𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄! ✽ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

3

𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟓 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 ❝𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐒𝐘❞ into the hawkins high school parking lot. the enchanting voice of steven tyler poured from the cassette tape in her upgraded stereo. the ginger-haired girl exhaled a cloud of smoke as she tapped the drum beat to "sweet emotion" on her steering wheel. she mouthed the words to the song, her cigarette drooping from the corner of her mouth. dani whipped into her usual parking spot rather abruptly. the car jolted forward as the girl nabbed her backpack from the backseat. sheridan's black clogs came into contact with the asphalt as she stepped out of the driver's side. she threw her cigarette onto the ground and rubbed it out with her shoe, a la sandra dee. the shaffer girl threw her bag over her shoulder and begrudgingly began to make her way into the school.

most students smiled at sheridan as she passed them in the hallways. praise for her moves at the party just last night bounced from locker to locker. the girl would then flash a smile at her favorite teachers, who didn't have the slightest clue as to what her peers were chattering about. dani found that high-fives were common, as well.

the ginger opened her own locker with ease. unbeknownst to her, a pre-rolled joint sat atop the bottom shelf; how that got past her was a complete and utter mystery. sheridan jutted her head out past her locker door, glancing in each direction with skeptical eyes. she hastily shoved the joint in the back pocket of her patched bellbottoms and ruffled out her beatles t-shirt in an attempt to cover it up.

dani went about her morning, taking off her quilt coat and large sunglasses and placing them in her locker. she grabbed her necessary books—as well as her lighter—and headed for the girls' bathroom. she rounded the corner and pushed the large door open with a shuddering squeal.

as she prepared to head for the farthest stall, she encountered her ex-best friend and steve harrington pushed up against the painted brick wall, attached at the lips. "jesus!" sheridan exclaimed. she instantly shielded her eyes and turned around. "at least go to the boys' bathroom!"

✽

𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐓 mrs. watson's chalk notes on the blackboard ahead. she chomped down on her watermelon-flavored gum and tapped her pencil against her desolate notebook. her mind was racing: mostly about the encounter with nancy and steve just hours ago, and not even the fact that this was her final period of the day. she was in the home stretch, and yet the sight of steve "the hair" harrington and nancy wheeler mouth fucking each other at 7:30 in the morning was all she could think about. it replayed over and over again in her head, much to her dismay.

sheridan hadn't spoken to either of the two in years. she'd always had the biggest crush on steve, from elementary school up until last year. his house was a short walk through the woods away. the sound of steve and his friends howling with laughter, the hits blaring from his stereo well into the night, as they splashed in his pool on scorching summer days was a sort of nostalgic sound to dani; and as much as she loved to pretend she hated it with everything in her, something about it enchanted her. she figured she liked it simply because steve did.

and dani couldn't help but gush about the boy to nancy, so everything went downhill when she began dating steve, fully aware of her best friend's infatuation. the girl smiled to herself at the thought of her having feelings for steve: the childish way that she was completely enamored with him. in the way that crushes can take every atom of oxygen in your body with a single glance. and how her feelings remained a total mystery to everyone but her and nancy wheeler.

or was she just smiling at the thought of steve?

"sheridan?" mrs. watson chimed from the front of the room. the ginger's pen tapping stopped, along with her heart, and her mouth fell agape as her teacher's eyes bored into hers.

"yes?" dani questioned, plastering on a fake smile to get the woman off her tracks.

"the french and indian war?"

"...what about it?" she questioned through her shiny teeth. the class let out quaint and sporadic chuckles, knowing full well dani wasn't paying attention whatsoever.

watson let out an exasperated sigh. "when did it take place?" the ginger froze in her place again. silence hung thick in the air like smoke. after minutes of terrifying eye contact, the high schoolers broke out into laughter. the teacher continued on with her lesson as sheridan sunk back into her seat. could today get any worse?

"sheridan shaffer to the front office, please. sheridan shaffer to the front office."

apparently, it can.

✽