chapter eighteen
r.i.p. the teen dream

🖤

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" THE VOICE OF RUBY's auntie, Carrie Brenner, pounces on Ruby the second she returns home. Her aunt's yet to be seen, and Ruby looks across at Hopper and Eleven, both looking a little awkward. Her dad dropped her off, telling Steve that they needed to have a talk about everything. (Ruby wanted to tell Steve to sneak in her bedroom window, but knew by that point, she'd be too exhausted for it to be worthwhile. She'd rather wait, so that she's ready and can enjoy it more.)

Carrie Brenner walks into the foyer — no, storms — but skids to a halt the second her eyes lay on Hopper. Her dead sister's husband. Her dead sister's alcoholic husband, that was so dependent that she had to adopt her niece. Carrie twists her lips.

"There better be a good reason you're in my house," Carrie declares. She turns to Ruby. "And you! Where were you? What happened?"

"Um..." Ruby drifts off, and she glances towards her dad, because she doesn't really know how to explain all of this. She doesn't really want her auntie to know about her powers — because that means Carrie will know the awful truth of her sister's death, and how it was her dad's fault. It would also make Carrie realise that she was the one driving Ruby to the majority of these 'doctors appointments', which made Ruby's powers stronger (and depending on who you asked, made everything better or worse.) But equally, how can they lie through this?

"There was an incident at the lab," her dad explains. "Ruby was in the woods with, uh... What's his name? The... uh, hair...?"

Both Ruby and Carrie go, "Steve."

"Yeah, Steve." Hopper nods. "But everything's OK now. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to warn you, but I was involved and I know Ruby's history with the lab, so I was worried she'd get into trouble with... what, uh, happened."

"What happened?" says Carrie, raising an eyebrow.

"Shooting," says Hopper. "I was there with the Byers' when it happened."

"Oh," says Carrie, and the idea of a shooting loses her interest the second it doesn't include her niece. Instead, she looks at Ruby. "You were with Steve? I thought you guys..."

Ruby starts to smile, and Carrie begins to grin.

"Oh my God, no way!" Carrie reaches forwards and takes Ruby's hands, jumping up and down. "You guys are friends again?"

"Uh..." Ruby trails off.

Hopper coughs. "You could say that—"

"Dad!" says Ruby, giving him a glare.

Carrie's eyes widen. "What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you later," says Ruby, and she prays to God that her dad doesn't say anything else. It's not as if she's actually dating Steve! They kissed, he said he loved her, and they're going on a date! But they're not boyfriend and girlfriend! Give her a second to breathe!

Carrie looks disappointed, but she finally notices Eleven, and frowns. "Who's this?"

Ruby freezes.

"That's... Jane," says Ruby.

Carrie's still confused. "OK... and who's Jane?"

"She's, uh..." Hopper pauses, unsure how to describe this. "I'm adopting her."

Carrie crosses her arms. "And you took her to a shooting?"

"No, I just picked her up... she's friends with the Wheelers," says Hopper. "I—I want to talk to you, Carrie, about everything. Is it... OK, if we go into the kitchen?"

Carrie looks back at Ruby, wanting her approval before letting her father back in. Ruby nods, so Carrie sighs. Carrie's always hated Hopper — or, at least, that's what Carrie's always told Ruby. Maybe they used to get along, Ruby can't remember. It was Carrie that plucked Ruby out of her father's mess, that was forced to stay in Hawkins to raise a kid that wasn't even her own. Even if Carrie once liked Hopper, Ruby can understand why it will take a long time to get them on the same page again.

"I guess so," says Carrie, and the two walk out of the room.

Ruby turns to Eleven, and smiles. "How are you feeling?" she says.

"Tired," Eleven says, with a small smile.

As Eleven sits down on the sofa, Ruby grabs them a couple packets of Eggo's waffles, realising she hasn't eaten since... OK, well, she ate a shitty cheese sandwich at the Byers' about an hour ago, but it was that gross American plastic cheese, and Steve ate the other half. (She did not give it to him. He took it.) So, she thinks she's entitled to a couple waffles. Plus, it's her favourite food in the world, and after this week, Ruby deserves it.

