KAT

"MIKE, COME ON!" Will yelled from the door.

"Can I go now?" Mike sighed, turning to Kat from the dining table, her page of notes about notes lying on the wood.

"No, I haven't finished," Kat said. "To wrap up- write down all the demos, tips-"

"Mike! Hurry up!" Will yelled again from outside.

"Coming!" Mike screamed in response, Kat groaning at his volume. She couldn't wait until he hit puberty and she didn't have to listen to him shriek all day.

"Fine, go," Kat said, and Mike nodded before scrambling out the door to go to Will's house.

Kat tossed her page into the nearby trash can, stretching her sore limbs as she stumbled upstairs to get her handbag for the movies. A tin of lip balm, spare cash for popcorn, and a gloss were tossed easily into a beaded purse as the rev of Steve Harrington's BMW filtered through the glass of her window, closely followed by Dustin's yelling for her to come downstairs.

Laughing, she ran down the steps, throwing on a pair of boots as she closed the door, keys in hand.

"We're gonna be laaaate!" Dustin called from shotgun.

"Stop paaaanicking," Kat said in mock irritation as she clambered into the backseat. Steve pulled out of their driveway, the comfortable backseat of his burgundy car a stark contrast to Kat's own electric blue AMC Hornet.

"We're sneaking food in," Steve declared proudly, much livelier now that he was out of school. He tossed her a few small bags of sour candy and M&M's. "Put those in your purse,"

"You sure we won't get caught?" Kat chuckled, noticing the bulge on Dustin's stomach where there was the clear outline of a bag of chips tucked into his waistband.

"Nah, we're total ninjas," Dustin said, grinning at Steve then at her.

"Exactly," Steve said. "Don't sabotage our plans, Katie,"

Kat scoffed, eyes smiling as they pulled in front of a red light. Kat took the time to help hide the snacks better, with the chips tucked neater inside Dustin's shirt and the smaller bags inside Steve's sweater sleeves.

"This movie's gonna be good," Dustin snickered as Kat adjusting his baseball cap to hide the chip bag underneath.

Dustin was right. The shots were stunning, and Kat felt like she was gonna slip off the edge of her movie seat the entire time. She didn't even eat any of the snacks Steve and Dustin brought, such was her concentration.

"And the last line, ugh," Kat gushed as they came out to the parking lot. She imitated Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice. "That was wild,"

"I know, right? All of the fights were so cool as well," Dustin said, grinning.

"Yeah! And oh, the ending, that was just-" she made a chef's kiss gesture with her fingers. "-Perfect,"

"Damn, Kat. How long's it been since you saw your last action movie?" Steve laughed as he walked alongside her, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans.

"'Couple years, maybe," Kat said lightly, her shoes finding a pebble on the ground and kicking it about.

"Then we've gotta see First Blood Part II next month!" Dustin exclaimed. "You've seen the first one?"

"Kinda, yeah," Kat smiled at him, tying her hair up so it didn't flap around in the cold autumn breeze.

"Perfect- then we'll do this again sometime," Steve said, opening the door for Kat, who whispered a 'thank you' before getting inside, her heart skipping a beat or two.

"You got a lot of homework?" Kat asked Dustin, who climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Mostly math. Lots of prealgebra,"

"God, I hated algebra," Steve sighed, pushing his keys into the ignition.

"I didn't mind it," Kat shrugged. "I just thought geometry was miserable,"

"Right?" Steve said, looking back at her in purposefulness. "All graphs and shapes and shit,"

"Language," Kat sung as she got settled. "Dustin, put your seatbelt on,"

"Fiiine," he said grumpily, and clicked the belt to wrap it around himself.

"Yep. Don't wanna be caught speeding," Steve chimed in, causing Kat to scoff at the reference.

"You're never gonna let that go," Kat muttered.

"Nope," Steve chuckled, before his eyes went big. "Oh, shit,"

"What?" Kat asked, sitting on the middle seat so she could see through the windshield. "God, no,"

Someone none other than Billy Hargrove was leaning against the telephone booth, caught in a passionate make-out session with Carol Perkins.

