Christine towel dried her hair, the girl sitting down on the edge of Steve's bed and continuing to do so. She had been prancing around his room and changing for the past few minutes, Steve excusing himself to shower and leaving her there.  After promising the others they would meet up at Scoops Ahoy in the morning, Christine and Steve rode back to his place, the boy talking about the Russians the entire time, Christine not really having to say anything.

She used Steves comb on the bedside table, the girl brushing through her hair and making sure it wasn't terribly knotted. She heard the bedroom door open, the girl with her back to the door as she looked down at a magazine she had found in the bathroom.

"Hey does your mom have anymore of these Cos-" Christine felt her words catch in her throat as Steve walked past her, his towel wrapped around his waist and his chest bare. He walked towards his dresser, reaching towards the drawers and grabbing some clothes, Christines mouth hanging open as he turned around to look at her with furrowed eyebrows.

"What?" The second his eyes landed on her face her  mouth closed, Christine not wanting him to see how  she was reacting. His hand was gripping the towel closed at his waist, Christine gulping as she dragged her eyes up his figure and to his face. His hair was wet and dripping, Christine feeling her insides twist as she noted how handsome he looked. The hand securing his towel drew her attention, and she felt a lump grow in her throat as she saw just how low the towel was. He had such a appealing look, the girl shaking her head and finally being able to meet his eyes.

"I don't remember." She sputtered out, Steve stifling a chuckle as he gripped his pants in his hands. He could see that she looked nervous, and he could assume why, the boy deciding to play with her and taking a few steps towards her. Before he could get too close she hurried past him, the girl leaning against his dresser, her back hitting the drawers as she gave him a nervous look. He turned back to look at her, furrowing his eyebrows in humorous confusion.

"You alright?" He asked, wondering what her answer would be.

"Yep. Just...don't wanna be in your way." Steve nodded warily at her, an idea coming to his head and the boy taking a few steps towards her. She couldn't move fast enough, the girl trapped against the dresser and Steve standing in front of her. He reached forwards, past her and to the dresser top behind her, the boy practically hearing the breath stop in her throat. The handle of his top dresser drawer was pushing into her lower back, Christine leaned as far back and away from Steve as she possibly could be. He took another step forwards, their bodies mere centimeters from touching and Christines eyes trying their hardest not to wander.

"Are you nervous or something?" Steve whispered, his breath fanning over her face as she avoided looking at him all together.

"N-no. I'm not nervous." Her stuttering voice gave her away, the corner of Steve's lip fighting to lift as he leaned his head down a little bit. Christine mustered up some courage to make eye contact again, because she really didn't want him to think that he was making her nervous, which he very much was. She hated when Steve would play like this, it only happened every so often but he still would do it from time to time. Take advantage of a situation to see if she still liked him like she did all those months ago.

"Why were you so upset earlier?" Steve whispered between them, Christines chest clenching as she felt the slick fingers of jealousy grip her heart momentarily. She looked up at him with a puzzled look, the girl fighting to drop her eyes over his face. She had hoped he had dropped it, but Steve wasn't one to really drop it, especially when he knows something is up. He hates uncertainty when it came to how someone was feeling.

"There's just so much going on. I wanted a break." She said, putting on a convincing show. Steve furrowed his eyebrows and searched her face for a moment, a hum of approval leaving his lips a moment later as he leaned a little closer to her, their chests colliding as he reached behind her. Christine closed her eyes for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek as his wet chest pressed against her shirt. He pulled back with a snicker, the boy lifting up the comb to show her that he was grabbing it.

"Go lay down." Steve said, gesturing towards the bed and giving her a knowing look as he turned to go change. Christine let out the breath she was holding, chewing on her lip as she sucked in another big breath. She threw her head back, running her hand over her forehead before shaking her head and gathering herself. She did head towards the bed, the girl falling onto it and trying to forget about the feeling of Steve's breath against her skin and his body so close to hers.

He reentered not long after,  no shirt in sight but his flannel pajama pants adorning his legs. She turned her head away, not wanting to make it obvious that she wanted to check him out. She felt a rush of anxiety go through her and her palms grow sweaty as he approached the bed, his eyebrows raising and his lips tightening as he looked down at her.

"I'm not that tired but if you're tired then we can go to bed. I kinda just wanted to hang out." Steve said, making a move to sit on the bed. Christine slid away from him, the girl shaking her head and speaking quickly.

"Nope I'm tired." She said, the girl gulping as he sat against the headboard of his bed, throwing his legs out in front of him and looking over at her with a disappointed look. She didn't want to touch him because of the way she was feeling, the girl scooting all the way to the edge of the bed . She was searching for ways to get out of the room now, wondering if jumping from the window and running home would be such a terrible option.  Steve seemed to notice that she had slid away, the boy sliding closer to her and making her slide even further, the girl rolling off the side of the bed and onto the floor.

"I'm gonna sleep on the floor." Christine said, feeling embarrassment bubble in her heart as she laid on the floor. Steve leaned over the side of the bed,  looking down at the girl with a confused look, wondering what exactly was going on with her. Her face was bright red, Steve gripping the side of the bed as he looked down at her.

"What?" He asked, shaking this head in confusion.

