CHAPTER 29
ADULT STUFF

BOTH Edward and Veronica wished they could say that the trauma and nightmares went away with due time, but they would be lying. In fact, the nightmares had only seem to get worse as more time passed, and the trauma lingered forever. Edward, who had been at the almighty Gate of the Upside Down, had seen the worst of it, yet his nightmares weren't very often – if he was lucky. Weirdly enough, his daughter, who had only experienced the one loop of the terrifying alternate universe, found the nightmares plaguing her almost every night, and they seemed to get more real each time, even deadlier.

They were so real that sometimes she swore she should feel the slimy arms of the Upside Down around her, that she could smell the gasoline they used to douse the tunnels in flames. Just last night, she found herself in the Upside Down again, crawling through the depths of the world alone. She called out for Steve. She called out for the kids, for Dustin, but there was no one. Veronica had no one but herself.

Oh, and also Louie's body.

She had the same dream every week, a repetition of her memory from when they found Louie's corpse in the Upside Down. Veronica would be alone, finding his body in one of the tunnels, vines curling around his arms and legs. His skin was blue and decaying, mouth covered by a deep, plunging vine that had sucked itself into him. Veronica wouldn't know what to do. She would try to dig him out, screaming for help, ripping at the vines that would just grow back over and over again. She could practically feel the vines winding themselves around her skin. Each time, she swore it was real. In the distance, she could hear Louie's voice again. He was crying, calling out to her for help. There was nothing she could do but continue to pull out vines and weeds and everything in between, even though she knew it would do nothing.

The only thing that could wake her from her deep sleep was her alarm clock, and Veronica always found it hard to move out of bed after having that familiar nightmare. She wished there was something she could do about them – medication, a doctor – but Veronica would be damned before she'd let some kind of dumb medical treatment take away her trauma. She wanted to be rid of it, but the trauma simply reminded her that it was all real, that the Upside Down wasn't just some fictional world out of a game at the Palace Arcade.

She'd just live with them for the rest of her life. It was fine – really, it was. Veronica was a strong person, and neither her, nor Edward, would let their past get the best of them.

Unless, that past began to crawl back from the shadows.

•••

Watching Hopper bound into the police station on an early Friday morning was something unlike Edward had ever seen.

He sat with the secretary, Janice, going over a few recent file reports that she thought needed attention, when Hopper burst through the entrance with a happy-go-lucky grin. He carried a box of donuts from Snappy's Bakery on Old Maple Street, and each officer took one gratefully. As soon as Hopper set the box on the main table in the lobby, it was swarmed by a dozen of his fellow officers, all with the same goal to devour a sweet and sugar pastry that would sit in their stomach for weeks to come. Not like they cared, though.

Hopper approached Edward with a pep in his step, causing his deputy to ask, "What's got you in such a good mood, Hop?"

"You are truly Einstein, Moreda." Hopper tipped his cap and threw it onto Janice's desk. "Einstein reincarnated."

"Oh, my god, he's actually lost it this time," Janice whispered.

Edward placed a finger on his lips to shush their secretary, before finally turning back to the chief. "I still don't understand, buddy –"

"Emotions have been shared. Boundaries have been set. Order," Hopper's voice rose almost ten octaves, "has been restored!"

Edward shared a look with Janice, who shrugged skeptically, before he smiled towards Hopper. "Damn, it worked?" He looked down into his half-filled coffee mug, bringing it up to his lips. "Really didn't expect that."

Hopper plucked one of the last glazed donuts from the box, ripping into it with his teeth and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Some remnants of the sugary glaze still stuck to his upper lip, but he didn't care one bit, now that Edward's plan had been put into place. "This is the first day in six long, excruciating months that El and Mike will not be seeing each other." He brought down his fist in triumph. "Yes, I think it worked, Ed!"

The deputy raised his coffee cup as a salute, not expecting Hopper to pick him up and off the ground, twirling his coworker in the air by his bony waist. "It worked, Moreda! You fucking genius!" Hopper screamed, attracting the attention of his officers.

