It Doesn't Feel Fake (Part 3)
Summary: After being harassed by Billy Hargrove you decide you need a boyfriend fast, even if that happens to be a fake one
Telling the school you’re dating Steve the hair Harrington.
Warnings : Mentions of Y/N, rude comments, small amount of verbal fighting, hurt/comfort. Panic attack. Swearing.
The hum of the car engine couldn’t overpower the volume of your thoughts, the leather seats that once felt comfortable new felt like jagged rocks as Steve pulled into the parking lot of Hawkins High. Your eyes stayed fixed on the doors of the school, watching as if waiting for something to jump out and get you.
Thoughts of Billy swarmed your mind, taking over until all you could hear was his voice taunting you. Your heart sped up, pounding against your ribs until it felt like you couldn’t breathe. Each breath was shallow.
You didn’t notice when Steve turned the car off, or when he turned to face you. You only realised what was happened when you felt a hand on your shoulder.
“Hey” He said softly, eyebrows pulled together slightly in concern as he looked at you, head tilted sideways he stared into your eyes searching for an answer to what you were feeling.
Your head stayed still, staring straight at those doors. You couldn’t move, this has happened before. But somehow knowing you were about to introduce Steve as your boyfriend to him made it worse. Him, who had ridiculed you for months, him who haunted your dreams.
Steve followed your eyes and paused as he focussed on the school doors. He reached his hand and placed it on yours, his thumb moving in circled in your palm. The motion made your eyes flick down to your hands, pulling you away from the doors.
“You are going to be okay, can you look at me?” Steve spoke so gently, as if he thought one wrong word would break you.
You slowly pulled your eyes up to meet his. Steve’s heart hurt looking into your eyes and seeing the pure fear that encased them. Steve pulled your hand up to his chest, pressing it gently above his heart.
You pulled your attention to your palm that was now pressed against his chest, feeling his heart beat and the rise and fall of his chest. To the best of your ability you tried to follow, breathing In and out with him slowly. Steve never broke eye contact, searching yours for answers that you knew he would find if he tried hard enough.
Moments passed, minutes that felt like years until your heart began to slow and your ribs released, placing themselves back were they were meant to. Your lungs felt normal again and you could breathe properly.
“Im sorry” You muttered quietly.
“Hey no. Don’t be sorry okay”
Steve looked hurt by your apology, like you had insulted him. Grabbing your chin gently he lifted your face up to look at him. His fingers were warm to your face and your chin felt odd to his touch.
“We’re going to be late.”
“Yeah” Steve chuckled before unlocking the door and walking over to your side.
The sound of the door clicking made you turn your head to see Steve standing over you, smiling gently as he held the door open, waiting for you to step out.
When you did, that familiar feeling of worry encased you again. Like a blanket being thrown on you in 30 degree heat but before you could begin to panic you felt Steve encase his hand with yours. You looked up at him only to find him staring right back down at you.
People lined the halls, talking to each other about whatever drama was the most interesting that week. Your eyes scanned the halls going from one side to the other, observing everyone and their mannerisms as you walked. You felt Steve pull you back slightly making you turn only to see him paused infant of his locker.
“Im gonna get my stuff and I’ll meet you at your locker before class okay?”
You smile but internally you’re screaming. You hated these halls and especially the portion of them that was around your locker, that was where Billy liked to hang around the most. Walking towards your locker you felt your heart pounding, trying to calm yourself you begin playing with therein on your thumb.
The cold silver shocks your skin and brings you back to reality slightly. Arriving at your locker you pause when you see Billy standing there, leaning with his shoulder pressed to the blue steel door. Your heart stops, freezing in motion like someone has just pressed pause on the game you were playing. Except this time, the game Is reality.
“Not so fast I need to talk to you”
“No. Don’t talk to me like that you listen here”
Your heart was pounding, eyes cast down on the floor. The dirty school floors became your favourite nature scene in this moment, you could feel Billy infant of you, watching, judging and still not leaving. Everything around you seemed to get louder, each voice and each sound sounded like screaming in your ears.
“I asked you to fuck me and guess what you didn’t”
“No shut up you will do what I say you will”
“No she won’t” Steve’s voice cut through the sounds of everything else, pulling you back to reality.
His hand around your waist pulls you back to reality, you heart begins to slow and the crushing feeling of the world eases just a little bit. The relief that floods your system is something you have never felt before, the whole fake boyfriend thing was proving to be very effective.
Billy laughs at this, full on laughs. His head hits the locker as he throws his head back laughing, obnoxious and ridiculous like he can’t fathom the idea of me having a boyfriend let along that boyfriend being Steve.
Steve pulls you with him as he walks towards a smaller less crowded corner of the hallway. Your back hits the wall, the cool feeling consumes your back. Steve stands infant of you looking down, this position could be considered romantic if you hadn’t just been harassed.
You hum in response, shrugging your shoulders lightly still looking down at the floor. Steve brushes hair behind your ear making you look up to face him. His brown eyes are intoxicating, comforting and reckless all in one.
“That’s not what I asked but its no problem”
You shrug again, except this time you’re looking him dead in the eye.
Steve is struggling hard to not pin you up against the wall and kiss you already but he knows that his feelings would not be reciprocated. Your eyes flutter gently as you blink, looking up at him with a gentleness that makes him hate the fact he agreed to do this.
Hate the fact that he agreed to be your fake boyfriend when all he wants is to confess how he loves you, how he’s loved you since the day he saw you laughing with Robin a year ago. But instead he agreed to be your fake boyfriend, agreeing that you and him were nothing but fake.
