*ੈ✩‧₊˚

˚⋆ ┊ ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING ┊ ⋆˚
☆⋅⋆ ─ act i. don't you want me, baby?

CHAPTER THREE — halloween
( episode two ; trick or treat, freak )

❀

⠀ ⠀ HALLOWEEN HAD LONG BEEN PEYTON'S FAVORITE HOLIDAY. Well, second favorite technically but she would die before admitting that her actual favorite holiday was Christmas.

Still, Halloween certainly wasn't far off.

Especially when it involved dressing up with her best friend and going to stupid parties. Seeing her brother dressed up and excited for the day was also a plus.

Walking through the door as both Bob and Joyce had cameras pointed at the boys, their costume was obvious to anyone who hadn't been living under a rock since summer.

Ghostbusters!

Both with homemade proton packs, traps, and badges. She hadn't seen her little brother look so excited to be in costume for a long time. I mean, he was practically beaming when he got to school. Peyton was continuing to abuse the little freedom she had by driving herself, even if it was easier to get a ride from Jonathan or even Billy. She enjoyed the time alone in the ten seconds it took to drive from Hawkins Middle to Hawkins High.

In the days leading up to the anniversary of Will's disappearance, going to school had started to feel futile. The days were getting longer, the tests more pointless, and the innocent peers unbearable.

Even when most of this day in particular day was spent in anticipation of Tina's stupid party.

Joey had already picked their costumes out. Peyton would fit comfortably into the after image of Sandy Olsson. Leather, spandex and cigarettes were, in fact, three of her favorite parts of life. Whilst Joey would quite naturally put on the before part, Sandra Dee, costume. Although, of course, altered from the 50s aesthetic with a skirt, poodle sewn on the corner and all, that fell to her knees and a white shirt tied in a knot to show at least a little skin for Halloween.

Peyton could tell something was wrong with Nancy even from afar. When Joey had dragged her friend to the library, mainly in worry of her steadily declining academic status. She'd sharpened her pencil to a stud, staring at the back of the head of a girl that resembled Barb and Peyton wanted more than anything to reassure her. But before she had the chance to Harrington, ever the knight in shining armor, had dragged her away to talk privately.

Peyton hadn't even noticed she was staring until her best friend's not-so-quiet whisper met her ears, "I feel bad," Joey's concerned tone had yet to break the blonde from her trance

"Hmm?"

"For Nance," glancing over to see the brunette had also noticed their friend's anxious state, Peyton only nodded, at a clear loss for words as she knew Joey didn't truly understand what they were going through, "I don't know what I'd do if you went missing," tears began to prick her eyes but all she could do was listen, "I just hope they find her," brows knitting together, Peyton scanned the table in desperation as flashes of Barb's body in the upside-down polluted her thoughts

"I have to go," fumbling to pick up all her things, Joey was more confused and clueless than concerned for her friend. She and Barb had barely said a word to each other her disappearance couldn't have affected her that greatly

"Peyton-" barely able to get her name out, Joey watched as she slammed through the door, creaking hinges masking the sound of an escaped sob as Peyton practically sprinted toward the bathroom. She never cried, not in front of anyone, and yet this whole anniversary effect thing was kicking her ass.

Heavy breathing changed to a stifled cry when footsteps caused the Evans girl's hand to go flying over her mouth. But rather than the criticism and cruelty from other high school girls, Peyton heard the soft and concerned tone of none other than Nancy Wheeler herself

"Peyton?"

Fighting her emotions, the blonde cleared her throat, trying anything to make it seem as though she hadn't just been bawling her eyes out, "That you, Nance?"

"Yeah, I, uh, I saw you run in here pretty fast," ─ is she... crying too? ─ "Are you alright?" and god damn it for once in her life Peyton wanted so desperately to fight the urge to lie. To fight the rage instilled in her from her mother, the shrill voice that she could still here

Big girls don't cry, Peyton! You're not a little bitch, are you?

Sniffles that didn't sound anything like a cold were unsuccessfully hidden behind stifled coughs and false laughter, "I- I'm fine,"

"Oh..." Nancy trailed off, heartbroken tone echoing throughout the empty bathroom as Peyton's anxiety-filled fingers writhed unceremoniously from where her palms pressed against the bathroom stall walls, "I'm not," confessed Nancy, ever the girl that has a good relationship with her mother.

But her friend's comfort in sharing her emotions was the final push Peyton needed. Hands working faster than her brain, she soon found herself unlocking the stall and leaping into the comforting arms of the crying Wheeler girl.

No more words were said that day. As they lowered to the ground, minds too overwhelmed with anger and sadness to care about the cleanliness of the girl's bathroom floor. There was nothing left to say.

