Through Everything | Eddie Munson x f!reader

Chapter 1

Word Count : 1,273

High school was Hell, that much you knew. You weren’t sure how much worse it could get your last year, but oh boy was it going to get worse. You had moved to the small town in your last year, so the stress of moving and not knowing anyone was destroying you. You had flunked every test, your focus was lost in all the bullying, and your grades were slipping. By the end of the year, you had failed every class with flying colors. Round two, you had failed again. This year, you were sure you were going to pass. You had given up on self pity and stopped letting the jocks get to you. Once they realized as much, they backed off out of boredom. For the most part, you stayed to yourself, keeping quiet about your interests and what went on in your daily life. No one seemed to care, even if they did talk to you. Most people were put off by your looks anyway, so it wasn’t like you had anyone to talk to. No one wanted to come even ten feet close to someone that looked like a Satan worshiper, especially not in such a small town like Hawkin’s when it was known that there was something more going on. 

This morning felt different, though, as you dawned your ripped jeans, simple black t-shirt, and leather jacket covered in patches, pins, and small studs. You checked yourself one last time in the bathroom mirror as you headed down the carpeted stairs to the living room. The house was quiet so you knew your parents had already left for work, leaving you alone in the empty foyer. You sigh as you pick up your frayed backpack and slip on your shoes, almost ready to go. It was the last few days before Spring vacation and time seemed to tick by slower and slower as you anticipated the break more. You lived relatively close to the school so you didn’t mind the walk. The weather was crisp and sunny and you thanked your jacket silently for the warmth as you slowly neared the building. 

The hallways were already packed by the time you reached them, the sounds of kids excitedly explaining what they were going to do on break was deafening. It killed you that you had no plans, no friends to hang out with, and the thought that your parents had booked a vacation out of state for themselves. You hated the chatter, so you decided to finally put on your thin headphones and press play on your walkman, the sounds of heavy guitar and drums flooding your ears and blocking out the noisy hallways. You made your way to your locker, opened it, and put your bag in, only taking out the papers and books you needed for your first few classes. As you shut the metal door and turned, you were met with a bulky body and were sent flying back into the lockers, knocking your headphones off of your head, which then clamored to the floor, along with all the papers and books you were holding onto. You caught your breath as the people around you laughed and kicked your things around as they made their way to the classrooms. 

You sigh and pull your headphones up by the chord and put them loosely around your neck, the loud music still reaching you from there and calming your nerves as you go to pick up your things. You saw a pair of shoes stop in front of you, hesitate to keep going, then they leaned down to help you. You look up to see a freshman gathering books that had flown across the floor and bring them over to you. You thank him quietly and take the books as he leans down and helps you pile up your notes. The hallway clears out just as you’re finishing and you thank him again. You get up and turn to leave, your hands heading to your headphones, but just before the music could cocoon you, you heard the freshman yell to you and jog to catch up. “Hey wait a second!” You stop and turn to face him, finally getting a good look at the scrawny boy. There wasn’t much to take note of, aside from the “Hellfire Club” shirt he had on, and you waited as he caught up. 

“I couldn’t help but notice, and I didn’t mean to snoop, they were all kinda there and I would have felt weird admitting this to anyone else,” he rambled. “Dude, just spit it out. We’re gonna be late.” You turn again and he keeps pace with you as you start towards your class. “Well, I was wondering… I saw your doodles. Were they from D&D? Y’know, Dungeons and Dragons? If not I am so so sorry for snooping, I really didn’t mean to.” You chuckle slightly at his nervousness and turn your head to him. “Yeah, what about it? Gonna call me a Satan worshiper or something?” He gives you a crooked smile before continuing. “Nah, actually my club, Hellfire,” he looks down at his shirt, “I just thought that maybe… Maybe you would be interested in joining? That is, if you actually play, of course. We meet after school every once in a while to play and I thought….” You stop at your class door as people are still filing in and he stops in front of you. “You want me to join a bunch of scrawny freshmen nerds in a dingy classroom after school? That’s how you want me to spend my time?” He lets out a quiet groan and then laughs a little. “You actually have it wrong. Sure, me and a friend are nerdy and freshmen, but the DM is actually a senior like you, and his other friends are upper class too. They have a band. Actually I’m surprised you aren’t friends with them. You match their style.” The last bell rings and you roll your eyes. “Sure, beansprout, I’ll think about it and have an answer by the end of the day.” He nods a bunch with ‘cool’s here and there as you turn and enter your first class. 

All first half, all you could think about was that thin boy and his words. You knew of a few loud guys in your grade, but weirdly enough, you hadn’t cared enough to pay attention to them. They were loud and annoying on occasion, and that made you angry. Lunch came around, and sure enough, they were loud and obnoxious, but you finally actually looked at the boys that called themselves the Hellfire Club. There were two freshmen, and the rest of the guys, sure enough, looking to be around your age. You could just barely hear as the, you assumed, leader began heckling the two freshmen, going on one of his loud rants to them, then finally yelling above the noise of the room and climbing onto the table his club was sitting at. “As long as you’re into band, or science, or parties, or,” he raised his voice louder and cupped his mouth to get his voice even louder. “A game where you toss balls into laundry baskets.” There were ‘boo’s echoing now as the jocks defended themselves. The boy on the table stuck out his tongue and put his hands up next to his head to make horns, and you couldn’t help but to laugh at the sight, butterflies slowly creeping up your spine as he flashed a genuine smile. Maybe he might not be so unbearable, you thought.