Chapter Text
February, 1983
Finn was getting tired of funerals.
Death was a common occurrence in his life by now, the soil of the graves clings to him in everything he does, it shouldn’t warrant such reaction from him by now; but it did anyway. He could feel the hot tears sliding silently across his face as his father’s coffin was put to the grave beside their mother’s. Gwen was beside him in a long black dress, she too had tears in her face but the black veil she wore covered them, a luxury Finn didn’t have. Even if they had been crying for most of the morning, neither of the siblings let a sound of despair escape their mouths. They would cry, but silently, like they had done for most of their lives under the same roof as Terrence.
It was strange to mourn someone when they might come back to talk to you later in life. It had been almost five years since they acknowledged that Gwen’s dreams were real, and it wouldn’t be the first time since then that it happened. Just last month their dead mother of seven years called Gwen, after all, and Finn has had more contact with ghost than he could ever wish for in his lifetime. But this time both of the surviving Blake’s had a feeling that their father wouldn’t be calling them, even if he could.
He had never really liked or understood their paranormal quirks, not even when his wife was the one who mainly had them.
They were getting better, all of them; their relationship was at its best that it had been since before their mother died.
Terrence Blake had his three years sober chip and had accepted his children sensibilities to the dead. Finn wasn’t as closed off as before, he wasn’t smoking as often; he went cold turkey in Alpine Lake and just decided to stay away from it as much as he could —he smoked twice a week now, not three times a day at least— and both of the kids talked about their supernatural experiences to Terrence. Their dad insisted that he wanted to hear them, even if he was put off by it all, be it Gwen’s dreams or Finn’s calls he finally decided to pick up. Years of refusing to accept their mother's gift and subsequent death still had a grasp on his mentality.
But, they were finally healing from their trauma, from everything The Grabber—Crazy Bill—Albert He had done to the their family. Little by little, they were moving forwards.
Then Terrence died.
A heart attack, sudden, instant, fatal. Family history and stress, they said. The doctor explained that the stress he put his body under during his years of alcoholism and general bad habits only aggravated to his early demise.
At the hospital, after the nurses went away with the paperwork, after Finn made some calls to the insurance company, after he had already called the funerary home to decide what type of funeral they would be having —and a million of other things he had to do as the oldest of them and the one closest to eighteen—, he finally sat beside Gwen, hugging her as they shared their grief.
“At least he died naturally.” Gwen said, her hot tears staining his shirt at the small consolation. Finn's eyes were dry. No tear had left his eyes until the funeral and after it, none other fell.
For Finn, the saddest part is that they were finally starting to heal again. Not that he was actually willing to forgive Terrence for what he did. But he was thinking of giving him a real chance, not only a token one filled with threats in it, like he had before Camp Alpine Lake but they could look for a non-hostile future in their household if Terrence took the right steps. Only for fate to throw another curve-ball at them and fuck things up, again.
Four days after their stay at the hospital, and two days after they buried their dad, Child Protective Services knocked.
“I’m sorry,” The government agent said, Finn hadn’t bothered to get his name right. “Unfortunately your paternal aunt is willing to house only you, Stephin —”
“Finn.” He interrupts, his eyes hard. The frown has been fixed in his face since the guy knocked on their door, both of them don't seem to be leaving anytime soon. “I don’t use Stephin. Only Finn Blake.”
“Right…” The man seems more hesitant, but continues anyway. Pity. “Your aunt Diane and her husband are willing to house you, Finn. However, they said they couldn’t make enough space for Gwendolyn.” The siblings frowned and looked at each other.
They hadn’t heard from Aunt Diane in years, not since way before their mother’s suicide —murder, actually, but no one beside the two living Blake's and Ernesto knew that. They knew she was loaded and her husband was a dick, and they came to visit rarely when Finn was younger. Gwen must’ve been five the last time they saw her.
“However, your maternal aunt, Joy Adler,” The suit continued, looking at his papers. “Said she would be delighted to have you with her in Chicago fo however long you wish.”
“Chicago?” Gwen asks, her eyes wide and red. She hadn’t been dreaming what she wanted to see — kids in bikes and pool parties, but nothing relating to their dad. That’s what made her cry the most, the feeling of not knowing. “That’s a 20-hour ride from Denver… Isn’t there an option where we could stay together?”
