Chào các bạn! Vì nhiều lý do từ nay Truyen2U chính thức đổi tên là Truyen247.Pro. Mong các bạn tiếp tục ủng hộ truy cập tên miền mới này nhé! Mãi yêu... ♥

TWENTY SEVEN

CHAPTER 27
OFFICE ROMANCE




OUT of all things to come from the Halloween Disaster of 1984, Veronica never expected to become friends with Nancy Wheeler. The blueberry-haired bitch had never been fond of her, thinking Nancy to be a typical priss, a prude. But Nancy Wheeler wasn't like that at all. Getting to know Jonathan Byers had really shown her that labels never mattered, and she was an all-around better person because of him. Veronica looked up to Nancy's can-do attitude and the fact that she never stood down from something she believed in. It was this kind of outlook that landed her a job at the Hawkins Post right out of high school, while Veronica was still searching desperately.

The two girls lounged by the community pool on a hot summer day. It was a whopping ninety-two degrees, and both, sadly, weren't gifted with a house that came with a pool. They'd have to deal with the crowded, piss-stained watering hole that the whole town loved. Nancy thanked her lucky stars that today was her day off, but instead of relaxing, she was beginning to make herself angry all over again as she recapped her work week to Veronica.

Leaning back against her chair, Veronica listened to Nancy drone on and on about the sexist men she had to deal with at the Post. She really admired Nancy's job, though she wasn't sure if she could control her anger around a bunch of pigs. Veronica almost wanted to write for the Post herself, but she felt that she was very much unqualified. She'd just continue to sit back and listen, wondering if that was almost like being there.

Veronica picked at her black, heart-shaped one-piece bathing suit as she waited for Nancy to stop groaning and hollering. Her friend was dressed in pastel pink bikini, showing off the small amount of curves she had, while her hair was thrown up with a red scrunchie. Veronica's own hair lay in blue, beach waves across her back, the fading becoming less prominent because of the lemon juice she squirted in her roots this morning. The sun was truly hair dye's best friend.

Nancy huffed, her hour-long rant officially coming to a close, and Veronica suddenly wished she had a cigarette in her hands to take in all the news. (Grown men were certainly a bunch of sexist assholes.) But the community pool was full of children, and she knew better. She may have been addicted to the bitter taste of nicotine, but Veronica Moreda was a little bit smarter than the average smoker.

"I really want to work at the Hawkins Post, but ..." Nancy sighed, pushing her white-rimmed sunglasses higher on the bridge of her nose. "Maybe I should look for another job."

Veronica snorted. "Help me while you're at it. I need a summer job badly before I move into school in September."

Nancy's head whipped in her direction. "I didn't know you committed to a college."

"Clarion University," Veronica replied, tossing her hair to the side. "They offered me a shit load of student aid. I'll take what I can."

"Huh," Nancy frowned and sat further back in her lounge chair. A kid ran out of the pool and flicked some water in her direction as he went to his mother. "Do you even know what you want to major in?"

Veronica swallowed hard, a clear sign that she, indeed, did not have any clue what she wanted to do. She tried playing it off coolly, though, and waved the subject away with her hand. "That's just a stepping stone," she continued. "I'll figure it out."

Nancy simply lifted her brow and dropped the subject, much to Veronica's relief.

The blue-haired girl watched the families come in and out of the pool's entrance, but it still felt even more crowded than it was just minutes ago. She couldn't blame them; the sun was bright and beating hot against their tiny town, and there was only one kind of cure for this kind of heat.

Veronica's dark brown eyes danced across the glittering turquoise water, almost matching the same color of her hair when she didn't dye it for months. She noticed one of the lifeguards currently on duty was Heather Holloway, and she scrunched her nose up. She had never liked Heather. The brunette once said to her that she taught people "real life." Veronica had walked away from the conversation, quipping in Heather's direction, "You're beautiful."

Licking her bottom lip, Veronica spun back to her friend.

"I saw Harrington at Starcourt yesterday." She said, digging out an old, hand-me-down pair of her father's sunglasses from her bag. Sliding them onto her nose, she looked back to Nancy and saw the brunette giving her wide eyes. "Is it weird if I talk about him? I mean, he's both of our –"

Nancy shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Now, spill the drama."

