𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠

01. girl crush

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01. 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡

"ι'νє gσт α gιяℓ ¢яυѕн, нαтє тσ α∂мιт ιт вυт ι gσт α нαя∂ яυѕн ιт'ѕ ѕℓσωιη' ∂σωη, ι gσт ιт яєαℓ вα∂, ωαηт єνєяутнιηg ѕнє нαѕ тнαт ѕмιℓє αη∂ тнαт мι∂ηιgнт ℓαυgн ѕнє'ѕ gινιη' уσυ ησω, ι ωαηт тσ тαѕтє нєя ℓιρѕ уєαн, '¢αυѕє тнєу тαѕтє ℓιкє уσυ, ι ωαηт тσ ∂яσωη муѕєℓƒ ιη α вσттℓє σƒ нєя ρєяƒυмє, ι ωαηт нєя ℓσηg вℓση∂ нαιя, ι ωαηт нєя мαgι¢ тσυ¢н, уєαн, '¢αυѕє мαувє тнєη уσυ'∂ ωαηт мє נυѕт αѕ мυ¢н ι'νє gσт α gιяℓ ¢яυѕн"

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*edited and
recommended
to reread*

Eddie had formed a crush on Steve Harrington their freshman year of 1980, always seeing the popular boy walking down the halls with the little clique he had created, or more like the clique created around him. It was hard not to see the other boy during the day, his presence filled the halls even more than the principles. Everyone had a different schedule but somehow Eddie found himself passing the preppy rich boy every other class. On his way to Drama, Band, or Global he had grown used to walking by Steve who was always next to his locker talking to a new girl. The longer school went on the more Harrington's presence slowly became treated like a King.

With that new label, King Steve started to flourish. When everyone else thought about King Steve they thought about how he destroyed a creeps camera or how he somehow beat Billy Hargrove's ass. Though Eddie had a different image in his mind that he thought of when he looked back to see how much Steve has changed.

The first picture that popped itself into Eddie's mind was the image of barely worn striped blue Adidas and perfectly slicked back hair. He could remember it vividly as Steve had been the only guy in the entire school that hadn't bothered to grow a mullet. The new horrible haircut that came to replace the last and there were very few guys that didn't have that haircut. A few kids in his drama class that he can't place names for, him and Steve 'the hair' Harrington.

It had been a shocker to some of the more popular kids that Steve wasn't following the trends like he normally did. Instead that year his sides were buzzed closed to his head while the top of his head stayed long for his fingers to run through. Something Munson wasn't the only one to pick up on. All of the girls in his Math class did too and all of them were constantly drooling all over him as he struggled to answer an algebra question. Though Eddie had been one of them. Sitting there chewing on his pencil without even realizing it, already having his answer sheet filled.

Another reason why Eddie could pinpoint this year so easily was that he had recently moved back to Hawkins to live with his Uncle. This also had been the reason why he didn't have a mullet either. Along the way, he had caught lice from one of the cushions he had slept on while waiting for whatever public transportation to pick him up. His case worker had only traveled with him halfway there before abandoning him to find his own way to Hawkins. Which he had thankfully. After receiving help from the Chief of Hawkins police department. Which he now recognizes as El's Father, who drove up over three hours to pick him up for Wayne Munson.

Though he heard war stories and even met the man again recently he still didn't understand how he had gone from a grumpy miserable drunk to the happiest asshole alive. He remembers how miserable the other had been on the ride back grumbling about how irresponsible it was for a case worker whose job was to keep kids safe, to abandon a fourteen-year-old in the middle of nowhere.