That summer went by far too quickly for Violet's liking. Since coming back from Wimbledon, her life had been crazy. Every business in Hawkins wanted her to be the face of it. She'd had American news networks ringing the house and asking her for interviews. She'd done a few, but she'd insisted that her father attend all of them with her. He'd taken time off from work and a part of him wondered if he had to go back to his day job considering how busy they were. He didn't want to take his daughter's money, however. He would only quit if she asked, but even then he wasn't sure if he could do it.
Violet had done photoshoots for magazines too. They'd paid all of the expenses to fly her out to L.A. for a photoshoot at this mansion with a pool and a tennis court. Donnie knew that she'd been uncomfortable, posing in her tennis whites and being given directions. The final pictures, however, had been good. They had been so good that Steve had kept the magazine in his bedroom but not for any perverse reason. He would just look at her and see a confidence in her that he'd never seen before. But he wasn't going to deny that she looked hot. He had eyes and he gathered by the way that most of the high school body was talking about her that they did too.
The first day back at school, everyone had just stared at her as she walked down the hall with Daisy and Nancy, the three of them making lunch plans and talking about the classes they were taking. Steve and Jonathan had walked behind them, the two men not entirely having much to discuss. Truthfully, Steve liked Jonathan. He seemed like a nice if not nervous boy. He'd also helped Nancy out when Steve had been too much of an asshole.
"You seen this?" Jonathan asked from Steve, motioning with his chin to the kids by their lockers who watched Violet.
Steve scoffed. "Hard to miss," he replied. "It's like she's been invisible."
"And now she's the star attraction," Jonathan said. "She'll be hating all of this."
Steve chuckled. That much was true. He knew how she despised being the centre of attention. As they came to the end of the corridor, the three of them turned around and looked back at Jonathan and Steve. Violet, Steve and Daisy headed off for math while Nancy went with Jonathan to biology.
Violet had a free period after math and so she was heading to the tennis court. It was then when Steve asked her if she wanted a hitting partner. She wondered if he was being serious, but the look on his face told her that he was. She'd agreed and told him that she'd meet him out on the court. She changed into her tennis skirt and a sweatshirt before heading outside, tennis bag on one shoulder and backpack on her other. Steve was already out there in shorts and a grey Hawkins High tee.
He'd had a free period and, truthfully, he was avoiding his free period so that he didn't have to work on his college essay. He'd been putting it off for so long because he didn't think it was good enough. He only had a few more paragraphs to write to hit the word count, but he just didn't want to do it. He didn't really want to go to college, but that was another issue.
"You sure about this?" Violet checked with him.
"Yeah," Steve said. "What do you want me to do."
"Just hit it to my forehand and…well…if you can return it then do."
Steve's brows knitted together. "What do you mean if I can return it?"
"I mean that I'm not gonna hit it lightly," Violet said. "It comes at you with speed and I know you haven't really played tennis that much before."
"I think I'll be able to handle it, Vi," Steve said and he watched a flicker of amusement cross her face. Her lips turned upwards and she almost wanted to tell him that he couldn't. She didn't, however. She just shrugged at him and handed him a spare racket from her bag. She jogged to the sport shed where the equipment was stored and came back with the basket of tennis balls.
She left them with Steve on his side of the court. He nodded and checked she was ready as she stood by the baseline. He hit the ball towards her and Violet watched it land a few paces to her right. She adjusted herself and hit it back at him down the line. Steve jumped back, not even trying to hit it back to her with the force that she sent it at towards him. He saw the smirk on her face and he flapped his arms at her.
"What was that?" he asked from her.
"I told you that it comes at you with speed," Violet said.
"That could've hit me," Steve moaned.
Violet rolled her eyes. "Trust me, Harrington, if I wanted to hit you then I would have. I know how to hit a ball with accuracy," she promised him and he didn't know if that scared him or impressed him.
He hit another ball to her and she hit it cross court. He tried to return it, but he wasn't quick enough to get to it. They spent the next hour on the court, Steve hitting balls to Violet and he returning them. He managed to rally about five shots with her and he figured that was just because she was going easy on him. Despite that, he was still sweating by the end of it. Violet picked up the tennis balls and he helped her before she handed him her water and he collapsed onto the bleachers at the side of the court.
"How the hell do you hit them that fast?" He asked, taking a swig of her water.
She climbed to sit on the row above him, his head level with her lap as he handed her the water and leant back, arms resting on the seat behind him.
"Practice," Violet told him. "Years of practice."
"How fast are they coming?"
"Probably about eight miles per hour," Violet answered. "I can serve at almost ninety-eight, which is nowhere near fast enough, not really. That's why I try and serve tricky as opposed to going for speed. It's all about angles…catching your opponent off guard."
"Like the time it just brushed over the net?"
"Exactly like that," Violet said. "It takes them off guard. They're expecting to hit back from the base line, not run to the box."
"There's so much more to this than I imagined," Steve muttered and Violet took a swig of water from her bottle. She handed it back to him and he took another gulp and pushed his hair from his face, feeling beads of sweat at the root of it.
"So…you gonna tell me why you really wanted to spend your free period practicing with me?" Violet asked from him.
"Is it a crime to want to get some exercise?" he wondered.
"Not at all, but we both know you either spend your free period trying to catch up on homework or dossing around in the cafeteria," Violet said and he smiled at that. She clearly knew him too well. "So, what is it?"