Edward almost slipped right out of his hold a couple times, causing the deputy to pat Hopper on the shoulder. "Happy for you, Hop. Really, I am," he said, stomach churning with anxiety, "but I get really queasy on things like merry-go-rounds, so unless you want me to barf all over you –"

"Duly noted."

Edward released a breath of relief once his feet hit the ground. He noticed his leftover coffee had spilled all over the carpet and parts of Janice's skirt. "Sorry about that, Jan."

"What else do I have to live for?" She muttered, sauntering off to the ladies restroom.

Brows shooting upward, Edward looked back to the chief and slapped his arm a few times. "I can't believe you remembered all that. Truthfully, I'm just as surprised as you are that it worked."

"I mean, I had to improvise a little bit, you know?" Hopper continued, planting himself on top of Janice's desk. "It turns out, getting to Mike – now that was the key."

"Well, I'm happy for you, Chief. Nice to see you smile for once around here." Edward sat down on the desk across from his superior, playing with the empty mug in his hands. "Hey, just a suggestion – maybe now that you don't have to worry about El running off with her boyfriend at fourteen, you can finally have a night to go out with Joyce Byers."

Hopper pretended to be shocked as he whistled from under his mustache. "Joyce? What? Are you –" He shook his head. "What would give you that idea? I have never once said –"

Edward gripped his boss' shoulder and shook it, grinning down at him with pity. "I've said this time and time again, Hop. You might be a good cop," he sighed, "but you're a terrible liar."

•••

Veronica found out the hard way that she was not meant to scoop ice cream for a living.

She had started a week later than planned, seeing as she had to come in and meet the manager of Scoops Ahoy, who was a balding, middle-aged man with cavities littering his whole mouth. His name was Mr. Spirit. "But everyone calls me Jerry or Jer-Bear," he said.

I'm not calling you, Jer-Bear, Veronica thought to herself, plastering a fake smile on her face.

For over twenty minutes, Jerry went on about his vision for the company, and how he was thankful for all the cavities he got from sweets when he was younger, because it allowed him to create Scoops Ahoy. Veronica had simply nodded along, wondering who the actual fuck dropped this guy on his head when he was a baby. He told her that he wanted to fill this place with "nothing but the best," and Steve had assured him that Veronica could do just that, which was slightly comforting. (Jerry did get that information from her biased, ex-boyfriend, but she'd keep her mouth shut about that for now.)

The rest of the interview was her signing a few contracts. The whole meeting could've been done in less than fifteen minutes if her new manager hadn't been talking so much about the first cavity he got when he was five.

So here she was now, first day on the job, finding out how much she absolutely hated ice cream and working for the public. Children ran amuck for several hours of the days. Parents had screaming matches with their infants. Just about everyone abused the free sample policy, and Veronica despised people telling her what to do. Why didn't anyone tell her that scooping goddamn ice cream would be this demeaning? She sold herself out to the man and this was her punishment.

About two hours into her shift, she told Steve she was taking a bathroom break without really asking him. Technically, he was the person in charge, but Veronica didn't give two shits. She walked out of the parlor and to the nearest payphone, right near the food court. Sliding a dusty quarter into the coin slot, Veronica quickly dialed the number Nancy gave her in case she had an emergency. Nothing major had happened today – besides getting chocolate ice cream all over her apron – but she definitely had an emergency.

"Hawkins Post," Nancy huffed on the other line, stress hinted in her tone.

"Nancy! Hi, it's Veronica," the blue-haired girl held the phone close to her ear, looking around to make sure no one had come looking for her yet.

There was a short pause. "Veronica? Um –" A muffled voice laughed on the other end, ordering Nancy to do something that Veronica couldn't make out. "Is there an emergency? Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine." Veronica chewed on her bottom lip. "Wait, no. I lied. Everything is not fine. This place is an actual nightmare and I really need someone to visit me, and I would like that someone to be you –"

"Veronica, I really can't come in. Today is already crazy at the Post and I –" Another muffled laugh bellowed through the speaker, but it wasn't Nancy's. "I have no time. I need to go get my boss' lunch."

