✵

An overactive blonde's voice burst through the basement, taking the stairs down at a rapid rate, until her voice cut off before she could sing the theme tune as she noticed the occupants in the room.

Ringo Wheeler was sure she looked as if she bit into a lemon, her lips pursed uncomfortably and her grip tightening on the video tape of the aforementioned movie in her hand.

"Footloose?!" Mike exclaimed in annoyance, throwing his hands up in the air. His voice was followed by shouts of disagreement from the three friends next to him. "You were supposed to get Ghostbusters!"

"Unless the ghosts start shaking their butts to a rocking soundtrack, we are not watching it! And besides, it's my turn to pick!" She rolled her eyes after speaking, fighting against the blush rising in her cheeks from her momentary stumble.

The 'Wheeler Family Friday' was a relatively new tradition for the three Wheeler teenagers, first originating two weeks ago, when Ringo had returned to Hawkins. It was a night the trio intended to make a habit of, meeting in the basement to watch a movie and binge on snacks. Word had gotten round to Mike's friends, who had invited themselves the week before and apparently this week too. It had suddenly become 'Wheeler Family Friday with Dustin, Lucas and Will'.

And now Steve, apparently.

Steve didn't greet Ringo as he usually would have, for this had been the first time he even saw her since they met in town two weeks before. The girl was making obvious attempts to avoid him, and Steve Harrington would only embarrass himself a few times before giving up on her completely.

"Hey, I want to see Footloose, too!" Nancy complained, nudging her foot against Mike's back as he sat on the floor in front of the couch she was seated at.

"Why don't you get Footlost!" He fired back.

"You boys should be watching this stuff," Ringo drawled sarcastically as she practically climbed over the boys to get to the open space next to Nancy, ignoring Steve who was on the other side of her. "Maybe it'll give you tips on how to get girlfriends."

"You don't need to be so obvious, Ringo," Dustin practically gloated from the carpet, rolling onto his elbows and making a purring noise at her with his newly formed teeth.

She rolled her eyes, unable to fight off the amusement from her face as she settled the plastic bag full of pure junk food onto the couch and headed towards the TV that was settled into the corner.

"Dibs the Pudding Pie!" Steve hollered, reaching for the Hostess candy from the bag as the boys scrambled over one another towards it.

"What?! No!" Lucas groaned, having had his eyes peeled on the brown wrapper since spying it through the plastic bag when Ringo entered.

"You weren't even invited, dude!" Mike huffed, rifling through the bag and whipping out a pack of Bugles.

"Nancy invited me, twerp!"

"Nancy does dumb things all the time, it is known," Mike commented drily.

"It is known," Ringo echoed in amusement after sliding the cassette into the VCR. She froze after hearing herself, realising that her words could have sounded like she didn't want Steve there either.

Thankfully, before it could get awkward, the basement door opened again, revealing Jonathan Byers.

"Wait, I don't have to go, do I?" Will asked, his face screwing up at the idea of having to leave the party so early. His mother was overprotective lately, appropriately so, but he hoped she would let him stay the night at Mike's.

"No- I... um... Nancy invited me," Jonathan awkwardly stuttered, gesturing to the smiling brunette on the couch. His voice caught Ringo's attention, her eyebrows furrowing as she stepped around the wall and beamed brightly.

"Jonathan!" She exclaimed happily, rushing forward and practically leaping to hug him tightly. Jonathan's eyes were wide with surprise, her actions and presence taking him off guard.

As she hugged him, her grin began to falter slightly upon noticing the crestfallen expression on Steve's face in the background.

"I knew you were back, I just didn't get a chance to catch up with you yet," he explained when they pulled away, timidly tucking his hair behind his ears.

"I missed you, Byers, Florida has a real lack of shy weirdos," she winked to show she was joking, clapping him on the arm before skipping back to the couch, next to Nancy.

They shimmied up so there was enough room for Jonathan next to her, which was a more tense affair than any of them initially expected as the movie began to play.

Steve was silent throughout, unsure if he was more uncomfortable with Nancy having invited Jonathan or with Ringo for blatantly ignoring him, but excitedly embracing Jonathan. Whatever the cause, the other three picked up on it immediately, and were just as tense for it.

It was an entirely different atmosphere from Halloween, Ringo realised. And she hated it. Instead of focusing on it, she decided to put all of her attention on the movie, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even the boys seemed to be somewhat into it.

