After Ariana's study date with Steve, she had to pick up her brother, Dustin, from Mike's house because he had sneaked out. When she arrived at Mike's, she knocked on the door, but it had been raining, and Ariana was getting soaked. Karen, Nancy's mom, answered the door.

"Ariana, come in. You're getting soaked," Karen said. Ariana walked into the house, and Karen closed the door.

"Thanks, Mrs. Wheeler. I'm just here to pick up Dustin," Ariana explained.

"He's downstairs," Karen replied, and Ariana nodded, making her way downstairs.

"Dustin?" Ariana called out as she saw her brother and his friends staring at her, looking suspicious. "Is everything okay?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah, I mean, why wouldn't it be?" her brother obviously lied. "Okay...well, Mom wants you home now. She's not happy you snuck out." Ariana said.

She noticed something shuffling under the table covered by a blanket. "Are you guys hiding something?" The boys shook their heads. Ariana knew how to get to them and decided to target Lucas, the one who had a crush on her.

"Lucas, are you hiding something? You can tell me," Ariana said kindly. Lucas struggled to keep it in.

"Come on, Lucas," Ariana encouraged. Lucas sighed and then walked over to the blanket, moving it to reveal a girl with her head shaved. Ariana's eyes widened.

"W-what?" she stuttered. "We can explain," Mike said.

"Explain how there's a girl in your basement with a shaved head?" Ariana questioned.

"You see... she's my cousin," Mike claimed, but Ariana wasn't buying it.

"I'm not that stupid, Mike. What are you doing with her? Where did you find her?" Ariana asked.

"We were looking for Will in the woods, and..." Mike began explaining.

"You were looking for Will? It's not safe out there in the woods!" Ariana interrupted, her concern evident. "You sound just like Mom," Dustin remarked.

"We found her in the woods while looking for Will, so we brought her home," Mike explained. "Yeah, when should we tell your mom about her?" Lucas chimed in.

"We can't tell my mom," Mike replied.

"Why can't you tell your mom? She might be hurt or lost," Ariana voiced her concern.

"Look, we'll just keep her down here for tonight, and I'll tell my mom tomorrow," Mike decided.

"Okay, good," Ariana agreed. She and Dustin left the Wheeler's house and drove home. Ariana was still worried about that little girl.

____

The next day, Ariana walked into school alongside Nancy, and they met up with Barb. They took turns studying for the test, with Nancy quizzing Ariana, when Steve casually walked by and snatched the study cards.

"Hey!" Ariana protested. "I don't know, I think you've studied enough, Ari," Steve quipped. His friends, Tommy and Carol, also joined them. "Steve-"

"I'm telling you, you've got this. Don't worry. Now, on to more important matters. My dad left town for a conference, and my mom went with him because, you know, she doesn't trust him," Steve explained, earning laughter from Tommy and Carol.

Ariana didn't particularly like Carol or Tommy because they came off as stuck-up, but Steve was different. Sure, he could be an A-grade asshole, but he had a soft spot for Ariana, and she always saw the sweet side of him.

"So, are you in?" Steve asked. "In for what?" Ariana asked. "No parents? Big house," Carol chimed in. "A party?" Ariana clarified. "Ding, ding, ding!" Carol exclaimed, with Tommy joining in with laughter. "It's a Tuesday," Ariana pointed out. "It's Tuesday," Tommy mocked, and Steve laughed. "Come on. It'll be low-key, just us. What do you say? Are you in or out?" Steve urged.

Ariana was about to respond when Carol interrupted. "Oh, God. Look." Everyone turned around to see Jonathan Byers, Will's brother, hanging up missing poster signs. "Oh, God, that's depressing," Steve commented. "We should say something, right?" Ariana suggested. "I don't think he speaks," Carol remarked.

Ariana and Nancy used to be best friends with Jonathan before he stopped talking to them and became a loner. They used to have a lot of fun together, but now he avoided them completely.

"How much you wanna bet he killed him," Tommy joked, earning a shove from Steve. Meanwhile, Nancy walked over to Jonathan.

"So, are you in?" Steve asked. Ariana let out a sigh. "Can Nancy come?" She turned around and noticed Barb standing behind her. It would be impolite not to invite Barb, and Nancy would probably want her there.

"And Barb?" Steve sighed. "Yeah, sure," Ariana replied with a smile. "Then we'll be there." Suddenly, the bell rang. "Nance, come on, we've gotta get to class," Ariana called after Nancy, and they headed to their classrooms.

____

Before the party, Ariana joined Nancy and her brother for dinner at Nancy's house. Everyone sat quietly at the table, enjoying their meal. Nancy had to convince her mother to allow her out for the evening.

"Is there something wrong with the meatloaf?" Karen asked, noticing the weird atmosphere.

"Oh, no, I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch," Dustin replied.

"Me too," Lucas added. "It's delicious, Mrs. Wheeler," Ariana chimed in.

"Thank you, sweetie," Karen replied.