Nothing left to do but sit and feel and cry...

❀ུ۪

⠀ "SO, YOU HIT 'T' TO ZOOM IN, AND 'W'  ZOOMS BACK OUT," overhearing the explanation she and her brother had been through many times, Peyton smiled when Jonathan nodded as he was given the camera. Although she'd decided to take a chance and wear the costume she and Joey had created, The Evans girl still had enough sense not to wear it in its altered, party-ready state. Hair curled and pinned to one side, Peyton had opted to pocket the bright red lipstick in her jacket to apply once she'd arrived.

Jonathan had agreed to give her a ride before taking Will trick or treating. She honestly didn't expect him to show up later like Nancy had asked, but, hey, miracles happen. Approaching the bathroom, Peyton had to do a double-take when she noticed the proton pack her brother had spent so long making had somehow gotten damaged. Now, for the most part, Peyton stayed out of her little brother's various drama with other petty and annoying middle schoolers. But when it came to things like physical violence and bullying, the easily irritated blonde would confront them with all the grace of a protective mama bear

But she couldn't let him know that, of course. Nothing worse for a kid his age than people knowing a girl has to fight his battles for him. A big brother? now, that would be different. How fun that kids learn to be sexist assholes at such a young age.

"Hey, what happened to your costume?" eyes widening quickly, a string of incoherent mumbles left the 12-year-old's mouth. There was no chance he could lie now. Peyton had been able to read him like a book since he learned to talk, "Parker, hey," hand gently meeting his shoulder, "Come on, tell me what happened," unable to keep secrets from his sister any longer, Parker sighed deeply, gaze fixed on anything but her concerned eyes

"Madmax," his voice was but a whisper, but much more intelligible than the murmurs from seconds ago

"What?" questioned Peyton, the name concerning only because she knew a certain relative of the red-haired arcade champion that wasn't above terrorizing middle schoolers

"She must have said something to Billy," shrugged Parker, trying his best not to seem heartbroken, "He ran us off the road. I fell on my ass, it's not a big deal,"

But it absolutely was a big deal.

Tongue running over her teeth, the Evans girl found herself shaking her head in disbelief and anger. Considering Billy a 'friend' was not worth the benefits when it came to the safety of her little brother. And now, Mr. Hargrove was simply 'using the wrong tone' away from being added to Peyton's long and extensive shitlist, "I'm gonna kill him,"

"Peyton-"

"I'm actually gonna kill him,"

Adamant that she too stayed safe, Parker's urgent, albeit harsh, grip on her prized leather jacket snapped her from the protective rage setting in, "Listen, I don't like him!" insisted the 12-year-old, "But I don't want you to get hurt," sensing his worry, Peyton swallowed her pride ─ at least for now ─ to paint on a false yet convincing smile of reassurance.

"I'm not gonna get hurt, kiddo, I promise. Alright?" knuckles brushing gently against his chin, Parker gave a small yet unconvincing nod, as though still trying to decide if he actually believed his sister's word. But before he had any time to dwell, he found himself being led by the proton pack to the living room where Jonathan, Joyce, Will (in Ghostbusters attire), and their dad (in a rather enthusiastic Dracula costume) were waiting for them, "Hey, get me some good candy to steal from you tonight, hmm?" this time, Parker only chuckled, grasping the pillowcase he was about to use to gather the copious amounts of candy he planned to get his hands-on

"Listen, stay close to your brother, okay?" peering over her brother's shoulder, she watched Joyce grip her youngest gently by the shoulders to look him in the eye, having just helped the tiny boy into his rather large backpack, "And listen, listen, listen... If you get a bad feeling or anything, you tell him to take you straight home," Peyton hated the way Will's smile began to falter. Even if Joyce only meant well, especially regarding all she'd been through almost losing her son last year, a kid his age needs a sense of independence. Of trust. Not that he'd ever let on, "You promise?"

Getting out the door was turning out to be the most difficult part of the evening. Losing daylight, the teens and their tween siblings were eager to get going, especially when their candy collection depended on it. So, with a few waves of goodbye and an astoundingly awful Dracula impression from their father, the words, "I hope it doesn't suck!" sent the unlikely four on their merry (or, rather, spooky) way.

─────

More often than not, Peyton hated parties. The smell of spilled alcohol and desperately horny teenagers made her feel genuinely sick. But, they were also important to Joey. And Joey was important to her. So, she was willing to sacrifice a night or ten to suffer through the bad moments if it meant her friend was happy.

