CHAPTER 20
ON THE BENCH

"YOU'RE not going."

Edward furrowed his brow at his daughter's statement. Veronica watched both Hopper and Jonathan rev up their cars, leaving the rest of the kids in the care of her and Steve, which probably wasn't the best idea. They were standing outside of the Byers' home after a fresh sprinkling of rain wet the ground, and the area was now surrounded by fog. Edward told Veronica he was accompanying Hopper to see the gate, and she was completely against it. "I need to be aware of the situation if it comes back again," he explained. "I already know too much. Might as well see it for myself."

Veronica looked at him as if he were crazy. "Or you could – oh, I don't know – die!"

"I'm not going to die."

"That's what they all say."

Edward pulled his daughter into a tight hug, relishing in the way her arms wrapped around him, and it reminded him when she was just a child. "We were both put into this situation without warning," he muttered, "and I have to know what is exactly going on with my own eyes."

Veronica leaned away, giving her father an unsatisfied expression. Her feet squished into the mud below her.

Edward put his hands on her shoulders, a smile tugging at his lips. "I know you don't like to talk about your feelings often," he said, "but I'm going to be okay, Ronnie. You still got me."

She put her head down, trying to hide the tears that almost escaped from her eyes. It was difficult when her mom left. She didn't really have any other maternal figure to talk to. Regardless, her dad tried being both parents, even though it exhausted him, along with his day-to-day job. When Louie died, it was the tipping point, and it was worse because it was her fault. Edward was the last family member she had, seeing as the rest of her family were either dead or psychotic. But she still had him.

Edward gave his daughter one last big grin before hopping into his boss' cruiser. Veronica sighed heavily, looking to the right to see Mike embracing Eleven, asking her to come back. It made Veronica's heart sink in the most innocent way. Jonathan called out for Nancy to hurry to his car, and soon enough, the girl came running out of the back of the house. She waved an awkward goodbye to Steve, who waited on the porch steps, before hesitantly stopping in front of Veronica.

The blue-haired girl didn't know what to say exactly. Her eyes flickered from Nancy to the ground. "Uh –" She swallowed hard, and then patted Nancy's shoulder. "Good luck."

Nancy smiled softly and gave her a short hug, much to Veronica's surprise. She welcomed it though. Veronica had never been a fan of hugs, but during a time like this, she needed all the comfort she could get. Nancy stared at her with a content expression when she let go and whispered, "You're different for him." She sent her a warm smile. "He needs different. You two are good for each other."

Veronica blinked her eyes as Nancy walked away, completely awestruck at her words. She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed a hand over her mouth. Veronica turned and strode back to the porch, where the rest of the kids and Steve were waiting. Steve looked at her with a furrowed brow, asking, "What did Nancy say to you?"

She slapped him on the back as they watched both cars drive away. "Girl talk."

•••

The first thing Dustin suggested they do was freeze the dead Demodog, leaving most of the kids perplexed. Dustin raided Joyce's small freezer and threw most of the items to the ground. Frozen meat and frosted glasses cascaded to the dirty carpet. Veronica watched him with a cocked brow. "Wouldn't it help more to put those in the fridge?" She asked.

"We don't have time to put them in the fridge!" Dustin exclaimed as he threw a package of frozen meatballs, and they almost hit Veronica in the face.

She put out a hand. "How long does it take to put fucking bag of frozen meatballs in the fridge, kid? Tell me."

Dustin ignored her question as he tore out the divider in the freezer. "Okay, it's empty," he said. "Alright, it should fit now."

Dustin turned at the same time as Veronica, and her eyes almost fell out at the sight of the blanketed Demodog in Steve's arms. She jumped the slightest bit, and noticed the dark blood staining a part of Steve's jacket. "Is this really necessary?" He asked nervously.

"Yes, it is!" Dustin argued. "This is a ground-breaking scientific discovery. We can't just bury it, like it's some ... common mammal. It's not a dog!"

"Alright, alright," Steve shook his head. "But you're explaining this to Mrs. Byers, alright?" He lifted the Demodog with all his strength and forcibly rammed it into the compact freezer. It didn't really fit, but after a few head-smacks into the door, Steve was able to shove the slimy carcass into the cold device.

Dustin quickly shut the door and held it for a few seconds. It didn't open, meaning that they somehow made it fit. Veronica rubbed at his head. "Good job, kid."

"Thanks, lady," he grinned.

The two teenagers watched Dustin walk away to join his friends' conversation, which – per usual – consisted of Mike yelling about what they needed to do. Veronica and Steve made awkward eye contact before quickly looking away. Steve massaged his temples for a moment, muttering, "We're really not gonna talk about it."

Veronica looked over at him with an arched brow. She tried to act dumb, like she didn't know what he was talking about, although it was fairly obvious she did. Steve put a hand to his mouth and kissed it, indicating the vulnerable act they had just hours ago.

She smacked his hand down from his mouth, shaking her head. "Nope, not talking about it," she replied before walking into the living room. Steve followed behind her.

Mike was pacing and exclaiming at Lucas that they needed a better plan. He ran his hands through his knotted, dark curls, clearly agitated with the situation at hand. "The chief will take care of her," Lucas assured while sweeping up glass from the carpet.

"She needs protection," Max mumbled, a dust pan full of glass in her hands.

