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“Hello?” Steve grabbed the phone and tried to squint to see the clock.
“Harrington?”
“No way. This is a nightmare.” He slammed the phone back down and rolled over in bed, the phone immediately rang again. “What?” He asked in an anger tone.
“Harrington, it’s my sister she’s being fucking weird.” Hargrove shot at him back, Steve sat up now. He could hear the screaming in the background, like the crying and screaming he can only relate to toddlers not getting their way. Or the terrors that stay with you after the upside down.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She woke up screaming, she won’t calm the fuck down, my dad isn’t fucking here to get her to shut up. She threw up because the bitch can’t calm down.”
“She threw up? Hargrove, ugh, I’m getting up. Tell Max I’m getting up. I’ll be on channel four on the walkie, I’ll be over.”
“Wasn’t an invite Harrington.”
“So why call?”
“Get her to shut up.”
“Yeah, working on that. She has Xanax from the doctor, it’s she keeps it in her backpack I think? Or maybe not? I don’t know. I’ll be over, I don’t need an invite from you.” He heard the asshole’s tongue click.
“Someone’s gotta open the door.”
“Hand the phone to Max, you already have me up because you can’t calm your own sister down.” “She’s not my sister.”
“Give her the phone.”
“Shit bird, asshole wants to talk to you. Oh look at that, she isn’t moving.”
“Channel four Billy, I’m on channel four. I’ll see you in less than five.” He slammed the phone down turning on the walkie as he rushes out the door, bat in hand to throw into the passenger seat of the car and drive to the Hargrove/Mayfield residence. He takes a deep breath before hitting the walkie button, “Hey Max, it’s Steve.” No answers, “I don’t know if you can hear me because your brother can be a fucking asshole, but I’m coming okay? It’s okay, it’s going to be fine, we know you get these sleep issues, it’s fine. I get them. Dustin gets them. Everyone gets them. It’ll be okay, can you hear me Max?” He asks the walkie again as he drives a bit faster than he typically would. “I hope you can kiddo. It’s two twenty four in the morning, I don’t know if Billy told you the time. It’s Saturday, so that’s fun right? We can figure out what you’re doing today? I just realized your brother is probably hungover from partying. It’ll be okay, you aren’t in trouble. I’ll talk with him, we can figure everything out for today. What sounds fun today? You’ll be allowed to do anything, remember? You won’t be in trouble.” Steve reassures the air as he can remember her anxiety about getting into trouble with her brother as he pulls in the drive way, slamming his fist against the door a couple times. Lights are littered in the windows as Billy opens the door.
“Deal with her.” Annoyance in his voice, anger in his voice, Steve can’t believe Billy gets a little sister like Max besides being well him.
“Yeah, no shit. Where is her room?” Steve asked, realizing he had no idea how their house was really laid out, he never asked, Max always just ran out the door to his car.
“First one on the right.” He starts down the hall as soon as Billy says it. Steve is knocking immediately.
“Max, it’s me, it’s Steve.” He says quietly against the agony coming from the other door.
“She’s being fucking weird.” Billy comments again, Steve opens the door for his heart to break.
“Oh Max.” He says quietly, walking into her room right to her bed to hold the girl against him. She’s thrashing yet some, snot the entire way down her face, it’s evident she’s thrown up and Billy apparently didn’t give two fucks about that. She’s definitely thrown things at Billy, which he gets. He’s apart of that response and how he responded could have made it a thousand times worse.
“You think you’re a miracle worker Harrington?” Steve glared at him as he pulled Max on to his lap, ignoring the fact he was going to smell like puke for the entire day or until he showered.
“Where are the drugs? That sounded bad.” Max is shaking her head no against him, pushing against him, her voice getting hoarse. “Come on kid, it’s okay. I’m here now, it’s okay.” He whispers to her.
“Bag.”
“Your bag? Perfect, thank you. Thank you for stopping the screaming as well.” He said quickly before looking at Billy, “can you hand me her bag? You’re standing there ignoring everything, but you have to just stand there.” Billy in a bewildered movement he found the bag, chucking it directly at Steve.
“I don’t want to open it. How’d you get her to shut the hell up?” Billy hated Max, sure, but the fact this asshole could waltz in and make her calm down enough to stop being a screeching bat or something while Billy struggled and just yelled at her and she didn’t shut the hell up, he was angry at her.
“Okay, here we go. I know, I know you don’t feel well, can you swallow this pill?” He has her under his chin debating if he can kill Billy in his own home and not get persecuted.
“Yes.” It’s barely audible, but it’s enough for Steve to grab the water off the night stand and hand it to her. She’s still crying, her breath hitching, even her single word answers cracking. She’s not screeching like a bat anymore nor ready to swing. Thank god for doctor owens therapy, he hadn’t taken up on the option but they made the kids do it. He was happy he took her to almost every single appointment, because hell, this was hell. Seeing her freak out like this was hell, she constantly said she could feel the demogorgons coming for her, she could hear them, see them, feel their weird breath.
