you hardly sleep in your bedroom because you don't want to go in there…how you hate being home alone…and the worst part is, she doesn't care. Do you?" he addressed the final part to Mariana. "You don't care about her one bit and now you come back here because you think she's useful to you? That's not how parenting works. You don't pick and choose when you want to be in her life. You chose to have a child. You made that decision and you should've done more."

Mariana scoffed at Steve's speech, but Violet could only feel her chest swell with something foreign as she watched him. He didn't need to say any of that, but he was looking out for her. He was protecting her and a part of her loved him for that.

"You think I chose this?" Mariana asked from Steve. "By the time I knew I was pregnant it was too late to do anything about it."

The comment came out before Mariana could compose her thoughts. Steve just stood there bemused and Violet remained stoic. A part of her had already known she'd been an accident. She knew she wasn't planned, but then she knew she wasn't wanted. That stung just a little bit more.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Donnie demanded from his wife, voice booming from the porch as he headed towards them down the driveway. "I told you to stay away."

"You've been talking to her?" Violet asked.

"Only since you were at Wimbledon," Donnie said to his daughter. "I knew what she wanted and I was trying to protect you from her."

"Protect her from me?" Mariana repeated. "I'm her mother."

"No," Violet was the one to speak up. Mariana looked at her daughter and observed her intently. "You're not," she continued. "I don't want anything to do with you. I don't want you to help me…try and spend time with me…I don't want any of that. I just want you to leave me alone. I want you to go away, mom. I just want you to go away."

Donnie watched his daughter walk away and head to the house. Mariana tried to follow her, but Steve and Donnie stood in her way, not letting her by. She took a step back and looked between the two of them, lips curling into a menacing smile. "You think I want any of this?" Mariana asked from the two of them. "I wanted this to be amicable, but she's too stubborn."

"No," Donnie said. "She's hurt, Mariana. She's hurt by how you've treated her and you can try and change. You can try and make it up to her. It won't be easy, but you can try if you actually have a heart in there that's capable of loving her. I know I messed up with her, but I am trying to make it right because I love her. You can try to do the same if you're interested…if not…just leave us alone."

Donnie walked back towards the house and Steve just stood there awkwardly, not sure where to go. "You coming, Harrington?" Donnie asked from the kid.

"Yeah," Steve said, preferring to follow him than stand and suffer Mariana's glare any longer.

Donnie waited for Steve to come into the house before he closed the door. Violet was sat on the bottom step of the staircase, arms folded over her lap. Peering over to her dad, she looked at him with wide eyes. "Is she gone?" she asked more in hope than anything else.

"Yeah," Donnie confirmed for her. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Violet said and Steve wasn't sure if she was lying or telling the truth in that moment.

"I'm going to sort a few things out, alright?" Donnie said. "I'll make sure she's got the message."

"I think she might have," Violet said. "Was that too much? I…I just…everything had been perfect, dad, and then she showed up. Why did she have to show up?"

"Honestly? Because she sees you as value to her," Donnie said and even Steve winced at those words. Donnie moved to sit down next to his daughter on the bottom step, arm brushing hers while Steve remained stood, feeling surplus to requirements but not wanting to leave just yet. "Your mother wasn't always like this, Violet. There had been a time, when I first met her, when things were different. Her parents never really approved of us getting married…I didn't have the right surname around here and she…well…your mother liked to rebel. A part of me sometimes thought she only dated me because it annoyed her parents."

Violet wasn't sure her father had ever told her why he'd married her mother. She knew that they'd met when they had been in high school. She knew that they had married young and had hoped to travel the world together, but that had never happened.

"And you?" Violet pushed her father and he chuckled.

"I was besotted with her. She was the most popular girl in school. She was pretty…smart…she walked those halls like she was in charge. Everyone was captivated by her," Donnie confessed and Steve glanced up, catching a brief look from Violet's dad in his direction. And then it all started to make sense. He kept on talking and Steve felt as though he began to understand the man more than he had ever thought possible. "She was the one who asked me out. I never felt like I had a chance, but when we started dating…it was like I became a completely different person. I ditched friends I'd made for her. I started flunking in class because she wanted to skip and go to parties out of town. I…I changed…and I kept on changing because I thought it was who she wanted. I thought I could be who she wanted and I so desperately wanted to keep her. I wanted to be with her."

Violet wasn't sure if she understood entirely, but she kept quiet and let her dad continue talking. She didn't want to interrupt him. She chewed down on her bottom lip for a second and Donnie pushed his fingers through his hair.

