TEENAGE NIGHTMARE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX — PART ONE.
THE SNOW BALL.

It's been over a month and a half since Eleven 'Jane' Hopper closed the Gate to the Upside Down. Not soon after, a breaking news broadcast spoke of mysterious occurrences at Hawkins Lab. They were blasted all over the nation for their wild experiments and what they kept from the public, shutting them down for good, thanks to an anonymous tip. Barbara Holland's death was finally explained and admitted by several members of the lab and government officials who owned up to her odd disappearance and untimely death. JP attended the funeral alongside Nancy and Jonathan, and he was glad to see her parents get the justice they deserved, whether it was the outcome they wanted or not.

Life went back to a relative normal after that. The three Walker siblings sat down with their father and truly explained everything that had happened since the disappearance of Will Byers in 1983. It took them nearly three exhausting hours, but when they were finished, Joseph Walker just hugged his children and thanked God they were okay. There had been another revelation in the family, as Charlie finally decided to sit his father down and tell him that he had feelings for Will Byers. Feelings that boys usually had for girls and vice versa. He was hesitant, but, after hearing all the crazy shit they had been through, he decided that life was way too short for him to give a damn about who his son had a crush on.

" You could kiss a fire hydrant, for all I care! " Had been his exact words.

Charlie has also spilled the beans to the rest of the party, insisting that it wasn't fair for just Mike to know. He left Will out of the conversation, though, since he was still recovering when he decided to tell Lucas, Dustin, Eleven, and Max. Eleven seemed the least fazed, like she didn't understand why he was telling her that information. Lucas simply shouted 'I told you so!' in Mike's face, and Dustin cleared any worry he had about them ditching him and leaving him completely alone and friendless. Max insisted that she knew lots of gay people in California and insisted that she knew one of the party were bound to be gay. They had a tight group hug after that, solidifying their party once more.

JP told Nancy and his newfound second best friend, Jonathan Byers, that he was going to try to stop smoking and drinking. He'd kept his promise since he burned his pack of cigarettes at Merrill's Farm, and he hadn't touched a bottle or a lighter since. He also decided to drop out of school, seeing as he wasn't really getting anywhere with his poor grades and even worse attendance. He'd settled on wanting to travel the world, but he agreed to wait long enough to see his sister, Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy graduate. JP had also found himself a distraction to his old habits, which came in the form of a redhead girl with just as much sarcasm as freckles. He often drove Max back and forth from school so that she didn't have to ride with Billy, and he even dropped her off a few times at the arcade to join El and the boys. He'd never tell her in person, but he was starting to see her as a second little sister.

As for Franny, well, returning to school wasn't as easy as she had hoped, but she knew it was no where near as tough as the hell she had just walked through the past week. So, she came back with her head held high, all her missing work weighing her bookbag down heavily, with her hand locked with Steve Harrington's. Sure, there were a few comments tossed here and there, but she realized that Demodogs had a much sharper bite than some dumb girl's insults. And, while she would never be able to get the sound of those screeches out of her head, and she often felt a phantom pain in her hand— which had healed into a nice, jagged scar on her palm (Steve said it made her look badass) —she still managed find some joy in the school days. She was especially thrilled on the days she saw Billy Hargrove, who couldn't even hold eye contact with her or Steve for more than a few seconds, which did leave an oddly proud feeling in her chest.

And, now, Christmas was right around the corner. Winter in Hawkins was always a hit or miss, you either got a foot of snow everyday or nothing at all, but this year was a perfect middle. Franny had her hand stretched out the window, not minding the coldness prickling her fingers as small snowflakes fell to her palm. The road to the school was mainly clear, having been shoveled in anticipation of the middle school winter formal, otherwise known as the Snow Ball. Franny never had any real interest in going to those dances when she was in middle school, so she didn't really understand why Charlie and the others were so excited to go, but she didn't question it.

Rick Springfield's Jessie's Girl was blaring through the speakers of Steve's car, making him have to shout to get her attention, " Fran, roll the window up, you're gonna get frostbite, or hypothermia, or something. "

Franny rolled her eyes, turning her head to give him a dry look, but she still pulled her hands back inside, rolling up the window as she stated, " It's not that cold out, Steve. "

" Your fingers are blue. " He replied back, and the girl glanced down at her hand to see that they were indeed a faint blue shade, but it wasn't enough to warrant a reaction. She raised her eyes to him, raising an eyebrow questionably.

