The party scene was always the same for Loretta; she was lonesome and far too sober to deal with her idiotic classmates. Halloween was no exception to this behavior. In fact, it was ten times worse. Tina always made her staple, annual party as spooky as could be, as well as chaotic. It felt like something out of a movie, but to Loretta, it was a movie scene that she could tell would end terribly.

Loretta leaned herself against the wall by the kitchen, sipping coke from the plastic red cup in her hand. It was the only party she'd been to where Jason wasn't there, and although she felt much less like a babysitter, she also didn't feel welcomed there, either.

The loneliness wouldn't last forever, though — at least, that was what Loretta told herself. Chrissy said she'd meet her at the party close to nine, but it was about ten minutes past then. Perhaps, Loretta was just a bit too punctual for her own good, but either way, it wasn't a feeling she wanted to sulk in whilst Bon Jovi blasted through the speaker system.

Just as she pressed herself off the wall, Loretta felt a tap on her left shoulder. Turning around, she nearly spilled her drink with how startled she got. Loretta was less than five inches from the face of the High School's token freak, Eddie Munson. That was merely his title, though. Loretta knew him better than that.

"Boo!" He laughed, "I scared you good, didn't I?" His voice had the slightest lisp from the faux pointy–teeth he had in his mouth. Eddie came dressed as a vampire. At least, he tried to. It was mostly just dark denim and fake teeth; half–assed, but still enough for Hawkins.

Loretta gently smacked his arm, "Eddie, if you'd stained my shirt, I'd never hear the end of it!" She seethed, "It's my Dad's." Her costume was all white — she dressed as Princess Leia, from Empire Strikes Back. Most of her all white outfit, from the shiny vest, to the puffy pants, was from her father's wardrobe. Why did he have a hazmat suit in his closet? That was something Loretta would ask herself some other time.

He put his hands up in defense, "Please, princess, have mercy!" Eddie joked, "I didn't mean any harm, promise." Although she could hear the teasing ring in his voice, he spoke genuinely. His hands went onto his hips after a second, "Say– uh, where's your friend? Don't you typically come to parties with her?"

It were as though Loretta's ears perked up. Her posture straightened and her eyebrows raised ever so slightly, suddenly amused. Her lips curled, "Which friend?" She asked, curiously. Although, Loretta already knew his answer.

Eddie swiped his thumb under his nose, nervously scratching at it. "Cunningham." He muttered, "Chrissy, right?" He asked, only continuing to speak when Loretta nodded in reply. "Yeah, don't you usually go to these kinda things with her?"

"She's supposed to meet me here, but she's running late." Loretta sighed quietly, "But I'll be sure to find you when she gets here if you want, Eddie." Her lips stayed curled, tilting her head in his direction slightly before taking a sip of her drink.

Eddie cracked a small smile, "Thanks, Lottie–" He cut himself off, "Just–just to be clear, I wasn't asking for myself." He stuttered out, taking steps backwards. "I was asking for you, dummy!" Eddie then disappeared into the crowd, leaving Loretta to laugh quietly to herself.

Ever since middle school, Chrissy and Eddie both had their eyes set on each other, and Loretta—being friends with both of them—watched it unfold into an awkward sort of romance. She found it hilarious, and very entertaining. She couldn't wait to tell Chrissy about it later.

As Loretta turned around again, she collided into someone, gasping quietly. She felt her posture ease when she realized her drink hadn't spilt upon impact, soon turning her attention to look up at who she'd clashed with. Blue eyes stared down at her with a devious, intoxicated gleam to them; Loretta was caught in the stare of Billy Hargrove.

She took a step back, her eyes widening slightly. "Sorry, Billy. I didn't mean to–" He was quick to interrupt her, chuckling.

"Don't worry about it, doll–face. You can bump into me anytime.." His eyes fell from hers, scanning over her body like she'd given him permission to. "What the hell are you supposed to be?" Even when drunk off his ass, he was still blunt as ever, words slurred and all.

Loretta's brows pressed together, annoyance starting to invade her expression. "Princess Leia." She spoke defensively, soon studying his costume. His attire could barely be classified as a costume, let alone an outfit — every single one of his abs was showing, merely covered by a black leather jacket. "What the hell are you supposed to be?" She repeated back.