Which had never been clearer than the second Peyton set foot through the door. Eyes wide, Joey shoved through various costumed teens to get to the other half of her costume

"Oh my gosh! You look amazing! Your costume looks so good!" feeling arms wrap around her, Peyton couldn't help but grin at the enthusiasm Joey had about their costumes

"Come on, have you seen yours?" she quipped back, holding Joey and an arms-length as she looked her up and down, "Hottest couples costume if I do say so myself," slightly caught off guard, Joey breathed in, as if she had something else to add, but soon stopped herself short to simply nod in agreement

"Come on, let's get you a drink," taking her hand, Peyton was slightly shocked at the urgency with which she was tugged through to the kitchen.

There were, of course, nice moments to be had when it came to high school parties. A good example at this year's Halloween party was, for Peyton at least, being seen with Billy Hargrove. Now, Peyton was never bullied for extremely obvious reasons. But she was never what you would call popular. Sure, people knew she was hot, in a yeah, I'd let her kick my ass kind of way. But she was never kind cheerleader dating the captain of the basketball team popular.

And although the phrase Billy's girl made her want to tear the head off the asshole implying she belonged to anyone, it came with some serious perks. It wasn't as if she hadn't noticed the lack of asshole guys making dumb, sex joke pick-up lines as if they could work on any girl with more than two brain cells.

But tonight, she didn't feel much like Billy's girl at all. In their never-ending game of cat and mouse, he'd caught her a single time for a brief, yet satisfying, classic party bathroom hook-up.

It wasn't until Mötley Crüe's 'Shout at the Devil' boomed from the speakers, accompanied by the chorus of various teens screaming "Billy! Billy! Billy!" that Peyton had remembered his existence. So much of the night had been spent dancing with Joey, and drinking far too much considering there were still hours left of partying to be done, her plans of confronting the unlucky Hargrove had left her mind

Eyes rolling into the back of her head, Peyton felt herself scanning the dance floor filled with either dancing or dry-humping teenagers before her eyes finally landed on the aforementioned Hargrove. He was shoving his way, rather urgently, through the sea of people, most definitely coming towards her.

Closely followed by several of her least favorite people in the world.

"We got ourselves a new Keg King, Harrington!" exclaimed Tommy, hand meeting Billy's shoulder, who continued to stare Steve down, cigarette between his teeth

"Yeah, that's right!"

"Yeah. Eat it, Harrington!"

Nancy didn't stand around longer than a second when her boyfriend removed his sunglasses to get a good look at his overtaker. Shooting Peyton a quick and exasperated glance, she wasted no time making a beeline for the foamy, alcohol-filled punch bowl.

"Impressed yet?" forgetting that proximity would make the stench of beer flood her nostrils, Peyton struggled, only for a moment, to remain poker-faced. A moment that went undetected, as in true Evans girl fashion, her head simply tilted to the side as a mocking smirk grew wide.

"Blow me," various snickers from his so-called 'friends', and a blink-and-you-miss-it falter in his smug, assholery-filled smirk were all Peyton needed to be satisfied she'd gotten under his skin. It was barely even a comeback. Just two words he'd probably heard put together many times before. Only now, Peyton had an odd feeling that, for whatever reason, he truly was trying to impress her.

Still, rather than waste any more time in the presence of Tommy H and his goons, Peyton used her heel to push herself from the wall. The clink of metallic belt buckles was heard by only her and Billy as she used their proximity, and she could tell just by the look in his eye that the only brains young Hargrove had left to use were his downstairs brains. Yet again, the Evans girls stole his cigarette right from his lips, making a point of knocking into his shoulder as she shoved her way past.

Arriving at the punch bowl, Peyton made it just in time to see Steve's concerned reaction to Nancy deciding to down her cups of foamy, red alcohol

"Hey..." hand gently meeting her arm, Nancy didn't slow for a second, "Whoa, whoa! Hey... Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy," but Nancy tilted her head further, set on finishing the cup in one, "Take it easy," leaning against the counter, Peyton glanced between the two, Nancy ignoring him still, "Nance, Nance, Nance..." pulling away, Nancy shot Steve a forced angered and confused expression, arms spread as a hint of sarcasm seeped through her infuriated tone

"We're just being stupid teenagers for the night. Wasn't that the deal?" speechless, Steve watched Nancy go for yet another full cup of alcohol, spilling red on her cheek from the speed it slid from the cup down her throat. Wiping her face with her fingertip, Nancy shot her boyfriend one last warning glare before raising her arms to make her way through the crowd. Deciding to remain in the kitchen, Steve's palms hit the counter; he took a deep breath as annoyance began to mingle with worry.

