Mary sat alone. She had been sitting at the top of the stairs inside Tina's house since Steve had left her. She hadn't been feeling so good from the alcohol she had consumed, yet she drank more because it made the nausea fade for a short while.

Her tanned skin was breaking a sweat from the body heat inside the house that traveled up the stairway. She sipped on her punch, watching through the spacious living room to where Nancy and Steve were dancing.

She sighed deeply, tipping her head back and leaning it against the wall as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs but didn't bother to look nor move her legs that were blocking the way.

She heard a small chuckle, "You look like crap." She peaked one eye open, instantly spotting Jonathan standing above her with his coat still on and hands shoved deep into the pockets.

She scoffed, "Feel like it too," She admitted as the boy sat down on the step below her, pulling his jacket off as he went. She smiled lazily at him, "What made you show up? Shouldn't you be neck deep in candy by this point?" She asked with a arched eyebrow — if she weren't sitting her hands would be no doubt settled on her hips.

"I felt like I was only weighing Will down so I left him with his friends," He told her and she hummed as a reply. He took in her disheveled look with the frown to accompany it, "Why are you sitting here alone?" He asked curiously; he wondered how the hell someone like Mary Hopper could be alone at a party.

She heaved out a dramatic sigh, "Because maybe I'm destined to be alone," Jonathan snorted then coughed to cover it up, earning a sharp glare on Mary's behalf, "What?" She asked, squinting her eyes at the younger boy.

He laughed a little, not looking her in the eyes, "Nothing, it's just funny, someone like you thinking they could end up alone —"

"Someone like me?" She pushed.

Jonathan met her eyes, "Pretty, popular, well-liked," He stated and she scoffed in refusal, rolling her head on her shoulders to look away from him, "I mean it Mary, you're not the type of person who's going to end up slumming it alone." He assured her and she tilted her head, looking at him.

"As apposed to you who's so sure he'll end up alone because his one true love is with the wrong guy — you've just about accepted your loneliness at this point, right?" She fired over at him, but her tone wasn't nasty or bitter, it had a hint of playfulness in it that Jonathan could spot.

He was laughing that laugh of his that was more like a couple of quick breaths — a composed and timid but cute laugh, "Mary Hopper, you've really got everyone figured out." He told her and she shot him some finger guns, winking awfully and drunkenly.

Silence lapsed over them and Mary watched as Jonathan's gaze drifted to the living room, watching Nancy dancing with Steve. She found herself rolling her eyes so hard they almost got stuck, "Oh god!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up and Jonathan tuned to her quickly, jumping a little in surprise.

She had a glare of annoyance on her face as she folded her arms across her chest, slouching further down. Jonathan stared a her, "What? What's the matter?" He asked her in sudden concern, wondering what could have the girl so frustrated.

       She looked down at him, one of her hands tangled in the curls of her hair. She sighed in defeat, "Why is it that the men in my life would much rather hang out with Nancy Wheeler?" She asked him, that vulnerable and rare look on her face that gave Jonathan butterflies.

      His mouth opened and closed, "No — No one likes Nancy more than you, Mary. It's just —"

       "Just what? Huh?" She asked, pulling out her hand from under the curls of her hair and gesturing with it, "She's just nicer than me and prettier and has a heart of gold, right? I just... I guess just for once I want someone to pick me over her." She said with a shrug, holding both her hands up like she were weighing scales.

      Jonathan was frowning deeply, the spot between his eyebrows notched together. He looked up at the girl who seemed irritated at the situation, "All my life I've been used to being Steve's first choice and then came along Nancy... And then Charlie — he took her word over mine all those months back, we broke up through her, because she's the sincere one! The believable one!"

      "And now you," Her eyes met his and he faltered under her brown eyed gaze, "Even you will go crawling to Nancy before me. She's like an enigma for love and loyalty! I just... I guess for once I want to be someone's first choice." She sighed deeply, moving her legs so that her feet were now resting flat on the step Jonathan was on and she buried her face into her hands, using her thighs to support her elbows.

      Jonathan watched her, trying to find the right words but he supposed nothing he could say would matter to her — not whilst she was drunk anyway; it seemed to bring out insecurities in her that lay hidden.

