(Ep. 9: The Gate)

A lot has happened since the gate was closed and the mind flayer along with its army were defeated. Hopper was able to get a birth certificate for El, Mike had finally accepted Max in the party, Nancy and Jonathan were officially together, and Gwen got into NYU.

Only Hopper, Jonathan, and Nancy know, which she made them swear not to tell anyone. She's been keeping her acceptance a secret because quite frankly, she's unsure if she's even attending.

With everything that happened, leaving doesn't seem like a good option. She'd constantly be looking over her shoulder, worrying that everything could come back and she wouldn't be able to do anything to keep her brother, friends, and Steve safe - another one of her reasons for not wanting to leave.

Now she's pondering on her decision while helping El get ready for her surprise appearance at the Snow Ball.

It took lots of convincing, but after a month of trying, Hopper finally gave in to let her out for one night of fun. Of course, he had to get some help since he doesn't know much about girl stuff, so he called over Gwen for reinforcements.

"What's this?" El asked while holding an eyeshadow palette with various colors.

"This is makeup, more specifically, eyeshadow," she began applying a light portion of purple on her eyelids. Mainly because it's the color El was the most drawn to when first seeing it.

She stayed very still while looking at herself in the mirror, "Will it make me pretty?"

"No," she said, causing El to look at her. "It'll make you look beautiful. Just like you've always been."

El smiled and turned to the mirror again. Now getting more excited as she was really looking forward to seeing Mike again.

After a few minutes of finishing up her makeup, Gwen walked over to her bag that was across the room. She was nearly reaching it when a sudden whiff of air was felt. Her bag had flown backward towards El, who thought it'd be funny to use her powers right now.

Gwen laughed, "You have to warn me when you're going to do that." Now walking back, she watched as El began taking out the dress she brought her.

It was a blue dress with ruffled sleeves that had small flowers printed all around it. The same dress she liked when seeing it all the way in the back of Gwen's closet last year.

With wide eyes and a surprised smile, she asked, "Is this for me?"

"Hell yeah. You liked it and since I'm definitely not going to be wearing it, you should have it."

El smiled excitedly and put on the dress. Soon walking back to the mirror and giving a quick twirl while extending her dress.

"Almost forgot." Now wrapping a pink belt around her waist, the finishing touches were done and El was ready for her first dance, "All done."

As if he had been eavesdropping, Hopper started knocking on the door, "Ready?"

"We need another hour!" Gwen teased, laughing when hearing his complaints. "Geesh, I was just kidding."

Hopper stood by the cabin's entrance with a small camera in hand. He smiled when seeing his daughter all glammed up and ready for her night out. He snapped various pictures of her while asking Gwen to join in - despite her complaints that she wasn't ready for a photographic session.

After a few minutes, Gwen checked the clock and started rushing out the cabin. She was chaperoning the dance so she needed to get herself ready if she wanted to look the slightest bit presentable.

Only she was stopped by Joyce herself, who had just arrived. She was holding her dress in hand from having driven to the Henderson residence and picking it up. Knowing she was helping El get ready, Joyce figured time wouldn't be in her favor if Gwen had to make the drive back home and then to the school.

"All of your stuff is here so no need to panic, alright? Go get ready," Joyce told her through a smile.

"You're a lifesaver," she gave her a quick hug before rushing back into El's room, who chose to follow her to watch her get ready.

After what seemed forever, Gwen was finally ready to head to the dance. She felt uncomfortable in the dress her mother picked out, but Gwen made a deal that Claudia could choose her Snow Ball dress only if Gwen was able to pick out her Miss Hawkins' one.

"I'll see you later at the dance," she hugged El one last time before driving off towards Hawkins Middle School, the place she was forced into volunteering by Nancy.

__________________

The gym had gotten quite filled in the half hour the doors opened. Tons of kids were dancing and chattering amongst each other.

She noticed that Dustin's friends were here, but he hasn't arrived. She felt guilty about not being able to drive him, but he insisted it was perfectly fine since Steve offered to.

Gwen looked to the refreshment's table and saw Nancy being overcrowded by the swarm of kids wanting to get a taste of the "delicious" punch. Nancy looked over at her with pleading eyes, indicating that she needed some help.

Rushing over to her friend, she started filling various cups with the red liquid before saying, "What's so great about this punch anyway? There's not even alcohol in it."

Nancy laughed, "It's the sugar rush they seek. Watch them later on how crazy they'll get."

From outside the school, Dustin was barely arriving, but just as soon as Steve stopped the car, he became overwhelmed with nerves.

"Remember, once you get in there..."

"Pretend like I don't care," Dustin stated.

Steve nodded, "You don't care."

"I don't care."

"There you go," he proudly said, "You're learning, my friend. You're learning."

