CHAPTER 15
LIKE-LIKE

"I'M tired of waiting," Veronica said. "I think we should go inside."

Steve swung his bat over his shoulder. "Not happening."

Nancy and Jonathan had ended up driving off on their own. They were going to take a loop around the lot to make sure that everyone was out of the lab. It took a lot of protests – almost holding her back – to get Veronica to stay with Steve and the other kids. The blue-haired girl was fuming as she chewed on her bottom lip.

Steve looked over at her, seeing the worry all over her features. He watched her eyes fill with some tears, and he whispered, "No, no, no." He spun her around so that she could face him, but Veronica refused to look in his eyes. She didn't want anyone to see her in such a vulnerable state; it was humiliating. "You never used to cry, Ronnie. Please, don't cry."

"I can't ... I can't ..." Veronica huffed, struggling to get the words out. "I can't help it." She rubbed her sleeve over her eyes and it smudged her black eyeliner. "My dad's the only family I have left. If I lose him ... I'll be alone. I'll have to be put in, like, a fucking group home, I think. And I don't work well with –"

Steve pulled her into his embrace, immediately dropping his bat. The hug felt awkward, yet not forced. Veronica sighed into his green sweater as she wrapped her arms around his torso. His body heat warmed her, and she thoroughly disliked that she was crying onto some guy's shirt. She felt so embarrassed, but the feel of Steve's arms around her was almost comforting. She hadn't hugged someone in a long time.

On the other side of the gate, Edward was driven to the front of the building, where his cruiser sat. He ran for it as fast as he could, even with the back of his legs aching in agony. He then got inside his vehicle and followed the other cars out of the lab's gates.

Veronica slowly unlatched herself from Steve, leaving him with a weird feeling inside his stomach that he tried to ignore. She heard tires screech ahead, and Max did as well, judging from the way she cautiously stepped closer to the unlocked gate. "Guys," the ginger-haired girl called out.

Almost instantaneously, they saw three pairs of headlights swing around the corner of the lab. Two were cruisers while the other was actually Jonathan Byers' car, and they all sped down the short cement road to the gates to reach them. Edward was in one cruiser, clutching his steering wheel for dear life as he stopped short in front of the entrance. His cruiser and Hopper's were parked side-by-side.

Veronica cupped her hands over her eyes. "Dad?!"

Edward was shocked to see his daughter standing outside the lab with most of Will Byers' friends. Not to mention, a teenage boy was also with her, but there wasn't time to think about that. He popped his head outside the driver's side window and screamed, "Get in!"

Veronica and Steve sprinted to Edward's cruiser and jumped in. Dustin, Max, and Lucas drove with Hopper in the other cruiser. Although Veronica knew she didn't have much time, she still locked her arms around her father as soon as she got inside the passenger seat. Her arms wound themselves around his shoulders, and Edward was so happy to receive it. He hadn't hugged his daughter since Louie's funeral. "I'm so happy you're still here," she whispered, only loud enough for Edward to hear.

"You too, Ronnie." He replied with a smile. "You too."

Quickly enough, Edward and Veronica sat back in their seats as the father followed Hopper out of lab's parking lot. They were both going past the speed limit, and as a cop, that was technically unethical on his part. Edward didn't seem to care in this moment. "Where are we going?" Veronica asked, terror slowly seeping out of her voice.

"I think Joyce Byers' house." Edward looked up, meeting Steve's eyes in the rear-view mirror. "Who is this boy?"

Steve's brow went up as Veronica carefully glanced at him over her shoulder. "My name's Steve Harrington –"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Edward interrupted. His mustache slightly twitched with disgust before he viewed to Ronnie. "What were you doing there? Why are you involved in this?"

Veronica met Steve's eyes in the passenger side mirror. She bit her lip as she thought of what to say. "Um –" She paused for a moment. "Honestly, I was thrown into this without warning." Veronica then glanced to her father. "What about you? Did this all happen because of the –"

"Contaminated pumpkins," they said together in unison. Edward continued the statement, "I was kinda thrown into this too."

Veronica found herself genuinely smiling. She grabbed her dad's hand on the wheel, feeling a sense of pride at the work Edward was doing. "You're an officer, dad. Hawkins always needs you."

•••

Jonathan Byers kneeled by his brother's side, who slept on their living room couch soundlessly. Nancy Wheeler tried comforting her newly-mentioned boyfriend, which left an awkward feeling in the air. Chief Hopper and Officer Moreda argued with the station on the phone. They needed more officers at the Byers abode, but none believed their story, and it was becoming dreadfully annoying. The rest of the children sat in the dining room, and none dared to speak.

Edward gripped the home phone tightly. His anger was increasing as he argued on the device. "We're looking for Doctor Sam Owens," he clarified for the tenth time. "He should be in the building. I don't know who else is there or left alive."

"What are they saying?" Hopper whispered, chewing on his nails.

Edward put the phone on his shoulder. "They don't fucking believe me."

Hopper then snatched the phone from his colleague. He brought the speaker to his mouth and spoke angrily, "You need to bring help."

He heard the woman on the other line sigh. "Well, sir, we don't have enough officers to come by. And, if I'm being honest, this doesn't sound like it's coming from someone who works here. You're pulling a prank."

