Violet was in half a mind to go after Steve. Why? She wasn't sure. A part of her wanted to yell at him for even saying that stuff to her. He was still dating Nancy. It wasn't as if they had officially split up, despite the entire fiasco involving the graffiti around town. But then another part of her wanted to go after him and tell him that she thought she liked him too. But that wasn't enough. She couldn't just think she liked him, could she? No. That wasn't right. What if she didn't actually like him and it was all just her mind playing tricks on her? What if this was just a fleeting fancy? She didn't know. She didn't know what to do for the best.
But she didn't go after him. Instead, she climbed into her car and headed back out towards the school. She was going to go and find the others and see if there was anything she could do to help them. She didn't think that there would be, but she needed to find out. She needed to be there and she shouldn't have left. But they weren't at the school anymore. Jonathan's car had gone. Violet wondered where to go after that and she figured the next best thing would be the Byers house.
Parking her car behind Jonathan's, Violet climbed out and shut the door behind her. She trudged up the steps of the porch to the front door. Her boots clicked on the wooden floorboards and she tugged the sleeves to her jumper over her fingers before rolling a fist and knocking. She could feel the cold of the night on her face, cheeks reddening.
"Violet?" Nancy checked as she opened the door slightly.
"I'm sorry for running away earlier," Violet said to her. "There's bigger things going on than me worrying about getting into trouble with my dad. I shouldn't have gone. I should have stayed with you."
"You should go home, Vi," Jonathan said as Nancy pulled the chain off the door and opened it wide. Violet shook her head and glanced around, frowning at the sight. There were string lights hung up everywhere and she spotted a baseball bat with nails sticking out of it. She then noticed the gun in Nancy's hand.
"What the hell is going on here?" Violet demanded, storming into the house and seeing that the two of them had a bandage on their hands. Violet's brows knitted together and she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Please, tell me that this isn't what I think it is and you two aren't trying to get that creature here."
"Eleven said Barb is gone," Nancy said, her voice breaking but full of anger. Violet chewed down on the inside of her cheek and glanced down to the floor. She had a sneaky suspicion that was always going to be the outcome, no matter what happened. They had all seen that creature in the forest. They knew how dangerous it was. "That thing killed my best friend and I can't just sit back and let it kill again…hurt someone else…Will…he's still out there and we need to stop it. We need to stop it because it's the right thing to do."
"We know it's dangerous," Jonathan said. "We know what could happen, but my brother is still out there. Eleven said that my brother is still out there and I…I need to bring him home. I need to protect him."
Violet suspected that they weren't going to back down. The two of them were stubborn. They were more stubborn than Violet when they wanted to be. And so she knew what that meant. It meant that she wasn't going anywhere either.
"Okay," Violet relented. "Well, we've started this together…may as well finish it."
"You don't have to," Nancy said to her.
"No. I do," Violet replied. "Just give me a minute and I'll be back."
Nancy watched Violet jog back to her car and lift the trunk up. She tugged her tennis racquet from it, well aware that it wasn't the most effective weapon, but she needed something in her hands when this thing attacked. She carried it back to the house and Nancy shut the door again as Jonathan locked it. He picked up the baseball bat as Nancy perched on the sofa, gun in her fingertips.
"I'm gonna check the house," Jonathan said and Nancy smiled at him with a nod before he stalked off.
Violet spun her racquet in her fingertips, hair falling in her face. Nancy looked over to her, seeing that she seemed almost distracted. Then again, she guessed they were all going to be a bit distracted and on edge.
"You okay?" Nancy asked.
Violet looked to her, but she struggled to meet her eye after what had just happened with Steve. She hated that he'd even put her in this position. Why could he not just keep quiet? Why could he not just keep his mouth closed? She bit down on her tongue and nodded her head once. She wasn't going to tell Nancy. She was going to pretend it never happened and sweep it all under the rug. She figured Nancy had some bigger things to worry about.
"Yeah," Violet relented and she went to sit down next to her on the sofa, tugging her skirt down her thighs and resting her racquet by her legs. "Just nervous, I guess. I don't know what we're going to find if that creature comes…even if this place is covered in traps."
"I get that," Nancy promised her. "I mean…this has all been insane…and Barb…I don't know. I just don't know how I'm supposed to go back out there. How do I tell her parents what happened to her?"
