Stranger Things - Imagines (Book 2)

Steve Harrington X Reader - Lush Life

A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song Lush Life by Zara Larsson. In this universe, Steve and Nancy broke up after season one. This is set around the Halloween party they attended in season two. I hope you all enjoy it. 

You should've known that telling your friends about your little crush on the King of Hawkins High would be a mistake. After all, they weren't exactly the most trustworthy people in the world. Sure, they were your friends, but it's not like you had a fantastic selection of people to spend time with in such a small town, and they'd been nice enough. They'd been fine. And then, they'd latched onto a muttered little comment about how cute Steve was and ran with it. 

The entire school had known about the crush within mere hours, and you'd taken to wearing your walkman around the hallways in order to avoid the giggles and teasing. Luckily for you, it had been a Friday afternoon when the news had broken, and you'd been able to dash for the exit before actually seeing Steve in person. 

Shit, it was stupid. Teenage girls had crushes. Especially on popular, handsome, basketball-playing teenage boys like Steve. But still, you'd had that embarrassed feeling rising from your stomach into your chest, and you knew better than anyone that the best way to cope would be to hibernate for some time. 

Unfortunately for you, said shitty friends weren't exactly great at leaving you to your own devices. Sofia had been ringing your house phone non-stop since you'd arrived home, eventually giving in and just showing up on your doorstep with a duffle bag full of stuff for her to stay the night. 

"It's the Halloween party tonight," she reminded you, nudging her way through the gap between your and the front door. "Carrie and I can't go alone. No one will know that we're supposed to be the Charlie's Angels without you," she pressed on, offering you a small smile. "And Steve is going to be there-"

"Which is exactly why I'm not going to be," you interrupted. "It's fucking mortifying."

Sofia rolled her eyes. "It's not mortifying," she muttered, letting out a soft sigh. "Tommy told me that Steve seemed pretty pleased with himself when he told him."

"Yeah right," you uttered, letting her follow you up to your bedroom with her stuff. 

"He did," she exclaimed. "Apparently, he thinks you're hot as all hell, which makes total sense because look at you."

"He probably just thinks it's funny-"

"He thinks you're hot," she interjected. "And he'll think you're even hotter dressed as Kris Munroe," she pressed on. "She was always the hottest angel-"

Her words trailed off when you raised an eyebrow at her. "This is ridiculous."

"Where's the harm in getting all dressed up and showing him what you have to offer?" she pressed, dumping her duffel bag onto your bed and unzipping it. "Either he'll be head over heels in love with you, or we'll get super drunk and pretend it never happened." 

You let out a soft sigh, looking over her shoulder at the costumes she'd started pulling out. "Fine."

*Time Skip*

When you'd walked through the front door, you'd felt like every eye had been on you, following you as you made a beeline for the drinks table, and you'd probably been totally right. Your little crush was the newest bit of gossip circulating the school community, and to add to that, you had shown up looking totally gorgeous in your costume, with Sofia and Carrie trailing you in their corresponding costumes. 

You took a deep breath as you paused at the table, letting Sofia take over. This was her speciality. She was an expert at making even the cheapest of alcohol palatable, and you watched as she poured together some concoction that would usually be a little terrifying if you weren't so desperate to take your mind off of the stares.