Liquid courage deciding to show, Peyton leaned forward to interject on an argument she would soberly have absolutely no part in, "Is she okay?" whirling around, Steve's completely confused expression shocked the tipsy blonde slightly, who mirrored it mockingly, "What?"

Steve shrugged, seemingly relieved, "Nothing. You've just never spoken to me without any of our other friends here,"

Innocent wording became twisted in Peyton's drunken mind. It often happened, one too many to drink and no Joey around to keep her cool (plus her sworn enemy Steve Harrington) was not a good combination. Especially since Peyton could often be perceived as a heinous bitch on a good day, "Other friends?" she questioned, "What, are we friends now?"

"No, I just meant-"

"We're not friends, Steve," mocking laugh and smirk that she knew would get under his skin, "We're just two people that tolerate each other because it would be inconvenient not to," Peyton didn't know why she had to pick fights with the people closest to her. But it wasn't like she was wrong. Steve Harrington was in no way her friend.

But something had changed in Steve that had yet to switch out since their fight against the demogorgon last year. She'd noticed it a while ago, how he'd gotten lazy with his usually cruel comebacks. How he'd stopped getting so personal about the things she'd been through. She couldn't understand it, how suddenly a relationship with Nancy Wheeler made him want to keep the peace.

Even now, with Peyton being so casually cruel, Steve only laughed a wry, almost disbelieving laugh, "You know, you don't have to be an asshole a hundred percent of the time," confused at the sincerity in his tone, Peyton looked genuinely speechless for a moment.

Had she actually hurt his feelings?

Since when did Steve even give a crap about what she had to say?

Rather than contemplate, Peyton simply raised her glass, in a much more mocking than celebratory way, before unintentionally mimicking Nancy, downing her drink in one and walking away without another word.

✮

⠀ SIDNEY HARRINGTON WOULD HAVE BEEN A girl who liked parties significantly more if it weren't for her older brother. Before he met Nancy, Steve had a tendency to get rather wild at house parties. And that often meant being driven or cautiously walked home by his little sister, arm over her shoulders to keep his balance. But tonight was different. The only people that seemed to be having any fun were the ones very much so uninvolved in the Harrington girl's life (with the exception of one Jacob Wheeler, who she was almost certain was high off his goddamn ass).

Which, of course, was a coincidence she was sure.

On the other hand, she was almost certain she was cursed... so who's to say if she was or wasn't the bad luck omen for her and all of her friends? Sidney took a long swig from whatever it was she'd been handed in her red solo cup. It was odd. How, even surrounded by people, Sidney felt so alone.

Her costume was rather last minute. Considering she'd spent all the time one should have spent planning, contemplating whether she actually wanted to go to this party. By the time she'd come to a conclusion, it was a... not really a yes more of a eh, why the hell not?

And so, the idea only striking upon seeing the framed Star Wars: A New Hope poster on her wall, she decided to DIY a Princess Leia costume. She had an old white dress. One that had been bought by her mother a few years prior, that now, being a size small on her, hugged her figure in a way a teenage girl rather appreciated on Halloween. Sidney's parents liked to think they could make up for their absences by buying her expensive things.

But now, surrounded by sweaty drunken teens, bumping into her from left and right, Sidney felt far too anxious to get even a little bit drunk. No way was she about to lose control in front of the popular kids.

"Howdy!" a hand grasped the young Harrington's arm and she almost leaped out of her skin, whirling around to see she'd come face to face with a rather unintimidating cowboy. He had two fake plastic pistols in cheap leather holsters attached to his hips, his hat had fallen off his head, swinging against his leather jacket, and he had either lost or decided not to wear a shirt. It was one of her brother's old friends, not like Tommy H or Carol, one of the nicer ones. One of the ones she would have thought to have dropped Tommy H and Carol altogether by now, just like her brother. Nathaniel Dean. Nobody ever called him Nathaniel, though. Really, she should have been Nathaniel Jr. But when people started calling him by his surname, the name Dean just stuck. Which made sense because, at least to Sidney's mind, he didn't seem much like a Nathaniel. Or even a Nathan. Maybe a Nate. But I guess there was just something jocky and douchey about having a one syllable name.

See — Steve.

Sidney was a little relieved. Most of her brother's teammates were douchebags, so Dean was surely the best of a bad bunch. Though, apparently, her relief did little to mask how genuinely afraid she was to be all alone at a party, "Sid? Are you okay?" southern twang now absent as he became more concerned.

Sidney forced a smile, with a weak nod despite being shoved harshly in the back by some other member of the basketball team, "Yeah..." she lied, "I'm fine,"

Dean's eyes narrowed in a way that non-verbally called bullshit.

