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  ENDING UP AT STEVE'S with no party is less than ideal for Brooke. It's so quiet.

   Everyone has gathered themselves on the couch but Brooke and Dustin are gathering meat from Steve's fridge into buckets to attract Dart. "So, does your mom know about Mews?" Brooke asks. Dustin nervously chuckles, "She thinks Mews has gone missing."

   "Ah, good idea. I feel bad though," Brooke says as she puts another piece of steak in the bin. There's a comfortable silence even though they can hear the others being explained everything. El's powers, the Demogorgon, the lights—Everything.

   "I somehow believe this," Stella says as she gets up from the couch. Paisley sighs in relief. "I'm iffy but the government is known for keeping secrets so, who the fuck knows?" Casey shrugs.

   Steve narrows his eyes, "I do," He points his finger at Paisley, "She does. Brooke almost got killed by one of those things. I had to fight the thing. Believe us or not, you'll know when its face opens up above you." Steve is tired of the million questions. He walks into his kitchen to find Brooke and Dustin putting the last of the meat in the buckets.

   "You sure your parents aren't gonna yell at you for this?" Dustin asks. Steve is sure they'll yell at him, just like they do for everything else. Steve shrugs it off for Dustin's sake, "Nah, I'll just say I had a massive barbecue."

   Dustin nods and walks into the living room after looking anything over. Brooke is painfully aware of the fact that she is now in Steve's kitchen with only Steve as she washes her hands. Both of them have so many questions yet nothing to say. The last time they had really talked Steve called her selfish.

     Steve decides to just be basic, "You okay?" Even though the basic question could light a fuse within the Martel girl. Brooke dries her hands off and turns back around towards him, "Fine, just worried where Nancy, Jonathan and Danny could be. It seems I've been abandoned," Brooke throws her hands up and laughs.

   Steve is relieved he hasn't pissed her off yet. The set of knives to the right of Brooke is suddenly his worst fear.

   "You haven't been abandoned. You brought those two," Steve throws his thumb back at the shouting in his living room. It's actually kind of nice to have some sort of noise in his house that isn't his yelling or his parents. Brooke frowns, "And now if they get hurt it's on me, just like you said."

    Steve sighs, "It's not. They insisted on being here." Brooke presses her lips in a thin line. The civil conversation between her and Steve is extremely rare. She wants to change the subject even though the buckets of meat sit right in front of them.

   "No parents?" Brooke spits out the first question that comes to mind but she immediately feels ignorant because she's aware of how shitty his parents also are. Steve opens his arms wide like he's showing off the emptiness of his large home, "Mom can't trust dad. Mom goes with dad. Dad comes back mad, Steve pays the consequences of a mad dad."

   Brooke is surprised Steve is even slightly opening up to her. Then again, she seemed to be the only one that cared that he was crying on Halloween. The word consequences replays in her mind.

   She bites her lips, "Consequences? How?" Brooke can only hope it's not what she thinks. Steve's mouth opens but no words come out. He just shrugs and suddenly finds the air in the room thick.

  Steve is fully aware of Brooke's family name and what it means.

  Shawn Martel—bar fights, stealing from his many jobs, attempted robbery when he was younger. His dad talks so much shit about the Martel family that as a kid he just decided he'd hate them as well.

   Steve is starting to regret that choice the more shit he and Brooke go through.

   Brooke doesn't wanna push Steve for an answer. She pushes herself off the counter, "Slap them back. It shows how little you don't give a fuck." Brooke walks out of the living room, a stunned Steve still standing in the kitchen.

   "Brooke!" Casey excitedly yells as she walks in. A smile spreads across her face. "Are you stoned, Casey?" He nods his head no but Brooke refuses to believe anyone could ever be that excited to see her.

   BUCKETS OF MEAT HIT the ground as Steve and Brooke take more and more out. She can faintly hear Lucas Sinclair's voice as she hands Paisley her bucket. Dustin steps away to talk to his friend.