Despite having checked himself a thousand times, Dustin looked into the mirror again and inspected his hair to make sure in the short drive, his hair remained intact and perfect.

"Come on," Steve closed the mirror, "You look great, okay?"

Steve could sense how nervous he was. This dance was extremely important to him in the sense that he was going to try and get at least one dance with Max. Maybe this night would become the turning point for them.

"Now, you're gonna go in there and look like a million bucks. And you're gonna slay 'em dead," he told him, hoping his words would increase his confidence.

"Like a lion," Dustin said from remembering his advice on the railway tracks, only to then purr and smile after.

Steve frowned, "Don't do that, okay?"

"Okay."

After sharing a fist bump, Dustin got out of the car and walked inside the school. Steve remained parked just watching him like a proud mom as his kid was heading to his first formal dance. He smiled when seeing him spark up a conversation with his teacher when suddenly, his eyes started to focus on a girl in a red dress.

The same girl he had spent this entire month wishing to speak to and be able to tell her how he feels. The same girl who was smiling in such a carefree and livid way that made his heart race as just seeing her made his feelings intensify.

Steve missed her. He missed everything about her and missed hearing those remarks of hers. Working together had been a gift in disguise and he was grateful for getting the chance to spend time with her. It had been years since they were together and it wasn't until now that he realized how much he had missed her.

She had been his best friend. She had been the girl that would see through him and allowed him to be himself without any worries. She had been the only person that made him feel like he could have a breath of fresh air.

Gwen Henderson had been his best friend and he wrecked it by becoming King Steve. Just thinking about all those wasted years made him despise himself for having turned against the one person that brought him happiness.

Even if their friendship had become destroyed because of him, he tried hating her and there was a time when he believed he did. Only now as he's staring at her through the glass windows, all he wants is to take her into his arms and declare himself that all he finds himself able to breathe for is her.

It didn't matter if he didn't get into college, only she did and he wanted her to know, but deep down he knew he was wrong from believing he's only bound to get his heart broken since it's obvious she doesn't feel the same.

And just like that, Steve reluctantly averted his gaze and drove away, accepting that nothing could ever happen between them.

Back inside, the mood toned down from a slow song playing. The kids searched for partners while some remained seated or conversing. Gwen was still helping Nancy with the refreshments when they both noticed her brother standing alone and watching as everyone had a partner but him.

"Middle school is the worst," Gwen complained to Nancy as they began heading to him.

"Agree," she said.

Dustin was now seated in the bleachers, looking down at the floor as he cried silently. Not understanding how not even one person wanted to dance with him. Was he really that terrible?

"Hey," both girls said.

Gwen saw his teary eyes and it made her want to hurt those girls who dared reject her brother. She took a deep breath to calm herself down as she knew it wouldn't do anyone any good, especially to her brother.

"Hey," he answered with his voice breaking as he wiped his tears.

"Let's dance," his sister asked while offering her hand.

Just hearing those words made him let out a small laugh, "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Gwen, but it's pretty lame to dance with your sister."

She gasped, pretending to be offended while taking a seat next to him, "Wow. I'm actually hurt. You literally just rejected my invitation."

He smiled, "It was the right thing to do."

Nancy walked forward and offered her hand, "How about me? Wanna dance?"

"What?" Her words caught him off guard since he always believed she didn't like him. From her slamming the door in his face when he offered the last slice of pizza, he figured it was a clear sign, so he made sure to steer clear of her.

"It's not lame to dance with me so come on," before he could say anything, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the center of the dance floor.

Gwen remained seated and just watched his spark return as all the girls were now staring at him. He managed to score a dance with the queen of Hawkins High, which is more than those girls could ever say.

She looked around and noticed Max dancing with Lucas, Will dancing with a girl, and Mike seated at their table looking as bored as ever.

Now standing up, she walked over to him knowing he wanted to come to this dance with El and as much as she wanted to tell him, she didn't want to ruin the surprise.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Mike nodded and remained silent as all he could think of was just wanting to be with El. He couldn't take her to the festival so he hoped that now that she was here, he would've been able to take her to the dance like he promised.

"You know, dances are supposed to be a place where you have fun. Not the opposite."

He shrugged, "Everyone is off dancing with someone and I can't dance, so what's the point?"

"Who cares if you can't dance? Majority of these people don't know how."

"Yeah but... I don't want to dance with some random girl. I want to dance with..." he stopped himself before saying El's name.

She smiled, "You wanted to dance with El."

Mike nodded, "But she's not here so... looks like it's not happening."

If only you knew, she thought.

"Hey," Gwen tapped his shoulder so he'd look at her. "Even if she's not here, there will be other opportunities. There's always a chance to seize the day."

Trying to switch the topic of conversation, he couldn't help but ask, "Have you seized the day with Steve then?"

