"for which 'f' are you drinking for
fuck, forget, or fun"
• ࿇ •
I couldn't breathe. I had to keep running. I had to. It was chasing me. Where was I? Everything turned rotten around me, my environment in a gradual state of decay. The once beautiful autumn trees now appeared cold and lifeless around me.
"Help!" I screamed, but no sound came out. My voice was absent from my body. Red flashes erupted from behind me and I turned around to face it, wherever it was coming from. A great big storm lurked overhead with large bolts of red lightning.
A large, shadow spider-like creature stood in the midst and spun around to face me. The only thing I felt in my chest was immense fear, a strong petrification numbing my every sense. I couldn't move or speak, paralyzed in a state of absolute horror. The dark shadow figure came closer to me, engulfing my whole being, everything was consumed in blackness.
"Eileen, wake up! It's already 6:15," Floyd yelled, shaking my body awake. I shot up in my bed, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat with tears springing in my eyes. I turned to look at my brother who stood at the edge of my bed, his eyes growing wide with concern. He walked closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Whoa, are you alright, E?" Floyd asked, his eyebrows furrowing with worry. I couldn't find the words to describe what I had just experienced. It all seemed too real to believe. I wiped the tears off my face with the back of my hand and nodded, giving him a small reassuring smile.
"Yeah, just a wicked nightmare," I replied, moving my blankets aside as Floyd let go of my shoulder and backed away toward the door.
"Okay, well, start getting ready cause you're my ride," Floyd smiled before exiting bedroom, closing the door behind him. I sat in the darkness for a while before finding the motivation to get out of bed. I clicked on my bedside lamp and peeled my pajamas off my body before sliding my bathrobe on. I walked into my bathroom, setting my bath towels on top of the sink, and stepped into the shower. I felt the scolding hot water splash onto my skin, relieving the tension from my body.
I waste in sighs, scrubbing my hair with shampoo and conditioner, and my body with the scent of milk and honey. I couldn't help but contemplate the nightmare I had just awoken from as I stared at the blank white tile shower wall. What was that horrid place? So cold and desolate. It was as if the world had ended, the human race was extinct, settling in an apocalyptic atmosphere. And that creature...the blackest I've ever seen with spidery limbs so large, so terrifying, so-
"Eileen! We're gonna be late!" Floyd yelled, banging his fist on the bathroom door. I snapped out of my thoughts and switched the water off. I dried myself off quickly before slipping on a pair of light wash blue jeans with my black belt and an oversize Def Leppard shirt. I tugged on my Doc Marten boots that were worn from age and brushed my hair, my natural waves poofing out. I applied some light mascara and blush with a thin layer of lip gloss before snatching my book bag and purse off the floor. I grabbed my keys and and ran downstairs to meet Floyd, who was dressed as the ghost from Ghostbusters for Halloween. I chuckled at his appearance, grabbing a granola bar from the pantry before we walked out to my truck.
"What took you so long?" Floyd asked, throwing his bag on the ground and clicking in his seat belt. I hesitated to answer him, not entirely sure what to say about it.
"The nightmare I had just really shook me up and I kept thinking about it," I admitted, clicking in my seat belt, and Floyd nodded. I drove slow, the morning fog engulfing the road ahead.
"What was your nightmare about?" Floyd inquired as I turned onto another road, biting into the granola bar after carefully unwrapping it.
"How about we change the subject? What were you and your friends doing spying on that girl at the arcade yesterday?" I demanded, glancing over at him, his facial expression full of chagrin. He scratches the back of his neck and looks away from me.
"What are you talking about?" Floyd laughs nervously, before looking down at his twiddling fingers. He sighed before answering me.
"There's this new girl in our class named Max and we think she beat Dustin's high score at Dig Dug in the arcade," Floyd explained, looking at my face for a reaction.
"That's not an excuse to stalk her!" I protested, turning onto the next road that leads to the school's parking lot. Floyd sighs again.
"We had to make sure it was her, okay?!"
I sigh, shaking my head in disapproval, and switch on the radio, the song "Big Balls" by AC/DC playing through the speakers. The school pulls into view and I turn into the parking lot and park in the same space I did yesterday.
"I'll pick you up after school!" I yelled after my brother, who ran toward the middle school to meet his friends who were dressed as the four Ghostbusters. I sighed and got out of my truck only to see Billy leaning up against the bed of it, smoking a cigarette.
