(Ep. 7: The Bite)

"JESUS, CAN YOU SLOW DOWN?!"

Being crammed into the smallest cart to exist was the last thing Gwen envisioned doing. There were lots of things she would've preferred, but seeing as running was of no use from how much her and her drunken partners were stumbling, hijacking this silly cart seemed the lesser of two evils.

She held a tight grip on the smooth wall, not realizing it was of no use since there's nothing to hold on to. Her legs kept wobbling back and forth and her foot somehow always ended up stepping over Steve and Robin's.

"I taught you how to drive and this is how you put it to use?! All those lessons went to waste!" Gwen exclaims to her brother, but a sudden giggle then escapes her lips. She doesn't know what's so funny, but every time she glances to the front, seeing her little curly brother behind the wheel leaves her feeling quite comical.

"YOU HAVEN'T TAUGHT ME ANYTHING!!!" Dustin screams over the loud alarm blasting through the endless passageway. He makes a sharp turn, sending his backseat passengers to bump against the metal walls.

"Shit, does that mean I have to teach him?" Steve groans, running his hands through his hair as he falls back against Robin. She frowns, rolling her eyes as she pushes him into Gwen. He smiles once his girl catches him in her arms because damn it, she's beautiful. He could stare at her for an eternity if he could and spend every waking minute by her side if she allows him to. "Guess I literally fell for you."

Gwen can feel her cheeks burning. She could only hope the speedy and bumpy ride is able to hide it. She raises her hands to cup his face, but forgets her arms are holding him upright, sending him to the ground with a loud slam.

Robin lets out a loud laugh and points her finger at him, "Now you actually fell for her!"

Quickly, Gwen slaps her hand against her mouth in a loud whack. Her eyes are wider than ever at having dropped her boyfriend that all she's able to think of is purposefully sinking down beside him.

"Me too! Me too!" Robin eagerly jumps down on top of them, crashing onto the couple's chests as they erupt into a fit of laughter.

Daphne, who's sitting in the passenger seat, peers behind her shoulder at them. Confusion laces her expression as she questions what in the world those Russians did to her friends. "What's wrong with them?"

"I don't know!" Dustin screams in a fit of panic, making another sharp turn that sends his friends flying back against the grate.

"What's wrong with you?!" Steve snaps, waving his arms up for the two girls to help him up. He feels a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. It's such an indescribable feeling that leaves him wanting for more of that blue juice those Russians gave them. Sure his mind is running a thousand miles a minute, but his dad did say he should use his head more.

"There's nothing wrong with us! What in the world do you mean?" Gwen leans her forehead against the grate and presses her fingers on the gaps. Her brows furrow when becoming confused on why her brother is the one driving when she's certain Daphne knows how.

Daphne huffs as she holds tighter to her cousin, who keeps shuffling in her lap when trying to direct Dustin where to go. "You're all being weird!"

Robin rolls her eyes and narrows them to look through the gaps. She doesn't understand why she's reproaching them because if anything, she feels totally fine and like she's on top of the world.

"I am not being weird, Daph," Robin remarks, holding on the same way her friend is. She tilts her head and gazes upon those bewitching eyes of hers. The flutter in her stomach starts to grow and she can feel her hands tingling at the nerves Daphne causes. Impatient, she whines and starts trying to pry off the barrier, "Daphne!"

Steve rolls his eyes and begins tugging at Gwen's shirt. He smiles once her attention is back on him and pulls her down. She leans close to his face and just when he thinks she's about to kiss him, Gwen shakes her head at him and boops his nose.

He sees her lips moving, but all he can focus on is how goddamn beautiful she is. Just staring at her perfect blue eyes that reflect the serenity of a brilliant sky, the way they sparkle every time she looks at him, makes it incredibly hard not to kiss her right then and there.

"Steve," she mutters impatiently, shaking his shoulders that eventually break off the hypnotic trance she has him in.

