𝘼𝙪𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩 [𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣]

[It's a date]

Cherry stood in front of the mirror, her heart pounding as she tried to fix her hair. She gritted her teeth, groaning at the sight of her poofy hair in her reflection, "Stay!" She whispered, pinning it down even more. Finally satisfied, she eagerly waited for Max to finish getting ready for her school dance. And though, it was an important night for her little sister, this was also the night Cherry had been looking forward to for weeks – her first official date with Steve.

She smoothed down her skirt nervously, glancing at herself with a grimace. "Max, hurry up!" Cherry called out, unable to contain her excitement any longer. "We're going to be late!" From the other room, she heard Max's voice, muffled by the closed door. "Just a sec! I'm almost ready!" As she waited, Cherry tried to calm her racing thoughts till finally, the door to the bathroom swung open, and Cherry turned to see her sister emerge.

As if unfazed by the amount of time she'd taken to get ready, Max pursed her lips and gave Cherry a look, "Ready to go?" she asked. Cherry grinned back, her nerves momentarily forgotten. "Definitely," she replied, her voice tinged with excitement. The sisters headed downstairs, Cherry's excitement growing with each shaky step. As they reached the bottom, Cherry spotted Billy's keys hanging on the hook by the door.

Without hesitation, she grabbed them, causing Max to raise an eyebrow. She quickly looked away and began to put her shoes on. Billy, who had been lounging on the couch, cleared his throat, "Where do you think you're going with those?" Cherry shrugged, "Just driving Max to the dance," she said casually. "I thought the dance was only for the elementary shits," he remarked, narrowing his eyes at Max.

Cherry rolled her eyes at her brother, still vexed by what'd happened a few weeks ago. "I'm not going to that," she replied, her tone dismissive. "Just driving Max." It wasn't like she wanted to speak to him anyways. Her father perked up at the mention of the dance. "Where are you going then?" he asked, eyeing Cherry's outfit with disgust. Cherry sighed, feeling annoyed by the interrogation. "Out." she replied shortly, avoiding his gaze.

The man raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with her vague answer. "Where?" he pressed. Cherry's patience wore thin as she ushered Max towards the door. "With a friend," she replied, her tone final. "Dressed like that?" he remarked, his tone laced with skepticism. Cherry felt a flush of anger rise in her cheeks but forced herself to remain composed. "Yes, daddy," she replied tersely, her tone conveying her irritation.

Neil's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Cherry's outfit, something he seemed to do more and more often lately. "That's seriously what you're wearing?" he questioned, his disapproval evident in his voice. "You're going to embarrass yourself with that outfit. Have some self-respect." Cherry gulped as she glanced over at Billy, silently pleading for him to intervene. But, he remained silent, his eyes avoiding hers.

Neil stifled a laugh, "If you think you're going to impress anyone dressed like that, think again." Cherry's frustration mounted at his comments. "It's fine, Dad," Cherry bit back, her hurt and frustration bubbling beneath the surface. Their father watched them leave, his gaze lingering on his eldest daughter, "Slut," But Cherry ignored his words, her anger clear as she slammed the door behind herself.

"Asshole." Now driving Max to the dance, the car was quiet, Neil's words still replaying in Cherry's mind. Her eyes fixed on the road ahead, Max glanced over at her sister, sensing her unease by her white knuckles wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. Cherry finally sighed, breaking the silence. "I-Is it too much?" she asked, gesturing to her outfit with uncertainty. Max quickly shook her head.

"No way," she reassured, offering a supportive smile. "You look amazing, Cherry. Don't let Neil get to you. He's just being... Neil." Cherry nodded, her shoulders slumping slightly as doubt crept into her mind. "What if he's right?" she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if Steve doesn't like it?" Max frowned, her heart sinking at Cherry's words. "Cherry, don't say that," she replied firmly. "Steve will love this!"

"And... He will like you for you, not for what you wear." Cherry nodded, trying to push away her insecurities as they pulled up to the school. "Thanks, Max," she said gratefully, offering her sister a small smile as she turned to her. "Have fun tonight." Max returned the smile, giving Cherry's hand a reassuring squeeze before she stepped out of the car. Cherry watched her go, feeling a pang of loneliness as she waited alone in the car for Steve to arrive.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, a sudden knock on the window made her jump. "Jesus!" She yelled as she turned to see Steve standing outside, his usual confident demeanor replaced by a shy grimace. Cherry laughed nervously as she rolled down the window. "Hey, sorry about that," Steve said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Cherry couldn't help but purse her lips at Steve's awkwardness, feeling her own nerves mirrored in his demeanor. She flashed him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, you definitely got me," she replied, trying to ease the tension. Steve's face lit up at her response, and he reached behind his back to hand her a bouquet of flowers. "I, uh, I don't know if you like these, but..." he trailed off, his uncertainty evident.

Cherry's eyes widened in delight as her eyes scanned over the flowers from him. "I, uh- i don't really know what you like, so i took a guess." "Oh my gosh, Steve, these are beautiful!" she exclaimed, her heart fluttering at the gesture. Steve's face flushed with pleasure as Cherry's eyes lit up with delight. With a shy grin, Steve opened the car door for her, gesturing for her to join him outside.

Emboldened by her reaction, he grinned confidently. "You know, I thought you might like them," he said, a hint of pride in his voice. His eyes drifting to her lips, Steve reached out, offering his hand to Cherry as she stepped out of the car. "Here, let me help you," he said, his voice soft as he attempted to help. Cherry took his hand, an even wider smile growing on her face as he guided her out.

"You look really beautiful," Steve said, his voice soft as he helped Cherry out of the car. Cherry blushed at the compliment, feeling a warmth spread through her cheeks. "You do too," she replied with a shy smile, her heart fluttering at his words. Steve's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink as he chuckled softly, "Thanks?" he responded, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Steve Harrington had gotten numerous compliments in his life, however, no girl had ever called him beautiful. Cherry settled into the passenger seat of Steve's car, her excitement bubbling as she fastened her seatbelt. "So, where are we going?" she asked, turning to him with anticipation. Steve flashed her a grin. "It's a surprise," he said cryptically. "But I promise, you'll love it."