"What do you want?" I ask, slinging my bag over my shoulder and slammed my door closed. He smiles and pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, walking closer to me.
"You going to that party tonight?" Billy asked, taking another drag from his cigarette.
"I don't know. Not a huge fan of watching teenagers throw up on each other because they can't handle their alcohol and then proceed to have sex," I replied, earning a deep chuckle from him.
"Aw, come on, babe," He flirted, calling me by that stupid name again, taking a step closer to me so I could feel his breath on my face. I tried my best to not let myself be intimidated by him.
"It's just a stupid party. I won't be missing much." I shrugged and crossed my arms, leaning back against the truck. Billy brought his hand up to the truck, trapping me so I couldn't walk away. I noticed Alexandra talking to one of her cheer friends across the way and she shot me a look that said "You better tell me everything." I smiled slightly at how childish Billy was acting toward my attendance at the Halloween party.
"You'll be missing me," Billy smirked and I felt my face heat up at how close he was to me.
"Exactly, not missing much," I repeated in a joking manner, taking the cigarette from his lips and taking a drag, remembering smoking in the bathrooms my freshman year. I tossed it to the ground and stepped on it, smiling at him while his face remained blank. I hardly expected myself to do what I just did, but something about him just made me feel bolder, unpredictable. Like anything was possible and that scared and excited me at the same time.
"See you around, Billy."
• ࿇ •
"So how'd the chemistry test go?" I asked, glancing over at Alexandra who walked by my side to the school library. Alexandra opened the door and we walked inside, hushed whispers filling the room.
"Honestly, I feel really good about it. Thanks for helping me study the other day," Alexandra replied, her voice growing quiet due to the change in scenery. I nodded and approached the fantasy book section of the library; it was my favorite genre to read. I scanned the titles as Alexandra examined her nails of flaws, an awkward silence settling between us.
"So, uh, why were you talking to the asshole who almost ran you over yesterday this morning in the parking lot?" Alexandra demanded, and I felt a tightness in my chest. I turn to meet her eyes, her expression void of all emotion. I hesitated to answer, unsure of what to say.
"He came up to me. It's not like I wanted to talk to him," I replied, and Alexandra just stared at me blankly, like I wasn't telling her the truth. I sighed and looked back at the bookshelf, scanning once more at the titles.
"You were smiling at him, E! I saw how you were looking at him, you like him!" She whisper-shouted, playfully hitting my arm. My eyes widened at her words, a blush creeping onto my face, but relieved that she wasn't angry at me for talking to him.
"No! I mean, yes, I was smiling at him but I do not like him. He's rather annoying really," I explained, whispering to her as to not draw any unwanted attention. I wouldn't want anyone to hear our conversation and get the wrong idea and spread rumors. That's exactly what small towns like Hawkins live off of - small town gossip. Alexandra laughs and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Okay, whatever you say, E," Alexandra replies, turning her head to look at something. Or someone. My curiosity takes over and I follow her line of eyesight, spotting Steve and Nancy sitting at a table together, books sprawled out in front of them. Alexandra eyed them with interest and curiosity. What was going through her head?
Nancy got up to sharpen her pencil, but she had started to zone out, her eyes widening in fear when Steve grabbed her shoulder gently, snapping her out of whatever daze she was in.
"What's going on? Are you okay?" Steve asked, but Nancy just looked downwards and didn't reply, before dragging him to one of the private study rooms nearby. Alexandra, under some strange reasoning, took it upon herself to eavesdrop on them. I followed closely behind her, not knowing what else to do. She put her ear up to the door, opposite of the one they entered through, and I did the same, feeling awkward if I didn't join with her. They're voices were slightly muffled, but I could still make out what they were saying.
"I can't keep doing this," Nancy sighed.
"Doing what?" Steve asked.
"Pretending like everything's okay." She sounded distressed.
"What are you talking about?" Steve questioned, his voice growing with concern. Nancy hesitated to answer him.
"Barb! It's like everyone forgot. It's like nobody cares! And now they're selling the house-" Nancy rambled, her voice beginning to shake as if she would burst into tears any moment. Barb? Was that short for Barbara? Why was that name so familiar?
"Nance-"
"And they're going to be spending the rest of their lives looking for her!" Nancy cried.
"I know, I know."