"College essay," he admitted to her, not bothering to hide the truth. "I've nearly got a first draft, but I just don't know how to finish it…and it…I mean…is this what I actually want, Vi? Do I actually want to go to college? Keep on studying? I don't think it is. I just…I figured that I should go. It's what's expected of me, right?"
"You don't need to do anything that you don't want to," Violet said. "There's no shame in not going to college, Steve. It's not for everyone."
"And if I just worked for my dad?"
"I don't think you want to do that either," Violet said. "I know that you thought you'd have this figured out by the end of summer, but life doesn't work like that. I think, maybe, that you need some time away from studying…doing something…anything…and seeing if you miss it…seeing if you think you'd enjoy college."
"You know my dad would be so disappointed in me, don't you?"
"I don't think you should be worrying about him, Steve. You need to do whatever you think is necessary. In the end, it's your life, not his."
He knew that was true, but it didn't make it any easier for him. He just nodded his head and Violet moved a hand to his shoulder, hoping that she had given it an encouraging squeeze. He looked back to her, a smile on his face as he watched her tighten her ponytail.
"And you?" Steve asked her. "Have you made any decision about college?"
She shrugged and he could tell by the way she looked away that she was being evasive. Steve shifted on the bench, turning his upper body towards her and looking at her with an arched brow and cocked head. "You have, haven't you?" he pushed her and Violet looked around. She pointed at him firmly.
"If I tell you then you can't tell anyone…even Nancy…I mean it, Steve," she said firmly to him.
"Yeah, yeah," he said, agreeing to keep her secret.
"I'm not going to college," she said, finally telling someone. She'd had so many conversations with her dad over the course of the summer that a part of her didn't know if this was real or not. "I mean, I'm going to apply, but chances are that I'm not going to go. I…well…I'm going to Australia in January. I'm going to compete in the Australian Open."
"What?" Steve exclaimed loudly and she nudged him in the shoulder.
"Keep your voice down," she urged from him firmly, "I haven't told anyone and my dad said we need to keep it a secret for a little while."
"You're going to the Australian Open?"
"We think it makes sense," Violet said. "I wasn't ready for the US Open after Wimbledon. I didn't want to compete and things…they'd been so manic…we needed time to process and develop my training programme, but that's the aim."
"That's amazing news," Steve exclaimed.
"Yeah," she agreed with him on that point. It was amazing, but her voice didn't sound excited.
"What is it?" he asked from her.
"I just…I guess…what if I'm a one hit wonder?" Violet said. "What if that's as high as I'll ever reach? What if that's it for me?"
"You can't think like that," Steve urged from her and Violet just shrugged. Steve moved to sit on the same bench as her, his arm brushing against hers. "Listen to me," he urged from her, voice gentle but firm. "You work far too hard to be a one hit wonder. You're talented, Violet. You have something…and you…you can't be scared, okay? You can't be scared of failing because then you definitely will fail. You'll let fear hold you back."
She knew that he was talking sense. She'd let fear hold her back so many times before, most evidently when it came to her and Steve. She bit down on her bottom lip and she felt Steve move a hand to hers. He gripped onto it tightly and she looked down at it.
"You're good, Violet. You work so hard. Don't be scared, okay? I don't want you being scared because you're too good to be scared."
"Yeah?" Violet checked from him.
"Yeah," he repeated.
"Then you need to stop being scared of the future," Violet urged from him and Steve chuckled. She squeezed his hand firmly in hers. "I mean it," she demanded from him. "Because you'll work out what you want to do. Look how far you've come in the last year, Steve…you're stronger than you think you are and you…it might take time…but I know that you'll get there, okay?"
Steve wasn't sure why she believed in him. Truthfully, no one had ever really believed him. Teachers didn't think he was good at any subject. He was good at sport, but he never excelled like Violet. He didn't know what strengths he had. But to know that someone had his back and trusted him to work it out, that meant more than she really knew.
…
"Have you seen the new guy?"
"What new guy?"
"There's a new guy who has started."
"We get new guys all the time, Daisy."
"Yeah, but none of them look like him."
Violet rolled her eyes at her friend's comment and wondered just what was so special about a new kid in school. "I thought that you were still seeing Jacob Pemberly?" Violet asked from her friend. The two of them had gone out on a few dates together over the summer and had since become almost inseparable. Jacob was obsessed with Daisy. He looked at her like she was the centre of his universe. Violet thought it was cute, but Daisy also found it slightly annoying in an endearing way.
"I am and Jacob is great," she agreed. "But I can also look."
"What's he called?"
"Billy, apparently," Daisy said.
"You two on about the new kid?" Nancy suddenly asked, walking into the study room they'd booked out for the afternoon. Violet had her math book open, but she'd hardly done any work. Instead, she kept thinking about practice. She'd had a bad morning. Everything she hit seemed to either hit the net or go out. Her dad assured her it was just an off day, but she wasn't entirely sure if that was true.
"Have you seen him?" Daisy wondered.
"We saw him this morning when we parked up," Nancy told them. "He looked pretty arrogant, but he had Carol and her gang swooning all over him."
"Of course he did," Violet mumbled with a roll of her eyes.
"Anyway, are you guys going to Tina's Halloween bash at the end of the week?" Nancy asked.
"I don't know."
"Yeah, me and Jacob are going," Daisy answered.
Violet was the one who wasn't thinking of going. She'd never really bothered with Halloween, not really. It had never been a holiday she'd dressed up for. She didn't think she'd ever gone trick or treating either.
