𝙳𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚊 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜?

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑?

𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜.

𝙼𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞,

𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚑.

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎'𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎,

𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎.

𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎.

It was now or never. Every single seat was filled for the winter game and Lennon felt like passing out.

Lennon stepped out into the gymnasium with a fake smile and waving pompoms as she and the girls marched onto the court. She had to remind herself to stay calm and smile. She had to do well. The whole school would know if she failed or missed a step, and there was no going back. There would be an entire three weeks until school was back in session and she'd be the talk of the town; at least that's how she felt.

Her eyes raced across the sea of faces and her skin went clammy and cold in an instant. She saw Brontë immediately and he was clapping his hands when everyone was lined up across the middle portion of the bleachers. They all faced the crowd, waving and welcoming everybody for the night.

She had started the routine and when she realized it wasn't just her up there on the court while the basketball players got ready to enter, she eased into it slightly. She focused on the music and when to strut, when to flutter her pompoms, when to raise her leg over her head, and when to get to her knee for the floor showcases.

When Heather and Rebecca backhanded into the center of the room, Lennon knew she was fine. The first routine went perfectly. By then, all the girls smiled and blushed as they caught their breaths and ran over to the home court to wait for the teams to show up.

As Lennon jogged behind Chrissy, making her way towards the basketball hoop, she saw a pair of big brown eyes on her as she scurried across the floor.

Eddie had his shoulder pressed to the wall by the door when Lennon noticed him. He was wearing that same black and white t-shirt with the little red devil that he wore the day he walked across the tables in the cafeteria. His hair was frizzy and vibrant under the lights of the gym but none of that mattered to her.

What mattered was the soft smirk strung out across his face and the little twinkle in his eyes when they followed her. She had to look away or else her lingering stare was bound to draw attention to him.

But he came...

He showed up even though he had other obligations. It was a big night for the two of them and yet he still came to see her.

She stood by her cheerleaders and rose her pompoms into the air when the team entered the gym. Her mind was elsewhere but the crowd roared wildly. Everyone clapped and hooted and Lennon took the opportunity to cast her gaze over towards the door again, hoping people would be too busy watching the team to have noticed her preoccupied stare.

Eddie had kicked his weight off the wall and saluted her with a tight-lipped smile of appreciation before he disappeared. She felt something inside her falter but she turned down to the floor and continued ruffling her yellow, white, and green pompoms until the guests joined them on the other side.

She couldn't get over the fact that he showed up. He had Hellfire to host. It was the final game of the tournament and he still managed to support her through her endeavors.

Once the game started, Lennon had a moment to collect her more anxious thoughts.

All she had to do was stand there and cheer the team on.

The girls were spread out across the edge of the court, across from the bleachers now as they watched from the outskirts of the hall that led to the water fountains and locker rooms. The girls were chatting amongst themselves, whispering about the boys and the game and as the night grew older, her anxiety settled to a more manageable extent.

It wasn't as hard as she first thought it would be. For some reason, she didn't expect them to have any rest periods between the game. She assumed she would have to be jumping up and down and screaming the whole time to encourage the team, but that wasn't the case.

The girls talked a lot about how hot the guys looked when sweaty and focused, and some talked about their plans for the winter break which surprised Lennon. She conformed and followed their league, and because Lennon personally knew so many of the players, she was able to distract herself from the anxiety-inducing mid-performance that would require her to lean on her base cheerleaders to keep her up in the air.

She watched Steve and Jason hold most of the possession over the ball before someone on the other team stole it. The guests had the ball for a while, scoring five points with nothing in Hawkins favor before Billy stole possession and shot a three-pointer with a few minutes left on the clock.

By then, Lennon knew what was coming. She had a few minutes to get ready for the big performance she wasn't looking forward to. The guys huddled together to go over their final attempt to score a few more points and Lennon kindly excused herself.

The coach was preoccupied with the basketball team and even though Heather and Chrissy tried getting her to stay, she managed to slip past into the hallway.

She took a deep breath and hurried for her locker. Her hands were trembling as she put in the combination but she couldn't worry about that now. She had bigger things at stake. She had to not pass out at that point. All she needed to do was not faint.

She hadn't eaten well and the anxiety was getting worse now as the clock ticked down to the second half of the game. She was tired and over exhausted herself and she just couldn't be facing the repercussions now. Of all days to feel the effects of her damage, today had to be the day.

She swiped some cash from her locker before gently closing it and rushing towards the cafeteria.