Veronica rolled her eyes, but it was hardly visible beneath the dark shades. "He works at the new ice cream parlor in the mall. Scoops Ahoy, I think it was called." She looked down at her chipped fingernails as a distraction. "He suggested I work there with him."

"What?! Oh, my god." Nancy's mouth fell open, a high-pitched squeal resonating from her throat. A few heads turned in their direction, but she paid them no mind. Veronica looked around warily. "Veronica, this could be, like, an office romance. Or – I don't know. Something in that nature."

"Um – no, it would not," Veronica wagged a finger in her friend's direction, "because we aren't together anymore."

Nancy slumped back and huffed under her breath, bottom lip popping out dramatically. "I never understood why you two broke up anyways."

"Because," Veronica exhaled, readying herself to repeat the words that she said to at least every person who asked about her break up, "we were gonna break up once I went to college and I knew we would both just be reminded of it all summer. It was better to cut the cord early."

"If you say so."

She frowned at the mention of her breakup. It seemed to be all people could remind her of – then again, she was only close with maybe three people. But having more than one person remind you of your breakup with Steve "the Hair" Harrington was one too many. It was enough to drive anyone insane.

Veronica decided to take on a lighter subject and nudged her friend with her elbow. "Hey," she said, mouth forming into a grin, "maybe we should just work at the community pool."

Nancy giggled loudly, just enough to attract the attention of a new lifeguard who was entering the premises as they spoke. His dark blonde hair was tousled, choppy waves just about reaching his shoulders, while his skin was sun-kissed. His sunglass-covered eyes roamed the area of the pool as he exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigarette, until they finally landed on a certain blue-haired girl that he engaged in a scuffle with last year. He hardly spoke to her since then, but he was a new man now. The summer had brought him a new job that reminded him of home, and he felt welcomed by the Hawkins community – or maybe it was just all the hot moms that he conversed with. He wasn't scared of Veronica Moreda anymore.

"Can I ask why you ladies aren't swimming?"

With a hand over her eyes, Veronica lifted her head to see Billy Hargrove standing in front of them, sporting a small pair of red shorts and shiny silver whistle. "Oh, god," Nancy groaned at the sight of him.

"Billy?" Veronica lifted a brow. "What are you doing here? Wouldn't have pegged you to be within ten feet of a Hawkins public vicinity."

He wrinkled his nose. "And why is that, Moreda?"

"Because you hate it here."

Billy looked away, curling his lips into a smirk and chewing on a piece of gum so goddamn loudly. "For your information," he replied, "I work here. I'm a lifeguard."

Nancy and Veronica shared a look, both fighting the urge to break out into a fit of chuckles. Veronica wouldn't trust a guy like him to give her mouth-to-mouth even if her life depended on it.

"Why are you even over here talking to me?" Her sunglasses slid down the edge of her nose, and she met his ocean-blue eyes over the rim. "You haven't said a word to me since I bashed your face in last year."

Billy puckered his mouth, disagreeing with her statement. "That's not what happened, but –"

"That is what happened, dickhead."

"Anyways," he continued, flicking his sunglasses up so she could get a better look at his eyes. That familiar, devilish smirk was playing at his lips again, and all she wanted to do was smack it off. "I came over here to offer you some free – let's call them – private swimming lessons."

Nancy's upper lip curled back with disgust. "Oh, I don't need –"

"Wasn't asking you, princess." He turned back to Veronica, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. His skin smelt like sunscreen and chlorine. "What do you say, Moreda?"

Veronica smiled, playing up the dramatics. She pressed a hand to her chest, pretending to be surprised at his oh-so-helpful act of kindness, and fanned her other hand in front of her face. "Oh, my god. You're asking me if I want lessons? I can't believe the Billy Hargrove is offering me private swimming lessons!"

Billy grinned, but soon enough, that expression faded and realization dawned on him. The sight made Veronica cackle, and she suddenly stopped acting like he was a god walking the earth. It was fun while it lasted.

"Fuck off, Billy," she seethed, "or I'll sucker punch you in the nose again."

•••

"And then, El – she just slams the door. Right in my face."

Hopper tore through a blueberry muffin with frustration, crumbs flying from his mouth as he grumbled. Edward Moreda watched him with curious eyes, one bushy brow lifted, as he sat back in his leather chair and propped his feet onto his desk. Both of their offices were right next to each other since they worked so close together in the force, but Hopper had barely opened his door before he was crashing into Edward's to complain, a large muffin already in hand.