"It's destroying them," Nancy added, and it suddenly clicked in my head who they were talking about. Barbara Holland. An auburn-haired girl with thick clear glasses who was in our grade. She went missing last year like Will Byers. Only she didn't come back and the police haven't gathered enough information to start an investigation. It was really sad. I couldn't imagine what Nancy was going through, losing her best friend. If I ever lost Alexandra, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. She was my only friend pretty much.
"I know. Okay? I get it. But listen, there's nothing we can do about it," Steve commented. I took a deep breath, making eye contact with Alexandra who looked just as confused as I did.
"Yeah, we could tell them the truth," Nancy protested.
"You know we can't do that." His voice turned low and serious.
"We don't have to tell them everything!"
"This isn't some game, Nance. If they found out we told any..." Steve trailed off when I heard him close the blinds in the windows of the study room. "They could put us in jail, okay? Or worse. They could destroy our families." My mind struggled to wrap my head around what they were talking about. What did Nancy mean by 'the truth'? Didn't Barb just disappear? Or was there something else? Was she dead? My heart began to race at the dark path my thoughts were taking.
"They could do anything they want," Steve continued, "Okay? Just think about what you're saying." Nancy didn't reply back to him, but I heard her begin to cry.
"Hey, it's hard. But let's just go to Tina's stupid party, wear our stupid costumes that we've been working on for a stupid amount of time, and let's just pretend we're stupid teenagers, okay?" Steve suggested, his voice sounding calmer than before. "Can't we do just that, just for tonight?"
Nancy was silent for a few seconds before muttering a soft "okay" in response. Alexandra and I backed away from the door and watched them exit out of the one they entered through. Nobody seemed to notice that we eaves-dropped on them, well, Alexandra really, seeing as it was her plan to do so. I walked back over to the bookshelf I was previously browsing, Alexandra following close behind me.
"Why the hell did we just eavesdrop on them?" Alexandra asked, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. I looked up at her with my eyebrows raised.
"I mean, it was your idea to! I was expecting cliche high school relationship drama, but I have no idea what that was," I replied, picking up a book and sifting through the pages, skimming over the words. Alexandra took a step closer to me, glancing back at Steve and Nancy who were packing up their books.
"Neither do I. I mean, is Barb not really missing? People said she ran away or something. Is she just presumed dead?" Alexandra asked, the same questions running through my mind. I shrugged and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. Deep down, I knew Alexandra probably didn't care that much because she wasn't one to go poking her nose in places that didn't involve her, but I am not so easily persuaded. Curiosity is like opening Pandora's Box when it comes to me.
I would do anything to get the answers to my questions, even if it killed me.
• ࿇ •
I didn't mean to kiss him. Hell, I don't think he meant it either. But it happened and I'm officially and royally screwed. If this gets out, I don't know what I'll do. I guess I should start from the beginning. I had just picked up Floyd from school and we were driving home to get ready for whatever Halloween plans we had in place. I was still debating whether I should attend Tina's Halloween party or not. Knowing Alexandra, she would kick me later for not going and tell me that I need to "get out more and socialize". I sighed in defeat. I would have to assemble a costume by 8 o'clock when the party officially starts. The party probably wouldn't end until like 2am. Good thing it was a Friday night.
I sat on my bed for a good hour and a half just thinking, and trying to fit a small cat nap in, when Alexandra called me up. Probably to talk about my decision about the Halloween party and what costumes we were going to show off tonight. I pick the phone off the stand and grab some red nail polish out of my drawer.
"Hey, E," Alexandra chimes, and I smile softly. No wonder she won over the position as cheer captain. She's filled with so much pep and always seemed to be in a good mood.
"What's up?" I ask in on reply, focusing intently on not messing up painting my fingernails. She seemed to be shuffling around doing something.
"What are you wearing for tonight's party?" She asks and I realized I haven't really put much thought toward my costume yet. Should I go for something scary or something cute or something risque? I sighed.
"Honestly, I have no idea. What about you?" I ask back in reply, blowing on my nails to let them dry. She was silent for a few seconds before answering.
"I was just gonna wear my cheer uniform," Alexandra answered and I smirked.
"Let me guess, so you can show off the fact that you're cheer captain?" I asked, seeing right through her plans. She laughed nervously.
"Listen, it's not what you think."