   "What happens if it's a Demogorgon again? Dustin thinks Dart was a baby one," Paisley says as she looks around them. Brooke knows in her heart that it is probably a Demogorgon but she really has no choice. She's gotten this far into Dustin's problems, might as well finish it. "I'll be fine, Paisley. Just don't let it attack me again," Brooke walks off with Casey and Stella towards the train tracks.

   Paisley waits for Steve and Dustin. "We gotta keep an eye on her," Paisley tells Steve. "Who? Brooke?" He closes the trunk, "I've been told she can handle herself. Dustin, let's go."

    Paisley sighs. That stupid sentence that Brooke insists on saying, not letting others help her, it might just be the death of her.

   They all start walking on the old train tracks. Each of them threw pieces of meat into the ground. "I used to sit at the junkyard and just think, y'know? My Walkman playing as I waited for the sun to set. It's calming," Stella smiles at the distant memories from middle school with the boy next to her. Casey nods, "Yeah. When this is all over, we should do that again. Brooke and Paisley can join us." Stella sighs at the sudden need to include the other two girls. Brooke didn't even know she existed until Halloween and now she's supposed to join them in their moments of peace?

   Steve walks a bit ahead of the other teens, "Alright, so let me get this straight. You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl you just met?" Steve shouts to Dustin. Brooke looks towards the two in front of her, deciding to jog towards Dustin and avoiding the pieces of meat.

    "Alright, that's grossly oversimplifying things," Dustin says and throws more meat. Brooke had learned about Max, the redhead that completely ignores Billy is actually his step sister. He wouldn't tell you that though.

   "I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" Steve asks. "It's an interdimensional slug. It's awesome. Would you want an interdimensional slug, Brooke?" Dustin looks up at the older girl.

   Brooke turns her face into disgust, "Not that particular slug, no." Dustin just rolls his eyes at Brooke's answer. Brooke just wonders why he asked in the first place if her answer was going to be wrong.

     "Well, even if she thought it was cool—which she didn't, I....I just....I don't know. I feel like you're trying way too hard," Steve's voice echoes throughout the woods. Casey and Stella snicker behind him. Paisley can hear them faintly making fun of him. She can put up with Brooke saying all that shit but Steve has changed, Paisley knows that. The girl doesn't even realize she's glaring at them until Dustin speaks up.

   "Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, alright?" Dustin whispers. Brooke scoffs, "I don't think it's his hair, little man."

    "Yeah," Steve and Brooke glance at each other, "The key with girls is just acting like you don't care."

   Brooke stops fully in her tracks. His advice is horrible. Terrible. Dog shit. "Steve, you're a fucking moron," Brooke says. Him and Dustin stop now along with the others. Steve is confused, "What? It drives you guys nuts!"

    "You're wrong," Brooke tells him and stomps in front of him. The yellow gloves around her hands throw more meat onto the ground. She can hear Steve continuing to give Dustin bad advice. She should understand why she's so mad, it's Steve. Everything he does pisses her off but she almost thought for a second that that was some humanity in him. Now this bullshit talk about acting like you don't care?

     Steve is telling Dustin about the electricity and how you'll just feel it. Brooke rolls her eyes so far back she thinks she saw the stem of her brain.

   "......Like a sexual electricity. You feel that and then you make your move!" Steve yells Dustin. "Why are you giving a 13 year old sex advice, Harrington?" Paisley asks as she throws meat at him. It just barely misses Steve who side eyes Paisley. "Is that when I kiss her?" Dustin asks.

   "Slow down, Romeo. Some girls, they want you to be aggressive. You know, strong, hot and heavy, like a.....like a lion!" Brooke continues to hear Steve and she's just getting more and more annoyed with him. "With others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy...like....a ninja!"

    Brooke walks ahead not wanting to hear anymore of his bullshit.

   "What type is Nancy?" Dustin asks. "Nancy's different. She's different from the other girls," Steve says, his words laced with sadness. Dustin nods and then looks up to make sure Brooke is out of ear shot, completely forgetting Paisley behind them. Stella and Casey are doing their own thing at this point and just following them.

   "What about Brooke?" Dustin whispers. Steve knits his eyebrows together, "Why would I know that?"

