(please vote/comment if you're reading this!!<3)
The following morning, you have 2 different outfits laid out on your bed, struggling to decide which one to wear to school today. After all, this was going to be the first time people saw you as your new and improved self, you wanted to look good but not stand out from the crowd too much; you didn't need to draw anymore attention to yourself than you already had in the previous weeks. You leave the outfits thrown across your bedspread while you go for a quick shower, brush your teeth, do your morning skincare, add a little makeup; your usual morning routine.
As you come back into your room, wrapped in a towel with your hair dripping down onto your shoulders, you opt for the more casual outfit of the two, black jeans, a white t-shirt with a black leather belt and you'll put on your new black lace up boots too. You pull the towel from your body and wrap it around your wet hair. You dress yourself in the chosen outfit and check yourself out in the mirror, you feel like it's too plain and boring with the white tee. You pull open one of your drawers and begin to rummage through to pick out a different t-shirt. A black, oversized tee with red graphics on the front catches your eye, you yank it out of the drawer of which it was tightly squeezed at the back of. This must be Eddie's, you think to yourself. It's his Harley Davidson t-shirt and it's been in your drawer for more years than you can remember. You replace the plain white tee for this one and instantly feel better about the outfit, after all, friends can share clothes right? Eddie has probably forgotten all about this t-shirt so you're sure he won't even notice that it is his when he sees you this morning.
You blow dry your hair and allow it to rest naturally on your shoulders, not bothering to style it in any particular way. You add a couple of gold necklaces around your neck from your jewellery box before wrapping the leather belt around your waist and securing it at the front. Eddie's tee is quite big on you, coming down to around your mid thigh, it would make a good t-shirt dress but that's not the look you're going for so you tuck it into your jeans instead. You twist your body around in the mirror to check yourself from all angles. You know the outfit isn't crazy and over the top but it is a huge difference from what you would typically wear to school so you're a little nervous for how all the students of Hawkins are going to react when they see you. You take a deep breath to calm your nerves before spritzing yourself in some musky, slightly cherry scented perfume and making your way out of your bedroom towards the front door.
As per usual, there's a low hum of rock music blaring from the van parked at the foot of your drive. The driver standing leaning his shoulder against it with a lit cigarette hanging from his lips, watching you as you sling your back pack over your shoulder and shout bye to your mom, closing the front door of your home behind you. He's squinting at you, more specifically at the top that you're wearing.
"Uh excuse me Miss Y/L/N, do I recognise that tee from somewhere?" He points directly at your chest as you approach.
"What, this old thing?" You ask, motioning to the top you're wearing, "oh I must've got it in a yard sale or something." You wink at him, stealing the cigarette from his mouth and putting it to your own lips, taking a long draw and blowing the smoke up into the morning sky.
"Hmmm yeah... sure you did." He smirks knowingly before opening the passenger door for you as usual and then running round the front of the van and taking his seat at the drivers side. You reach for the volume knob on the stereo and turn it right up, deafeningly loud. Eddie laughs at you, shaking his head, before reaching over and pulling his cigarette back from your mouth and putting it back to his.
"Oi you, I was smoking that!" You tell him crossly as he drives off towards Hawkins High.
"This one was mine, princess. Get your own." He says as he tosses you a pack of Marlboro from his jeans pocket. You oblige and slip a cigarette from the packet, placing it between your slightly glossed lips and lighting the end before tossing the pack of cigs and the lighter onto the dash, rolling your window down slightly to blow the smoke out.
Arriving in his usual spot in the parking lot, he kills the engine and hops out, opening your door for you like the gentleman he is. He locks his van and pockets the keys.
"You know that t-shirt looks way better on you than it ever did me, princess." He tells you, looking you up and down admiringly. Princess, the pet name sent a shiver down your spine and a surge of heat to your cheeks.
"I'll be keeping it then." You tell him with a wink, you spot Chrissy pulling up so you hold back a bit to wait on her so you can walk in together. Eddie also spots Gareth walking through the parking lot so he shouts him over. It's time to get these two to agree to hanging out this weekend, you think to yourself.
"Morning, sunshine!" Eddie sings mockingly to Chrissy who replies,
"Heyyy, what's up guys?" sweetly as you gives you a swift hug, "loving the outfit by the way Y/N!" She tells you, nudging your shoulder with hers.
"Why thank you!" You say with a quick twirl.
"But I don't remember you buying that t-shirt yesterday, I must've missed that one." She says, eyeing up the top.
"That's because it's not bought, it's stolen.." You admit with a cheeky grin appearing on your face, gesturing your hand towards Eddie.
"Ohhhh.." Chrissy says, knowingly, "you really do suit Eddie's tee." She winks at you.
"So, this weekend. What's the plan guys? StarCourt?" Eddie asks you, Chrissy and Gareth who has now joined the group.
"I'm in." You reply instantly.
"Oh I don't know I might be busy.." Says Chrissy, hesitantly.
