halloween has always been tj's favorite holiday; right now, she's not so sure. she feels completely vulnerable as she follows billy through a crowd of drunk teenagers. tj imagines herself and her friends being those teenagers back home.

as much as she wants to get drunk, she doesn't trust anyone here not to do something to her drink. billy seems to know everyone, though, despite them only being in hawkins for a couple days. he storms into the house, guns ablaze and ready to party. tj trails behind him, her madonna costume looking incredibly basic. people stare as billy makes his presence announced. as quickly as he entered the place, he disappears among the sea of people.

"hello," a girl greets tj, her voice slurring just a little bit. "you with billy hargrove?"

"he's my dumb brother," tj scoffs, folding her arms. she states this girl up and down, and the girl opposite does the same to her. they eye each other, judging.

"that's good," the girl says after a long minute, "i would have hit on him anyway, but now that i know he's not with you..." the girl turns and walks away, off to locate (probably) the loudest person in the house.

"this shit blows," tj says. she makes her way over to the refreshments and gazes around at her options. cheap beer or a bowl of punch.

"that punch is a buffet," says a drunk guy on the other side of the island. "we put everything you can imagine in there." he sends tj a wink.

"no thanks," she responds. "guess i'm d.d. tonight."

not that it matters. billy would have driven home shitfaced if tj was as sober as a preacher. tj grabs a coke from the counter and goes to walk into the living room to request a song. she's just over the threshold when a guy knocks clean into her, spilling her soda all over her costume.

"shit, dude!" she yells, turning toward the culprit. "you freaking serious?"

the kid just stands and stares, looking like he both wants to cry and scream simultaneously.

"hey, chill," tj says. "it's not that serious. it's just coke."

"i'm having a bad night," he says. he looks like he wants to run out the door, but he stays standing there like a post for some dumb reason.

"hey, space cadet?" tj waves her hand in front of his face. "you cool?"

he blinks. "not really."

tj grabs his wrist and pulls him out of the way of a tall blond guy guiding a very sloppy drunk girl through the crowd.

"shit," the guy says, watching the couple disappear. he runs a hand through his hair, totally messing it up.

"you wanna go somewhere quiet?"

the kid seems to think on tj's words for a second before he finally nods and allows tj to lead him outside. it's just as noisy as it is inside, so the two keep walking until they're a good distance from the party.

"so what's eatin' ya?"

kid shrugs. "well, i think my girlfriend and i just broke up."

"oh, shit."

"and the kid who's been crushing on her just escorted her out."

tj frowns. "he's a friend?"

"yeah. they're pretty close."

"mm. gotta watch for those," tj says casually.

"thanks. that really helps."

"hey, I'm just being honest. if i tell you not to worry, you're gonna do it anyway, right?"

"you ever hear of sympathy?"

"sounds like a shitty band," tj grins.

they keep walking. under a streetlight, the kid gets a good look at her. tj is tall and blonde, just like her brother. billy is more built, more solid, but tj has some good build too, for a girl. she's pretty with green eyes that study harshly and soft brown eyebrows that furrow when she's thinking. "hey, you're the new girl. tara-jane, right? you're in my math class."

tj cringes. "i go by tj, actually."

"oh, sorry." he goes silent for a second and shoves his hands into his pockets. "i'm steve."

"so, you like a spokesperson for the farrah fawcett hairspray or something?"

steve blushes. "who told you i use that?"

tj cracks a grin, the first time she's smiled in a long time. "quit pulling my leg." steve laughs nervously.

"yeah, obviously i was kidding."

steve's smile disappears. "so, what's eating you?" he asks.

"me? well i moved far away from home, my dad's an asshole, and my brother is being a drunk douchebag right now. and I have soda all over me. take your pick."

steve smiles gently. "i really am sorry. i spilled punch on my girlfriend, too."

"that's why you guys broke up?"

"um, honestly i don't really know. she called me bullshit and said i don't care."

"she might being going through it right now."

"it still hurts and i'm still mad."

"you'll have that," tj nods. "honestly, just give her space. let her figure out what she wants. we girls gotta figure everything out on our own."

"i don't think we're gonna come back from this."

"sometimes you don't," tj shrugs. "such is life. shit happens. be sad about it for a little while and then pick yourself up and find something that makes you twice as happy."

"what are you, some kind of philosopher?"

tj grins. "aristotle at your service."

steve finally cracks a grin. the two start walking back toward the party. they stop once they reach the porch and steve turns like he's ready to leave. "anyway, i'm gonna go. not really in a party mood, anymore."

"wow, you're just gonna spill a soda on me and then leave me. i see."

tj is smiling. steve shakes his head.

"i really am sorry."

"don't sweat it. try not to be too upset over your girlfriend. just let her go through what she's going through."

steve nods. "right. see ya, tj."

"goodbye, steve."

she watches steve walk away, soon getting lost in the sea of people outside. tj makes her way back inside and quickly finds her brother, who is enjoying the company of several girls dressed in revealing costumes.