Steve stepped forward to get in the middle of the altercation. "Listen, dude. If a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line – you execute it, alright?"

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game," Mike said, "and second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench."

Veronica pointed to Nancy's younger brother. "He's got a point."

"Alright, so my point is ..." Steve paused, glancing to Veronica for back-up, but realized whatever he said was wrong. He frowned. "Right, yeah – we're on the bench, so – uh ... there's nothing we can do."

Dustin's eyes narrowed with skepticism. "That's not ... entirely true. I mean, these Demodogs – they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away."

Lucas nodded. "So if we get their attention –"

"Maybe we can draw them away from the lab," Max finished, as if their brains were connected.

"And clear a path to the Gate," Mike suggested.

Steve's mouth fell open. "Yeah, and then we all die!"

"Well, that's one point of view," Dustin muttered.

"No, that's not a point of view, man. That's a fact." Steve argued, meeting Veronica's eyes. "Really, Ronnie? You're not gonna help me here?"

Veronica scoffed, gesturing to Mike. "They all seem to have a pretty good plan here. I don't see you coming up with anything." She crossed her arms over her chest. "As long as we don't go in that fucking other dimension place, I'm good."

Mike slowly viewed to the blue-haired girl. His eyes said everything. Veronica's lids closed and her voice went low, "You kids have got to be kidding me." She leaned back just a bit, releasing a loud groan before turning to Steve. "Okay, I agree to stay on the bench now. You educate them while I smoke."

Veronica sauntered out of the house while the storm of arguments commenced again. She shut the screen door with a slam, immediately pulling out a cheap cigarette and placing it in her mouth. She flicked her lighter on and lit the end of the cigarette, inhaling the nicotine as she did so. She released it through her nostrils. Finally, after a long night, this made her feel at peace, even though it was slowly killing her insides.

She didn't even get two minutes into smoking her cigarette before the inevitable happened. A familiar black Camaro cautiously pulled into the driveway of the Byers' house, bright headlights blinding her. Veronica put a hand in front of her eyes as Billy Hargrove stepped out of his car, smoking a pristine Camel cigarette. Smoke bellowed from his mouth before it turned into a wicked grin. "Well, well, well," he drawled, hanging his arm over the top of his sleek car. "What the fuck is Veronica Moreda doing here at this hour?"

Veronica lowered her arm to her side, flicking the end of her cigarette. "Shouldn't I be asking you the same question?"

"I came here looking for my sister," he explained, "but maybe what I should be doing is asking you out on another date. Haven't found another chick like you, sadly."

She gagged dramatically. "I wouldn't ride your small dick again even if you paid me."

Billy's face contorted into anger, and before he could call her every rude name in the book, Steve walked onto the porch. He passed Veronica quickly, knowing she'd stop him if she knew he was coming. "Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?" Billy asked with a smirk.

Steve stopped short at the bottom of the porch stairs. He put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, it's me. Don't cream your pants."

Billy laughed lazily, taking a drag from his cigarette. "What are you doing here, amigo?" He asked while pulling off his jacket and locking it in his car. He wore a bright red button up with his chest fully exposed, reminding Veronica of their drunk night together. She wanted to gag again.

"I could ask you the same thing," Steve said, meeting him in front of his car, "amigo."

"I'm looking for my step-sister," Billy replied, narrowing his eyes. "Little birdy told me she was here."

Steve bit his bottom lip, trying to come up with an excuse. "Huh, that's weird. I don't know her."

Billy exhaled smoke from his nostrils. "Small. Redhead. Bit of a bitch."

"Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, buddy."

Veronica threw her unfinished cigarette in an ash tray on the porch. Her hands began to form into fists as she leaned against a beam. "She's not here, Hargrove." Veronica lied, hiding her anxiety through her teeth. "You're making yourself look like a fucking idiot. Just leave."

"You know," Billy sighed, taking his cigarette from his mouth and gesturing to Veronica with it. "That doesn't really make sense, Moreda. I don't know." He turned to face Steve directly. "This ... this whole situation, Harrington. I don't know. It's giving me the heebie-jeebies."

Steve cocked a brow. "Oh, yeah? Why is that?"

"Steve," Veronica called with a stern voice, "get inside the house."

He didn't listen. He continued to stand in front of an angered Billy, who blew smoke in Steve's face. "My thirteen-year-old sister goes missing all day, and then I find her with you – and Veronica Moreda – in a stranger's house ... and you both lie to me about it."

Steve chuckled falsely. "Man, were you dropped too much as a child?"

Billy only grinned wide, licking his lips as he caught Steve in a lie. Veronica swallowed hard and slowly descended the porch steps.

"I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said," Steve reiterated. "She's not here."

Billy huffed and pointed his cigarette towards the front window of the Byers' house. "Then who is that?"

The three teenagers turned to look at said window, noticing four young faces in the window and Max Hargrove's being in the center. It's like they were trying to get caught. Veronica's eyes went wide as they quickly moved away from the window, and she heard Steve from a few feet in front of her muttering, "Oh, shit."

That's when Billy's fist collided with Steve's face.

•••

A/N: Sorry if I've published this chapter multiple times! I was trying to figure out the problem why it wasn't posting correctly and it was because Wattpad is going under maintenance!!!

( made by JustSav )