"Come on, let's go outside," now, on any other occasion, with any other guy, she would have said absolutely not. But Sidney liked Dean. Well, she didn't like Nate but, he was nice. She felt comfortable enough around him to decide he wasn't the worst person to escape the screaming teans and thumping synth.

Outside was loud too. Not as bad as sound bouncing on the walls of Tina's home, but still loud enough. Sidney let the young man lead her toward the backyard swing, somehow unscathed by the army of drunken teens, "Ladies first," he smiled, letting go of her hand and gesturing that she take a seat.

Sidney wasn't dumb. She knew what was happening. Maybe it was the fact that she'd swapped out ripped jeans and flannel for a tight white dress. Maybe he'd felt some way about her for a long time. He'd been to plenty of parties at the Harrington house. Their parents were hardly home, and before last year, Steve used to throw one almost every weekend.

Sidney didn't know where to put her hands. Didn't know where to fix her gaze. Didn't know how to let her legs carry her far far away from the situation she'd thrown herself into. Sidney felt sick with guilt. She wanted to like Dean. He was handsome and kind and she was sure it would help some of the popular girls stop snickering when she passed them in the hallway. She couldn't explain it, even to herself.

"Here," before Sidney could even register she was cold, Nate began to remove his jacket, draping it over her shoulder as he sat, shirtless, and seemingly unbothered by the cold.

"You didn't have to-" but Dean simply gave a gentle nudge, reaching across to dig a hand into the jacket he'd so chivalrously given away, "Thanks,"

"Your brother would kill me if I let you catch a cold," he joked, smile widening when Sidney let out a genuine chuckle," You smoke?" cigarette suddenly held towards her, Sidney barely moved as she responded

"Uh... no," shook her head shyly, absentmindedly gripping onto the wooden seat.

"Good," smirked Dean, pulling the zippo from his jacket pocket as he placed the cigarette between his lips "It's a bad habit,"

"Stinks too," commented Sidney without a thought. She felt guilty for a moment, smile fading at the fact she'd gotten so nervous, or perhaps tipsy, her usually reliable verbal filter had faltered, "I mean- not that it bothers me-"

"No, you're right," apparently rather unusually understanding for a jock, Dean took the cigarette from his mouth and tucked it behind his ear. A silence set in between the two, the thump of music and stomping of dancing teens.

Stomach swirling, Sidney was overwhelmed with the need to escape.

Maybe not entirely the correct word.

She thought to herself. It wasn't as though Dean had dragged her outside and was now keeping her there against her will.

"I think you're really beautiful," he suddenly blurted out. His out-of-the-blue compliment that Sidney was sure he'd likely tried on so many girls before. Yet still, it felt nice. To be noticed, after years of living in her brother's royalty-shaped shadow. Even if it had everything to do with the short dress she'd donned that night.

"Shut up," scoffed Sidney, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips as she tried to avert her gaze to anywhere but Dean. But the charming young man simply smirked.

"I'm serious," he defended, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Oldest trick in the book but my god did it work. Doe-eyed with butterflies, Sidney barely had time to register that Dean was staring at her lips.

And then he did something Sidney would have least expected a friend of her brother's to do.

He kissed her.

It was sweet and gentle, like any first kiss should be. She fought the urge to widen her eyes. To scream and shove the poor boy away. Maybe she'd lead him on somehow. Maybe he was drunker than he seemed. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, the more she blamed herself. Of course he kissed her. They were at a party, they'd gone somehwere alone, he was wearing his goddamn jacket. She'd fallen for the same moves as every other girl at this stupid party she never should have come to.

She let her eyes flutter closed. Because maybe if she forced herself for long enough she could enjoy being kissed by a boy, the way all the other girls did. It was gentle and slow, unlike some of the other drunken kisses she'd seen that night. And he hadn't tried to jam his tongue down her throat. But there was nothing Sidney could do to stop the anxiety festering in her stomach. Where once she felt the fluttering of butterflies, had soon enough been replaced with a deep feeling of dread. The feeling of dropping on a rollercoaster, except there wasn't a track and she was still just falling, falling, falling.

It just felt wrong.

She should want this.

Why didn't she want this?

Why couldn't she just enjoy this?

Why couldn't she just be normal?

A whisper at first, "Wait..." Sidney tilted her head, grimacing when it meant Dean's lips landed on her jaw, "Wait!" she snapped again, louder this time, and he pulled off her in an instant. Maybe he hadn't heard her the first time.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry," he seemed genuine too, sitting back to give the panicked teen space. Sidney felt like she was suffocating. Because screw him for kissing her and screw him for being nice and screw her for not wanting anything to do with him.

