Natural 20 - Eddie x OC

1 - Locker Talk

'Elizabeth Wakeford, if you don't get out of bed right now and start getting ready for school I will ground you for a week!'

The shrieking echo from my mum downstairs made me groan dramatically and pull my head up from under the covers sluggishly.

'Alright I'm coming!' My vocal chords cut harshly as I yelled back, dragging my sorry ass out from my soft, comfy cave. Plucking the neatly folded clothes from the chair that perched behind my writing desk, I threw a grey sweatshirt and some dark slashed up jeans on before sloping down to the kitchen. I yawned loudly as I meandered into my mother's working space. The counters were littered with various different kinds of breakfast for me and my brothers. The youngest, four year old Mickey, sat at the dining table with jam smeared across his cheeks as each slice of toast barely made it past his lips. The twelve year old twins, Bobby and Peter, sat opposite him and were involved in an argument as to whether Circus Fun cereal or Honey Graham Chex were the best. My eldest brother, Nick, stood by the front door about to head off to work and seemed to be checking his bag one last time. Wendy, my banshee of a mother, was frantically trying to clean all the used utensils as well as Mickey's face much to his disagreement. Overall, it was a pretty normal morning in the Wakeford household. Reaching over a carton of spilt milk on the counter, I grabbed a buttered bagel and made my way to the door.

'Uhm, Elizabeth! Are you really going to school looking like that?' Mum looked up from wiping Mickey's chin and he took the chance to slam his hands straight into the jam toast on his plate, spreading the stickiness even further.

'Yes, is there a problem? It's not like I'm butt naked.' I shrugged, tousling my hair with my fingers and shrugging. At my use of the word butt, Bobby and Peter stopped arguing and burst into laughter before parroting me and screaming butt in one another's faces.

'Oh for the love of- Can you mind what you say in front of the boys please?' She berated me but I turned my back and kept heading to the door. I stepped through and into the porch where Nick was putting on his coat. I sat on the tiled floor and pulled my sneakers on without acknowledging him. A photograph of my recently deceased father was hung on the wall above the shoe rack and I sighed a little as I tied my laces. He always knew how to keep a lid on things. It seemed like everything had gone to shit since he passed away.

'Beth, you could be a little bit nicer to her y'know. She's struggling with losing dad too.' Nick's deep but calming voice ebbed from behind me and I tiled my head back to look at him. His dark brown eyes and clean shaven face showed concern, except it was all upside down. I couldn't find the words to respond to him so instead pulled my head back to its normal position and got to my feet.

'I'm gonna be late.' Mumbling, I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulders before exiting the house. I took in a deep breath of fresh Hawkins air before grabbing my bike from outside the garage and making my way to school.

***

Shoving my way through the crowded corridors, I tried to drown out the constant white noise of other high schoolers and skulked my way through tight gaps to reach my locker. As I rounded a corner, I collided with frazzled looking cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham. She squeaked as my body crashed into hers and I could momentarily smell vomit on her breath.

'Woah! Sorry, I didn't see you.' I apologised quickly, taking in her tired eyes and significantly more frail appearance. She was clearly going through something. I knew how that felt. Rooting in my pocket, I pulled out a stick of gum and tried to hand it to her.

'Oh, no-no-no it's okay.' She said shakily, pulling the sleeves of her cheer jersey down to her fingertips, gripping onto the hemline tight. Her dull eyes quickly swivelled down to the floor and she shimmied her tiny frame past me and kept going towards the counsellors office. Shrugging, I dipped the gum back into my pocket and continued on my way to my locker. Upon reaching it, I twisted the dial to open it up and started to fill my backpack with the textbooks I needed for the day. Chemistry first and then Math... did I have Biology today?

'Well if it isn't my favourite customer!' The enigmatic voice boomed over my shoulder and made me jump out of my skin. The heavy biology textbook in my hands tumbled and slammed straight onto my foot and I yelped in pain

'Jesus fucking Christ Eddie don't do that!' Cursing him out under my breath, I lifted my sneaker out from under the book and massaged it with my fingers through the fabric.

'Shit sorry. I didn't realise you were holding something heavy.' His ringed fingers reach down and plucked the book up, neatly sliding it into my bag. 'Kinda ironic that a biology book basically broke your foot.'

'You broke my foot asshole.' I grumbled, placing it tentatively back down onto the floor and hovering on the heel for a few seconds. 'What do you want Eddie? I'm late for class.'

'Didn't realise chemistry was so important to you.. anyway, are you buying today? I got the good stuff in.' He grinned devilishly, tapping his small metal lunchbox. I contemplated. After the morning I'd had, sparking up might take the edge off a little.

'Sure. Just my normal amount though.'

'The lady has spoken!' Eddie smiled triumphantly before gently patting both of my freckled cheeks twice in tandem. 'I'll meet you at the usual spot at the usual time.'

'Whatever you say Munson.' I used my elbow to close my locker from behind me and dipped out of his grip before making my way to the lab.

My morning lessons dragged by, with exam preparations and constant talk about what happens after graduation if I don't get my shit together. Every second that the clock ticked in the classroom it was bringing me closer and closer to lunchbreak and some peace and quiet. Sure enough, the bell eventually rang and I found myself practically running to the cafeteria. I found a quiet spot on my own in one of the large window sills and sat silently, munching on the cold crappy food that the lunch lady had slopped onto my plate. I stared out across the grassy pitches outside at the boys playing soccer and wondered what Bobby and Peter were up to right now. They used to love playing soccer in the yard with dad. Nick used to referee whilst mum and I would make up stupid nonsensical chants as the audience.

'...but as long as you're into band or science or parties or a game where you toss balls into laundry baskets!' My attention was drawn into the cafeteria where Eddie had seemingly climbed onto a table and was preaching about... something. He was preaching about something but I wasn't entirely sure what. His brown curly hair bounced in time with his movements as he directed his frustrations at the basketball boys. Jason, a walking cliche of a guy, got to his feet in defense of his team and stared Eddie down from across the room.

'You want something freak?' There was something eerie in his voice, an icy harsh stare that bore directly into Eddie. The metalhead didn't flinch though. Instead, he turned his index fingers into tiny horns and stuck his tongue out, making gremlin like growls before running back across the table and to his seat. Smirking, I let out a small laugh and turned my gaze back outside to the pitch. He was a character that was for sure.