"Honestly? I don't know," Violet admitted to her. She wasn't sure how she would tell Daisy's parents if anything had happened to her. She didn't know if she would actually have it in her to say anything. Violet took to chewing her lip again, clearly looking anxious and on edge, which she definitely was. "I don't know how we can explain any of this to anyone."
"We can't," Nancy whispered. She figured it would be too dangerous for them to say anything considering what she'd learned from Mike. "And Steve…I don't know how he's going to react."
"He'll be fine," Violet said to her, but Nancy could pick something up in her voice. It was almost like she was shaking.
"I guess," Nancy agreed, but she wasn't overly convinced. "But it's not like we ended things on good terms…that's if we even ended them. I don't want to break up with him. I care about him. I really care about him, but he…I don't know."
"He cares about you too, Nancy," Violet told her and she was pretty sure that was true. She knew that he did have feelings for Nancy and Violet had no interest in getting in the way of that. So if that meant she had to stop sneaking into the woods and spending time with him then she would. She would do that because he deserved someone like Nancy. He didn't deserve someone like Violet and he would see that one day.
"I know," Nancy said. "I just don't know if it's enough," she confessed and the two of them looked at each other like they knew exactly what the other one was thinking.
Nancy didn't know how to say it to Violet, not really. She knew that Violet looked at Steve differently. She knew that there was something there, even if Violet didn't know it herself. She also knew how Steve looked at Violet and spoke about her, even if he denied it himself.
"I don't…" Violet trailed off, not entirely certain what she should say to Nancy. 'I'm not sure if I fancy your boyfriend.' There was no way in hell she was saying that.
"It's alright," Nancy assured her and she moved a hand to her arm, gripping it and squeezing it in her fingers. "We'll-"
"-Violet Mattheson, open this door right now!"
Violet frowned as banging on the door continued. "Dad?"
…
Steve wasn't entirely sure what had come over him. He knew that he was an idiot. He shouldn't have said those things to Violet. He was still with Nancy for God's sake. He cared about Nancy. He could even see himself falling in love with Nancy. Saying those things to Violet while he was with Nancy hadn't been his best moment. It had been stupid, but there was something about Violet that made him stupid.
He had intended on going back round there and apologising to her, but her car wasn't in the driveway anymore. He stopped walking towards her house and scratched his head. Where the hell could she be? He was about to turn back around when a car did pull into her driveway and he saw Violet's father climbing from it.
"What are you doing on my driveway, Harrington?" Donnie questioned.
He was dressed in a three-piece navy-blue suit, hair neatly combed on top of his head. Steve had to admit that he had always felt intimidated by him when he had been a kid and he'd see him training Violet. He was a tall and broad man, plus he was incredibly handsome, even Steve could admit that.
"I was going to see Violet, but her cars gone…she was home earlier…"
Donnie frowned and checked his watch. "It's ten p.m." He frowned and pulled his car keys out of his pocket. "I left a note telling her I was out of town on business, but my flight was cancelled. She should be home."
"Yeah…I know," Steve said and kept his hands planted on his hips.
"And she's not with you?"
"No," Steve said.
"Daisy?"
"Maybe," Steve said.
Donnie frowned. "You better come in, Harrington."
Steve was about to ask why, but a part of him was also wondering where Violet was. He stepped into the foyer of her house as Donnie tossed his car keys onto the table sitting in the middle of the room on a rug. The staircase split in the middle, leading to an open landing upstairs. Donnie went into a room on the right-hand side and pulled a book from his drawer. He flicked through it and then dialled Daisy's parent's house. Steve ambled around the study, looking around at the fancy drink's cart with expensive liquor and the bookshelves lined with classics that looked like they hadn't been opened.
He listened in as Donnie asked if Violet was with Daisy, but it turned out she wasn't. No one was picking up at the Wheeler house either.
"She's been spending time with Jonathan Byers too," Steve said. "Ever since his brother went missing…I don't know…the three of them have been hanging round together."
Donnie frowned. "Byers?" he checked. He could vaguely remember Joyce Byers from school. She'd been in the year below him. "Why?"
"I don't know," Steve confessed.
