HAWKINS, INDIANA — 1984.

     "THERESA?"

Ms. Kelly grabbed Theresa's attention, snapping her back to reality. Tess rubbed her eye, forcing a smile.

"Sorry. I just– didn't sleep well last night."

Ms. Kelly, the guidance counselor, nodded understandingly. Theresa had been seeing her every other week for the past few months, since Priya's disappearance. She was not really sure if these sessions were helping, but she was genuinely trying. For Ms. Kelly's sake, and her own.

"I see," Ms. Kelly grabbed her pen and began writing something down. "Still having nightmares?"

Tess chewed her inner lip, giving a small shrug. "Not too bad. I mean– everyone has nightmares, right?"

"Well, yes, but not everyone has trauma like you."

Ms. Kelly studied Theresa for a moment, who licked her lips and inhaled deeply. This was not how she had been wanting to spend her study hall.

"Tell me about life," Ms. Kelly continued. "What's been going on lately? Any good news? Any bad? I saw that you got accepted into Notre Dame, that's amazing."

Tess began to smile, nodding. "Yeah, yeah. It is. I've just been... focused on school," she shrugged, meeting Ms. Kelly's eyes. "That's basically it."

Ms. Kelly clasped her hands together, placing them in front of her. "Any new... relationships? A boyfriend, maybe?"

She laughed softly, glancing down. "Uh– no, not really. I'm not very... interested in most of the guys around here."

That was partially true. Theresa had not been with a boy since Steve.

Ms. Kelly chuckled as well. "Well that's understandable. But hey, I know any boy here would jump at the chance to be with you. And besides, sometimes a little distraction can be a good thing."

Theresa laughed once more, twisting her fingers. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, shifting in her seat. Ms. Kelly could tell she was ready to go, so she closed her notebook and stood up.

"Well, Theresa, I really feel like you're improving. I'm very proud of how much progress you've made."

Tess stood as well, grabbing her cardigan from the back of the chair and pulling it back on.

"Thank you, Ms. Kelly. I really appreciate all of your help."

Ms. Kelly nodded with another smile, opening the door for her.

"Of course. That's what I'm here for."

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     "PSST! THERESA!"

The girl glanced up from her seat in the library, frowning with confusion. She looked around, wondering who was whispering her name.

"Tess!"

She turned, seeing Steve sitting at the table behind her. He had a textbook in front of him, not even open. Tess arched an eyebrow.

"What?"

He gestured for her to come over, Theresa halfway rolling her eyes. Nonetheless she stood up, walking over to him.

"What is it, Steve?"

He pulled out the chair adjacent to him, patting it. "Sit."

Tess halfway scoffed, looking over her shoulder.

"I'm– I'm sorry, you must be talking to someone else."

Steve gave her a look. "Just for a second. I wanna show you something."

She stared at him for a second, then finally gave in and sat down. "What do you have to show me?"

He picked up a piece of paper, sliding it to her. "Look."

She read the piece of paper, covered in what she only could have assumed was Steve's handwriting, seeing that it was the research she had assigned him to do.

Theresa was quite honestly shocked, but she played it off.

"You did what I asked you to do," she said with a slow nod, looking back up at him. "Congratulations."

Steve was beaming, clearly proud of himself. "You may wanna check over that though, just to make sure."

She almost laughed, replying, "Believe me. I'm gonna double check."

His smile faltered a bit, but he was still happy nonetheless. More than anything, he was over the moon because he and Theresa were talking again. He had almost forgotten how much he missed talking to her.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" he asked, taking a shot in the dark. He could see Tess visibly tense up, dropping her head.

"Uh... I'm going to Priya's to eat dinner with her parents."

"Oh," he replied, drumming his fingers on the table. "Would you... maybe want some company?"

Theresa opened her mouth to reply, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, I– um, I–"

"Never mind," Steve cut in, shaking his head. "I– sorry. I just, I didn't know if maybe you would want to bring someone along."

She twisted her fingers in her lap, shaking her head. "It's fine."

They both sat there in excruciatingly awkward silence. Steve puffed out his cheeks, tapping the table with his pencil.

Theresa looked up suddenly, saying, "Actually, sure. I-I'd like it if you came."

"Really?" he replied. "I don't have to if you don't want me–"

"I do." She met his eyes, giving him a reassuring nod. "You can come pick me up at five."

