PLEASE TALK TO ME !

☀︎

DURING SCHOOL, ALEX HAD CHOSEN TO KEEP TO HERSELF. It hadn't been difficult as Nancy had been late, missing first period, and Jonathan was focused on what had occurred during the party with Nancy. During her free period, she had hoped to head to the library for some quiet time, but those plans were quickly derailed as Steve rushed over to her.

Coming up to her locker, he flashed her a smile as he fixed his hair. "So, I haven't talked to Nancy."

Alex tried to hide her disappointment as she shut her locker. "Is that why she didn't show for first period? You didn't pick her up like usual?"

He gave a small shrug, hoping that would be enough. Yet, when Alex began to walk off, he trailed after her to fix the situation. "I figured Jonathan would take her. I don't know, Alex, I just figured her not loving me was just the end."

"I mean, you should probably talk to her about what you think. She was drunk after all, so maybe she doesn't even remember."

Looking to her as they walked down the hall, he felt lost on something that should be so easy. "Well, if we did break up, what would you think?"

"What do I think? Should that even matter? What do you think?" Alex questioned with a laugh. It hadn't seemed like her place to speak out on. Looking up to him, she saw the desperation in his eyes and let out a small sigh. "I think I just want what's best for both of you."

Steve rubbed the back of his neck as he thought this through. It always seemed that Alex knew best for him and he wanted her honesty to help him out. However, this was his mess to fix. "It just makes me wonder if there's someone else out there for me, you know? Like someone that wouldn't see this as bullshit, actually loves me back."

"You're easy to love when you're not an ass," she laughed, but the frown on Steve's face told her this was no joking manner. "That's only if you think there's someone else. You know, if you already are thinking this, then maybe you don't like Nancy as much as you thought."

"Would there be someone else?"

She smiled in amusement at such a question as if it were her place to find that person for him. "Not that I know of," she laughed, "I don't know, maybe if you asked Jonathan, he'd say yes."

With a roll of his eyes, he playfully shoved her over. "You know what, maybe I will ask Jonathan. At least he'd respect me... Oh, but rumor has it you two are dating." Raising a brow at her, he waited to hear her thoughts.

She scrunched up her nose in disgust, "No way. People only say that because we hang out. But we hang out sometimes and no one says we're dating because that'd be... weird. Wrong even."

"Weird? Wrong? You're saying you wouldn't date me if I asked you out?" Though he played it off as joke, he hoped for a genuine response.

"Um, I guess if we were like the last people on Earth then I'd consider it," she laughed, walking towards the locker rooms with him. This period had been his gym class where the boys were overly eager to play against one another in basketball. Typically it ended in good fun, but with Billy Hargrove's need to dethrone Steve as the most popular guy in school, it was destined to end terribly.

The two had stopped just outside the locker rooms as they met one another's eyes. Steve's smile began to falter as he noticed the look in her eyes. For a while he had caught moments of pain, but then she'd laugh and he'd forget she wasn't the same as she had always been. Trying to keep his smile steady, he looked her over. "What's up, Henderson?"

"Nothing," she said softly, her smile turning into confusion. "What's up with you?"

"No, no," he laughed. "No, I'm not falling for this again. Somethings on your mind. You're just not the same anymore. Sort of bumming me out."

Sighing, Alex pulled her books up to her chest as she shrugged. "I don't know. Just been a little distracted with everything, you know? School sucks."

"Tina told me you hung out with Billy Hargrove at the party, he giving you trouble now?"

"No," she chuckled, feeling more relaxed. "Come on, I'm not like you who always has relationship problems."

Scoffing, he shook his head. "Might not have a relationship to worry about soon enough so you won't be able to make jokes like that anymore."

"Just find this anti-bullshit love of your life. Tell them how you feel and forget about the crap drunk Nancy did."

"Alex, I think it's about time I told you I'm secretly in love with you. Please marry me so I don't die alone," he sighed, leaning against the wall outside the locker room.

She paused for a moment as she took in his words, wishing they had been the truth. Finding her smile growing, she had played it off as if it had been no big deal. "Don't tempt me, Steve. You know I would just completely fall apart if you chose someone else after saying something like that."

