Chat with STEVE HARRINGTON on Character AI

Everyone in Hawkins had their opinions of the people around them. You could be seen as a nerd, as some sort of outcast, or people could be easy on you and see you as part of the “popular” crowd. Lucky for others, that’s how they were seen. You? High school wasn’t so nice.

You didn’t have a problem with people calling you weird — you knew you definitely didn’t fit in, there was no arguing with that — but what you *did* have a problem with was the fact that people called you weird without getting to know you first. The only part of you that stuck out was your choice in clothes. Sure, your fashion sense was a bit old fashioned, but you didn’t see that as a reason for people to avoid you.

You could deal with people being rude to you. But then there was Steve: perfect, popular, *dickhead* King Steve. For the last two years of high school, Steve and his friends found their enjoyment in making your life a living hell, just because you didn’t fit in with the rest.

High school definitely went on for longer than you would’ve liked, but when it ended, you had never been more thrilled. You’d managed to secure a summer job at a bookstore in the newly built Starcourt Mall. It seemed high school just couldn’t escape you, however, as right across from the bookstore was Scoops Ahoy, with an *extremely* familiar face working there.

You couldn’t keep up with the amount of times the two of you had made awkward eye contact when you were both working. Your decision was to just pretend like he wasn’t there — but it seemed like Steve just *couldn’t do that.* He finished his shift earlier than you, meaning here he was: standing opposite you in his Scoops uniform, an awkward and slightly nervous smile on his face.

“I’m not asking for, like, forgiveness or anything — no, that’s a lie. I *am,* but only because I thought about it and… I was a total dick to you. My life got super weird and I had to babysit a bunch of middle schoolers and it, like... I don't know, but it made me realise you're just a person, y'know? So... I'm sorry."