"Okay sure, Alex." I looked over into my closet and eyed through the items of clothing holding onto the hangars when I saw my freshman homecoming dress peeking through from in between an over-sized denim jacket and hand-me-down wool sweater that was my mom's.
"Carrie!" I yelled in excitement, Alexandra confused on the other line. "Alex, I could be Carrie for the party!"
"Eileen, you aren't being serious." I already knew she was rolling her eyes at my choice in a Halloween costume. I was silent for a few seconds trying to think about how much corn syrup and red food coloring I was going to need to pull of the fake blood look.
"Please tell me you're joking, E," Alexandra added, the tone of her voice dropping like she couldn't believe what I was doing.
"Not even close. I'll see you at the party," I replied, hanging up the phone, placing it back on my nightstand, before walking over to my closet and plucking the pale pink dress off the hangar and laying it gently on my bed. The length came to around my mid-calf and fluffed out a bit at the waistline. It was strapless and had some ruffles on the neckline of the dress, accentuating the cleavage.
I walked downstairs where Floyd sat on the floor in front of the TV playing on his brand new Atari console and told him I was leaving to go to Melvald's General Store just up the street and he nodded. I snatched my keys and purse and hopped into my truck, switching on the radio which was playing Halloween classics like "Monster Mash" by Bobby Boris. I drove quicker than usual, anticipation working its way through my veins. I thought back to what Steve said the other day in the hall and I couldn't help but smile to myself. I know he's with Nancy and all, that doesn't mean we can't be friends, right? I arrived at the store and parked along the road before entering inside. The whole store was decked out in cheap Halloween decorations and fall seasonal items.
A middle-aged brunette woman was working at the register and she smiled at me politely. I kindly return the smile, swinging my purse around my shoulder.
"Welcome to Melvald's General," She spoke, crinkles forming around her dark brown eyes. Her brown hair was sprawled across her shoulders, wispy bangs hanging around her thin brows. "Is there anything I can help you look for?" I looked back at her and nodded slightly.
"Yeah, I'm searching for corn syrup and red food dye to make fake blood," I responded, crossing my arms and walking closer to the register. She smiled and nodded before leading me over to a specific aisle filled with boxed and canned grocery items. She grabbed a handful of red food dye tubes and two bottles of corn syrup.
"Should this be enough? I'm assuming you're going to need a lot," She chuckled and I nodded.
"Yes, I do. I'm dressing up as Carrie," I commented, walking back to the register with her. She set all the items down and started scanning them.
"That's pretty cool. My youngest son is dressing up as one of the Ghostbusters with his friends," She added, and I came to a realization. I was talking to Joyce Byers, Jonathan and Will's mom. I even read the name-tag on her navy blue uniform to make sure.
"Joyce, right? My little brother is trick-or-treating with your son tonight," I smiled, as she punched in a few buttons to calculate how much money I owed. She didn't seem all too surprised, like she already knew who I was.
"Yeah, you're Dr. Owens' daughter, Eileen. Your father is trying to help my son. You'd be surprised at how much he talks about you and your brother," Joyce laughs, the crinkles forming around her eyes again. "Your total is $9.46."
"Really? That is kind of surprising," I replied, reaching into my wallet and handing her a $10 dollar bill. She accepts it and slides it into the register before handing me back my change.
"He talks about you guys all the time when it's not about the work he's doing on Will," She explains, handing me my bags and I take them from her, sliding them over my arms. I brush a strand of hair behind my ear, thinking about what he must be saying since he barely sees Floyd and I.
"Yeah, of course. I better get going, thank you so much. Have a good night and Happy Halloween!" I cheer, waving her goodbye before walking out of the store and getting back into my truck. I turned the keys in the ignition before rolling down the window and turning back onto the road to head home and piece together my Carrie costume. The sun was setting on the horizon, the sky different shades of orange, yellow, and blue. I felt the cool autumn breeze blow past me and I knew that this night would be different somehow. Something in the atmosphere felt new, strange, but exhilarating. I looked up and saw the crescent moon peeking faintly behind a cloud and I smiled.
Tonight would be unprecedented.
• ࿇ •
"Oh my God! You actually went through with it!" Alexandra exclaimed, looking me up and down in awe, twirling one of her pom-poms in her hand. Her hair was curled in loose waves and tied back with a ribbon that matched the colors of her uniform which exposed way too much leg. I chuckled lowly, giving her a spin to show her the whole look. I had straightened my hair, the length coming down just a little bit above my belly button, with a cheap plastic tiara sitting on top of my head. The pastel pink gown stopped just above my ankles, exposing some white flats I had dug out of my mom's stuff, which sat in the back of the closet in the master bedroom collecting dust and memories.