      The boy reached up and put his hand over hers, making her raise her head and meet his eyes. He inhaled deeply, trying to be brave for what he was about to say, "You know you'd be the first choice of every guy at school, right? They all follow you around like lost puppies! Those guys wanna be with you. Not Nancy." He tried reassuring her, but she shook her head, refusing to believe it counted because it didn't; they weren't the people she wanted to want her.

      Jonathan breathed in through his nose, "I was one of those guys," He admitted and her eyes widened as her eyebrows went up, raising her head a little, "I started school the year after you had and by then, you were already super cool and popular. I was always hearing about your wild adventures — they were practically drilled into me."

       "And the more I saw you playing the schools bad girl I started to feel like now there's a girl, there's a girl trying as hard as me to fit in — maybe even harder," His voice was gentle, his eyes focused on his hand over hers. Her eyes were on him, "I remembered you from middle school. I knew how sweet you were — how kind you had been. You had that good girl gone bad complex."

       "You were this big mystery that wasn't so mysterious after all — I realised that last year, once I had got to know you," He told her and she pursed her lips, listening to him talk to her over the sound of Cindi Lauper playing in the living room, "You were the enigma to me. I liked spending time with you, so much so that I would have chosen you over Nancy any day."

      Mary stared at him timidly, "What changed?" She dared to ask.

       Jonathan pulled in air through his teeth, not meeting her eyes before he finally did, "After The Upside Down you had Charlie back — everything was the way it should've been for you. You had what you wanted again," He told her, "And I realised that our friendship meant more to me than the idea of you — which is why sometimes, I'd have to put others before you. Because we are friends but we can't always choose each other." 

      Mary stared at him, her quizzical brows pulled downwards, shaping into her thinking face. She inched closer to him, her lips slowly stretching into a smile, "You work wonders Jonathan Byers — you sure you still wanna be a photographer? Maybe a poet would suit you better. Or a psychiatrist." She told him playfully, revealing the Mary Jonathan had came to know and love.

      The boy chuckled, "Nah, I think I'll stick to what I'm good at — also, I have those pictures developed that you wanted. You know, the ones from our trip to the Grant Canyon last year," He told her and her lips parted, suddenly remembering how a few weeks back she had asked Jonathan for the images, "You'll need to stop by and get them."

      She was grinning now, her moment of self loathing passing by, "Jonathan, your a star! I wanted to add a few of them to the yearbook — that way once I leave you and Wheeler can look at the Class of '84 yearbook and feel dead inside when you see pictures of us." She told him with a narcissistic smile.

     Jonathan chuckled, "Is that so?"

     She hummed in agreement, "I give Fernando — the Spanish exchange student some smokes when he's stressed. He's always willing to do me a good favour, why not put it in motion and get a full page of the yearbook dedicated to Canyon adventures?" She asked with a risen eyebrow, smiling mischievously and Jonathan found it contagious.

       "Or, I myself can do it considering I signed up to help out with the yearbook," He said and she shrugged whilst muttering 'my idea is better'. He smiled at her, "How are you getting home later?" He asked her curiously, well aware of how much she had drank; he could tell from her constant shifts of moods and how she couldn't speak a sentence without messing up the words a little.

      She pulled a face, "Don't know," She admitted, "I never really considered any of the options after I had about five cups of punch — I'll probably just walk it." She said with a careless shrug, the side of her top lip raising up.

       "To your trailer?"

      "Yuuup."

       "In the woods?"

      Mary turned to him, licking her lips, "Yes Byers, my trailer is in fact in the woods. What's your damage?" She asked him with a risen eyebrow and the boy threw his hands up.

       "It's miles away, your wearing those shoes," He pointed at her high heels, "And your wasted."

      Mary sat up, straightening herself out, "I'll have you know that I've sobered up and can now speak full sentences!" She exclaimed defensively, her voice going unusually high pitched.

      Jonathan tried to stop his laughter. He opened his mouth to retort when suddenly both Nancy and Steve were storming up the stairs, "Nancy, wait!" Steve yelled after the girl who's white sweater was soaked in red punch — the same as what Mary's would have been from when Billy surprised her if she wasn't wearing black.

      Nancy stormed by the pair and Steve gave an apologetic smile — it appeared he was actually the sober one. Nancy stormed into the bathroom and Steve followed after her whilst Mary and Jonathan sat in a silence.