Steve's hands press onto her back and pushes her against his chest. His face is mere inches from hers as he says, "Gwenie, I'm so gonna die if Dustin doesn't win this race. I bet all my money on this."

"This race?" she repeats, her face laced with confusion. "What do you mean a race? Are we on a racetrack right now?!" Gwen gasps as she grabs Robin's shorts to catch her attention, "We're on a race, Rob!"

Robin loses her grip when she brings her palms together to applaud excitedly. She tries regaining her balance, only Dustin makes a sudden swerve, knocking the breath out of them as they crash again. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the second the three slammed into the iron grate, the cart appeared to move slightly faster.

Gwen looks over at Robin, both smiling as they're thinking the same thing. Maybe if all of them push the grate, it might help the cart go faster and they'll win the race. Nodding at each other, they take a step back and slam their bodies against it. Both of them laugh hysterically when feeling the cold surface on their backs while Steve proceeds to do the same, only his legs take the wrong course when he crashes on top of the girls.

"What is wrong with them?!" Erica complains, shooting an accusing glare at Dustin as if he was the one to blame.

Dustin rolls his eyes, annoyed at having to repeat himself, "Like I said, I don't know! I don't have a clue!"

"Keep your eyes on the track, chia pet! I didn't teach you how to drive for you to be this terrible!" His sister yells from the back, arms wrapped around Steve and Robin as she closes her eyes and nuzzles their heads together.

"YOU DIDN'T TEACH ME HOW TO DRIVE!!!"

Before she's able to respond, Gwen feels another hard impact on her head. Her legs are jerked forward and her arms become crushed by the weight of her partners in crime. She groans, cradling her head as she shoots a glare at her brother. So much for all those driving lessons, Gwen thinks, It's the last time I ever teach him anything.

"You guys alright back there?" Dustin cranes his head, peering at the three in concern as he waits for them to say anything. Their pained groans echo throughout the passageway, earning a relieved breath from him as he turns to the concerned cousins, "They're fine."

Gwen is far from fine. Her limbs are aching, her head is throbbing, and her brain feels like a bunch of scrambled eggs. It sure doesn't help that her face hasn't stopped burning and whenever she stands up, her head starts spinning and takes a while to settle.

The backdoor of the cart swung open, revealing the disappointed yet concerned expressions from Dustin, Erica, and Daphne.

"Come on. We gotta go know," Dustin demands, gesturing to them to move along. His brows furrow and his mouth forms a perfect scowl when the three remain in place, "Let's go!"

Gwen groans, wondering when her brother became so uptight. She rubs her bruised knee, stretching her legs as she rests her head on Steve's arm. Her neck stings when her hand supports it, only making her wince is pain as she says, "I think you broke my neck."

Daphne wines as she tugs on Robin's arm to drag her out. Her arm interlaces with hers while using her free hand to maneuver Gwen out of the cart. She sighs, shaking her head before correcting her, "If your neck was broken, you'd be dead."

To Steve's dismay, he forms a gruntled sound as he watches her take his girlfriend from him. Even when the younger boy drags him out, he mutters a few profanities and sharply glares at her. Shaking his head, he fades out the image of Dustin opening the elevator doors with the keycard he stole from the Russian guard.

"Steeeve!" Gwen calls out for him, extending her arm as she tries to reach him, but Daphne, for some reason, is adamant on keeping them apart. "I gotta wait for him!"

"Just get inside!" Erica snaps, shoving the two of them further inside before addressing the curly headed boy, "Now get us out of here!"

And that he did.

__________________

Steve had attempted to do a surfing trick on top of a red stock cart with the help of Gwen and Robin. He was nearly successful if it hadn't been for Daphne disrupting their concentration when she called out to them. Stumbling down, they laughed like a pack of laughing hyenas as they attempted to get Steve back on the cart.

Not soon after, Gwen climbed up one of the shelves thinking it was a tree she could swing from. Boy was she disappointed when she ended up hitting the ground and taking Steve down with her. Leaving them sprawled on the floor while Robin kept laughing at them with no sign of stopping.