Eleven's eyes light up at the sight of the waffle, and Ruby hands her the pack.

"So, where did you go?" says Ruby, sitting back down.

And Eleven explains the past year, from her perspective. Or, at least, she attempts to, with the limited vocabulary she possesses. Eventually, the two give up and Eleven places her hands on top of Ruby's. Ruby opens her mouth to question it, but before she can, Eleven's nose is bleeding and an image of Hopper's cabin — a memory that is not her own — covers her vision.

Ruby realises it's Eleven's memories, and she runs Ruby through the past year. She wasn't stuck in the Upside Down, and that Hopper eventually found her. But, because Eleven was wanted by the government, Hopper had to hide her. Eleven didn't understand, and one night — the night Hopper got stuck in the tunnel — she left, hitching a ride to find her mom.

Her mom wasn't well, though, so Eleven left. Eventually she comes across this weird group of... criminals? Apparently one was also a test subject. They all dress punk, but not in a cool Vivienne Westwood way. That's why Eleven has the makeover. (Ruby will be changing this.) The other girl is apparently trying to kill everyone involved in the lab? Which, like, is fair. Ruby'll forgive her crimes against fashion for that. And then, Eleven realises her friends needed her, so she returned.

Ruby blinks, and she's back in her living room.

Eleven wipes her nosebleed. "Do you... understand?"

Ruby nods. "That seems... exhausting..." She's unsure if Eleven even knows that word, so she adds, "Tiring."

Eleven shrugs. "I wanted to come home. I missed my friends."

There's a childish innocence to Eleven's speech, which Ruby both loves and loathes. Loves, because it displays how she truly feels. She doesn't understand how to lie, how to manipulate words for a certain reaction. But, loathes because of why Eleven's like that. No one taught her how to speak. Allowed her to.

"Now you're back, we can spend loads of time together," says Ruby. "We can do everything sisters are supposed to do. We can, like, go shopping, and watch movies, and talk about boys..." Ruby grins. "How does that sound?"

"Bitchin'," says Eleven, with a smile.

Ruby hesitates, then smiles. "... Absolutely."

Her dad comes back just after that, looking like he's gone through war. Carrie grimaces at him, before letting out a sigh. Like Ruby said, it's going to take Carrie a long time to like him again.

"We should, uh, get going," says Hopper. "It's been a tough night."

He exchanges a glance with Ruby, who smiles weakly.

"I was thinking," says Hopper. "Maybe, you could spend a couple nights at mine every so often? Spend some time with Jane."

Ruby smiles. "I'd like that."

Hopper smiles back. "OK... Good. I'll speak to you tomorrow, kid."

They don't hug, but he puts his hand on her shoulder. Ruby would feel awkward hugging him, if she's being honest, but she appreciates that he's trying again. It would be nice, the thought of her, her dad, and her sister spending time together, being a family.

As the door closes, Carrie turns to Ruby.

"Are you sure you're OK with him...?"

Ruby nods. "Yeah... Yeah, I am."

Carrie smiles. "Cool," she says. "And if he's a dick, I'll just kill him."

"Sounds good," says Ruby, without another thought, without even asking herself if her auntie is being truthful, or exaggerating. "How was Indianapolis?"

Her auntie's eyes light up. "I've got some exciting news," she tells her, but before she can say what, exactly, she rushes out of the room, towards the kitchen. Ruby's brows furrow, apprehensively following Carrie. As she reaches the kitchen, she sees Carrie, holding a wad of paper. "So, do you remember Anthony? The guy that does the photography in New York?"

Ruby's confused, but she nods.

"OK, so, a couple of his friends work for this modelling agency, and a couple weeks ago, I ended up having dinner with all of them," says Carrie. Ruby doesn't really understand where this is going, or what the manuscript-sized wad of paper is doing here. "And I told them about how I look after you, and I showed them the picture of you that I've got in my wallet..."

