C h a p t e r 1
FIRST DAY BACK
TULIP HENDERSON TOOK in her appearance with analyzing eyes, turning sideways in her body length mirror to brush down the edges of her dress. She wanted to look nothing short of perfect today.
"Seriously?" She groaned, patting down the unattractive frizz of her hair as she tried to keep her curly braid in place.
She had pinned it to her head with a few stray pieces of hair to frame her face. She needed everything to look amazing for her first day of school.
"You look pretty," a voice spoke from behind her.
Tulip turned her head, seeing Dustin giving her a small nod. She turned back towards her mirror, "I think I gained weight over the summer," she worried.
Dustin rolled his eyes, walking into her room, sitting on the edge of her bed, "Trust me, Tulip, you didn't," he reassured her.
She pursed her lips before brushing her curly hair out of her eyes, "Thanks, Dusty," she breathed out, "you ready to go?"
Dustin groaned, "I don't wanna go to school," he cried dramatically, flopping over his sister's remade bed.
Tulip rolled her eyes, "Neither do I, okay? Listen, how about you and me make it through the first day of school and I'll take you to the diner and we can eat whatever we want tonight?"
Dustin perked up, pushing himself from his sister's bed, "Milkshakes included?"
Tulip gave her brother an obvious look as she grabbed her satchel, "What else would we get?" She scoffed, "Water?"
Dustin laughed at Tulip's grossed out face. He knew his sister despised water, stating it was far too bland for her "exquisite" taste buds... meaning she'd much rather drink carbonated sugar than anything else.
"Now, get out of my room," Tulip told him, shooing him to the door.
Dustin made his way out of Tulip's room, letting her shut the door before they both kissed their mother goodbye.
"Have a great day!" She called after them.
"We will!" They called in unison, stepping out of their house.
"See ya later, Dusty!" Tulip called, slipping into her mother's car as her brother mounted his bike.
He gave her a stern salute before biking away from the house, and towards war.
Tulip released a short puff of air, "Please, God, let today not completely suck."
Please.
•
Tulip finished up the final touches of her lipstick, giving herself a nervous smile before pushing herself from her car. Loud rock music blared from the speakers of an oncoming car, and Tulip nearly sneered at the obvious carelessness of the driver.
She released an annoyed puff as she grabbed her satchel, slamming her car door shut. She tapped her foot as she patiently waited for hot wheels to step out of his car. Tulip rose a brow at the attractiveness of the boy that pushed himself from his car, her mouth dried slightly as she scanned his muscled form.
Whoa, she internally glitched.
Her eyes rose from scanning his body, catching sight of the lit cigarette caught between his lips.
His appeal suddenly lessened, and the two caught eyes, causing the boy to smirk at her smugly. Tulip rolled her eyes at the cockiness of the new kid, locking her car before making her way past the new guy to catch up with Steve and Nancy.
"Where ya goin', cutie?" The new guy called with a smirk tilting his lips. "I haven't even introduced myself!"
Tulip threw a glance at the boy from over her shoulder, "Let's keep it that way, hot wheels," she told him, turning away to look back towards Nancy and Steve.
"Hot wheels, huh?" The new kid grinned as he flicked his cigarette. "I like it."
Oh, take a hint, Tulip wanted to yell, finally reaching Steve and Nancy.
"Why hello there, couple of the century," Tulip grinned, nudging Nancy with her shoulder. "Have you seen the new guy?"
"Seen, smelled, and heard," Nancy listed. "He's not very subtle," she told her friend, smiling up at Steve when he threw his arm over her shoulders.
Tulip released a faux gag, "Okay, I said you two were cute, stop piling it on," she complained, walking into the building with her friends. "I might have to gouge my eyes out before we even make it to first period."
"Shut up," Nancy laughed, pushing her friend away.
Tulip rose her hands in surrender, "I'm just saying, PDA is a serious offense here," she told the two, her face falling as the first bell from hell rang. "Oh, God, please take me into your warm embrace now," she pleaded, earning laughs from both Steve and Nancy.
•
"Tulip, you have to come!" Tina pleaded, handing Tulip a flyer for a Halloween party right as she exited her first class. "It'll be the party of the year!"
"Maybe because it's the only party that's been thrown all year," she told Tina, taking the flyer with her as she made her lonely trek down the school halls.
"Umm, actually, Tommy H. had a pool party this summer!" Tina yelled to Tulip's retreating form. "It—it was crazy!"
Tulip shook her head as she giggled, Tommy H. could not throw a party for his life. In fact, he had thrown a party this summer, but he had also forgot to mention his father, well known snitch of Hawkins, Indiana, wasn't actually out of town. He had ended up coming home early and the entire town heard about who was there.
Needless to say, a lot of people were grounded that week. It was most definitely not the party of the year.
"I missed you."
"Its been an hour," a giggly voice laughed.
"Exactly."
Tulip rounded one of the hallway corners, seeing Steve and Nancy sucking face. Big time.
"Oh, dear God, seriously? You two have no class," she insulted.
"Oh, you're just jealous, Tulip," Steve teased her, taking a moment to catch his breath. "It's alright, you'll find someone... eventually."
