Chapter Text
"Alright shitheads, listen up. This is gonna be a fair race, we don't want a repeat of last week."
"Yeah Max! No pushing people off their bikes," Max shrugged from her skateboard.
"Shut it Dustin and let me finish. You all know the rules. You start when you hear the whistle, not a second before," Steve shouted, looking directly at Lucas as he said it, "The race is from here, to the middle school, and back again. El is going to be keeping time. The winner gets $20 and the loser has to clean my car. You all got it?"
Mike raises his hand. Steve sighs, "Yes Mike?"
"What happens if you neither win nor lose? Like what happens to those of us who get 2nd or 3rd, what do we get?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Yeah nothing."
"But we didn't lose!"
"Yeah well you didn't win either."
"This is bullshit Harrington!"
"No it isn't. This is how literally every race works. When you get second place you don't win anything other than the bragging rights of not being last."
"I still think we should get something."
"Alright, do you wanna help the loser clean my car?"
"Guys!" Will interrupted their argument, "can we start the race now?"
"Yeah. El, you do the honors. And remember to use your big voice," Steve looked down to the girl sitting in the grass at his feet. She was wearing his jacket, a stop watch in her right hand and a whistle in her left. She would have been racing with the other kids but teaching her how to ride a bike had proven difficult.
Eleven stood up from her seat and cleared her voice, "ONE!"
"TWO!"
"THREE!" She blew the whistle as loud as she could and the 5 kids took off down the street. She started the stop watch.
"Great job kid," Steve pat El on the back, "Let's hope they don't nearly kill each other this time."
Eleven laughed and sat back down on the grass. Steve joined her. From their last attempt at this he knew the bike ride from Mike's house to the school was about 4 minutes there and back, 2 if you were really going fast. He felt Eleven tap his shoulder.
"Can I touch your hair?"
Steve chuckled and layed down with his head infront of the girl, "Go ahead. But don't be too rough, this hair takes a lot of time," El giggled and brought her hands down to his hair.
"Soft," she said quietly.
He was about to say something but was cut off by a voice across the street, "Steve? Is that you? What are you doing in the grass across the street from my house? What was that whistle?" It was Nancy.
Steve rolled over onto his side, Eleven still playing with his hair, "Oh. I was just uh, hanging out with the kids. I'm the ref in their race."
"Ref?" Eleven asked.
"A person who watches over a sport or something. So they players play fair," Steve answered. Eleven looked pleased.
"Why are you hanging out with them?" Nancy had made her way across the street, she was in a robe and slippers. Steve assumed she had just woken up.
"I don't know. They're fun," Nancy gave him an incredulous look.
"Yeah I don't see the problem. I'm allowed to spend my Saturday however I want."
"Yeah but I don't see how hanging out with my brother and his nerd friends is fun."
"They're just fun to hang out with, I don't know. They're funny, and not like kid funny. Like actually funny. Plus we all have shared traumatic experience. I'm connected to these dicks," he smiled up at Eleven. She was still too busy with his hair.
Nancy looked even more confused and was about something before Eleven cut her off, "Steve. Look," she pointed down the street as she stood up. Steve joined her.
From what he could see, Mike and Max were neck in neck, Lucas and Will close behind them, and Dustin in last.
"Hey! Sorry Nancy give me a sec," he held his hand out to El, she handed him the whistle and stared intently at Mike and Max as they closed in on the finish line. Nancy just stood in silence.
The two kids were about 50 yards from the finish line, Mike pumped his feet as hard as he could to try and race past Max but the redhead was working equally as hard. They were going to tie and Steve would have had to give both of them $20. Shit.
Well, he would have, if Max's board hadn't came flying out from under her when the two were a few feet from the finish line. Steve looked down at Eleven smirking as Mike raced past the finish.
He ran his hands over his face and made his way to Max after all the kids had stopped at the end of the street. Dustin lost.
"You alright kid?" He grabbed her hand and helped pull her up.
"Yeah. I'm fine," she stared down Eleven who was too busy celebrating Mike's win to care.
"Hey, don't get mad at her. She didn't mean it."
"It felt like she meant it."
"Well she didn't. She just doesn't like you, probably thinks you're trying to replace her. Plus she doesn't really know about...human behavior."
"Whatever. I'm going home. Tell Mike I said congrats," and with that, she was gone.
Steve sighed. He thought highschool girls were dramatic, but middle school girls were a whole different category of dramatic.
"What was that about?" Steve forgot Nancy was here. He turned and grinned.
"Me keeping the peace. See, if I wasn't here, Max would have probably tried to get in a fight with El. A fight she wouldn't be able to win."
"The boys don't seem to care that she left."
Steve glanced over to the other five. They were making fun of Dustin for loosing, "They do care about her. They just, forget that she's there sometimes. They're so used to it just being the four or five of them that they forget they've added a sixth," Steve shrugged, "Mike especially. Sometimes I think he's ignoring Max on purpose."
"Jesus Steve, how much time do you spend with them?"
He thought for a moment, "Almost every Saturday. Sunday's are for D&D and homework. I'll sometimes pick them up from school and take them to the arcade. Bring Max to Lucas'. Take Mike over to Hopper's so he can hang out with Eleven. After what happened, I like to know where they are at all times."
"Well you certainly seem to know more about my brother than I do."
"Well, I do pay more attention to him," That turned out to be the wrong thing to say as Nancy's expression turned from one of amusement to irritation.
"I have to go get ready to go to Jonathan's. Just, make sure the kids stay out of trouble."
"What do you think I've been doing these past 2 months!" Steve called as she walked back to her house.
"Harrington! Where's Max?" Lucas shouted. All the kids were looking at him expectantly, seemingly worried about her absence.
"Uh. She left. Said she had homework or something," Lucas didn't seem happy with this answer but he didn't say anything else. Eleven had a look of satisfaction.
"Hey do you guys want pizza? I'll pay," Steve said quickly, desperate to lighten up the mood. They all nodded quickly.
"Cool. Leave your bikes here. I'll drive."
"Hey when do I get my 20 bucks?" Mike asked as they walked their bikes into the Wheeler back yard.
"Yeah, and when does Dustin have to clean your car," Will snickered. Dustin slapped him.
"Mike, you'll get your money after Pizza. And Dustin, before next Saturday. I have a date," all the kids seemed intrigued by this.
"With who?" Eleven asked.
"None of your business."
"Wait does this mean you won't be able to hang out? What are we gonna do?" Mike asked as he climbed into the car. Eleven got in next to him, then Will, then Lucas managed to squeeze in. They had perfected this about a month ago. Dustin up front.
"I don't know. Whatever you usually did before I started to chaperone."
"Yeah but you can drive us around and buy us stuff."
"Is that really all I'm good for? Money and transportation?"
"Yes," they all said at once.
Steve rolled his eyes as he started the car.
"Fine, then this is the last time I do this for you assholes."
"No! No, he didn't mean it. You're great Steve!" Lucas piped up.
"Yeah, damn right."
Steve knew that he got looks from his classmates as he walked into the pizza parlor with five 14 year olds, but he just couldn't find it in himself to give a shit. As long as Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Eleven, and Max were happy, he didn't care.
But he would never admit that out loud.