"You have a picture of me in your wallet?"

"Uh, of course," says Carrie. "You're my niece. C'mon." She looks at Ruby, as if to say, what do you expect? "And! This is the exciting part! They loved you! They asked for some more photos—"

Carrie motions towards the collection of framed photos in the hallway, how most of them are missing. Ruby just figured they were updating them. Like, Ruby only gets hotter with age.

"—and they want to sign you!"

Ruby's eyes widen. "What?"

"It's only if you want to, but I thought it could be a great way for you to get your name out there, especially if you do want to work in fashion! Imagine all of the doors it could open for you!" Carrie hands Ruby the paper, and she realises it's a contract. "You can say no. I understand if you don't want to do that sort of thing, and just stick to the journalism — but it's a great opportunity, it'll be a better summer job than being a lifeguard again, and it'll only be local photoshoots for now. It doesn't have to be a big career move, but I feel like you'd enjoy it. What do you say?"

Ruby doesn't even think before she answers. She doesn't have to think about it. There is only one answer she would even give to that question. Do you, Ruby Brenner, want a first-class ticket to the industry you dream of?

"Of course I wanna do it!"

Carrie jumps up and down. "Amazing!" she exclaims, and she gives Ruby a big hug. "It doesn't have to be serious. They wanna meet with you next weekend, and we'll just see how it goes. And I'll support you, no matter what."

Ruby grins back at her. She had never really thought about modelling. Like, she knows she's hot, and all, but modelling seems so daunting. But if these agents already think she can do it... Why not? She could be, like, on Vogue, or something!

The thought of this new opportunity makes Ruby a little less anxious for school the next day, as she makes her way upstairs, getting herself ready for bed. She brushes her hair, her teeth, and tries to rationalise the upcoming school day. Monday morning, she could be a loser — she will be a loser. But, she'll have Steve again. She knows that she's nervous about losing her popularity because that's what made her seem normal, and she knows she'll lose it because that's what happened last year. She reminds herself that popularity isn't the biggest thing in the world. Having a best friend that loves her is. Having a little sister that's actually around is. Having friends she can rely on, feeling like she can trust the people around her... She's gaining that, in losing her popularity. R.I.P. the Teen Queen.

It just doesn't make it any less daunting.

🖤

"YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE NOT READY for this, we can ditch, and no one would be the wiser." Steve glances over at her as he pulls into the school parking lot. This morning, after the misery that was her driving last night, he dropped by hers and told her he'd be taking her to school again. "C'mon, Rubes, it's this gentlemanly charm that gets me the ladies."

"The lady," she corrected him, as she followed him down the porch.

Steve had smiled at that.

Now, though, she's watching him as he parks the car, in the same spot he's always done. When he used to drive her, she'd be in this exact seat, bitching about Carol or the latest gossip in their class. When they weren't talking — especially when she was dating Billy — she'd glance over at this parking spot and grimace, jealousy taking over. Now, though, she feels strange, welcoming an old friend in spite of the change.

"I think we could get away with it, you know." Steve's still talking about ditching, and Ruby wonders if that's because he wants to. She is tired, honestly, after this weekend. "Say we got, like, food poisoning."

Ruby smiles at him. "I mean, thanks for the offer," she says, pulling down the car visor to check herself in the mirror. She had gotten up earlier today, feeling the need to get extra ready for school. She always feels less nervous when she's taken the time to get herself ready, present her best face to the world. "But this needs to happen."

"If you ever wanna go—"

"I know." Ruby pushes the sun visor back up, and turns to Steve. "Thank you, really." She looks at his black eye, frowning. "How's your, uh... whole face?"

"It's been better," says Steve. "But it's whatever."

She raises an eyebrow. "What, that Billy beat you up?"

"Ha, thank you, Ruby, for the kind reminder," he says, and she smirks at the sarcasm. He shrugs his shoulders. "I really don't care, though... He's a dick, and he's jealous that I'm clearly the best guy out there for you. It's sad, really, how pathetic he is."

Ruby laughs. "You're such a dork."