   Dustin shrugs, "You don't have a guesstimate?" Steve pushes air out through his nose and looks up at Brooke who is much further down the tracks than he thought. "Would she like aggressive because she's aggressive?" Dustin asks.

    Steve shakes his head, "Why do you care, Henderson?" His words come out more aggressive then he intended.

   "I don't. I thought you did. You don't hate her. That's obvious," Dustin smiles at Steve knowing he's right, noting the annoyed tone towards the question. Steve sighs, "She hates me and even if she didn't it wouldn't matter. Brooke likes the don't approach her tactic. I think she'd throw a rock at anyone's head that bothered to ask her out."

   Dustin nods and goes right back to Max.

    Brooke can finally not hear Steve's rambling but her hair stands up on the back of her neck when she realizes how far that means she is from everyone. The trees around her feel like monsters. It's like each time she looks around her she's looking for something within the trees.

  She just keeps thinking how much safer she'd feel with El here.

   El. God, she hopes she's okay. Brooke didn't tell either of them she was going to be at Paisley's and she's starting to regret it. The small feeling of having a proper family brings a smile to her face rather than the frown that forms when Kathleen and Shawn cross her mind. The only good thing to ever come out of that is Danny.

     After walking for probably miles, Brooke spots the junkyard. She smiles knowing she can finally sit down and smoke a cigarette. Brooke stops and turns towards the others who are finally catching up with her, "I made it here before you did!" She yells, quickly placing the cigarette in her mouth and lighting it.

    The rest of them get to the top of the hill that overlooks the junkyard. Steve stands next to her, staring at everything, "Oh, yeah. Yeah, this will do," He starts to walk down the hill.

   "Good job, Dustin," Stella pats him on the back. He looks at her, "I'm still confused on how you know me!" He follows the teens down the hill and to the middle of the junkyard where they pour the leftover meat.

   "I said medium well!" Lucas shouts down at them. Brooke and Paisley look up from the meat pile and see a waving Lucas with—Max. The girl Dustin has been blabbing about the whole day. "Look, it's your boyfriend's sister," Brooke teasingly elbows Paisley.

   "Stop. Don't say that," Paisley immediately denies it.

    "Who's that?" Steve asks. Dustin doesn't say a word but Steve puts the pieces together.

   "Are we getting this plan together?" Casey steps forwards. Brooke smiles at him, the cigarette moving to the side of her mouth, "Wanna help me?"

   "Of course, Brooke. Lead the way," He gestures and smiles even bigger at her. Steve cringes a bit at the two of them. Paisley notices and leans over to whisper, "What? I thought you said she liked the don't approach at all tactic, huh?" Steve doesn't say anything to her as she walks away with an awkward Stella right behind her.

  
TIME GOES BY AS they set up the junkyard. Brooke has been with Casey the whole time setting up the bus to protect them. "After this I owe you a blunt," Casey laughs. Brooke laughs as well, "Or a proper hangout. I'm sorry it turned into letting you in on government secrets. It wasn't exactly my plan but."

    Casey leans against the bus, "It's fine. I think we'll survive," He points to Stella, "But, a proper hangout would be nice. One without kids and—Steve Harrington."

    Brooke's eyes shift to Steve who is yelling at the boys. "Yeah, he's a dumbass. His advice is all bullshit. Never follow his advice," Brooke says. "Wasn't really planning on it, Martel." The two smile at each other, wondering why they never striked up a proper conversation in two years.

  THE SUN HAS SET as they all sit in the dark bus waiting for Dart. Brooke stares out the window, "Really foggy out there."

   "It looks cool though," Stella says next to her. Steve clicks his lighter and Paisley watches the flame continuously reappear and disappear. "So, you guys really fought one of these things before?" Max softly speaks up. Steve nods as an answer for the other two.

   "And you're like, totally 100% sure it wasn't a bear?" Max asks. "I thought it was a bear—"

   "Shit. Don't be an idiot, okay? It wasn't a bear," Dustin rudely cuts Paisley off, "Why are you even here if you don't believe us?" Brooke and Paisley stare at Dustin with wide eyes. The kid Brooke determined as the sweetest for all these years taking dumbass Steve's advice. Max doesn't say anything. "Just go home," Dustin walks away.

