small town
Chapter 1 - The Wild Boys
IN THIS CHAPTER: The world doesn't end during Spring break, a basketball ruins lunch, and Eddie threatens the freshmen [1.7k]
WARNINGS: very mild bullying, this is just an intro to the story so it's short and sweet, english is not my first language so i'm sorry if something sounds strange
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The wild boys are calling
On their way back from the fire
Monday, March 31st - 1986
Spring break had come and gone in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana and, surprisingly enough, the world hadn’t ended. Yet, thought Dustin Henderson as he parked his bike outside Hawkins High School. He knew something had happened between Mike and El during his friend’s visit to California (and between Mike and Will too for that matter), but if their phone calls were to be trusted, everything had been smoothed out without the need for his intervention. For once, Dustin was glad he didn’t have to be the group’s self-appointed mediator; he already had enough with the guilt he felt for causing Suzie to lose her computer, he didn’t need extra problems on his shoulders. And he deserved a normal school year for once, goddamnit. Those hadn’t been common for any of them in a long time.
As he hurried to get to his classroom, he crossed paths with Lucas Sinclair and his Championship-winning friends proudly wearing their basketball team jackets over their regular clothes. If the newly popular boy had seen him walk by, he hadn’t given any indications as to it, not one look, not one wave. Dustin wasn’t entirely sure why anyone would enjoy hiding themselves behind a Tigers uniform but he sincerely hoped that once Jason, the captain of the team and current King of Hawkins High, graduated in mid June, Lucas would return to them from the dark side. For now though it seemed that he was perfectly content in his jock cult, and Dustin wasn’t about to give his new buddies a chance to throw him into a dumpster by walking into their huddle near the water fountains just to say hello to his (now former?) best friend.
The morning went by rather quickly for his tastes, and he could feel Mike’s anxious leg bounces next to him during Geography as lunch approached without any regard for their heart rates. Both teens had opened their lockers to find a folded black handmade card announcing the start of their next D&D adventure and they were painfully aware that a very uncomfortable conversation was about to unfold at the cafeteria. Their beloved Dungeon Master, for all his enthusiasm and kind-hearted nature, wasn’t very troubled by his social status as the school’s pariah and Mike’s suspicions that he hadn’t immediately considered Lucas a goner following recent events had been confirmed when he saw the subject in question throw his own black card into a bin at the start of their shared Chemistry class. His worst fear had also been confirmed when Lucas chose to sit at a different table than normal, forcing him to pair up with a rather dull girl with wild hair who was clearly not as interested in lab safety as she should have been. Her lab coat sleeve had caught on fire twice by the time the bell rang.
“I say we run,” Dustin proposed, clutching at his hard plastic food tray like it was a shield.
“Dustin. I am not having lunch in the bathroom again,” Mike countered, remembering their middle school days and having to hide from bullies.
“You know, it’s great that you mention that because I don’t think we are ever gonna be able to eat again after we tell Eddie Lucas is officially gone.”
“Come on, he’s not stupid, he knows how things work in Hawkins. I’m sure he was expecting him to leave anyway,” said Mike, completely unconvinced.
“Mike, this club is his baby and Lucas just spit in its face. In his baby’s face,” he said dramatically.
“We’ll be fine. We have Erica now. He’s not gonna care if we already have a replacement.”
“Great, we’re trading big Sinclair for little Sinclair. Fan-fucking-tastic.”
The curly haired boy trailed behind his taller friend on the way to their usual table where their fellow club members were already sitting, picking at their sad school provided lunches. Jeff said something to make Donny snort and choke on his can of Coke; a group of girls walking past them eyed him with disgust while Gareth cackled with glee.
“Hello, boys,” said Eddie, sitting at his usual spot: the head of the table. He looked up at them from behind his book. “Have a nice Spring break? Did you get enough smooches to last until summer, Wheeler?”
“It was alright,” Mike answered, wiping his palms on his jeans. He knew Eddie meant no harm, but his relationship would never be his favorite topic to talk about with the other guys of the Hellfire Club. He didn’t think anyone at the table except Dustin would understand him dating a literal human experiment with superpowers that had saved the world multiple times.
“You know, I’m starting to think your girlfriend isn’t real,” Jeff teased.
“Yeah, you never talk about her, we don’t even know her name. Are you sure you didn’t imagine her?” Gareth narrowed his eyes, a light smile never leaving his face.
