Christine Wheeler was leaned over a trashcan, her hair being held back by Dustin Henderson who was getting shit tired of looking for Robin and Steve. He looked back at Christine who was gasping for air, the boy having a thought and quickly telling her he would be back. She stood up straight, the girl wiping her mouth with her sleeve and then following after him and Erica as they approached the bathroom. Dustin kicked the door, revealing a laughing Steve and Robin, Erica, Dustin, and Christine heading inside.

"Okay. What the hell!" Dustin said, standing in front of the two. Christine stumbled towards the sink, the girl turning it on and using the water to wash out her mouth. They both laughed as Dustin scolded them, the boy not finding it very funny at all. Christine needed to get the taste of vomit out of her mouth, the girl looking towards the soap dispenser and groaning before putting some on her finger. She stuck it in her mouth, filling her mouth with water and gurgling it before spitting it back out, her head turning to look at the rest of them. They were all already looking at her, Erica and Dustin sporting disgusted faces and Robin kicking Steve in the leg, the boy groaning as he got her message loud and clear.

"What?" She asked, the girls eyes falling on Steve. He felt his heart rate pick up just by catching her eye, the boy wondering how hard he had to work to repress these feelings when they have always been this extreme.

"You sicken me." Dustin said, the boy shaking his head at Christine and walking towards the two on the floor. Christine walked over as well, the girl holding her hand out for Steve to take, the boy staring at her hand before looking up at her. The strangely fluorescent light in the bathroom gave her a strange glow, Steve grasping her hand and letting her assist in pulling him up. He felt nervous now, because of what Robin had said about him being in love with her, and now Steve actually feeling that love.

"I'm gonna have to ask that doctor what that drug was if I ever see him again." Christine joked, Robin and Steve smiling as she tried to lighten the tension in the room. Something was happening or had just happened, and Christine could tell she had missed something important.

Dustin started out of the bathroom, the boy mumbling about babysitting and something else. Steve walked beside Christine, the girl saying something to Robin as he observed her. He took the time now to really look at her, anger mounting in his chest as he noticed her severely busted lip, her cheek that was already turning purple, her cut eyebrow and slightly swollen left eye, and also the way she was gripping her stomach from where she had been punched in the stomach over and over again.

Dustin caught sight of some Russians straight ahead, the boy ushering them back into the restroom and deciding they would stay there till the movie ended. Christine sat and listened as Dustin scolded the other two for leaving, Christine feeling a laugh bubble in her throat as she listened to how mad he was and also how much he sounded like her dad. Steve couldn't keep his eyes off the preoccupied Christine, the boy wanting nothing more than to tell her that he loved her and wanted to be with her. It was all he could think about now, but the fear of rejection kept him from pulling her aside.

Steve cursed himself as he stood from the floor, his stomach twisting into knots as he walked towards the almost laughing Christine. His mind was reeling with new information about his feelings towards her, and she was now the only thing he could think about. On the run and being hunted by Russians and Steve Harrington could only think about a girl. Classic.

"Hey."  Steve said on approach, Christines eyes switching from Dustin to Steve, a light smile covering her busted lip as he looked down at her.

"Hi." She replied, the girl crossing her arms loosely over her chest as she looked back up at him. Steve couldn't help but smile a little bit, just because she  was Christine and that was his best friend. Steve held his hand up, sporting 3 fingers and asking her a question.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"I already puked it all out. So three." She said, reaching up and pushing his fingers down along with his entire hand. They smiled at each other for another moment as Steve let out a short laugh, his eyes glued to her shoes. Christine thought he was acting weird. Or different at least, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked at the boy.  Once their laughs stopped  Steve looked up at her face, feeling a  painful pang in his heart at the sight of her injuries once again. He gulped, his mouth slightly opening as he winced at the pain in his eye.

"I'm sorry." Steve said, giving her an honest nod as he said it. She didn't know what he was talking about, the girl shaking her head in confusion as he said it.

"For what?"

"For these." Steve said, his hand lifting to rest on her cheek. His fingers tangled loosely into her hair, the boy running his thumb over her split lip. Christine felt a deep disturbance in her heart, feeling as if she was really truly missing something. He stared at her with so much guilt that she couldn't believe he would even blame himself for this. But that was Steve, he took the blame when someone he loved got hurt because he felt like he was the one who should have protected them. And when he can't protect them he gets guilty, and angry. She reached up, grabbing this wrist and running her thumb across his pulse.

"Steve it's not your fault.  You didn't beat me up. The Russians did." Christine said, pulling his hand down from her face and shaking her head at him with a small laugh.

