NINE: CIGARETTE SMOKE

STEVE HARRINGTON'S PARTY was a little disappointing. Heather couldn't stop thinking about what her brother had told her about the girl. Their mother had called him home for dinner so he couldn't stay at the Wheeler's, but he told her that right before he left, Lucas went to tell Mike's mom and she slammed the door without moving. That was weirder than Heather had bargained for and she really didn't need more weird things right now. What she did need, however, was another cheap beer so she wouldn't rip Nancy Wheeler's throat out. It wasn't that she hated the Wheeler girl, she just hated that the Wheeler girl was the one Steve was messing around with. This "feelings" thing was really starting to become a problem for Heather. She prided herself on being heartless, yet here she was, crushing an empty aluminum can with her bare hand just watching the two of them together. At least, her misery had the company of Barbara Holland and Veronica.

"Why did we come here again?" Veronica asked Heather with a bored tone as she looked at Nancy and Steve with the same displeased expression her best friend had. "This is just torturing you."

"And you," she countered, raising an eyebrow. She had not taken the time to get her curls up into a perfectly smooth ponytail with the perfect single tendril falling out in front of her ear to be ignored. She was even wearing her favorite David Bowie shirt. Veronica squinted her eyes at Heather and stuck her tongue out.

The girls both shared a look and sighed, their attention diverting from each other has Carol screamed melodramatically. Tommy had her in his arms, dangling her over the pool and counting to three. Heather wanted her to fall in and get her fancy bellbottoms all soaked. She deserved.

"You're such an asshole, Tommy!" the girl snarled playfully, pushing him back as the boy laughed.

Heather nodded, "She's got that right."

"What are you guys doing over here? Come join the party!" Carol suggested as she looked over at Veronica and Heather. It was almost as if she purposefully looked away from Barb as she said it. Internally, the girl rolled her eyes but stood up anyway. She held out a hand towards her best friend who jokingly groaned as she grabbed it.

The two girls laughed as they started dancing to the nonexistent music.

"Isn't she lovely?" Veronica started singing jokingly, spinning Heather around, almost tipping her in the pool as a joke, "Isn't she wonderful? Isn't she precious?"

"Less than one minute old," Nancy joined in with a harmony, smiling as she and Steve started dancing as well. "I never thought through love we'd be making one as lovely as she, but isn't she lovely made from love?"

Veronica laughed but continued, "Isn't she pretty? Truly the angel's best!"

"You guys are saps," Tommy said with a laugh, taking a sip of his beer.

Carol stuck her tongue out at him and made him start dancing as well. Steve laughed and broke apart from Nancy, grabbing another beer and a knife.

"Well, Tommy ruined the moment," he noted, laughing as he said it to show he wasn't being malicious. He cut into the beer and immediately brought it to his mouth. He chugged it in seconds, exhaling and sitting down.

Nancy sat down, too, smirking at the boy. "Is that supposed to impress me?" It was clearly flirtatious, Veronica looking at Heather with a displeased expression on her face. The only thing Heather did in response was a shrug. She wished it was possible for her best friend to get what she wanted. Now that she knew what it was like to want the impossible, she felt bad for shooting Veronica down in the past.

"You're not?" Steve shrugged with a cigarette in his mouth. Heather nodded towards the box and he tossed it in her direction. The girl pulled one from the box and pulled out her own lighter, handing the box over to Veronica. She lit it up before doing the same for Veronica's. She tossed it back to Steve without a word.

"You are a cliche, you do realize that?" Nancy asked.

"Keep it in the bedroom," Heather spoke snarkily, smoke blowing out of her mouth as she spoke. She held the cigarette with a cool confidence that told anyone watching she knew what she was doing. It was only in moments like these where she smoked, not bothering to make a habit out of it.

Steve looked at Heather with a mocking expression, "Sorry, hate to make you jealous." He was joking, but Heather faltered for a moment. She hoped it didn't show. "Besides Nance, you are a cliche, what with your. . . your grades and your band practice."

"I'm so not in band," Nancy retorted. Veronica sighed and blew smoke up into the air.

"Okay, party girl," Steve started getting up again, "Why don't you just uh show us how it's done, then?"

