lost love

chapter 69

-march 21st 1986-

-reader's pov-

assembly had just finished and the students of hawkins high were heading to their first lessons of the day, I walked in a line with mike, dustin and lucas.

"I don't get the big deal," lucas began, "just talk to eddie. get him to move hellfire to another night."

"just talk to eddie?!" dustin retorted, gobsmacked.

"why don't you just talk to your coach and get him to move the game?" mike inquired.

"-I think that's a great idea, mike." dustin beamed as I nodded in agreement.

"-thank you, dustin, y/n." mike replied.

"this is the championship game!" lucas cried out.

"-and this is the end of eddie's campaign!" dustin remarked, "a semester of adventuring has led up to this moment, and we need you."

"-yeah, and the tigers don't." mike added, as we now turned a corner, "you've been on the bench all year."

"-that's not the point." lucas seethed.

"please arrive at the point." dustin said, almost exasperatedly.

"if I get in good with these guys, I'll be in the popular crowd." lucas explained, "and then you guys will be too."

"has it ever occurred to you that we don't want to be popular?" mike replied with large hand gestures.

"-so you wanna be stuck with the nerds and freaks for three more years?" lucas responded, now stood outside his class.

"-we are nerds and freaks!" dustin exclaimed, "I mean, look at us!"

"yeah, but maybe we don't have to be!" lucas replied.

"-but maybe we wanna be, lucas." I joined in, "I'm happy as I am, being popular.. I dunno, it's just not for me."

"just, whatever.." lucas mumbled, "I'm tired of being bullied, I'm tired of everyone laughing at us, I'm tired of feeling like a loser. we came to high school wanting things to be different, right?"

none of us replied, we just meekly nodded our heads a little.

"so now we have that chance." lucas continued, "I skip tonight, that's all out the window. so I'm asking you guys, as a friend, just talk to eddie. get him to move hellfire, come to my game, please."

yet again, none of us spoke a word, until the school bell rang, signalling the beginning of first period. and with that, lucas entered the classroom, leaving just the guys and I.

"shit." dustin groaned before we all turned around and walked to class, still processing what lucas had said.

————————

dustin, mike and I stood, holding our lunch trays in the school canteen. we were watching eddie, talk to the others about some magazine, he seemed hyped up. and more than he usually was, so that's saying something.

"oh god, he seems really revved up today." dustin announced.

"he's always revved up." mike assured, "we'll just.. act casual."

"-casual." dustin and I repeated in unison.

"-casual." mike confirmed before we slowly trailed over to the table and took our seats.

"society has to blame something." gareth stated whilst mike, dustin and I dropped our lunch trays onto the table with a clatter, "-and we're an easy target."