Chapter Text
Slinging ice cream at the age of eighteen was not what he imagined he would do in life. Truthfully, he had never really known what it was that he was going to do, but it definitely did not involve working at Scoops Ahoy! He didn’t mind the shifts. They went quick enough and for the most part, he got on with the people he worked with. Most of the time, he was put on shift with Robin Buckley. He hadn’t really known her in High School. He’d known of her, of course, but he had never really had anything to do with her.
Then again, that was the old Steve Harrington. That was the Steve Harrington who was an asshole and didn’t care about anything other than his image. He had only ever cared about that.
And Evelyn Howard.
“Dingus, you got the mint choc chip in the butterscotch. Did you even bother to try and clean the scooper before you mixed…double dipping…I don’t want to get in trouble. Plus, people have allergies. We’re going to have to take both containers out and get more from the back. Honestly, you-“
“-I got it, I got it,” Steve interrupted Robin.
It was quiet during their shift. There wasn’t much happening. They were just buying time until they could close. Steve had stocked up all of the cones and tubs. He had even replenished the sprinkles. He might be useless academically, but he was pretty good with his hands. He knew how to men things too. He remembered bending over the hood of Evelyn’s car as she stood behind him, hands on his hips, chest pressed flush against his back as she kissed his neck and told him how hot it was that he was trying to mend her car.
And, more than anything, Steve hated that everything he did, his mind went back to her.
“You’re daydreaming again, aren’t you?” Robin asked Steve and he began to tug the two containers from the counter. He grabbed a couple of lids and put them on. He figured that if they were contaminated then he could just take them home. He’d have to pay for it and his mom might wonder just why she had so much ice cream in her freezer.
The again, that would mean that his parents would have to be home and cook. The chances of both happening were very slim.
“I’m not daydreaming.”
“You’re always somewhere else. I told you, you need to start flirting with some of the girls who come in here,” Robin commented and Steve scoffed. He jumped to sit up on the counter as she stood by the till, waiting to see if anyone came in.
It was getting late. It was more like dinner time and most people didn’t want ice cream sundaes for dinner, even if Steve couldn’t quite understand why that was.
“I’m off the market emotionally,” Steve declared.
“You know, I have no idea why she split up with you. The two of you couldn’t stop sticking you tongues down each other’s throats,” Robin said and pulled a face. “Pretty sure you were full on making out with her against the lockers on time. Mrs Harrison told you to split it up. I get that you’ve had your string of failed romances…Nancy…Evelyn…but you need to try and move on. She has.”
“Ouch,” Steve grunted and glanced down to his lap. “You trying to hurt me, Robin?”
“No,” Robin quickly shook her had, adjusting the hat on top of her head. “Ironically, the last thing I want to do is hurt you even though I think you’re a doofus. I’m just saying that she has moved on.”
“With a guy who is twelve-years-older than her. It’s disgusting. He’s like some kind of cradle snatcher…totally creepy,” Steve said with a shake of his head and then realised what he was saying. “I mean, not that he would want Evie. Anyone would want Evie because she’s pretty.”
“That all she had going for her? Being pretty? Come on, Harrington, prove to me that you’re not as shallow as you used to be in High School,” Robin pleaded with him and Steve scratched at his chin, looking down to his lap.
“She has so much going for her…still does…funny…sarcastic…too loud for her own good…and…Christ…she’s the best tennis player that I’ve ever seen in my entire life. You know, we used to plan out our future together during the last year of High School,” Steve said and an almost wistful smile pulled at his lips.
“And what did those plans involve?” Robin questioned.
“She wanted to go pro,” Steve said. “She was good enough to go pro, but you need to work the circuits…get your rankings up…play all of these futures and challengers before you become seeded and maybe get a chance to play in the Big Four.”
“The Big Four?”
“Wimbledon, Australian Open, US Open and French Open. They’re all different surfaces, but they’re the Four Grand Slams. Evie loved grass the most…maybe it’s because it was at the country club, but she loved playing on grass. She…we were almost late for graduation because she was too busy watching Wimbledon on television,” Steve said, remembering how he had practically had to dress her himself as she was glued to the television.
