Five. Steve and the girl named Nancy
Hawkins, 1983
He knew this would be more annoying than anything. All the back and forth over a fucking kid.
"No.. No, mom. I'm still at basketball practice. I-I can't just leave.. You know I can't leave yet.." He doesn't want to say it but he does. "I'm sorry."
The school line is scratchy, and his skin is hot against the aged plastic. "Steve, you're father is leaving tonight. I have to go with him, you know how he is. I cannot watch Violet anymore. She's getting beyond fussy. It's tiring and frustrating. I've already done this once in my life, I don't want to do this again."
Steve's forehead comes forwards against the metal phone box, it's been covered in stickers and writing done by markers throughout the years it's been up. Under his eyes in capital letters it says GIVE ME HEAD UNTIL I'M DEAD. Steve's brows furrow at the odd writing. "Mom.. I can't just leave? We.. We said we were going to make this workâ Can't you guys leave, like, later? I have a game Friday night, I have to practice.."
"You need to find a goddamn babysitter."
The boy flinches as the line goes dead. And whether or not he realized, his eyes have glossed over. How was he going to keep this up? It only been a few weeks and his home life was dragging him down into a lake to kill him. School was an escape. Sure, he hated the actual school part. But girls still loved. Guys still worshipped. His sports were doing great. He was still King Steve.. and girls liked to talk about Violet.. and Steve couldn't lie, he liked talking about his daughter too.
That still felt weird saying.
"Harrington, you alright?"
The boy pulled away from the box, screwed up eyes snapping open as he met the eyes of his coach. He hung the phone back up, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Sorry." The aged man nodded gently, pulling off his baseball cap. "If you have to leave.. because of your kid, that's fine. It's alright."
One thing Steve realized he hated the most with having Violet was the pity, because not everyone believed he could do this. He was determined he could, he knew he could. He just needed to learn how to get there.
"No, everything is alright. I got it sorted. Thank you." His voice was tired and he smiled gently. The aged man before him nodded with a smile as well. "Well, let's get you back in there, star boy."
The rest of practice had gone smoothly, despite the pit of burning anxiety in the depths of Steve's organs. Though, as he pulled up to his driveway, the lack of cars frightened him. "Fuck.. Fuck!" Of course Candy Harrington had done things her own way.
Steve was a little panicked as he rushed to the front door, sweaty hands having trouble with the key. The second it clicked, he was yanking open the door and pushing his basketball duffel in with his shoe and letting his back pack slide off his shoulder.
He slammed the door shut.
His breath was cut throat and his steps were heavy, the house looked empty. But lights were on. Before he could even call out for a daughter who couldn't speak, the small girl came crawling around the kitchen corner. Steve could feel himself deflate as he scooped the girl up. Her small cheeks were blotchy of red, and her eyes were wet. She'd been crying. "Hi there, sweet thing. You doin' okay?"
And Steve nearly yelled as a brunette girl appeared from behind the kitchen counter, where Violet had just been. "S-Sorry! I.. I didn't mean to scare you." Steve now noticed the stuff animals in her hands. "She wanted to play on the kitchen floor," she shook her hands a little. "So.. we did." The girl smiled, nervously.
Steve nodded slowly, eyes looking between Violet and this girl.
"Oh, god! I'm sorry, I'm Nancy, by the way. Nancy Wheeler, I live at the end of Maple Street. Your mom had called my mom, said she needed a favor. I was happy to help, she's really sweet."
Steve couldn't help and scoff, "my mom?"
Nancy cracked another nervous smile, gently placing down Violet's toys neatly. "No, no.. Violet. She's a really sweet kid." So not what I expected hence she's Lowen Odette's kid. Steve smiled gently, "Oh. Thanks."
The boy turned to the small girl, her hands messing with the end of his sweat ridden hair. "What do we say to Miss Nancy, Violet? Say thank you?" Violet definitely didn't say that, but it was babbles of something. Nancy laughed gently.
Steve looked back at the girl with a smile, and he could really see her now. She was in a light pink top, and skirtâlittle white tennis shoes on. She had a ballerina necklace. She was nothing like Lowen, he could tell that much.
"Sorry, I, um, probably stink and look like shit.. I just got out of basketball practice.."
Nancy smiled gently, "yeah, I know. I saw practice starting as I was leaving cheer tryouts." Steve's heart paused, "you got to Hawkins?" Nancy nodded, "uh, yeah. I'm a junior."
Oh.
Steve nodded slowly, "right, anyway. It's getting late, I should probably let you go. How much did my mom say she was going to give youâ My wallets in my bag, hold on.â" Though before he could move too far, a soft hand came around his wrist. His eyes snapped to Nancy, she was shaking her head. "Don't worry about it, please. It was a favor. Violet's great, Steve."
"Are you sure? It's no big deal.."
