THE HELLFIRE CLUB
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c h a p t e r t h i r t y
Time is funny. One second, you're 11 years old playing DnD in your best friend's basement, the next you're 14, getting ready for a day in high school, wondering how you'll make it through four whole years if you can't even figure out who you are now.
Or maybe, one day you're sitting at the cool lunch table for the first time, hoping and praying nobody saw through your facade, and the next you're wondering how the hell to tell your boyfriend you're moving 700 miles away for college.
Time sucked.
"Bianca, let me borrow your mascara, I'm out," Sam bursts through the door, rollers still in her hair and pajamas still on her body.
"Sam, we're supposed to be leaving in ten minutes," Bianca scolds, rummaging through her dresser to find the tube.
"I know, I know," Sam takes it, quickly applying it in the mirror. "Couldn't sleep last night."
"Again?" Bianca frowns. "Mom and Dad are gonna send you to a shrink sooner or later."
"I'm fine, okay?" Sam pauses taking out her rollers to turn to Bianca. "Don't worry about me."
"You make it so hard not to," Bianca stuffs her textbooks in her bag.
"I'm seeing Mrs. Kelly, okay? Trust me, the only problem in my life is this stupid acceptance letter."
"Most people jump for joy when they get into a crazy good art school on a huge scholarship," Bianca puts her earrings in.
"Not when you have to tell your boyfriend that you're leaving him behind to move to a city that you're not even sure you belong in."
"Didn't you love it when you went to visit Dawn over winter break?"
"Yeah, but I've lived in Hawkins my entire life," she brushes her hair back, putting half of it into a high ponytail. "Can you put this ribbon in for me?"
The brunette gets up, carefully wrapping the green piece of fabric around her hair tie.
"Which is exactly why you need to get the hell out."
"Come on, girls, you're gonna be late!"
"Shit, shit, shit!" Sam runs back to her room, putting on her cheer uniform as quickly as possible and grabbing her bookbag.
As she makes it downstairs, Bianca was already done with her breakfast, holding out Sam's coffee thermos to her.
"Thank you, let's go," she grabs a banana and her car keys, running out of the house. "I'm staying over Robin's tonight!"
"Okay! God, it's like she's always running late these days," Gianna glances at the door in amusement, as Leo chuckles.
"You know how it is. Senior year, you feel like you have all the time in the world," he smiles.
As soon as the girls make it out the door, they hop into Sam's new VW Beetle, pulling out of the driveway so fast, all anyone could see is a lavender blob.
"How do I look?" Sam glances at herself in the mirror, swerving a little bit down the empty road.
"Like you need to pay attention to the road," Bianca clutches the door handle, still not 100% confident in Sam's driving skills.
Steve's lessons helped a bunch though. At least now the neighbors weren't terrified when they saw her behind the wheel.
"You can stop clutching the car for dear life, you know. I got my license fair and square," Sam rolls her eyes.
"You got a 75."
"That's three quarters of a perfect score, I take that as a win," she shrugs, before finally getting a glance at her in the passenger seat. "You look cute."
"Thank you," Bianca grins.
"You're tutoring Tim today, aren't you?" she smirks.
"Yes, why?"
"No reason," she shakes her head.
"Don't even."
"I'm just saying, it'd be okay for you to like him. You don't have to spend the rest of your life trying to avoid offending Mike."
"What does this have to do with Mike?"
"Uh, he hates Tim, for some reason."
"Who told you that?"
"Mike did. I drove him to the arcade the other day, remember?"
"Mike hates everyone except for us, it's kinda his default emotion," Bianca rolls her eyes.
"Look, I'm just saying, don't miss out on a good thing because a part of you is still holding out for-"
"I broke up with him, end of discussion."
"Fine," Sam puts her hands up in surrender. "Just speaking from experience. You don't wanna wait around for him to grow up."
"Hands on the wheel!"
"Sorry, sorry," she winces, turning up the radio. "Oh, how convenient."
The station happened to be playing California Dreamin' by the Beach Boys, which fit perfectly considering by tomorrow afternoon, Bianca would be out of Hawkins and in Lenora Hills.
With Mike.
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Eventually, the girls make it to school just as Steve drops off Robin, prompting the girls to walk in together.
Sam leans in the window on Steve's side, a loving smile on his face as he lays his eyes on her. "Morning, baby."
"Morning," he plants a kiss on her lips. "You look pretty."
"Thank you. I had to get ready in like five minutes," she groans.
"Like a barbarian?"
"Exactly! This is my last pep rally, my last time cheering. I'm supposed to look perfect," she complains.
"You look amazing, relax," he assures. "And if anyone tries to say otherwise, they can go through me."
"My hero," she jokes, as Robin loudly sighs from the passenger seat.
"Can you continue the love fest when you're alone?"
"Sorry, Robs," Steve chuckles. "I'll pick Bumble up at 6, okay? See you tonight."
"Okay," she turns around, beginning to walk up the walkway, laughing as he whistles loudly at her retreating form.
"See you at lunch, B!" Sam waves, as Bianca runs to catch up with Max.
"God, driving with Sam feels like riding in a car that's on autopilot," Bianca shakes her head. "Sorry we couldn't pick you up today, we were totally late."
"It's fine," Max shrugs, not much emotion in her tone, which makes Bianca frown. "You ready for California?"
