OCTOBER 30th, 1984 / HAWKINS, INDIANA
I had always enjoyed the Halloween season when I was younger. The ability to dress up and pretend to be someone else to earn candy while having my own hour or two of freedom was heaven to me. As I grew older, I continued to have likings toward it, but everything changed when I became a senior. Pretending to be someone else wasn't a single day event anymore.
It was my life.
"Stop!" I held my breath, keeping in formation with the other cheerleaders around me as our Coach Duke glared at all of us. He was a muscular man in his thirties, obsessed with perfection. Throughout high school, I always managed to avoid him like the plague. Now I was forced to be around him every sixth period and allow him to stare me down with condescending remarks every time I made a mistake. "Holloway!" I released my breath as Heather, a row in front of me, wilted, her arms falling to her side in defeat as she tried to hold back tears. "We're counting in eighths, not sevenths! Get it through your head!"
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again!" Duke shook his head in annoyance, swirling his hand around once to signal us to start again.
"I was so scared that was going to be me," Diana Crossby whispered to me, a relieved smile on her face. I had always seen her around during my years at Hawkins High, but the two of us never became friends until the beginning of senior year. What a time to grow close to someone. Her dark brown hair had been brushed into a high ponytail with a large bow holding it in place, and I could smell the perfume she had sprayed into it before school burning my nose. "I almost twisted my ankle landing a cartwheel."
"He'll never yell at us as long as Charity calls us her friends," I pointed, whispering back. I tightened my own ponytail, wincing as my hair was pulled almost out of my scalp. I couldn't help but look at Charity as we restarted, the head of the triangle formation we were keeping. Unlike Diana, I had known who Charity Green was before joining her team. She was... a bitch. Teachers would always ooh and ahh over the innocent blonde girl who spent hours every weekend volunteering around town while the student body would steer clear out of her path. If she wanted something, she would get it before anyone could even question it. All of the underclassmen looked up to her like a goddess, and to be somehow related to her meant you were at the top of the food chain.
"That's because she screwed him sophomore and junior year." Diana's head whipped back into place as she passed me, jumping into a split along with two other girls. I followed along a few seconds later, praying my shirt would lift too high and show off the claw scars I had received almost a year prior. I could feel my necklace rubbing against my skin. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two familiar figures walk by the open gym doors, laughing to themselves. Steve glanced over and caught eyes with me, giving me a sad look before running back to Nancy. I thought senior year was going to be as good as the other graduates described it, but all I attributed to my two months back at school was grief and fear.
♢♦︎———————-♦︎♢
"So, ladies," Charity smiled at two of us, twirling her cigarette between her fingers as she pushed her cherry red sunglasses up her nose. Another long day of school, and all I wanted to do was check on Eleven. Instead, I was leaning against Charity's new Ferrari 288 in my tight cheerleading outfit twenty minutes after school ended to receive the daily gossip. I didn't care about any of it, but it was like some unspoken rule that if the queen of Hawkins invited you into her court, you stayed until she gave you permission to leave. "Did you see that California hottie come into school this morning?"
"How do you know he's from California?" Diana asked curiously, pulling her bow off and running her fingers through her hair.
"Did you see his car whip in? License plate says it all, bitch!" It took some getting used to for me to realize that the word was a term of endearment in Green's dictionary most of the time. It was all about the tone of her voice. She took a glance at the blue Camaro she was mentioning and sighed. "What I wouldn't give to make that tanned beauty fall in love with me."
"Is that why we're waiting? To see him?"
"No need to answer when you know the answer to your question," Charity smiled, narrowing her eyes a smidge when she saw my face. "You doing okay, 'Chelle? You've got bags under your eyes."
"Tired from last night," I admitted in a cheery voice. I was at parties constantly and barely sleeping to keep my grades up high. My weekends were even worse with me fitting in college applications whenever I could. "I didn't go to bed until three."
"Again?" Diana asked me, true concern etched on her face. Out of all the cheerleaders, she seemed to honestly care for me the most. "Sweetie, that's not healthy!"
"I can totally get you something to help with that," Charity nodded, twirling her cigarette between her fingers before popping it back in her mouth. "I know a guy who could get you some of the coke they use in Hollywood. Hits the spot every time."
"Thanks, but maybe a different time."