"Yeah, I'm really proud of it. Do you like it?" I asked and she nodded in reply, looping her arm carefully into mine before walking to my truck, the rusty red vehicle sitting motionless, ready to go on an adventure.
"It definitely suits you, E," She commented, hopping into the passenger seat and clicking her seat belt as I turned the keys into the ignition, the truck sparking to life. I let out a small chuckle before switching on the radio, Alexandra letting out an ecstatic squeal as we made our way to the Halloween party. Before I drove to Alexandra's house to pick her up, I had dropped off Floyd at his friend Mike's house to go trick-or-treating with the rest of their friends. My Dad had worked tonight and I knew it bothered Floyd even though he'd never admit it. Dad never misses holidays, I thought to myself. It must have been an emergency or something really important. All the more reason to find out what exactly that was. I just plastered a smile on our way to Tina's party, pretending that I was just some crazy teenager doing crazy teenager things instead of an overly-curious daughter.
It had only taken less than ten minutes to get to Tina's Halloween party, the smell of alcohol, bile, and loud music in the night breeze leading us there. I guess those are just the perks of living in a small town like Hawkins, where everybody knew where everybody lived. When we arrived, I had parked the truck somewhat a little bit away from the party just so no drunk idiots would trash it. There were already so many people there when we arrived and the clocks only read 8:36pm. Alexandra loops her arm into mine once again as we make our way to the front door of the house, some people chilling outside in the front yard drinking a mysterious liquid inside red plastic cups. It was so cramped inside of the house that my claustrophobia kicked in and it felt like I couldn't breathe.
So many people stopped to turn and stare at Alexandra and I, taking in our costumes, and I felt uncomfortable at the new attention directed at me. Alexandra smiled, basking in the attention, saying many 'hi's-and-how-are-you's' to people I had never seen or heard of before until now. Sometimes I wondered why she remained friends with me when we were so vastly different from each other. I guess opposites really do attract. Alexandra stroke up a conversation with a group of girls she cheered with, and feeling a little left out, I walked over to the kitchen, the most open space within the whole house and looked inside a red punch bowl, debating on if I should take a taste.
After some thought, I just poured myself a small amount in a red plastic cup, sticking to the corner of the kitchen where nobody else seemed to notice me, and I just seamlessly blended into the background. A mass amount of teenagers danced in the living room portion of the house, buzzing with energy, and I just observed them all, searching for any familiar faces as Alexandra just disappeared someplace else. I decided to venture around the party to see if I could find anything remotely interesting to watch and I find a back slide door open to the backyard where a crowd of even more teenagers all circled around something, shouting out numbers.
I walked closer toward them, the cool night air hitting my face and the bass of "Shout At The Devil" by Motley Crue reverberating throughout my body. There was a keg and some boy in a leather jacket doing a handstand on top of it was taking gulps of the liquid inside - which was probably beer - as people excitedly cheered him on, counting up the amount of gulps he could take.
"Forty-one, forty-two.." They shouted excitedly, getting a fill of whatever alcohol was in the red plastic cups they held in their hands. I smirked after the boy on the keg was flipped back up, spitting out the last gulp of beer out of his mouth and into the night air, and I realized it was Billy. I cower back in the crowd, watching from afar as Billy, sweaty and shirtless, a leather jacket barely covering his muscular torso, walks towards the back sliding door with Tommy Hagan by his side. I hurriedly walk back into the house to avoid having to confront the last person I wanted to see tonight.
"We got ourselves a new Keg King!" Tommy yelled from behind me, everyone shouting Billy's name triumphantly behind them. As I walked back into the kitchen, I wondered how Billy was able to brainwash the whole school into worshiping him. Like imagine celebrating how much beer someone could hold in their body. Weird. Billy and Tommy walked through the back entrance door, some people trailing behind them inside.
From the kitchen space, I was observing Alexandra dancing on the dance floor, which was just a neutral-toned living room, with strange friends and friendly strangers, the biggest smile plastered on her face. She looked so euphoric, like she was made for this kind of environment of partying and socializing. My attention was diverted when I saw Billy and Tommy confront Nancy and Steve, all of them standing maybe 8 feet away from me. I leaned against one corner of counter top and watched them, giving my full effort not to make it obvious that I was eavesdropping their conversation.