"You have to come," Nancy protested. "I'm trying to persuade Jonathan to come, but he's not into it."
"I mean, in all fairness, a Halloween party doesn't sound that exciting," Violet said. "And you know that I don't do parties anyway. I just…I don't think it's for me…and it's not like I have a costume either."
"You don't need a costume," Daisy said. "Well, you do, but we can improvise. There's going to be something in your wardrobe you can wear. Failing that, just come as a tennis player. You've got the kit for that."
Violet rolled her eyes.
"Please," Nancy continued to plead and Violet finally relented, despite that going against her better judgment.
…
Steve knew that Nancy was upset. He knew that everything that had happened had an impact on her. She missed Barb and he could understand that. Barb was her best friend and she felt guilty for her going missing. Steve didn't know what to say to her, not really. He didn't know if he had the right words. He didn't know if he could ever really make her feel any better. They'd gone to Barb's parent's house the night before and they had told them that they'd hired a private investigator to look into her disappearance.
The two of them had decided to go as Joel and Lana from Risky Business. Steve hadn't really needed to buy anything in prep for it and Nancy already had plenty of white jumpers and skirts. But, as they drove to the party, Steve knew that her heart wasn't in it.
"I know it's hard," Steve said to her. "Nancy, I understand how hard it is for you."
"They've hired a private detective…remortgaged the house," Nancy said, sitting in the passenger seat and lifting a hand up to her cheek, trying not to cry despite that being all she wanted to do. She kept trying to put a brave face on things. She kept trying to pretend that things were okay, but her best friend had died and no one could know because that would get them into trouble. She hated it. "And we know the truth. We know what happened, but we can't say anything and I…I don't know if I can keep doing this…"
Steve let out a deep breath and turned to look at her. "I know, Nance," he said. "But we can't do anything. If we tell them the truth then who knows what might happen? We can't say anything about what happened because if we do…if anyone finds out we spoke…they'd put us in jail…and it wouldn't just be us…there'd be Jonathan, even Daisy now…and Violet and her dad."
"And is that all you care about?" Nancy asked, unable to stop herself. "Your precious Violet?"
Steve stopped at a red light and threw a look in her direction. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing," Nancy said quickly with a shake of her head. Deep down, she knew how her boyfriend felt. She knew that they hadn't done anything though. She knew that he wasn't playing around behind her back. She also knew that she liked Violet. She really did like Violet. She was nice and funny. She'd never given her cause not to trust her. She'd been honest with her about how she felt about Steve. She'd told her the truth and Nancy had appreciated that more than anything.
"Nance, there's nothing going on-"
"-I know," Nancy interrupted before he could become defensive. "I know, Steve. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it…I just…it's hard, okay? It's hard to know what we know and it's like the world's moved on, but Barb has just been forgotten and I want closure. I just want her to have some closure and that's not happening."
"I understand, Nance," Steve whispered sadly. "I really do understand."
And he did. He understood, but he just didn't know what they could really do about it. He didn't want to risk his friends. He parked his car around the corner of Tina's house and he could already hear the music blaring from the inside. The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, not bothering to get out of the car. Looking over to Nancy, he moved a hand to hers.
"I'm sorry," he said to her. "I am sorry, Nancy."
"It's not your fault," she said and she knew that it wasn't his fault. He hadn't been the one who had caused all of this to happen.
"I'm here, okay?" Steve said to her. "I'm here for you."
"I know."
"And you have Jonathan…Daisy…and Violet…we're all here for you," he promised her.
She forced a smile to her face and quickly leaned over and kissed him. He smiled back to her and the two of them left the car. Locking it, he put his keys into his pocket and headed towards the house, arm slung around Nancy's shoulder. It seemed that the entire student body of high school was there. He spotted a few Wonder Women and vampires on the lawn.
They made their way inside and he could see Daisy with Jacob, the two of them dressed up as, what he assumed was supposed to be, Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein. He saw Violet stood next to them, hair in a ponytail and poodle skirt flowing down to her calves. She had a white jumper on and a red ribbon in her hair. She was holding a red cup, but she wasn't drinking. She still had to get up early for practice and was intending on leaving by ten. Steve and Nancy made a beeline towards the three of them, Nancy embracing them individually and Steve hanging back with just a wave in their direction.
"Risky Business?" Daisy asked from the pair of them.
"Got it one," Nancy replied. "And you two…"
"He insisted on going as Frankenstein," Daisy complained.
"It's a cult horror classic," Jacob defended himself and Steve looked to him. Jacob had been in some of his classes. He was a quiet and reserved guy with curly brown hair and wide blue eyes. He was tall and lanky, towering over Daisy but moving around her protectively, an arm around her shoulders. He had a long nose and thin lips with prominent cheekbones. "And she knows it."
"So, of course, I had no other option but to come as Bride of Frankenstein," Daisy said in mock complaint. She'd liked it. She'd liked going in a couple and having a couple's outfit. Jacob gave her a squeeze around the shoulders and the smile that she'd been holding back disappeared and she looked at him with adoration.
"And Sandy from Grease?" Nancy guessed Violet's costume.
"Too obvious?" Violet asked. "I didn't have time to buy anything so I had to make do with what I found in the house."
"You look cute," Nancy promised her. "Does anyone want a drink?"
"I'm not drinking," Violet replied and a corner of Steve's lips arched. Of course she wasn't. No doubt she'd rather be anywhere but here. Daisy said that she'd go with Nancy to get a drink of the punch and Jacob followed them, leaving Violet with Steve. It was then when he looked into her cup and he chuckled.