" What if I wanted to lose a finger? "

" Then you're a psychopath. "

" Debatable. " She commented, leaning her head to her hand as she placed her elbow on the console, quickly finding herself humming the song as she stared out the front windshield.

They were driving to Dustin's house to pick him up for the Snow Ball. He'd insisted he wanted to look cool when he arrived, and that Steve and Franny were much cooler than his mother, which she'd also called a debatable opinion. Steve has offered to take Charlie, too, but he decided to go over to Will's house a little bit before the dance so that they could talk. Franny hoped it went okay, she'd hate to see her brother absolutely heartbroken.

" Why don't you sing? " Steve suddenly asked, and Franny lifted a brow, tilting her head slightly to look at him as his eyes flickered from the road to her.

" What do you mean? " She asked, a bit puzzled.

" Like, you only hum, you never actually sing. "

" Oh. " She said, shifting her eyes back ahead of her, shrugging lightly, " I don't know. "

It was such an odd, out of the blue question, but Franny didn't dwell too long on it. Instead, she thought about how no one's ever asked her that question before. Come to think of it, Steve asked her a lot of things that no one had ever asked her. She used to pin it off as him just being bad at small talk, but she quickly realized that it was just him trying to figure her out, like she was a puzzle he couldn't quite understand. He was the only person that put that much effort in trying to put the puzzle pieces together, and she appreciated that.

Before she could think much about it, they pulled into a familiar driveway, and Steve put the car in park. He honked the horn once, but, after no one came outside, he sighed and unbuckled his seatbelt.

" I'll be back. " He insisted before getting out of the car and heading up to the front door. She watched him jab his finger into the doorbell countless times before waiting with his hands on his hips.

Left to her own thoughts again, and in silence, of all things, Franny thought about Steve. She thought about how she had a huge crush on him for the good majority of her high school life, even after he ignored her like she was invisible. But, after a week of— what'd JP call it?— shared trauma, they were practically attached at the hip. Without Tommy or Carol or any of his other so-called 'friends' around, Steve was a completely different person. He wasn't 'King Steve', who drank his weight at parties, caught the eye of every girl, and was rude just for the hell of it. He was Steve Harrington, the guy that became an impromptu babysitter for a bunch of kids he barely knew, and laughed at stupid things Franny did, and smiled because he was happy. He was different, a good different, and Franny was grateful for that, too.

A few minutes later, Steve came back around the car, getting in the driver's seat as the back door opened. Franny turned around in her seat to greet Dustin, her eyes suddenly widening and mouth pausing halfway into her sentence as she saw his hair.

" Oh, wow, " She commented in surprise, surprise, eyes slowly flickering to Steve, who subtly shook his head, and then she plastered a smile on her face to look back at Dustin, " that's. . that's really something, Dustin. "

            " You don't like it? " The curly haired boy asked, frowning in panic as he patted the tall bush of curls hair sprayed to stand on top of his head.

            " No! No, " She quickly insisted, nodding half heartedly as she said, " it looks good, it looks great, Dustin. I'm sure all the girls will be fainting at your feet. "

              Dustin flashed her a cheesy grin, and Franny turned back to face forward, rolling her head to look at Steve, who started the car, meeting her eyes with a dry look. Franny scrunched up her face as she whispered, " If he gets bullied for this, I'm blaming you. "

              " Rightfully so. " He agreed regretfully, then he back to back up out of the driveway. Dustin's mother stood out on the porch, the front door half open as she waved goodbye to her son. Dustin grumbled under his breath and quickly averted his eyes away from the window as they drove down the road.

              Steve reached forward to change the song, and Franny's eyes snapped to the radio as soon as she heard the all too familiar beat of Should I Stay or Should I Go. She quickly pressed the 'next' button, then glanced sheepishly at Steve, " It's. . gonna take me a while before I can listen to that song again. "

             He didn't argue, especially as a Journey song played in its place. It was a few minutes before they arrived in the school parking lot, pulling up to the sidewalk. Many kids were walking inside, either awkwardly by themselves or with their arms linked with their dates'. Franny could distantly hear the music blaring inside the gymnasium, colorful strobing lights pouring through the windows. The car came to a stop and Steve turned down the radio, he and Franny both mirroring each other as they turned in their seats to look back at Dustin.

              " Here we are. " Steve remarked, and Dustin looked suddenly nervous. Franny gave him a soft, reassuring smile. " You ready? "

             " I think so. " He exhaled, eyes darting between the two teens with a bit concern.