"Chicago is still closer to where Stephi— sorry, Finn, will be." Finn froze.
"I'm sorry, what do you mean 'where I'll be'?" He moved, coming closer to the man across them. "Won't I be staying in Denver with Aunt Diane?"
"Oh, no, no. Sorry." The man denied, pulling some new papers and putting them on the table showing to them. "Gwen is staying in Chicago with Joy Adler. You are staying with Diane Harrington, in Hawkins." He pushed the papers with the pictures and addresses of the houses. They were vastly different.
From the pictures, Joy lived in a homey house, similar to those you see in children movies, full of plants and decorations. It was hard to imagine that house in a bustling city like Chicago, a drop of color and nature in the big city. It screamed 'Gwen' in ways he couldn't describe.
On the other hand, Aunt Diane's house seemed to be directly from one of those rich people magazines. It was big, very big. It had a pool, a garage for four cars at least. Five bedrooms and a big garden. It didn't seem lived in.
Finn hated it.
"It bumps the time between them to a three-hour drive!" The man exclaimed, happy, but one look at their faces it was obvious they weren't thrilled with the idea. He sighed. "Look, I know you don't want to be separated, but we have no other choice. We tried our best to keep you two together, and this was the best we could do."
"Couldn't I live alone?" Finn asked, his eyes hard on the picture of the houses. "I'll be eighteen in six months." Finn said, looking at the man. "I could be emancipated, I don't need a guardian and I can take care of both of us.” He had been doing it since their mother was murdered, he didn't say. Gwen frowned, but seemed a bit interested in the idea. “We stay in North Denver and continue in the house."
"I'm afraid that is not possible." The guy frowned too, looking at the both of them. "While, in normal circumstances, a judge could authorize your independency, you wouldn't be able to take care of Gwen. And she can't be counted for emancipation as she just recently turned fifteen." Finn moods soured even further, and it was evident that his sister was the same. This would make them miserable.
"That is, of course, not counting your… extenuating circumstances…" The guy looked uncomfortable under the direct gaze of the Blake's, but he didn't continue.
"What circumstances?" Gwen prompted, her brow arched in question. The man took a deep breath.
"It's possible, that even with all that in your favor, Finn, you wouldn't be able to have Gwen's guard, or emancipation for the foreseeable future." The man pushes more documents around the table. "The decision the court reached from the… event in 1978 is still valid. You will need to finish High School either way, having Gwen's guard or not. That's what the paperwork says."
In the table was the dreaded paper that just squished all of his hopes. He skimmed it, tilting it to the side so Gwen could see it too.
DISTRICT COURT, CITY AND COUNTY OF NORTH DENVER, COLORADO
JUVENILE DIVISION
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO, In the Interest of STEPHIN MASON BLAKE, a Child, and Concerning TERRENCE DAVID BLAKE and GWENDOLYN FAITH BLAKE, Respondents.
Case No. 78-JV-4221
ORDER OF DISPOSITION (CHILD IN NEED OF SUPERVISION)
THIS MATTER coming before the Court upon the petition filed herein, and the Court having previously entered its finding on February 7, 1979, that the Respondent, STEPHIN MASON BLAKE, is not adjudicated delinquent but is a CHILD IN NEED OF SUPERVISION, and the Court having considered the reports and recommendations of the North Denver Department of Social Services, the probation department, and the psychological evaluation of Dr. Helen Morrison, and being otherwise fully advised in the premises,
THE COURT FINDS, CONCLUDES, AND ORDERS as follows:
"What is this?" Finn asked, him hand tight on the paper, his eyes squinting to read it.
"This is the paperwork for your juvenile case. All the decisions the court reached after all of it."
"Oh, the reason why I repeated the eight grade." Finn glared. After he was kidnapped and killed the Grabber to escape, he was taken to juvenile court. It was a joy, for sure.
The process took three months before they decided that he killed his kidnapper in self-defense (wow, who would've thought!). After that, he had to see a doctor for some time, and a probation officer. It wasn't long before everything went away, but the decision —besides that he wasn't guilty of anything— was that he should repeat eight grade to 'deal with his trauma' or something.