Donnie sighed and shook his head. He had to be up early to catch the first flight to make his meeting, but he knew he wasn't going to sleep with Violet missing. He also knew his wife was in New York until the weekend and the chances of her knowing where Violet was were slim. Donnie looked to Steve and pointed to the door. "We're going to the Byers house then," he said and Steve didn't even bother to ask him why he was invited on this little trip with him. He wasn't entirely sure what Donnie wanted with him, but Steve's desire to know where Violet was trumped that.
Donnie unlocked the car and slipped into the driver's side as Steve sat in the passenger seat. He reversed out of the driveway and headed down the roads through the estate and towards Hawkins.
"Listen, Harrington," Donnie said and Steve guessed he was about to have a talk. "I know that you've been spending time with my daughter and Violet seems to like you enough to stomach being around you."
"Thanks, sir," Steve said, voice slightly sarcastic.
"But I know your type," Donnie said, grip on the wheel tight. "I know you have a reputation around here, just like your dad did. You have a new conquest every week. You're Hawkin's Golden Boy. You're likely to be Prom King…Mr Popular until you graduate…and that's fine. You can do that. You can go around and break as many hearts as you want to, but not my daughter's. Violet is out of bounds. Is that understood?"
Steve had to admit that he hadn't been expecting that from Donnie. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting really. Steve's hands twitched in his lap as he tried to think of some appropriate response. But what was an appropriate response?
"I know that there are rumours that go around," Steve admitted to that. "And I know what people say about me. I know I've spent my time being obsessed with things like being popular…well liked…and often at the expense of not treating other people as I should, but I don't want to be that person. I don't want to be that person, Mr Mattheson and Violet…she's shown me that I don't have to be."
Donnie looked at Steve from the corner of his eye with apprehension as it lit up under the passing street lights. He wasn't entirely sure if he believed him.
"I care for her. I care for Violet and I don't want to hurt her. She's…she's special, okay? She's special to me and she…not that any of it matters because she doesn't want anything other than friendship," Steve wasn't entirely sure why he was having word vomit to Donnie Mattheson. It wasn't as if this man was someone he could trust. He'd seen how he'd treated Violet.
"Does she know this?" Donnie wondered.
"I told her," Steve said. "I told her, but she said that we're just friends."
"I see," Donnie said and a part of him suspected his daughter was lying. "Are you not dating Nancy Wheeler?"
"You're very clued in on high school gossip, Mr Mattheson," Steve said and he wondered if he'd overstepped the line, but Donnie's lips arched for the briefest of moments. "But yeah, I am. I like Nancy."
"But not as much as you like my daughter?" Donnie guessed and Steve wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. His silence spoke volumes enough. Donnie let out an exasperated sigh. "This might come as a surprise to you, Harrington, but I do want Violet to be happy."
Steve scoffed. "Yeah, it kind of does," he said, not sugarcoating things.
Donnie's jaw locked for a moment and he tried not to look too annoyed. "She is my only child," Donnie said. "I push her because I want her to be happy and successful. I want her to have everything I never had. I want her to be able to stand on her own two feet. I want the world for her…and I know…I know that I get things wrong. I don't know how to be her father sometimes. But I do know that I want to protect her and you…if you're going to be sticking around then I don't want her distracted."
"It doesn't matter," Steve said. "She doesn't want me around and, even if she did, I'd never distract her from tennis. She's talented. I know that. I want her to succeed."
"You might not mean to, but I know how these things go," Donnie said. "I know how it always goes."
Steve didn't have time to say anything further on that matter. He just climbed out of the car as he pulled into Byers' driveway. The two men headed up the porch and Donnie took the lead, banging on the door and calling for Violet. Steve stayed behind him, knowing that she was in there considering her car was parked up.
She opened the door a few moments later. "Dad?" she checked. "What're you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Violet," Donnie said. "What are you doing sneaking out in the middle of the night?"
"I just…I don't know how to explain," Violet confessed and Donnie looked around the living room, seeing the string lights that were hung up and looked more like they belonged at some carnival. He saw Nancy Wheeler stood with Jonathan next to her. She was holding a gun and Jonathan had a baseball bat made out of nails.
"What the hell is this?" Donnie demanded, voice low and dangerous.