"Yeah, yeah," he laughed, pulling himself off the wall. Pointing up to her, he made sure he understood him clearly. "You come watch me play and I'll actually talk with Nancy like you want."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Alex pushed him towards the locker rooms. In these small and simple moments, everything in her life had felt normal. No monster looming over her shoulder, no voices in her head, and the cold did not seem as comforting as it had always been.

Unable to wipe the smile from her face, she readjusted her backpack and made her way towards the gymnasium doors. After all, time feeling happy had felt more important that studying for something that the monster would just find a way to distract her from.

Cutting across the gym, she gave soft and quick smiles to the boys that had already been out and waiting for class to start. Heading right to the bleachers, she took a seat in the middle of them. Digging into her bag, she fished out her camera as she waited for class to begin.

Walking out from the locker room, Billy had taken the basketball from a boy standing on the sidelines. Whoever held it was typically picked as the captain for one of the teams and he was always ready to be picked as one.

Eyes falling on the bleachers to a student who didn't share this class, he was surprised to see Alex sitting up in the bleachers. Looking up from her camera, a smile came to her face, so in return, he raised his hand to wave until jogging passed him, Steve made his way towards her, her eyes following him. Lowering his hand, he rolled his eyes, now understanding that Steve Harrington had been the one to catch her eye so quickly.

Steve had made his way towards the end of the bleachers as he looked to her in amazement. "You actually came! Thought it'd take a bit more convincing."

"I sorta had nothing better to do," she teased. Pointing behind him, she directed his attention back to his class. "Your whole class is currently splitting into teams, genius. You better get over there."

Quick on his feet, Steve made his way back to class, joining in with the team that would wear their shirts while Billy had been he captain of the skins team. With a class full of boys, it was not long before they were all covered in sweat and making the game more intense than it had needed to be.

Several times Billy had wanted to prove his point as he would knock Steve to the ground and taking the ball for himself. Every single time, each boy would look to the bleachers, checking to see if Alex had caught on. However, her disinterest in basketball helped her miss the first few times. Even if she had been watching the boys, her mind had started to linger elsewhere.

Sitting in the bleachers, she held on tight to her bag as she listened to the whispers slip through her ears from the monster that towered over the sky. These few times she had managed to catch a few words, her mind had taken her far from Hawkins. She would sit perfectly still as the gymnasium would go quiet and the Upside Down would flood her vision. All she could tell herself was that none of it had been real and before her, boys were playing basketball. Then she'd return and fight the urge to allow the monster to pull her right back.

The game had continued to carry on until Nancy Wheeler had made her way into the gym. She had been radiating with anger and there was a dangerous fire behind her eyes as she called out to speak with Steve. Tossing the ball off to one of his teammates, he followed after her and over to the other pair of doors that led outside.

"Come on, Harrington!" Billy yelled to Steve's back as he followed Nancy out the doors. He let out an annoyed sigh as he quickly dismissed himself from the game. Making his way over to the bleachers, he stood before Alex as she pulled herself back to her reality.

Looking at him shirtless and sweaty, she grew uneasy as she tried to meet his eyes. "Don't you have a game?"

"Harrington can talk to his girl, I can talk to you. Remember what I said to you at the party?"

"I remember you were nice and then you were an ass."

"You're hilarious. I'm serious," he grumbled. Using his arm, he wiped the sweat from his forehead as he waited for her response. It was clear she was not too thrilled by the reminder of the conversation, but that meant it had stuck.

"Yeah. You have an issue with Steve and me being friends. I don't see what the problem is anyways."

"I know he's stringing you along. Tell me, Henderson, does he know you're doing weird shit all the time or does he only talk about Nancy with you?"

"I don't care if he talks about Nancy," she fought back. Steve had been her friend and just as he had been there for her before, she was going to be there now. "I don't need him to be my therapist and listen to my problems all the time. Besides, he's been there more than enough for me. The least I could do is listen to him now."

"See, shit like that. You let him talk about his shit but he isn't asking about your shit like he should." The sound of the doors opening back up and Steve walking through had caught his attention. Turning back to Alex in disappointment, he shook his head. "See you later, Henderson."