"You can't just –"

Nancy sighed. "No, I can't. I'm really sorry, Ronnie. Good luck today."

The line suddenly went dead. Veronica's mouth hung open as the electronic operator said, "If you would like to make another call, please insert an additional twenty-five cents." Veronica groaned and slammed the payphone onto the stand, angrily stomping back to her workplace. She understood Nancy's life was crazy at the Hawkins Post – really, she did – but this stupid ice cream parlor was just as crazy and if Veronica didn't lose it by the end of today, then –

"Hey, Rockin' Ronnie!"

Veronica entered the threshold of Scoops Ahoy, looking up from her battered sneakers to see Robin waiting for her at the counter with a smirk. She crossed her arms over her chest and trudged over to her place behind the ice cream window. Robin carried her scooper in one manicured hand, holding it out to the blue-haired girl with ease. "A scooper's work is never done," Robin reminded, tapping her own temple.

Veronica wasn't sure if she liked Robin or not. She was funny and easy to work with, but Veronica was never sure when she was being sarcastic or actually serious. Robin always liked to bring up Veronica's old parties during sophomore year of high school, as well as the terrible people she used to hang out with, and while Veronica had a feeling that her coworker was trying to be funny, she hated being reminded of those years. It was annoying to remember a past you wished to forget.

Perhaps, maybe the reason why Veronica wasn't automatically clicking with Robin was because they were so much alike, and that was strange to her.

Working with Steve wasn't much of a highlight either. Her dad had said to never work with your ex, but she never realized just how serious he was. While she and Steve were cool around each other, she still had to stand there, scooping ice cream, while he attempted to flirt with girls still in high school. It wasn't that she was jealous; she just didn't want to see that. She never thought she'd see the day that Steve Harrington had trouble asking out a girl, and his recent efforts were puke-worthy.

Not to mention, the uniform Veronica had to wear was horrendous. She still wore her favorite Converse instead of the required white loafers, and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her.

Handing the fiftieth cone of ice cream that she scooped that day to Robin, Veronica shut the freezer window and leaned against it, enjoying the cool air. She plucked the cap off her head and began spinning it around her finger while Robin got the total for the couple in front of her. "Don't you ever get tired of this dumb uniform? I mean, I know this place is sailor themed, but even having an eye patch would be cooler than this shit." Veronica suddenly eyed the customers at the register, sending them a gracious smile.

"No, I'm just tired – that'll be two ninety-five, folks." Robin sighed, handing two ice creams over to the couple. "I want to take my damn lunch break and eat my feelings, but lover boy won't leave the backroom."

Veronica wrinkled her nose, turning away once Robin was handed her cash and the couple strode off. For a second, she debated on scooping herself a cup of vanilla. If she were being honest, Veronica was sure that she'd be sick of ice cream by the end of this summer, so she might as well eat it while she could.

"Hi!" A familiar voice made Veronica's ears perk up. "My name is –"

Her head almost made a three-sixty turn when she spun to see a delighted, young face at the register – one that she knew far too well. "Dustin?" She called, the end of her ponytail smacking her in the face. She blew strands of blue from her mouth. "What are you doing here, kid? I haven't seen you hanging around town with your buddies for weeks."

"Oh, hey, lady!" Dustin cracked a wide smile. "I've been at camp for a while. I heard he was here."

Robin crinkled her brow. "You heard who was here?"

Before Veronica could explain, the door to the backroom burst open, almost whacking Veronica in the head. She dodged it though, ducking her head against the freezer window, but Steve hardly noticed.

"Henderson!" Steve exclaimed, advancing towards his younger friend. Dustin simply laughed while Steve jumped in the air. "He's back! He's back!"

Dustin raised his hands. "I'm back! And you got the job!"

"I got the job!" Steve repeated, bounding over and playing an invisible trumpet with his hands. "Back in action, buddy!"

