Chapter Text
“Plant your feet, Harrington!”
Steve barely had time to clench a single muscle before Billy’s mass slammed him into the locker bank behind him. He grunted upon impact, and the sharp pain in his shoulder blades quickly ebbs down to a throbbing ache. Steve glared up at Billy, who in turn, gave him a shit-eating grin, before striding away with Tommy and Carol.
Ever since Max threatened Billy during the night of the tunnels, he’s been leaving her alone; unbeknownst to her, it was at the expense of Steve, who would put up with Billy no matter how bad the bullying got if it meant keeping her safe.
Sighing, Steve pulled himself together, shaking his frame a little, and doing a couple of small stretches in hopes of easing the pain in his back. This incident in of itself wasn’t all that bad, in fact, Steve had gotten off easy today. It felt worse than it was due to all the other injuries that marred the skin hidden beneath his clothes.
Steve quickly went to his locker to pick up a couple of notebooks he’d need if he felt like attempting to do his homework that night. He then headed out to the parking lot in time to see Max get into Billy’s Camaro, and to see the rest of the kids (except El, as she was still hiding out in Hopper’s cabin) walking towards his own BMW.
“Hey Steve!” Dustin called, face widening into a familiar, toothy grin.
“Shitheads.” He affectionately acknowledged the group.
“Is your trunk lock fixed yet?” Mike asked, a hint of exasperation in his voice. It was a question he posed to Steve everyday after school.
“No.”
“Dude! When are you going to get it fixed?” Lucas whined.
“I’ll get it fixed, when I get it fixed. Now get in the car or walk home.”
In truth, Steve’s car trunk wasn’t broken, and never had been. He simply couldn’t have the kids seeing all his belongings stuffed in there, surely they’d put two and two together, and Steve wasn’t ready to deal with that shitstorm. Since he’d told them it was broken, the kids didn’t bother with their bikes anymore, accepting that it was get a ride, or bike to school. But they couldn’t change their minds at the end of the day. Typically, they opted for the ride.
They piled into the car, Will riding shotgun since it was his turn. Steve was more quiet than usual during the ride, letting the sounds of arguing and tales from middle school wash over him. He dropped off Lucas first, then Mike, Dustin, and lastly, Will. The last boy sent Steve a small, concerned smile as he got out of the car, thanking the older boy for taking them home. Steve was too exhausted to begin to worry over the look Will had cast him, instead he forced a smile of his own, softly assuring Will that it was no problem giving them rides home.
Steve drove to the field where the hole to the Upside Down tunnels used to be, cutting the engine and running a shaky hand through his hair. His parents had finally kicked him out of the house, something Steve had anticipated, but it still had shocked him when it actually happened. His heart still stung at the betrayal, parents are supposed to love, care for, and shelter their kids. What had he done to deserve this? Was he that much of a disappointment that he’d brought this on himself? They’d never truly loved him, at least, that’s what Steve thought. He wasn’t the perfect little boy they’d wanted him to be. So they tossed him to the curb, effectively dooming him to homelessness. He had no friends to stay with, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to drag the kids or their siblings into his problems.
He’d been living out of his car for the past month, and he was quickly running out of money. Steve’s attempts at getting a job had been null, and he’d been rationing food since he was kicked out, usually going two or three days without eating. When he did eat, he made sure it was in the presence of others, so nobody would think he was starving himself. Most of his money went towards gas for the car. He knew it would be bad if he couldn’t drive anywhere. Especially if he couldn’t switch up where he parked at nights, which would just raise suspicions. Usually he’d cycle between parking at the field, on the edge of Murkwood, or just outside of town. He made sure to never stay more than twice in a row.
Steve knew he looked… bad. Even though it’d only been a month, he’d already lost quite a bit of weight. At first, it was just water weight, but now he looked almost sickly. His ribs and collarbone were much more prominent. His hair was flat, and all of his clothing was wrinkled. He struggled to concentrate, and basketball was damn near impossible. Billy breathing down his neck, tripping and pushing him at every opportunity. Plus, the physical activity itself made his head swim, and left him fatigued. He wasn’t sure how long he could go on like this.