Her hand left his skin, and he realized how much it burned now that her touch was gone. What the fuckâ"It's okay, really. Goodnight, Steve. Goodnight, Violet." Nancy waved her fingers at the little girl, Violet giggled.
Steve watched the girl bike away, her bike was pink with sliver streamers. He hadn't seen it when he came in. "Violet," he bounced the girl gently on his hip and her head rested on his shoulder. "Miss Nancy seems cool, don't you think?"
He just got baby babbles.
For some reason, it hadn't occurred to Steve that he couldn't be two places at once.
His mother was gone and it was Thursday, only fucking Thursday.
He had school two more days and a baby and no babysitter.
Steve's eyes lingered on Violet as she ate (more made a mess with) sliced bananas in a high chair. He was across the kitchen counter from her and he had no idea what to do. He had gotten ready for school like he normally did, ready to pass off Violet to Candy.. and it hit him. She wasn't even here.
Steve was going to be late, that's if he even figured out the solution to this problem.
The boy sighed, forehead coming against folded arms. "Fuck, we are so fucked, Violet." His voice was muffled and it was times like these where he felt punished. By Lowen. Because he really couldn't do this.
It was a struggle of wracking his brain, trying to remember all the older ladies Lowen had been friends with at the trailer parkâoddly enough.
He jumped up and Violet flinched at the sudden movement. "Shit! Yes!" He ran to the phone on the wall, ringing up the aged woman's numberâand he waited.
"Hiya, Mandy Daisy residence!"
Steve let out a shaking breath. "Mandy, hi, it's Steve.. Steve Harrington?"
"Oh my god, Stevie! You're Lowen's boy. How are you, love?"
He couldn't help and smile, small smile, "I'm, uh, I'm okay.. But I have a question to ask, if you don't mind?"
She hummed into the phone, and Steve looked back at Violet, who was trying to turn to see where he went.. he could hear her sniffles and he muttered a curse. He pulled at the phone cord and stood at the side of Violet's high chair, his fingers poking at her chubby arm. He was here. "Steve?"
"Right, sorry! Uh.. so, a while ago Lowen left, um, this baby on my doorstep as she went back to college.." She had dropped out, but he couldn't say that out loud. He had to make a purpose out of this. He had to. "So, she's, uh, mine now.. and usually when I'm at school my mom watches her but she's not here and I've should've left twenty minutes ago andâ"
"You know where I'm at, love. You shouldn't have called. I'll see you soon."
Steve let out a sigh of relief as the line went dead. "You see that, V? There are still good people in the world." His pinky dragged at her nose and she giggled. "Now, let's get these bananas off you, yeah?"
There was twenty minutes of his first block left as he left the main office with a late slip.
Maybe he should've stayed home, but he had swim today. Day of cotton.
The door creaked to his English 4 class as he walked in, all eyes burning into his figure and for some reason the only face he had picked up on was Nancy Wheeler four seats behind his empty desk. "Harrington, what a joy. Glad you could join us. Better late than never."
Oh, by the way, Steve hated his english teacher. He's had her for three years in a row now.
The boys eyes snapped away from Nancy, leaving the girl with redden cheeks. He moved towards the teachers desk, passing her the note as he took a seat with a sigh. His hair was still perfect, Cassidy Reed noticed that.
"So, Harrington, what do we owe the pleasure too? You find happiness in the locker rooms again?"
Steve couldn't even remember the last time he hooked up with a girl and people talked about it like he was the president.
He was clearly focused on other things.
His jaw clicked and his shoulders went tense. Students stared at the teacher with wide eyes. Steve pushed out a hot heavy breath of air. "Well, Ms. Austin, if you gotta know so badly. I have a kid, and have matured from the locker rooms, so yeah, that's why I'm late. Thank you."
The woman's face seemed to lose its color.
And when the class had finally given up, Steve was the first one out of there. He was at his locker in a blink, nearly shoving his face into the metal box. His chest was tighter than his lungs of cotton. "Hi, Steve." The boy flinched, nearly slamming the top of his head on the metal. He pulled away with a shaking breath, and his eyes landed on a god.
"Nancy, hey. How are you?" He needed to chill out.
The girl tried not to let the wandering eyes in the hallway freak her out. She didn't get how Steve could be stared at all the time, she hated it. "I'm okay, I just wanted to let you know.. that, like, if you do ever need a designated babysitter, I don't mind.." The girl let out a gentle smile, books pressed to her chest. "And you don't have to pay me, I don't need it. It's okay."
The boy let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. "Honestly, you're a godsend." The girl cracked a smile laugh. "Thank you so much, Nancy." She nodded with a sweet smile and gently squeezed his hand before she hurried over to her best friend, Barbara Holland.
Steve's hand burned where her skin had been.
Maybe it's true what they say, babies do bring ladies.
Steve laughed gently, closing his locker. "Fucking, Violet.."