"No, it's-" she stammered, struggling to stand as she awkwardly removed the jacket draped over her shoulders

"I just thought-"

"It's fine..." she repeated, trying her best not to make it obvious she was beginning to hyperventilate "No it's... you're fine," lips twisted into a panicked smile, she held out the jacket, feet stumbling backward when Nate stood to take it from her, "I just... I have to go," whirling around, Sidney flinched to get away from the hand that gripped her shoulder

"At least let me give you a ride home-"

"No!" shaking her head nervously, "Thank you..." her false smile didn't quite meet her eyes, Sidney backed away toward the house, staring apologetically even though she had nothing to be sorry for, "No, I... I have to go," Heels stumbling at the doorway, Sidney's fight or flight kicked in. Her panicked mind was elsewhere when her legs put her athletic speed to good use. No drunken, dancing teenager was going to stop her from making a getaway.

"Sidney!" Dean pleaded, but it was no use.

She was gone.

The screeching music and stench of alcohol were a rude reminder of why she agreed to go outside in the first place. There was no fun left to have. All she wanted to do was go home. And, like a scared little kid, there was only one thing she could think to do.

"Hey, have you seen my brother?" Sidney's desperate pleas barely made it over the booming speakers, most teens simply shrugging and some completely ignoring her, "Excuse me, have you seen my brother?" desperation set in, she felt like she'd repeated herself a thousand times, grasping onto costumes, forcing her peers to see her tearful eyes, "Have you seen Steve anywhere?" she asked anyone that she could, barely waiting long enough for them to shake their heads, "Have you seen my brother?" finally, lazily, some jock pointed toward the kitchen. Although relieved, Sidney's stomach twisted at the sight of her brother grappling with his girlfriend for her, undoubtedly full, plastic cup, "Steve!" she called, barging through the crowd with little care about the glares and stares of her fellow party-goers, "Steve!" she repeated, her relief unmatched by her agitated brother, already struggling with his, rather drunk, girlfriend "Steve, I wanna go," yet she persisted, tugging on his jacket.

"Nance, that's enough-" Steve ignored, grasping the cup in a struggle whilst his other arm was tugged behind him by his sister.

"Steve! I want to go home!"

"Nancy, stop!"

"Get off!"

"Steve, I wanna-"

Then, something snapped. It was all too much. Peyton and Nancy, and now Sidney. Nobody was listening to him. Ripping his arm from his sister's grasp, Steve had no choice but to let Nancy go, whirling to face his little sister.

"So go home, Sidney!" the Harrington girl's brow furrowed. Her eyes stung. Steve never yelled at her. They both knew that was out of line. They got enough of that from their parents. And all anger washed away at the sight of his tearful baby sister, "N- shit, Sid..." realizing she was wrong for even thinking she could rely on him in the first place, Sidney shoved her way past Steve, making a beeline for the front door, "Sid, I-I'm sorry!" this time, he went ignored, "Sidney!" but when he turned, Nancy had already made it to the punch bowl, "W- wait, Nance! Nancy!"

Hot tears spilling down her cheeks, Sidney stormed from the house, not even bothering to find her jacket. In not wanting to set foot back into the house, knowing she had two options for a ride home, and both were awful, Sidney's eyes landed on Tina's baby blue bicycle.

On any other normal day, Sidney never would have dreamed of stealing from a party, much less from a senior she was hardly even friends with. But she saw no other choice. And, lucky for her, the apparent safety of the suburbs meant it wasn't locked up.

Cursing her choice to wear a dress, Sidney zipped down Tina's driveway into the darkness of the streets. She wept silently into the night, blinking away the tears obscuring her vision as she cycled rapidly toward the empty Harrington home.

❀ུ۪

⠀ ⠀ SEVERAL HOURS HAD BEEN WASTED BY THE TIME Peyton noticed Jonathan awkwardly sliding through the door. Most of which had been spent either dancing with Joey or avoiding Hargrove and Harrington. Yet, for whatever reason, Peyton found herself hurrying to greet her socially awkward step-brother.

"Hey! You made it!" she greeted over-enthusiastically, passing one of the two alcohol-filled red cups in her hand. Not thinking much of the rather perplexed look she was receiving, Peyton looked at his clothing, eyes narrowed teasingly, "Nice costume,"

"Huh?" questioned Jonathan, confusion growing more and more. He'd never actually seen Peyton so bubbly and smiley.

"Nice costume!" she repeated, louder this time as she nudged his shoulder rather harshly, not noticing how his drink spilled to stain the boringly beige carpet.