“Okay, now I know the basics of tennis, thanks McEnroe,” Robin said sarcastically. “Tell me what this dream of yours is.”
“It was our dream,” Steve said. "We were going to rent an RV and I was going to drive her round the country and get her to play the tournaments. I was going to be like…her manager…until she got too big. Instead of an RV, we’d be flying places. She’d probably need coaches and the like, but we’d have done it together.”
“She has coaches, right?”
“The best that money can buy…well…her parent’s money,” Steve corrected. “But she wanted to get away from them. She can’t stand them. Maybe the reason we both got on so well was because we both had a shitty childhood with parents who were absent.”
Robin was quiet for a moment because she could see that Steve was upset. She could tell that he was mourning what could have been and Robin felt bad for him. She felt bad for him because, even though she couldn’t stand him at school, he wasn’t that same boy anymore. He was heartbroken. While Robin had never really had her heart broken, she’d had unrequited crushes and that had been bad enough.
“This must really suck for you, dingus,” Robin said, a hint of sincerity coming through that unnerved Steve. They hadn’t really done anything above superficial conversation.
“That’s an understatement,” Steve just muttered back to Robin. “Evie made her mind up. She decided what she wanted and it wasn’t me. I can’t compete with her new guy…look at him…”
“He is handsome,” Robin admitted, “but he doesn’t have your hair. You’ve got him beat on that one.”
“That’s the only thing I do have him beat on. He’s rich…he owns most of Hawkins’ real estate…constantly in the newspaper…works with the Mayor…handsome…probably buys her anything that he wants,” Steve grumbled.
“She doesn’t seem like a superficial person…well…maybe a bit…she was super popular-“
“-She was never superficial,” Steve interrupted. “I guess that I’m just jealous that he gets to give her everything and I can’t give her anything. I still don’t know why she split up with me. I thought we were happy…one minute we were fine and then the next she says needs to focus on her tennis career, but then she starts dating Arthur Pemberly…a thirty-year-old businessman she’d only spoken to a few times at the country club.”
“Have you tried to talk to her?”
“She just says that she doesn’t want to talk,” Steve shrugged. “I went round to her house, but she wouldn’t come out. I tried to call and her dad told me where to go. Anytime I see her round…I try and get through to her…but nothing seems to work…she just says she’s sorry, but that she didn’t love me anymore. I think it’s a lie. I can see it in her eyes.”
“But why would she lie?”
“I don’t know, Robin…and maybe it’s wishful thinking,” Steve admitted. “Maybe it’s me just looking for something that isn’t there, but what other choice do I have, huh?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you just need to give her up?”
“Easier said than done,” Steve said. “Anyway, I can’t talk about this. I’m going to put the ice cream in the freezer. I’ll take it back tomorrow night, but I need to head to the club tonight…some gala and my mom is insisting that I turn up. Dad wants me there…probably to mock me for being such a screw-up to his friends.”
“You know, I can think of absolutely nothing worse than being part of a country club.”
“That’s because there is nothing worse,” Steve said to her and he jumped down from the counter.
The rest of the shift passed by relatively quickly. Steve and Robin cleaned and then locked up. Steve went to hide in the rest room and changed out of his sailor’s uniform and into a white shirt, black tie and black pants. His suit jacket was in the back of his car. He came out and Robin wolf whistled him and he flipped his middle finger at her. He gave her a ride home before he headed towards the country club, the sun setting over the horizon.
The white, wooden building in the middle of a golf course had fairy lights draped around the balcony that wrapped around it. The car park was already full and Steve struggled to find a space. He finally parked and checked his reflection in the mirror, adjusting a few strands of his hair. He grabbed his suit jacket and shrugged into it. He fiddled with his tie and headed to the entrance. There was the loud noise of music already coming from inside alongside laughter and yells. People were already having a good time.
Some people stood on the decking outside overlooking the golf course. Steve knew that to the other side there were the tennis courts where he had spent months sitting and watching Evelyn play. He would sit on the bench, sometimes taking a book and other times just mesmerised by the sight of her.
“Steve, honey, there you are.”