"Are you really drinking water at a party?" he checked with her.
"Don't tell anyone," Violet urged from him. "I filled it up from the tap in the bathroom."
"You don't want to be here, do you?"
"Is it that obvious?" she asked from him.
"Only to the trained eye," he replied.
Violet laughed softly and leant against the wall behind her. Steve stood to her side and glanced around as people danced to music and drank. He wasn't sure how long it would be before things got out of hand. He guessed not long judging by the state of some people. "So…how did it go last night?" Violet asked. She knew that they'd been going to Barb's parent's house.
"Honestly? Not great," Steve confessed to her. "They're hiring a private detective to look into her disappearance. I think that broke Nancy. She…she's finding it hard."
"I get that," Violet agreed with him. "I just…would it be so bad if they knew?"
"You know what could happen to us," Steve said.
"I know," she agreed with him. "It's just so unfair."
He didn't reply to that. He knew that it was unfair. He was well aware of how unfair it was. Nancy, Daisy and Jacob returned with cups of the punch and Steve took hold of it. He knew that he couldn't drink a lot because he was driving and he wasn't intending on leaving his car there. Truthfully, he just wanted Nancy to have a good time.
Steve had been dancing with Nancy when Tommy and Billy came over. Violet was stood just to the side, dancing with Daisy who kept on twirling her under her arm as Jacob shimmied to the beat by their side. Daisy knew that she had a boyfriend, but she didn't want to abandon Violet. She didn't want her to feel like she couldn't come to her or that she didn't want to spend time with her.
"Got ourselves a new keg king, Harrington."
Violet turned her head to the side, looking at someone she hadn't seen before stood in front of Steve, cigarette in his mouth. His leather jacket was hanging open and he wasn't wearing anything underneath it. He had blonde curly hair that came down his neck and a strong jaw line with handsome features. Tommy was the one taunting Steve and Violet rolled her eyes. She saw Steve take off his sunglasses, almost like he was gearing up for a fight. Nancy walked away however, moving towards the punch bowl. Steve didn't bother to respond to the boys in front of him and he just followed Nancy.
"What're you looking at, slut?"
Violet realised then that Tommy was looking at her and she just kept a hand in Daisy's and continued swaying to the music. "Not a lot, dimwit," Violet answered him back and Tommy sneered at her.
She caught the eye of the new guy and he looked at her with a smirk before moving a hand to Tommy's shoulder and stopping him from bothering Violet with just a simple touch. She guessed he was Billy, but he didn't introduce himself. He walked away with Tommy instead, turning his head over his shoulder and looking back to Violet as her friend whispered something in her ear.
"Who was she?"
"You haven't heard of Hawkins' new celebrity?" Tommy asked him. "Violet Mattheson. She's some kind of tennis prodigy…mainly a stuck-up bitch and a prude…Carol despises her. Thinks she's better than all of us because she came second in Wimbledon."
"Have you ever competed in Wimbledon?" Billy wondered.
Tommy frowned. "No."
"Then I'd say that does make her better than you," Billy said and Tommy was insulted, but he wasn't going to say anything against the new guy. He just followed him like a lost puppy.
Standing by the punch bowl, Steve had noticed the way Billy had looked at Violet. He'd noticed the curve of his lips and the way Violet watched him back for just a fraction longer than he thought she should have. Nancy had seen it too, but she'd been more concerned about how her boyfriend was looking at the exchange. She saw the way his jaw seemed to clench and his fingers flexed by his side and she knew that this couldn't keep going.
But she didn't want to deal with that. She wanted to drink. And so drinking is what she did.
…
As the night went on, they ended up getting split up. Steve stuck with Nancy, dancing with her. Violet and Daisy sloped off somewhere and Jacob went to talk to some of his friends. Violet had gone outside with Daisy after it had gotten too warm inside. They'd walked around the backyard by the pool, the music still blaring but slightly quieter. The two of them had sat on a sun lounger together, setting their cups on the table next to them.
"You sure you're okay?" Daisy asked from her friend.
"Why would I not be?" Violet asked.
"The thing with Tommy earlier," Daisy replied and Violet rolled her eyes.
"I can handle him," Violet promised. "Besides, if he's gonna call me a slut then better he do it to my face than behind my back, right?"
"He shouldn't say it in the first place," Daisy told her firmly.
"Maybe not, but you can't stop a dick from being a dick," Violet replied with a shrug of her shoulders.
"You did have the new guy looking at you though," Daisy told her with a wriggle of her eyebrows. Violet just rolled her eyes at that. "You could do a lot worse, you know? Did you see those muscles?"
"How could I not? Is he allergic to wearing shirts?" Violet retorted. "Besides, I'm not interested. You know I've got too much going on to think about stuff like that and it's not as if I want to get involved with the resident bad boy around here."
"No," Daisy drawled lowly. "You're much too busy pining after Harrington."
Violet's eyes narrowed at her friend. She'd told Daisy about what Steve had said to her and she'd told her about what she'd said to him. She'd hoped that was as far as that conversation was going to go, but she knew that Daisy could read her like a book. She knew that there were deeper feelings there, but Violet just wasn't admitting it.
"You know, he was watching when Tommy spoke to you…and saw how Billy looked at you. He was fuming."
"No, he wasn't."
"Trust me, he was," Daisy told her. "I know that you say there's nothing there and I like Nancy, I think she's great…but all of this is bullshit and you know it."