"I asked her to marry me because I was scared she'd leave me otherwise. She said yes and her parents…well…she was an only child. They weren't going to disown her, but I knew they never approved. I didn't have the trust fund she did. I couldn't give her everything she'd grown used to having. But I tried. I tried to make her see that money wasn't the most important thing. We could have as much fun sat in a McDonald's drive thru as we could at a five star restaurant, but that wasn't enough for her…I was never enough for her," Donnie said forlornly and Violet almost felt her heart ache at hearing him. Did she even really know who her dad was? But, more importantly, did he know who he was? It seemed like he had given so much up for a woman who had just thrown it back in his face.

"And then she got pregnant," Donnie said. "We hadn't planned to have kids. I wanted to travel with tennis and she wanted to tag along…but then you came along and I…nothing seemed to matter. When she told me, I was ecstatic. She didn't even know until she was a few month's gone. She said…well…her body hadn't exactly given her the signs," Donnie said, not wanting to go into detail how she had screamed at him that she rarely had regular periods and how was she to know she was being sick because of pregnancy and not because of alcohol? "I was ecstatic. I'd hoped that maybe this would be what we needed to make us a family. Your mom had already started spending more time away from the house at parties and seeing what she could get away with…pushing limits…and then…I just remember her yelling at me," Donnie whispered, shaking his head and Violet searched his face intently. "She blamed me for getting her pregnant and tying her down. She…the things she said…she even said you might not be mine…out of spite…and I…I don't know, Violet. I don't know what I thought would happen, but it had never been that."

"You wanted a baby?" Violet questioned him.

"Of course I did," Donnie said with a nod of his head. "But when you came…things were difficult. Your mother tried for a while. I know she did. She would spend so much time with you as a baby, turning down trips to Europe and gala invites, but then when you got a bit bigger, she hired a nanny and started going away for days on end and I…I found out about the affairs. She was never careful with who knew, not really. I thought that it would be a one off the first time. She even apologised to me. But they kept happening and I kept thinking 'if I can't be enough as a husband, how the hell am I going to make it as a father?' and so I didn't try…I shut down…I didn't know how to be your dad, Violet. Hell, I still don't know how to and I hate myself for that."

"It…it's not all been bad," Violet said.

Donnie chuckled at that. "But it's been nowhere near as good as it should've been for you," he admitted that part. "And that's my fault. I just…I wish things had been different in High School, Violet. Maybe then this wouldn't have happened…but then I might not have had you and I don't want to imagine that. I just…I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. Maybe that's why I pushed you so much because I want you to be able to make something of yourself. Do what I couldn't."

"That's not true, dad," Violet said and he smiled sadly down to her.

"Yeah, it is," he relented. "But it's fine."

Steve watched as Violet hugged her father and he embraced her back. He squeezed her tightly and then urged her to go upstairs and freshen up after a long day. He'd even told her that they could order Chinese food despite the fact she'd eaten already. She was still hungry though. He'd even asked Steve to stay over and Steve had accepted. He'd followed Donnie to the kitchen, letting him order the food as Steve got the plates and cutlery out.

"You get it now, don't you, Harrington?" Donnie said to the boy as they set the table in the dining room. Steve nodded his head. He did get it. "You get why I didn't want her near you?"

"I do," Steve confessed. "But I'm not like her, Mr Mattheson. I was…and I saw that…but I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be anything like that."

"But you were," Donnie said. "And I didn't want my daughter anywhere near you. I thought that you'd break her heart in the long run. Mariana had a long line of broken hearts behind her and I saw you…heard about you…and I knew you were like that."

"I was," Steve admitted, "but I'm not anymore. I'm not that guy."

"And I can see that now because Violet isn't like me. She wouldn't hang out with you if you were. My daughter is much more principled than I ever was," Donnie admitted. "And I've seen how you are with her. I've seen it and she…I don't know what you both said that night after what happened at the Byers' house, but she hasn't been the same, not really. There's something different about her and I think it's because of you."

"I just…she…she doesn't want me," Steve said.

Donnie shook his head. "I don't think that's true," he said. "I think she's scared. It's not exactly like we've shown her what healthy relationships can look like. But you have Nancy now and you're happy with her."

"I am," Steve agreed with that. And he was. He loved spending time with Nancy.

"And that's fine, but I just don't want to see anyone get hurt, especially Violet," Donnie told him and he knew that was true. He believed him when he said that he didn't want anyone to get hurt.

"I don't want to hurt her," Steve said. "She pushed me away. She doesn't want me. She told me as much."

"Yeah, but do we actually believe her?"

"No," Steve said. "But what can I do?"

"Honestly?" Donnie asked him. "I don't know."

And neither did Steve. He never knew what to do for the best, especially when it came to Violet Mattheson.