( # STAGE ONE & TWO )

▬  ♡*.✧┊🖇💋 ꒱
JUNE 13TH, 1985!
     
           THIS SUMMER DIDN'T TURN OUT AS BAD AS ROBIN BUCKLEY THOUGHT IT WOULD. For the past few days, the girl would wake up, get ready for work and wear the blue-colored sailor uniform ( that she'd never admit she thought was cute ), go to work, and occasionally, hang out with Sheena and Kate after her shift.

        Lately, Robin's daily routine was almost exhaustingly boring ━︎ excluding the part where she wouldn't lose the opportunity to annoy her co-worker, Steve Harrington, and watch him fail everytime he flirted with a random girl. Robin never thought she'd see the day where a girl would voluntarily reject Steve the hair Harrington. Though, she was thankful she was there to witness that moment; maybe, it was almost time for Steve to learn that not every girl wants to be with him.

      But, after the miserable fail of Operation Croissant, and whatever the hell happened in the previous year's prom, Robin had spent almost all of the money she saved for the trip as a payback for the damage she had done last year, and now, she needed money to buy whatever she wished, without asking her parents. Besides, she thought it was an escape from home, also known as hell whenever her parents try to ask her about her love life. On the bright side, though, she had spent a whole year being herself, finally accepting her new identity and slightly being comfortable with it. Hell, she even managed to officially come out to her best friend Kate, a former member of her old band group.

       Back to what Robin was thinking about: today was going to be different, and the girl really hoped it was going to be a good different. It was officially day one of Operation Loser  ━︎ which was going to be renamed Operation Lover after it succeeds as Kate and Sheena insist it should; because they seem to planned it out perfectly for Robin ━︎ , and Robin can't seem to calm her nerves down. She can't even be bothered to pretend hearing whatever Steve was talking about ━︎ even though, she secretly enjoys hearing that he's having relationship problems, ( as if she could do any better ) ━︎ as today, she knows that Hunter Reed was going to see her. Hunter Reed was going to finally notice Robin Buckley!

       Today was going to tell whether they ━︎ as in Robin, and her right and left arms, also known as Kate and Sheena ━︎ should continue with their plan or not.

         Robin mentally went over the first stages of Operation Loser that Kate had told her about the other night:

STAGE ONE: I befriend Hunter. It seems unlikely, I know, but I'm going to have to do that as an apology for trying to force a relationship between you and Milton in sophomore year, and of course, for our favorite sapphic to get with her other sapphic lover.   DONE!!

STAGE TWO: I find out what is Hunter's favorite ice cream flavor, and then, I mention that there's a new ice cream parlor in Starcourt, and then, boom! You guys meet. Now, listen, Rob, I'm supposed to introduce you guys, but you gotta mention that strawberry ice cream is also your favorite! Common stuff between two future lovers is always a good start! And, Sheena will keep Steve distracted with anything. We don't want him interrupting your little moment with her, okay?  KATE'S PART: DONE!!

       Robin remembered where she actually was right now and came back to her senses. She was sitting on the counter, a stupid sailor hat that perfectly matched the rest of her uniform, and tried to put her attention back on what Steve was saying to her.

       "I just don't get why the hell everyone seems to have a boyfriend out of nowhere! It's like the moment I graduate, everyone seems to have found their lover, right, Robin?" Steve Harrington rambled as he and Robin were sitting behind the counter, but stopped when he noticed Robin zoning out, "Earth to Robin!"

        Robin looked back at him with an unimpressed look on her face, "Cut me some slack, Harrington!" The girl of the duo exclaimed, "I'm really not in the mood, right now, to discuss your love life issues."

      Steve noticed that the usually hyper girl wasn't in her usual hyper mood, which made him question himself whether or not to ask her if there's something wrong, but he eventually decided against it. He looked at the entrance of the parlor, checking if there were any customers, and there was, in fact, a blonde girl his age, with other two girls following behind.

      Steve glanced back at Robin and smacked her arm, nodding back to the three girls whom Robin didn't even realize came in. Robin looked at them, her eyes falling on a special girl. Hunter. The one who always makes her a nervous reck.