Violet would've blamed Daisy's comment on the drink, but her friend wasn't really drinking. She'd pretended to drink the punch, but hardly had any of it. She said she wasn't bothered about drinking, but Violet wondered if she was doing it just to keep her company.
"Daisy, don't," Violet urged from her.
"Come on, Violet, you know it's true," Daisy said. "Nancy clearly has feelings for Jonathan and you clearly have feelings for Steve. You'd all be a lot happier if you just admitted it instead of faking these smiles and pretending everything is okay."
Violet had wondered about Nancy and Jonathan before. She knew how Jonathan felt, but Nancy had never said anything, but Violet could tell that she cared about him.
"The alternative isn't great," Violet said. "I don't want to be responsible for breaking anyone up. I don't want that on my shoulders."
"You wouldn't be because both of them don't love each other," Daisy complained.
Before Violet had a chance to argue back, Carol came waltzing over, her group behind her and a smug look on her face. "Well, well, well, if it isn't little miss tennis star," she said sarcastically. "I would've thought that a party like this would be beneath you now that you're such a big shot."
"You know me, I like to stay humble," Violet replied, equally as sarcastic.
"Amazing that your fingers healed in time, isn't it?" Carol said with the smirk on her face. Violet didn't reply then, but Daisy did.
"Get lost, Carol," she snapped at her. "You think an idiot like you could derail her career? She's going to be bigger and better than you could ever hope to be. Jealousy really doesn't become you…you look sad."
"Jealous of her?" Carol questioned. "She's nothing but a one-hit-wonder. She'll be washed up before she knows it…a lonely, talentless virgin."
Daisy stood up then and Violet jumped to her feet. She stood in front of her friend, not letting her get involved in Carol's fights. She didn't want any trouble. "Get out of here," Violet demanded from Carol.
"With pleasure," she relented. "See you round, Virgin Violet."
Her friends laughed and Violet just rolled her eyes. She turned back to Daisy and forced her to sit back down. Neither of them spotted Carol drop something into Violet's cup on the table.
…
Steve knew that Nancy had drank too much. The night was supposed to have been them having fun, but it had descended into utter carnage. He'd tried to take the cup of punch from Nancy, but she'd pulled it back until it had spilled onto her jumper. Steve knew that she was wasted. The crowd around let out a low 'oohhh' as her white jumper-stained red. She tossed the cup onto the worktop and Steve sighed. She'd told him to screw himself and had stormed off. He chased after her. She went to the bathroom and slammed the door, but he caught it before it could shut. She reached for a towel and wet it under the sink before pushing it down her front.
"Nance, it's not going to come off," Steve told her.
"It's coming," Nancy protested, still wiping.
Steve moved around her and tried to take the towel from her fingertips, but she kept fighting him.
"Come on, Nance, let me just take you home," he urged from her. "Let me just take you home, okay?"
"You wanted this," Nancy said, her voice slurring slightly.
"I didn't want this," Steve denied. "I told you to stop drinking."
"Bullshit," she hissed the word out to him and Steve shook his head at her as she nudged him in the stomach with her hand, trying to get him to stop taking the wet towel from her. "It's bullshit."
"No, it's not bullshit," Steve said, trying to sound soft but failing. He was slightly irate at the entire situation. He hadn't wanted the night to be like this.
"It's bullshit…and you…you're bullshit…" she said to him and he stopped trying to wrestle the towel from her. He just stood there and looked her in the eye, face changing to one of hurt for a moment. But Nancy kept her neck jutted out, her words fierce and the look on her face one of determination.
"What?" Steve asked from her.
"You're pretending like everything is okay…like we didn't kill…didn't kill Barb…like it's great…like we're in love…and we're partying…we're partying…but it's bullshit because you love her…you love her…"
Steve shook his head at Nancy and moved a hand to her cheek. "Like we're in love?" he echoed back to her.
"You don't love me," she spat at him. "You love her…Violet…talented…beautiful…Violet…you think I don't see it? You think I don't see how you look at her…you're always watching her…it's her…it's always her…"
"Nance, we've discussed this," Steve said, but he could feel his heart hammering against his chest. He hadn't expected this to happen, no matter how much Nancy had been drinking. Then again, maybe this was how she really felt. Maybe she did know. "Violet…there's nothing going on between us."
"But you want it!" Nancy snapped at him, pushing his shoulder.
He let her. She was relatively weak from the alcohol. He just kept watching her and he wanted to lie. He wanted to deny it. But he couldn't. He couldn't because he knew that it wasn't fair. He knew he wasn't being fair to anyone and now he was hurting Nancy which he didn't want to do. He never wanted to. He had thought that over time, what he felt for Violet would go. He'd hoped that was possible, but it wasn't. Nothing seemed to work to get him to shake how he felt about her.
"Nancy, I…I'm sorry…" it was all he could say.
"I don't care…" she slurred. "I just want the lies to stop…just go to her…be with her instead…because she's bullshit too…you're both just bullshit."
"Nancy, stop," Steve pleaded with her.
"Why?" she questioned. "I saw the magazine in your bedroom…how you looked at her when Billy looked at her…you're obsessed with her and lying to me…so go…but maybe she doesn't want you because you're full of shit?"
Steve realised that he wasn't going to get anywhere. There was no talking to her when she was like this. "I'll let you get cleaned up."