"Ew," Kat grimaced. "Let's get outta here,"

Steve murmured an agreement, smirking slightly as he reversed loudly to pull from the parking lot. Through the side windows, Kat could see Billy and Carol break apart, Carol's lips pursing in annoyance before recognizing Steve's car, and Kat inside it, and breaking apart in a shout. But the rumble of the BMW smothered it, and the trio left the movie theater in shrieks of laughter.

"Katie, seatbelt as well," Steve said sharply, indicating at the invisible strap over his chest.

"Excuse me, I'm an accomplished driver myself who knows what to do in an accident," Kat said indignantly.

"Oh, yeah?" Steve grinned into the rearview mirror, before slamming on the brakes, causing Kat to slide off her seat and knock her head onto Dustin's seat in front of her. 

"Hey!" Kat shouted, before reaching forwards to grapple with Steve's hair. 

"Hey. Hey, hey hey! Jesus! Don't touch the hair!" Steve said, struggling while trying to keep one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand swatting her away.

Kat giggled with evil as purposefully mussed his hair, distressing it from Steve's previous hairsprayed-to-perfection state. The Farah Fawcett spray had hardened the edges of his mullet, but the straight brown locks were soft and parted easily like a field of golden grass under the wind of a moon. Under the streetlamp lighting outside, they barely distinguishable mix of auburn, caramel, and chocolate tinged with gold, just like the color of his eyes. Kat fluffed it out as Steve complained loudly, the distraction causing the car to slip around a bit before fumbling to stability as Dustin laughed.

"Alright, alright! A million sorrys!" Steve exclaimed at her, though she could tell from his expression he wasn't really mad. "Never forgiving you for the hair, though,"

"I'm never planning on it," Kat grinned wickedly, giving the tip of his three-inch tall hair a flick, which made him roll his eyes and move his head out of the way. "I'm taking shotgun next time, just so I can mess it up,"

"Yep, that's a no," Steve said monotonously.

"Hell yeah," Dustin snickered, and Steve responded with shoving his baseball cap further down his face roughly, which caused a loud yelp.

They reached Dustin's house quickly, since it was only three streets away, and all of them had been there before. Except this time, they weren't hunting a demogorgon, just dropping a kid off after a movie. And Kat had to admit, Dustin's house was nice. It had a row of bushes at the front to block a window, like the Byers'. Except the bushes at Dustin's house were carefully trimmed, and had a variety of plant species, like one with withered but delicate flowers and another with leaves wider than Kat's hands combined. The wash outside was gray, but under the golden lamplight it faded into a warm yellow. Dustin got out of the car with a quick 'Bye, guys!' and scrambled to the door, avoiding the chilly night air.

"Little nugget," Steve said under his breath fondly as they saw Dustin walking inside, a tortoiseshell cat weaving around his ankles.

"Oh, hey, they replaced Mews!" Kat exclaimed, pointing at the new cat, meowing up at Dustin for treats.

"Bet Mrs. Henderson couldn't handle the loss of fur around her couches," Steve snickered.

"Hey! Don't say that," Kat said, eyeing the now-empty passenger's seat. "And don't drive yet, lemme just-"

She then started climbing from the backseat to the front, a very dangerous mission, since she didn't want to hit any buttons or Steve's face.

"Oh- God, God. Just, Katie- watch the, watch your hea- Jeez, fine," he said as she clambered over.

She accidentally bumped against the door as she folded her feet underneath her to sit comfortably into the padded seat.

"Hey! What're you idiots still doing here?! Scram!" Dustin's voice yelled from inside his house, probably thinking they were stalking him or something.

"You bet your as-butt we're not staying here for long!" Kat yelled back, as Steve started reversing out of the driveway. 

"Dropping you off at home too?" Steve asked her as they pulled onto the main road.

"Yep. That run-in earlier," she said, smiling as she thought of it. "That was pretty shocking,"

"Nah, Carol's cheated on Tommy loads of times," Steve said, his face in a grimace.