She shoved her cash into the machine sitting outside the doors and munched on a candy bar for a boost. She hoped the sugar from the chocolate would help with the energy and the weight of the peanut butter would make her feel full before she had to go back out there.

She pressed her back to the wall opposite the machine and sighed. The sound of the crowd could be heard from down the hall but she didn't want to be accompanied by them. She didn't want be around anyone.

She wanted it all to end. She wanted to breathe. She wanted to stay home. She wanted to watch movies with her brother. She didn't want to keep putting her skin under so much trauma with makeup and remover. She didn't want to keep wearing that uniform. She didn't want to keep the act up. It had only been a few months, but she didn't want to keep going.

As she got to the second chunk of chocolate in her bar, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. Her head turned towards the echoed slapping of rubber against tile and found two figures running toward her.

They were laughing and snickering and gasping before they slowed their pace and noticed the stray cheerleader chewing anxiously on the remainder of her candy bar.

When they halted in their race, Lennon recognized the two boys immediately.

Dustin Henderson and Gareth Anderson.

"Hey Lennon," Dustin waved kindly, offering her a supportive but weary smile before he turned to Gareth and sharply bolted towards the vending machine and laughed when his hand hit the surface of the box before the junior that accompanied him.

"Hi Dustin. Gareth," she waved back, finishing her candy bar and dropping the wrapping into the trash beside the machine they were rushing to put money into.

Gareth turned to her curiously and smiled. "Hi," he gave out softly before he turned away shyly.

Lennon giggled and sighed to relieve her chest of it's stuffiness.

"Hey, Dustin?" Lennon called out curiously as she rubbed at her arms for comfort.

The shorter boy turned to her and absently handed Gareth the remaining cash as if he couldn't waste a second of time.

"Yeah? Is everything okay?" Dustin wondered nervously since she never confided in him until that week.

"Heh," she rolled her eyes and sighed once more. "I was uh... I was actually wondering if you'd be interested in going to a party with me and Brontë tomorrow..." she furrowed her brows with a puzzled expression plastered to her face.

Dustin's eyes shifted suspiciously. "Uh... what?"

"I..." she scoffed and tilted her head to the floor self-consciously. "I was invited to a party I don't wanna go to and having a friend there would make the whole experience so much better" she explained thoughtfully. "And Steve'll be there in case the idea made you uncomfortable so... Only if you wanted to, of course," she rubbed at her arms soothingly before backing away when she read the time on the wall.

"I... Me?" Dustin clarified incredulously, placing his hand over his heart and leaning forward slightly, not quite understanding why she was asking him to come to some party as a friend.

"Yeah," she sang out quickly. "And," she called out, diverting Gareth's attention from the vending machine. "You can come too... If you want to, Gareth. It would mean a lot," she smiled warmly at her classmate before backing away more quickly.

"Will you guys be around a little longer?!" she yelled out as she hurried toward the gym before she missed the routine altogether. "I have a routine if you don't mind waiting so we can talk more?!"

"Uh..." Dustin stood next to Gareth who was also dumbfounded. "Yeah! Hellfires in the drama department! We'll be around!" Dustin assured, earning Lennon's wide smile and a thumbs up before she raced to the gym.

Knowing she'd have people around to occupy her time at the party untied a knot in her belly. She knew what Billy wanted from her and it would be impossible to get her swooning if she had so many people around.

Nancy and Jonathan, Dustin and Gareth, Steve and Brontë if she needed to, and now she had the opportunity to invite the rest of Hellfire if she played her cards right. And if she managed that, maybe she could even find a way to be alone with a certain curly-haired guitarist who smelled of tobacco, weed, and cedar.

But for now, she had to get through the rest of the winter game.

***

"What the hell was all that about?" Gareth wondered, quickly snatching the bags of chips from the vending machine and shoving a few more coins into the one next to it for some Mt. Dews.

"How should I know?" Dustin shrugged. "I don't think she's ever even talked to me before last weekend..."

Both the boys stood in a reckless bewilderment as they hurried to get the chips and drinks for the Hellfire Club while Mike and Will played their turns.

"So it's not just me who thinks that was absolutely bizarre?" Gareth clarified, listening to the loud thunk of each can of soda falling from the machine.

"Oh, completely bizarre," Dustin agreed insanely. "You don't think that has anything to do with Eddie, do you?" Dustin looked up curiously and saw Gareth's reddened cheeks fall hopelessly slack.