Billy grew a smug smirk, taking a step towards her. "The terminator." He laughed a little, towering over her. "If you wanted to dress as Leia, why didn't you dress like she did in the last one?" Loretta felt his hands on her hips, pulling her into him. "I would've loved to see that on you–"

"God!" Loretta scoffed, "Is there a single sentence you could say that doesn't sound perverted?" She questioned, her face contorting at the strong stench of booze that fell from his mouth. Her elbows pressed against his chest, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible.

His touch didn't falter, much to Loretta's discomfort. "C'mon, I was only joking." Billy hummed, about to say something else before someone bumped into him from behind, pushing him over.

Loretta watched as he toppled to the side, stumbling, and releasing his grasp on her. Or course, him falling over was only so dramatic because he was pie–eyed. She watched the flirtatious, playful grin leave Billy's face in an instant, looking into the crowd with anger. "Watch where the hell you're going!" He scowled, though he was too drunk to logically pin–point who actually bumped into him.

However, Loretta was too sober not to. She spotted the person, walking hastily out of the party, and heading to the door. She recognized that head of hair instantly, setting down her drink and rushing after them before Billy went back to harassing her. She needed an excuse to evacuate.

"Steve?" She called out, catching up to him. She could tell that something was off with him, especially because he was leaving alone. The two of them were barely friends, if you'd even call them that, but those who fight a Demogorgon together have a type of bond that's unexplainable. Loretta took a risk, gently grabbing his arm to stop him. "Steve, what are you–"

He finally turned to face her, "What the fuck!" Steve kept his sunglasses on when he looked at her, even though they stood under starlight. Loretta would've questioned it further had she not spotted the tears that fell beside them. She flinched at how harsh his tone was, and he noticed. "Shit.." Steve let out a short sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose to subtly wipe his tears. "Sorry, I just–"

"You don't have to tell me." Loretta cut him off, pulling her arm back. Her tone was suddenly hushed, off–put with how upset he was. She didn't know how to read the state he was in. "I'm sorry." She shifted the blame, holding herself accountable. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

Steve grabbed his glasses and took them off his face, not really caring if she saw him cry. He held them between his fingers, crossing his arms. "It's fine, Loretta. Just.." He trailed off, taking a deep breath, "Just be honest with me here.."

Loretta studied him quietly, trying to read him. They didn't know each other too well, so it was more difficult than she had anticipated. She never minded a challenge, though. Her brow arched lightly, "Okay?" She couldn't help but be skeptical.

His fingers rubbed over his cupid's bow and grazed his cheek a little, averting his eye contact for a moment before placing his stare back on her's. "Did you see Nancy leave with Jonathan?" His question was so hesitant it were as though he didn't want to hear the answer.

Loretta was too honest to hide it from him. Her expression softened, pressing her lips together as she recalled the sighting from just ten minutes prior. She didn't really piece things together until she saw Steve standing before her, emotionally vulnerable. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't." She replied, sighing. "But I don't understand–"

"Shit.." Steve moved his hands to his hips, pacing a little. "There's nothing to understand! She thinks we're bullshit or something.. I don't know! She made it pretty simple." He kept pivoting on his heels, making Loretta dizzy as she watched. "She doesn't love me." He spiraled aloud, visibly upset at what he'd admitted to himself.

It was a pretty difficult scene for her to witness. She didn't know how to take Steve typically, so to deal with Steve in such a fragile state was something she wasn't mentally prepared for. At least Loretta had practice babysitting. She grabbed him by the shoulders, making him pause. "You need to sit down and take a deep breath, dude." She stated, "What exactly happened?"

As Loretta walked them over to Tina's front porch, Steve began to unload everything that happened in the upstairs bathroom with Nancy, and even before that with how peculiarly close Nancy and Jonathan had seemed leading up to then. It was a lot to take in, but in all honesty, she didn't mind listening. She was glad to be sober during that conversation, too, because even without intoxication, she had no idea how to rationalize the situation.

"I mean.. You were kind of an asshole last year." Loretta spoke honestly, though she regretted her bluntness a bit when she saw his contorted expression. "Okay, rephrasing." She paused, "You were kind of an asshole and hung out with some pretty shit people last year–"

Steve huffed, "No shit! God, I'm such a douchebag for that.." He looked out at the street, collecting his thoughts. "I haven't talked with Tommy or Carol since that stunt at the theater. I'm still trying to apologize to Nance for that." He held his head in his palms for a second, cringing at the memory.

She knew the feeling, but she didn't comment on it. The movie theater ploy was a dick move, even if he hadn't been the one who thought of it. Loretta tried to pull their focus back to the issue at hand, knowing she would only make him feel worse about it had she replied. "Even then, it doesn't make sense why she'd be dishonest now. Saying she loves you sober but not admitting it drunk is pretty fucked up."

