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𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗔𝗡

chapter two:
proud mother serenity

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THERE WAS SOMETHING so content to Serenity about sitting in a diner with Steve Harrington, a basket of fries and a basket of chicken tenders with two chocolate milkshakes between them.

So maybe her headache hadn't gone away whatsoever today, even after taking medicine. So maybe she had a bit of a hard time focusing in all of her classes. So maybe she was dreading going to sleep that night with the prospect that her nightmares would be enough to make her relive all of the things she's been through.

But right now, Steve made all of that disappear like he was a fucking magician. He just had that effect on her.

"So Dustin asked you to play D&D?" Serenity asked.

"Yep," Steve replied, dipping a fry in ketchup. "As if I would hang out with Eddie the freak Munson willingly."

She gave him a look. "Steve."

He sighed. "Sorry."

"He's not a freak. He's just . . . eccentric, you know? Plus, he's really nice to Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. That means the world to me."

"Whatever. Even besides that, I don't know how to play D&D. And besides that, I'd much rather be on a date with you."

She gave him a soft smile, her face feeling warm. "Same. Thanks for taking me to the diner, by the way. Didn't even think about dinner."

"Well, good thing your boyfriend came to save the day," Steve stated.

Serenity rolled her eyes fondly at him. "Oh, yes. Because I'm always a damsel in distress."

"Well, you and I both know that isn't true. You can hold your own."

She wasn't so sure about that. Sure, she had lit some Upside Down tunnels on fire and hit the Mind Flayer with a spiked bat, but she could barely keep herself stable at the moment. Her nose had bled again earlier followed by a sharp pain in her head, one that she had no clue what to do about. It seemed like Serenity was absolutely falling apart, and she wasn't sure how she was going to pick up all of the pieces this time.

Serenity shrugged. "Hm. Maybe." She dunked her fry in her milkshake and ate it, feeling momentary comfort from the food combination. "So, I talked to Joyce earlier."

That was true. Serenity always kept in touch with the Byers in California. Joyce had a new telemarketer job so she was always on the phone. They often had long conversations, but this one was oddly short. It seemed to Serenity that she was frazzled. Maybe it could've just been her job, or something, but the tone of her voice made it sound like something different.

"Oh, really?" Steve questioned. "How was she?"

"She was fine," Serenity answered. "Seemed . . . panicked, though."

He leaned back against the booth. "You think something's going on in California?"

She sighed. "Maybe it's just my paranoia. I'm always afraid something's going to go wrong, because here, you can never be too sure."

"But we're sure now," Steve reassured her, knowing the deeper meaning behind her words. "The summer finalized it. Besides, they're far, far away from Hawkins."

Serenity chewed the inside of her cheek — hearing Steve say that calmed her down a little, but she wasn't sure if she really believed it. "Yeah, you're right."

"Of course I am. I'm always right."

Serenity scrunched her nose at him. "Yeah?"

Steve then leaned across the entire table and pressed a kiss onto her nose, making her giggle. "Yeah." He smiled a bit at the noise before settling back in his seat properly. "You ready for the basketball game tonight?"

"For Lucas? Absolutely. For basketball?" She paused for a second, wincing a little. "You throw the ball into a net. Big deal."

"If you don't like sports much, then why'd you come to all my swim meets?"

"Because swimming is actually interesting. Basketball? Football? Forget about it."

Steve shook his head. "Guess I'll just have to explain everything to you."

"Guess you will," Serenity replied with a smile. She took another sip of her milkshake before checking her watch. "Hey, we should probably get going. The game starts soon."

And so, Serenity left how content she was in that booth behind, not knowing it was the last time she would ever feel safe in Hawkins again.

❯ ────── ｢ ✾ ｣ ────── ❮

SERENITY ALLOWED STEVE to lead her into the gym, their hands tightly interlocked. The bleachers were packed on both sides and were letting out cheers as the Hawkins High team passed basketballs to each other. She immediately spotted Lucas and smiled proudly. He didn't even have to beg her to come — Serenity agreed the second after he asked her. She would always show up to support her kids, no matter how old they got.

"Aren't you just so glad you get to live through me right now?" Serenity teased as they walked up the bleachers. "A championship game right after you graduated. Huh."

Steve rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, thank you, Serenity."

"Oh, no problem. I'm always here for you, Steve."

They found a spot near the top of the bleachers, right next to the band. Serenity went in before Steve so he was on the aisle. The gym went quiet when the basketball players took their spots by the bleachers and the band stopped playing. Once it did, the announcer walked up to the microphone

"Everyone now please rise for our national anthem," the announcer stated, and everyone stood up. "Singing for us tonight, we have a very special guest. All the way from Nashville, our very own Tammy Thompson!"

A girl then walked in, waving for the crowd that applauded. Serenity recognized her right away. She had been one of the girls who had been infatuated with Steve, back during his king of Hawkins High era, also known as his asshole era, as Serenity liked to call it. Tammy had left to pursue music in Nashville, but if Serenity was remembering correctly, Tammy wasn't that good at signing.