       The girl was tan, and she had long, brown hair that was perfectly shaped into little curls and waves. Robin believed she could stare into her brown eyes for hours, and she wouldn't get tired.

    Robin's eyes then fell on what Hunter was wearing; she was wearing a yellow cropped top, with denim, wide-leg jeans, and a yellow-colored converse on her feet. Her outfit complimented her body, beautifully. Robin noted that she really liked bracelets, from the amount of bracelets she was wearing on her hands.
   
     Robin noticed her mouth was wide open at the sight of her crush, and she tried to seem normal about it. She quickly tried fixing her hair and looked back at Steve.

     "You serve the blonde," Robin muttered quickly, trying to soften out her uniform, "I'll serve the other two girls."

     "Sure. But why do you get to serve the other girls?"

     "I make the rules here, dingus," Robin noted and paused for a second before continuing, "Besides, you wanted a girlfriend, right? Go shoot your shot."

       Steve frowned but complied nonetheless. He walked up to the counter and smiled charmingly at Sheena, earning a small, shy smile in return. Sheena seemed to start a conversation with Steve as the three had planned. So far, so good. Robin seemed to catch Kate's eye, and Kate raised her thumbs up, signaling that it was going well.

     Kate and Hunter walked up to the other side of the counter, where Robin was standing by, both of them walking up to her. Kate nodded at Robin, reassuring her silently.

     Kate fake gasped dramatically at the sight of Robin, "Robin! I didn't know you work here," She looked back at Hunter to introduce them to each other, "Robin, this is Hunter. Hunter, this is Robin," A smile.
"The one I told you about. "

     Hunter had seen Robin a few times in school, how couldn't she? Hunter had a few classes with her throughout high-school. The girl noticed that Robin had gotten a new haircut, and she thought she looked magical; almost like a mermaid, and Hunter adored mermaids.

     But that wasn't the only thing she noticed about Robin.

       Robin? She's so pretty with her new haircut. I should ask her to hang out sometime with me and Kate. No, no, that would be weird. We never talked in school before.

     While Kate seemed to be having a mental, silent debate with herself on what ice cream flavor she wanted to taste, Hunter seemed to haven't had taken her eyes off of Robin, her heart beating so loudly.

     Kate smirked lightly, seeing that her plan to introduce them had succeeded for now. She watched as Hunter and Robin nervously have an eye contact with each other, both admiring the other's facial features.

    "So, uhhh, what would you, two, ladies, like to have?" Robin managed to ask, letting out the breath she didn't even know she caught.

    Kate answered first, "I'll have a blueberry scoop on a cone, Rob. What about you, Hunter?"

      Hunter glanced back at Kate and realized she had been staring at Robin the entire time she's got here and stared back at the flavors, confused, "I...don't know. Robin, what do you think I should get? We were never blessed with a Scoops, Ahoy before."

     The direct question made Robin's face red just like the red in her uniform, "Oh, um, I really, really like the strawberry. But, the chocolate and vanilla are also very good. There's also ━︎ "

     Hunter cut her off, "You said you liked strawberry?" Robin nodded frantically which made her smile, "Alright, then, I'll take two strawberry scoops on a cone, too. With sprinkles on top, please."

    Kate and Robin shared a look, Kate smirking again at her and winking carefully, making sure Hunter didn't notice.
   

STAGE TWO: ROBIN'S & SHEENA'S PART: DONE!!

      Robin sighed and smiled like an idiot dreamily, watching her best friend and crush walk away ( after her crush smiled and waved enthusiastically which made Robin a stuttering mess ). This summer was, sure as hell, going to be different.

▬▬  ♡*.✧┊🖇💋 ꒱

RODS'S NOTE!

prologue is done!!!! i'm so excited to continue with this story, and i hope someone out there is as excited. this one isn't as good as i planned, but it isn't as bad as i imagined, so i guess that's it. i start school september 4th, so i'll try to, at least, get act one written before then! don't be a silent reader and tell me your thoughts? it would make me happy if someone pointed out any mistakes or plot holes!