"Ringo, I'm sorry but I think I'll have to leave you for Ariel," Dustin sighed dreamily, his chin in his hands.

"She's mine," Lucas spoke in a similar tone, eyes glued to the screen.

"Excuse me?!" She shouted, pretending to offended. "Is it because she can dance?"

"It's because she's... everything."

"Screw that, I've got more moves than her," Ringo hopped up from the couch, kicking off her canvas shoes and shaking out her limbs.

"Oh god," Steve muttered to himself.

"Oh god," Nancy moaned in amusement, smacking her hand over her forehead.

"What's happening?" Jonathan asked in confusion.

By pure luck, the movie had been close to finishing and the final song was beginning, providing the perfect backdrop for Ringo to dance her heart out.

If you would call it 'dancing'.

Ringo flailed her limbs around, swinging her hips in messy circles as if she were encircling an invisible hula hoop. She pointed her fingers in the air a la disco style, and kicked her feet as if she were doing a jig.

The entire room was filled with raucous laughter, and even Steve joined in after a couple seconds of resistance.

✵

"It's Ringo's turn to get popcorn!" Will pointed out when the debate arose about who would go up and make some more.

"Watch it, you," she narrowed her eyes teasingly at him. "I know where you live!"

Will chuckled innocently, but Ringo sat up from the ground anyway, groaning at the aches in her legs from sitting so long.

It was nearing twelve at night now, but they had no intentions of going to bed just yet. After the movie had finished, the group had gathered around and played board games, which resulted in lots of playful arguments and Ringo flipping the entire Monopoly board in frustration.

"I'll go get it, I can't stand to be around you cheating fruits any longer," she flipped her hair dramatically, lifting her legs over Lucas who blocked her path.

As she sat on the counter, aimlessly swinging her legs, waiting for the popcorn to pop on the hob, she jumped a little in surprise at the sight of Steve appearing in the doorway.

"Jesus," she muttered, clutching her hand over her chest to calm her racing heart.

"You're jumpy lately," he commented, but his expression was stony. Ringo had no choice but to acknowledge him now, he had cornered her.

"Yeah, fighting a big monster makes you a little scared of things that randomly appear," she shrugged, picking at her nail polish.

"Is that why you're avoiding me? You scared of me?" He questioned sarcastically.

"No, that's now why," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest to hide her jittery fingers.

"Then what is it?" He copied her pose, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at her.

Her breathing hitched at his question, months upon months of avoiding Steve since she had left Hawkins had caught up with her and now she had no choice but to confront her actions head on.

There was a flicker of something in his eyes that caught her attention as she opened her mouth to speak. Something, something, had told her that Steve knew exactly what the problem was. And when she realised that, it was her that became defensive.

"I think you know why," she called him out for it, ignoring the sudden popping noises emerging from underneath the tinfoil on the cooker.

Steve was certainly surprised at her words, both the fact she had caught him out and the reassurance he got from her answer - that he had been right.

"Wow," he spoke dumbly, at a loss for words, running his hand over his perfectly smoothed hair.

Ringo, in five words, had exposed the underlying tension that had been present in their relationship like a pestering third wheel. Now that it was exposed, it would either make or break their friendship.

Steve hadn't been blind. Ringo may have been his best friend, and he may have been dating Nancy, her cousin - but she was also a girl. An attractive girl, at that.

Naturally, he had been physically attracted to her from the onset. He was only human. But when he had truly gotten to know her, seen what she looked like when she laughed and when she cried, he occasionally found himself wondering 'what if'. What if it had been Ringo who he was dating? What if it were Ringo he took on dates and tried to impress? What if it was Ringo he was falling for?

Usually to accompany that thought, an overriding sense of guilt came to wash it away. And he was right back to thinking of Nancy.

But now Ringo had confirmed that she had picked up on the tension he convinced himself was imaginary, and he was confused about how to act altogether, now.

"Does that mean our friendship is ruined?" He dared to ask, looking away from her piercing gaze.

"Well, that's up to you, I guess," she tucked her hair behind her ears, the growing foil catching her eye. Ringo promptly hopped off the counter to pull away the pan full of popcorn before a disaster could happen.