"I bet," Kat said. "Why'd you even hang out with those assholes in the first place?"

"Dunno. Guess King Steve needed some staff. But I'm not King Steve anymore," he replied, tone turning somber.

"I believe that," Kat tilted her head to one side. "You're a lot better now,"

"Ya think?" Steve broke into a chuckle. "Took an army of demogorgons, some kids, and a heartbreak to get here,"

"Yeah," Kat laughed. "But you feel better now, yeah?"

"Yeah. I do," Steve said, grinning the most genuine grin Kat had ever seen grace his features, and she felt herself reciprocating.

"I really liked tonight," Kat leaned back in the leather-padded set. "Thanks for inviting me,"

"No problem," Steve replied, glancing at her. "You- uh, looked like you needed it,"

"May-be," Kat said. "I've been pretty busy these few days, with, y'know, everything-"

She gestured with her hands, and Steve got the message. School, getting a job, college, and looking after everyone.

"You needed a break?" Steve clarified. They drove past Hawkins High, streets empty at 10:00 PM.

"Yeah," Kat sighed. "The more you- you bring it up, the more I think about it. I guess maybe I haven't been letting myself have as much fun lately- like, be a kid, type of fun," Kat jumbled out, thoughts hastily rearranging themselves into words in one run-on sentence. 

"You haven't let yourself be a kid?" Steve said, reiterating.

"Um, yeah, what-" Kat said, before Steve slammed on the brakes of his BMW. "Whoa, whoa, why'd you stop- hey!"

Ignoring her questions, Steve pulled a U-turn with expert skill, driving back to the entrance of Hawkins Middle and High School.

"Why're we going to school? Steve! What's happening?" Kat said, unconcerned but extremely confused.

But Steve didn't listen, driving in the direction of Hawkins Middle School from the main driveway and zooming all the way to the back of the parking lot, the two lamps lighting up the area.

"Steve! What're we doing?!" Kat said, cheeks tinged pink with adrenaline. Except again, Steve paid no attention to her words, parking the car and getting out of it, jogging past the front and opening her side's car door.

"Come on!" Steve said, crouched in front of her open door, looking at her excitedly. If he was a golden retriever, his tail would be wagging.

"Come on where?" Kat said warily, though she couldn't help but laugh at Steve's passionately happy expression.

"Outside! Where the fun is!" Steve said, and didn't wait for a response before he grabbed her gloved arm and pulled her out of the car, slamming the door.

"St- Steve. Steve, if you're planning to murder me-"

"-Stop asking so many questions," Steve whined, grabbing both her arms and jumping with excitement as he led her to the back of the Middle School. "Let's go somewhere fun!"

"Okay, okay," Kat laughed, as Steve broke into a jog, which she reluctantly followed. They ran to the back in the moonlight, ignoring how the November wind bit into her skin and tangled itself in her dark brown curls.

"Bada bing," Steve came to a halt in next to her, only slightly out of breath compared to Kat's panting, and pointed with both hands at what was in front of him. "Bada-boom,"

"The playground?" Kat said, looking dubiously at the playground set that belonged to their old school. It consisted of a swing set, a metal slide, and a few play ponies connected to the ground with rusty springs.

"Yeah! Come on, let's be kids!" Steve exclaimed, and before she could protest, he'd clambered up the ladder to the top of the metal slide, hitting his head once but not deterred. 

"Steve! Get down!" Kat said, laughing as her hair waved wildly in the wind.

"What? I can't hear youuu!" Steve yelled from the top. "You better come up here, young lady!"

A childish giggle erupted from the depths of her throat, and Kat shook her head before running forwards and carefully clambering to the top.

"Catch me if you can, Kit-Kat," Steve said, opening his arms widely, a devilish smile from ear-to-ear on his face, before leaping face-first onto the metal slide.

"Steve-" Kat tried to protest, but it was too late, as Steve Harrington had slid down a few feet already. He tried successfully to sit up as he hit a spot in the slide where the poorly-maintained metal curved and the friction was a little too great, pushing the sides of the slide to propel himself forwards, letting out a whoop as he did so. As the end of the spiral slide came closer, he thudded straight off the edge of the metal and onto his feet with expert ease.