"We are the police!" Hopper exclaimed. "Chief Jim Hopper and Officer Edward Moreda!" He paused as the woman promised to call him back. "Yes, the number that I gave you. Call me back when more officers arrive please." Hopper practically slammed the phone on the wall as he hung up. He viewed up at Edward, who shook his head.

Veronica stood by Steve as they leaned against the kitchen sink. She looked to her dad and asked, "Are they coming?"

Edward shook his head. Dustin cursed under his breath before saying, "They didn't believe you, did they?" He stretched his arms over the chairs of Mike and Lucas.

"We'll see," Hopper replied.

"We'll see?" Mike repeated viciously. "We can't just sit here while those things are loose!"

Hopper narrowed his eyes towards the kid. "We stay here and we wait for help." He walked away from the dining room, heading towards Joyce's bedroom. He knocked on the door while Edward watched from a few feet away. The other officer then followed him, offering his help in comforting the broken mother. The two walked in a moment later, leaving the children in the dining room.

Veronica sighed, flickering her eyes to Steve's before slowly sauntering outside the house. Her sneakers crushed under all the papers that littered the Byers' home, which was explained to be some sort of map of the Upside Down, all drawn by Will himself. She looked around the walls as she walked by them, marveling at the map little Will had created. Veronica patted Jonathan's shoulder in comfort before she stepped onto the porch.

She pulled out the pack of Marlboros in her pocket. Her striped sweater and jean jacket were covered in dirt stains, but all that mattered right now was getting the cigarette on her lips to light up. After a few times, Veronica inhaled the nicotine and let out a breath of relief. It had been a long couple of days, and it was only going to get longer.

She heard the porch door behind her open and close. Veronica looked over her shoulder to see Steve stepping out to stand beside her. When their stares met, he found himself then looking at his shoes. "It was getting stuffy in there," he commented.

"It's only going to get worse out here," Veronica said, blowing smoke in his face.

Steve grinned slightly and waved the smoke away with his hand. They stood beside each other, almost too close for comfort. Steve's dirty Nikes matched her Chucks. Veronica took a drag from her cigarette, feeling the need to hold Steve's hand but too afraid to do it.

"Your dad seems ... nice," Steve said after several minutes. "I'm glad he's okay."

Veronica smiled and hummed a response, "Me too."

"I'm glad you're okay too."

She glanced to him, mouth opening slightly with surprise. Veronica then cleared her throat for a moment. She nudged him in the side. "Same to you, Harrington."

After taking another drag of her cigarette, Veronica choked for a moment on the smoke. She lifted her hands to wave it into the cold air that whisked the blue hair from her shoulders. She pursed her lips before muttering, "You're being so nice to me now." Their dark eyes met again. "Why? What changed in you since last year?"

Steve only laughed and viewed off to the side. He stared at the scenery outside of the Byers' house.

Veronica leaned forward, trying to peer at his face as he looked away. She raised a brow before coughing into her shoulder. Steve took a deep breath in and his hands began to fidget. Veronica noticed these actions clearly. "What?" She asked.

"You just ..." Steve paused as he tried to gather the courage to say what was on his mind. It was so difficult, especially with Veronica's naturally judgmental eyes. "You make me nervous."

She released a soft scoff before turning back to the lawn in front of them. "I tend to do that to a lot of people."

Steve bit the inside of his cheek. He inhaled the smoke from her cigarette, and it made his lungs burn. He could feel a bruise forming on his forehead. It was then that he grabbed her hand, in the most innocent way possible.

Veronica swallowed hard when his hands met her own. She slowly turned her head to view his, realizing that Steve's body was already full facing her. She looked down at their conjoined hands and back at him for a few seconds. His face held nothing but worry.

"You told me that friends don't normally hold hands," Veronica muttered softly.

"They don't," Steve replied. His hands were getting sweaty, but so were hers. "I think I like you, Ronnie."

Veronica felt bile rising in her throat. Her mouth wobbled slightly, but she stopped it by sticking her cigarette there. "So you ..." Her voice was muffled by the smoking object in her teeth. She sighed. "You like-like me."

Steve blinked for a moment at her words. His eyes darted from her to his shoes. "Uh –" He paused. "Yeah."

Veronica's fear of emotional intimacy was attacking her brain. She felt frozen in that moment, so she took a drag to help her nerves calm down. Her hands were sweatier than his now, and they were still holding his. "We've only been, like ... hanging out again for two weeks," she commented sternly.

"Who says I didn't like you before that?" Steve asked with a brow cocked upwards.

Veronica bit her lip hard. She thought she drew blood for a second. "So what? Do you expect me to kiss you now?"

"Not unless you want to."

She cleared her throat before tossing her cigarette in an ash tray on the porch. Without thinking, her hands gave his a tight squeeze. Inside – really inside – Veronica Moreda wanted to kiss Steve Harrington. But not yet. It wasn't their time. She wasn't ready yet.

And because of all this, Veronica whispered to Steve, "I'll let you know."

•••

A/N: This is sO LONG but we have a confession!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just wait for Chapter 17, y'all gonna be shook 👀

( made by JustSav )