             " So, remember, when you get in there— "

              " Pretend like I don't care. " Dustin finished for him, nodding, causing his hair to sway with his movements. Franny's eyes widened slightly in alarm, but she relaxed as his hair didn't tumble forward.

              " You don't care. " Steve insisted.

               " I don't care. " Dustin repeated, and Franny raised an eyebrow at him, pressing her arm against the seat as she sighed.

                " Dustin, please don't listen to this idiot. " She said, earning an offended, jaw dropped look from Steve, causing her to hold back a grin as she looked to the curly haired boy. " Just go in there and be yourself, okay? Girls like boys that don't pretend to be something they're not. "

                Steve pressed his lips to a thin line at her words, but she didn't seem to catch it as she held eye contact with Dustin, who now looked conflicted at their differing advices.

               " I. . Okay, Fran. " Dustin responded with a small smile, then he suddenly leaned forward to grab Steve's rearview mirror, turning it to check on his hair, making Franny stifle a giggle as Steve pushed his shoulder down, back into his seat.

              " Hey, come on, you look great, okay? " Steve insisted, keeping his hand in Dustin's shoulder as he smacked his back, " You look great. "

              Franny nodded in agreement, and Steve continued encouragingly, " Now, you're gonna go in there— "

              " Yeah! " Dustin nodded eagerly.

              " Looking like a million bucks— "

               " Uh huh! "

                " And you're gonna slay 'em dead! "

                " Like a lion. " Dustin purred.

                 Franny and Steve shared a look before the latter closed his eyes briefly, pinching his nose. Franny took initiative and laid her chin on her hand on the seat, shaking head slightly, " No. Like Dustin. "

                " Okay, " Dustin agreed, nodding again, " okay, okay. "

               Steve held his hand out, " Good luck, buddy. "

              Dustin slapped his hand into Steve's, nodding to him as a wide grin lit up his face. Then, he opened the door and climbed out, touching his hair agains before flattening his jacket. The door shut, and the two teens watched as the curly haired boy strutted up to the doors of the gym before swinging them open and heading inside.

             Franny softly laughed as she rested her head back against the seat, glancing over at Steve to find him already looking at her. The dance lasted about two hours, and then they would have to be back to pick up both Dustin and Charlie.

            " So, what do you want to do for two hours, Harrington? "

X X X

  
          Charlie was having a panic attack. Or, something that felt a lot like one. His face was burning, his hands were sweaty, his chest tight and it was incredibly hard to breathe. He and Mike stood in the bathroom as Charlie was bent over, hands on his knees as he breathed heavily. Mike stood by the door to ensure no one else would come in, and the dark haired boy shook his head, " What's wrong?! "

            " I think I'm going to puke, oh, my god, " Charlie murmured, moving his hands from his knees to his head as he straightened, looking at Mike with a panicked expression. " I'm going to actually vomit, Mike, I can't do this— "

             " What? I thought you told him— "

            " I DIDN'T! " He interrupted, placing a hand to his chest as he began to worry he was going to have a heart attack, or puke his guts up, because that idea was definitely on his mind. Maybe he'd do both, and they could headline it: HAWKINS MIDDLE SCHOOLER FOUND DEAD IN PILE OF PUKE BECAUSE HE'S A COWARD THAT CAN'T TELL HIS BEST FRIEND HE LIKES HIM. Yeah, that might've been too long.

              Mike stepped away from the door, eyebrows furrowed questionably as he asked, " Wait, why not? I thought that's why you went over to his house? "

              " It was, I was going to tell him, but-but then I got there and-and he was just staring at me, waiting for me to say something and I. . " Charlie sucked in a deep breath, glancing to see his reflection in the mirror, very flushed and wild looking. " I couldn't do it. . Mike, I don't think I can do it. "

              " You told me, you told the party, hell, you even told your dad! " Mike reminded him, " Why can't you tell Will? "

              " Because then it's real. It'll be real and there's no telling what he could say— what if it ruins the party? What if he doesn't want to be around me, so it drives us all apart? Oh, my god, I'm going to be the reason everyone breaks up, oh, my god, OH MY GOD— " Charlie's panicked rant is stopped by Mike, who suddenly grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook him, shouting his name until he stopped talking, mouth still hung open in shock.