"Good question," Steve mumbled, standing next to Donnie and looking around and then looking at Jonathan and Nancy. "Nance…what're you doing?"
"Steve, you need to get out," Nancy demanded from him, moving to him and pressing on his shoulder as Violet also tried to placate her father. "You need to go."
"I wanted to apologise," Steve said and then he saw the bandage on Nancy's hand. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Steve, seriously, you need to get out of here," Nancy continued to try and push him, but he wasn't budging. He refused to be moved.
"Dad, please, you can't be here," Violet pleaded with her father.
"The hell I can't be, young lady," he snapped back at her. "You're coming home right now. I don't know what's gotten into you sneaking around like this."
"Dad!" Violet exclaimed.
And then the lights began to flicker. Donnie looked around as the bulbs brightened and then dimmed. There was a strange smell as well. It was almost like someone had poured gasoline over the entire house.
"What the hell?" Donnie muttered.
"It's here," Jonathan said and Nancy glanced around as Violet did the same, looking for any sign of the creature.
"What's here?" Steve demanded.
"Is it some kind of power surge?"
"Where is it?" Nancy wondered, standing next to Jonathan as Violet reached for her racquet. "I don't see it."
"I don't know," Jonathan replied.
"Where's what?" Steve exclaimed, hands moving frantically around him. "Hello? Can someone explain what the hell is going on here?"
"Violet, if this is some kind of game…" Donnie trailed off the threat to his daughter who didn't respond. She was too busy looking around the house, knowing that the creature was going to find them. She shook her head and then shrieked loudly as the house began to shake. Nancy's mouth fell open and she whirled around on the spot, looking to the ceiling.
Donnie and Steve looked in the same direction, the two of them stepping back as some kind of creature came crawling out of the ceiling, dust flowing around it and plasterboard breaking onto the ground. It snarled loudly and Donnie felt fear overcome him at the sight of it. "What the hell is that?" he yelled as Nancy tried to aim her gun at it. She fired three shots, but they all missed and she stumbled back with the recoil of the gun.
Jonathan knew that they needed to get away from it and he grabbed Nancy around the waist, dragging her backwards. Violet remained rooted to the spot with her racquet in her hands.
"Run!" Jonathan snapped loudly at all of them.
Steve didn't need to be told twice, but it seemed that Violet did. She was still holding her racquet as if that was going to be enough to fight it off. Steve practically hauled her around her waist and picked her up, dragging her backwards and setting her on her feet by the hallway where Donnie grabbed her hand and tugged her down to the open door that Nancy and Jonathan had just gone through. Steve ran behind them and Violet looked over her shoulder. He was a pace behind and she reached back for him, grabbing hold of his outstretched hand until his fingers were in hers.
Coming to the bedroom, Donnie let go of Violet and slammed the door shut behind Steve, pressing himself against it. Steve's hand remained in Violet's and he pushed her behind his body as they backed away from the door, ready for the creature to try and break through and into the room. Jonathan opened his lighter, flicking at it until the flame burned, but nothing came to the door.
"You think it's gone?" Nancy wondered.
"If it has, it'll be back," Jonathan answered.
Donnie dared to open the door again, peaking his head around it. There was no sign of whatever had just been chasing them. Shaking his head, he looked back at the four kids and he knew that he was the one who had to get them out of there. He was the adult of the group.
"Keep quiet," Donnie urged and he stepped into the hallway.
Violet moved from around Steve and followed her dad, grabbing hold of his arm. Donnie almost startled at the feeling of her gripping onto him, but he tried to calm himself. He reached for her and took hold of her hand instead, gripping firmly onto it, keeping her behind him. The five of them crept back to the living room, but the creature had gone. It had disappeared entirely.
"This is crazy," Steve whispered. "This is crazy…this is crazy…this is crazy…"
Violet wasn't surprised to see him react like that. Her father, on the other hand, almost seemed stoic. "We need to get out of here," Donnie declared. "Everyone needs to go."
"It doesn't matter where we go, it'll find us," Jonathan was the one to reply. "That thing could kill my brother. I'm going nowhere."
"Then this is a suicide mission," Donnie declared.
"Dad," Violet said and she squeezed his hand tightly. "We have to do this. This creature…it's the thing that we saw…that night in the wood…this is it and it…who knows what it might do to someone else if we don't stop it. Please."