At the time when the official suggested it, it had seemed as if it wasn't something to worry about, and he hadn't for a long time. He had jumped a grade when he was around 9 or so, so he had been along his age group even being held back a year. But since the last year or so he had been more and more pissed at being in school again.
When he was thirteen, it was a bit calming, it was somewhere he knew, and no one bullied him any more. It was like he was free. As time went on he noticed that no matter what he did, everyone would always relate him to the Grabber. It was frustrating. He remembers talking about with the court mandated shrink for a while, maybe three months, but after the first year or so both the doc and the probation officer were sent off and the process closed.
Now those fuck ass papers were coming back to make his life difficult again.
"I don't see what in this makes me and Finn not being able to stay together?" Gwen asked, frowning at the papers.
"It's not that you can’t stay together, exactly…" The man said, taking the papers and turning some pages. "These decisions right here are what affect you right now." He said, pointing to the paragraphs. “Points Three, Five and Six mostly."
3. Continuous Progression.
Upon successful completion of the 1979-1980 academic year, the Respondent shall be promoted to the ninth (9th) grade and shall thereafter remain continuously enrolled, progressing annually through each successive grade level in regular academic sequence, without interruption, deferral, grade-skipping, or early graduation, until such time as he shall have completed the prescribed course of instruction and earned a diploma of graduation from an accredited high school, or until he attains the age of eighteen (18) years, whichever shall last occur.
He skimmed down the page.
5. Cooperation of School District.
The North Denver Public Schools, and any successor educational agency, are hereby directed to cooperate fully with the terms of this Order. The District may not impose any requirement for graduation that would be impossible for the Respondent to satisfy by reason of his placement under the supervision of this Court or the Department of Institutions. The District shall afford the Respondent all educational services, including but not limited to gifted and talented programs and counseling services, for which he is otherwise eligible.6. Retention of Jurisdiction.
This Court expressly retains jurisdiction to review, modify, or extend these conditions upon motion of any party or upon its own motion. This Court shall retain jurisdiction until the Respondent attains the age of twenty-one (21) years for the purpose of enforcing this Order and ensuring his timely progression toward a high school diploma.
"Twenty-one?!" Finn exclaimed. "What do you mean the court has jurisdiction over me until I'm twenty-one?"
"It's not exactly what you're thinking" The man was quick to try and calm the boy down. "What it's really establishing is that you need to get you high-school diploma, even if you are older than 18 by that time. And even after that, if you don't comply with the decisions, they have until you are twenty-one to demand it of you."
"So Finn, you need a high school diploma, and Finn can't become your guardian, Gwen, because he is still considered a Child In Need of Supervision, CHINS for short. And for that reason, he can't live alone until he is eighteen." He said, taking back the papers, shuffling them and putting them back into the case. "The court executed their duty as supervisors and already sorted your living arrangements, for both of you."
"I'm not a CHIN, though, am I?" Gwen asked, her head tilted to the side as she glared at the man.
"No, you are just a normal minor under the law, as such you Aunt will be allowed to either adopt you, or just act as your guardian until you reach eighteen." The man said, now getting new papers and a pen. "The almost same goes for you, Finn. Your aunt will act as a guardian, but you will still be a ward of state. She's allowed to offer you her surname, but that's something you will need to deal with once you met her."
"And if we decide we don't want to stay with them?" Finn asked, dreading the future interaction. He was sure that Gwen was going to love their maternal Aunt even if they had never met her, but he had a bad feeling about Diane. It had been years since they last saw each other, but for her to move states away and not tell her brother? Weird.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." He pushed another set of papers in their direction. "Now, I'll need a couple of signatures for the process. After that, you'll have a week to gather your things for the trip, it will all be paid by the District as Finn is, basically, a guard of state."
The siblings exchanged glances for a couple of seconds, before Finn turned to look back at the suit.
"I want copies of all the papers you showed us and whatever else we have to sign now or in the future." He said, as he and his sister picked up the pen and signed the papers that would tear their family apart.
"We're here." The driver said, his voice monotone and calm. Finn turned off his Walkman when he noticed no one else had made a move to get out and looked outside. The house was even more magical in person than it was in the photo given to them. The plants were green and alive in a away the camera couldn't capture, the house well taken care of, and as the wind passed through sound rattled from the surrounding decorations.