"Yeah." She said, nodding frantically and turning onto her side. She wanted to punch herself from how embarrassing falling off the bed  was , but she just closed her eyes and pretended to get comfortable, Steve shaking his head at her.

"Chris I was just playing earlier. I'm sorry if that's what it is." He said, referencing when he pinned her against the dresser. The nickname sent a chill down her spine, the girl cursing herself for letting these feelings redevelop in her. She knew she needed to nip it in the bud, but it was impossible to stop the way she was feeling when he was so close.

"I'll sleep on the floor." She repeated, the girl shifting uncomfortably into a different position. She sighed to herself , seeing Steve out of her peripheral and ignoring his confused and slightly upset look. A thought occurred to him, the boy rolling off of the bed himself and onto the girl. She yelped as their bodies collided, his weight crushing her and the boy letting out a devious laugh at the sounds she was making from being crushed.

"You're killing me." She gasped out, the girl slapping his shoulder and trying to push him off as he laughed. Finally he rolled off, the girl sitting straight up and punching him in the arm. He couldn't stop laughing, Christine finding his laugh rather contagious and joining in it. The awkwardness melted away, Steve looking up at her from where he was now laying on the floor and she was sitting up.

"Why do you hate me?" He asked her almost seriously,  the girl furrowing her eyebrows immediately and  shaking her head.

"I don't hate you."

"You can't even sleep in the same bed as me. You tried to leave the first chance you got earlier, and you just always seem so mad at me lately. What is wrong?" Steve asked, the boy reaching up to grip her wrist. Christine looked down at the shirt of his that she was wearing, trying to decide on what she was going to say.  She felt bad that he thought that she hated him, she didn't hate him at all, she was just having a rough month and had been taking it out on him. Christine sighed, the thoughts of her jealousy and Robin and spring break melting away as he ran his thumb across her wrist.  "You can tell me. I won't get mad."

"It's not...you, Steve. I'm just having a really rough month." Steve now looked overtly concerned,  the boy shaking his head as he looked at her.

"Whatever is going on you know you can tell me. I'm worried. I'm kind of worried about you. I just wanna know that you're okay."

"I'm—in some ways I am. Some ways I'm not. I'm just trying to keep myself occupied." She said, pulling her knees up to her chest and closing her  eyes. Steve felt even more concern wash over him, hoping that she could trust him enough to open up to him.  "It's my mom."

"Your mom? I thought your mom-"

"My dad got back with her." She let out a chuckle that had no humor in it, Steve looking at her with confusion as she laughed.  "I don't even  know how it happened. I haven't heard from her in 14 years and then all of a sudden she's back with my dad and she wants to be in my life?"

"She reached out to you?" Steve asked, looking surprised at everything she had said and also as she nodded.  Christine had spent countless late nights talking about Christines mom, and everything she had done to her, how she had left when  she was five and left her  father to raise her alone. He could imagine how this could be upsetting to her, the  boy reaching forwards and using her knee to pull himself up. Christine was staring down at the floor, Steve scooting beside her and pressing their shoulders together, his warm skin making her feel a little better. "What are you gonna do?"

Steve turned his head to look at her, Christine opening her mouth slightly to answer but not quite having one.  He bumped her shoulder lightly, his hand dropping onto her thigh and his thumb rubbing across it.

"I hate her. So much. But she's my mom. And I cant help but think that maybe I should give her a chance." Christine said, turning her head now to look at him. They both had their backs against the side of the bed, their faces fairly close as they leaned their head against the bed. Steve had a sympathetic smile on his face, the boy happy inside that she had finally she's some light on what was going on with her. "I hate her."

"Come here." Steve said, reaching his arm up and pulling her head to his shoulder. At the contact Christine felt a surge of emotion, the girls eyes filling with tears for a moment. Finally Steve wasn't the guy that she had feelings for, he was just her friend, and she needed that. She gave into the hug, the girl settling into him and putting her arm around his waist. He played with her hair as she relaxed into him, the girl feeling extreme comfort in her body from being held. "It's gonna be alright."

"I just don't want to have to think about it anymore. But every time I'm not doing something I think about it and I'm tired of thinking.  I just want her to go away." Christine thought back on the multiple calls she was getting a day from  Colorado, the girl opting to avoid being at home as much as she could at this point. She avoided the house so that she didn't have to answer the calls, the girl not quite realizing the toll that this was taking on her until now.

"You don't have to give her a chance you know. Christine you're pretty damn smart. You're independent, you literally looked your dad in the face and told him you weren't going to college. You've seen scarier things than your mom and you don't owe her anything. Alright? You don't owe her shit. So if you don't want to forgive her then don't." Steve said, using his fingers to run through her hair. She pulled back, her face red and the girl sniffling. She nodded warily at him, realizing he had a point.

"I'm sorry I've been a bitch."

"It's okay. I kinda like when you're a bitch." She scoffed at his comment, the girl hitting him in the arm and letting out a short laugh.

"You're supposed to say I'm not a bitch." She said, hitting his arm again a shot making him groan.

"You want me to lie? What is it that the kids say? Friends don't lie or whatever." Steve said, chuckling as he pushed her back a little bit. She scoffed, rolling her eyes and then standing from the floor. She held her hand out for him, climbing onto the bed when he stood and getting under the blanket.

"I am tired. Let's go to bed dumbass."