"She probably doesn't even know how," Heather chuckled, taking another drag as she watched the situation, her best friend's arm hung loosely around her shoulders while her arms were crossed. They were on the edge of the pool and part of Heather wished she could just fall backward. Maybe it would make Steve look at her. She needed to stop thinking like that. She was her own person and she didn't need to rely on a boy. She would keep telling herself that, yet her eyes would drift over to Steve anyway as if they had a mind of their own.

Nancy scoffed and took the knife and can from Steve. He leaned over and pointed at the bottom. "You uh, make a little hole right in. . ."

"I got it," the girl spoke with a certain edge.

"Yeah, she's smart, you douche!" Tommy shouted, taking a long sip of his own can, crushing it against his head and throwing it on the ground carelessly.

Steve raised his hands in a surrender and Nancy continued. The girl cut a hole in the can as everyone started chanting for her to chug it. In the excitement, Heather's eyes landed on Barb, who was watching disdainfully. Heather, although she was chanting too, felt the same. Nancy finished and dropped the can with a little bow. She turned around towards her best friend.

"Barb, you wanna try?" she suggested. Heather could tell Barb definitely did not want to try.

"What?" Barb raised an eyebrow, "No. Make Heather or Veronica try."

"I don't like to mix beer and cigs," was Heather's excuse. She didn't like to get drunk at things like this, so she usually stuck to smokes.

Barb rolled her eyes with a small smile. "No, I don't want to, thanks."

"Come on, Barb!" Veronica cut in with a small plead, "Loosen up a little!"

"Yeah, come on!"

"Yeah. Come on, yeah!" Steve encouraged. Barb still denied, her and Nancy getting into a small whisper and mumble argument over it. Eventually, Barb took the knife and a can.

Heather flinched as the knife sliced Barb's finger instead of the can. Yeah, she had definitely felt that one before.

"Gnarly," was Tommy's incredibly unhelpful contribution.

"Are you okay?"Nancy asked as soon as she saw the cut. Barb held the hand to her chest and nodded.

Heather nodded towards the house, "Here, I'll go get a tissue or something with you."

"No, I'm fine," Barb said with a finality before turning to Steve, "Where's your bathroom?"

Steve gave her directions as the girl walked off into the house.

The group went silent for a moment. Veronica broke it by saying, "Hey, can I see your cig for a sec?"

Heather furrowed her brow but handed it over anyway. The girl grabbed the cigarette, holding both of them in one hand while in a flash, she used the other to push Heather into the freezing pool. The initial shock of the cold water caused Heather to gasp, water seeping into her mouth before she surfaced easily.

"Yo! You know how to swim?" Tommy asked with a wild expression. The girl looked at him with disbelief wondering if it was because he was drunk or if it was just plain racism.

She ignored the boy and turned to Veronica, "You bitch!"

Veronica laughed and apologized, though it was clear she didn't mean it, as she held out a hand to her best friend. Heather smiled as she grabbed her hand and predictably yanked her best friend into the pool with her.

"Heyo!" Tommy exclaimed before jumping in as well. Carol laughed at him, yelling something about not wanting to get wet. Before she could finish her statement, Steve came up behind her and pushed her in. She screamed, everyone laughed as Steve and Nancy followed the girl into the pool. The group splashed each other swimming around in the cold water. For the first time that night, Heather was having a genuinely good time.

Steve came up behind Heather and grabbed her by the waist. Her scream was cut short as he pulled the two of them under the wild water. She turned around as she tried to wrestle with him under water, bubbles escaping both of their mouths as they laughed. They came back up, his arms still around her waist, except she wasn't fighting him anymore. Instead, she was looking at him out of breath with a smile on her face. Heather pretended she couldn't feel Nancy's eyes burning into her back.

( note! )

look at that! i do know how to write straight people! also, yes, i do know there's important info about the upside down in this scene as well, but i didn't wanna cut the chapter up that much as it would have gotten choppy and weird and besides, if you're reading this, you probably already know about the upside down, so i don't really have to explain it, do i? also, it was about time Heather's relationship with Steve got a little development, im tired of watching my girl suffer!! ( Steve isn't gonna cheat on Nancy with Heather, though, I promise!! )