Of course he'd ask that. It's all anyone seems to ask her nowadays. If it isn't her brother, it's the rest of the party, Nancy and Jonathan, and now, Mike freaking Wheeler.

"That's different," she said. "You and El like each other, which is not the case with me and Steve."

He started laughing, like an actual laugh that could've been mistaken for a laughing hyena. He tried composing himself, but nothing calmed his humor down, which led to Gwen slapping the back of his head.

"Ow! That's not fair!" he complained.

"Then stop laughing at me."

Mike rolled his eyes, "I'll make you a deal then. If you seize the day with Steve, then I'll do the same with El."

Gwen frowned at him, but didn't deny his very "appealing" deal. It's not like he's going to hold her accountable for it, which is why she agreed and held out her hand, "Fine. We have ourselves a deal."

They gave a firm handshake like they just sealed a business deal, "If you break it, I'll ask El to come for you."

She pretended to tremble in fear as they exchanged a few laughs, "You know, I can't believe I'm about to say this, but you're actually my favorite out of all my brother's friends."

His brows furrowed in surprise. Not expecting to have been anyone's favorite, let alone hers since she's always pranking or teasing him. But to hear that he was favored actually brought a genuine smile on his face, "Really?" she nodded. "You're not pranking me, are you?"

"Not with this."

He wasn't much of a hugger, but he couldn't resist as he soon embraced her tightly, when he suddenly felt a gentle tap on the shoulder.

"Time to seize the day," she said.

Before he could ask anything, he noticed El walking in. He stood up in complete awe and stared in amazement at how beautiful she looked.

Deciding to give them space, Gwen walked over to Jonathan, who had just finished taking everyone's pictures. He was leaning against the wall listening to "Every Breath You Take" while swaying to the music.

"Thought you'd be dancing with your beloved camera," she joked.

Jonathan rolled his eyes and playfully shoved her, "As tempting as it is, I'm saving my dance for Nancy."

"You guys are so cute, it's disgusting," she teased.

"Damn," pretending to be offended, he placed his hand over his heart, "You hurt my feelings."

Walking over to the camera, she focused the lens on him and started snapping pictures, "Smile, you're on camera."

He covered his face and complained, "Come on, I hate pictures."

"And yet you also love them," continuing to snap more pictures, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned around to be met by the friendly Mr. Clarke, "Shit, sorry. I'll stop messing around."

He dismissed her, "Oh it's perfectly fine. We do need pictures of our volunteers so let me snap a few of you two."

The two of them immediately got into place. First it was a formal one with serious faces, the second had them smiling, and the third one was the silly one - where Gwen hopped on his back and did the craziest of faces like he did as well.

"These are definitely getting in the yearbook," Mr. Clarke said before being called away by another teacher. "Have a nice night Ms. Henderson and Mr. Byers."

"That sounded so formal. Almost made me feel old," Jonathan joked as he waited for her response, but she had turned silent while staring off into the entrance.

Steve had decided to crash this dance. Well, that's what it appeared to be when in reality he had chosen to take a leap of faith. He looked around the swarm of the crowd, searching for the girl in the red dress, unaware that she had seen him first already.

"Go talk to him," Jonathan told her.

She stared at him completely perplexed as she had no intentions of doing so. He must surely be here for Nancy, why else would he be here?

"And why would I do that?"

He smiled mockingly, "You may have gotten into NYU but boy, you're not being very bright right now."

Now actually offended, she gave a light scoff before walking away as she was now determined to stay out of reach from Steve. Regardless if he's there for her, it's better to keep it safe.

She paved her way from the dancing kids as the exit to the gym was on the opposite side. As much as she wanted to see him, there was no way she could let herself love someone, let alone allow herself to be loved.

"Everything okay?" Nancy asked when noticing her rushed pace and frazzled look.

Gwen gave a simple nod before finally exiting the room. The music became more faded as she continued walking to the furthest corners. Until the music couldn't be heard any longer, she leaned back against the wall and took a seat.

You hate him, Gwen. Focus on that.

Despite her every attempt to try and despise him like before, nothing seemed to work as all she could focus on was what they went through this past month. From every near kiss, from every glance, up to every arguing, she couldn't help but fall in love with this man.

She was too deep into her thoughts that she was unable to hear the gym doors opening and the familiar footsteps heading to her. Fixing herself, she started walking to the opposite side just wishing it wasn't him, but just as she was about to cross the hall, he was standing there with those charming eyes of his.

Gwen ignored him and headed to the restroom. He surely can't follow her there, or can he? But heading there seemed too obvious, too expected, but it was too late as there was only just the restroom and the janitor's closet.

Reluctantly, she hoped the closet door would open as it seemed like the lesser of two evils. She closed the door gently and prayed for the best, not helping herself from pacing and shaking the nervousness from her hands.