"So, there's this special assembly tonight for Will at the school field. Ariana's driving," Nancy lied.

"Why am I just hearing about this?" Karen asked.

"I thought you knew," Nancy responded.

"I told you, I don't want you out after dark until Will is found," Karen reminded her.

"I know, I know, but it'd be super weird if I'm not there. I mean, everyone is going," Nancy argued, seeking her mother's understanding. Karen sighed and relented, "Just...be back by 10:00."

Karen then suggested, "Why don't you take the boys with you too?"

"No!" all three of them exclaimed.

"Don't you think you should be there for Will?" Karen asked.

Ariana almost choked on her milk when she saw the strange girl from the basement walk into the hallway. In a hurry, Dustin banged on the table to divert Karen's attention so she wouldn't notice.

"Sorry, spasm," Dustin lied, making up an excuse.

"I thought you got rid of her?" Ariana whispered to Dustin.

"It's a long story," he replied, and Ariana groaned, deciding to focus on her meal.

____

On the way, Ariana pulled over about three blocks away from Steve's house. Barb questioned, "Why did you pull over?"

"We can't park in the driveway," Ariana explained.

"Seriously?" Barb responded.

"Yeah, the neighbors might see," Ariana said.

"This is so stupid. I'm just gonna wait in the car," Barb decided.

"Well, if that's what you really want. Come on, Nance," Ariana said, preparing to leave. But Nancy stopped her.

"Come on, Barb, you said you'd come. We're going to have a great time," Nancy encouraged.

"I never even wanted to come. He just wants to get in Ariana's pants anyway," Barb muttered.

Ariana turned to Barb, irritated. "No, he doesn't," she insisted.

"Come on, he invited you to his house. His parents aren't home. You cannot be that stupid," Barb said.

"Whatever, look, you can stay here, but I'm going to that party. Nancy, you coming?" Ariana opened the door and got out.

"I'm coming," Nancy confirmed. She turned to Barb. "Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?" Barb nodded. Nancy exited the car and caught up with Ariana.

The girls walked to Steve's house, and Ariana knocked on the door. Not a minute later, Steve answered. "Hello, ladies," he greeted, and the girls walked in.

"Thanks for inviting us," Nancy said.

"Of course. Come on, everyone's out by the pool," Steve said, leading the girls to the backyard where Carol and Tommy were.

An hour passed, and Nancy and Ariana were having a great time. They had a few drinks, ate some pizza, and enjoyed the music. It was just a relaxed evening. Meanwhile, Tommy and Carol were acting foolish. Nancy and Ariana sat with their feet in the water, chatting.

Ariana turned around and saw Steve chugging a beer bottle, apparently trying to impress her. She raised an eyebrow and remarked, "Is that supposed to impress me?"

"You're not impressed?" Steve asked, lighting a cigarette.

"You are a cliché, you do realize that," Ariana chuckled. "And you're a cliché with your...style, your grades, and band practice."

"I'm offended that you think I'm in a band," Ariana joked.

"Okay, party girl, why don't you just, uh, show us how it's done, then?" Steve handed her a beer bottle and a knife, which Ariana accepted. "You've got to make a little hole right in-"

"I got it," Ariana cut Steve off.

"Yeah, she's smart, you douche!" Tommy chimed in, then smacked a beer can against his head. Ariana skillfully cut a hole in the bottom of the can and began chugging the drink.

Everyone around started chanting "chug" as she drank faster. When she finished, she dropped the bottle, and everyone cheered. Ariana bowed playfully. "Thank you."

Nancy stood up. "I'm going to go check on Barb. I'll be back." Ariana nodded, and Nancy left.

Suddenly, Tommy playfully pushed Carol into the pool, which made Ariana laugh. Steve took the opportunity and pushed Ariana into the pool with a mischievous grin. "You dick!" she exclaimed, but her anger was mixed with laughter. Steve followed her into the water. "This is a new outfit," Ariana pointed out.

"Oops," Steve laughed. Ariana retaliated by splashing him, and he splashed back, and soon they were both laughing as they enjoyed the pool.

After they got dried off, Tommy and Carol went off to do their own thing, while Steve grabbed some dry clothes for Ariana. "Thanks," she said as she accepted the clothes. Steve smiled at her. "Um... some privacy, maybe?" Ariana suggested.

Steve nodded. "Oh, yeah, right. Sorry," he said, walking towards the wall.

As Steve moved away, Ariana felt a certain feeling, a gut feeling that it was right. She always felt safe with Steve. Despite what others had told her about his intentions, she knew he wasn't that kind of person. He was sweet and caring, and at that moment, Ariana realized exactly what she wanted to happen tonight.

"Steve..." he turned around, and Ariana swiftly removed her shirt, revealing her bra. "Damn," he chuckled, taking a step closer to her. "You're gorgeous, Ariana." He gently cupped her cheek. "Shut up," she replied before leaning in to kiss him. He eagerly returned the kiss and then sat down on the bed...

END OF CHAPTER