"This is madness," Steve muttered, but Donnie just looked to Violet. He hadn't believed her when she'd told him that there had been something outside of their house that night. He hadn't listened to her and instead he'd snapped at her for dragging him away from work. But she had been right. She had been right all along. There was something out there.
Steve picked up the phone in the kitchen, but Nancy moved to stop him. She knew how dangerous it was if anyone else found out what was going on. That wasn't a risk she was willing to take. "What are you doing?" Steve snapped at her as she took the phone from his hand and tossed it to the side.
"That thing is going to come back," Nancy said, voice firm. "So you need to get out of here before it does."
Steve looked around at them, but no one was making any move to the door. Shaking his head, he looked to Violet and Nancy noticed the way he looked at her. Violet just shook her head at him once, telling him silently that she wasn't going anywhere. She couldn't go. She couldn't abandon her friends, not when they needed her. Steve wanted to run. He wanted to turn on his heel and flee, but he knew that he wasn't going anywhere.
"Go," Donnie urged from his daughter. "Violet, go."
"I'm not leaving them, dad," she replied, voice firm. She was going to stand her ground on that. She couldn't run away.
It was then when the lights began flickering again. Violet let out a deep breath, fear running through her over what might happen next. She wasn't sure how much more she could handle. She just wanted all of this to be over with. Donnie grabbed hold of her, keeping her close to his side as the five of them stood in the middle of the room, looking out at the corners of the room and trying to see what the creature intended on doing next. Steve stood on the other side to Violet, his arm brushing against hers. But then everything went black. They gasped for breath, the only noise being their pants in the darkness.
And then Nancy turned around and she saw it. The creature lunged forwards and knocked Jonathan off his feet, the baseball bat falling to the ground as it climbed on top of Jonathan, pinning him to the floor. Donnie took Violet's racquet from her and started to hit at the creature with rage and fear, but it didn't budge from Jonathan.
"Get the hell off of him!" Donnie yelled loudly.
"Get away from him, you son of a bitch!" Nancy screamed and she fired the gun at the creature. She kept walking backwards as it drew itself to full height and snarled at her, advancing towards her as Donnie tried to get its attention and make it stop, hitting at it with his daughter's racquet. Steve grabbed the baseball bat that Jonathan had dropped as Nancy ran out of bullets, the gun now surplus to requirements.
Steve lifted the bat and jumped in front of Nancy, hitting at the creature and swinging at it. He hit at it with all of his might, trying to get it to back away from the group. Donnie joined in with him, hitting at the creature and alternating swings with Steve against it. It continued shrieking loudly, the noise piercing and high and it lashed out then, swinging a hand forward and pushing both Steve and Donnie backwards, sending them toppling to the ground. Violet grabbed hold of the bat that tumbled from Steve's fingers, standing between them and the creature. She tried to stand tall, shoulders hunched backwards as she swung at it and hit it in the stomach.
"Violet!" her father yelled her name as Nancy helped Jonathan to his feet, searching for the lighter he'd dropped as he'd tumbled to the ground.
But Violet kept on hitting at the creature, unrelenting in her swings against it. She ducked down when she had to, crouching low and trying to stay on her feet to avoid its flailing limbs. Her father climbed back to full height and tried to jump back in and help her, but the racquet was bent and useless as a weapon. He didn't get any time to think of anything else to do as the creature finally hit Violet, sending her flying from her feet and hitting the wall.
"Violet!" Donnie roared her name as she collapsed to the ground, completely winded and aching from the force of being slammed against the wooden surface. Donnie reached for the baseball bat and resumed his pummelling of the creature, not once backing down and determined to keep it away from Violet. Steve moved towards her and helped her to her feet, dragging her back and away from the fight. He kept an arm around her waist, holding her tight by his side and not wanting to let her go as Donnie pushed the creature back until it stood in one of the traps Jonathan had created. It shrieked loudly, trying to pull itself free and failing miserably.
"Get out the way!" Jonathan demanded from Donnie and he didn't need to be told twice. He moved back down the hall as Jonathan lit up his lighter and tossed it forwards to the creature.
