CHAPTER THREE —
it's none of your business

ೀ 🎰🕸️🪃 ꒱ !

She didn't choose to live in Hawkins, she didn't choose the life she was born in either.  But what she could control was her actions that night. Maybe she shouldn't have biked home with her elf ears still on, or the cape. Maybe she should've come home later. But for whatever reason, it caused Steve Harrington to approach her locker that morning. "Did Santa call early, Looney Lori? You know Halloween has already passed."

She stopped placing her books into her locker and looked at the boy standing before her. "How did you—"

"Things get interesting when you live down the street."

The girl huffed. "Well, do me a favor and not say anything?"

Harrington puts his hands up, feigning defeat. "Alright, alright. On one condition."

"Which is?"

He looked around, checking to see if any of his friends were nearby. As if a green light turned on in his head, Steve looked back at Lorraine. "Click's class, practically borderline almost failing."

This caused Lorraine to only blink at him. She didn't know whether or not to give him some kind of grace. "Well, why don't you go ask Wheeler for some help, someone you're close to? Christmas isn't till December," she said before slamming the locker closed. Steve could only groan, following Lorraine down the hallway.

"I'm not asking for answers," he tried to reason, mumbling under his breath. "I just need help with the material."

"I don't think you and your friends would—"

"I'll stop bothering you." This caused Lorraine to stop in her tracks. "I'll stop if I pass the class."

Her fingers adjusted their grip on the backpack handle, her left foot hovering over the floor before she took a step back just to merely look at him. "You promise?"

"I promise— now will you help me?" He pleaded, Lorraine, taking one last look at him. Again, what Lorraine could control was her actions— she couldn't make Steve magically go away. So instead she bit her tongue in thought before she spoke a few words once more.

"Fine," she reluctantly agreed. "Lunch– tomorrow, can't be done after school." Steve nodded before darting off to who knows where. Lorraine cursed herself under her breath for what she agreed to do. Thoughts of the idea of trying to tutor Steve ran around her head. Maybe if she was able to bore him enough, he'd leave her alone after the first session. Or maybe he'd stick through, learning on one hand and joking about her with his friends on the other. Lorraine knew, however, that it wasn't something she was going to enjoy.

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩

When the day was over, Lori decided to visit her father at the station before heading to work. Once more, she biked Will home, watched him leave, and started her trip around and about. Some of the left overs from the day before became packed dinner for her dad, knowing that he probably forgot to bring some again. Her parents were almost always never home now that she's a little bit older, so she decided to be some helping hand. "Hey Florence," she greeted once she arrived, digging the container out of her bag. "Could you hand this over to my dad? He forgot some again."

The lady smiled kindly before letting out a sigh. "You could give it to him yourself," Florence told her as her dad walked up to the front. "Your daughter's here again, Jennings."

"Hey champ," he smiled, ruffling Lorraine's hair. "Did I forget dinner again?"

Lorraine shook the container in front of him with a smile. "Pasta from last night. Mom brought hers. I've got to get to work so, here," she told him, handing the meal over to Andrew. "I'm not home till late tonight, just a heads up."

"Got it, stay safe out there Lori," he then told her, Lorraine smiling before she left the police station, on her way to the movie theatre once more.

It was a Tuesday night, Jonathan was coming during a later shift which left Lorraine with another person who she knew nothing about. For the second time in a row, Steve Harrington showed up to the theatre, hands in his pocket. Lorraine only swore under her breath, turning away from the counter. "Jennings," he called, which got the girl to turn to face him slowly. "Didn't know you were working today."

"Hm, coincidence," she told him, trying to look busy. Lorraine started to pretend as if she was checking out the prices of the candy nearby, but Steve saw right through her.

"So are you going to continue to pretend to be busy or are you going to help me with my food?"

"Look, Harrington. I don't get why it's your mission to bother me so much," Lorraine told him, beginning to fill up a bag of popcorn. She then grabbed a pack of M&M's, placing both items in front of Steve. "But please, keep it in school and don't let it affect me outside." Steve stared at her before paying what he got for, ultimately silent from the words she said. "Also shouldn't you be at home calling your new girlfriend?"

"Wheeler?"

"Yes."

"I'm calling her later tonight, after the movie."

Lorraine rolled her eyes at him, passing back his change. "News flash, Harrington. When you're dating a girl you don't just call them, make out, and consider that a relationship."

Steve only looked her in the eye, taking his snacks and leaving to see his movie. Lorraine lets out a huff of air, seemingly more relieved from the fact that Steve is inside watching a movie than talking to her. "Looks like you have a stalker," said her coworker beside her, the two letting out a small laugh. "What's his deal anyways?"

"I honestly don't know, but it's not our business," Lorraine answered, back to her own thoughts and hopeless thinking.

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩

When she left work, Jonathan offered her a ride home. "No thanks," she told him. "I'll get home safe." So there Lorraine was, biking home. And for some reason, she felt as if she should've taken that offer from Jonathan. I mean, who bikes alone at 12am?

Lorraine did, and she's done it multiple times before. But this was the one night she felt as if she was being watched. The chill in the November air was stronger than before, and something was telling the girl to pedal faster. Her heart started to beat faster until she heard a loud 'honk!' The girl lets out a loud scream before falling off of her bike, right onto the wet grass. She could hear some laughing which caused her to look up. Of course, it was Steve. "Asshole," she muttered, getting up from the ground to dust herself off.

"I'm so terribly sorry," Steve laughed in his car, causing Lorraine to storm off in anger. Steve panicked at her movement, immediately stepping out of his car to follow Lorraine. "Jennings." She didn't stop walking. "Jennings."

"What do you want, Steve?" Lorraine then asked, looking back at Steve with teary eyes. "Seriously, haven't you had enough?"

"Hey, hey, hey," he said, stepping slowly towards her. "I really am sorry, okay? I didn't mean for any of that to happen."

"Then what?"

He only shrugged. "Look, okay? I was driving home and it's really late out— I thought you'd need a ride. Nancy mentioned you get home pretty late. I didn't know she knew you like that." Lorrain couldn't believe it. Steve Harrington. Steve Harrington, the ass, was offering her a ride home?

"I... Maybe some other time," she told him quietly, getting back on her bike whilst she wiped her eyes. There she went, fading off into the darkness. Steve could only watch as he walked back into his car, deciding to drive home instead— his plans to befriend his girlfriend's acquaintance backfired rather quickly.

𓈈𓂃⬫ ׂ ׅ ⏳