Teenage Dirtbag (Eddie Munson x OC)

Homecoming

Minutes later, Jackie had packed her bags and split out of her room to catch a bus to Hawkins. Just last year, Jackie was on the cheer squad with Chrissy. She had told the coach that Chrissy was next up and the best idea for next year's captain. That sweet, soft-spoken girl was kind and gains the respect of the underclassmen. She was giggly and bright, so full of life. While she sat on the bus, she snapped at the blue elastic that wrapped around her wrist and reflected on her old friend. It was crazy to imagine that within seconds, she was gone- killed.

She got off at the bus stop, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, and clicked play on her Walk-Man. Her feet pounded against the ground as she walked down the sidewalk of Hawkins, ignoring the other pedestrians.

Rounding the corner, she found herself in the Family Video parking lot, running towards the door. She threw the glass doors open, seeing Steve and Robin at the front desk in their green vests and jackets.

The two friends gasped at once. "Jackie!"

Jackie rolled her eyes, taking her headphones off. "Surprised you guys didn't roll out the red carpet."

Robin and Steve both ran out from behind the front counter, nearly knocking over the shelves of VHS tapes beside them. "We missed you!" Robin exclaimed, squeezing her arms around the girl.

"I missed you too, Robin-" Then Steve joined in, nearly squeezing the air out of her lungs as they both embraced her. "Hello, Harrington."

Steve pulled away. "Holy shit, you got here fast, I mean- when did you find out? A few hours ago?"

She shrugged, dropping her duffle bag on the floor in front of the counter. "All I did was hop on a bus."

"How's college? Is it good- is it good to be away from Hawkins?" Robin blabbered on and on. "Are the classes really that hard? Teachers are always talking about how stuff won't fly in college and to be honest it's starting to freak me out."

Jackie shrugged. "Purdue is fine. And it's not that hard. Most of my professors don't care that much or show hungover."

Her eyes widened. "Awesome."

Steve shook his head, ignoring Robin's slew of off-topic questions. "Are you okay? I know you knew Chrissy."

That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? Truth is, Jackie felt a little too shocked to be devastated yet. The feeling of someone being around for one moment and then completely gone the next is something that she has yet to get used to, much to her surprise. She thinks that by now, she should be aware of the feeling. But it always shocks her. And now, between everything else going on in her life, Chrissy's death- unfortunately- made her feel more scared than anything else as of now.

"I'm okay," She sighed and took her wool-lined jacket off of her back and dropped it on top of her duffel bag, leaving her in just her t-shirt and jeans, exposing her skin to the cool air. A tired hand ran over her face. "So what do we know about her death so far?"

"Well, it definitely wasn't an accident," Robin blurted out, moving behind the counter.

"Yeah," Steve agreed, following her. "According to the news, it's pretty crazy. Happened in a trailer park. Turn the TV on," He motioned to the remote that rested on the shelf to the left of Jackie. "Doesn't matter what channel. It's on all of them."

Jackie walked over to the shelf, picked up the large, black remote, and aimed at the TV, pressing the red rubber button at the top. The TV screen flashed on, showing a woman holding a microphone. Jackie squinted at the screen, listening closely and watching intently as she spoke, and moved behind the counter to stand with Robin and Steve.