              " Listen to me, Charlie. Will has been your best friend for years, you don't think friends have ever had crushes on each other? " Mike questioned, " Nancy used to like your brother like that, she doesn't anymore, and they're still best friends! "

             " This is different, Mike! " Charlie exclaimed, then his voice got incredibly quiet, afraid that someone walking past the bathroom might hear as he whispered, " You know it is. It's not the same a-as Nancy and JP, or Franny and Steve, or you and El, it's not. "

              " Charlie. " Mike said his name slowly, as if he was trying to get him to really listen, staring right into his eyes with a deadly serious look, " It will be alright, but, if you don't want to hide it anymore, you have to tell him. I promise you, everything will be okay, no matter what. I've got your back. "

               The taller boy inhaled deeply, trying to calm his racing heart as he nodded to Mike. He gave him a small, reassuring nod back as he released his shoulders, gesturing towards the door.

               " Okay, " Charlie muttered, following his friend out of the bathroom and back to the gymnasium, where all their friends stood gathered near the drinks table. Charlie is mildly surprised to see Nancy pouring punch into plastic cups behind the table, and he can't help but wonder what JP and Jonathan are up to without her.

               " Hey, " Max called as the boys returned. She hadn't been there when they left, she must've just arrived. Charlie glanced at her attire and decided that she looked very. . . un-Max. Her fiery hair looks about the same as it usually does, but the fact that she's wearing a dress at all boggles Charlie's mind for some reason. " Don't you guys look fancy, "

               " Thanks, " Mike replied, nudging Charlie as he stood looking like he'd seen a ghost; the boy immediately snapped out of it and his eyes flashed to Max's with a mildly forced smile.

              " You look nice, too, " He commented, glancing at Lucas, El, and Will, nodding towards them, " You guys, too. "

               " Holy shit! What happened to you? " Mike exclaimed, and the group turned to see Dustin approaching them, his curly hair done up in some strange hairdo.

                " What do you mean, 'what happened'? " The boy questioned, frowning at Mike as he looked to the others, only finding similar reactions.

                " What? " Mike questioned as if Dustin was blind.

                " Dude, " Lucas laughed in agreement, Will politely trying to stifle his own laughter while Eleven just stared at him in either confusion or awe.

                " Your hair. " Max simply stated, raising her eyebrows at it, while Lucas moved to touch it.

               " Is there a bird nesting in there? " He asked rhetorically, and Dustin promptly smacked at his hand as the group let out another chorus of laughter.

              " What's wrong with my hair?! " He demanded, crossing his arms angrily, " There's no bird nesting in here, asshole! I worked hard! "

               As the group continued to tease Dustin, Charlie pulled on Will's sleeve, making the boy glance over at him with concern written on his face, eyebrows raised as the taller boy quietly asked, " Can we go. . talk? Alone. "

               He nodded in response, and they snuck past Mr. Clarke to get to the doors of the gymnasium, going and standing out in the hallway. Charlie closed his eyes as he gently pulled the door closed, feeling Will's eyes on his back. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.

              As soon as he turned around, however, and found himself staring right into the sweet eyes of Will Byers, his brain goes into overdrive. I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this.

               " Charlie? " Will called, raising an eyebrow and waving his hand slowly in front of the taller boy as he looked down at him, appearing frozen. " Charlie? "

              " Oh, yeah, " He quickly muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets and glancing towards his shiny black shoes before meeting Will's eyes again, still at a loss for word, " I. . "

               " Hey, if this is about you not wanting to eat my mom's meatloaf, I completely understand. " Will insisted, shaking his head lightly and laughing, " She's been trying to learn all these recipes and I don't even think she thought she was actually making meatloaf— "

               " It's-it's not. " Charlie interrupted, feeling his hands sweating in his pockets as heat rushed to his face; Will looked a bit startled, but he just looked at him questionably.

               " Okay, " He said cautiously, looking as if now he was expecting bad news, " what is it, then? "

              " I. . " Charlie inhaled deeply, forcing himself to build up whatever courage remained in his body as he tightly closed his eyes, blurting, " I like you, Will. "

               He opened one of his eyes, waiting tensely, holding his breath as Will blinked at him. He could feel it, in the second of hesitation, every possible emotion came crashing down onto Charlie, swallowing him whole in anxiety and self-loathing and regret. It suddenly got really hard to breathe, but he refrained from pulling his hands from his pockets, afraid to see how badly they were shaking, and he was definitely sure he was going to puke now, he just hoped he could hold it in until he could shamefully dash away to the bathroom—

               " I like you, too. " Will said it so casually that Charlie felt his heart fall to his stomach. He began shaking his head, trying to calm himself down before he really did throw up everywhere.

               " No, Will, I. . . I like-like you. " Charlie clarified, and he chewed on his bottom lip as he expected a contradicting reaction. But, Will just softly laughed, nodding.