It looked like a place that Gwen would be happy.
They got out of the car, Finn helping Gwen get her bags as the suits who accompanied them, Thomas, went to knock on the door. Just as they got closer a woman opened the door and suddenly Finn couldn't breathe any more.
Joy Adler looked almost exactly like their mom, the same nose, brown eyes, dark hair and angular face. It was like Finn was looking at the past, even with the obvious differences. Her hair was short, in a mullet just a bit longer than Finn's own haircut. Joy had aging signs that their mother never grew old enough to get, she seemed to be in her late forties her hair with a couple of streaks of gray in her roots. Dressed in a flory dress, light green and white, she came down the porch to greet them.
"Hello! Oh, my! It's so good to see you two!" She came closer to Gwen who barely had the time to put her luggage on the porch before she was embraced. Her hug was tight, from what Finn could see from Gwen posture. "It's been so long since I last heard news of you two, Hope always sent photos in the mail but it's been blank info for a while!"
She grabbed Gwen's shoulders, pushing her away from her to look at her face. "You look almost exactly like your grandma and mother used to at your age, just add the longer hair and braids and it's a mirror! I'm so glad that I could meet you two!" Joy turned to Finn suddenly, hugging him with as much care as she did Gwen before turning to see his face, almost analyzing. She had to look up as Finn was taller, but her smile was bright, eyes twinkling.
"And look at you! If Hope had been a boy she would've been just like you! Your father's genes barely fought here!" She joked making Finn frown a bit, their father had just died, if Finn was sensitive about it, mentioning him would be a terrible move. She noticed his expression and weirdly seemed to smile even more. "And that glare! Oh, it's teenager-Hope all written in it! She couldn't stand me when she was around seventeen, if we had only one screaming match a day it was a miracle. The frown brings me back memories!" She took the siblings by their hands, bringing them to her porch.
"Come on in, kiddos!" Joy guided them to her house, and the inside was just as magical as the outside. “You can leave your things in the living room for now.”
The curtains were halfway up, letting the daylight come in, it reflected all around the trinkets in the room, posters from musicians, paintings, images of planets, crystals and religious imagery of various cultures were scattered around the room. Strangely, it all fit nicely together. In front of them, their Aunt was moving towards what Finn guessed was the kitchen.
“Dear, the kids are here!” Joy said, towards a woman in the kitchen. She had long dark hair in curls, her clothes were of a light blue in a strange blouse and pants. She turned and smiled at them.
“Oh, how great!” She turned the heat off from what she was cooking before coming over to them. She hugged Gwen first. “You must be Gwen and Finn, I’m Madeline, but call me Maddie. It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.” She hugged Finn, “I’ve been sharing the house with Joy for about twenty years now, so it’s good to finally know who all those letters to her sister talked about.” She turned to the government people behind them. “Gentlemen. Why don’t we all grab a seat before you leave, you arrived just on time for lunch.”
“Of course, ma’am.” One of the suits said, moving around the big table in the kitchen.
“Let me help you,” Gwen said, already moving. Maddie smiled at her before pointing her to the right places to get the plates. Finn hovered awkwardly before turning to Joy.
“I’ll get Gwen thing to her room while she sets the table, where will she be staying?” Finn asked lowly. For some reason Joy’s gaze softened.
“Come with me, I’ll show you.” She moved to the stairs. “Get your thing too, you’ll be staying the night today before moving to Hawkins tomorrow morning.”
Right, yeah… He will be separated from Gwen… He was intentionally not thinking about that.
He grabbed all the baggage with little struggle. They both had very little now. He and Gwen had sat and talked about it, deciding to sell everything in their name to make an account for their college fund. Or well, Gwen’s. Finn had very little hopes to getting to college, and even less desire to do so. Sure there had been a time where he wanted to study something related to space. He will acknowledge that until this day math and physics come very easily to him, but everything always seems so… bleak. There’s no reason to go to college and waste money that could go to Gwen’s education.
In the end they had only three bags each, mostly full of clothes and a few important trinkets. After a little maneuvering Finn managed to get to the room where he would be sleeping and where Gwen would live for the next years. It was small but comfortable, the walls were painted a light cream color, the furniture was of a dark wood and the bed had a duvet of different flowers that matched the drapes on the window. In front of the bed there was a desk, probably for studying. On the other side of the room was a built-in wardrobe and a big bookshelf with nothing in either of them.
If Finn closed his eyes, he could clearly see what it would become in the future, where each poster would go, where Gwen’s own set of tarot card would stay, her matching books, how she would organize her clothes and another million of other things she could now buy. He would need to work to send her more money to the college account, and for her to spend the way she liked. He didn’t think Joy and Madeline would neglect her in any way, but sometimes having another mouth to feed gets hard, specially a teenager.
“You can leave the stuff here near the desk.” Joy pointed, before going to the window and opening it. “We’ll need to get the spare mattress in my room, would you like to help me with it?”
“Uh, sure, I guess?”
Her room wasn’t much different from the rest of the house, the same color set, a couple of pants and the wardrobe to the side. The only difference was the bigger bed. Finn helped her get the mattress from under she used. As they brought it to Gwen’s new room Finn bit the bullet.
“So, this room was yours or Madeline’s?” The silence rung a little bit as they put the sheet in the mattress.
“Neither.” Joy finally answered. “It was a guest room. We bought a couple of new things for Gwen once the paperwork went through.”
“But there’s only one other room?”
“Yeah.”
Huh. So where did Madeline sleep? She said she has been Joy’s roommate for twenty years and— Wait.
Finns eyes widened considerably. He looked at Joy who had an nervous smile on her face.
“Oh.” He said dumbly.
“Oh?” Joy asked.
“That’s cool and all. Maybe you can paint the room,” He said nervously, switching topics. “—so Gwen feels at home. Her favorite color is purple. But she might want to decide that and all. I could help you with it when I come visit.”
“You’ll visit?” Joy asked, Finn was not looking at her face, still extremely focused on fixing his corner of the sheet.
“For sure. I mean, I can’t let my aunts have Gwen for themselves. I’m still her big brother. 1’ll do my best to come back every holiday or school break.” Finn finally got the courage to look back up, his eyes stinging with unsure tears. They were reflected in Joy’s own hazel eyes. “So, if you can keep the spare mattress somewhere for me, I would appreciate it, Aunt Joy.”
“Sure, Nephew.” She said, smiling wetly. “Now let’s finish making these beds before lunch.”
The truth is, Finn wouldn’t be so trusting of Joy, if she hadn’t trusted him before.
Finn was naturally trusting, it took a conscious effort to not simply trust everything everyone said. It was something he had to learn the hard way after his kidnapping, but with Joy, she had took the first step. A big step. And it was so nice to have someone like her in his family.
Finn knew what he was. He knew his relationship with Robin wasn’t as simple as he said it was to everyone. There was something other than friendship in there that he could never wonder about, but he still valued the friend he had made in Robin with every fiber of his being. But it was fundamentally different. It was something he could never ask if was reciprocated.
Finney the Fag didn’t start out of nowhere, after all.
Sure, at the time he didn’t want to talk about it. And even now he would rather punch his way out of the conversation than ever talk about it, but he knew he liked boy. He always knew, even if he didn’t acknowledge for the longest time, he know his mother did.
It would make sense that his mother would be so accepting of a queer son, if her sister was the same. She had never made it an issue, as long as Terrence wasn’t in the house, she would never shy away from the topics. Any question he had, about everything and anything, she would do her best to answer, or at least explain why she couldn’t answer.
Terrence wasn’t exactly homophobic either, never actually talking about it. And by the time Finn finally had the presence of mind to actually be bothered by the topic… Well, neither of them was in the best mental state to talk about it.
Finn had wondered if he could talk about it to his father someday. Almost as a test, to see if Terrence was really willing to be a father. If he wanted to be a part of Finn’s life, in anyway that would be, or if being queer would be the end of it. It was another thing Finn would forever wonder about.
Gwen, on the other hand, was something he had never even thought of telling. Not out of mistrust, but most thing he didn’t need to actually tell her. She just knew them.
However, Finn thought, from what she said in Alpine Lake, it might be better to talk to her about it someday.