"I don't want it to be," he admitted quietly, fearing her reaction. Ringo was silent, stopping her movements momentarily before slipping popcorn off the pan and into a large bowl. When she was finished, she wiped her hands and set the pan down, turning back with a small smile.

"Good, because this whole walking everywhere has really been a pain in the ass. Even if it is giving me a summer body," she grinned jokingly. Just like that, the Cold War between them had melted away.

Steve threw his gaze up to the sky and stepped toward the blonde, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

This time, she reciprocated.

✵

Julia Wheeler's face was flushed from rushing when she opened the door to her apartment, her eyebrows furrowing at the unfamiliar guest.

"Uh... hello?" She greeted, quickly looking the boy once over, who fidgeted under her gaze.

"Hi, I'm Jonathan, a friend of Ringo's?" He ended in a question, cursing himself internally afterward for his lack of people skills.

"Okay," she drew out the word, clearly uncomfortable with the fact a boy was at the door asking for Ringo, but ultimately opened it wider for him to enter anyway. "She's in her bedroom."

"Oh!" She called out after Jonathan made his way down the hallway. "And keep the door open! I'm not Joseph, I'm not going to believe she got knocked up by God."

Jonathan reddened a dark shade, his neck heating up from the comment. He certainly saw where Ringo got her brash and upfront personality.

"Really?" Ringo shouted in reply, opening her bedroom door after hearing her mother, "you're that old I thought you'd have known her!"

Jonathan's eyes widened at her words, wondering when Ringo had become so abruptly rude to a parent.

"Very funny, I'm making broccoli just for that!" Julia retorted in amusement, prompting Jonathan to realise that it was just the banter between them, rather than outright disrespect.

"Damnit," Ringo muttered under her breath, ushering Jonathan into her room. "Come on, you almost missed it!"

They settled down into bean bags set on her bedroom floor, angled at a television. It was covered in scrapes and certainly looked secondhand, if not just well used, but Jonathan would never comment on that.

'Dallas' had become a guilty pleasure of theirs over the Summer break, a secret they shared that they'd never tell anyone, out of shame. But every week without fail, Jonathan and Ringo would hole up in her room to watch a new episode, enthralled by the drama of it all.

"Where's Nancy today?" Jonathan asked curiously when an ad break came on, eliciting a smirk from Ringo.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she giggled, nudging his arm with her elbow.

"What does that mean?" He answered, swallowing nervously.

"What does that mean?" She repeated, mimicking him. "You like Nancy so much you'd set yourself on fire just to keep her warm."

"T-that's- that's ridiculous! We're just friends!" He stammered immediately, face flushed and words rushed furiously.

"There is more of a chance of me marrying Kevin Bacon than there is of you not liking Nancy," Ringo scoffed.

"Well in that case, when's the wedding date?"

"It's okay if you like her, Johnny, it's natural!" He recoiled at her words and her newfound nickname for him.

"Yeah, well you're in the same boat so," he shrugged innocently, turning his attention back to the screen.

"Excuse me?" She chuckled at the absurdity of his words.

"You like Steve so much you'd sacrifice your first born to stroke his hair," Jonathan joked, taking her off guard by both his words and his sudden confidence.

"Well!" She shouted, looking as if she was about to continue before flopping back down into her bean bag and huffing. "Fair enough."

"Woah," his eyes widened. "I didn't expect you to admit it so easily."

"Well it's not like I can do anything about it," Ringo rolled her head to the side to look at him. "Even if they broke up, it's an unspoken rule. He's off limits for life."

"It's not like he's a can of Coke that Nancy licked to claim ownership."

"Well..." Ringo waggled her eyebrows, causing him to roll his eyes and recoil in disgust at her insinuation. "It's just a little crush. Just a little one, I'll get over it."

"We'll help each other," he vowed. "No more liking people we can't have." He held his hand up for her to shake, which she did.

"Agreed," she beamed, dropping his hand but keeping her eyes on his face, even after he turned back to face the screen, a thought coming to her head. "Hey... we're still single..."

His eyebrows furrowed at her suggestive tone, eyes narrowing when she raised her eyebrows teasingly and pouted her lips.

Jonathan rolled his eyes and shoved her forehead back with his palm, unable to hold back the laughter at her attempt.

"I'd rather kiss Steve, Ringo."

"Oh well," she grinned, shuffling her hair back into place. "Worth a shot."