𝘼𝙪𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩 [𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣]

[Summer break]

Starcourt mall's cool breeze wafted through the open entrance of Scoops Ahoy, carrying with it the obvious scent of freshly churned ice cream. Cherry sat focused in the break room, her textbooks spread out before her as she worked on a summer course assignment. She had spent the first weeks of summer buried in her studies, determined to get ahead and earn that extra credit. You see, one thing about the brunette was that she'd do anything for an extra credit. Steve and Robin bustled about on the other side, serving up ice cream to rude and eager teenagers.

Luckily, that meant free ice cream for her. It was summer, after all, and with the new mall built, Scoops Ahoy was the place to be. Steve peered in, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on Cherry at her usual spot. He walked over to her, taking off his uniform sailor hat in defeat and standing beside her. He leant down, placing his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her work with a grimace. "Shit, how's the extra credit coming along?" Steve asked, flashing the girl a look. Cherry looked up from her notes, her lips in a straight line. "Slowly," she frowned, taking a sip of her orange julius.

Steve chuckled, giving her shoulders a small squeeze. "Well, you've got plenty of time. Don't stress," he offered, taking a seat beside her. Just as he began to relax, Robin hurried in, her hair askew as she caught her breath. "Steve, it's a war zone out there!" She exclaimed, gesturing wildly. "You know, you actually work here?!" Steve rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips. Steve sighed, shooting Robin an annoyed glance. "Yeah, I do work here, believe it or not," he retorted, rolling his eyes. Robin grinned, unfazed by Steve's irritation. "Wow, really?!" she asked, earning a scowl from Steve.

Cherry couldn't help but snicker at their banter, enjoying the dynamic between the two as she scribbled over her page. Steve leant backwards against her, his weight resting on her shoulder as she wrote. "But, Robin, she needs me," he whined. However, Robin stayed unfazed, her arms crossing. "Get up, Harrington," she ordered. "You've got all summer to swoon over your girlfriend. Let her study in peace for once," She turned to leave, "And put your cap back on!" Steve groaned loudly, his shoulders slumping. "Unbelievable," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

Cherry nudged him, urging him to get up. "Come on, Steve, you heard what Robin said," Steve sighed, relenting as he started to get up from his seat. He leaned in and gave Cherry a sad kiss on the cheek, his expression playful yet resigned. Cherry simply smiled in response, taking yet another sip of her drink. "You will survive, Steve Harrington," Steve pursed his lips as he put his hat back on, his expression mockingly dramatic. "Will I? Really?" he muttered sarcastically as he pointed to his stupid hat. Cherry rolled her eyes, shaking her head in amusement.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic," she teased, gesturing for him to go back to work. Steve chuckled and finally returned to the other side of the door, leaving Cherry's full attention
to her studies. Though, clearly bored with school, her thoughts drifted over to the past few months. Her mind wandered back to October, an eventful month to sat the least. Moving to Hawkins all the way from California, Cherry never expected to be met with inter dimensional monsters. But as November rolled around, things began to settle down and despite the chaos, Cherry and Steve's relationship grew quietly.

They'd go on late-night car rides, the quiet hum of the engine accompanying their whispered conversations or loud singing to the radio. Sometimes, they'd even stay up on the phone into the early hours of the morning, exchanging stories and silly dreams they'd had as children. The two stayed secretly falling in love, away from the prying eyes of Cherry's family. They soon started dating in December, and although Cherry had initial reservations to the idea, she found herself drawn to Steve more and more everyday day.

Moving forward, only Max knew the truth, serving as Cherry's trusted confidante through everything. Meanwhile, Billy harbored suspicions, as her older brother but especially after the flower incident after Steve and Cherry's first date. At school, Robin initially hated the idea of their relationship, having voiced numerous warnings to Cherry about Steve. However, as time passed, she gradually came around, accepting the two as a couple. On the other hand, that didn't mean she liked Steve. If anything, she hated him more.

Which was amazing, especially when she got stuck into working all summer with him. Seeing how Robin wasn't the biggest fan of her boyfriend, her support meant a lot to Cherry, especially since Robin was basically her only friend in town outside of Steve. The school year then came to a close, both Steve and Billy graduating. Cherry attended the ceremonies, her family by her side as she concealed her cheers for her boyfriend. Now, with summer in full swing, Cherry found herself immersed in her summer course, eager to stay distracted during the break.

Cherry eventually finished studying, shutting her textbooks just in time as the store closed, marking the end of another day at Scoops Ahoy. With a contented sigh, Cherry packed up her belongings and stuck her head out of the break room door, making sure no customers were left. As Cherry emerged into the main area, she spotted Steve wiping down the counter, his sailor hat titled on his wild head of brown hair. He perked up at the sight of his girlfriend, books held close to her chest as she waited by the counter.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Steve joked, flashing her a tired but genuine smile as he walked over. Cherry rolled her eyes at Steve's remark, Robin peering over her shoulder.  "Again, she does not work here," she reiterated, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Ignoring Robin's comment, Steve walked over and threw his rag across the room, hitting Robin on the back as she turned around. Robin quickly spun back around to face Steve. She pointed a finger at him, "Watch it, Harrington!" Steve just laughed, his grin widening as he shrugged innocently. "Oops,"

Cherry couldn't help but chuckle at Steve, shaking her head at him. "You're rude," she spoke, snatching the cap of his head. Steve chuckled unfazed, reaching to grab his cap back from Cherry's hand. "Sure I am, what's your point?" he replied, his tone light and teasing as he put the hat back on. Robin pretended to throw up, covering her eyes as she walked past the couple. "Gag me with a spoon," she muttered, turning back to her own tasks with a fond exasperation.

Turning to Robin, Steve raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, did you say something?" he asked, a playful expression on his face. Robin shook her head with a smirk. "Nope, just enjoying the show," she replied, her lips pursed in a straight line. "Good," Steve smiled to himself, "We're gonna head out," Steve announced, looping an arm around Cherry's shoulders. Robin looked up from her task, a smirk playing on her lips. "About time," she teased, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. Steve smirked, "We'll miss you too!"

Robin just laughed, waving them off. "See you tomorrow, lovebirds," she called after them as they made their way out of Scoops Ahoy. Cherry turned back, waving to her friend with a smile. "Bye, Robin! See you tomorrow!" she called back before stepping out into the mall hallway. Steve walked alongside Cherry, his arm draped casually around her shoulders as they strolled through the emptying mall. Steve let out a contented sigh, "You know what I need right now?" he said, glancing over at his girlfriend. "A pretzel. Just a pretzel." Cherry chuckled, leaning into his side. "Of course you do,"