Only the door opened and Steve entered, "What are you doing?"

"Just wanted to take a breather."

His brow raised in confusion, "In a closet?"

She groaned and leaned her head back, "It's not enough, but it will suffice for now."

Steve chuckled and closed the door behind him. Now standing in front of her with his hands behind his back while rocking back and forth.

They were silent for a very long minute. If it had been anyone else, he would've tried sparking up a conversation to break the uncomfortable silence. But with her, he would never complain as no words would be needed to be exchanged to know what they're thinking.

As much as he enjoyed being under her company in complete silence, there was a thorn he needed to remove unless he wished to remain in agony for long, "We haven't spoken in a month."

"Great observation," she noted, causing him to smile as she still remained her sarcastic self despite everything.

"How do you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"You always seem to have a response," now with a faded smile, he continued. "An annoying comment up your sleeve for everything. How?"

She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the molded wall, "It's easy when you constantly annoy me. They just come right out."

Steve beamed, feeling that tingling spark within him as he began walking forward, "So I guess I'm your muse."

She tried not to smile, "Are you always this confident? If it isn't about your hair, it's your smile, your eyes, just everything about you."

"That's where you're wrong," he pointed out. "I've only mentioned my charming smile and perfect hair."

"The one you achieve with Farrah Fawcett."

His jaw clenched as he felt his body turn cold. The only person he told this to is her brother, which he made him promise not to tell anyone, but of course, since she's his sister, it only made sense he'd tell her.

"Damn it, Dustin," he muttered to himself.

She laughed, "He didn't tell me anything. I saw it in your glove compartment."

Relieved her brother wasn't revealing any of his secrets, he felt more at ease that he could trust the youngest Henderson without worrying he'd be spilling to her.

"Why are you here?" she asked, earning a surprised look as he remembered he wasn't just here for a little chat. He was here for more.

Steve sighed as he began speaking, "This past month has gone to shit," he confessed. "I didn't get into college, which means I'll be working for my dad. I have no friends left except for 13 year olds, which is quite sad if you ask me," he admitted while running a hand through his hair. "I'm supposed to start making plans for the future, but every time I imagine it... you're there."

Her gaze softened as she felt her heart swell. Knowing he's on the same boat as her is relieving, but also terrifying. How to express that she feels the same way but is just too much of a coward to admit it?

"Do you think I want this? To keep thinking of you knowing nothing can ever happen between us?"

She shook her head, understanding what he means since she's on the same page. She should be excited about her acceptance to NYU, but all she can think of is him, and how if she decides to move to New York, she'd be leaving him as well.

"I know you still hate me," Gwen could tell he wanted to hear a correction that he was wrong. "It's just- I can't help but think that you're not being honest." She turned away from being certain he'd be able to read her like an open book, "You say one thing, but your actions say the complete opposite." He walked closer, feeling the heat radiating through her skin, "Or am I wrong?"

Gwen found herself at a complete loss. Understanding if she continues to lie, she will never be able to move on. "You're not wrong," she said in a low voice, barely a whisper. "I've been trying to ignore what I feel because you were a complete douchebag. I trusted you with something so personal and you used it against me." He was about to interrupt, but she placed her hand in front to stop him, "And I know I chose to let that go and I have, but I just can't let myself go there with you."

"Why?" he questioned.

"Can you just accept my answer?"

He knew there was something more. Something that's been haunting her for who knows how long and as much as he wanted to know her reasons, he chose not to pry and just agree.

"Okay, if it's what you want," he turned around, refusing to let her see just how much this hurt, but she surprised him when she pulled him close to her.

"Since we're about to leave everything behind," she took a step closer, allowing the smallest distance to be kept. "Can we just forget about everything and focus on right now?"

He watched her with lovestruck eyes, envisioning every possible way of how misunderstanding her words could go horribly wrong, but he had nothing left to lose. He couldn't be with her either way so if he makes a mistake, it's not like it'd change anything.

Nearly slamming into each other, they ignored almost losing their balance as finally, their lips became one. A desire that was now fulfilled.

Her hand laid against his face as she began embracing his shoulders, trying to memorize his movements, the way he feels, and the pleasure he inflicts on her. Her arms became trapped by his as he gently held them and began edging them lower to her waist.

The feeling of her lips were more than what he expected. His dreams had been right in how exceedingly powerful and pleasurable she was. She was able to fill the void deep inside his soul as with just one kiss, she was able to make him forget his troubles and insecurities. She was driving him crazy with every touch, every movement, and that scent that's managed to consume his very being.

Now pulling away, they ignored everything as they could only focus on remembering this moment, "Goodbye, Steve."

Steve watched as the bane of his existence and love of his life parted from him. Their hands reached out for each other's, until the door separated them.

"Goodbye, Gwen," he whispered.