It went up flames instantly, standing in the puddle of gasoline. It continued yelling loudly, shrieking and howling in agony. The five of them stood back, Donnie in front of the four kids with his arms stretched wide as if he could protect them. Steve kept hold of Violet who had her back pressed against Nancy's side. As the creature continued yelling, Violet found her arms moving back around Steve, almost as if she was clinging onto him. He felt his hand go to the back of her head and cradle her skull as the flames grew higher, pressing her closer to him.
Jonathan grabbed hold of the fire extinguisher then, knowing that he had to put the creature out before his housed burned to the ground. Donnie stepped back and let him, quietly confident that the creature was gone. Its screams had died down and had seemingly disappeared, leaving the house almost eerily quiet except for Jonathan using the fire extinguisher. They all started coughing as the smoke got to them. Violet pressed a hand to her mouth as Donnie and Nancy walked tentatively forwards behind Jonathan. Violet followed them, moving from Steve's grip but feeling his arm still around her waist.
"Where did it go?" Nancy wondered.
"It has to be dead," Jonathan said, leaning against the wall and gathering his breath.
They all looked down to the floor. All that was left of the creature was some sticky substance on the metal trap it had been caught in, but that was it.
"You think it's really gone?" Steve was the one to ask at the same time the lights began flickering once more.
Donnie kept hold of the baseball bat, grip tight on it and waiting for the creature to come back. The four kids stood back, not entirely sure what they should be doing. But it felt different. There was no shaking of the house. They stepped past the pile of goo, climbing over it. Jonathan looked around as the lights stayed on then. His lips arched for a moment and he nodded his head once. "Mom," he whispered her name so no one else could hear.
The five of them left the house, standing on the porch as the lamps also continued glimmering out there. Nancy kept the empty gun by her side. "Where do you think it's going?"
"I don't think it's the monster," Jonathan said, convinced that it was his mom.
"Someone better start doing some explaining," Donnie said, but his voice wasn't angry. It was more anxious. "Pronto."
…
Explaining everything to Donnie and Steve had taken time, but they believed everything they heard considering what had happened in the house. Jonathan and Nancy had left to go to the hospital afterwards, hearing that Will had been found and Mike was also in the hospital. Steve had intended on going with them considering he was badly beat up and he wanted to be with Nancy, but she had insisted that he go home and get some rest. She'd seen how he'd looked at Violet in the house. She'd seen how he'd had eyes only for her. Nancy was convinced he had only stayed behind because Violet was there. She wasn't going to bring it up though. She knew it wasn't the time. She also knew that, maybe, her heart wasn't truly Steve's either.
But they all needed time to come to terms with what had just happened.
Driving back towards their houses, Violet sat in the front seat and Steve sat in the back. Donnie drove them home, the three of them completely silent, unsure of what to say. Pulling into the drive, Violet looked to her dad for a moment. "Can I just have a minute?" she asked in a whisper, hoping Steve didn't hear her. Donnie just nodded at her and they all got out of the car.
Donnie moved to the front door and Violet ambled around the car to the backseat where Steve was stood.
"Turns out you weren't going crazy, huh?" Steve said to her and Violet just shrugged. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't any of you tell me what was going on?"
"And how do I explain that?" Violet questioned from him. "Steve, come on, what happened tonight wasn't normal. None of it was normal. I didn't know how to explain any of it in a way that wouldn't make me sound like I was crazy and you…I didn't want to drag you into it either. It's not fair on you."
"You think I'd have cared?"
"No, and that's the problem," Violet replied. "But it's over now. It's over and I just…I don't know how to say this…any of it…but you…"
Steve wondered if she was able to speak in coherent sentences. She just stood there, hands flapping around in front of her as she struggled to come up with the right words. Finally, though, she pushed at him on the shoulder and Steve took a step back. He extended his arms outwards. "What the hell was that for?" he snapped at her.
"For tonight," she retorted. "Do you know how stupid it was for you to come here and say those things to me? Do you know how shitty it felt? Nancy is my friend. She's your girlfriend. She doesn't deserve that. She doesn't deserve you to act like that behind her back. It's wrong. It's not fair on her. And I'm not that person. I'm not someone who comes in between other people. I'm…I'm me, Steve. I'm awkward. I have no social life. I'm flunking biology. My life is tennis. I don't…I can't…"
"It's alright," Steve promised her, shaking his head.