Steve had wandered into the reception room that was decorated in expensive floral arrangements and white linen cloths over tables. Everything looked so pretentious and Steve couldn’t stand it. It was a far cry from Scoops, but he had to be honest, he preferred Scoops.
His mom found him. She had dark hair like his and hazel eyes. She was a small and petite woman with wide eyes and thin lips. She’d tied her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck and was carrying her champagne flute with a practiced elegance.
“Hi, mom,” Steve greeted her.
“I wondered if you weren’t going to come,” she said and adjusted the knot of his tie with one hand.
“Well, you asked me to come and I said that I would,” Steve said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I don’t know why you were so keen for me to come.”
“Promise you won’t be mad?” she urged from her son.
Steve’s brows knitted together, heart hammering against his chest because he got the sense that he wasn’t going to like where this conversation was going. Steve’s hands went to his hips.
“Depends on the next words that come out of your mouth, mom,” Steve retorted.
Deborah Harrington took a deep breath. “Jennie’s daughter is back from college and I thought that perhaps you could ask her on a date. She’s sweet, Steven. She’s studying English and her parents are well-respected in Hawkins. She-“
“-Are you seriously trying to play matchmaker?” Steve interrupted. “Mom, come on. I don’t want to date Jennie’s daughter…or anyone else’s daughter…”
“No, but you can’t keep pining over Evelyn. She’s moved on. See.”
Deborah nodded her head in the direction of the patio doors. Steve didn’t want to look to where she was motioning. He didn’t want to look because he knew that it would just hurt. But he did. He looked over and saw her standing there. The sight of her was enough to make Steve’s breath catch in his throat.
Steve had always thought that she was beautiful. He’d tried to ask her out before he’d gotten to know Nancy and she had said no. She’d told him that she knew about his reputation and she wasn’t getting involved in that. But then things had changed. They’d spent more time together when his relationship with Nancy had been strained and Evelyn had been assigned as his lab partner. And then she’d gotten dragged into the shit with the Upside Down and Steve had fallen for her in a way that terrified him.
And now she was standing by the patio doors, a breeze shifting her light brunette locks around her shoulders. She had her hair down. It hung in loose waves past her shoulders. Her green eyes were glimmering and her lips were plump and shiny. She had a phobia of never being without her ChapStick. She was tall and lithe, but she had muscles from tennis. She was wearing a green dress that looked more like a slip. It had spaghetti straps and a low back. Steve saw how she was talking to someone and laughing.
But what upset him more was Arthur Pemberly with his hand splayed on the small of her back. It didn’t belong there. The idea of him touching her made his skin crawl. He was tall and slender. He was handsome with a strong jaw and a set of perfect teeth. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He looked like he could be some kind of movie star if he wanted to be.
“I’m not pining over her,” Steve lied.
“Steve, honey, she’s moved on with Arthur. You’re allowed to do the same. Just let me introduce you to Jennie’s daughter…Lisa is lovely and-“
“-I really need to use the bathroom,” Steve interrupted, lying to his mom.
He stepped away from her and Deborah glowered at him. “Steven-“
“-Honestly, nature calls,” he lied and darted off before she could argue with him.
Steve did go and use the bathroom, but when he came back out, he didn’t stay inside. He headed to the balcony that overlooked the tennis courts beneath it. The sun had started to disappear. There was no one outside still, the evening chill seeming to have driven them inside. But as Steve rounded the corner, he saw her there. She was on a tennis court in her dress, arms wrapped around herself. She was just standing by the net, trailing a finger along it.
He figured that he should leave her, but there was a look on his face that he didn’t entirely recognise and it made his stomach churn. Steve headed down the wooden steps towards the path and walked to the court where she was. It was surrounded with metal fencing to make sure that balls didn’t go flying everywhere and injure anyone.
“Is it worth this?”
Steve heard Evelyn talking to herself as she kept walking along the net.
“Is it worth it?”
“Evie.”
Evelyn quickly spun around to see Steve walking from the baseline towards her.
“Steve,” she said, the sound of his name from his lips taking him completely off guard.
“Hi,” Steve said with an awkward wave that he instantly regretted because it made him feel lame.