"I just don't get it. Like, does that shit mean something in girl code or something?" Steve asked, looking at her. Loretta couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Uh, first of all, girl code isn't a language.. It's a form of respect." She stated, her small smile fading a bit as she went back on topic. "But no, it's just dishonest. That's all it is." Loretta sighed. "I'd talk with her about it tomorrow, if I were you." She paused, hesitant. "And I'd ask her about Jonathan, too."

Steve ran his right hand over his hair, "Jesus Christ.. It's like women choose to be complicated."

Loretta rolled her eyes, "And it's like men choose to be idiots." She retorted, lightly squinting her eyes at him. Her sass seemed to make him smile a little, which was the first time his lips had curled the slightest since their conversation started.

"I guess that's fair, but at least men don't have some confusing as hell code of conduct." He tried to one up her, but it only seemed to spark a train of thought for him. "Maybe that's why we're stupid though.. Maybe guys need guy code, or something."

"Jesus Christ.." Loretta shook her head, listening as he rambled on about it. As she looked toward the street, something caught her eye, throwing her off guard. Steve's babbling blurred as she stared off, watching a painful scene; it was exactly as Max had told her the night before. Will Byers was being bullied, and Loretta hadn't had a clue.

She watched him run out of sight, feeling a chill on the back of her neck. She placed her hand on it, almost forgetting where she was for a moment.

"Laughty?" Steve glanced over at where she'd been staring off to before looking back at her. "Everything alright?" He seemed to notice the goosebumps that traced her skin, "Shit, if you were cold, you could've told me. We could've gone inside–"

Loretta cut him off, especially when she saw him start to shake off his jacket. "No, no! I'm okay. I've got my puffy vest to keep me warm." She assured him, adjusting the little article of clothing on her shoulders. Loretta couldn't risk taking his jacket, anyways. Had Jason found it with her, she'd never hear the end of it.

If not for watching Mike Wheeler run after Will, Loretta would've followed him herself. She waited till he ran out of view before looking over at Steve again.

His brow arched a little, showing his skepticism, but he didn't express it enough to make her ask questions. "Right." Steve studied her outfit for a second, "What's your costume? I don't think I even asked–" He cut himself off, "Wait, don't tell me! You're.. You're an abominable snowman!" Steve snapped his fingers as he thought up an answer, prideful as he spoke it.

Loretta's lips pressed together, hugging her knees as she shook her head. "I'm supposed to be Princess Leia, but I guess I didn't do a good job with it." She laughed a little.

"No, no! I totally see it now. The hair sells it." Steve tried to reassure her, fighting back a small chuckle. She was glad to see someone appreciating her hair, especially considering the fact that she'd spent an hour or so on it.

"This is why I don't go to parties." She spoke through her laughter, shaking her head a little in denial. Loretta still couldn't believe she was there, at a party, without Jason.

"What're you talking about? You go to parties all the time." Steve couldn't tell what she was referring to. It was like he'd noticed her at all these gatherings.

Sighing, Loretta looked up at him, slouching a little. "I only go when Jason's there. I'm his designated driver.." She couldn't even call herself his date to such things, especially because he just seemed to treat her like his own personal taxi cab.

Steve's mouth fell slightly agape, a smile poking at the corners of his lips. "Ohh, are you here without him tonight?" He mused, "Making big girl moves tonight, Laughty! Way to go!" He shoved his shoulder playfully with hers, as some form of congratulations.

Loretta laughed quietly at his enthusiasm. "Thanks? But it really doesn't feel special. Chrissy isn't even here, so it feels the same.." She was pretty much used to being sober and lonesome at parties.

"Well, this one's different because you're spending it with me. How 'bout that?" He hummed quietly. "Besides, this'll be good for you. Ever since the season started, Jason's acting like he's got a stick up his ass."

"Tell me about it." Loretta smiled at Steve. The two of them spent the night talking about Jason, and other random things; both of them forgetting about their sorrowful evenings.

It was nice. It made her realize that perhaps he'd grown from the asshole that she pictured him as. It felt nice to laugh with him rather than avoid him, or see him scared for his life in the presence of a monster from another dimension. It made her forget about her shitty relationship and how Chrissy had forgotten to meet with her.

Loretta had almost completely forgotten about the eerie chill she received on Tina's porch. It wasn't until she'd arrived home that she would get the stone–cold reminder.