Nancy gasped, slapping Steve's arm as Tulip stuck her tongue out at him.
"Unlike Nancy, I much prefer someone with... layers," Tulip emphasized with a grin.
Steve scoffed, "I have layers," he said. "Right, Nance?"
Nancy opened her mouth to answer, though Tulip was quick to cut in, "You don't have to lie just because he's your boyfriend, Nancy. The guys about as interesting as the Celestial Tea commercial," she laughed.
Nancy couldn't help but gasp again before loud laughs fell from her, Steve sharing an offended look with both girls as they laughed over his misfortune.
"Ouch," Steve put a hand to his chest. "I'm—I am hurt, Henderson."
He went back to canoodling with Nancy, and Tulip rolled her eyes, moving to catch up with where Johnathan had walked off too.
"Wanna grab lunch?" She wondered, slowly beginning to walk with him down the hall.
He coughed, "Um, I'm not very hungry," he told her, avoiding conversation as he looked down at his hands.
Him and Tulip didn't talk much, he really only talked to Nancy when it came to the kids at school.
Tulip chewed on her bottom lip, "Y'know, just because we didn't nearly die together, doesn't mean we can't be friends... Unless that's, like, an unknown pact, or something. Because in that case, I think I'll have to pass," she laughed lightly, grinning towards Johnathan.
Johnathan couldn't fight the amused grin sliding onto his lips, Tulip warmed up at this, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a smile!" She cheered, bumping into into someone, "Whoa, sorry."
"Oh, don't mention it, beautiful," the new kid grinned, "next time you might have to take me to dinner for compensation, though. Y'know, two times in one day might be a sign."
Tulip and Johnathan watched as he sent a sensual wink to Tulip before continuing his walk down the hall, an arrogant swagger polluting the air around him.
"As if," Tulip scoffed under her breath.
She turned back to see Johnathan walking away from her, and she groaned, "Why do you make it so hard to be friends with you, Byers?" She complained, deciding to leave him alone for now.
•
"So, Dusty, what do we have on the menu for tonight?"
Dustin skimmed through the menu, pursing his lips, "The usual, madam," he told his sister.
Tulip nodded, handing the waitress their menus, "The usual with two extra chocolatey chocolate shakes, Wendy," she smiled at the woman.
Wendy nodded, excusing herself before leaving the siblings to their own. Dustin looked at his sister's bright smile and frowned, "Why the hell were you gifted with perfect teeth and I'm stuck here looking like this?"
Tulip glanced back at her brother, rolling her eyes, "My teeth aren't perfect, Dustin. Besides, I think you look great," she said, sipping her coke. "Plus, you have teeth, they're just... late coming in."
Tulip had an unhealthy addiction to sugar, though the events of last year have left her with little care about her diet.
Dustin rolled his eyes, "I know I look great, but I'd have looked even better if all my teeth were in already. I could have given everyone a run for their money years ago."
"Wow, you're getting more and more full of yourself as the years progress, Dustin Henderson," Tulip laughed, thanking Wendy as she set their milkshakes onto the table.
Dustin took a long sip of his milkshake, shrugging, "And it's still a mystery as to how we're related because you just keep on regressing."
Tulip gasped, chucking a salty fry at her brother, offended, "I'll have you know, that ever since last year when those crooked cops were around every corner sticking their noses in everything, I have become quite the bad-a," she said smugly.
Kinda... mentally.
Dustin gave his sister a blank look, "You can't even let loose enough to actually say a cuss word, therefor not badass," he reminded her, stuffing a handful of fries into his mouth.
Tulip narrowed her eyes, "I'll have you know that you don't have to cuss to be cool!"
Dustin rolled his eyes, "Okay, fine, what's the last cool thing you've done then?"
"I... I accepted an invitation to a Halloween bash," Tulip quickly replied, squinting slightly, "well, technically I took it and said maybe, but I still accepted the flyer."
Dustin shook his head at his sister, "You have not earned your badge of badassery yet."
Tulip rolled her eyes, "Neither have you," she grumbled, pouting as she took a sip of her own milkshake. "And that's not even a word."
Dustin was offended.
"Wha—yes, I have! Tulip, I fought a demogorgon!" He cried, gaining odd looks from the customers around him.
"You ran from a demogorgon, and Eleven protected you!" She hissed. "That seems like the least bad-a thing to do."
Dustin huffed, eating the food Wendy had recently delivered, "You're ridiculous. I can't take anyone that says 'bad-a' serious."
"Why not? Is it because I am a bad-a?"
"You are not a bad-a! You..." Dustin began ranting on the lack of badassery in his sister and she watched him closely, ready to come back at him ten times harder.
The pair didn't end up leaving for another couple of hours, even going as far as to argue on the ride home. Neither one truly got their point across, but a valiant effort was put forth from both ends.
••••••••
{ Author's Note }
I know, I know, this chapter wasn't long at all, but trust me when I tell you there are some much MUCH longer than this as the story progresses.
And now we have a little more insight on Tulip and her character, so what do you think so far? Huh? Any qualities you already do and don't like?
Anyway, next update will be next week, so until then, everybody!
💗Don't forget to comment and vote! 🌷