Steve smiles at her, before glancing at the high school's entrance. It's five minutes until the first bell rings, and students are passing his car, on their way to homeroom. If they don't leave now, they'll be late. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"As long as I've got you," says Ruby, "the rest doesn't matter."

"That's my girl," says Steve, and he grins. "C'mon."

Ruby takes her bag from the trunk, remembering how the entire weekend, the trunk of Steve's car became the refuge for bats, weapons, everything to kill monsters. Now, it's back to normal: their school bags, a couple textbooks, and (of course) the bat with nails hammered in, hidden underneath an old towel.

She can feel the eyes already on her, and she hasn't stepped foot in the school yet. But in a town like Hawkins, everyone knows everyone's business — and it was common knowledge that Ruby Brenner and Steve Harrington had fallen out. They made it clear they 'hated' each other. So to see them getting out of his car, the Monday after he punched her (now) ex-boyfriend over said ex-boyfriend calling her a slut... Not to mention Steve's black eye... It's a lot.

But it'll be fine. It'll be fine, she reminds herself, as she walks through the parking lot with Steve. They're going over their class schedules, deciding to meet later on for lunch together, and he keeps on glancing over at her, as if checking she's OK. She feels OK. At least, right now. Hopefully it'll stay that way.

"I'll see you at lunch, then," says Steve, their first classes of the day being on separate sides of the school. "Find me if anything's wrong."

"I will," says Ruby, and she smiles. "You're the best."

Steve winks. "I know."

She knows she's supposed to kiss him right now, but she feels awkward about it. All eyes are on her, she can feel everyone's gazes burning into her, so she doesn't want to do anything to elevate that. But, equally, why should she care? The first step to moving on from caring about popularity, about others' perception of her, is to do the things she's scared of doing, because of people's reactions.

So Ruby kisses Steve — quickly, of course, just a little goodbye kiss, but enough that she's happy with herself. She wanted to kiss him. She could spend all day kissing him. So as self-conscious as she feels, she needs to put herself out there again.

Ruby makes her way to her first class — Chemistry — and decides to keep her head down. She doesn't need to talk to anyone if she doesn't want to. She normally sits with a couple other cheerleaders in this class, so she figures they probably won't speak anymore. Will Ruby have to give up cheerleading altogether? She pulls on the sleeves on her sweatshirt, covering her hands with the cuffs. She was wearing a tighter top, but felt too exposed in the car, so borrowed one of Steve's he had in the back seat. She feels like she can hide behind the sweatshirt.

She sits down in her usual seat, at the desk in the back, just next to the window. Ruby loves to get the window seat, and often fights for it. For this class, the girl with the bird name (Ruby can't remember what... Magpie, maybe?) almost got it before her back in September, but Ruby used her powers to stop the girl from moving any further. Now, Bird Girl stares at Ruby, unimpressed, as she walks back to the desk Bird Girl should've claimed.

The class runs its course, as does the others running up to lunchtime. Its then that Ruby meets Steve at his locker; he pulls her towards him, and kisses her with force. Ruby pulls back, and smiles. "So you missed me, huh?" she asks.

Someone behind her clears their throat.

Ruby turns around, and sees Carol, Vicki, and Tina.

There's silence for a moment. The three girls look at Steve, confused; for the past year, Ruby had bitched about him to them, and she knows that his status as a social pariah is partly (mostly) her doing. Ruby feels her nervous growing by the second, until Carol speaks:

"So you're a model now?"

"Uh, yeah." Ruby fidgets awkwardly, and she feels Steve place his hand on his back, trying to comfort her, reassure her he's there. Ruby feels like she's lost all of her self-esteem, and that her social status — her high school life as she knows it — falls in the hands of Carol, Vicki, and Tina, the bitchy girls that used to follow her around like puppies. Her! She cannot believe she's grovelling to the girls that would grovel to her! Her minions!

A small smile appears across the girls' faces.

"That's, like, so cool," says Tina.

"Could you get us modelling contracts?" says Vicki.