"But it's not," Violet snapped back at him. "It's not alright because I don't want it to feel like this. I don't want to hurt anyone. And seeing you tonight at that house...I thought...I didn't know if we were going to make it out and that terrified me because you...you have no idea..."
Steve's brows arched on his forehead. What was she talking about. He stepped forwards, a hand going to her arm and settling on it gently. "What is it, Vi?" he questioned from her. "Talk to me."
"And say what?" she asked him. "You…what do you want to hear from me, Steve? You want me to confess that I like you? That spending time with you in the forest has been some of my favourite moments over the last couple of years? That I also laid awake last night thinking about you? That I…that you're one of the few people who I can actually be myself around? Because you are, Steve. But this…whatever it is…it'll pass," Violet said, motioning between them. "I know it'll pass because I don't do this kind of thing."
"What kind of thing?" Steve wondered, his heart hammering against his chest as he listened to her.
"I don't talk to boys," Violet said. "I've never been on a date. I've never had a boy be interested in me because look at me…I'm a loser. I'm a loser and guys like you don't go for girls like me. I know that and you know it."
"That's not true," Steve said, voice firm. "You are so much more than you realise, Violet Mattheson."
"But I'm not," Violet said to him with a shake of her head. "I'm not and I don't want to do this. I don't want to be involved in this…with you…because one day I'm scared you'll wake up and realise that you don't want me and then what? I've ruined my friendship with Nancy. I've ruined my friendship with you. Besides, relationships in high school don't work out. Nine times out of ten they end in disaster…look at our parents…Nancy's parents…I don't want that. I don't want what they have."
"Who says that has to happen?" Steve questioned from her. "You're so scared of the future that you're not living in the now, Violet. You're not letting yourself be truthful with yourself and that's going to bite you in the ass one day. You know it and I know it."
"That's not true," Violet snapped back at him and he stepped closer to her, a hand going to her cheek and holding it in his palm. Violet wanted to back away, but she couldn't. Her back was pressed against the car already. "I don't know what you want from me, Steve."
"I just want the truth," Steve said. "All I want is the truth."
"You've had it," Violet promised him. "What I said…all of it was true. I like you. I like spending time with you, but I'm not going to do this…it's not fair on Nancy. She's nice. She's my friend. You're my friend. Maybe this might work out," Violet said, motioning between the two of them. "Maybe one day we'll end up together, driving a motorhome across the country…playing tennis tournaments…you with me…but what if it doesn't? What if we decide to go down this route and it ends in tears? I'll have lost Nancy and I'll have lost you as a friend. Maybe that might not happen, but it's a risk, Steve…and it's a risk I can't take. It's a risk I don't want to take."
Steve knew that she was scared and he understood it. He got it. He tucked her hair behind her ear and just looked down at her, staring into her eyes as she gazed at him. Her eyes widened and her lips parted for a second as she inhaled a sharp breath.
"You know that doesn't sound terrible, right?" Steve asked. "Right now, I think I'd rather drive a motorhome round the country with you than face those monsters again…or worse…my parents."
Violet chuckled despite everything at that comment and Steve smiled at the sight of her. Her chuckles died down and she reached up to his hand, her fingers gripping into his and pulling him from her.
"But it's just a pipedream, Steve," she said. "You'll see that soon enough."
Lowering his hand down to his side, Violet let go of his hand after one final squeeze. She looked him in the eye and he could see that she was on the verge of crying. She just walked away and he didn't chase after her. He let her go, watching her walk up the path and to her house. He wanted to chase after her, but he wasn't sure what she would say if he did. And so he resigned himself to the fact that this was probably it. Maybe what she'd said had been right, but there was something in his gut that told him it wasn't. He couldn't shake that feeling no matter how hard he tried.
Violet walked into her house and shut the door behind her. Her dad was stood in the doorway to his study, completely silent with his tie undone and suit jacket pulled off and draped over his desk. He just stood there as Violet began crying again and he was the one who moved towards her this time, taking her into his arms and holding her tight against him.
"I know, Violet," he promised her, stroking her hair down her back. "I know, okay?"
And so he held her for as long as he needed to, not wanting to let her go after what had happened that night. Neither of them would ever forget it.