“Her name is El- Jane. Her name is Jane,” he quickly corrected himself. “She’s totally real, Dustin knows her.”
“Yeah, Jane is… awesome! She’s great,” he nodded, backing his friend up. “Total babe.”
“Dude!” Mike slapped his shoulder.
“What? I think Suzie is a babe. You don’t think your own girlfriend is a babe?”
“O-of course I do, what are you talking abou-”
“Children, children,” Eddie lifted a hand to stop the fight unfolding in front of him. “If Wheeler says she is real, she is real, alright?” he turned to look at Gareth, Jeff and Donny sitting to his right with matching grins on their faces. “It’s not like any of you three are swimming in ladies, so y’know, don’t throw stones if you live in glass houses.”
There were a few seconds of uncomfortable silence where everyone refused to look at each other and Eddie went back to his book: a very battered paperback with a lost cover that was probably hiding somewhere under the mess that was its owner’s bed. He was holding it with one hand, his other hand occasionally bringing a forkful of high school cafeteria mac and cheese to his mouth. It was clear to both Mike and Dustin that he was heavily invested in what he was reading; if they didn’t know him any better, they would have never guessed that under all that unruly hair and leather there was an excellent storyteller and magnificent Dungeon Master. For all everyone knew, he was reading something for his English class but the Hellfire Club boys could tell by now that whenever Eddie had a book around, he was planning something terrible for their characters to go through during their weekly session.
Dustin was trying very hard to focus on his peas and ignore Mike elbowing his side violently when a basketball bounced right in the middle of their table, startling everyone and sending soda cans flying, liquid spilling everywhere. There was loud laughter as one of the Tigers retrieved the ball that was stuck to Gareth’s mac and cheese; Jason, the captain, high-fived whoever was standing next to him as if he had just witnessed the biggest prank of the year. When he turned around, Lucas, sitting at the jocks’ table, sent them a half-assed apologetic glance and went back to his new friends. Wordlessly, Eddie pushed his tray in front of Gareth, who stopped trying to dry the table with the few napkins he had and went back to eating from his new lunch with burning red ears. As the elder leaned forward to steal back his unopened cup of pudding from the tray, he noticed a pair of eyes following him from a nearby table.
He didn’t recognize who it was, but the girl was staring at their table with a furrowed brow, something resembling sadness crystal clear on her face. She turned around to look at the basketball team’s table, shook her head, adjusted her headphones and went back to the textbook in front of her like nothing had happened. It wasn’t often that someone looked at their table like they didn’t deserve the disrespect they got. Making up his mind, Eddie put his book down and crossed his fingers, his rings clinking against each other.
“I think it goes without saying that Lucas Sinclair is no longer welcome in The Hellfire Club,” he said, resolute. “Guess that means you two will have to find someone to replace him. I’ll give you until Friday.”
“But we already have Erica!” Mike said, flinching at the shoe that kicked his shin from under the table.
“While I like the kid and she has more nerve than any of you combined, my newest campaign requires seven players. I’m not gonna rework it because Big Time Sinclair can’t grow a backbone.”
“Eddie, man,” Dustin started, trying to flatter him. “Six players is already too much to handle. Let us make this easier for you. We don’t need a seventh, right, guys?” he looked at Gareth across the table searching for support.
“Uh,” the teen glanced at his friend and leader, words dying in his throat as Eddie tilted his head towards him, sharp eyed and tense.
“Can’t you just ask the redhead you’re always hanging around to join?”
“We’ve asked, she’s not interested,” Mike deflated visibly.
“She has a lot going on,” Dustin said quickly, protecting Max’s honor. “Her brother died last year, she’s still processing.”
“Hargrove, right?” Donny said. “Man, that guy was a piece of trash but at least he kept Jason busy and away from us for a while.”
“I’m sure you two will find someone suitable to replace your little friend if you wanna keep playing with us. And no more middle schoolers. We aren’t running a daycare here,” Eddie smiled in a way that told everyone the conversation was done. “Now if you’ll excuse me, little lambs, I have business transactions waiting to happen.”
With that, the long haired leader disappeared from the cafeteria carrying the metal lunchbox where he kept his, ahem, products in one hand, the book he had been reading still open and the untouched pudding cup in the other one. The other members of the club scattered as they finished their lunch and went back to their routines, leaving Mike and Dustin at the table, heads in their hands, forgotten mac and cheese now sticky and cold.
“We are so screwed,” Dustin said, and Mike couldn’t help but agree.
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