"You better run, Katie! I'm coming to tag you!" he hollered up at her, cupping his hands around his mouth, bomber jacket slightly rustled with the ride.

"Steve, this is ridiculous," Kat laughed as she sighed. 

"I can't hear ya from down here, Ladybird! But I'm coming back up to catch you!" he yelled, and turned to head up the ladder.

"Shit," Kat said, her cheeks lighting up with more laughs as she dove down the slide she hadn't been on in six years, the static prickling at her skin. She could feel her chest beginning to hurt- she hadn't laughed like that in weeks. The slide was rough, way too old, and Kat was far too big for it, but Steve's constant teasing kept her moving.

The two teenagers kept on running to the ladder, climbing up, and sliding down the slide in a frantic cycle that continued for a good ten minutes, both of them out of breath but spending every last whiff of air on dying with laughter. They hit their heads, arms, and everywhere else on playground equiment that was built for ten-year-olds, but they didn't care, as with each revolution spent on the slide, Kat's heart grew lighter and lighter as her exclamations of glee grew louder and louder. Steve sounded like he was enjoying it as well, yelling how he was gonna catch her every eight seconds or so. It was just...so much fun. It felt like she was going through a time machines with every revolution of the slide, like she was catching up on lost time, on days that should've been spent getting stuck on playgrounds instead of being responsible.

Finally, when even Steve was worn out, he stumbled to her shoulder, patting it with a 'tagged you', and the duo collapsed onto the swing set. The chains holding up the plastic seats groaned at their abnormally large weight, creaking with the effort. Yet Kat was still laughing a little, as if she'd never stop.

"Whew," Steve let out a breath. "You feel like a kid now?" 

"Yeah. A hundred percent," Kat said, shaking her head as if shaking off the fits of giggles.

"We should do this more often," his smile threatened to stretch across his entire face. "You've got years of childhood memories you've missed,"

"True," Kat said, the subject no longer making her so defensive. Or maybe it was just because it was Steve talking to her about it.

"Y'know, if you ever need a call, feeling nostalgic for some fun, or- like, just wanna get away from adulting?" he leaned forward, looking at her from his swing. "I got your back,"

"Thanks," Kat whispered. "No one- just, no one's ever done this for me before, so thanks,"

"You're welcome," Steve whispered back, eyes alight in youthful mischief. "'Cause now I got a new mission: take you-" he pointed at her with fingerguns. "Back through memory lane,"

Kat felt like her mouth would begin to bleed with how wide it had been smiling. Her entire chest was sore with the previous adrenaline, her back slouched to supress the tiredness. Yet her mind could not be more alive. 

"A new mission?" Kat said, as if making fun of Steve for taking it too seriously, though inside she was thankful a thousandfold for his effort.

"Yeah. Mission...Mission Ladybird. That's the name for it. And I'll be your guide: Mr. Steven Harrington, feel free to shake my hand," he said giddily, and reached his hand out to her.

"Can't wait. I'm Katie Wheeler," Kat rolled her eyes, and clasped her hand in his. 

His hands were disproportionately big compared to her own, and calloused with constant sports. Kat's hands weren't much better, with a few scars she'd picked up from frying pan or oven burns. She had the occasional habit of picking at her fingernails, causing one or two of her nails to be shorter than the others. Steve's hand was far warmer than her own, Kat's palms having long chilled due to the fall night air. Yet, Steve's touch was like a warm blaze of firelight to her own ice.

The firm handshake ended, and the cold air stung her palm once more. She shoved both hands into her pockets, her breath making dragon puffs in the autumn breeze. Perhaps meeting Steve Harrington might've been one of the best decisions she'd ever made for herself.

"Saturday. Car race to Fort Wayne is step two of Mission Ladybird. Deal?" Steve asked her from the wheel.

They'd pulled up at the Wheeler House, both of them remaining in Steve's car.