“I’ve got you, I’ve got you.” He kept rocking her back and forth, not sure what Billy had to be thinking as he stood there in the doorway, eyes not breaking from Steve’s head. “Hey, what’s going on? Can you talk to me?” Steve asked in a hushed tone he reserved for these night terrors that plagued the kids, he will admit this was a first though. Being called to drive over in the middle of the night? Yeah, a first.
“Scared me.” She whispers.
“Yeah? The dream?” Steve asks softly.
“And him.” Steve looked up to Billy again.
“What did you do?” Billy didn’t look at him for the first time since he entered the house, “hey asshole, I’m talking to you.” Steve raised his voice a little.
“Nothing.” Billy said, not looking at Steve.
“Clearly you did something.”
“I didn’t know she’d have a freak out.”
“What did you do?”
“I got home and threw things at her window to scare the shit out of her, wanted to put her in her place.”
“Put her in her place? I’m sorry what is this a pack of fucking turkeys? I’m sorry we don’t do pecking orders in real life Hargrove.” Steve can hear his voice raise some. Billy can feel the anger coming back.
“Don’t.” Max says to him, Steve takes a deep breath looking down at Max before returning his attention to Billy.
“I’ll deal with you later.”
“Oh really? How’d that work out for you last time? Tommy said you can’t win a fight.” Steve looks at Max’s hair with more intensity as he debates once again killing Hargrove.
“Later.” Is all he says to Billy before returning to Max. “Hey, hey do you want to get changed? Brush your teeth?” He offers her, she’s shaking her head no. “No? Come on kiddo, let’s get changed and brush your teeth, I’ll start the laundry and remake your bed even.” He offers to her. She has her arms around his neck as she takes deep breaths finally.
“Don’t leave me with him.” His arms hold her back as she says it, he’s looking at Billy again and Billy is looking anywhere but them.
“Don’t worry. I won’t, we can leave.”
“No, you will, you will because they all do.”
“What the fuck did you do to her?” Steve asked then, not sure if there is a good way to react to this information.
“Nothing.”
“Yeah, real convincing.” Steve shoots back immediately.
“It’s not my fault she freaked out.”
“You know your sister has sleep problems so you throw things to scare her? I’m sorry are you five? You know she has fucking night terrors Hargrove, you know that, you have too.”
“Hey dip shit, she’s not my sister. I don’t have to do shit.” Billy at least has the decency to look a bit ashamed.
“Okay, let’s get changed Max, come on, let’s get pajamas.” Steve says standing, the girl hasn’t let go of his neck, “I cannot change the bed sheets without you releasing my neck before you choke me.” He tries to make it light as the girl continues to hang.
“No, no, no, you’ll leave.”
“I won’t leave.”
“He’ll make you leave.”
“No, he’s going to show me where the washing machine is, isn’t that right Billy?” He looks at him with all the fury he has in this moment.
“Yeah shit bird, he can deal with your puke.”
“Don’t touch him.” She threatens Billy as she releases Steve’s neck. Her voice breaks, she looks so young to Steve, Billy finally relents a little.
“I won’t.” Billy says flatly as Steve pushes her towards the door after she grabbed clothes to change into.
“Okay, washing machine?” Steve asked as he stripped her bed.
“Down the hall.” Billy began to show him the way.
“You have a lot of nerve calling me after you caused that.” Steve says as he puts the bedding in the machine, he can’t even imagine doing something to a sibling or any of the kids actually they’re fucking kids.
“I didn’t think my thirteen year old step sister would cry until she threw up because I scared her, sue me.”
“Where the fuck are your parents?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“Nope, not good enough. You are terrorizing her, are you forgetting the baseball bat you almost got to the balls?” He’s pouring detergent in, he can tell he’s angry as he does it.
“I don’t need you to lecture me in my own house Harrington.”
“I’m taking her with me back to my place.” Steve says it with confidence, like he knows what he’s doing, when in reality he’s winging it.
“No you aren’t.”
“Yeah, I am. Call when your parents get back. She’s a kid Billy, a fucking kid. Did you even check on her after you woke her up when she was screaming like that? Clearly you didn’t give a shit when you did it.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are Harrington? Who do you think you are?”
“Me? I’m pretty sure I’m the only one here right now who gives a fuck about Max.”
“Yeah? Why do you give a fuck about her?” Steve pushes past Billy again.
“You wouldn’t understand it.” It comes out flatly, Steve runs his hands in his hair as he walks back to Max.
“What? High school girls not cutting it?” Steve hears it, doesn’t think, and reacts, by punching Billy full force. Billy blinks as Steve turns back around and walks faster.
“I’m not an asshole that’s why I care.” Steve finally tells him.
“You punched me. In my own home.”
“And it was a shit spot. Tommy is right, I don’t fight. I’m taking her back to my place, you won’t have to worry about her.”
“I can’t let you take her to your house.” They are standing in front of Max’s door again.
“Give me one good reason.”
“My dad.”
“You said he’s not here.”
“If they come home she needs to be here.” Steve finally looks back to Billy, the guy looks scared or nervous even.