Ruby feels a burst of self-confidence, as she shrugs her shoulders. "I mean, I think they only want girls that, like, don't want to be models, you know? It gives them more authenticity. At least, that's what Andy told me..."

Andy Warhol's still alive, right?

"Wow," says Tina, as Vicki blushes.

"Maybe you can give us tips!" says Vicki.

Carol nods. "Yeah! You're sitting with us at lunch, right?"

"Uh..." Ruby hits a crossroads. She never really thought they'd actually accept her still. Does she even want to be friends with them? She knows she should say no, but then... It would be tragic to give up the fight for Snowflake Queen now, at the last minute...

But then she thinks about this weekend. It feels bizarre to Ruby, returning to a reality where no one disagrees with her. She would never bicker with these girls like she did those kids on the weekend, because these girls wouldn't dare cross her. She doesn't want to be involved in any of this. She would like to remain popular, of course, but not if it involves the fake friendships of two-faced girls.

"You know what? I'm good."

Carol, Vicki, and Tina look shocked.

"What?" says Tina.

Ruby shrugs. "Have a nice lunch!"

She takes hold of Steve's hand, the two walking through the girls, towards the cafeteria. Ruby looks across at Steve, and says, "I can't believe I did that."

And that's how the worst week of Ruby Brenner's life ended: giving up the popularity that, whilst nice, was not as valuable as the things it had made her lose. The worst week of her life began with Ruby kissing Steve at her Halloween party, which set off the awful chain of events that led to her telling him everything about her powers, to her breaking up with her totally hot boyfriend, to her ditching her friends for her old one. She wonders if she'll look back on this week of her life and recognise the importance of it, how the change just had to happen, or else she would have been stagnant for years. She hopes, and she prays, that this week of her life causes so much growth that it becomes the best week of her life.

Only time will tell.

🖤

THE WORST WEEK OF RUBY BRENNER'S life was preceded by the weirdest month of her life. This was not the intention, of course, and only started off as the weirdest morning of her life, which became the weirdest day, then the weirdest week... You get the deal. She left her "friends" — the bitchy girls that followed her around like minions — and quickly fell into her life hanging out with Steve, with Nancy and Jonathan, with her new sister El (and her sister's new best friend, Max — Ruby likes to think she orchestrated that). Ruby even started making more of an effort in her extracurricular activities, alongside her new weekend job, travelling up to Indianapolis to shoot catalogue photos. Everyone she works with says she has a natural charm... "It's as if the world revolves around her, or something!" she heard one photographer tell her auntie.

But that isn't why it was the weirdest month of her life. People were still friendly to Ruby — she expected the first couple of days, before people realised she had fucked off her friends, but the niceness continued. Doubled, even, as Ruby settled into her new routine. She'd arrive at school with Steve, and on the walk through the parking lot, people would welcome her, compliment her outfit. On Mondays, people would ask if she had modelled for anything cool over the weekend. "Not really, but I'm hoping to go to New York in the summer!" People would ask to help out on the newspaper, they'd greet her in the hallways, they'd let her skip ahead in the lunch line...

It was bizarre, because Ruby wasn't trying. She would like to remain popular, sure, but she knew that if she continued the way she was, she would lose everyone meaningful anyway (Steve). She just figured that this newfound friendliness was how the losers acted around each other, being nice to one another because there was no hierarchy... She wouldn't have known this before, of course, but one thing was for certain: she had no idea what all of this meant.

So as the days hurtled towards the Winter Formal — the crowning of the Snowflake Queen — Ruby was a walking ball of anxiety. She wouldn't get it, she knew she wouldn't, but the idea of being there when someone else's name was called... It would kill her. She wants to put popularity in the past and accept Steve's philosophy that high school popularity is bullshit, but she dreamt of Snowflake Queen for so long, it still sucks to see it being taken away...

"Maybe this is a bad idea."

It's in the parking lot, on the night of the dance, when Ruby starts to truly panic. They had dropped Dustin off before this (context: it's also the middle school dance tonight, and Steve promised he'd drive Dustin before theirs) and Ruby spent the entire car journey stressing. It would be easier to ditch.

