Stranger Things Than a Tribrid

Chapter 8: Farrah Fawcett Spray

Hope's POV:

Steve, Dustin, and I spend the rest of the night gathering materials to lure and trap Dart, We bought a shit ton of raw meat and gasoline for my fire spell to latch onto. It's early in the morning when Dustin gets a radio call from Lucas. "Well, well, well, look who it is." 

There's a pause while Lucas talk. As they talk Steve and I unload his trunk. "Well, when you were having sister problems, Dart grew again, he escaped, and I'm pretty sure he's a baby demogorgon." He relays our current issues to his friend. More silence as Lucas replies. 

"I'll explain later. Meet me, Hope, and Steve at the old junkyard. And bring your binoculars and wrist rocket." With that we have everything out and ready. "Aright, let's go." Steve says, starting to walk away. "Just be there, stat. Over and out." With that Dustin rushes after us. 

Steve hands him one of the two buckets full of meat and they start making the trail. "So, Dustin, why did you keep Dart if you knew it was probably dangerous? I mean, after last year, I thought you would think a little more before doing something so reckless." I say.

I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow at the boy. He was one of the smarter ones in the group...or so I thought. "Well, you see, here's the thing." Leading with that, he launches into an explanation as to why he kept the creature. Steve and I exchange a look. 

"So, let me get this straight. You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who...who you just met?" Steve asks him. "Alright, that's grossly oversimplifying things." I roll my eyes. "Dustin-" Steve cuts me off. 

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" "An inter-dimensional slug? Because it's awesome!" He grins. "Well, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I...I just...I don't know. I just feel like you're trying way too hard." I narrow my eyes at the boy. 

Sure Dustin's plan wasn't a great one...actually a tremendously stupid one...but it was sweet. "Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, alright?" I scrunch my nose. "Dustin, I promise you it's not about hair." I assure him. "It's not?" He asks. 

"No, the key with girls is just...just acting like you don't care." My head snaps up and I glare at the Harrington boy. "Even if you do?" Steve obviously doesn't feel my glare. "Yeah, exactly. It drive them nuts." I walk forward and smack the back of his head. "OW!"

He turns and narrows his eyes at me, but they widen when they see my harsh glare. "Dustin, that is the worst piece of advice I've ever heard. If you act like you don't care, then she'll think you don't care and she'll move on." I tell him, countering Steve's horrendous advice. 

He ignores me. "Then what?"  Steve smirks at me before turning back to Dustin. I trail after the two, arms crossed. Here's Steve, whose relationship is on thin ice, giving relationship advice, and Dustin who thought the appropriate way to impress a girl was with a monster. 

"You just wait, until uh...until you feel it." "Feel what?" "It's like before it's gonna storm, you know? You can't see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh...electricity. You know?" "Oh, like the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere-" 

"No, no, no, no, no. Like a...like a sexual electricity." "Oh." I want to smack my forehead. This is the worst dating advice I've ever heard. "You feel that and then you make your move." "So that's when you kiss her?" 

"No, whoa, whoa. Slow down Romeo. 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. But others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a ninja." "What type is Nancy?" Steve gets a far away look in his eyes.

"Nancy's different. She's different than the other girls." His tone is soft as he speak, looking down at the bucket in his hands. "Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess." "Yeah. Yeah, she is." "But this girl's special, too, you know. It's just, like, something about her." 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey." "What?" The two of them stop in front of me. I narrow my eyes at Steve's tone. "You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?" He asks. "Uh no, no." "Ok, good. Don't." "I won't." 

"She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit." They walk in silence for a while and I can practically see Dustin deflate at Steve's words. I stay silent. It's obvious Dustin isn't gonna listen to me. Steve, however, is screwed. 

As soon as I'm alone with Steve, I'm so gonna chew his ass out for putting his negative perception of falling in love onto a child. Finally, Steve breaks the awkward silence. "Fabergé." "What?" Dustin is just as confused as I am. Steve points to his hair. 

"It's Fabergé Organics. Use the shampoo and conditioner, and when your hair is damp- It's not wet, ok? When it's damp..." "Damp." Dustin repeats. "You do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray." I forget how horrible Steve is at giving dating advice and a smile grows on my face. 

"Farrah Fawcett?" I ask, catching up to them. Steve glares down at me as they both stop. Dustin has a teasing grin on his face. "Yeah, Farrah Fawcett. You tell anyone I just told you that and your ass is grass. You're dead Harrison. Do you understand?" "Yep?" "Not me?" I grin. 

He continues to glare at me. "One, you can't die, do it'd be a waste of effort. Two, I don't need a you to hex me so I'm bald or something. Three, your dad and uncle scar the crap out of me." He mumbles the last bit before continuing on. I grin over at Dustin. "I'm so giving him crap for that." 

With those words, I follow after the Harrington boy, with Dustin trailing behind us. I'm so giving him shit for this.