              " I like-like you, too, Charlie. "

              Those words shattered his heart and taped it back together.

              " You. . . what? " Charlie felt like he was in a dream, like he was going to wake up at any moment and come to realize that all of this was fake. He didn't know how to respond, his heart still thumping wildly in his chest as he looked at Will in disbelief.

             " That day, at the arcade, " Will started, and Charlie instantly knew he was talking about the same day he had recalled to try and snap Will out of the Mind Flayer's control, " I. . I think that's when I started. . liking you, too. "

              " You. . " Charlie swallowed, his mouth dry as he suddenly realized, his eyebrows furrowing as he questioned, " Wait, you knew?! "

               " I was unconscious, not deaf, " Will defended, a small smile appearing on his face as Charlie lightly shoved his shoulder.

               " That's so messed up! "

                " Hey, you're the one that waited this long to say something! "

                 Charlie didn't say anything to that, he just stood across from Will, feeling every possible emotion at once while an inexplicably heavy weight lifted from his chest. He suddenly moved forward, wrapping his arms around Will in a tight hug, which was a little awkwardly position due to the height difference, but neither of them mind as the shorter boy hugged him back.

                  " I'm so glad you're not dead. " Charlie whispered, smiling as a tear was suddenly rolling down his cheek.

                Will quietly laughed before he replied in a just as quiet voice, " Me too. "

                 Then, after they hugged for what felt like hours, the two of them parted and said nothing more as they walked back into the gymnasium. Mr. Clarke saw them, but he didn't stop them to question where they were, he just waved at the two boys as they went back to where they had left their friends. None of them were there, though, and both boys glanced into the dance floor to see Max and Lucas swaying back and forth, grinning at each Rhee. Then, he saw Mike and El, the dark haired boy nodding subtly to Charlie when they locked eyes. And, even Dustin was dancing with Nancy, who'd left her duty at the refreshment table.

            Charlie, suddenly feeling like he was high on life, turned and held his hand out to Will. The boy looked down at it, then his eyes flashed up to Charlie's, a bit taken back and unsure.

            " Are you gonna make me say it out loud? " Charlie asked, and Will looked hesitant, reflecting he taller boy's internal fear.

             " What. . what if someone says something? " He asked under his breath, and Charlie offered him a small comforting smile.

              " I don't care if you don't care. "

              Will stared at him for a moment, then a smile— a genuine smile —rose to his face, and he grabbed Charlie's hand, then Will Byers dragged Charlie Walker on to the dance floor, right in between Max and Lucas, and El and Mike, copying their movements since neither boy had ever danced before. And, if there were stares or whispers, which they were both certain there was, neither of them acknowledged it.

X X X

          Steve had driven to the high school parking lot, away from the booming music and the bright lights of the gymnasium. He had gotten out of the car and moved to sit on the hood, looking at Franny through the windshield with a raised brow and asked her if she was coming or not. So, the two of them sat on the hood of his car, heads tilted back as they stared up at the black night sky littered with a thousand stars. He left the car running to keep the radio playing, making for nice background noise as Franny suddenly turned her head to look at him, a quizzical look on her face.

            " Did you have this planned? " She asked, and Steve rolled his head to meet her eyes, scoffing and shaking his head lightly.

             " Pft, no, " He answered in an overly unconvincing voice, a grin on his face as he remarked, " I'm just trying to commemorate when we became friends, that night on Tina's roof. I wonder if any of these stars are the same from that night. "

             Franny watched him as he looked up at the stars, and a small smile rose to her face as she pointed out, " Technically, I didn't declare you my friend until the day after, when we were at the diner. "

             Steve met her eyes with an embarrassed look, redness turning his face as he insisted, " I thought looking at the stars would be classier. . . Plus, I don't really have enough money to buy a couple of milkshakes again. "

            Franny laughed, then raised an eyebrow, " Why is that? "

            " Because I bought this. " He stated, pulling a tape from his pocket, lifting it in between them. Franny leaned towards him to read the words on it, written in sloppy black ink: FRAN'S JAMS.