"Leave me alone," Nancy demanded from him and he left her in the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He rushed down the steps and tried not to cry. He felt so guilty. He felt so guilty for hurting her, but that had never been his intention. He wiped his nose as he stormed through the living room only to see Jonathan making his way into the party. He looked lost and out of place, but Steve was just glad to see a friendly face.
"Are you driving?" Steve asked from him.
"Yeah…why…what's up?" Jonathan asked, taken back by the abrupt question.
"I just…Nancy and I…we had a fight and she's wasted," Steve said and Jonathan noted how his eyes had gotten wet. "Is there any chance you can take her home? She won't listen to me."
"Yeah, of course," Jonathan agreed and Steve slapped him fondly on the back and left out the front door. He was going to rush down the street to his car and drive home. He just wanted to go. But he didn't get far.
He heard the yells in the backyard and turned his head to the side. He could see through the open fence that someone had fallen in the pool, but then he spotted a familiar Bride of Frankenstein jump in after it. Steve's brow furrowed and instead of heading towards his car, he went to the back yard.
Carol and her cronies were stood by the side of it, laughing loudly and pointing at the pool. Everyone around was also laughing loudly and Steve looked into it and saw Daisy struggling in her big dress to grab hold of the figure under the water. He noticed the red poodle skirt and he knew who it was. Steve cursed under his breath and he rushed to the side of the pool, diving in before he could think of another way to get her out of the pool.
Steve swam under the water and he reached for Violet, but her eyes were closed and she wasn't even kicking to try and get to the surface. Steve managed to grab an arm around her waist as Daisy tried pulling at her hand, but it wasn't doing enough to drag her to the surface. Steve kicked quickly and managed to get her above water, but she wasn't coughing any of it up. The laughter seemed to die down as everyone realised that Violet was unconscious.
"Carol drugged her," Daisy told him, coughing loudly and she swam towards the steps out of the pool where Jacob was stood, looking down cautiously. "She was out of it…and then Carol pushed her into the pool…she can't swim…"
"Alright," Steve said, wondering just what had happened. He managed to stay afloat with his arm around Violet, her head lolling onto his shoulder. Daisy climbed out first, Jacob giving her a hand and helping her up. "I need a hand," Steve said.
"Pass her here," Jacob urged from Steve.
He somehow managed to haul her up the steps with him until Jacob could grab her with Daisy. Jacob carried her towards a lounger as the noise died down and there was deathly silence surrounding them. Steve climbed from the water and was close on their heels, ignoring the cold in his bones.
"Violet…come on…Vi…come on…" Daisy urged from her friend, shaking her shoulder. Her eyes stay closed and Steve knelt on the floor the other side of her. He checked her pulse. She was still breathing too.
"What if we push down on her chest?" Jacob suggested, voice shaking.
Steve didn't have any other idea and so he remembered what he'd been taught in first aid class. He pressed against her chest until finally she began coughing loudly. She spat up water to begin with, spluttering and sounding like she was choking. Steve watched her head roll to the side and he pushed her further onto her side to keep her from choking. And then she vomited. Steve managed to jump out the way before it could hit him. Daisy patted her on the back as she kept on vomiting.
"Vi…Vi…are you okay…hey…come on…" Steve urged, just needing to hear her say something. He just needed her to be okay.
"Hmm," she muttered. "I feel sick."
"She's just putting it on," Carol's voice suddenly said and Steve felt anger flow through him. Looking to Daisy, he silently told her to stay put. Standing up tall, he turned to face Carol as she started laughing and her friends followed suit, but they didn't sound as convincing.
"You drugged her?" Steve snapped at her and Carol rolled her eyes.
"It was just something to take the edge off, not my fault she can't handle it," Carol said.
Steve stepped closer to her. "And pushing her into the pool?" he pushed her. "She can't swim. She could've drown. You could've killed her. Do you know that? You couldn't killed her?"
"Stop being dramatic, Stevie boy," Carol said, arms folding over her chest and crumpling the nurses outfit she wore. "Just because you're so in love with her. It's pathetic. You're dating the Wheeler girl, but you follow the virgin round like a lovesick puppy. You think she cares about you? You think she she's interested in you?"
"Shut up," Steve snarled.
"Why? Truth hurt?"
Tommy's voice suddenly spoke up and he was next to his girlfriend in an instant. Steve felt his hands clench into fists by his side and he bit down on his tongue. He could see Billy walking by Tommy's side, some of his other old friends following on.
"Leave it, Tommy," Steve demanded from his former friend, knowing that he was on the verge of doing something he didn't want to do.
"Why? You're not the king of this castle anymore, Harrington, and that stuck-up bitch has had it coming," Tommy said, pointing over Steve's shoulder and to where Violet was laid. "You know you'll never be with her, right? She's off places. She'll forget about you the minute school is over, but you? You'll just keep pathetically pining over her…look at your fall from grace…can't even get the school prude."
Steve was about to lash out then, but Billy was the one who intervened. He stood in between the two men and moved a hand to Steve's chest. He looked to Steve and just shook his head once. "I don't think you want to do that, pretty boy," he said in warning and Steve actually heeded it.
"Steve, come on," Daisy spoke and he felt her hand move to his arm.
He glowered at Tommy who just remained smug, but he did back away. Turning on his heel, he let Daisy lead him away. He helped Violet to her feet with Jacob, both of them holding an arm over their shoulders. Daisy led the way out of the back yard and the two boys practically dragged Violet between them. Steve moved an arm around her waist, trying to pick her up, but he was struggling.
"I've got her," Steve said, realising that it would be easier.
