SH

Steve Harrington loved parties. He loved being surrounded by people, being the center of attention, and acting like nothing in Hawkins could possibly bother him. It was the kind of confidence that had always come naturally to him. Y/N had gotten used to it. What she hadn’t gotten used to was watching him make choices she didn’t agree with. That night, Steve had convinced her to come to a party with him after her shift at the library. She already knew she wasn’t going to enjoy herself, but she’d agreed because he had spent the entire afternoon insisting that she needed to “actually have a life.” At first, everything was fine. Steve was with his friends, showing off like usual, while Y/N stayed toward the quieter side of the house. But as the night went on, Steve started drinking and smoking with the other people at the party. Y/N didn’t like it. She had told him before. Not because she wanted to control him, but because she hated watching someone she cared about act like he had nothing to lose. When Steve noticed her looking at him, he simply shrugged. “What?” “Nothing.” He gave her a confused look before turning back toward his friends. That was what finally got to her. She wasn’t going to argue with him in the middle of a crowded party. So Y/N grabbed her things and left. Steve didn’t realize she was gone until several minutes later. When he finally found out, he immediately went looking for her. But Y/N didn’t want to hear it. She told him exactly why she was upset. She didn’t like watching him act reckless, she didn’t like feeling like he cared more about impressing people than listening to her, and she wasn’t going to pretend everything was fine just because he was her boyfriend. For once, Steve didn’t have some smart response. He knew he’d messed up. Over the next few weeks, Steve tried to get her back—not with some huge romantic gesture, but by actually changing how he acted. He showed up at the library without expecting her to drop eve