“Tell them she went to Jane’s.”
“I’m not letting you take her.”
“Let me get her back to bed. We can talk then.” Steve pushes the door open. Max still looks broken. He changes his tone before turning back to Billy, “you forgot to tell me where the extra sheets are, can you grab us some and a couple blankets?” Steve asks softly making his way to Max. Billy silently complies.
“Leave.” Is all she says as he holds her.
“Let’s lay down okay? Well we can’t yet, but we can then. Hey kiddo your face isn’t cleaned up.”
“I don’t care.”
“Okay, well that shits going to dry and not feel great. I know.” Steve is pushing her back into the bathroom and he realizes she must share it with Billy, “hop up.” He instructs softly, she does.
“Here.” Billy says from the room, he peers in as Steve wets a washcloth so he can wipe Max’s face.
“Thank you.” Steve says to him, not bothering to look back, he can feel Billy stare at him, he doesn’t need to acknowledge it. “You’re going to get dark circles like mine, kid.” Steve’s voice fills the open, heavy air. “Think you’ve got it from here?” He asks her once her face is clean, he’s handing her a box of tissues.
“Yeah.” She says quietly, not looking at Billy either.
“I’ll be fast. I promise.” Steve says to her, pushing her hand behind her ear a little bit. She nods at him as he turns around to make her bed.
“It’s only the fitted sheet.” Billy says to him.
“Makes no difference.”
“She needs to have her bed made before they come home.”
“I’m sorry, is this not making the bed?” Steve asks as he gets the corners to be in the right place.
“It needs to have a top sheet.” Billy says it like an automated response.
“Okay, I’ll remake the bed. If you need a top sheet why the hell don’t you have complete sets?” Steve asks just as he finishes the sheets to replace the pillows.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I’ll fix it in the morning.” Steve says, realizing it’s three in the morning now, he wasn’t getting any more sleep tonight. Max is standing there now, arms hugging her middle just as Steve finishes the blankets.
“I thought you said we could leave.”
“I’m not leaving.” Steve decides to say to her.
“No, you said we could leave.” Her voice breaks.
“Billy and I decided it was better if I stay instead.”
“No.”
“Shit bird, I said you stay.”
“I hate you.” Max mutters.
“Do you want to lay back down?” Steve tries, he hopes, maybe the girl will sleep some more. Max glares at Steve. Maybe they won’t sleep more.
“No, I want to go home.” Steve felt frozen as she said it. Billy felt as if he could argue over and over with her because this was such a common fight.
“Let’s lay down again for some sleep.” Steve says quietly, finally sitting on the bed hoping to get her to come.
“You said we could go home.” She accuses Steve.
“No he didn’t.” Billy says firmly.
“Yes. He did. I heard him say it to you.”
“Home is in California?” Billy questions a little bit.
“No, his house.” Steve feels himself break a little, he watches Billy break a little as he realizes his younger housemate (if he won’t saying god damn little sister) viewed Steve’s house as a home.
“We can go later, we’re going to lay back down now.” Steve hated giving her orders, Max looked at him just as angry as she did Billy most days.
“Why can’t we go home?”
“Max…” Steve says it softly, looking at her from her bed. She wanted to stand her ground, but gave in after thirty seconds, deciding that making Steve stay will at least make Billy leave her alone.
“I hate it here.” Her voice breaks as they sit there, he’s questioning a lot, Billy looks at the ground.
“Well, we’re here for the night. We can figure it out when we’re ready for the day.” Steve says into her hair, Billy and Steve are making awkward eye contact, Steve’s eyes practically screaming at him to go away.
“Okay.” She whispers and finally caves into him pulling her into bed.
“Goodnight Billy.” Steve says then, in a stern voice, Billy looks like a fish for a few moments.
“Remember to fix the bed.” Is what Billy decides to say as he leaves.
“Asshole.” Max says.
“I punched him.”
“You punched him!” She’s looking up at him some.
“Yeah.”
“Why?” He’s looking at her eye lashes as she messes with the blankets, he knows she hates the nightmares and he can’t imagine how she felt waking up to the noise like that.
“He said something dumb. But he didn’t touch me.” Steve promises, he doesn’t need her running out to pound on Billy’s door, her voice is already rough, Steve is well aware the girl will just scream at him in anger.
“He can listen.” She says it in disbelief.
“Apparently.” Is all Steve has to say as the dim light of the room engulfs them, maybe he will get more sleep tonight.
“Can we go home today?” She asks hopefully. Her eyes are getting slower, rubbing her back always knocks her out just like Dustin.
“Later we can, yeah.” Steve says to her.
“I don’t want to sleep.” She admits.
“We have to sleep or else you will have my black circles.” Steve laughs ever so lightly.
“You won’t leave?”
“I promise, just like I’ve always promised.”
“Friends don’t lie.” El’s little saying comes out of her mouth.
“And I’m not.” Steve assures her enough for her to close her eyes. He lays there rubbing her back about five more minutes before he’s sure she is fast asleep. “Love you Red.” He says then, turning the bedside light off and closing his eyes too.