Ding-dong!

"Steve, honey, can you answer the door please," Mrs. Harrington calls from the kitchen, too busy chopping vegetables to answer the door.

In the living room, Steve rolls his eyes, thankful that a door and wall separates them. Otherwise, his mom would already be on his ass for his "disrespectful attitude".

"Yeah, okay," Steve sighs, standing up from the couch and shutting off the TV.

He wasn't even watching TV, he has his essay scattered on the coffee table and is desperately trying to finish it before college applications are due. He's beginning to feel hopeless, however, never having been good in English or Writing.

As he walks towards the front door, the doorbell rings once again, causing a flare of annoyance to radiant from him.

"Yeah! I'm coming!" He calls, speeding up his steps, trying to prevent another ring from sounding.

Outside, Marigold waits patiently, rocking back and forth as she normally does. Seems to be a habit of hers.

She stops her rocking when the door swings open.

"Um, hi?" Steve greets, looking around her. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yeah, actually," she nods with a smile, looking back at her red wagon holding paint buckets. "I came to this part of town to buy some paint, but I didn't really think the whole idea through. I live sorta far from here, and I have no means of transportation—"

"Yeah, okay, cut to the chase," Steve cuts in, rubbing his head a bit frustratedly.

He didn't mean to sound so rude, but writing so much has given him a headache and bad attitude apparently.

"Jeez, you don't have to be such a dick," Goldie scoffs.

Steve's eyes widen, "Uh...girl's shouldn't really cuss—"

"Get fucked," she bluntly states.

He blinks in surprise.

"Okay, well, I'm closing the door now," he mutters, beginning to slowly shut the door to clear the awkward tension.

"Wait," she stops, frowning. "I'm sorry, I just really need a ride.."

Steve smiles a little, cracking the door back open to properly face her. Now, he really takes in the smaller girl's appearance. She has long hair, and glasses, and a shit ton of paint, and that's all you really need to know.

"I'm a complete stranger, what if I like murder you or something?" Steve points out.

"Are you gonna murder me?" She tilts her head.

"Well, no," he laughs.

"Then, that's all I need to know," she shrugs. "Anyway, I literally wouldn't care. Wouldn't be the first time someone tried to murder me!"

Steve grabs his keys which are hung beside the door, and exits the house completely. He begins walk to the wagon of paint, the girl follows.

"You're quite a quirky one, aren't you?" The boy hums.

"You bet," she nods in agreement.

After loading up her paints carefully, and driving through the town. Marigold and Steve develop a small connection, the older boy finding humor in the younger girl.

"Here we are," Goldie states. "Thanks for the lift—...uh, I never caught your name."

"Steve Harrington," he nods. "What's your name, kid?"

"Marigold Sullivan. Call me—"

"Goldie!" Ms. Sullivan calls from the porch. "Where have you been!"

The small girl simply turns and gives Steve a soft smile.

"I didn't tell my mom where I was going," she laugh. "I should probably be going now, I suppose."

"That's just gold, Goldie," Steve snorts.

"Don't ever do that again," She laughs.

Quickly, she climbs out of the car, and unloads all of her paint back onto the wagon once it's off the vehicle. Then, just before Steve can drive away, she places a hand on his window frame and leans into the car.

"Hey, Steve," she begins, "we're friends, now, right?"

He seems taken aback by her question, but immediately nods his head.

"Uh, yeah," he agrees.

"Cool," she grins, "so can you pick me up on Monday and give me a ride to school? I really don't want to ride with my friend and her brother."

"Oh, um," he considers the idea, "yeah, sure, I guess."

"Alright! 8:00am! Don't forget," she winks and steps away from the window, rushing into her house.

How the hell did she do that?

Steve questions himself. Now, he's really gonna reschedules all of his plans and tell Nancy he can't give her a ride all for some little girl who somehow manipulated him into agreeing to give her a ride instead.

Marigold Sullivan is quite clever.