"Deal," Kat said. "Thank you for today. Really. It means a lot to me,"

"And I'd do it again," Steve grinned lopsidedly, though the care shone through his golden-brown eyes. "My mom says that the best smiles come from nostalgia,"

"I think she's right," Kat whispered, and she saw Steve's eyes flicker to her hand once more, the same one he had shook in agreement to Mission Ladybird earlier. "I gotta go, though,"

"See you tomorrow," Steve said softly in response. "Step Two awaits,"

"You're so dramatic," Kat laughed gently as she opened the door and stepped out into the air. "Bye,"

"Bye, Katie," she heard him respond before the door shut gently. Turning around, she opened the front door with her spare key and stepping inside, hearing the rumble of his car as he left. 

She dusted her shoes on the straw rug, setting them on the shelf inside. Throwing a glance on the grandfather clock, she heart jumped with the suprise that it was almost midnight. Her next surprise was her mother, standing next to the stairs with her hands on her hips.

"Kathryn. It's almost twelve!" Karen hissed at her, indicating at the closed lamps around the house. "Everyone's been home for hours besides you!"

"Mom, it's fine. I've just been with my friends," Kat said, shrugging it off but feeling unsettled by the sheer fire of desperation that was lit in Karen's eyes.

"No- no, I don't care about who you were with. Kathryn! You were supposed to make dinner! And buy groceries up to Friday!" Karen pleaded, looking genuinely upset.

"Mom, I-" Kat stuttered. "I just- I thought I only made dinner on the last four days of the week, and- and I just figured. I just figured that since you were out as well you might've gotten groceries yoursel- I'm sorry, Mom. Sorry. Sorry, I really- didn't think of the empty fridge-"

"-Kathryn, sweetie. Mistakes are fine, just-" Karen waved her hands a little. "Look. When I came home today, Mike, Nancy, and Holly were all waiting, and they were hungry. This- this is like the base line of us, Kathy. And not that they should've, but your siblings couldn't fix themselves anything, because there were no groceries!"

"I- I-" Kat stammered, trying to breathe as the clammy feeling overtook her voice and tears pricked at her irises.

"Kathryn, I really don't want you to feel horrible about this, but you have to know. You already understand how hard it is for me to manage all four of you- and yes, it's old-fashioned. But sweetheart, you're the oldest daughter! It's your job to be responsible, Kathy,"

"I- I know, I know, I'm sorry," Kat said, her voice like shattered puzzle pieces. 

"Oh, come here, sweetie," Karen said sympathetically, holding out her arms in a hug that Kat accepted. "Don't be upset, mistakes happen. I trust you, Kathryn. And you broke that trust, baby. But next time I know you'll be better, right? Yeah?"

"Yeah," Kat said, feeling like a hot lump of coal sat at the tip of her tongue. "Yeah, I'm- I'll be responsible,"

"That's my girl," Karen smiled, cupping Kat's face in her tanned hands. "Now run off to bed, it's late. And remember to get the groceries tomorrow before school, 'kay?"

"Okay," Kat murmured, and held on to the wooden handrail for support as she made her way upstairs.

Her brain felt like it was in a haze with the past few minutes, as her vision blurred with wetness. She dropped her bag near her desk and collapsed onto her bed, her face in her pillow. God, she felt like total bull. The thought of Mike, Nancy, and little Holly going to bed hungry, the vision idealized and highlighted with her mother's words of scorn. Kat felt...weak, weak. Helpless, and the only way to stop that was to be better. Be responsible. Be responsible.

Kat repeated the phrase like a prayer, like it was her lifeline, as she began to sob.

━━author's note ━━

🥺 poor baby, but dont worry, 'cause she'll get working on it!

this chapter was suuuper long, mostly bc i didnt want to stop the action, but it covered through several very important scenes in this story, namely the playground and home scene. steve and kat's relationship has deepened, and so has kat and karen's dynamic. it's a very complex and intricate dynamic to handle, and i'll keep exploring it throughout the book. 

also, get ready because the next chapter is when the angst starts!