In November of 1985, you move to Hawkins, Indiana for your senior year of high school. Having been an outcast at your old school and still dealing with the anxiety and depression that came with it, you're hoping for a fresh start. Little do you know...
You and Eddie arrived at your house. You walked in and were greeted by your mom, "How was school today?" she asked casually.
"It was fine" you responded blankly like a typical teenager. You started to head towards the stairs when you heard your dad's voice and stopped in your tracks.
"Now hold on a minute, let me meet this man that my daughter is spending all her time with" your dad said sternly. Your stomach dropped. You wanted to postpone this moment as long as possible, but surprisingly Eddie was not as hesitant as you were.
"Hi Mr. Y/N, I'm Eddie, great to meet you" said Eddie as he outstretched his hand to your dad.
Your dad grasped Eddie's hand firmly while looking him up and down, seeming to assess his worth. Your dad released Eddie's hand and said, "Well, you kids should be back down here by 5:30 for your mother's dinner". He then sat back down in his chair in the living room.
You weren't sure if the lack of conversation was a good or bad thing, but you were just happy the moment was over. You beckoned Eddie to follow you up to your room. You walked in with Eddie and closed the door, "Sorry about my dad" you said apologetically.
"Don't be, I've learned to expect some sort of judgement from adults, especially fathers when I hang out with their daughters" Eddie said casually.
"Oh, so you meet a lot of fathers?" you jokingly questioned.
Eddie blushed, "That's not what I meant" he said innocently. "I just meant that when you look and act like me, you get used to it, that's all".
You felt bad for Eddie, but you also understood. You weren't exactly Mrs. Popular at your old school. You knew that people said things behind your back and judged you too quickly.
As the conversation came to a lull, Eddie began to look around your room. You couldn't help but feel vulnerable in that moment. Eddie's eyes went to your bookshelf. He walked over and started rifling through the novels that you had organized so very carefully. "Nancy Drew, really?" Eddie said teasingly.
"Yeah, I definitely went through a phase in middle school" you said with an embarrassed laugh.
"Don't worry, you redeemed yourself" Eddie said as he pulled out a book, The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein. "This is one of my favorite books" Eddie said with a smile as he looked at the cover.
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"It's been quite a while since I read that one, I should definitely add it to my list to read next" you said genuinely.
"Let's start now", Eddie said looking at you with a smile as he opened the cover. He patted the bed signaling for you to sit next to him. He began to read and you were hypnotized. His voice was so calming. You were leaning back a bit and gazing at him as he read the well-written words.
Eddie began to lean back as well, now only holding the book open with one hand. Your hands brushed each other and you felt a joy bubble up inside of you. Eddie began to slow the pace of his reading and gradually became quiet. He looked back at you. Looking into Eddie's deep brown eyes, you felt such comfort. Your bodies started to get closer, all while still looking into each other's eyes. Your faces were only a few inches away from each other when there was a knock at your door.
Your mom's face popped in and she said, "Dinner's ready" with a smile. She then also added, "You know, Y/N, you really shouldn't have your door closed with a boy over" before she turned around and went back downstairs.
"Ugh, mom, you are so embarrassing!" you shouted to her as she walked away. You looked at Eddie, "Well, we should probably head down there".
"Good, I'm getting hungry" Eddie said enthusiastically.
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The dinner conversation was what you would expect for when a girl brings a boy over for dinner for the first time. Eddie was being bombarded by questions from both your mom and dad...
"So what do your parents do, Eddie?" your dad asked.
"Well my parents aren't really around. It's just me and my uncle, Wayne. He worked at the plant" Eddie responded.
"Oh, well it's nice that you have your uncle" your mom responded kindly. "What do you like to do in your free time?" you mom asked trying to move onto a new subject.
Eddie cleared his throat and said, "Um, I spend a lot of time reading and listening to music, mainly metal, as well as a lot of time working on campaigns for dungeons and dragons, I'm a dungeon master".
"Oh great", you heard your dad mumble under his breath.
"Well it sounds like you and Y/N have a lot in common" your mom said to Eddie.
Dinner continued with the questions and the uncomfortable feeling growing inside of you. After dinner, Eddie offered to help your mom clean up which you thought was really sweet of him. Meanwhile, you dad pulled you into the living room.
"Listen, Y/N, I just want what is best for you," your father began with, "and I just don't want you to be seen as an outcast your whole life. I worry that if you spend more time with this boy then it will only make things worse. I'm also not sure I trust him with you".
You weren't surprised by your dad's thoughts, but you were disappointed. "Dad, I understand you want to protect me, but I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm 18 and can make my own decisions. I'm doing what makes me happy and I just wish you could see that". Once you were done responding to your dad, before he could say anything else, you walked back to the kitchen to help your mom and Eddie finish cleaning up.
Shortly after finishing with the clean up, Eddie said that he should probably get going, which, although you didn't want him to leave, agreed that it was probably best for now. You walked Eddie to his van.
Before getting in, Eddie looked at you and said "I had a nice time with you tonight, Y/N. Maybe next time you can come to my place?".
"I would love that" you replied gladly.
"Awesome, well I'll see you tomorrow at school" Eddie said as he got in his van and then drove off leaving you standing in your yard waving goodbye.
