The night went on for several people. Mike had crashed a few moments after Nancy left. Eleven went with her boyfriend, giving Max a room to herself. The redhead was more than excited since she tended to snore. Billy occupied the bathroom with whatever girl he brought. Guests could hear several noises but the majority just blocked them out of their memory. The rest of the group stayed up sharing conversations and messing around. Eddie managed to keep the group engaged, but the clock drew closer to four a.m.

"Oh, come on! It's not even three yet. We gotta stay up and paaarty." Eddie smirked, chugging down a beer in less than thirty seconds.

Max rolled her eyes. "Eddie, we have a rehearsal so early tomorrow. Some of us like to sleep." She stood up, tossing her red locks behind her shoulder. "Plus, I have the room to myself and I'm taking advantage of it. And, it's almost four. Not three."

Robin nodded. "Agreed. Plus, I want to check up on Nancy. Poor girl has me worried sick."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Maxine, you're a smart ass. Nancy is having an episode and we all know it."

Robin returned the favor of rolling her eyes. "It doesn't mean we should ignore it, Munson. What if that was you?"

"You already know what I would do." He gestured towards the beer can in between his fingertips. Eddie glanced at Steve then smiled. "Harrington!"

Steve looked up from the ground. His buzz had gone down an hour or two ago. His eyes were bloodshot, his body begging for rest. All he was thinking about was Nancy. Her entrance left him wondering why she acted this way, why she had to go so soon. She barely interacted with anyone at the party. Steve couldn't deny that he glared at her occasionally. And every time he looked, her eyes were gazing over the party in an uncomfortable manner. He shook his head before standing up. "I gotta get rest, man. Jim will kill me if I don't get up early to wake all of you up."

Eddie waved his hand. "Jimmy won't do shit."

Robin sighed. "Eddie, if he wants to go to bed then let him. We will continue the party tomorrow, you know that."

Steve looked over at Robin. Her hair framed her face; bangs outlining her temples. Her lips were in a crooked smile, showing off her pearly whites. Icy blue eyes met brown ones, making Steve blush a bit. He looked away before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

He turned on his heel and exited the room in one swift motion. He made his way down the hall with a sigh. Steve was tempted to stop by Nancy's room and pay her a visit. Check and see if she's doing okay. Deep down, he knew that wouldn't be a good idea. Nancy Wheeler despises him and he knew it. It was written all over her face whenever Steve entered the room. The two would lock eyes and Nancy's face would fill with disgust. Of all the members, he needed to be on Nancy's side. But she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

For some odd reason, Steve found himself right outside Nancy's door. Not right up against it but leaning on the wall next to it. He stared at the numbers written in the center. He licked his lips before closing his eyes. If he wanted to succeed at this, he needed to get into Nancy's life. Granted, the other members provided great information. But Steve knew that the lead singer, the one representing the band, was on the journalism radar. The lead represented the band and everyone adored Five Seconds to Hawkins. The rule behind 'no interviews' drove Steve insane. Why wouldn't she want to be interviewed?

"Steve?"

He opened his eyes to see icy blue. A crooked smile. Short hair matched with bangs. "Robin." He stood up from the wall. His body reacted slowly due to the traces of alcohol in his body. The blinking of his eyes made the world go blind for a minute.

Robin let out a chuckle. "Steve, what are you doing outside my room?"

Steve couldn't come up with an excuse. He wanted to check up on Nancy and form some kind of relationship with her. "I..."

Robin's smile faded a bit. "Is everything okay?"

Steve nodded. His breath got caught in his throat as he stared at the blonde. He didn't want to dig any holes, especially with Robin Buckley. Considering what Eddie told him, messing with Robin could be dangerous. "Uh, yeah. Totally. Just...nervous about Nancy that's all."

Robin knew this all too well. She could sense the nerves all over Steve. His hands were trembling slightly, face flushed. The girl knew he had been drinking but not to the point where he would be nervous like this. "Nancy is okay, I promise."

Steve sighed. "Robin, she does not like me at all. And I shouldn't be worried about a girl who wants absolutely nothing to do with me."