"Do we, like, have to go?" says Ruby.

"Over my dead body," says Steve, very seriously.

Ruby raises an eyebrow. "Since when did you care about dances?"

"Since you did," says Steve.

In any other circumstance, Ruby would find this incredibly sweet, but right now, her mind is transfixed on the formal. She throws her arms up, like a toddler about to throw a tantrum.

"But I'm not going to win, Steve! And I'll have to watch everyone's smug faces when I don't, because I'm a loser now that no one likes—"

"Hey." Steve steps forwards, cupping her face with his hands. He gives her a kiss, quick but meaningful, before he smiles at her. "You're my loser."

Ruby glares at him. "This is a bad idea!"

"No, a bad idea would be not going," says Steve, placing his hands on his hips. In the month since Will's possession, the demodogs attacking them, and Eleven closing the gate, Steve has become so much more self-confident. Like, he always was sure of himself, but now, he's got the best head in any stressful situation. "You want to move on from that bullshit, remember? So, we can go in there, have fun, and if you win, you win, and if you don't, that's fine, too. It makes no difference."

She sighs, knowing he's right. He takes hold of her hands. "We're seniors, now, and there's only a couple of dances left before you go to college," he continues. "I know you're nervous, but even if we go for a little while, we'll both have a nice memory to look back on. So... what do you say?"

Reluctantly, Ruby says, "OK."

"You look really beautiful, by the way," he tells her.

Ruby starts to smile. "You're just saying that because I feel like shit."

"No, I'm saying that because my girlfriend is the hottest girl alive."

Girlfriend. They lied to Billy about it during the worst week of her life, but after a few weeks of dates, flowers, and late night talking, Steve asked for real. He had asked her at the end of his basketball game, the only one his team won that year. "I want to dedicate tonight to the one and only Ruby Brenner, who I want to ask... will you be my girlfriend?"

Of course she said yes. Ruby once hated public displays of affection, especially something like that, but with a boyfriend as hot as Steve Harrington? She can make an exception.

"Oh," she says. "You look handsome, too."

"I know," he says, with a wink.

Ruby smiles at him, a warm feeling of infatuation washing over her. She extends her hand, inviting him to hold hers again, and as they link hands, they start to walk towards the school.

Her dress is simple, a white dress with black lace detailing around the waist and hems. It was her mom's Winter Formal dress, the time she won Snowflake Queen. Even if Ruby loses, at least she's wearing something special. She looks across at Steve, as he hands over their tickets to the girl working the front stall. Ruby thinks it's the Bird-Name Girl. Bird Girl looks up at Ruby.

"Oh, wow," she breathes out. "You look amazing..."

"Thanks," says Ruby, smiling again. "Um, what's your na...?"

She drifts off, embarrassed she can't remember, but the girl smiles back.

"Robin," says Robin.

"I thought it was bird-related..." says Ruby.

Robin's cheeks blush bright red as Steve takes Ruby's hand, walking into the gym. It's been decorated to the extreme, strips of silver foil covering every wall, glittering snowflake cut-outs hanging over the dance floor. Tables surrounded the dance floor, with a makeshift stage on the opposite side of the gym, housing the band. Currently, they're playing their rendition of a Donna Summers song. Ruby wishes they'd play some New Order, they're her favourite.

She looks across at Steve, who's watching the stall to his right, labelled Vote for Snowflake King and Queen! Ruby's heart is already racing, but as she sees people next to the stall, writing in names and dropping them into the silver box, she feels even more nervous. Steve's already holding her hand, but he squeezes it.

"C'mon, let's not think about it," he says, leading her towards the dance floor, just as Madonna's Like a Virgin plays.

Ruby does start to loosen up after a while, as Steve encourages her to dance along to the song. She gets the feeling that the band only knows a handful of modern music, because they play mostly older stuff. There's one song, Lady Marmalade, that Steve and Ruby found on a cassette at the junkyard, inside the bus, that starts to play. Ruby and Steve get overexcited, and for those three minutes, Ruby forgets she's surrounded by people that think she's a loser. Steve raises his hand to twirl Ruby, and she starts to laugh, bumping back into him as she loses her balance.