“I didn’t know if you would come to this tonight. I wasn’t sure if it was your thing.”
“Well, my mom is trying to set me up with Jennie’s daughter.”
“Lisa? She’s a sweet girl,” Evelyn answered. “You could do a lot worse.”
“Maybe, but I’m not interested,” Steve said and Evelyn just stood there and watched as he approached her. She hated how he looked like some wounded puppy. She hated how he looked so innocent and devoid of any idea of what was going on. She hated it because she hated that she was the one who had caused it.
“I should get back to Arthur,” Evelyn said decisively.
“Evie, can we talk?”
She had feared him asking that and that was why she was trying to escape.
“I really need to get back-“
“-Evie, please,” Steve interrupted her. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for months, but you’ve shut me out. I just want to know what I did wrong. I want to know what happened because I thought that we were happy. I thought that we were good together. You…I love you…I still love you, Evie, and I just…I need to know why you fell out of love with me.”
Evelyn knew that she had to be strong. She had to keep herself composed and pulled together. She couldn’t let him see just how upset she was. She couldn’t tell him that she’d made the worst mistake of her life and she didn’t know how to get out of it. She couldn’t cry because Steve would just whisper ‘sweet girl’ and hold his arms open and she’d go and collapse into them.
“It wasn’t you, Steve,” Evelyn said, voice unnecessarily colder than she’d intended for it to be. “High school relationships rarely work out. I needed to focus on my tennis. I needed-“
“-Then why are you with him?” Steve interrupted her. “He’s almost twice your age.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “No, he isn’t. You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m not being dramatic, I’m serious,” Steve continued pressing her. “You’re eighteen. You’re not even allowed to drink. I get why he would want you, but I don’t see why you would want him. He’s just…he’s everything you’re not.”
“He gives me security, Steve. Arthur looks after me. He’s hired the best coaches that money can buy. He lets me play tennis. I don’t need to worry about a scholarship. He just…he looks after me and I needed that. I needed it and you couldn’t give it to me, Steve, and that’s not your fault, but I need to move on. I need to be with someone who can give me that.”
Steve’s eyes widened and his arms flapped out by his side. “You’re whoring yourself out to him for your career? So what? He gets a pretty, young woman dangling off of his arm and you get coaches…money…that’s not you, Evelyn. That’s not you at all. You told me that you wanted to do this on your own. You wanted to get away from all of this,” he gestured round at the country club. “And you expect me to believe that you’re really with this guy for all of this?”
“Believe what you want to believe, Steve, but it’s the truth,” Evelyn continued. “And I really need to get back inside-“
“-Evelyn, you’re lying to me and I can see it all of your face. Just talk to me, sweet girl.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Evelyn protested.
“We’ve fought demodogs…babysat kids…we’ve been through shit that most kids couldn’t even imagine. Don’t shut me out and don’t play me for a fool because I can see through you. I can see straight through you and I know you,” Steve said, his voice becoming even more forceful as he spoke to her.
And he saw the mask begin to break. She was looking vulnerable. She was looking scared and Steve felt his chest begin to ache. Why did she look scared.
“We went through all of that, yes, but that doesn’t mean that I’m indebted to you,” she continued and began to turn and walk away.
But Steve grabbed her wrist, stopping her from going anywhere. He turned to look at her back as she kept on going and he saw it. The dress she was wearing twisted slightly as she tried to squirm away from him. With her movement, the gap at her back grew and Steve saw the bruise marring her skin.
“Evie…what the fuck?” Steve asked, unable not to swear.
“Get off of me, Steve.”
“How did you get that?” Steve demanded and she tried to twist away from him, but Steve was stronger than she was when he wanted to be persistent. He tugged her back towards him, his fingers brushing the dress to the side. The bruise was big and purple against her hip. Steve’s eyes widened as Evelyn pushed him from her.
“It was during training. You know what it’s like. You’ve seen me bruised before.”
“Not like that,” Steve said with a firm shake of his head. “Is it him?”
“Leave it, Steve.”
“Is it?” Steve pushed, refusing to leave it.
“No,” Evelyn shook her head.
“You’re lying. I can see it in your face. Is he hurting you?”
“No.”