Steve quickly nodded. "Y-Yeah, of course."

The bell rang just then for class to end, so Theresa stood up and walked back over to her table to gather her things. Steve did the same, his heart beating abnormally fast. Tess glanced over at him one last time before leaving, wondering if she had made the right decision by doing this.

She felt momentarily guilty, so she changed her mind at the last minute and was now bringing Steve to dinner as her date.

God, she had really screwed up now.

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     STEVE WAS AT THE SINCLAIR HOUSE AT five on the dot, waiting for Theresa.

She closed the front door and started toward his car, Steve not realizing that his mouth was slightly agape as he watched her.

Steve quickly scrambled out of the car, beating her around to the passenger side to open the door for her.

Tess eyed him, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Thanks," she said slowly, getting into the car. He shut the door, walking back around and getting in the driver side.

Pulling out of the driveway, Steve said, "So, how are Priya's parents doing?"

Theresa raised her shoulders. "I don't know, really. I mean, obviously they could be doing better but... they seem alright, I guess."

He nodded. "And what about you?"

Tess glanced over at him, shaking her head a little.

"What do you mean?"

"You doing alright?" he asked, knowing she hated the question but not caring all that much.

Theresa looked to the side. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

He wanted to roll his eyes, thinking surely she could not be serious.

"Tess."

She stared at him. "What?"

Steve licked his lips. "You know you don't have to lie to me right? I-I get that we haven't talked in awhile and everything but that doesn't change the fact that, you know... I care about you."

Theresa raised a hand to her head, sighing. This was exactly what she had been afraid of.

"Steve..." she closed her eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose.

He swallowed, feeling like he was making a fool of himself now. Months of not talking and the first thing he does is this.

"As a friend," he continued, trying to salvage what he had already said. "I care about you as a friend. And I just want to make sure that you're okay."

"I'm doing fine," she quickly responded in a dismissive tone. "Turn here."

Steve took a right, the car going back to silence. Theresa wondered deep down if there would ever be any way for them to be 'just friends'. It felt impossible.

His eyes traveled over to her again, exhaling. Tess stared out of the window, twisting her fingers yet again. It seemed to be a nervous tic she had picked up.

They arrived at the Wilson residence, Tess unbuckling and then hesitating for a moment.

Steve noticed, studying her for a moment.

"You ready?" he asked at once, drawing her from her thoughts.

"Mhm," Tess weakly responded, opening the door.

They walked alongside each other to the front door, Steve reaching out to ring the doorbell. Tess brushed off her skirt, folding her hands in front of her.

Mrs. Wilson welcomed them in, hugging Tess who explained that Steve was a friend who had come along. Mr. Wilson already knew Steve because of his dad, so they did not mind him being there.

Once they were seated at the dinner table, Theresa could not help but to feel like her nerves were at an all time high. She was not sure why, but she had been thinking about Priya so much that day and it only made her feel worse.

"So, how has school been?" Mrs. Wilson questioned as Tess picked at her food.

"Fine," she replied with a warm smile. "Um, Steve and I were actually just partnered up for a Physics project."

"Oh," Mrs. Wilson replied, nodding.

Tess bounced her knee rapidly, looking back down at her plate. Steve glanced over, as he was able to feel her shaking the table. He reached down while Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were not paying attention, placing a hand on her leg. She stopped bouncing it, her eyes flickering over to him for a split second.

"What do you kids plan on doing for Halloween?" Mr. Wilson asked, scooping up some mashed potatoes.

When Theresa, who seemed to not have been paying attention, failed to answer, Steve did.

"Well, there's actually this party that a classmate of ours is throwing. We're both planning on going. Right, Tess?"

"What?" She looked up, then nodded vigorously. "Oh– yeah. Right, yeah."

The others at the dinner table watched her with some concern, Theresa getting a sudden swelling feeling in her chest. She scooted the chair back with a loud noise, standing up.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom," she mumbled, hurriedly rushing for the bathroom.

Steve contemplated going after her to make sure she was alright, but he stayed put. He did not want to overstep his boundaries.

Theresa closed the bathroom door and as soon as she did, she burst into tears. She tried not to, because she didn't want to mess up her makeup, but it was inevitable. Tess shrunk down onto the toilet seat, letting out silent sobs so that she would not be heard. Her stomach was aching from the nerves she had been experiencing all day, making her feel slightly nauseous now.