Steve smiles down at her, holding her next to him. She looks up, and kisses him. The entire outside world is melting away. Hopefully, this will always be the case — she won't worry about not being popular anymore, she can just enjoy her final months here before she moves away for college. She can come back and appreciate this place for what it is. This isn't her end-all-be-all, nor is high school popularity. One day, this'll all be in the past, and that'll be it.

"Hey."

Steve stiffens next to Ruby. She turns around, to see Billy. He looks her up and down, a toothpick in his teeth. She knows he's started dating Tina since they broke up, so she must've dragged him here.

"You look good, Brenner," says Billy, and he musters the smallest of smiles.

Ruby smiles weakly. "Uh, thanks."

"I hear you're modelling now..." he says.

Billy doesn't look at Steve once, and focuses on Ruby. He looks regretful, which has always been the case, every time they've spoken since they ended things. Ruby thought he was a dick, but she feels bad for him now. She knows what it's like, forcing a certain identity to be liked by others. Plus, she gets the feeling he still likes her, the amount of times he's tried to speak to her since they ended things.

"Yeah..."

Thankfully, Billy's new girlfriend appears, ending the conversation. Tina, dressed in a gaudy violet dress, wraps her arm around Billy's smiling brightly. She looks at Ruby, the smile turning into a sneer.

"Oh, hey, Ruby," Tina says. She looks across at Steve. "Steve..."

Steve, who had also once dated Tina, gives a fake smile. "Hi, Tina."

"Shall we dance, Billy?" says Tina.

Ruby always thought Tina was sweet, but ever since Tina started dating Billy, she's despised Ruby, jealous for some reason. Ruby wants to hold up her hands and go, "you can have him!" She really doesn't care about who Billy dates — and she knows she said that about Steve and lied, but this time, she means it.

"Whatever," says Billy. Tina moves, about to drag him away, but Billy reaches forwards, taking Ruby's hand in his. Her eyes widen slightly, feeling embarrassed as Billy pulls his arm away from Tina, both of his hands now clasping Ruby's. "Have a nice night, Ruby."

He doesn't smile, but their gazes are locked for a moment. Ruby, because she feels awkward, and Billy... well, Ruby doesn't know that. All she knows is that she feels weird.

"You too," says Ruby, trying to stay polite.

Billy leaves them after that, and as Ruby turns to Steve, she hears Tina hiss, "What the hell was that?"

"Was I that obvious?" says Steve, tilting his head like a confused dog.

Ruby shrugs her shoulders. "I mean, there's no electricity between me and Billy, so there's nothing to worry about," she says, and she glances across at her boyfriend to see his reaction. He rolls his eyes, and she smirks. "Love youuu!"

Steve raises his eyebrows. "Wha—?"

Ruby pauses. Has she not said that before? She's thought it, countless of times a day, she just presumed that she said it at one point. But considering the look on his face, she realises she must not have done.

"You love me?" he says, softly.

She wraps her arms around his neck. "Of course I love you," she tells him. "I've always loved you."

Steve kisses her, and Ruby rests her head against his chest, smiling. This is perfect. She doesn't need popularity, she doesn't need to be the coolest girl in school, because she has everything she could ask for. True friends (... who are currently chaperoning the middle school dance) and the best boyfriend in the world... Not to mention a pretty fun part-time job, and a father she's excited to see.

"Can I have your attention, please!"

Tina's voice rings through the gym, as the band finishes their song. Ruby looks up, and Tina's on the stage, alongside two sophomores in tuxedos, holding the Snowflake King and Queen crowns.

"The time has come for us to announce this year's Snowflake King and Queen!"

Ruby's heart patters in her chest. She turns around, her back faced to Steve, and he wraps his arms around her. He says quietly in her ear, "Whatever happens, you're still my number one." Ruby smiles.