"I have plans." Says Gareth, sharply. Eddie stops in his tracks and turns to face them both, placing a hand on each of their shoulders to stop them from walking any further. Oh boy, you think to yourself, here we go.
"Come onnnn," Eddie moans, "what could be more important than hanging with me and Y/N at the mall? Ice cream, maybe a movie or something? Don't be killjoys." Eddie tells them, sternly. Gareth shakes his head and tries to walk off.
"Gareth....You know how you've always wanted to do a guitar solo at one of our gigs..." Eddie teases, this stops Gareth in his tracks and he instantly becomes interested in what Eddie has to say, watching him closely.
"Wellllll, if you oblige and hang out with us this weekend, consider it done. Your wish is my command." Eddie tells him with a smug smirk across his face, bowing down theatrically in front of Gareth.
"Wait, are you serious?" Gareth asks, sure he doesn't really want to hang out at the mall with you and Chrissy but he does however, desperately want that guitar solo.
"I'm serious. You can do the solo." Eddie tells him with a big grin and it's enough to win Gareth over, easily.
Now it's your turn to convince Chrissy, who is stood beside you with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, she knows what's coming and she's hoping your bribe is as good as Eddie's.
"Chrissy... If you also agree to hang with us then.." you try to think of something to convince her with. "Then you can stake your claim on any item of clothing from my old wardrobe." You tell her, smiling widely as you think this will do the trick. It does. Her eyes instantly shoot wide and her teeth glow as she has a huge grin on her face,
"Wait.... Even that one silky pink slip dress that I know you loved so much?" She asks you, unable to contain the excitement in her voice.
"It is all yours." You tell her and she practically tackles you to the ground as she jumps on you and then starts jumping up and down clapping her hands excitedly.
"So that's a yes? You'll come too?" You ask her, laughing at her reaction.
"I'll be there!" She tells you.
"Good, so we are sorted then. Let's say, 12 o'clock? Meet you guys there?" You ask the 3 of them and they all nod.
All four of you begin walking into school now as the bell rang out loudly for the beginning of the day. Eddie tugs at your hand and pulls you to walk beside him, giving you a cheeky smile and booping your nose with his finger. He links his arm with you as you walk the narrow hallway, full of kids; pushing your way through the crowds to your locker. You had honestly forgotten about your outfit until you noticed the other students had started staring and whispering to each other, you looked down and suddenly remembered. You almost felt embarrassed, clearly you stuck out like a sore thumb and you were beginning to feel anxious.
Eddie could instantly notice the change in your demeanour, he pulled you tighter to his side and whispers in your ear,
"They're only staring cause you look fucking insanely hot Y/N. Take it as a compliment, sweetheart."
Sweetheart, these pet names were going to be the death of you. You glance up and into Eddie's deep chocolate eyes and smile at him for his reassuring words. You may not believe them, but they did ease your anxiety a little. This is your new beginning, you remind yourself of how confident these new clothes make you feel and you hold your head high, trying to ignore the stares and whispers of your classmates.
The next few days consist of school, cheer practice with Chrissy and then hanging out with Eddie at your house each night, helping him complete any homework he had received through the week. Your mom and dad don't mind Eddie spending so much time at your house every night, they had missed his presence so much they were really grateful to have him around again and they didn't want to take it for granted. Wayne was more than happy for Eddie to be spending so much time with you. He hadn't noticed any empty beer bottles in Eddie's room since he had started hanging with you again and he also hadn't had nearly as many calls from the school to complain about his behaviour or lecture about Eddie not completing his homework. Clearly you were a good influence on Eddie in all aspects of his life.
The Hellfire Club boys had also noticed a huge difference in Eddie, he was always in a good mood and was rarely seen without a big cheeky grin plastered across his face. He was more fun to be around and was having less angry outbursts than usual, he had even managed to bite his tongue when some rude remarks were made by jocks towards him, instead of reacting how he usually would and punching them in the jaw, he laughed it off. He seemed very chilled out and genuinely happy. The boys all knew this seemingly new version of the Eddie was all down to you. They all kind of suspected that Eddie maybe had deeper feelings towards you than that of a friendly nature but none of them dared to bring that up to him.
Chrissy had also noticed a difference in you, not just in the way you dressed. She felt like you were almost a new person, but in a good way. She felt like she was seeing the true and authentic you now that you had begun to find yourself. Chrissy was always hinting or making little comments about you and Eddie, she was not convinced you pair were 'just friends', at least not for much longer, she thought to herself. Chrissy was actually really enjoying sitting with the Hellfire boys at lunchtime too which had taken her by surprise. She felt completely comfortable around them and like she didn't need to hold back or act a certain way; something she had always felt when sitting at the cheer/jock table. You both now felt like part of the Hellfire club, despite not playing the game, the boys made you welcome anyway. Dustin had even offered to teach you both how to play and you were definitely considering his offer but unfortunately cheerleading and schoolwork kept both you and Chrissy busy and you didn't really have much time to spare for DnD.