"Is your neck broken?" Gwen crawled onto Steve's lap, reaching for his neck as she inspected it with close detail. She giggled uncontrollably when feeling his hands grip her waist as he turned her around so she could lay against him. His arms wrapped around hers as he brought them together and started resting his head on her shoulder.

"Maybe," he chuckled, squeezing her tighter from becoming afraid she was going to leave his side. He rocked back and forth as they started singing random lyrics that consisted of "Head Over Heels," "Don't you (Forget About Me)," and their song, "Time After Time."

Hearing them sing incredibly off key as they swayed back and forth while Robin sang background for them, startled the remaining of the group.

"They seem drunk," Erica points out as she glances at her cousin.

Daphne runs a hand through her hair, frustrated at dealing with three very oddly behaved friends and two kids. "Why would the Russians get them drunk? It doesn't make sense."

"Then why the hell are they acting like this?!" Dustin angrily asks, removing his cap to fix his curls that became messy from how much his sister kept playing with it. He's extremely tired, hungry, and now annoyed at having to deal with three teens that are acting like children. If this is what having children is like, he definitely doesn't want any.

"We're not drunk you little twerp! We're just having the time of our lives," Gwen slurs through her words, continuing to cradle onto Steve's arms. She knows what being drunk feels like and this is not it. This is a million times better that she could only hope the dealer from the trailer park is able to sell her that blue juice. "I mean, I've been drunk before and let me tell you, it's not like this because this is much better."

Steve was taken aback that his girl had been drunk before. He's never seen her at the parties he used to throw so he could only wonder where she got drunk and with who. "Did you get drunk with that little Jonny boy?"

Gwen nods, smiling when remembering it was on Halloween of '82. She doesn't remember much except for Joyce's yelling and a bunch of laughter that came from her and Jonathan. The Byers' mom ended up grounding them, which Gwen refused to follow since she's not her mother, but it didn't matter because Joyce made sure to tell her mom just so the punishment could actually happen.

"I don't think I've ever been drunk," Robin isn't sure what being tipsy feels like, but if this is it, then sign her up. "We should definitely get drunk after!"

"I agree!" Gwen extends her arm to pull her closer, but she pulled too hard when Robin came tumbling down and fell against the two. They bite their tongues to prevent themselves from laughing, but it's of no use when they start giggling uncontrollably.

"Okay, I've had enough!" Dustin snaps as he makes his way towards them. Kneeling down, he reaches for his sister's face and presses his palm against her forehead. He winces when feeling her burning face, much to Gwen's dismay who shoves his hands into his chest that ends with her slipping down from Steve's lap onto a swarm of boxes. Ignoring her complaints, he checks on Steve and sighs worriedly at his condition. "He's burning up as well."

"You're burning up," Steve argues, trying to twist his way out of the curly boy's hold and tries pushing him off. He moves his head away as the boy tries checking his eyes, "Dude, get off me!"

"One sec, Steve. Just one sec."

"Get your paws off my boyfriend! No means no, you chia pet!" Gwen interjects, standing up to grab her brother by the shoulders to shove him off. Upon standing up, her wobbly legs fail her and she comes stumbling down, only to end up bumping against Erica, who yells at her cousin for assistance.

"Daph, can you check Robin and Gwen's eyes for me?"

Steve manages to release himself from the younger boy's grasp, giving him the opportunity to lightly tap his nose, "Boop!"

Dustin rolls his eyes and grimaces, pushing Steve's hand off as he reaches for his eyes despite his wiggling. He fades out the loud noises from behind him and concentrates on not accidentally poking his friend in the eye.

"Their eyes are super dilated!" Daphne announces, flinching when Robin's arm extends around her harshly that sends her onto the wall.

"His eyes are too." Dustin softly slaps the side of Steve's face, "Steve, are you drugged?"