"I guess. I packed and everything but I feel like it's gonna be weird with Mike. We don't really talk as much as we used to."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Just hang with El."
"Yeah, I guess. Wish you were coming, though."
"Me too," she opens the door to the gym, finding their spots next to Mike and Dustin, as Sam gets all of the cheerleaders into place in the middle.
"There's no way you're saying Suzie is smarter than Bianca."
"I'm not, I'm just saying that Suzie's like, a certified genius."
"Bianca's going to NASA. Her IQ is 134."
"And yet, you still have a C in Spanish."
"Who has a C in Spanish?" Bianca questions as she sits down.
"Mike."
"My mother's gonna be very offended," she jokes. "I can help you, if you want."
"Not necessary."
The band starts to play their songs, as the cheerleaders perform their routine.
However, as Sam gets lifted into the air, her head pangs with a throbbing ache, almost throwing her off. She shakes it off for the remainder of the routine, though, executing it flawlessly.
She sits down on the floor with the rest of the cheer team as they welcome the basketball team out.
"And now for your Hawkins Tigers!"
One by one, each of the players comes running out, now accompanied by the party's very own Lucas Sinclair and Bianca's newest student, Tim Feldman.
"Good morning, Hawkins High!" Jason Carver takes the mic, making the group roll their eyes. "First off, I'd like to thank each and every one of you. Without your support, we wouldn't be here. Give yourselves a big hand."
"He realizes this isn't the NBA, right?" Bianca whispers to Max, who chuckles as they clap.
"And of course, I have to give a special shout-out to the best and the prettiest fans of all time, The Tigers Cheer Squad!
They cheer at that, smiling over at them.
"Chrissy, I love you babe," he grins, and she blows a kiss in response.
The mood slowly becomes sorrowful, however, as he continues his speech. "You know, I can speak for all of us when I say it's been a tough year for Hawkins. So much loss."
Sam looks down at his words, eyes watering just a bit at the reminder of the casualties, especially Hopper.
"Sometimes I wonder, how much loss can one community take? In dark days like this, we need something to believe in. So last night, when we were down by ten points at half to Christian Academy, I looked at my team..."
"He cannot be serious," Sam narrows her eyes, glancing over at Bianca, who was sharing a similar expression.
"I said, "Think of Jack, think of Melissa, think of Heather, think of Billy," he continues, and Bianca grabs Max's hand at the last name, looking down in sadness at the next. "Think of heroic police chief, Jim Hopper. Think about every one of our friends who perished in that fire."
"What did they die for? For us to lose to some... some crap school? No!"
"Right, because Hopper is in the afterlife watching to see if our high school is gonna win the championship game," Sam sighs, growing annoyed with this whole thing.
"For us to return home with our heads hung low in defeat? No! Let's win this game. Let's win this game for them, and that's exactly what we do."
"What does he know about loss?" Bianca sneers.
"We embarrassed those candy asses in their own house, and now tonight, tonight, we're gonna bring home the championship trophy!"
"Tonight?" Mike gasps.
"How is that possible?"
"They call it a tournament," Max explains. "You win one game, you go on to play the next until there's only one team left."
"Why? What's wrong with tonight?" Bianca furrows her eyebrows.
"Uh, Hellfire, duh."
"Oh, right."
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Once the pep rally ends, Lucas meets back up with the group sans Max as they walk back to class.
"I don't see the big deal, just talk to Eddie. Get him to move Hellfire to another night."
"Exactly, you guys are making a big deal out of nothing," Bianca agrees.
"Just talk to Eddie," Dustin scoffs.
"Why don't you just talk to your coach and get him to move the game?" Mike retorts.
"I think that's a great idea, Mike."
"Thank you, Dustin."
"This is the championship game!"
"And this is the end of Eddie's campaign!" Dustin shouts back. "A semester of adventuring has led to this moment, and we need you."
"Yeah, and the Tigers don't. You've been on the bench all year."
"Mike!" Bianca hits his arm.
"Ow! It's the truth!"
"That's not the point!"
"Please arrive at the point," Dustin sighs.
"If I get in good with these guys, I'll be in the popular crowd, and then you guys will be too."
"Bianca is Samantha Flores' sister, you don't see us sitting at the cool table, do you?" Dustin rolls his eyes.
"I'm right here, dude," she flares her hands out. "Why are you guys rejecting this so bad? It could be good for us."
"Has it ever occurred to either of you that we don't want to be popular?" Mike asks incredulously.
"So you wanna be stuck with the nerds and freaks for three more years?"
"Hey, I like being a nerd," Bianca furrows her eyebrows.
"We are nerds and freaks!" Dustin argues.
"Yeah, but maybe we don't have to be. Look, I'm tired of being bullied. I'm tired of girls laughing at us. I'm tired of feeling like a loser," he admits, and Bianca sighs, understanding exactly how he felt.
"We came to high school wanting things to be different, right?" Lucas questions, earning three nods. "So now we have that chance. I skip tonight, that's all out the window."
"He's right, you know. Sam can't protect us forever," Bianca tilts her head.
"Exactly. So I'm asking you guys, as a friend, talk to Eddie. Get him to move Hellfire. Come to my game. Please," he walks into his classroom, leaving them to ponder his words.
"You guys better be there," Bianca threatens with a glare, heading to biology.
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a/n: can't believe it's been over a yr since s4