"You sure?"
"Yeah," Steve said. "Just take my keys."
He managed to fish his keys out of his pocket and he tossed them to the boy who caught them. Daisy and Violet had gotten a lift to the party and so had Jacob. Steve was the only one with the car. Steve managed to knock Violet from her feet. She kept an arm around his shoulders and he felt her head rest by his shoulder.
"Come on, Vi," Steve whispered in a soft voice. "Come on…you're gonna be okay…"
"Steve," she muttered his name.
"Yeah, it's me…it's me, Vi."
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"What do you have to be sorry for?"
"Everything," she said and he figured it was the drugs talking.
Jacob unlocked Steve's car and opened the back door. Daisy was stood by the door too, still wet from the water and shivering in the cold.
"Can you drive?" Steve asked Jacob. Daisy was about to say that she would sit with Violet in the back, but then she saw the way he was holding her. It was almost like he was clinging onto her and didn't want to let her go. And so she said nothing. Jacob nodded and went to the driver's side. Steve sat Violet on the backseat, manoeuvring her just along the bench enough so that he could get in.
"We need to go to the hospital," Daisy said, climbing into the passenger seat as Jacob started the car, apprehensive about driving Steve's car. He knew it was his prized possession. Everyone knew Harrington loved his BMW. Plus, it was worth more than Jacob had in his piggy bank.
"No," Violet was the one who answered.
"Vi, we don't know what she gave to you," Steve protested.
"I'll be fine," Violet said, but she still didn't sound entirely coherent. "Please."
Daisy looked apprehensively at Jacob and then turned around. She looked her friend in the eye, but she could see that Violet was determined not to go to the hospital. Daisy knew why. If news got out that she'd been in the hospital with drugs in her system then it could ruin her image. And she now had to think about her image.
"If you get worse, you're going," Daisy warned her.
"I'll be fine," Violet assured her even though her head was spinning and stomach churning.
"What? No," Steve was the one to speak up.
"Steve, please," Violet urged from him.
He was about to protest, but Daisy shot him a look that told him not to bother and so he relented, agreeing that if anything changed then they'd be going to ER in an instant. Steve told them that they could go and get cleaned up at his house. His parents were away so he had the house to himself. Steve remained sat next to Violet in the back seat as Jacob and Daisy muttered to each other in the front seat. Violet looked over to Steve, drinking in the profile of his face and then speaking.
"I ruined it, didn't I?" she asked in a whisper and Steve frowned, looking at her with a confused expression. And then she said one word that made his eyes begin to water and his heart ache against his chest. "Us?" He wondered if it was the drugs talking, but looking in her eye, he didn't think it was.
"No," Steve said to her, a hand going to cup her cheek in his palm. "You didn't ruin anything," he assured her and just stroked a thumb along her cheekbone. She didn't say anything else. She just hesitantly sat back and rested her head on his shoulder, needing to close her eyes and stop things from spinning. Steve let her, not wanting to shrug her off of him but not sure if he should move his arm around her shoulders.
Jacob finally pulled into Steve's drive. Violet's house was bathed in darkness and he guessed her dad would be in bed. They snuck into the house and Steve locked the door. He showed Daisy where the bathroom was and gave her some of his shorts and tops to change into. He left her with Violet to help her change and get dried off. Steve used his parent's bedroom, pulling on a sweatshirt and some shorts. He went back downstairs as he heard the two girls in the bathroom and found Jacob in his costume just standing in the entranceway.
"Do you want a drink?" Steve asked him. "I can give you and Daisy a ride home in a bit."
"Thanks, but I can call my brother. He'll cover for me and pick me up…I don't think you should leave Violet alone," Jacob said.
"You sure?"
"I'm sure," Jacob said, "but I'll take a water."
"Water coming up," Steve said.
The two of them headed into the kitchen and Steve grabbed a glass from the cabinet. He filled it at the tap and then handed it to Jacob.
"Thanks for helping tonight," Steve said to him. "I mean, I'm glad you were there…she…I just…"
"I know," Jacob promised him after a sip of his water. And he did know what Steve was trying to tell him. And before he could say anything to him, Steve was crying. Tears were falling from his eyes and he couldn't even blame it on the alcohol because he'd only had a cup of punch. Jacob wasn't entirely sure what to do, but he couldn't leave him just crying. He stepped towards him and moved a hand to his back. "It's alright, man."
"I fucked it all up," Steve said with a shake of his head. "I fucked it up."
"I'm sure you didn't," Jacob told him. "Whatever it is, it can be fixed."
Steve would've felt embarrassed at one point for crying on a stranger, but he didn't. He was feeling so many emotions, but embarrassment was one of them. Jacob remained stood next to him and Steve rubbed his eyes.
"I should…I should've never hurt Nancy…used her…it was wrong…and now she can't stand me and I hate what I did to her. I hate myself for it," Steve sniffed. "And then Violet…seeing her…I thought the worst, you know? I thought that I'd lost her and she never knew…she never really knew that it wasn't just a crush. It was never just a stupid crush. I…she…"
Jacob smiled sadly at that and he just patted Steve on the back. "You love her, don't you?"
Looking at Jacob, Steve could only nod his head at the same time Daisy walked into the kitchen.
"About time one of you admitted it," she commented, clearly having heard their conversation. Steve looked to her and she saw the tears staining his cheeks. "At one time I might've made fun of you for crying."
"Feeling lenient?"
"Just for tonight," Daisy answered Steve.
