CHAPTER 9
ELECTRICITY

"ALRIGHT, so let me get this straight. You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl, who ... who you just met?"

The trio cautiously walked down the abandoned railway on the edge of Hawkins, throwing pieces of the raw meat on the ground. Dustin said it would "attract Dart," which left Veronica to guess that's what he called his monster-pet-thing. Veronica took a drag from her cigarette, seeing as it was the only thing that would calm her down during this time. She really didn't care about keeping up a better image in front of the kid anymore. The scent of nicotine was strong in the air.

Veronica strode down the railway with Steve on her left. Her sneakers squished under the muddy dirt, leaving a stain. She threw down another piece of raw meat as Dustin replied, "Alright, that is grossly oversimplifying things."

Steve glanced at the blue-haired girl beside him, but she didn't notice. "I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyways?"

"I think that's cool," Veronica added, blowing a heap of smoke in Steve's direction, and he waved it away with his hand.

Dustin gestured to Veronica. "Thank you," he said proudly. "It's an inter-dimensional slug. So awesome."

"Well," Steve sighed, "even if she thought it was cool – if she didn't, I ... I just think you're trying way too hard, man."

"Not everyone can have your perfect hair, alright?"

Veronica frowned. "His hair's not that great."

"Says the one with faded blue hair," Steve scoffed. "Anyways, it's not about the hair, man. The key with girls is just ... acting like you don't care."

Veronica had been staring at the autumn leaves falling to ground, but became distracted when she heard Steve's reply. Her eyes went narrow. "Why is it that you boys always think you know what girls want?" She huffed out smoke from her nostrils. "I mean, Christ – if some guy who was trying to date me started to act like he didn't care ... that would make me want to kick his ass."

Steve almost tripped on the tracks at her comment, but caught himself successfully. "You're just ..." He paused. "You're different, Ronnie."

Veronica met Steve's eyes, and he was smiling at her genuinely. She immediately felt a wave of awkwardness rush through her, causing her to quickly look away from him and throw more raw meat to the ground.

Dustin looked between them with a confused expression. "So ..." He cleared his throat to speak again. "What if you do care?"

Steve shrugged. "Even if you do, act like you don't. Drives 'em nuts."

Veronica rolled her eyes, almost bumping into Dustin because he stopped in the middle of the railway. She pushed him forward as he asked, "Then what?"

"You just wait until – uh – until you feel it," Steve said, nudging Dustin's arm.

"Feel what?"

A grin tugged at the corners of Steve's mouth. He tossed a piece of meat into the mud. "It's like before it's gonna storm, you know. You can't see it, but you can feel it. Like, this – uh ... electricity, you know?"

"Like in the electromagnetic field, like when the clouds and the atmosphere –"

"No, no, no," Steve interrupted, "like a ... like a sexual electricity."

Veronica stepped forward and hit Steve's arm. "You're talking to a kid!"

"You're smoking a cigarette in front of a kid!" He countered back, to which she frowned. "You're no saint. Besides, he's gotta learn someday."

Dustin threw another piece of raw meat like it were a baseball. "Oh, I already know. I have a big brain."

"Okay, okay," Steve continued on with his teachings, "you feel that, and then you make your move."

"So that's when you kiss her?"

Veronica smiled slightly at Dustin's eagerness. It was innocent, actually, and it warmed her heart. She took a drag of her cigarette, allowing the nicotine to invade her damaged lungs, and tossed her blue hair over her shoulder.

"Slow down, Romeo," Steve snapped, holding out a hand. "Sure, okay – some girls ... yeah, they want you to be aggressive. Strong. Hot and heavy, like a ... I don't know. Like a lion."

"Sounds nauseating," Veronica muttered.

Steve turned his head a bit and put a finger to his lips to shush her. "But others," he said with a pointed finger towards Dustin, "you gotta be slow. You gotta be stealthy, like a ... like a ninja."

"What type was Nancy?" Veronica asked, inhaling the smoke from her cigarette before flicking it over the edge of the abandoned tracks.

Steve viewed at his feet. He hesitated on his answer, her name still leaving a sore spot on his heart, but it hurt more to hear Veronica asking this question, and he couldn't figure out why. "Nancy's different. She changed me."

Veronica kicked her feet into the mud, taking her bucket of meat in a different hand because the original one was aching. Steve's answer hung heavy in the air, and Veronica felt eerily uncomfortable. A big, orange leaf flew in her direction, and she swatted it away.

"Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess." Dustin muttered. "But this girl's special too. There's just ... something about her."

"Don't get too deep into this, Dustin." Veronica advised, pushing herself in the middle of the two boys. "Falling in love at your age isn't worth it. Enjoy your childhood. Some girls aren't all that great."

"Some are pretty cool," Steve added, and both him and Veronica shared a nervous stare. He then cleared his throat slight. "But, yeah – what Ronnie said. She's only gonna break your heart and you're too young for that shit."

Veronica nodded her head. "Exactly," she agreed. "Middle school girlfriends are so last year anyways."

The three laughed out loud, their voices ringing in unison. Veronica patted the boys' shoulders with ease, and they all tossed out a piece of raw meat together. In a stressful time like this, Veronica liked that she still found time to relax and actually laugh. It hadn't felt this good to laugh in a long time.

Out of nowhere, a loud squawking of birds entered the woods. They were louder than ever before, and this caused Veronica to suddenly jump back. The blue-haired girl immediately grasped Steve Harrington's lanky arm, her fingers tightly squeezing his own. They all stopped walking, and fear seeped into their bodies once again at the sudden outburst of crows. But something much worse occurred inside Veronica: the electricity.

That's right. The bitter girl with blue hair and afraid of emotional intimacy felt it. She felt the electric waves flood from her calloused fingers when she touched the most popular boy in school with big hair, and also the boy who was supposed to be her friend again. She felt it, and she hated herself for it, especially when Steve Harrington then looked at her, and she felt her insides crash together like waves.

And just like that, Veronica Moreda knew she was truly fucked.

( made by JustSav )