"He's sworn off the girls here for years," Gareth informed the freshman. "He calls them 'jail bait'. And you can't seriously think he's got a shot with her?" he cringed judgmentally.

Dustin chuckled and shook his head disbelief. "I didn't think she'd ever even look me in the eye until today, Gareth," Dustin grabbed the last soda from the second vending machine and turned towards him. "Not much more could surprise me. Eddie's been off though... You have to admit."

"He's been weird, man," Gareth shook his hair out and walked alongside Dustin. "He missed band practice a little while ago when he saw that girl at The Hideout... heh... I'm telling you dude, he's pussy whipped for sure."

"Well, are you gonna go?" Dustin pondered.

"Huh?"

"To the party? I don't wanna go if you're not going," he admitted. "Steve barely acknowledges me as it is and I won't have anyone there if you don't," he complained, hoping the metal head beside him would agree.

"Dude," Gareth scoffed. "I don't think either of us can say no to Lennon Seagrave," Gareth's eyes widened as a smirk strung out across his face.

"Well, that is if Eddie doesn't kill us before we even have the chance," Dustin's voice got louder as he turned to face Gareth mischievously. "Double or nothing?" he threatened.

"Oh, you're on," Gareth smiled.

He grabbed Dustin's hand before shoving him backward, causing Dustin to falter. Luckily, he caught himself before he could fall too far behind.

The two of them sloppily raced into the room their friends were in before their blood ran cold with the immediate, piercing stare of their dungeon master.

"If either of you took that long to chase after the closest long sword, you both would be dead, my friends," Eddie leered from down the length of the table, staring deeply at the shortest of the bunch.

"Listen," Dustin set the chips down at the end of the table and smiled nervously. "The only reason we took so long was because your girlfriend wanted to have a little one-on-one with us, alright?" Dustin turned to Gareth for support, tilting his head down and shooting the blue-eyed boy a look of warning. "It wasn't our fault."

Eddie furrowed his brows and sat at the edge of his seat. "Uhm, Rangers and Rogues..." Eddie sang out deliriously. "I don't know if you noticed but uh, I don't have a girlfriend," he threw his hands out dramatically before shifting his eyes to the other boys sat around him.

Gareth scoffed. "He's talking about Lennon Seagrave," he smiled, setting a can of soda down in front of each of the boys with an effortless nonchalance.

Eddie tilted his head jestingly. "The cheerleader?" he drew out drearily.

"The cheerleader," Gareth whispered sarcastically, patting his hand down on Eddie's shoulder as he rounded him with three more sodas for the younger, newer members of Hellfire.

Eddie hummed humorously. "She's got a crowd to hype up and a bunch of sweaty monkeys to cheer on," Eddie rolled his eyes and opened the Mt. Dew before his voice went raw from talking for an hour straight. "When the hell would she even have time to talk to you dweebs?"

Grant and Will both snickered but the rest of them seemed intrigued now. Everyone with eyes knew Lennon was hot. Her eyes were intense and shimmered with interest all the time. Her legs looked like they were sculpted from stone and her hair was long and healthy. She was beautiful and wherever she lacked physically, she made up for with charisma. She was funny and attentive and there was nothing better than having a friend who was a good listener and had the ability to make you laugh.

"She was chewing on a Snickers when we saw her," Dustin pointed his thumbs over his shoulder as reference. "You sure you don't wanna go check on the missus?" Dustin took his seat beside Eddie and braced himself for a strike to the arm or head.

But instead, Eddie only stared dauntingly after he set his soda down behind the wall he made between the battlefield and his workspace.

"Don't you think if she were my missus, I would be plastering that shit up against every fucking wall of this hellhole?" Eddie ridiculed the younger boy. "We are talking about Lennon Seagrave, aren't we?"

Dustin hummed in agreement but he was ready to give up now that Eddie grew with passion. He knew that whenever Eddie got passionate about something, there was no shutting him up.

"You have a crush on her," Jeff teased confidently. "Shit. And you think you've got a chance," he poked fun at Eddie from afar.

He quickly snapped in his direction but Jeff was too jubilated to care.

"And you don't?" he defended himself.

"At least I know she's out of my league, dude," he pressed his hand to his chest and earned more laughs from Grant and Mike.

"Oh," Eddie sat back in his seat and fought the satisfying smile threatening to expose his true emotions. "I know she's out of my league. But there's one thing I have that none of you do that makes me a special case," he teased, hiding his grin behind his tower of books.

"And what might that be?" Will wondered sarcastically.

"Balls."