Robin couldn't tell if this was truth or fiction. She had seen Steve as a laidback kind of guy, with no cares in the world. Just happy to be here. She stitched her brows together before letting out a chuckle. "Steve...Nancy just isn't used to you. Trust me, we didn't get along well when I first joined the band. Now I consider her my best friend. It just takes time."

They didn't get along at first.

Steve cleared his throat. "You guys didn't get along at first?"

Robin shook her head. "Not at all. She wasn't comfortable with a newcomer. She knew everyone else because they were all friends when they first moved here. Billy found me at some random bar and brought me into band practice. And Nancy couldn't stand that she didn't find me. Billy did. She likes being in control. We would fight over the stupidest shit. We eventually started getting along because of Eddie."

"Eddie?"

"Yeah. He forced us to sit down and talk things out. It was awkward afterward but we moved on. And Nancy will eventually get used to having you around. You just have to be patient."

Bingo, Steve thought. He barely had to try. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Just don't be so desperate for her attention. Girls don't like that. Plus, she's kind of...not available."

Steve let out a hearty laugh. He covered his mouth, eyes watering from laughing so hard. "Y..You think I like her?" He stuttered in between laughs.

Robin stood dumbfounded. Watching Steve laugh made her want to punch him in the face. But instead, she just felt her lips creep into a smile. Her hands fell over her lips as she giggled. The giggles turned into convulsive fits of laughter. The two found themselves echoing throughout the hallway, not caring if others heard them.

"Do you not?" Robin laughed, her smile taking over her whole face.

Steve shook his head viciously. "No way! Plus, I know about her and Jonathan."

Their laughs simmered down into giggles.

"She's beautiful, though."

Steve nodded with a chuckle. "She is. Very beautiful. But again, she hates me."

Robin grinned before shaking her head. "She doesn't hate you. Just isn't used to you."

"Whatever you say, Buckley."

"Buckley? Are we friends now?"

Steve nodded. "Were we not before?"

Robin giggled. "I barely knew you. But yeah, I guess we can be friends."

Steve grinned. "Cool."

Robin nodded before sighing. "I hate to cut this conversation short but I need to get some rest. And check up on Nancy."

Steve nodded. "I understand. I'll be waking you up tomorrow. Bright and early."

Robin groaned. "Don't remind me, Harrington."

Steve grinned at the nickname. "I'll see you tomorrow." He turned around and began his walk back to his room.

Robin stood at the door and watched as her new friend walked away. The blonde never had an issue with him. But she felt that she found a new part of him. One that cares deeply about others, even if he doesn't know them well. She sighed, smiling to herself. "Hey, Harrington?"

Steve stopped in his tracks. He turned back and saw Robin. He sent her a soft smile. "Yeah?"

Robin wrapped her fingers around the door handle. "Nancy will be okay. She'll appreciate that you wanted to check up on her."

Steve nodded. "Goodnight Robin." His eyes were itching, indicating he needed to go to bed right away. He found his way to his room. Unlocking the door, he slipped in between the crack before shutting the door behind him.

Jonathan laid away in his bed. His fingers were gripped around a pen. Words vomited out from his pen as he wrote in his book. Steve noticed he had a similar journal to Nancy's. "Hey."

Jonathan looked up from his book. "Hey. Had a fun night?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Sure. I just need some rest, bro."

Jonathan chuckled. "Go to bed. I'll turn the lights off and everything."

Those were Steve's last words before he crashed onto his bed and drifted off to sleep.

Robin opened the door before waving goodnight to Steve. She walked in quietly, shutting the door behind her in the same fashion. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on Nancy. She was knocked out, cuddling with a pillow. Tears stained her cheeks. Robin sighed softly before walking over to her bed. She kicked her shoes off before stretching out her body. The girl was a mess. Her clothes scattered the floor, along with an endless supply of beer cans and cigarettes.

Robin cleared her throat softly before looking over at Nancy again. A weak smile appeared on her lips as she looked at her best friend. In the corner of her eye, Robin caught something. It left a dent in the pillow next to Nancy. The blonde stood up, brows furrowed. Reaching out, her fingers slipped under Nancy's head carefully. Searching with her hand, Robin latched onto a cylinder.

Gulping, she feared the worse. Pulling her hand back, the blonde looked down at her hand. A pill bottle lay in the palm of her hand. Feeling tears form in her eyes, Robin looked back at Nancy.