"The Snowflake King and Queen win a gift card to Enzo's in town, plus, a whole page in this year's yearbook! Winning this is such an amazing opportunity because your time at Hawkins High School will be remembered forever!"

Your time at Hawkins High School will be remembered forever! That sounds about right. Winning Snowflake Queen would be the icing on the cake, solidifying Ruby as the most popular girl at school. She'd be the most normal girl in the world, so divorced from the trauma of the lab... But she reminds herself that winning Snowflake Queen isn't everything. It doesn't matter if she isn't socially relevant anymore. All that matters is—

"And the Snowflake King is... Billy Hargrove!"

Oh, duh. That makes a lot of sense. Ruby figures that that means Tina will win Snowflake Queen, because she's the one dating him. He saunters up the stage, looking embarrassed he even won the damn thing. Ruby stays silent, placing her hands on her heart, as she waits with bated breath for the announcement of Snowflake Queen. She knows she's lost now, but still. The suspense is agonising.

"And the Snowflake Queen is..."

The band drum rolls. Ruby leans forward, tense.

"Ruby Brenner!"

Ruby's hands go to her mouth, her jaw on the floor. Steve hugs her tightly.

"You did it!" he says.

"Somehow!" she says back, grinning.

Ruby walks through the crowd of students, and the faces smile back at her. She did it! Forget Jackie in '53, it's all about Ruby now! Maybe this'll be inspirational to others — the girl that gave up popularity for friendship and love, and that's what caused her to win. The authenticity of her charm, her charisma. She'd be inspired by her. Do you see her curtain bangs? It's inspirational that she styles them every morning.

Her ego's doubling as she walks up the stage, one sophomore placing the Snowflake Queen crown on her head, as the other places the silver sash around her, and handing her a bouquet of white flowers.

On the stage, the photographer takes a picture of Ruby and Billy together. The camera flashes bright in her eyes, and as he pulls away, giving the two space to dance the traditional victory slow-dance, Ruby looks past everyone else in the crowd, to Steve, and she mouths, "I love you."

Because winning Snowflake Queen is amazing — it means that she's achieved the normality she's always dreamed of — but you know what else is amazing? Ruby's boyfriend, Steve Harrington, and how he'll always be there for her, no matter what. How he looked after he without a second thought in the Upside Down, when their lives were on the line. And, most importantly, the fact that he accepted her, for her recklessness and her genetically modified abilities. She has to dance this one song with Billy, sure, but everything else in her life right now? Her boyfriend, her sister, her friends, her father? Everything has fallen into place, the most perfect jigsaw puzzle. Everything has worked out for Ruby Brenner, everything is what she wished it would be, when she dreamed of having a perfectly normal life...

"I feel like the world revolves around her," she overhears one girl say.

And Ruby smiles. If only they knew.

🖤

HAWKINS HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK
ACADEMIC YEAR 1984—1985

1984 Snowflake Queen Ruby Brenner with date Steve Harrington. Ruby Brenner was also head of the school newspaper and member of the cheerleading team, with date Steve Harrington being a basketball player, and captain of the swim team. Both graduate this summer, and Brenner is set to study at the Parsons School of Design this fall.

end of
season 2

thank you SO much for reading the first part of ruby's body!! this is a longer chapter and there was supposed to be two left for season two, but it made more sense to have one final chapter, closing everything out. i really hope you all enjoyed this! ruby won snowflake queen but it was because she was true to herself <3 is this an 80s movie or what?!

so! the plan is to write ruby brenner until the bitter end -- i'm going to mark this as completed just whilst it's only season two, then be back on it with ruby in season three! i really hope you guys stick around for season three because i'm SO excited for the arc ruby is going to have from season three onwards. also!! i cannot wait for ruby to meet robin and eddie!! it's gonna be so much fun <3

thank you to everyone for reading. this fic got me back in writing again, and i love ruby with all of my heart. let me know what you thought! xx

(also ruby's dress is inspired by megan fox's in jennifer's body lmao)