STEVE DIDN'T KNOW when he went from the king to a lowly basketball coach.

It wasn't like he was complaining though - he was doing something he loved. Seeing the little kiddos running and laughing seemed to him the best kind of therapy. But, of course it all seems useless when he felt that traitorous heart flutter when he saw her - everytime, without fail. Her luscious brown hair tucked behind her ear, her hand clasped loosely in Jonathan's. He was happy for her, he convinced himself. If she didn't want him than well - as Dustin had told him, he was too good for her.

The vibrant orange of the basketball entered his peripheral vision, and he twisted, catching the ball securely. He smirked. "You're going to have to try harder than that, Dusty," he said, and Dustin let out a frustrated groan.

"How, Steve? Everytime!" Just then, another ball flew towards him, but once again he caught it, his smirk only widening.

"Improve your diversions, kids," he twisted his head to face the others, who were crouched behind a chair, "your acting won't even fool a demodog."

Will was the first to break - he grinned, which Steve noticed with a smile. These causal references to the monsters of the Upside Down didn't shake him anymore. Joyce would be pleased.

Lucas, Max and Mike laughed, a sound which rang strangely on Steve's ears. There was something wrong - there was something missing.

Where was El? Even as he had the though, a ball hit his lower back, and he groaned, more from the raucous peals of laughter, of victory that left the kids' mouths than pain. "Okay, okay, so you got me. Once. It's the first time." He swung an arm around Dustin as the others came forward, Eleven - or Ella, as the were to call her in school - sporting a wide grin.

"We need to work on diversions, don't we?" She teased gently, causing the group to burst into laughter again. She slipped her hand easily into Mike's, who looked at her with a large smile.

Oh, boy, Steve thought, mentally shaking his head, I think I need to go over the whole ' act like you don't care ' with Mike again.

The kids before him, oblivious to his thoughts, were revelling in their little victory. To make the matter worse, Joe chose that moment to join.

"Oh, man, Steve! Little girl totally pummeled you, I was watching!" He walked over to El, solemnly extending a hand for her to shake. She took it, her eyes wide with the effort of controlling her laughter. Her efforts were in vain - Will let a squeaky laugh, and soon they were back in the unstoppable laughter phase.

"Okay, okay, enough! You guys want to humiliate me out of existence? Shoo, get out of here, I have a class, and I really don't fancy them being scared off by the velociraptor-like screeches." The group left, with only Joe - his co-coach - trailing behind him as he set the balls back where they belonged.

Joe had recently shifted to Hawkins High, after his parents had made the abrupt decision to change jobs. Somehow, after days of saving his weak ass from bullies, they'd formed a friendship. Steve never wasted an opportunity to remind him of the several occasions in which he'd saved him.

The little kids flooded mere moments after the bell rang, shouting out greetings to Steve and Joe. He held up a hand for one of the particularly feisty kid - Kyle - but moved it up just before Kyle could reach it. Laughing at Kyle's disappointed face, he ordered the ragtag bunch into a straight line.

"Today, kiddos, we're going to be learning about the element of surprise, which is important in any game."

"Gee, Steve, I think I'd be better off teaching this one - you clearly need to learn as well." Joe's remark bought about a round of chuckles, and Steve feinted throwing the ball towards a clique of the runty kids. Automatically, they swung their hands up, but the ball found a different destination - Joe's face.

"Oh, come on," Joe mumbled, and muttered a few unsavoury words under his breath. Steve smacked him lightly around the head.

"Lauguage, Joe."

The next two hours went into the class. As they were packing up, Steve noticed a jacket draped over a bench. He'd seen that blue colour enough to know that it was Mike's. Heaving a sigh, he picked it up, planning a detour before heading home.

The Wheeler's house bought back several painful memories - him revising his apology to Nancy, with a pathetic bouquet of flowers in his hands, or the times he sneaked up with the excuse of studies. He rang the doorbell, still lost in his thoughts and was dragged back to reality when the door opened and his heart stopped.

"Oh...hey, Steve." Nancy's seemed as shocked as he was, although it was stupid - she lived here, how could he have expected her to not open the door? And just to make the moment all the more awkward, Jonathan strode up beside Nancy, placing his arm at her waist before noticing who it was.

Fate is laughing at me, Steve  thought, trying to form words, I'm certain of it.

Clearing his throat, he held out the jacket. "Uh, I think Mike left this at school. Give it to him for me, yeah?" Steve said, sighing as Jonathan awkwardly removed his arm from around Nancy as grabbed the jacket.

"Thanks, Steve. I'll give it to him," Nancy smiled, but Steve simply nodded. Turning away, he managed to walk with an erect back until he reached his car - coincidentally, the true love of his life.

As he learned down to enter, he heard the door close behind him. Burying his head in his hands, he heaved a sigh.

Well, if that wasn't the shittiest encounter ever.