Nancy wiggled in her sleep before flipping over to the other side. Her curls were wild, sprawled all over the pillow. Robin bit down on her lip before shoving the pills in her pocket. She shook her head before turning the lights off.

The blonde stayed up. Her eyes stayed glued to the ceiling. She would glance over at Nancy every once in a while. If she stared too long, tears would start to form.

Nancy was using drugs again. Robin didn't know what to do except keep it to herself until asking Nancy about it.

------

Nancy stirred in bed. Her brain felt fried, pounding from falling asleep. The rest hadn't made her completely better. She felt a bit dizzy and a little high from the drug. Her body ached for more sleep but she knew her brain wasn't going to let her rest anymore. Her eyes stayed glued to the ceiling before finally getting the courage to wake up. Sitting up slowly, she let out a low groan. Once she adjusted herself in bed, she brought her hands to her eyes and rubbed them intensely. "Jesus," Nancy whispered to herself.

Reaching behind, Nancy fished under her pillow. A pang stung her stomach as she didn't feel the bottle under her pillow. Gulping, she frantically turned around and lifted her pillow up. Throwing each pillow out of the way, Nancy felt tears fill her eyes as she concluded the bottle to be lost. "Shit, shit, shit!"

The brunette looked over at Robin. Nancy's brows stitched together as she saw Robin sitting on her bed, strumming softly on the bass. Her eyes searched Robin's bed as she saw the pills laying beside Robin. "Robin?"

The blonde stopped her strumming as soon as she heard her friend call out to her. The girl gave Nancy a glare before reaching for the bottle. "Hi Nance."

Nancy rose from her bed, bringing her feet to the floor. "Robin...I-I can explain."

"Explain what?" Robin finally gave her full attention to the brunette. "That you've been using drugs after what happened the last time? And that you've been lying to all of us about it? Come on, Nance!"

Nancy felt tears fill her eyes. She gulped, trying to push down the tears. "Robin, I promise I only use them for sleep."

"Use them for sleep? You were tossing and turning all night! Woke up all groggy and you can barely stand. You're jittery because you haven't taken one for the day. When were you going to tell us?"

"Why does it matter?" Nancy blurted. "Seriously, it's not like any of you actually noticed. You didn't notice until I...until I overdosed."

"Oh, don't pull the victim card now. We were all there for you when it happened. We all have been keeping track of you."

"Not good enough."

Robin sighed. "You're a bitch when you're not using these. Seriously."

"Then give them back to me!" She reached out for the pills but Robin backed up in her bed.

"No, Nance! This is serious. You almost died for crying out loud! And do you know how hard we have been trying to help you? You and I both know that the press would have a field day if they knew about your addiction. You're putting yourself at risk and you don't even see it."

Nancy hovered over Robin, anxious to take her pill. "Robin, please."

The blonde bit the inside of her cheek. All she wanted to do was throw the pills out the window or smash them with a hammer. "Nance, I can't. We need to tell Hopper."

Nancy's eyes widened. "Absolutely not! I can't go back to rehab. We can't cancel this tour! This is our dream and I'm not going to be the one to ruin it."

"I want you safe. Even if it means we can't go on tour."

A knock echoed through the hotel room. The two girls looked at the door in fear. Gulping, Nancy found her way towards the door. Robin put the pills under her thigh just in case. Gripping the door handle, Nancy pulled the door open to see Steve Harrington. A scowl immediately fell on her face. "Oh. It's you."

Steve stood at the door frame, leaning against the side. He wore sunglasses to cover his drowsy eyes and limit the light intake. His hair was a mess, and dark strands surrounded his face. "Yeah, don't worry princess. Just me to give you a wake up call." He glanced into the room to see Robin sitting on her bed. "But I see you guys are already awake."

Nancy flashed a grin. "Yes, we can wake up ourselves. Rehearsal at the same time still?"

Steve rolled his eyes. He felt grateful that she couldn't see them under his sunglasses. A part of him wishes she did, though. Just to make her go insane. "Yes ma'am."

Nancy nodded before glancing behind him. "Great. You can go now."

"One step ahead of you." Steve pulled his sunglasses and gave the girl a wink. He pulled away from the door and moved onto Billy and Eddie's room.