"We got ourselves a new Keg King, Harrington," Tommy smirked, placing a firm hand on Billy's shoulder. Steve removed the black sunglasses from his face and looked at them, a dead stare in his eyes. You could tell that he seriously didn't care. That's one thing I liked about Steve, is that even though he's super popular, he was always sweet about it and never snobby. Nancy stood next to him, rolling her eyes and walking into the kitchen right in front of where I was standing. A burly boy wearing a leaf crown and a sheet formed to look like a toga stood gulping his drink when Nancy peered into the punch bowl and looked at him.
"What's in this?" She asked, over the loud music in the back. The boy removed the cup from his lips and looked at the punch bowl and then to her.
"Pure fuel! Pure! Fuel!" He shouted, banging his fist on his chest. "Whoo!"
I stifled a laugh as Nancy proceeded to pour herself a cup and gulp it with a quick tenacity when Steve approached her. My heart began to race so I decided to distract myself by looking over at Alexandra again for comfort, but she wasn't there so I forced down my growing anxiety with the drink in my hand.
"Hey...Whoa, whoa! Hey...Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy," Steve exclaimed trying to grab her cup. "Take it easy. Nance, Nance, Nance..."
She turned to him, her face void of all emotion, before saying, "We're just being stupid teenagers for the night? Wasn't that the deal?" Steve looked taken aback as Nancy gulped down the rest of her drink, wiping some excess drop from off the side of her face, and stormed off toward the dance floor. Steve watched her walk away and I couldn't help but feel bad for him, so I took a leap of faith and approached him.
"Hey, Steve, are you all right? You looked like someone pissed in your cereal," I commented, trying to seem as casual as possible. His eyes flickered over to me and smiled slightly before looking down at the tiled floor.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Nancy is just being a little-" He stopped, looking back over to where Nancy had stormed off to, before shifting his position as if I made him nervous under my gaze.
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," I added, taking another sip of my drink before meeting those warm brown eyes. My knees felt weak and I took a step backward to avoid falling into him.
"Hey, are you okay, Eileen?" Steve asked, his eyes filled with concern and I nodded, holding onto the counter.
"Yeah, I think I may have just had too much to drink," I answered, chuckling nervously, setting my cup onto the counter and looking away from him. "I don't drink much, or go out for that matter."
Steve nodded and chuckled quietly before sliding his black sunglasses back on, and looking towards the dance floor longingly. "Well, be careful," He says, and I nod.
"And good luck," I reply, nodding over at Nancy dancing with the rest of the crowd of drunk teenagers. He thanks me quietly and heads over to her, once again leaving me alone.
I tried searching for Alexandra, but she was nowhere to be found,and I sighed in defeat. I sat down on one of the couches next to a making-out couple feeling up on each other, and I looked away in disgust. I decided to just drift back into my own mind, hoping something or somebody could get my attention and take me away from this place. That's when I noticed a very intoxicated Nancy pouring herself another drink with Steve trying to stop her.
"No, no, no," Steve groaned, grabbing Nancy's arm and she shoved him off. She was stumbling over her own feet trying to get to the punch bowl in the kitchen.
"Get off," Nancy demanded, trying to pour more punch into the red plastic cup she's had for hours. Steve tried to pull her away, but she jerked away from him again.
"No, you've had enough, okay?" Steve protested.
"Screw you!" She yelled, before shoving her cup into the punch bowl, Steve grabbing her hands.
"Nance, I'm serious. Hey, hey, hey...stop! No, I'm serious," Steve pleaded, holding her hands. "Put it down."
"No!" Nancy yelled in reply, trying to rip away from his grasp.
"Nance, put it down," Steve repeated, he was losing his grip on the cup and I felt my eyes widen.
"Steve, stop," Nancy demanded. "Stop. Stop!" But it was too late. Her drink had spilled all over her white top and everyone turned to look. I felt so bad for Steve, having to deal with a grieving drunken girlfriend who was behaving like a child.