The two friends began to reenact their secret handshake, all the while Veronica and Robin stood motionless before them. Veronica had seen Steve and Dustin interact hundreds of times before. She was always surprised at how good they stayed friends after last year's Halloween, but an adventure like that could bring anybody together. (Hell, look what it did to her and Steve.) Dustin and Steve were a duo that couldn't be separated, and maybe that was a good thing.

Robin turned to Veronica with a lifted brow. "How many children is he friends with?"

•••

Dustin almost plunged his entire mouth into the famous Scoops Ahoy banana split, but he knew how to control himself. He sat in between Veronica and Steve, sinking deep into the red leather cushions. The parlor was currently dead, seeing as the mall was to close in under an hour, so all three employees were taking a moment to relax. They really didn't have a manager there to say otherwise. Jerry was hardly in as it was.

"I know it's hard to believe," Dustin began, sending Steve a wink, "but I met a girl at camp. A hot one too. Hotter than Amanda Wyss, even Phoebe Cates."

Steve shook his head. "No way. Hotter than Phoebe Cates?"

"Yes! Brilliant too." Dustin sighed, caught in a dreamlike state. "And she doesn't even care that my real pearls are still coming in. She says kissing is better without teeth."

Veronica and Steve shared a wide-eyed look, but eventually, the blue-haired girl smacked her cap on the table and commended Dustin. "Well, that's – wow. Good luck to you, my friend. I guess that's –"

"Romantic?" Steve finished with a shrug.

"Sure," she agreed, "let's go with that."

Dustin giggled before scooping another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. He hummed at the sweet flavor on his tongue, savoring every last bit. "So do you guys really just get to eat as much of this as you want?"

Veronica sat up and shrugged lazily. "I think so. It's only my first day."

Steve nodded, a satisfied grin pulling to his lips. "Yeah, I got Veronica to join the Scoops crew." He reached over the table and shook her shoulders, but she batted his hands away just as quickly.

"Oh, really?" Dustin swallowed down a bright, red cherry. "How many sundaes does he eat a day, lady?"

She chuckled, opening her mouth to answer, but Steve was already shaking his head dramatically. "I do not," he countered. "It's not really a good idea for me anyway. I gotta keep in shape for the ladies."

Veronica's eyes went wide, and if she didn't have a sense of self-control, she might've just smacked Steve's arm. For once, she was able to hold in her anger, sending Steve a look that said, Are you a fucking idiot?!

Dustin looked in between them. Silence engulfed the table. Steve and Veronica's eyes seemed to be having a conversation without words. Dustin cleared his throat. "Wait," he said, stabbing his spoon into his ice cream, "you guys aren't –"

"It's complicated," Steve interrupted.

"We broke up," Veronica replied just as quickly.

"I mean," Steve paused. "Yeah."

Dustin swiveled his head in both their directions. His blue stare went wider than ever before. "What happened? When I left – Veronica, you had decided on a college and –"

"It's just ..." Veronica exhaled, trying to move farther and farther from the booth, but her body yearned to stay within Steve's gaze, no matter how much she knew she shouldn't. "It's college stuff, Dustin. Adult stuff. You wouldn't get it."

"I'm sure I could try."

Veronica met Steve's eyes again, as if they were two magnets that couldn't be separated. Steve frowned, lips staying in a firm line, and yet, they both knew he longed to say so much. He knew it wasn't his choice, though. Veronica knew what she wanted, and it wasn't him, even though her heart screamed the opposite. She wanted to get out of Hawkins and she wanted a real college experience. Steve wouldn't guilt her into doing anything less.

With a heavy sigh, Veronica slid from the tight walls of the booth, sneakers squeaking against the clean floor that Robin just mopped. "I should go," she announced, tugging her cap back on the top of her head. "Like Robin said, 'A scooper's work is never done.'"

•••

A/N: ANGST ANGST ANGST

Just wanted to let y'all know that I'm going to TRY to update this fic now on Mondays and Thursdays!!!!!

( made by JustSav )