Nancy was stunned. He was starting to fight back and she didn't like it. Anything she said, Steve had a remark. He didn't even let her get the last word in. It aggravated the fuck out of her. Her eyes stayed glued to him as he waltzed down the hall. Watching him knock on the door like the pretentious asshole he is. Listening to Eddie and Billy's door open and Steve being greeted by an enthusiastic Eddie Munson. The two exchanged conversations about the night before. The night Nancy was too scared to enjoy.

It drove her insane. How well he got along with the members of the group. Yet, he never managed to talk to her. She knew keeping him at arm's length would be better for her in the long run. Stepping back, Nancy shut the door quietly. "I can't stand that Steve Harrington."

Robin perked up at the name. "Steve?"

Nancy turned to her friend before nodding. "Yeah. Came to give us a wake-up call."

Robin's mouth twitched into a pathetic smile. "He's a nice guy."

Nancy huffed. "Oh, please. Don't tell me that you're friends with him too?"

"And so what if I am?"

Nancy frowned. "I don't know. He's bad news. I feel it in my gut."

"Well," Robin paused to stand up. "Maybe if you actually tried to get to know the guy, you wouldn't have a bad feeling in your gut. You had that same feeling when I joined. Remember?"

Nancy huffed. It was true. Nancy wasn't comfortable with letting an outsider into their band but they were desperate. And Robin is a pretty damn good bass player. "Yeah. I remember."

Robin stuffed the pills in the pocket of her jacket. "Maybe you should try talking to him. You know, like how I mentioned before you left the party?"

"I wasn't feeling well enough to socialize."

"Okay, Nance. I'm going to get some breakfast then go to Hopper." Robin stood up from the bed before walking past Nancy.

Nancy felt her heartbeat increase. "What? You're going to Jim?"

"Uhm, yeah. You really thought I forgot about the pills because we started talking about Steve Harrington?"

Nancy sighed. "Fine. But don't put the blame on me when the tour gets canceled."

Robin shrugged. "Then I'll take the blame."

Those were the last words she said before exiting the room. Leaving Nancy alone, hugging herself. Her fingers jittered a bit, aching for warmth and the release from a pill.

------

"Let's go people, we got a show to prepare for!" Dustin Henderson yelled into his megaphone.

The stage crew hustled and bustled throughout the venue. Five Seconds to Hawkins would be playing at the Chicago Stadium, also known as the Madhouse on Madison. The building was usually used for indoor events but the roof opened up every once in a while. The general audience section could fit thousands of people. This show would be one of their biggest since fans would be traveling from nearby states. This fact made Dustin more psychotic than he usually was.

Dustin stood at the edge of the stage, directing the crew to set up the lights, microphones, speakers, and more. The whole process overwhelmed Dustin but he couldn't get enough of it. He was used to the rush, the thrill. Everything about touring made him excited to wake up in the morning. The curly-haired boy rarely got to interact with the band but didn't mind it. They talked every once in a while, mainly to Jonathan due to Will.

Dustin's head snapped backstage. There stood Will and Lucas. The two shared a bag of potato chips, chopping over their microphones. Dustin wanted to throw his headset on the ground and jump on it repeatedly until they stopped chewing in his ear. Dustin pressed the side of his headset and began to speak. "Stop. Chewing. In. My. Ear."

Will and Lucas looked up from the bag. Their eyes traveled toward Dustin. Their best friend and boss stared them down, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor. The two boys gave Dustin a thumbs up before putting the bag of chips down. "Sorry Boss," Will mumbled into the headset, his mouth full of chips.

All Dustin could do was roll his eyes. His friends felt that they could slack off due to their strong friendship. The three had met back in elementary school. Strived to be the best together, always hung out. There was never a moment where the three weren't together. The three were gifted in technology. A small bump in the road was made when Dustin had to go to a different college, but the gang stayed in touch. Eventually, living out their dreams of traveling the country all while doing something that they love.

Steve stood at the wings of the stage. His foot tapped against the floor as he waited impatiently for the band. The bus driver had promised to bring them all in one piece, but it was nearing time for their rehearsal and none of them were there. Jim was going to murder him. Cold blood. Take him to the back, shoot him right in the head and go back inside like nothing happened.