    "Geesh. Someone's cranky. Past your bedtime?" Max insults Dustin as she goes up the ladder. Brooke can't stop the laugh that comes out of her. She points up at her, "I like her. Oh, she's great."

    "That's good. Show her you don't care," Steve tells Dustin. "I don't," Dustin says. Steve winks and Brooke has to turn away in disgust. "Why are you winking, Steve? Stop," Dustin sasses him.

    Brooke slides down the wall of the bus, right across from Steve. She makes sure her sneakers don't touch him. "That's your dumbass advice? You're sticking with that?" Brooke asks him. Steve clicks the lighter shut, "It seems that caring doesn't get me too far so might as well do the opposite, right?" He looks away. All caring has ever done is gotten him yelled at. Not just by Nancy either.

    "It doesn't work, y'know?" Brooke brings her knees to her chest, "Showing you care goes a long way." They glance at each other almost too quick for either of them to notice.

     A growling in the distance cuts the conversation short. They all look through the caged windows but there's no Dart in sight. "I don't see shit," Casey says. "It doesn't help how bad the fog is," Paisley groans.

   "Lucas, what's going on?" Dustin yells up at his friend. "Hold on!" He yells back.

   Brooke hooks her fingers with the cage as a low growling is heard. "I've got eyes! Ten o'clock! Ten o'clock!" Lucas repeats. Brooke can feel her breathing quicken. The snarling from last year is right above her instead of in the field in front of them.

   Steve sees Dart, "There," He points. "What's he doing?" Dustin asks. The damn thing hasn't taken the bait yet.

   Brooke takes a deep breath, "It's not taking the bait."

   "Can it just be—not hungry?" Casey shrugs. Steve side eyes him and then looks back at Dart, "Maybe he's sick of cow." Steve backs up from the window and goes to find his bat. Dustin and Brooke nervously glance at each other.

  "Steve, where are you going?" He doesn't answer Dustin. "Asshole, what are you doing?" Brooke impatiently asks. He turns towards the group and throws Dustin the lighter, "Just get ready."

   The bus doors open very loudly. Paisley panics when she realizes Steve is going out there, "Oh, you moron!" She yells between the sound of the door closing again.

   Steve carefully walks out into the fog with his bat in hand. "He's gonna die," Casey says. Everything he has learned evokes anxiety in him. It's gotten all too real and possible now. Brooke holds her breath watching Steve swing the bat around.

   "What's he doing?" Max asks as she comes back down. "Being a fucking idiot," Brooke answers. She's terrified for herself and in the back of her mind she knows she's terrified for Steve as well. They all stay at the window to watch.

   "He's insane," Max says. "He's awesome," Dustin smiles. "Good thing he's not hearing you. You'll only boost his ego more," Brooke has to insult him, just to calm herself down. That's quickly gone though when Dart emerges from the fog in front of Steve and she's back to holding her breath.

  "Steve! Watch out!" Lucas yells from the top of the bus, "Three o'clock!" Lucas repeats over and over again. Brooke looks to her right and her blood goes cold. There's more than one and they've all surrounded Steve.

   "This isn't good," Stella whispers. Dustin runs over to the bus doors, "Steve! Abort! Abort!"

   Brooke grabs at her hair. She keeps thinking how she needs to stop being a bitch—Steve could die if she doesn't get over her fear right fucking now. Brooke hears it growl. "Move, P," Brooke pushes past Paisley.

  "Huh? Brooke! Brooke, what are you doing?" Paisley yells as Brooke reaches the bus stairs. "Brooke, stay in the bus!" Dustin tries to yank Brooke back but she doesn't listen. She hops off the bus and onto the grass. Brooke quickly shuts the bus doors and ignores her friends begging for her to get back inside.

   Her breathing becomes heavy as Brooke spots a lead pipe not that far from her. A Demogorgon launches itself at Steve and he just barely misses it.

    Brooke runs for the pipe which gets the attention of the Demogorgon to her right. It lunges at her right as her fingers wrap around the pipe. Brooke smacks it in the head and it falls unconscious a few feet away from her. "Brooke! Steve!" Brooke looks up at Paisley who is pointing in Steve's direction.