Turns out, she was remembering correctly.

"O say can you see," Tammy Sang, but she was a little pitchy and was causing the microphone to give feedback. "By the dawn's early light . . ."

Serenity winced. "Oh God."

Steve looked down at her. "I know, right? Robin and I said she sounds like a Muppet."

"And you would be right."

After a very agonizingly slow national anthem, Tammy finished. She waved to her fans as she left the gym again. The other team who Hawkins High was playing against then came out with a roar of applause from their side of the bleachers. Both teams got in position, and the ref blew his whistle, signaling the beginning of the game.

The ball got thrown up in the air, and Jason grabbed it. He started to dribble it down the court, maneuvering around players who tried to block him. Jason passed it to another player, and once he got closer to the basket, the player sent it back to him. He shot, and he scored. Applause rang through the gym, and Serenity ignored the pounding in her head as she clapped with them.

Each side managed to get baskets in as the game went on. Okay, Serenity didn't know a whole lot about basketball, but she did know a whole lot about Lucas. He hadn't been playing too much this season, but when one of the Hawkins players got injured, she saw the coach point to Lucas. Lucas immediately stood up and ripped off his track suit, running out onto the court.

Serenity gasped excitedly and she hit Steve's arm multiple times. "He's in, he's in!"

Steve chuckled a little at her excitement. "I know, I see."

"That's my kid." She looked up at him, her eyes wide and filled with stars. "Oh my God, he's so grown up."

Hawkins High's score kept going back and forth — either they were in the lead or they would fall behind. Serenity's eyes were glued onto Lucas' figure the entire time. He was doing really well actually, passing the ball and scoring a couple times. The smile on her face hadn't faltered at all as she watched him play. He seemed to be in his element.

Once the game was starting to get really close and there was only a short amount of time left, Hawkins High called a huddle to discuss a new strategy. The huddle lasted for maybe a minute, and then they went back on the court to finish the game. However, Jason missed his shot, and the ball bounced back on the rim. Serenity felt her heart start to sink. There were only three seconds left in the game, and Hawkins was behind by one. All they had to do was score on more time and they would win.

However, right before Serenity's eyes, she watched Lucas Sinclair go into action.

Lucas grabbed the ball from someone on the other team. With the ball in his hands, he ran and spun around. There was only one second left on the clock when he jumped and shot the basketball. Serenity gripped onto Steve's arm, and the two of them slowly stood up in shock. The ball soared through the air, and right as the buzzer sounded, it hit the rim, bounced back against the backboard, and landed right through the net.

At once, the gym exploded into cheers, and the Hawkins High team ran to lift up Lucas. Serenity let out a laugh of amazement and turned to Steve, who seemed to already be looking at her. She reached up and took his face in her hands, pulling him down so she could press her lips onto his. Steve responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him.

Nothing like a celebration kiss, right?

Once the crowd around Lucas started to die down, who seemed to be basking in his glory, Serenity decided to push her way through. Steve was right behind her as they went up to Lucas, who had just high-fived another person.

"Hey, superstar," Serenity greeted with a smile.

Lucas turned to her, a wide grin stretching across his face as he reached out and tackled her in a hug, making her laugh. "Renny, you came!"

"Of course I did. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. And look, you fucking did it!" She pulled away from him slightly to put her hands on either side of his face. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you." His voice lowered a bit. "It means the world coming from you."

"Well, I just hope you know I'm proud of you all the time," Serenity replied. She dropped her hands from his face. "So, I assume there's a party afterwards to celebrate your victory?"

He seemed to falter for a second. "Oh, right. A party." His eyes widened a little. "I've never been to a party."

"You'll be fine. Go, you deserve it, truly." She pointed at him. "Don't drink too much, I mean it. Hangovers are a bitch."

"'Renity, you're being a mom again," Steve voiced.

She raised her hands in surrender. "It's just in my nature, I can't help it." Serenity gave Lucas another smile. "Have fun tonight. Congratulations honey."

The two of them left Lucas behind and left the gym. Serenity swung their hands back and forth as they entered the chilly air of the night. Crowds of people were leaving the gym, either bustling with excitement or disappointment, depending on which team they were supporting.

"So," Steve began, dragging out the word. "Got any other plans tonight?"

"Oh, yeah," Serenity answered. "I'm hanging out with my boyfriend. Don't know if you knew I had one."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Really? What's his name?"

"It's Steve. He's kind of a hotshot and can get a little overconfident at times, but I make do."

"All right, that's it. Come here, you."

Steve snagged her waist in his arms and picked her right up off the ground. Serenity shrieked from the sudden movement and wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on. She giggled as he spun her around while they walked, and it momentarily made her forget about all the troubles she had been dealing with as of late.

Key word — momentarily. Because all those things were going to come back to haunt her in a way worse than she could've ever imagined.

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this chapter was so boring I apologize but next chapter is ACTION