"So uh...you staying for awhile?" One of Mikes friends, Dustin, asked. Christine nodded, her eyes stuck on the road as the boy spoke from the backseat. She looked into the mirror for a moment, seeing the way he caught her eye and quickly looking away, almost laughing. "Can I have your number then?"

"Dude this is my cousin. Stop." Mike said , turning his head and punching the boy who had asked. Christine felt some regret at agreeing to pick the friends up, her face scrunching up in some kind of embarrassment as she was hit on by a 13 year old.

"Uh yeah...dial Mike." Christine said, rolling her eyes as she pulled into the arcade. The boy put on a somewhat victorious smile, giving Mike a sideways glance as he nodded at her. The boys rushed out after that, Christine handing Mike the coin purse and shooing him from the car.

"Two hours."

"Hey Mike! Tell your mom I was in there with you the whole time!" Christine called out the window, Mike giving her a salute as he ran into the arcade. She sat back in the seat, letting out a scoff as she rolled up the window and once again just enjoying being alone.

She say there for about a good 10-15 minutes before she decided to take a drive, she needed a snack anyways. Christine pulled out of the parking lot of the arcade, checking the time and noting that she had to be back by 9. The first few minutes of her drive she reminisced on her home, on the things that she missed, her dad. After a few minutes she got a little too sad, shaking the thoughts from her head and trying to focus on something else.

She drove through downtown, her eyes catching onto all the quaint little buildings that adorned the main road. She remembered something, her eyebrows furrowing as she started searching for a gas station.

She remembered her father telling her something about a boy in Hawkins going missing, and that they had found a body, but he ended up actually being alive. She recalled that her dad had told her it was one of Mikes friends and she made a mental note to ask him about it on the way home.

Her train of thought soon went to the thought of having to be the new kid at school, her head starting to hurt from the thought of it. Christine was a beautiful girl, she easily made friends, but she had her faults, and she also didn't know how small towns worked, so she wasn't entirely sure what she was meant to do  and how she would fit in. Nancy was a year younger than her, the girl not seeming very keen on taking her older cousin under her wing at the school. However, Christine was not going to shy away from using Nancy to her advantage, she was ready to move on from their past issues and work towards a united future, one where they could possibly be friends. In a way, this was Christines fresh start, and she wanted to do it right.  She had a famous temper at her old school, a bit of a reputation,  and she was almost happy  that she could erase her defining factors and rewrite them for new people.

Christine pulled into a gas station,  only one other car at the entire place. She was quick to get out, a chill in the air catching her and making her clutch her jacket closer to her skin.  She headed inside, in search of a snack or a drink to keep her occupied while she waited for the kids at the arcade. Christine looked at the counter, giving the clerk a kind smile and then making her way into the aisles. She searched for a Three Musketeers for a few minutes, getting a bit frustrated when she couldn't find one.

"Excuse me, do you have any Thr-"

"Hey I'd like to pay for my gas." The girl was interrupted ,  her eyes going to the guy who had just walked in and cut her off. He walked up to the counter, Christine furrowing her eyebrows at the rudeness of this man.

"Um, excuse me." She said, stepping closer to the guy who was pulling a twenty out of his wallet. He turned to look at her for only a second, his face confused as to why this random girl was talking to him.

"You're excused." He said, making Christine  immediately scoff.

"No excuse me meaning I was in front of you and I was talking." Christine said, her eyes dropping to the candy by the counter, a Three Musketeer catching her eye as she looked back at the boy in front of her.

"Clearly you weren't in front of me, because I came in and there was no one at the counter." Christine crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a ridiculous look as he looked her over.

"I was in front of  you. You just walked in and cut me. Don't tell me I'm wrong who even are you?" Christine said, getting frustrated  as she reached down and grabbed the Three Musketeer, throwing it onto the counter.  The man looked like he wanted to argue for a moment, sharing the same frustrated look as the unfamiliar girl in front of him. Something about her was distantly familiar, like he knew her from somewhere or she was related to somebody.  Finally he looked between her and the candy bar, shaking the anger from his head and focusing on being a better person.

"I'll uh...here I'm sorry for cutting. I'll buy your candy bar, and really I apologize...." He led off, the attendant ringing in the candy bar too and then looking at the man and waiting for him to pay. Christine realized he was asking for her name without asking, the girl feeling alright now that he had apologized for being a dick and then paid for her snack.

"It's alright. I'm Christine." Christine said, taking a leap and reaching her hand out for him to shake. He gave her a half smile, his eyebrows still furrowed at her as he took her hand, giving it a shake and then handing the twenty to the attendant.

"Steve. Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked, grabbing his change and his bag and making his way towards the door. Christine chose to follow him, her interest piqued as she tried to figure out if she had met this guy before.

"Not that I know of. And sorry for the getting frustrated in there. I just uh...it's been a long day." Christine said, scratching at the back of her neck and then giving him an apologetic look. She took a moment to look him over, his dark blue t-shirt and windbreaker, light wash jeans and nice sneakers. He had ridiculously nice hair, the man clearly taking pride in it.

"It's alright it happens. You new around here?" Steve asked, almost chuckling at the fact that he had watched her look him over.

"I just moved here. Today actually." Christine said, gesturing to her car for no apparent reason. Steve nodded, looking down at his shoes before looking back up at her and gripping his car door handle.

"Right. Well I'll see you around." He said, pulling the door open and indicating to Christine that she needed to  at least pretend that she was also leaving. She got into the car, watching at he turned his car on, her eyes going to her stereo as she let out a breath. She had some social anxiety when it came to talking to guys, especially cute ones. She closed her eyes, relaxing against the headrest and just chilling for a moment.

She was startled by a knock on the window, her eyes flying open and going to an almost laughing Steve  on the other side of her window.  She was quick to roll it down, giving him a awkward chuckle and a questioning look.

"Your uh...candy bar." He said, handing her the Three Musketeers through the window. She gulped, giving him a thankful look and grabbing it from his hand.

"Thanks."

"Of course. Alright Christine. I'll see you around." Steve said again, her name rolling off his tongue with a certain clarity, Christine watching as it did so. He seemed to notice once again that she was looking at him the way she was, a chuckle finally leaving his lips as he pat the top of her car,  giving her one last look and then walking off towards his car. He threw one last glance at the girl over his shoulder, smiling to himself as he got in his car and drove off.

Christine smiled to herself, realizing she had been here for a single day and had met a cute guy. She was quick to buckle her seatbelt, turning her car on and deciding she'd just sit in the parking lot and wait for the kids. She looked in her mirror, putting the car in reverse and beginning to back out.

A car whipped into the gas station parking lot, the girl pulling back into her spot so they could get past. However the car just drove directly into the back left of her bumper, the girl letting out a yell as she felt the impact. She was quick to jump out of the car, her eyes wide as the white pickup backed up and drove hellishly out of the parking lot.

"Oh come on!" She yelled, assessing the damage of the back bumper. It wasn't that bad, but she couldn't believe she had just been hit and runned. "Fuck you!"