He frowns, not understanding what's the deal with this kid. Why does he care if he's drugged or not? If he wants to take drugs then so be it. No need for him to act just like his old man. "How many times, dad? I don't do drugs. It's only marijuana."

Dustin stares blankly for a few seconds, growing increasingly annoyed and concerned those Russians gave them some type of drug that's slowly killing them. "This isn't funny. I need to know exactly what they gave you."

"Ugh, you're such a party pooper! When did you turn into dad?" Gwen chuckles, imagining her dead dad punishing her for doing drugs. He's definitely rolling in his grave right now at just seeing them from wherever he is.

The younger boy pushes back against his knees and glares at his sister. She's definitely on something if she's wholeheartedly talking about their dad. "I need to know if you guys are gonna die on us!"

"We all die, my strange little friend," Robin plays with her hair, raising two hair strands as she stares blankly at him. Her eyes widen once realizing his hair does in fact resemble those chia pets she sees in commercials. "It's just a matter of how and when."

Gwen nods profusely and points an agreeing finger at her, "Just look at dad. He died in a car and is doing just fine."

Their sober friends are stunned at their morbid comments. They exchange a few looks wondering how in the world they're going to get them back to their normal selves.

"Umm, that was... disturbing," Dustin clears his throat, trying to ignore how nonchalantly his sister said that. Now turning to Steve, he shakes her comment off and focuses on him, "They're gonna be looking for us up there, so I need you to tell me where you parked your car."

Gwen scoffs and starts laughing, "You can't even drive in a straight line! If anything, I say Erica should be the one to do it."

The young girl glares at her with a poker face, "I'm ten."

She pauses, not understanding why that's such an issue. "And that matters, why?"

"Can we make a pit stop at the food court?" Steve suggests, his mouth watering when imagining getting his hands on a nice hamburger and curly fries.

"Oooh! I'd kill for a strawberry shake right now!" Gwen jumps up excitedly, clapping her hands together as she starts searching her pockets for money. Only she's disappointed to find there's nothing inside. Damn those guards for stealing my change.

"Can we also get a corn dog?" Robin ruffles Daphne's sleeves, pulling them down as she flutters her eyes at her. "Buy me one, please?"

"Damn it!" the Henderson girl exclaims, kicking the floor underneath her as she starts getting angry at not having any money left. All that work at Scoops had been in vain. She has nothing left. Not even a few coins to get her a piece of gum. "Those stupid guards stole my money!"

Steve gasps, clasping a hand against his mouth in a loud slap. He leans forward and reaches down for his pockets. He's not about to let his girlfriend go hungry. If he has to buy her the whole freaking food court to make her happy, then so be it. He'd buy her the whole world if he needs to.

"Shit," he frowns, feeling anger at the pit of his stomach that those idiots stole his money as well, and he doesn't even have his car keys anymore. He looks up at her with droopy eyes, "I have failed you. I don't have money either."

"Those sons of bitches-"

"I'll pay! Food's on me so you get as much as you want!" Dustin reluctantly agrees, refusing to hear more of their drugged words. "Now tell me where your car is parked."

Steve shoves his hands into his pockets in hopes he might have missed a spot and somehow his keys are buried deep inside. He pauses, shrugging carelessly at the kid, "Uh oh. I don't have my keys."

"What?"

"Gwen! They stole my keys too!"

Her mouth hangs wide open as she crawls over to him and tries searching him just in case he didn't check well enough. She reaches down into his pockets, giggling when he moves slightly that her hand ends up touching where the light doesn't reach. Without meaning to, the pair burst into another fit of laughter, earning a few groans from the rest with the exception of Robin.

"The Russians, they took the keys!" Steve repeats once more, waving his arms in the air with no care in the world. He chuckles when hearing Gwen and Robin continue to laugh. Oh how he wishes the others take lessons from them and stop being so uptight. This is funny, so why aren't they laughing? "Like, forever ago. That's a bummer, right?"