"What the hell?" Nancy muttered before taking off towards the bathroom, a regretful look in Steve's eyes. He followed her to the bathroom, everyone resuming dancing to the music after the scene Nancy caused. More and more teenagers were passed out on the floor, throwing up the contents in their stomach, or making out with strangers they didn't know before. I got up from the couch and tossed my cup into the trash can unlike most of the guests here tonight, leaving a trail around the house carelessly.
I saw Jonathan Byers enter through the front door, a look of surprise on my face. Jonathan was more on the introverted side, kind of like me, so seeing him at a party was a little strange. I bet Nancy dragged him here tonight, seeing as they were close friends now. He looked a little lost when Samantha Stone, the goth girl of our grade who was really nice, made small talk with him. I could tell he felt really out of place and awkward because I felt the same way. In the same direction, I saw a boy latched onto Alexandra come out of a bedroom, hair messy with clothes inside out. I can only imagine what they were doing in there. I sighed in disappointment.
Alexandra waved me over after spotting me across the way and I hesitantly walked towards her, the boy disappearing off somewhere else in the house. I plastered a fake smile on my face, acting like I wasn't remotely angry that she just forced me to come here and then abandoned me the entire party.
"You'll never believe what just happened!" She exclaims, her words a little slurred, I rolled my eyes and laughed quietly.
"I'm pretty sure I'll believe it," I replied, her hand place firmly on my shoulder to balance herself. It looked like she would fall any second, so I led her over to the couch to sit down. She slumps over onto the arm of the couch, staring back at me with bloodshot eyes.
"I just did it with one of the football players. He was real sweet, and gentle too. I think his name was Randy something," She explains and I nod along, not sure what to say. She grabs a strand of my hair and begins playing with it as I sat there and stared at her.
"You're so pretty, E. How come no guy has scooped you up yet?" She asked, staring at me with her glazed green eyes. I chuckled nervously and shrugged. She smiled and I grabbed her hand and put it in her lap.
"I'll be right back, okay? I'm gonna grab you a glass of water and a snack and then we're leaving," I said to her, before heading toward the kitchen when I bumped into Steve, tears in his eyes. I stopped him in his tracks and grabbed his arm, squeezing it gently.
"Hey, Steve, are you okay?" I asked and he wiped his eyes, embarrassed about crying. He nodded.
"No, you aren't," I muttered to myself, and took his hand, leading him into the kitchen where it was secluded. "You don't have to if you aren't comfortable with it, but you can talk to me, Steve." He sighed next to me as I looked through the cabinets for a glass and a small snack Alexandra could eat to sober up some.
"I-I just...I don't even know," Steve muttered, running his fingers through his hair. I grabbed a glass, after finally finding where they kept them, and filled it up with water from the sink before setting it on the counter and looking over at him. I wanted to help him somehow because he didn't deserve this.
"It's okay, Steve," I replied softly, another tear streaming down his face. He wiped it away with the back of his hand and looked away from me. I'm assuming something happened between him and Nancy after he accidentally spilled her drink on her and they went into the bathroom to clean it off. I felt so bad for him and I didn't know what to do except give him a hug. I felt him tense up before finally relaxing and hugging me back.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened or how to help," I explained, backing away from him. His hand lingering on my arm. I looked at his face, his warm brown eyes fixated on me. Before I knew it, he leaned in and kissed me unexpectedly. It only lasted a few seconds before he broke away, regret displayed on his face.
I glanced down at the floor nervously, my heart pounding in my chest and so many thoughts racing through my brain at once. He let go of my arm and looked away, running his fingers through his hair. He did that a lot, I'm guessing as a nervous habit.
"Eileen, I didn't mean- Please don't tell- I mean-" Steve muttered and I laughed nervously, Steve looking over at me strangely.
"It's okay, Steve. It didn't mean anything. I won't tell anyone," I replied, feeling a little hurt that he would never look at me like that. Like Nancy. I held out my pinkie as a promise that I wouldn't tell anyone about our secret accidental kiss. He hooked his pinkie into mine and nodded, a small smile on his face. I grabbed the glass of water and granola bar I found out of the pantry in the kitchen and headed back over to Alexandra, who was past out asleep on the couch. I chuckled quietly before kneeling down to wake her up.
I gently shook her awake and her eyes fluttered open, a smile caressing her face as she fixed her eyes on me. I handed her the glass of water that she sipped appreciatively before grabbing my arm. I helped her get up from the couch and we walked outside, but not before running into the last person I wanted to see.
"Shit," I muttered.