(1395 words. peace out✌️)

When consciousness hit me, the sun blinded my still shut eyes. I rubbed my eyes and stretched. I opened my eyes to see Dustin over me and Steve, still next to me, but closer this time.

"You guys are weird",Dustin commented, heading into the kitchen.

"Hey, shut your mouth, you little nerd," Steve retorted. "You'll kill to be next to a girl when your older."

He noticed me stretching next to him. "Good morning, Adds."

"Hi, Steve," I muttered.

I pulled myself from the "warmth" of the thin blanket to get up and get ready. My feet touched the cold wooden floor as I walked to Dustin's bathroom in his room. Dustin layed a jacket for me from his moms closet that didn't fit her anymore on the counter. I began changing and when I had my pants and the tank top on, I realized I needed socks. I opened the door and was about to holler for Dustin when I saw a shirtless Steve Harrington standing in Dustin's room. Both boys were facing Dustin's closet, which was across from me. I stood there, my body turning a crimson color. I was frozen. I turned to close the door, but the hair dryer on the counter brushed against my arm and fell to the ground, hitting my foot on the way down. "SHIT!" I yelled.

Both turned to me. "The hell???" Dustin asked peering at me.

Steve bolted over and helped me up. "Are you good?" he quietly mumbled.

"Yeah," I muttered. "I'm-I'm gr-great."

"Okay," he put me down. "Be careful. God, Byers, you're gonna be the end of yourself."

I chuckled. "I actually was just gonna ask for some, uh, socks."

"Oh here," he said, stumbling to Dustin.

Dustin pulled out a pair of socks from his freshly-washed laundry. They were floral, so I assumed they were his mom's. I went back in after Steve tossed them to me. I shut the door and finished getting ready.

After the long and excruciating trips to the grocery store, we finally had enough meat for the three of us. While the boys got the meat, I got three white buckets for us, gasoline for Steve's idea, and yellow gloves because Dustin's afraid of getting salmonella.

I sat in the passenger seat as Steve drove to the train tracks. It was the only way to get to the Junkyard. Steve parked his car and we all went to the back. Dustin began talking with Lucas as me and Steve got the stuff out of his trunk. Steve put the backpack on me and slipped a flashlight and a tank of gasoline in it. I put on the yellow gloves as he chucked on his bag. He put on his gloves and put the buckets on the ground. I picked mine up while Steve picked up his and held Dustin's. "All right, let's go," Steve motioned to Dustin.

"Just be there, stat. Over and out," Dustin said into his headset.

We began walking through the forest. The leaves had just fallen from the trees, making the ground a beautiful orange and red color. I felt a soft breeze go through my hair.

We were along the tracks, chucking the beef everywhere to lure the creature. We were in complete silence when Steve needed to clarify something. "Okay, let me get this straight. You kept something you knew was probably dangerous, in order to impress a girl who... you just met?"

Dustin gave a disgusted expression. "All right, that's grossly oversimplifying things."

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" Steve asked throwing a piece of meat down.

"An interdimensional slug?" Dustin asked. "Because it's awesome."

"Ew," I mumbled. "She probably got disgusted of it and or she doesn't care."

"Well," Steve began. "Even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I... I just... I dunno. I just feel like you're trying too hard."

"That's easy for you to say," I chirped in. "I mean, you're Steve the hair Harrington. When have you had to try at all?"

Steve blushed. "Yeah not everyone can have your perfect hair," Dustin rolled his eyes.

"It's not about the hair man," Steve yeeted a piece of meat 20 feet in front of him.

"Ehhhh..." I began.

Steve lightly hit my arm. He rolled his eyes jokingly and began talking. "The key with girls is just... acting like you don't care."

"That's HORRIBLE advice," I blurted out.

"Sh, sh, sh," Steve said in a hushed tone. "He's a kid. Baby steps, Addie. Baby steps."

"Even if you do?" Dustin asked.

"Yeah, exactly. It drives them nuts!" Steve explained.

Dustin turned and looked at me. "Is this true?"

"Yeah, yeah. I can see where Harrington is going," I said with a smile.

Dustin nodded. "Then what?"

Steve became uncomfortable at that moment. "You just wait until, uh... until you feel it." He looked back at me and stumbled as I bit my lip.

Dustin looked at us with a side-glance. "Feel what?" he questioned sternly.

I looked at Steve. "It's like before it's gonna storm, you know," Steve said as I shook my head. "You can't see it-"

I coughed. "You can," cough. "See it all right."

"Shut up. As I was saying: you can't see it, but you can feel it, like, this, uh, electricity, you know?"

"Oh," Dustin was relieved. "Like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere-"

"No, no. Like a, like a sexual electricity." Steve said.

I choked on my own spit as he said that. He turned to me. "Something you want to add, Addie?"

"Not really but, uh, why not," I smiled with my eyes closed at Steve, then turning to Dustin. "Uh, girls get it too-"

"Really?" Dustin became curious.

"Yeah, but NEVER, and I mean NEVER ask, always assume. Unless she likes the nice old reminder," Steve was staring at me.

"Something on my face, Harrington?" I teased.

"No, but yeah. That too. What she said."

Dustin stood there as I watched a lightbulb go off in his head. "Oh!" he triumphantly exclaimed.

"Yeah," Steve nodded his head. "You feel that, and then you make your move."

"So, that's when you kiss her?" Dustin asked.

I began laughing hysterically behind the two as Steve corrected him. No, whoa! Slow down, Romeo."

"Sorry," Dustin mumbled.

"Sure, ok, some girls, yeah they want you to be aggressive. You know, strong, hot and heavy, like a... I don't know, like a lion." Steve told.

"Oh," Dustin said.

"But," Steve put his finger up. "Others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a... like a ninja."

"What type is Nancy?" I sulked back as Dustin asked this.

It seemed at that time that I finally became nauseous of the meat. "Nancy?" Steve clarified. "She was different. She wasn't like the other girls, but we broke up, because that was a problem. She couldn't even get the stupid words 'I love you' out of her mouth," he stared at the ground. "But so is this other girl. She-she, she confuses me, man. I'm still trying to figure her out, but she's special, and I knew that when I met her. I can feel it when I'm around her."

"She sounds special," Dustin admitted.

Both boys looked back at me. "Yeah, she is," Steve said smiling.

Dustin shook his head to bring him back to reality. "But this girl's special too, you know. She's just, like something about her."

Steve held up his arms and shook them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa."

"What?" a very dumbfounded Dustin asked.

"You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?" Steve asked as a concerning mother would.

"Uh no, no. But you were just talking about this girl who's not like other girls and that you can feel your weird sexual-" Dustin was cut off by Steve.

"Just stop there, but good. Don't."

"I won't," Dustin promised.

"She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit," Steve informed.

We walked in silence. Steve leaned down and whispered something into Dustin's ear. "What?" Dustin asked Steve.

"Oh my God," Steve shook his head and leaned down once more to whisper into Dustin's ear.

Dustin said something, but it was out of earshot to me. "You tell anyone I just told you that, and your ass is grass, Henderson. Do you understand?" Steve said normally.

"Yup," Dustin put a thumb up.

"Okay," Steve sighed.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Nothing," the two replied in unison.

"Whatever," I pushed through to be in front of the boys. "I have so many things that I haven't told a soul."

"Well now I'm damn curious, please continue," Dustin spoke.

I snorted "Absolutely not, nerd."