Her hair was damp down her back and his clothes were too big on her, but they were dry and that was all she cared about. She was carrying her costume and boots, dropping them to the floor in the doorway. She folded her arms over her chest and moved into the kitchen.
"I've left her in your bed with a bowl next to her in case she's sick. I think she's just sleepy."
"I'll look after her," Steve said.
"I'll stay," Daisy said determinedly. Before Steve could protest, she held a hand up. "And I know you can look after her, but she's my best friend. I just want to make sure she's okay."
Steve relented on that one. He said that he just needed to use the bathroom while Daisy and Jacob spoke. Jacob told Daisy that his parents expected him home and she told him it was fine for him to go. He'd been hesitant to leave her, but she told him that Steve was there and he could handle anything that might happen. And so he'd called his brother to pick him up and had kissed Daisy at the door, urging her to call him in the morning. She closed and locked the door, moving into the living room to find Steve sat on the sofa.
"She's sleeping," Steve said to the girl who sat in the armchair across from him, folding her legs beneath herself. "I'll go and check on her again in a while."
"We can take it in turns," Daisy said.
Steve nodded and there was silence between the two of them. Daisy looked at Steve, seeing the anguish on his face. He rubbed his cheeks with the palm of his hand and looked to the ceiling.
"She loves you too, you know?" Daisy said to him and Steve looked her in the eye as she kept on talking. "She won't admit it, but she does. She told me everything that happened between the two of you."
"She pushed me away," Steve said. "She didn't want me."
"She always wanted you," Daisy assured him. "She just didn't know how to admit it to herself. I've known her most of my life and she…she's never been affectionate. She's never known how to deal with affection. I'd go to hug her and she'd just stand there limply. But then, as times gone on, she's started letting her walls down. She's started to learn how to trust people. It doesn't come easy to her."
"I know," Steve said.
"And this is all new to her. She didn't grow up with love…not really…she never grew up in a warm household and I think that had an impact on her. She doesn't open up easy and I think she's scared of getting hurt. I think she's scared that you really could break her heart. What she doesn't understand is that she's breaking her own heart by not admitting how she feels to you."
"You think so?"
"I know so," Daisy said with conviction. "And the sooner she admits it, the better it will be for all of us."
…
Steve and Daisy took it in turns to check on Violet every half-an-hour. Steve headed upstairs at around four a.m. and found her more alert than the last time he'd seen her. She was laid in his bed, but thankfully she hadn't been sick. She looked to the door as Steve walked into the room.
"Hey," she said and he forced a smile onto his face.
"How're you feeling?" he asked her.
"Like I was drugged," she said and he watched her sit up, resting against the headboard.
"Well, funnily enough, you were," Steve said to her.
He sat down on the side of the bed, lifting one leg to bend onto the mattress as the other one dangled over the side. "You getting tired of saving me from drowning?"
"Well, I am now insisting that you learn to swim," Steve said. "And you're not getting out of this time with some tennis tournament you've got to go to."
"I might take you up on that," Violet said with a gentle smile in his direction.
Steve smiled back to her and he saw her fold her hands into her lap, looking down onto her entwined limbs and Steve knew that now wasn't the time to talk about what had happened, not really. "You should get some sleep," he urged from her. "I'll talk to your dad in the morning and cover for you at school."
"Thanks," Violet said gratefully and Steve went to stand, but she spoke again. "And I don't want to keep doing this."
He remained seated on the bed. "Doing what?" he wondered from her.
"This," she said to him and he knew what she was talking about. "I'm so tired, Steve…and I…I've been so stupid and I don't know what I can do to make it right…because I think it might be too late. I think I might be too late and I'm not being fair on you. I've been so unfair to you and I hate myself because now I…now what if…what if…"
"What if what?" Steve tried to push her gently and then she looked at him with tears in her eyes.
And then spoke in a small and broken voice. "What if you don't want me anymore?" she wondered and Steve felt his stomach lurch and his throat clench. Shaking his head, he moved towards her slowly, a hand going to her cheek and pushing damp strands of hair behind her ear.
"I've wanted nothing but you, Violet Mattheson, for such a long time," Steve promised her that much.
"But I…I…I said things…"
"I know what you said," Steve said. He was unlikely to forget. "And I think I know why you said them, but none of that matters. None of it matters because it's always been you, Violet. It's always been you."
"But Nancy…I didn't want to do this to her…I never wanted to do this to her," Violet said.
"I know," Steve said. "But we'll find a way through this. I promise you, we'll find a way through this. If this is what you want…then we can make it work."
Violet sniffed and Steve brushed her tears away with his thumbs. "I want it to," she said. "I really want it to."
"Then that's enough, Violet, that's enough," Steve promised her. "I'm not leaving you…I'm never leaving you."
She reached for him and he gladly took her into his arms, holding her to him, a hand cupping the back of her head as he kissed the top of her head, feeling a sense of relief as he held her.
…
Daisy had dozed off for a short while. It was gone six when she woke up and she knew she should go home and change before school. Steve was no longer in the living room and so Daisy went upstairs and peeked into his bedroom. She stayed in the doorway silently, letting her eyes slip over the scene in front of her. Violet was under the covers of the bed, Steve on top of them and laid on his back. He had an arm around Violet's shoulders as she laid on her side, face buried against his neck and arm over his waist. The two of them were sleeping soundly and so Daisy backed out of the room and left them alone.
…
A/N: Think this might be the longest chapter to date! Would love to know what you think!