   Brooke whips her head around and sees the monster on top of Steve just like it was on her last year except, it doesn't look the same. It's shaped like a dog. Brooke runs towards Steve who is reaching for the bat that had rolled.

    Brooke is almost there when she feels something scratch at her leg. She shrieks in pain at the Demogorgon grabbing at her leg. Brooke roughly kicks it off of her and then swings at it. The pipe hits the Demogorgon in the chest hard enough for it to be stunned. Brooke puts on a brave face despite the pain in her leg and runs towards Steve.

   She takes a deep breath and smacks its head. The metal pipe clunks against its skull. It falls to the side of Steve and he quickly pushes himself off the ground to grab his bat and then Brooke's hand to run back to the bus.

     He knows she got hurt, everyone heard her yell. Steve is really trying his best to be considerate of that but the growling behind them makes it hard.

   The Demogorgons are right behind them as they jump into the bus. Casey shuts the bus doors. and then stands against them as the Demogorgons knock into the metal. The bus starts to rock because of them.

   Brooke hisses in pain as she tries to put more metal around the windows. "Are they rapid or something?" Max yells.

   They growl even louder and hit the bus even harder. "They can't get in!" Lucas panics. A second later one breaks into the metal on the side of Casey. They all let out a scream but Steve smacks it with his bat repeatedly.

   Dustin runs over to the walkie talkies in hopes that anyone will hear them but it's no luck. Paisley and Max help Brooke stand at the back of the bus. It feels like Brooke's leg is on fire. She knows the claw marks are deep which also means she has to be bleeding.

   There's a thud above them and then the metal of the roof starts to bend. Each set of eyes follow the footsteps towards the opening at the top of the bus.

   The Demogorgon growls as Max screams at the bottom of the ladder. Brooke reacts all too quickly for the pain in her leg. She yells in pain as she grabs Max and pulls her away from the ladder and pushes everyone else behind her. Steve makes his way over and pushes Brooke out of the way, "You want some? Come get this!" Steve yells.

   It opens up its mouth and growls. Brooke has her arms spread to protect everyone behind the two teens. She fights with her own anxiety, trying her best not to panic and to just protect the kids.

  Steve holds his bat up to it but it just screeches and walks away.

    Brooke lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding and looks back at everyone, "You guys okay?" She tries to ignore the dizziness.

   They all mumble out a yes. Casey steps forwards, "Are you? We need to look at your leg—"

   "Not—right now. It's probably the best idea to wait," Paisley stops him knowing how her best friend reacts to blood.

   They all go towards the front of the bus. "What happened?" Lucas asks.

   "I don't know," Max answers. "Steve scared 'em off?" Dustin suggests. Brooke shakes her head, "There's no way. They're going somewhere."

   "Where could that be?" Stella looks at Brooke with wide eyes. Her body slightly trembling from everything that just happened.

    Brooke limps forwards and off the bus trying to hide her grunts of pain, "We need to follow them," Brooke nearly falls but Steve grabs her arm just in time.

   They stare at each other for a few seconds before Brooke stabilizes herself. "Brooke, your leg is fucked up right now."

  "Yeah, I didn't know. Thanks, Paisley. Listen, just wrap something around it so I can't see the blood and let's go. There's obviously more than just Dustin's rabid pet going on," Brooke says. Steve stares at the claw marks. He feels bad knowing she got them from saving him. That he was dumb enough to put any one of them in danger all because he misstepped.

    Brooke Martel saved Steve Harrington. Who would've ever thought?

   They all stand there for a second and Brooke rolls her eyes. "One of you fuckers get me gauze or something from inside the bus so we can get a move on!" They each run into the bus to help Brooke except Steve, his eyes are just on the cuts.

  "I'm sorry," He spits out. Brooke looks up at him in surprise and notices his eyes on the scratches. "It's fine. Just don't do it again. I don't know if I can guarantee saving your life twice, Harrington," Brooke limps towards the bus.

————

"i hate them" headasses. yeah. okay.