His eyes found their way toward Dustin. He watched as Dustin bossed around several people, clearly making it known he ran this place. Being an outsider, Steve figured that Dustin had the same opinions on the band.

Glancing down at his watch, the band had one minute to get here. He sighed before rushing down the side of the stage, jumping off towards the end. He adjusted his balance before racing off towards the back end of the stadium. He ran, hair flopping in the wind. Sweat built up on his forehead as he reached the doors

Going to open the door, Steve ran into his favorite person. The two bumped into each other, almost knocking the wind out of Nancy. "Jesus," he muttered, holding his hands up. "Sorry about that."

Nancy gave him the signature side eye before walking past him. The rest of the band filed in, making Steve's heartbeat relax. Robin was the last in, giving Steve a soft smile. "Hey Harrington. Did you go on a run and forget to shower?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Very funny. No, I was too busy running over here to get you all on time."

Robin nodded before shutting the door behind her. The two began to walk down towards the stage, about a foot of distance between them. "Yeah, we're not really early risers."

Steve chuckled. "Yeah, I see that. Eddie would stay up all night if he really wanted to."

Robin returned the laugh. "I bet he didn't even go to sleep last night. His eyes are bloodshot."

"Probably. Still drunk, too. I'm sure of it."

"You wouldn't be wrong, Harrington." The two finally arrived to the arena. Before going into stage, Robin turned to Steve. "Have you seen Hopper? I need to talk to him about something."

Steve raised his brows a bit. The journalist in his was kicking in. "Jim? No, I was with him a little while ago but haven't seen him since. Want me to find him?"

Robin let out a sigh. "No. It's okay. I'll go find him."

Steve shook his head. "Hell no. Get on that stage and rehearse. Jim will kill me if you're not up there. Head on a stick and everything."

Robin snickered, her nose wrinkling. "Jesus, Steve. He isn't that horrible."

"Well, he terrifies me."

All the girl could do is roll her eyes. "Whatever. See you later." She reached her hand up and brushed through his hair. "Just to make it look like you're not sweating bullets."

Steve nodded as his way of saying thank you. Robin got the memo and left to go rehearse. He watched her walk away, sighing with relief.

Robin joined her friends on stage, rubbing her sweaty palms on her jeans. She grabbed her bass, slinging the strap over her shoulder. She began to tune the guitar, adjusting the knobs attached to the neck. Her eyes looked up and she found blue eyes staring back at her.

Nancy watched Robin. She gave her friend a small, weak smile. To be honest, the girl was a mess. Knowing Robin possessed her only source of energy made her want to rip her hair out. Knowing the tour was ending soon was going to wreck her as well. She had to figure out a way to make Jim not believe Robin. Or just simply take the pills back.

Steve didn't move from his spot. That wasn't until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to stand face to face with Dustin Henderson. His curly hair was tucked behind his ear, stopping right above his shoulder. "You're Steve, right?"

Steve stood back a bit. He was in awe at this boy. "Yes, that's me. What's wrong?"

Dustin shrugged. "You've got a phone call in the back. Better go get it before the caller gets annoyed. And I won't be responsible for you missing the call."

Steve scoffed. This guy had some nerve. An ego the size of a boulder. It rubbed Steve the wrong way but found it amusing as well. "Phone call?"

Dustin rolled his eyes. "Yes, a phone call. You know, when someone rings you on a telephone?"

"You've got some nerve, kid."

"Nerve? No. Just not responsible for you missing the call."

"Jesus, alright, I'm going. I'm going." Steve shook his head before heading to the back.

Steve wondered who could possibly be calling him right now. His parents never gave him the time of day, always occupied with work and hosting parties for their friends and neighbors. They rarely called when he was in school, he had to call first.

He knew it wouldn't be Barb. She was too busy doing god knows what. He had no other people in his life so the phone call made his skin crawl.

Approaching the back, he walked down the long hallway to the dressing room. It was the only location that had a phone reserved for the band and Jim's team. Opening the door, Steve let himself into the very tidy dressing room. He knew that it would be ruined by the band the minute they stepped foot into this room.

The phone sat in the corner, off the holding area. It waited for Steve, keeping the brunette on the edge of his seat. He reached for the phone and put it up to his ear. "Hello?"