"Yeah, like Tina's party tomorrow night!" Diana grinned. "Are we going, Charity?" It wasn't just a request; if Charity said no, nobody was allowed to go. Luckily for my friend's sake, the blonde's face beamed at the reminder of another party to go to.
"Like we wouldn't be going to another cheerleader's event." From the look on Diana's face, I knew that she remembered Tiffany Salvatore's birthday event. One practice, she snapped at Charity, and she came crying the next week about everyone 'forgetting' about her party. She wasn't on the cheer squad long after that. "Here he comes."
I followed her gaze to the back doors of the high school where a tall dirty blond was strutting toward us. He had a curly mullet that touched the back of his denim jacket. Charity pulled her cigarette out of her mouth in awe while Diana's jaw dropped. I could almost hear the sound of his boots as he made his way toward us, a smirk growing on his face.
"Why, hello ladies," he clucked his tongue, winking at Charity. I had to admit, he certainly was handsome, but something about him rubbed me wrong. It had to have been how his eyes latched on mine and seemed to stare past the fake persona I had created. I was almost terrified that he would ask me about the girl living with me in my father's cabin. "You weren't waiting on me now, were you?"
"Keep dreaming, pretty boy," Charity teased, but her demeanor was as cold as ice. I knew this act she put up; it made any boy go crazy and want to know all her secrets... but not this boy. He just scanned over her and Diana one last time before settling back on me. If it was like last year before Christmas, I could have relied on Steve for support, but it was a situation anything like that. We barely talked now, and the new boy was a problem to deal with on my own. "I never caught your name."
"I didn't throw it," he commented back, not even looking over at her. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Charity was growing impatient, but I had a feeling that me not swooning over him was keeping me in her safe zone. "You must be the detective's daughter. Heard a lot about you today."
"Really?" I squeaked out, more frightened than aroused like the two girls beside me. I cleared my throat, lowering back to my normal voice. "I mean... I am the chief's kid, but I'm hardly anything special. You must've gotten me and Charity confused. A lot of people do, surprisingly!"
"I don't think so," he stated, lifting his chin up slightly so he was looking down at me. He pulled a small carton of cigarettes from his jacket's pocket and lit it, filling my nose with the smoke. He was too close for my liking. I was relieved when he turned back to the other two, giving them another smile. "It's Billy, for your information. And you ladies are..."
"Charity Green and Diana Crossby," Charity smiled, glad to have the attention back on her. I tuned out the rest of their conversation, picking at my nails. Everyone was scared of her because of how she could affect their reputation, but I feared her for a very different reason. If word came out somehow that Rachel Hopper had snapped, Brenner's goons would hurt my life all over again. I constantly had nightmares of them tearing the cabin apart, dragging Eleven out of my life before locking me up in a cell. Or worse, find a way to throw me into the Upside Down so that the Demogorgon could finish me off. "So are you coming to the Halloween Bash tomorrow night?"
"Actually, I was thinking about it," he chuckled, running his fingers through his hair with the cigarette held by his teeth. "But you three better promise me that you'll be there. Wouldn't be much fun if I was a loner."
"Alright, deal," Charity agreed. Her smile fell for a brief moment when he suddenly sidled up to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
"You two mind if I steal your friend for a little bit?" She gave a curt nod, leaving no choice for me but to let Billy lead me into his Camaro. "Don't even bother looking back." He whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "It'll be good for you, anyways." I took his instructions, opening up the passenger door to his car and sliding inside. He plopped down in the driver's seat, throwing the cigarette out of his window before closing it... leaving the two of us alone.
"If this is supposed to be a way to impress me, I'm not flattered," I said honestly, not relaxing into the leather seat like he did. Billy sighed, rubbing his forehead in disgust. "So why don't you just grab one of my friends and-"
"Your friends?" he repeated with a scoff. Billy tilted his head at me and raised a brow. "Maybe that... Diana chick, but blondie is not your friend. You might've fooled all of this godforsaken town, but I'm not that easy."
"I'm not fooling anyone," I protested, earning a sarcastic laugh.
"Sure thing, sweetheart, but let me explain how you can figure liars out." He raised his hand, counting off on his fingers. "Posture, eye contact, reaction, and the voice. You failed three. Barely, I'll give you credit on that, but three."