She unrolled toilet paper and folded it over, dabbing at her tearstained face to remove any trace that made her look like she had been crying. Theresa was glad now that Steve had tagged along, because he could sit out there and talk to them while she tried to regain her composure.

A few minutes later she returned, placing a hand on Steve's shoulder briefly before she sat back down. He looked over at her, narrowing his eyes. Her face was a bit puffier than it had been before, her eyes tinged with red.

They did not stay much longer after dinner was over, which was more than fine by Tess. She was exhausted, and Steve could tell that she was ready to go.

"They're nice people," Steve remarked on the ride back to Tess' house, earning a small nod from her and nothing more.

She flipped on the radio, trying to fill the silence so that it would not be so damn awkward. Theresa often preferred the quiet but right now, she needed distractions. The only time she was not thinking about Priya was when she had something to keep herself busy. Or someone, rather.

Tess looked over at Steve, getting a brief thought, but then she shook it away. He was her ex; she should not have been thinking about him in that way anymore.

"Have you met that new kid?" Theresa questioned at once. "Billy Hargrove, I think is his name?"

Steve shook his head. "I haven't talked to him, no. Why?"

She halfway rolled her eyes. "No reason. He's just– an asshole, kinda."

"Figures," Steve replied with a shrug. "You can look at him and tell."

Tess slightly smirked. "Oh, and what do you think they say about you, 'King Steve?'"

He rolled his eyes this time, but still smiled with a soft laugh.

"Don't. That's such a stupid nickname," he muttered, Theresa laughing as well.

"I've heard people call you much worse."

Her statement was factual, and Steve could not deny that. Much like Tess, his reputation had begun to tarnish slightly after he stepped away from the 'popular' crowd a bit. He was no longer friends with Tommy or Carol, who came up with the nastiest possible rumors to say about him.

Although, he still had some status to cling onto. Whereas Theresa, she had become one of Hawkins' most hated. Steve really did feel bad for her, knowing she did not deserve any of it.

The longer Theresa looked at Steve, the more she wondered if what was going through her head was a good idea. She needed a distraction, like Ms. Kelly had said. Something to help her relax a bit.

"Can you turn right here?" she asked, gesturing to a cutoff on the side of the road that seemed to lead to nowhere but the dark woods.

Steve frowned. "For what? Is there a shortcut to your house or something?"

She ignored him. "Just– turn here. Please."

He did as she said, still confused but obeying nonetheless. Tess sat up, looking forward as Steve drove through the dark woods.

"You're not gonna murder me, are you?" he lightly joked, but then grew wary as Theresa failed to reply.

"You can stop right here," she instructed, Steve doing so. 

Once the car was in park, Tess opened the door and got out. Steve was wildly befuddled, getting out of the car as well. She leaned against the side, folding her arms as she drew in a deep breath. Steve began to walk around, peering over at her.

"Tess? Is everything good–"

She cut him off with a kiss, grabbing the front of Steve's jacket to pull him closer. He reacted by immediately kissing her back, pressing into her so that she could not move between him and the car. Finally Steve came to his senses, pulling away.

"What are you doing?" he asked, searching her eyes.

"I need a distraction," Theresa explained, catching her breath. "I need something to help me stop thinking about Priya or that– monster, constantly. I just need..."

She paused, locking eyes with Steve. There was a lump in his throat, unsure why he was suddenly nervous.

"You," Tess finished. "Just for right now."

Steve knew that this was a very bad idea, deep down. But in that moment all caution was thrown to the wind, every warning sign being ignored. He had been wanting this moment for months now, thinking about it every night as he lay awake in bed.

So, Steve kissed her again.

notes.
why was that so hot to me y'all i need help

you may think things are going to go good right now, but oh boy just wait 😼 i get to bring in my best friend named 'drama' and her friend named 'jealousy'

honestly i feel for tess in so many ways, priya was the only true friend she ever had and she lost that, not to mention the immense guilt she has to live with too

i will be including some light sexual scenes at the beginning of the next chapter, just a fair warning for that...

no but i really want theresa and robin to be a s3/s4 brotp, robin's personality is very similar to what priya's was and i think her and tess will just be an iconic duo

favorite scene from this book so far?