𝐚w, yes. The snowball, the middle school dance you had forgot you volunteered to help out with.

It wasn’t your fault, between fighting off world ending levels of evil and being stuck with your long time crush who had never seemed to notice you before, it had simply slipped your mind.

Everything had started after your mom’s cat had gone missing, you finding out from an awkward fourteen year old that the animal so precious to you was mauled by his interdemonsional pet. Why did you go along with him? Why did you agree to help this small dork? You don’t really have an answer.

And then he brought Steve Harrington into the mix which just made things feel even more surreal. You started liking him your freshman year of school. You don’t know a single person who hasn’t liked him.

The only time you had actually talked to him was when he accidentally knocked a soccer ball into you face. Well, you hoped it was an accident. He helped you up, walked you to the nurses office and got you a tissue for your bleeding nose. Butterflies flying into each other in your stomach each step you took next to him.

When the dorky kid, Dustin you learned was his name, had brought his other friends, Max and Lucas into the equation it left you and Steve to take of all the kids as they tried to lure a batch of Demo-dogs into the bus graveyard, onto the same bus you had spent hours helping him board up.

You almost died, one biting into your side. Like back then, Steve stood by your side, helping you walk, helping you from not bleeding out. Your injuries put you out of fighting anything else, you spending hours resting on the Byers couch, clutching your still bleeding side. You had faced death and somehow, you beat it.

Now, you stood, hanging paper snowflakes off the middle schools gymnasium ceiling as kids walked in and found their friends, small groups starting to dance. Your snowball experience had been hell but that doesn’t mean it had to be hell for any of the other middle schoolers.

Dustin gave you a small wave as you climbed down. Eyes flicking to outside the gym doors. “I think he’s out there waiting for you.” He.

Yeah, Dustin didn’t have to clarify for you to get it. Slowly, you put one foot infront of the other. Swallowing the lump in your throat as you pushed the doors open. Steve sitting in his car, eyes meeting yours in a second.