"Oh, uh, yeah," he nodded with a nervous huff, "I'm going as a guy who hates parties," even though he'd seen Peyton's costume earlier that night, they hadn't spoken about it. And continuing was better than standing in awkward silence, "Sandy right? Did you and Billy-"

"Noooo," even drunk, she refused association with Asshole Hargrove, "No, uh, me and Joey," whirling around, Peyton let her eyes scan over the crowd of teens until she found Joey, right in her element as she swayed with Jacob Wheeler of all people in the center of the dance floor. Nancy's brother was another face she was shocked to see at a party like this, let alone dancing front and center in some shitty batman costume, "Kind of a..." Peyton trailed off when she realized Jonathan probably wouldn't be able to hear her over the sound of Duran Duran's Girls on Film if she wasn't facing him, "Kind of a before and after thing,"

"Oh..." nodded Jonathan, sheepish smile as he buried his free hand in his pocket, "That's, uh, that's nice,"

"Yeah..." Peyton trailed off, growing awkward and uncomfortable, even in her intoxicated state. She felt guilty at how she silently wished that something, anything, interesting to happen so she had a reason to leave their not-conversation.

And then, her wish came true in the worst way possible.

"Sid, I-I'm sorry! Sidney!"

Tears streaked down her face, Peyton frowned when she saw Sidney Harrington shoving her way desperately through the crowd of dancing teenagers. Glancing at Jonathan, she followed his gaze to find none other than Steve, staring after his sister as his girlfriend stormed off in the opposite direction.

"W- wait, Nance! Nancy!"

"Get off,"

"No, you've had enough, okay?"

"Screw you!"

Both Jonathan and Peyton stared in concern, and Nancy's slurred words and desperation to continue drinking

"Nance, I'm serious," pleaded Steve, not noticing Peyton's concerned wince at how he wrestled for the liquid-filled cup, "Hey, hey, hey, stop!" Nancy glared through droopy, drunken eyes but still refused to let go, "No, I'm serious, put it down,"

"No!"

"Nance, put it down!"

"Steve! Stop!" grip suddenly sipping, Nancy managed to pull the cup free only for crimson red to go spilling all down her perfect white costume. Party chatter slowed, and everyone stared and awed at the way Nancy's jaw clenched

"Oh god..." Peyton whispered, folding her arms as her eyes followed the fuming Wheeler girl as she stormed away to get cleaned up

Steve soon followed, with a loud, "Nance, I'm sorry!" before the party returned to normal.

Well, almost normal.

Above the chatter and music, Peyton overheard a familiar laugh. One that had been directed at Jonathan a year prior, about his missing brother. And at Nancy, when Tommy H and Steve decided to spray paint the walls.

Carol fucking Perkins.

Laughing.

Laughing at Nancy.

Peyton dug her fingernails into her palms so hard there were sure to be crescent markings once she let go. But she just couldn't. And Jonathan wasn't the only one that had noticed too. Joey and Jacob had clocked on from across the room that some serious shit was about to go down if Carol didn't shut her damn mouth

"What a slob. Isn't she embarrassed?"

"Jesus fucking Christ, Carol, shut up!" yell loud enough to get the attention of any inside party-goers, Carol slowly turned, slight shock in her eyes at the sudden hostility from a girl she hadn't spoken to in almost a year, "What? Cat got your tongue?"

First to make it to Peyton's side was Jacob, trying to somehow get the message across to Carol that if she said the wrong thing she was most certainly gonna get her ass kicked.

But Carol only folded her arms, giggling as though she knew the rest of the party was on her side, "Aw, look, Nancy the slut and her bastard best friend!"

Now that struck a nerve.

Small town like Hawkins, word travels fast when a baby is born out of wedlock. And parents like to talk, and little ears listen. Peyton was only five years old, bright-eyed, and pigtail-clad when one of the little shitheads in her class called her that word and truly meant it. There was a big difference between the causal use of the word and the way it was used at Peyton. At Parker.

Looking worried, Joey tried to deescalate by grabbing Peyton by the arm "Let's just go, alright?" quickly, Peyton pulled her arm from her best friend's grip, taking a step toward Carol and getting in her face

"Say that again," she challenged. But all this did was earn an amused laugh from the ever-taunting redhead, clearly underestimating the lack of patience the seething blonde before her had.

"You seriously think you're scary?" harshly, Carol shoved Peyton backward. Doing everything in her to keep her cool and not completely lose it in front of the now large circle of teens surrounding them, Peyton stood with clenched fists, stubborn nature preventing her from backing down, "The bitches bark is always worse than her bite," with a taunting shrug, Carol grinned smugly, "I guess mommy really did leave too soon to teach you anything useful,"

Yeah, that'll do it.