"You know, it's her smug, son of a bitch boyfriend, Mike." Hopper continued, beginning to pace around the office. "He's corrupting her, I'm telling you. And I'm just gonna lose it someday. I know I am."

Edward shrugged. "There really isn't a lot you can do, Hopper. She's growing up."

"I need for them to break up. I'm gonna have to break them up." He stood still for a moment, as if the idea suddenly dawned on him. The morning sun began to reflect on Hopper's face, tearing through the cracks of the blinds in Edward's office "They're spending entirely too much time together, Ed."

"You can't force them apart. She's a teenager now – they're both teenagers. If you order them around like a cop, they're gonna rebel." Edward explained, taking a sip from the mug on his desk. He noticed then that the coffee had turned cold. "I mean, do you know how many times I had to deal with Veronica rebelling against me when I told her she couldn't do something? Jesus Christ, defying me was like her hobby."

Hopper stuffed another piece of muffin in his mouth. Crumbs fell into his beard. "Then, what am I supposed to do? Stand by idly?"

"No, no," Edward scoffed, sitting up straighter. He laced his hands together. "Whenever Veronica brought home a new boyfriend – and trust me, not many stuck around, until last year – I made sure to set boundaries with her, but in a way that didn't sound like I was parenting her."

"Boundaries."

Edward nodded. "Yeah, Hop. You have to sit her down and talk to her calmly, like a friend. Have a heart-to-heart conversation, and she'll understand where you're coming from." He then looked away, shrugging casually at a memory. "Of course, half the time, Veronica didn't necessarily follow through with my boundaries, but at least she heard me out."

"Heart-to-heart. Boundaries. Got it." Hopper nodded quickly, breaking off his last piece of muffin and swallowing it whole. He dusted the crumbs off on his uniform. "Thanks, Ed. Sorry for dumping all that on you."

Edward grinned, eyeing the nameplate that sat right on the front of his desk. "You're supposed to. I'm your deputy remember?"

•••

Veronica felt totally and completely useless.

She barged through the front door of her house, practically banging her shoulder against the chipped paint and hardwood, before throwing her bag onto the kitchen counter. She had just gotten back from an interview to work for a local convenience store – the same one she used to stand by when she was sixteen, asking people to buy her cigarettes – but it had gone terribly. Veronica had made an effort to dress up for it and everything. It wasn't enough, though, but then again, when was it ever enough.

The manager told her they couldn't follow through with the hiring process because she smelled like cigarettes, and since they recently went nicotine-free, it would be a bad look for them. Not to mention, her hair color was unnatural, and she'd have to sacrifice dying her hair back to brown. Veronica would be damned if it came to that.

Clearly, she was frustrated.

Veronica looked up and saw a sticky note on the stove. Working late tonight. Manning a protest at the town hall. See you later. –Dad. Looks like it was her night to cook dinner.

She had already checked the mailbox for any news about job applications, but came in with nothing. Veronica sprinted over to the phone and pressed play on the voicemail. But that, too, left her with no responses back. The only message was for Edward, telling him that he forgot to pay the monthly water bill again, and if he didn't send a check, their water would be turned off in a week.

There was only a week and a half left of June. The summer was passing by too quickly, and she was still hunting for a seasonal job. Veronica would be lucky if she had any savings before moving into her dorm. At this point, she was tired and defeated. She began to actually wonder if it was worth it to sacrifice her own personal style for a job.

She sighed heavily, crumpling the note from her dad and chucking it into the trash can. Turning on her heel to walk to her bedroom, Veronica found herself looking over her shoulder at the trash again. Sitting beneath the ball of paper was her milkshake cup from yesterday. She focused on the red Scoops Ahoy logo on the front, as if it was staring back at her, and she was suddenly having ideas that she might regret.

Maybe there was at least one job she'd have a shot at.

•••

A/N: I hope y'all are ready for the scoops gang because I love them all with my whole goddamn heart 🥰🥰🥰

Probably good to mention this now – updates are going to be pretty sporadic until I get ahead on prewriting. Once I have a good amount of chapters prewritten, I'll tell you guys what the update schedule will be!

( made by JustSav )

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro