[ Steve smiles, ducking his head almost shyly before he sets down the blunt on an ashtray on a nearby side table. He takes a deep breath and leans forward over his knees. ] Hawkins is definitely not going to be the same without you.

[ It's probably more than a little tragic that he only has two friends his own age and with Eddie leaving that will narrow it down to one. The only silver lining is that knowing that Eddie's out there in the world somewhere - in California - means that he has somewhere to go when everyone else eventually leaves Hawkins. He refuses to be a townie for the rest of his life. Former Basketball Captain and has been. He wants more than that. ] We'll lie low until we can get you to Indianapolis and fly you to San Francisco. Do you want me to let your uncle know? If this is upside down shit, then it's only a matter of time before the government's involved. They bug everything, so you probably shouldn't call or see him yourself. But I can give him a message for you.