"Yeah but I-"

"Stop. Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. If it's anybody's fault it's mine okay? Quit beating yourself up so bad. You've been doing it for years now. It's not your fault when something bad happens and you can't fix it." Christine said, Steve not sure what she was referencing. It wasn't until she gave him a knowing look that met his confused one, the boy realizing she was referencing Barb. There had been many nights after  school and work that Steve had spent expressing his guilt about Barbs life being taken, something he thought he could never show Nancy because he had to be strong for her. Christine didn't realize how badly he blamed himself for that, leaving her out there, convincing Nancy to come away with him. He felt ultimately to blame, and it wasn't until Christine told him that he wasn't that he thought different.

"I'm sorry you couldn't escape." Steve spit out,  Christines face scrunching up as he said it. She didn't know where all this guilt was spewing from but she didn't like hearing him so apologetic over stupid things.

"Steve are you kidding me?" She reached up, the girl grabbing this face in her hands and catching his attention. His eyes traced up her face and to her own eyes, the girl holding an extreme amount of seriousness and certainty in them. "I would never choose my own safety over yours. I wasn't going to leave without you anyways. I told you I couldn't before we got caught and I still couldn't then. Stop apologizing, okay? You are stuck with me. Why on Earth do you ever think I would  even take that chance? He was holding a gun to your head!"

"I-"

"Guys the movies over. Let's go." Dustin interrupted, the boy having been reminded of the two of them by the whispers in the corner . His eyes fell on Christine and Steve, the girl gripping Steve's face and Steve seeming to be getting some life altering information, Dustin almost feeling bad for interrupting them.  Christine dropped her hands, giving Dustin a nod and then looking back at Steve, whose eyes were still glued to her face, filled with relief and admiration that she was so gracious to take the unbearable guilt and blame from him. 

Christine grabbed Steve by the wrist, pulling him off behind her and him just following her like a little lovestruck puppy. She was amazing, she was perfect, and she never made him feel guilty like Nancy did, even if she didn't mean to. He didn't feel like he had to be strong for her, he knew she could be strong for herself, and she could even maybe be strong for him every once in awhile. He hated feeling so blind, so stupid for taking so long to see everything that she truly was, it took him confessing his feelings to another girl to finally realize just how deeply he was in love with her.

"And...blend." Dustin said, all of them filing out of the bathroom and into the crowd of people leaving the movie. Christine was walking by Dustin, Steve and Robin behind Erica, the girl leaning down to speak quietly to Dustin.

"I think we made it."

"Of course it worked. Now we just have to get in the bus with the rest of these plebes, and home sweet home here we come." Dustin said, all of them looking straight ahead as they talked.

"Uh Dustin." Steve sais, looking guiltily down at the boy in question.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, we might not wanna go to your house." Christine soon remembered Steve blurting out Dustins entire name, the girls lips straightening into a thin line as she gave Steve a short glare.

"Why?"

"Well I might've told them your full name." Steve answered truthfully, Dustin faltering as he looked back at him.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Dude I was drugged?" Steve said , trying to defend himself.

"So?"

"So?" Steve said in an unbelieving tone, not sure what Dustin was trying to say.

"So you resist. You tough it out. You tough it out like a man." Christine couldn't help but giggle a little at Dustins words, the boy was hilarious without even trying to be.

"Oh yeah it's easy for you to say." Steve said, Christine and Robin catching sight of the same thing at the same time. There were Russian guards checking people in the way out, Christine stopping in her tracks as Robin spoke.

"Guys?"

"Abort. Abort. Abort!" Dustin pushed through, the five of them taking off running as the Russians caught sight of them. Christine ran for her life, in fear of getting caught again, the escalator stalled and keeping them from going down it. Robin jumped into the middle of it, the five of them sliding down the escalator and to the bottom. Steve waved them towards the food court, all of them jumping behind a counter and dropping to the floor.

The mall was closed, all five of them breathing heavily as the heard the daunting footsteps of the Russians. One of the Russians spoke, something none of them could understand of course. Dustin moved his head, his shoes squeaking across the floor and making Christine cringe as she realized they may have been caught. The footsteps got closer to them, Christine squeezing her eyes shut and reaching beside her. She gripped Steve's hand, intertwining their fingers and squeezing it for dear life, the girl fearing that the worst was about to happen. Steve's breaths were heavy as he squeezed he hand back, fear building in him that if they found them, he wouldn't know how to get out of it. The air was so tense, the five of them well aware that they were being closed in on.

A car alarm sounded, all of them jumping, Christines eyes flying open as she looked at Steve with wide eyes. Next was an insanely loud banging noise, Christine jumping up form her spot to watch as the red display car flipped into the Russians. She tore her eyes away from the car, her entire facing lighting up with relief and happiness as she saw who was at fault.

El.