“I don’t know how Gwen might react.” Finn said, grabbing the baggage and putting them on the beds. “But I think we’ll have nothing to worry about, in that front.”
“I’m glad.” Aunt Joy smiled, dusting herself as if in habit. “It would be awkward living together, otherwise.”
“I imagine.” Finn smirked. “Thank you for trusting me.” He said, serious.
“Thank you, Finn.” She said back, grasping both his hands firmly. “I want you to know you’re family, and will always be welcomed here.”
“Thanks, Aunt Joy.”
“Great, now, let’s get some grub!”
The goodbyes were sad. Finn was terrible at them, mostly because he almost always got the timing wrong.
Gwen had cried herself to sleep, after asking him if he could cuddle her like when they were children. He said yes, of course. He never again would ignore her or push her away like he did since the basement. It was one of his biggest regrets, specially now that they would be living in completely different states. So he would do his best to call her and to come visit every chance he gets. It would make a heavy dent in the savings he would build for her, but he needed it. He wouldn’t leave his sister to worry about him ever again.
So they said their goodbyes. It was mid-morning when the suits came for Finn, he hugged Aunt Joy and Maddie carefully, their conversation still on his mind, but when Gwen hugged him tightly he couldn’t help but feel his heart break.
“It will be just for a while.” Finn whispered in her ear. The hug got tighter. “I’ll graduate as soon as I can and meet you here. I’ll be here every school break I get.”
“I know. You’re smart when you want to. You got this.” She sniffed. “Doesn’t mean I won’t miss you.”
“I’m just a call away. Ernesto too, y’know?” Finn said, squeezing her sides one last time, before kissing her forehead. “I know I’m a hypocrite, but don’t shut your self out. I’m sure Aunt Joy and Maddie will be more than willing to talk about everything taboo with you, too, if your boyfriend can’t answer.”
“Shut up…” She giggled, rolling her eyes. She wiped her face from the tears before nodding at him. “Bye, Finney.”
“Bye, Gwenny.”
Letting her go, he went to the car the suits would use to get him to Indiana. Everything he owned already in the trunk. He dreaded the road, but he hated even more whatever the hell waited for him in Hawkins.
November 1st, 1983
Finn looked in the mirror, glad that at least something was going well for him in this hell-month.
After 8 months he finally had his hair in a nice length. It has been hell trying to manage the hairstyle Diane had gotten him, but damn, he could work with this. He would never had thought he would be so worried about hair, Gwen certainly laughed every time he complained about it, but it was a measure of control that it was nice to have.
He barely styled anything before moving to Hawkins, but this haircut needed this. He grabbed the Farrah Fawcett hairspray he stole from Diane and a comb before fixing the weird fringe he had. He missed his old hairstyle, but he could understand why Diane insisted on cutting it. He looked much more put together with this haircut, even if it wasn’t as short as Daniel initially wanted.
But honestly, fuck Daniel.
Finn grabbed his things in his room, another piece of his life that he could barely control, and ran downstairs. Thankfully his ‘parents’ weren’t in town this month, and the next one either. They decided to take an early vacation to Spain, staying all the way to February. Not that he minded, it gave him much needed freedom and allowed him to go see Gwen without their meddling.
He got into the beamer swiftly, speeding to Hawkins High with the same dread he did ever since his first day of classes, being in the building didn’t change much, either. At least the car was a nice thing to have. After he sold their old one, he had been stranded when he moved to Hawkins. Daniel decided to gift him an BWM, and by ‘gift’ Finn means ‘bribe’. It was a shitty deal, but one he couldn’t refuse.
A car and no supervision, in exchange of the name and performance.
“Hey, Harrington!” A voice called to the side. “Coach asked me to tell you he wants to pass some new drills today. He asked for you to talk to him during lunch, if you can.” It was Lewinsky, he was on the basketball team.
“Oh, sure, man! Thanks.” Finn said.
“No worries, dude.”
Yeah, that. Being a ‘Harrington’ was weird. It came with the small city territory, he guessed. Everyone knew him, or of him, and not in that weird way that happened in Colorado, no, it was more of the way people who were raised together knew you each other. Like they al collectively forgot that Finn wasn’t originally from Hawkins in the first place.