"He does ask," she called out to him. When he had turned back to her, she frowned. "He does ask me about what's going on, if you care so much. You never asked, you just tell me I'm not okay and blame him. So sorry if that's a disappointment that you're not the only one who thinks about me."

"Trust me, sweetheart, I don't think about you more than I have to," he stated. Making his way back towards the group, he kept his eyes on Steve who had been shifting his eyes between the two suspiciously. When his eyes met Billy's, he didn't bother hiding his annoyance. "What the hell are you doing?"

"King Steve have a problem?" Billy laughed, taking a step closer to him. Standing tall, he had cocked his head to the side, daring Steve to start up exactly the fight he had been looking for.

"Leave Alex alone. She has enough going on, she doesn't need you bothering her," Steve responded harshly.

"Really? Then why'd she agree to me taking her on a date?"

"She would never date a guy like you." Taking a step closer to Billy, he gave him a soft push back which was quickly returned back, only a lot harsher.

"Why do you care, Harrington? Aren't you dating the princess? Didn't think you bothered with freaks, right? At least that's what Tommy told me. You call her a freak then act like you care about her?" Billy questioned as loudly as he could in hopes Alex would be able to hear them. Just as he hoped, Alex had sat straighter in her seat as she had listened to the fight brewing below.

Steves eyes darted in her direction, watching the hurt in her eyes and a frown quickly forming. Meeting Billy's eyes once again, he realized his mistake to start a fight over nothing. "I never said that."

"No need to lie, Harrington!" Billy laughed, looking at the other guys who watched in awe. "Come on, she's sitting right there! Tell her what you really think! Show her how much of an asshole you are! Jump down from your throne and be a man!" Billy yelled even louder, knocking Steve onto the floor.

Ready to fight back, Steve balled up his fist until the sound of the door had opened up and Alex had slipped out. Scrambling to his feet, he knew better than to continue with Billy and instead fix the problem he actually cared about. Shoving passed him, he ignored the taunts as he followed her outside.

"Alex! Wait, please!" Steve yelled but getting no response. Rushing after her, he grabbed her by her wrist and managed to her her to stop. "Please, can we talk."

"Why? So you can say what everyone else says? I don't care what other people think but you? You're the only one who actually mattered," she responded in frustration. Rather than have the conversation out in the open for watchful eyes, he pulled her towards the spot hidden away where he had talked with Nancy not too long ago.

Sighing, Alex pulled her arm back from him. Leaning up against the brick wall, she shook her head, unable to meet his eyes. "Why did you even start anything with him?"

"Jesus, can we not do this?" Crossing his arms in frustration, he kept his eyes to the ground. "You're the last person I want to fight with, especially when it comes to Billy."

"Well, is he right? Because I know Tommy has plenty of issues with me and I know what you think about your reputation."

"What's that supposed to mean? You think I would do that to you? I told you how I felt about you."

"Sometimes I don't know if I'm getting a friend or King Steve. You used to never care what people thought until people thought you were cool. Then, I don't know, it felt like I lose you most of the time. So why not call me a freak like everyone else to fit in? Other people did."

Dropping his arms down to his side, he shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not other people, Alex. You know how much I stood up for you when Tommy talked crap about you? I just don't know when you started believing Billy freakin' Hargrove over me. I mean, come on. What does he say that makes you so upset?"

"Nothing," she said sternly. "Because I didn't believe him over you. He thinks you don't care, and I told him he was wrong." Pausing, she held her head in her hands as a voice in her head began to grow louder. "I just never know what to believe anymore, okay?"

"So, what, you think everything I say just bullshit too?"

"You're not bullshit!"

"Then tell me."

Dropping her hands down, she looked up. "Tell you what?"

Frown depending, he took a step closer to her. "Tell me what's wrong. Just please talk to me."

Alex's eyes remained on the floor as she tried to hide away her emotions. Still, her hands were shaky as the clicks and growls of the monsters lurking the Upside Down rang out in her ears, causing her eyes to well up with tears. Picking herself up the wall, she kept her head down as she wrapped her arms around Steve. Startled by her embrace, Steve slowly wrapped is arms back around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. She may not have been telling him what was wrong, but this had been more than enough for now. As long as she knew she had him, there was never a need for her to feel so alone.