If hearing the word bastard wasn't enough to make her see red, the word mom, or any of its lackluster synonyms, certainly was.

Eyes narrowed, Peyton stood up straight in a way friends and enemies alike knew all too well. Unable to contain her rage, she struck Carol ─ hard ─ across the face. The cheap plastic rings of her costume left dent marks on the stunned redhead's cheek.

Although those that knew the Evans girl would call this behavior highly predictable, the drunken bystanders surrounding them didn't know any better than to assume she was just an ordinary girl with a shitty temper.

That one strike would simply be enough.

That when Carol Perkins decided it was a brilliant idea to, once the initial shock had worn off, slap the already heated blonde right back, that would be the end of it.

"Peyton!" Joey stepped forwards to intervene but it was too late. Jacob wrapped an arm around her, not wanting Peyton to hurt her best friend on accident as he stared in shock at how quickly things had escalated.

Gripping onto Carol's arms, Peyton swung them around so that they almost crashed into the alcohol-stained coffee table, knocking the lamp to send broken ceramic cascading onto the soft carpet. When neither of the girls released their grip, they fell to the floor, with Carol on top, who was quick to take the opportunity to deliver the first blow.

Emerging from the bathroom just in time to see Peyton get hit, Steve's seemingly saddened eyes changed to ones of shock, "Hey!" suddenly, he found himself shoving his way through the crowd of drunk and amused teens

When Carol tried to hit her again, Peyton caught her fist, flames in her eyes as she twisted her arm, flipping them over so that she was on top of her

"Peyton, stop!" she could hardly hear her friend's voice above the vengeful ringing in her ears. It didn't take long for her to figure out this particular outlet wasn't the true source of her pent-up rage. It was just unfortunate for Carol, who had probably never had a physical altercation in her life, and yet decided to mouth off to the girl that had been suspended twice for such activities.

Blood on her knuckles, Peyton could barely tell if it was Carol's or her own when she delivered two harsh and precise blows to the cheek. Somehow, she still had enough sense not to break the bitch's nose. By the time she tried to punch her a third time, Steve and Jonathan had grabbed one of Peyton's arms each and forcefully pulled her off Carol, who was promptly lifted off the floor by her boyfriend, Tommy.

Struggling against the boys, Peyton tried to get to Carol again but Steve pulled her back, arm wrapped around her waist as the other tightly gripped her clenched fist, "Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"That's enough!" Tommy yelled; Peyton just glared, wide-eyed with rage. Jaw clenched, Peyton had yet to catch her breath when Carol returned the look through teary eyes.

Harshly, Peyton pulled herself out of Steve's grip, shoving him with enough force that he almost lost balance. He and Jonathan watched her cautiously but, finally, Peyton closed her eyes, trying to contain her fury. Tommy then let go of Carol, who folded her arms over her heaving chest as she struggled to catch her breath.

All that could be done was to take in all the damage that they'd caused. It was clear to see who had taken most of the hits. Carol's face was about as messed up as Peyton's fists.

Music had stopped.

Laughter turned to horrified whispers and anger turned to anxiety as Peyton stared around at her peers fearfully. All Peyton knew was that she was not about to apologize, and Carol sure as hell wasn't either. But before she could do anything Billy, appearing out of nowhere, had grabbed her arm and yanked her back aggressively

"Hey! Easy, man!" Steve whirled around protectively. But Billy had already shoved Peyton behind him, sneering as he stood confidently before the Harrington boy

"I need to talk to my girl. Alone," with one last apologetic look toward Joey, and a short-lived glance at Steve, Peyton let Billy drag her the hell out of that house, knowing that she wouldn't have been able to walk out herself.

[ REWRITE EDIT : hi! its been a while holy shit

i took a much needed break from socials to focus on studying, but also mental health reasons. but im back now!

i hope the switching back and forth isn't too confusing ?? this is kind of a test chapter lol cause i wanna know what YOU as readers think when it comes to the new layout of aib or if i should stick to like one chapter peyton POV n the next sidney POV until the storylines crossover (kinda like the actual show omg) ??? ]

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this took so long to come out cause i just got a summer job so i'm tired all the time now lmao plus my longest chapter yet ???

TYSM FOR 47K READS THATS CRAZY WE'RE ONLY ON CHAPTER 3 WTFFFF ???

i added outfits like i've made w my other stories ?? lmk if u want more of those or if they ruin the vibe of scrolling when u read idk ghdgsh

anyway! gonna try writing more often so hopefully ch 4 will be out sooner rather than later. ty for bearing with me and sorry it's taking so long between chapters

ty for reading and voting
and commenting it really does make my day!

<3