“Tell me the truth, Evie,” Steve urged her. “Just tell me what’s going on, sweet girl. Talk to me. I need you to talk to me.”
She was quiet for a moment and she opened her mouth, almost like she wanted to tell him something, but then she backed out. She shook her head and her eyes clouded over again. She adjusted her dress at her back and stuck her chin out.
“I am telling you the truth.”
“No, you’re not, and I’m going to give him a piece of my mind,” Steve growled lowly.
Evelyn reacted then. Standing in front of Steve, she pressed a hand to his chest and he swore that her touch was searing through his shirt. “Steve, you don’t exactly have a great track record when it comes to getting into fights. You don’t want to cause a scene in the middle of the country club. Your dad is already in there and so is your mom. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Stupid? It’s not stupid. He’s hurting you and I’m not letting him get away with that,” Steve snapped.
He brushed by her and Evelyn just grabbed his wrist.
“No!” she shrieked loudly and Steve recoiled at the noise. She sounded like some scared animal. Steve looked at her, seeing the desperation in her eyes and etched on her face. She clung onto his wrist tightly, her fingers grabbing it and keeping him from moving. “Steve. No.”
Steve stilled for a moment. He didn’t keep going. He just watched her and he knew that there was something wrong. Evelyn just took a deep, shaky breath and closed her eyes. Steve saw her lips part and a stifled sob escaped her.
“Sweet girl,” Steve just whispered.
“Don’t. Don’t call me that,” Evelyn urged from him, shaking her head.
“Okay,” Steve whispered. “Just look at me, Evie. Please. Just look at me.”
Evelyn’s eyes slowly opened and looked over his face. Steve. Her handsome, protective Steve. Steve who only wanted the best for her. Steve who just wanted to take care of her. Steve who would do anything for her.
“If he is hurting you then we can handle it, okay? We can handle it together. We can take you back home. You can pack a bag and you can come and stay with me.”
“It’s not that simple, Steve,” Evelyn shook her head slowly.
“We can make it simple.”
“No, we can’t, because there is no us,” Evelyn whispered. “And if you go in there and confront him then you’ll just make it worse. You’ll make it so much worse and you have no idea…you don’t understand…you don’t know why he did it. You don’t know how I can be. I can be ungrateful and he-“
“-Whoa, hold up,” Steve interrupted Evelyn, his wrist slipping from her fingers, but he didn’t let go of her. His fingers entwined with hers instead. “Evie, are you…are you saying that you think…you deserve this?” Steve questioned her. “You don’t. You never deserve it. No one ever does. Men who hurt women are small minded and monsters. You know that. I know that you know that.”
“You just don’t understand, Steve,” Evelyn whispered.
“Then make me understand,” Steve pleaded from her. “Make me understand because I’m looking at you right now and I don’t recognise you. I don’t recognise the captain of the tennis team…the girl who was loud mouthed…sassy…said what she thought and didn’t care what people said. You’re not you, Evie. I can see that.”
“I am me.”
“No, you’re not,” Steve said. “You look…you look lost, baby.”
“I’m not your baby, Steve,” Evelyn threw back. “Look, I need to get back inside. Just stay away from Arthur.”
“If you want me to stay away from him then I need to talk to you,” Steve said. “Tonight. I’ll pick you up from the usual spot.”
“I can’t…even if I wanted to…I can’t,” Evelyn said and he saw that she seemed distressed.
And so he didn’t push her. “Okay,” Steve relented. “I’ll be waiting there at eleven. If you come then you come…if you don’t then you don’t…but no one will know. I just need to talk to you. I just need to talk to you and I get the sense that you want to talk to me even if you claim that you don’t.”
Evelyn didn’t say anything back to him on that count because she knew that he was right. She knew that Steve knew her better than herself.
“I need to go back inside,” Evelyn just whispered and Steve reluctantly let her go back inside.
He watched how her green dress swayed with her movement, hair bouncing around her shoulders. He stayed where he was on the tennis court, his fingers tingling after holding hers. She disappeared around the corner and Steve just closed his eyes, a breeze coming over him.
“What the hell is going on, sweet girl? What the hell is going on?”