The nickname slips from his lips before he can catch himself, bringing himself back to the moment. You look down for a moment before looking back up to him.
“I hate him, and in the moment no but thank you still”
Steve looks at you with such softness he looks like he might break right there and then. You thanking him for basic human decency hurt, knowing you didn’t think you would be saved when to him, you deserved the world. More than he could probably ever give you.
“Don’t thank me, that’s what fake boyfriends are for”
The words ‘fake boyfriend’ stung his tongue as they left his mouth, washing his body in dirty water he hated being doused in. But, that’s all you were, fake dating. Not real, not even close.
Steve’s presence surrounded you throughout the day, enveloping you in comfort and safety as he always managed to be around you. Grabbing your hand when the hallways get crowded or waiting for you outside your class to walk you to the next one.
It was now lunch time and Steve had joined you and your friends, well he joined you and Robin as your other friends are studying for a test in the library. Steve slid into the seat next to you, resting his arm on the back of your seat.
Robin eyed the two of you carefully, watching each movement like it was equivalent to seeing a mouse backflip. You fiddled with your rings at the awkward silence, you all worked together yet your new relationship status with Steve seemed to have made it weird.
“2 weeks” Steve replied smiling.
Robin squints at the two of you before leaning back in her chair and shrugging, picking up a chip and taking a bite.
You smile and nod, looking over to Steve whose eyes are already on you. He looked at you in a way that seemed too genuine to be fake, it’s just pretend you tell yourself. He must be a really good actor is what you have been convincing yourself all day.
“Okay” She shrugs before beginning to talk about some annoying kid who came into the store yesterday.
The rest of the day was normal, people moved on with their lives not really caring too much about you and Steve’s new relationship. A few weird looks here and there but nothing odd or different to what you were used to.
With all the time you were now spending together you had come to learn new things about the boy. How he hated mustard or always tapped his foot to a beat when he was bored. the dull rhythm of his shoe tapping the floor caught your attention more than once in class.
With the school day coming to an end you stood at the front of the school, shoulder pressed into one of the pillars as you waited for Steve to finish his last class so he could drive you home. the wind hit your face, blowing your hair back as you squinted into the open.
Steve showed up 5 minutes later, holding a gym bag and standing infront of you in a basketball jersey. Steve looked sorry , his lips pulled together as he opened his mouth to say something then closed it again.
“I take it we’re not going home yet?”
“i’m sorry, I forgot to tell you I have practice”
You sigh and push yourself off the pillar, standing straight before opening your phone to text Robin. Steve just stood there for a moment watching how the sun made your eyes look green before snatching your phone from your hand.
The loss of the device makes you look up at him in confusion.
“hello?? how am I meant to go home?”
“i’ll drive you! just- come with me to practice”
You groan and slump back into the pillar, letting your head hit it gently as you glare at Steve for suggesting it.
You raise your eyebrows at him, sticking out your hand to try and grab your phone back when Steve raises his arm higher, pulling the phone out of reach.
Steve grabs your hand and pulls you with him in the direction of the gym. You walk slowly, making it clear you don’t want to be doing this but Steve continues on.
The smell of the gym is the first thing that hits you, then it’s the sounds. Shoes sneaking on the freshly waxed floor while the ball slams against it and back up into the players hand. Steve pulls you over to the countryside seats.
“Just for a little bit then we can go home yea?”
You huff and sit down, crossing your arms over themselves as you slump back into the chair. Steve turns around and walks over to the court, catching a ball as it’s thrown at him.
You dig around for your phone when you realise Steve hut have shoved it in his bag, which was on the other side of the court with the rest of the Hawkins High basketball players. Groaning you pull your eyes back towards Steve as he shoots.
The ball rolls on the rim for a few seconds before sliding in, Steve smiles brightly and brushed his hair out of his face. The sight of him so happy playing the sport makes you feel weird inside, a feeling that you figure you shouldn’t be having for your temporary fake boyfriend.
As practice ends you watch Steve jog over to his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before walking back to you. He’s sweaty yet somehow his hair still looks good, even up close as he sticks out his hand to you.
You place your in his as he roughly pulls you up, you yelp as you are yanked out of your seat and you hit his chest.
“Ew Harrington you’re sweaty” I groan and push him away.
“Cmon babe don’t be salty”
“Then you are stuck with babe”
You scrunch your face up in disgust as Steve wraps an arm around your shoulder and pulls you into his side as you walk out of the gym. You try your best to pull away but he keeps you firm to him. After a while you just accept it and walk with him.
“Sorry” Steve offers you a sheepish smile as he opens the car door letting you slide in.
You watch as he walks around and chucks both your bags in the back seat before climbing into his own and starting the car. His hand grips the steering wheel, veins showing slightly as he pulls out of the parking lot.
You stay quiet, not saying anything just watching him with intensity. The way his hand rests on the head rest of your seat as he checks behind you to make sure he doesn’t hit anything, the way his muscles flex as he turns the steering wheel.
You stay focussed on him for a while, eyes raking over his body in silence. Steve notices this, and god if it doesn’t drive him absolutely crazy to have you staring at him like that.
“Hm?” You blink rapidly, pulling yourself out of the trance as you look up at him.
“Oh yeah no just staring”
Steve pulls his eyebrows together before smiling.
“No babe just admit you think I’m hot”
“No.” You can’t help but feel your cheeks heat up at his words, you turn your head sharply to look out the window in order to hide your face.
“Just take me home” You groan making Steve laugh.