"So you brought me into your car to tell me how I fooled your little test?" I rolled my eyes, leaning closer to him. "Nice way to end your first day." My eyes flickered down to the small scars covering his knuckles. It was obvious that they were from fights, but it didn't look like all of them were from him initiating the first move. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry."
"Save it," he told me bluntly, pulling his hands out of my view. "The point was that all day I've been surrounded by sluts and to see someone who isn't one is a relief, but why are you hanging out with that princess?" I glanced over my shoulder, looking back at where Charity's car had just been. She and Diana must have driven off. "Well?"
"Why do you want me to explain my life story, new kid?" I questioned, whipping back to face him. "Am I just that interesting?"
"Possibly," he shrugged. "Maybe you've sparked my attention, or maybe you're just annoying me and I'm tolerating you by giving you a few tips. Don't expect me to be so friendly again."
"Got it," I nodded. My patience was beginning to grow thin. He was the male Charity, but this version could see right through me. Unfortunately for him, I could do the exact same. He wasn't looking for someone to bang, but someone he could talk to honestly. My fake personality seemed to interest him. Maybe he was going to be my escape in a world of fear. Only time was going to tell.
♢♦︎———————-♦︎♢
"I'm home!" I called out, closing the door behind me with my foot as I held tight to the library books I had taken out for the week. There was no response, but I didn't worry. "Is Polaris by you?" As if on cue, the grey cat ran up to me with a soft purr. She had grown faster than I had thought from when I had received her at Christmas, and she wasn't much of a hassle. Polaris, as I had named her due to the soft green eyes that reminded me of an X-Men character, would roam around the perimeters outside the cabin and deal with any rodent issues before we even noticed them. Eleven loved her. "Aw, hey, baby."
"You're late again." El cracked open our bedroom door, her short curly hair frizzier than normal. She didn't seem annoyed, much to my delight, and scooped Polaris off of the floor into her arms. The grey cat hair blended in with my old sweatshirt she was wearing with a pair of overalls. "More books?"
"That television's gonna rot your brain, Ellie," I smiled, setting them down on our small kitchen table. "I found a few new Doctor Seuss books I thought you might like, and..." I grabbed a small book from the bottom of the pile, turning around to show it to her. "I found a copy of Bridge to Terabithia! Dad used to read it to me all the time when it came out."
"Terabithia?" she repeated as she sat down at the table with Polaris still in her arms, trying to comprehend the new word. I tried to bring as many children books as possible for her to try and expand her vocabulary, and it was working slowly. She loved books with rhyming words such as Cat In The Hat and Horton Hears A Who, but my goal was to get her up to speed to what I assumed was Mike and the boys' grade level.
"It's a world full of magic," I explained, a little defeated when she reached out for The Lorax instead of the brown book in my hand. "I thought it could be our new nighttime book."
"Maybe," she murmured, turning the colorful pages of the Doctor Seuss book. Polaris hopped out of her arms and made her way on the couch, curling into a ball. "Is it dinnertime yet?"
"Not until Dad's home, and I bet he'll be later than I was." I grabbed a book of my own, opting to read beside her instead of doing the surprisingly light amount of homework I had received. Comic book superheroes decorated the cover, but I paid them no attention as I scanned through the index for the 'powers' section. I had been waiting for the book for almost a month now and was thrilled when the librarian told me it had finally come back to the shelves. "So what did you do today beside watching Knight Rider reruns without me?"
"Made a costume for Halloween," El told me, not looking up from the book. "Go 'treat tricking.'" I glanced up from my own book, sad to see the disappointed look she was failing to hide. "With Mike?"
"Ellie, you can't."
"You could keep me safe?" She was begging now, closing her copy of The Lorax and giving me puppy eyes. "Stay hidden. Costumes hide you!"
"I'm not lying when I tell you that I wish I could," I reassured her, taking her hand and rubbing the back with my thumb. "I think that would be so fun, but you aren't allowed out and I'm not allowed to take you out. The only reason I'm even going out tomorrow night is to keep the scientists on our good side."
"You could fight them like me," she pointed out, and I felt warmth fill my cheeks at her compliment. "With your powers." Eleven took a small pause before smugly saying under her breath, "Not as many as me."
"Oh, that's too far," I rolled my eyes in amusement, letting go of her hand and messing with her hair. Eleven giggled, ducking out of the way. "You little brat."
"Mouth-breather," she threw back teasingly, sticking her tongue out at me.