      Their eyes met, pulling faces that spoke 'what the hell just happened?'. Mary got to her feet, swaying a little on the wobbly heels. She could hear faint noises from the bathroom which sounded like an argument between the pair and Mary wondered what had happened.

       Mary humphed out a grunt as she moved towards the bathroom despite Jonathan's whisper yells — like a comical duo trying to spy and failing terribly at it.

       Mary pressed her ear against the door, but still she could barley hear anything the pair was saying. But she heard the worst of it, something along the lines of perfect Nancy Wheeler saying the word 'bullshit' over and over again and proceeding to say that Steve and their relationship was bullshit.

       Mary felt sympathetic in that moment for Steve, wondering how he would cope with what the girl was saying. But suddenly, the door was opening and Mary tried to move away as quickly as possible as not to be caught eavesdropping but Steve didn't seem to care anyway as he stormed down the stairs, wiping at his eyes.

       Mary and Jonathan's eyes connected before she moved down the stairs and he came up them whilst saying 'I'll go after him' and 'I'll check on her.' And so the pair went their separate ways, going after their friends — although, they both had some sort of feelings for them.

       "Steve!" Mary called after the boy, rushing down the stairs. She slipped a little, almost going over her ankle but she managed to grab the banister first. She hissed as she crouched down and peeled the heels off her feet, "Stupid shitty heels!" She exclaimed before running out of the house barefoot.

       She avoided the smashed glass and the vomit that was on the pebbled path, pulling a face of disgust at it. She ran towards Steve's car who was in the drives side, leant over the steering wheel with his head in his hands.

       Mary tried the door but he had locked it from the inside and she threw her hands up, "Come on, man. Let me in!" She said, banging his window but the boy didn't respond. Mary settled her hands on her hips and scowled, "Steven Harrington, I'm freezing my ass off out here now open the damn door!" She yelled and was satisfied when he leaned over and pushed the passenger door open for her.

      She climbed in, shivering as she went before she tossed her shoes to the backseats. She turned to her friend and noticed he had been crying. She sighed deeply, "Oh, Steve." She said, reaching over to pull him into a hug — the same way he had when she had been crying in her own car out side of the Holland's.

"How about we get away from here, huh? We can crash in your garage or something — avoid your parents. Or we can go to mine, my dad doesn't mind you sleeping over if you're on the floor." She suggested.

She paused for a brief moment, thinking something over, "You'll have to drive though. I'm wasted." Steve laughed into her neck a little before pulling back, rubbing at the tears in his eyes.

"I feel like an idiot." He admitted, gripping onto the steering wheel.

"You are an idiot," Mary pointed out. The fact she was still slightly drunk meaner she didn't really speak with a filter. Steve glared at her, "But not for this! This is Nancy, not you." She assured him, putting her hand on his arm.

He turned to her, "What if it's not though? I was — I was ready to kiss you earlier and —"

"We were playing around," Mary spoke over him, trying to not let him blame himself for Nancy's cold words, "And besides, let's be real. You and I are assholes — and we're even bigger ones when we're drunk! That whole kiss thing it was... It was ridiculous. We were being silly." She tried to assure him, needing him to believe; for once she didn't mind being the second choice if it meant Steve was happy.

The boy sighed deeply, resting his head against the headrest of the car. He nodded once and Mary felt he heart sink, "You're right," He agreed and she put on a false smile. He laughed nervously, "We're best friends for a reason, what where we thinking!" She joined in on his laughter, although neither of them realised it was forced.

Mary leaned over, looking at him in full seriousness, "Can we pinky swear that we'll never speak about this again?" She asked him hopefully and the boy offered up his pinky, wrapping it around hers without hesitation.

"Pinky swear," He agreed, "And we're probably best going to yours — our coffee machine broke and you and me we're gonna need all we can get in the morning."

Mary's lips parted in an 'ooo' motion, "Good idea. Save the kids that rely on coffee to function."

                            ———

       Long time no update! My time keeping with this fic is ridiculous and I forgot I had chapters already written! And I'm gonna try and write/post a few more recently! So have a look out and don't be afraid to comment more, I love comments💞!

        Also, sidenote: I ship Mary with everyone. Help!