crazy kid | r. buckley

*ii.

ASSHOLES AND SUNGLASSES

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ It's the next morning and also Gina's first day of school.

She wanted to drive her car, but anything Gina wanted to do, Neil didn't want her to do, so he made the three kids ride to school with Billy. That's torture enough.
    
Of course, Billy needs to play the most annoying heavy metal music at full blast the entire ride. Not to mention with the windows rolled down at seven in the morning.
    
Max somehow got out of having to ride with Billy and left for school early. But unlucky for Gina, she has to ride with Billy.
    
He pulls into the school parking lot, revving the engine like he needs any more attention than he already has.
    
Before the car even stops Gina is already walking towards the front door of the school, weaving between mobs of teenagers and teachers.
    
She catches glimpse of a girl with brown chin-length curly hair staring at her and Billy as he revs the engine again. The girl's eyebrows furrow as she watches Billy walk into school. Surprising, another girl in love with him.

Gina keeps her headphones on as she walks through the hallways, not being careful in hiding the glares she gives the cheerleaders with awful perms.

—

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ As Gina sat in class, paying no attention to the monotonous droning from the teacher, her eyes travel to a girl with red hair, who's twisting a shiny strand of it between her fingers.
    
Unluckily for Gina, who she could only assume as this girl's boyfriend is staring right back at her.  He tries to look intimidating, cocking his neck and raising his eyebrows, but Gina's seen more frightening eight-year-old's.
    
She gives him a look, watching as his freckled face grew sour and looked away from her.

What an asshole.

—

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ Once the bell rings, Gina is the first person out of that door; she does not need anything to get her noticed on the first day.

Walking through a doorway, another girl is handing out orange sheets of paper to everyone, giving two to the same girl with curly hair Gina saw earlier, and as Gina passed her, the girl looked her up and down before handing her a paper. Guess she's cool enough to go to the cool kid party. What an achievement.

'Come and get sheet faced', is what the invitation says, wow, that's clever.

Stopping at her locker, Gina pays no attention to the kid in sunglasses making out with the girl from earlier.

Gross.

Gina suppresses an eyeroll when the freckled kid leans up against the locker next to hers, still trying to act intimidating, doesn't work when you're barely five foot, hate to break it to you.

"Who are you?"

"Why do you care?"

"You were staring at my girlfriend in class just now," the kid says, each word more annoying than the last.

"Okay, I'm going to tell you this, and you're going to promise not to tell anyone," Gina says with fake urgency, lowering her voice as the kid leans closer. "I don't give a shit."

"What are you, a dyke?"

Gina's about to punch him right here, but then the girl with red hair shows up out of nowhere and tries to pull the boy away. "Tommy, let's go."

Tommy? What is he, five?

Tommy follows the girl away, giving Gina a glare before he turns his back.

Gina slams her locker shut as another boy basically sneaks up on her, the one wearing the obnoxious sunglasses with the weird hair.

"Don't let him bother you, he's a dick," the kid advises as if he's doing a favor in telling Gina. "You new?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, I am part of the welcoming committee, so," he says, leaning against the lockers.

Gina narrows her eyes. "Does the uniform require the sunglasses, or are you just dumb?"

"No, my name's Steve, actually. You?"

Gina shifts her weight to her other foot. "Gina."

"Cool." Steve gives a glance to the orange paper in Gina's hand. "See you at the party."

—

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ The school day was full of awkward introductions and mean glares from Gina, but after being stuck inside all day, Gina decides to walk into town and see what Hawkins has to offer.

Walking past an old movie theater, she spots Tommy with his girlfriend hanging around the alleyway.

Only remembering what Tommy said to her this morning, she marches down the alley with her fists clenched at her sides.

"Someone's angry!" Tommy hollers from down the alley. "You here for me, or for Carol? Either way, neither of us wa—"

Gina cut him off by her fist colliding with his nose, Tommy immediately stumbling back, clutching his face.

"Bitch!" he yells, running forward, ready to swing at her.

Gina ducks, making the counterpunch right in his face, making him stumble backwards again.

He recovers quickly and for the second Gina doesn't have her eyes on him, he swings at her face, hitting her clean on her left eye.

As she tries to recover from the hit, Tommy uses this as an opportunity to hit her more, giving her a busted lip and a scratch on her cheek.

Both kids immediately scramble to run once they hear police sirens and feet running towards them.

Gina's in such a state of shock that she doesn't realize the car coming down the road as she runs across.

The car slams on the breaks, the headlights blinding Gina as she stands there like a deer. The drivers side door opens and out comes...Seth? Wait, not Seth. Steve!

"Holy shit, Gina, what happened?" Steve shouts as if it isn't the first time he asked.

"That motherfucker!" Gina yells pointing her bloodied finger towards the alley. "That asshole Tommy!"

Steve looks incredulous. "I told you to stay away from him, didn't I?"

Gina glares at him. "First of all, you're not my mom, second of all he called me a..."

"A what?"

"Nothing, I'm going home." Gina turns and starts to walk away from the car, immediately being stopped by Steve.

"No, I'll drive, it's late."

Steve practically drags Gina into the backseat of his car, which starts an insanely awkward drive with the brown-haired girl, who Gina assumes is his girlfriend.
    
During the ride, Gina hears Steve call the girl Nancy a few times, and she's glad to have a name to a face, even if it might not be a friendly face.
    
Steve pulls up in front of Gina's house and before he could say anything, she was already inside, trying to hide the black eye brewing on her face.
    
Hawkins, Indiana, the home of assholes and guys who wear sunglasses inside.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇
so basically this s2 isn't technically canon to s3/s4/s5 bc i started out writing s3 and gina didn't know anyone. i considered changing s3 but ultimately im too lazy, so if you want to consider s2 canon, go right ahead

lowk forgot gina's gay and almost shipped her and steve. whoops.

also do yall like this format????? tbh i like it better bc it gives real book but if u don't like it i can change it back easy peasy

4/20/24