“Hey, Steve!” Tommy called from where he was waiting by the lockers. “Sure took your sweet time getting here today.”
“Go bother Carol, Tommy.” Finn rolled his eyes as he got near the other boy. “I’m sure she will shut you up anyway.”
“Hardy-har-har, Harrington.” Tommy snarked, moving away from the locker door anyways. “So, I was thinking—”
“—That’s never good.”
“— How about a little Harrington party this weekend, huh? Just a get together, a couple of people, some booze, music, joints—”
“Man, you always say that and then we end up with forty-five people in Lerner’s house and running from the police around three A.M.”
“This time for real! Just you, me, Carol, and whoever else you want to call! You decide!”
“Even the nerds?”
“Ugh, really Steve?!” Tommy exclaims, dramatically. “Man, you’re the only person I know who would choose to associate with those prisses.”
“What can I say, man. I need to graduate, and they are good study partners.” Finn shrugged.
“What we talkin’ about?” Carol suddenly strolled up to Tommy, her hair and make-up as perfect as ever.
“Tommy is trying to convince to have a party at my house, and not invite the people I want to. Crazy, right?”
“Normal Tuesday, I would say.” Carol smiled at his tone, before turning to her boyfriend. “I wouldn’t be able to come this weekend anyway. Mom wants me to meet her new boyfriend, so we’re all going to dinner together in a fancy restaurant he chose.”
“Oh, damn, good luck, I guess.” Tommy said, wincing slightly.
“Thanks, love.” Carol said.
“Oh, which one?” Finn asked. “Might be one I’ve worked in the summer, I can get you an in with one of the employees so you can leave the table for a bit if it gets too much.”
“Huh,” Carol blinked, before smiling. “We’re going to Larrison’s.”
“Oh, not Enzo’s?” Tommy said.
“Nop, apparently he’s not into Italian food.” She shrugged.
“Never a good sign, in my opinion.” Finn said, closing his locker and heading to his first class. “I never worked there, but I’ll ask around to see if anyone has an in there for you, Carol.”
“Thank you, Steve. You’re a sweetheart.” Carol answered, smiling in the sharp, unsettling way he adored.
“No problem. I’ll be going, now. I have bio first thing and Mr. Lansdale hates my guts.”
“See ya later man!”
“Bye, Stevie!”
That was another thing.
It was really unimaginative, but it had taken him by surprise. Diane and Daniel Harrington had just slapped the Harrington at the end of his name, the adoption paper already signed and ready to go, not even having met Finn yet. After a bit of arguing they had finally settled in a unfair deal, but enough that would get him his freedom.
He could work whenever he wanted, but he was not allowed to have notes bellow C+, preferably B and up. He would have a car in his name, but he was responsible for the gas, maintenance and whatever else it needed. He would go back to sports, both baseball and now basketball, as long as he was allowed to move freely whenever and to wherever he wanted, no questions asked. He would carry the Harrington name, and take care of their house, and not tell anyone he was adopted, as long as his bank account still had his allowance every month.
It was weird, it was unusual, but it was what worked for the Harrington's. Stephin ‘Finn’ Blake became Stephin ‘Steve’ Blake Harrington just like that. And, modesty aside, Finn executed his role perfectly.
He was captain of the swim team, captain of the basketball team, and part of the baseball team too. The last one brought a lot of bad memories, for sure, but his arm has always been one of his strengths. He was popular, he has been invited to most, if not all the parties since he arrived, had been ‘crowned’ Keg King and had meticulously taken care of his appearance and reputation in town. There was not a soul that would dare to start some shit with him. He had the backing of the reputation and name he built in the eight months he lived in Hawkins. Most people forgot he had arrived just earlier in the year.
He could care less for any of that, in the end. He had just one goal in mind, graduate to move in with Gwen and his aunts as soon as he got his diploma.
Sure, Tommy and Carol were friendly, he had been in some dates since arriving (mostly out of appearances, but whatever) and he had good enough grades now that he gave a damn about everything. But he wouldn’t hesitate to leave town as soon as he could.
Hell would open up before he would let anything in Hawkins stop Finn from reuniting with his sister.