             She glanced to him, then, upon seeing him nod, she took the tape, looking down at it and smiling to herself before she met his eyes again. She shook her head lightly, brows furrowed as she asked, " What's this for? "

             " For everything. " He answered, avoiding eye contact, seemingly interested in tracing his finger up and down the scar on her palm as he felt Franny's eyes on him. Her blue-green irises were always so intense, and he was sure that if he looked at them while he admitted his feelings, he would explode. " For. . making me nervous. For being there after Nancy. . for being you, for letting me be me. I don't know, just, everything. "

               Franny felt her heart flutter. " I make you nervous? "

               Apparently that wasn't what Steve expected her to say, his eyes widening a fraction as she grabbed his hand to making him look at her. She'd seen a whole lot of weird sides of Steve over the past few months, but she'd never seen him so flustered before. Cool, calm, charming Steve Harrington was acting like a thirteen year old boy attempting to flirt with a girl.

               " Well, uh, yeah—yeah. " He swallowed thickly, nodding as if he was trying to convince himself. Then, he paused, eyes lingering on Franny's face as she turned her attention back to the tape. He laughed nervously, " That's the part you chose to hear? "

                " No, " She insisted, softly smiling, as she rubbed her finger over the permanent marker, glancing back over at him, " I heard it all. Thank you, Steve. "

                He blinked at her, his face still burning red. " You're welcome. "

                She lowered the tape to her lap, placing her hand back down as it sat interlocked with his in between their bodies. She pressed her lips to a thin line as she stared up at the stars, then, she quietly exhaled, picking a particular piece of snow from her hair.

               " Why do I make you nervous? "

               Steve's first thought was that she'd been offended by it, his eyes darted over to hers as she slowly turned her head to look at him, and he quickly reiterated, " Well, you make me feel a lot of things— happy, sad, angry, nervous— but mostly. . mostly good feelings. "

               Franny was quiet for a moment, making Steve's mind race just as quickly as his heart, and he wondered silently if she could hear how loud it was against his chest. She shifted, sitting up on the car and crossing her legs underneath her, making him start to panic. Then, she admitted, " You make me nervous, too. And a little scared. "

              Steve lifted his head to look at her, a concerned look in his eyes as he slowly asked, " Why? "

              Franny stared at the tape in her lap before forcing herself to look over at him, locking eyes with him, squeezing his hand and attempting to give him a small smile as she told him, " Because. . I think I'm in love with you, Steve Harrington. And that scares me, because you've already broken my heart once without even knowing it. "

                She was crying. She didn't know why, and she wished she wasn't, but she felt tears rolling down her face, and she quickly raised her hand from her lap to wipe them away. She parted her lips to say something, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. Steve's hand left hers, making her turn her head to look at him as he suddenly mirrored her, sitting up and tilting his head at her, a frown on his face. She instinctively turned her head away from him, closing her eyes tightly to try and stop any more tears from falling, but his hands gently grasped her face, pulling her to face him again.

              She opened her eyes and raised her hands to his, the warmth radiating off his skin even in the falling snow. He was staring right back at her, wearing a serious look as he spoke in a quiet voice, " That's not gonna happen again, Fran, I promise. "

              Franny felt more hot tears in her eyes and blinked them away, shaking her head, " You can't promise that, Steve, "

              " Yeah, I can. " He insisted, lowering his hands from her face as they were close enough for her to lean her forehead against his. He squeezed her hands and stated, " 'Cause, if I break your heart, then I'm breaking mine too. "
              

            
               " Steve. . " Franny whispered, but he wasn't done.

                 " Because I know I'm in love with you, Franny Walker. " He declared, and a sliver of a smile appeared on the girl's face, causing him to reciprocate it as she squeezed his hands back.

                  " You are truly unbelievable, Steve Harrington. "

                    " So I've heard. "

                  Then, sharing a chuckle between each other, Franny tilted her head up and lifted her hands to Steve's face to kiss him. And then Franny Walker was kissing Steve Harrington, and Steve Harrington was kissing Franny Walker, and it felt like they were the only two people that existed as the snow lightly fell down on them. The stars above twinkled, and they created a memory far more heartwarming than the one from Tina's roof.

                 Maybe their lives weren't such teenage nightmares after all.

END OF PART ONE

X X X

note.

!!!

for all those that have been on this journey so far, thanks for sticking with me! I can't wait for y'all to ride the rollercoaster again for part two!

no JP cause I can't really show you what he & Jonathan were up to if you know what I mean ;)
I'm just joking, that's up for you to decide what JP was doing during all this lovey dovey stuff.

Franny and Steve's ending scene might've been hella cheesy but do I care? No.

also I'm aware it's kind of unrealistic to have so many people accept Charlie but I refuse to believe that any of the party would treat him any differently & Joseph Walker would never disown his children no matter what they do so

as always, all comments, questions, predictions and feedback are greatly appreciated!