Nine. Jen and School (and a little bit of boys)
Hawkins, Nov. 1983
Eddie Munson's room is a black hole. You come in and never get out. The snakes under his bed wrap around your ankles and pull you back in, and if you try to fight them they'll bite you and kill you.
His room is also really fucking cold.
And when he isn't in bed next to you, you really feel the fucking cold.
The blinds are cracked, and the November morning sun is shining Jen right in the eyes. Her temples have pulses this morning as she yawns gently. She wants to shove her face into one of his pillows and for once she doesn't want to leave. It's Monday, there's school. She needs to leave.
The trailer seems awfully quiet, it gives her the energy to crawl out of bed. She almost trips when the snake of sheets gets her leg.
She told you, you can't leave.
Eddie's door creaks when she pulls it open softly, it makes her grimace. Maybe he needs a little degreaser now. Her feet are cold against the grounds, and the band tee she's wearing goes past her knees (she has no idea what band it is).
"Morning."
She's not sure why she does it, but she flinches at Eddie's voice. He doesn't notice because he's not looking at her. His nose is shoved in a book, and there's toast and bacon on a plate in front of him. It looks like too much for one person, or maybe that's because the Leadison's are limited on food supply.
They would so die in the apocalypse.
"Hi," the girl whispers as she rakes her fingers through her hair. Teasing out the knots. She moves towards the boy at the counter, her eyes on the book title. She doesn't know what it is. She hates books. Her eyes switch away from the book to the boys food, she takes a strip of bacon. "Is it good?"
Her voice is so soft in the morning it could make a grown man cry.
Eddie's palm gently encases the back of Jen's thigh, his hand is warm compared to her cold skin. She gets chills. "The bacon or the book?"
Jen cracks a smile, the bacon is goodâshe's halfway done with the strip. "I meant the book." Eddie's eyes leave the pages and move to the girl, who takes a bite of his toast now. "You don't have to pick around. S'plates for you. I already ate mine."
She wants to cry, cause she knows that he knows what's it's like to struggle with things out of your control.
"Thank you," she mumbles. Eddie hums, "and the book is good. Thank you for asking even though the last thing you would do is willingly read a book."
The girl stifles a laugh, nose scrunching up. She pushes Eddie's curls gently behind his ear. He rolls his eyes fondly and looks back at his book. "I can drive you to school if you want?"
Jen's lips part, she wants to say yes. She wants all of that with Eddie. But she knows he doesn't want an actual relationship, he made that clear from the beginning. "It's okay. Alex is going to drive me." Eddie sends her a look. "Or I will drive Alex. But seriously it's okay, thank you anyways, Eds." The boy hums but Jen flinches at the sudden wailing from outside.
She's nosy, Eddie doesn't give a shit. He's lived here too long to care about outside noises. (Or crying babies.)
She moves towards his window, peaking past his dusty blinds. She lets out a soft noise that makes Eddie look at her. "What is it?"
"It's Steve Harrington's baby. He's.. He's leaving her with that lady who always makes the pumpkin cookies, I forgot her name.."
Eddie smiles, "Mandy Daisy." Jen hums. "Yes! Her."
Eddie watches the girl, a soft smile on his lips. "What else is happening, J?"
"Um.. I think he's going to school. This early, I don't know why.. But he's throwing his bag in the back of his car and Violet's still crying. Mandy is waving Violet's little hand, I guess trying to make her feel better.. I'm not sure."
"What's Steve's face look like?"
Jen's voice hitches at the question weirdly enough. Her gaze falls on the most popular boy at her school in the trailer park, he's halfway in his car and halfway not. He's watching Mandy take his daughter into her trailer, and he looks pained. So pained hearing his daughter cry for him. "Jen?"
"He looks sad, Eddie, really sad.."
Eddie places down his book finally, "you shouldn't feel bad, Jen. Those are his mistakes, y'know? You're too nice to people. You're gonna get pushed around. He leaves early to see Nancy Wheeler in his backseats, okay? So he's leaving his baby before he should for shit reasons."
(I don't think being in love is a shit reason.)
Jen doesn't think Nancy is a shit reason, they're in cheer together. She's really nice and timid. Worse than Jen.
Jen watches Steve drive away, her stomach churning. She shouldn't feel bad for him, he's never given her the time of day, but she still feels bad for some reason. She can't imagine having a kid at this age. "How'd you know her name is Violet anyway?"
Jen turns back towards the boy, she takes the plate of food. "He's King Harrington. That makes his daughter a princess. It's all anyone ever talks about at school, Eddie." She kisses his temple before she pushes out of his trailer. Her head is still pounding. She's gone without her clothes from last night. Shoes. Or pants.
That girl is never wearing damn pants.
"What the hell is this?" Alex Leadison's voice in the mornings is like nails on a chalk board.
Jen is wearing clothes now. Her hair is brushed, spilling over her shoulders in its slight natural wave, and she has the smallest bit of makeup on. "It's a plate of food, Alex. The rest is for you." She says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world.
It is.
Alex pokes at the buttery toast that's gone cold. Butter glazes her fingertip. "Okay, but where'd you get it?" Alex looks at her younger sister. Jen rolls her eyes as she snatches up her bag, and her mother's car keys. They still have two cars, surprisingly enough. (Gas for two cars is really expensive, though.)
"I got it from the Devil, Alex. C'mon, keep up."
Alex doesn't think it's funny, but she eats it anyway. "Where are you going? I'm not ready yet." Her sister's voice is muffled by food.
Jen sighs at the door, turning over her shoulder to look at her sister. "You take your car. I take mom's. I don't want to drive you anymore."
Alex's shoulders fall a bit. "Okay." She doesn't fight it.
Jen just hums, leaving the trailer and nearly getting clipped by their heavy ass door.
She listens to Blondie on the way to school, it's her mother's cassette. She doesn't like to touch it, it's been in the car stereo since her mother diedâand it probably will be forever. Jen refuses to touch it.
She takes her bag and cheer duffle carefully in her hands as she exits the rusty red car. It's probably the ugliest car in the car park, next to Eddie's and her sistersâwho still isn't here yet.
The girl sighs, getting a final look of herself in the side mirror. She has mascara smudged under her right eye, "seriously.." She mumbles it out like a curse word, tainted but gentle as she rubs at her skin softly. It goes red under her fingertip.
"Hey, J." The girl flinches at the new voice. She hurries to stand up straight and spins around to find none other than Reed Routledge.
"Reed? Hi."
The brunette boy with a heavy summer tan for a kid living in Hawkins nods gently, hands shoved in his back pockets. "I know I just talked to you a few days ago.. But, I'm out, and Harrington is throwing a little thing at his house tomorrow night. I need some more, so, can you talk to your boy?"
Every time Jen stares at Reed, she reminds herself that he tasted like clementines, cigarettes, and peaches. It was one time, at one of Lowen's parties that Alex had dragged her too. (Crazy mistake. The party. And the sex. That night she was so out of her head. Not good. Very not Jen.)
Though: He was kind with his rough hands, which shocked Jen, cause she knew how cold he was at school. Like Tommy, like Steve. They were all friends, what did you expect.
"Right, okay.. It might cost a little more cause it's so soon? That okay?"
Of course it's okay, the Routledge's were one of the wealthiest families in Hawkinsâright after the Harrington's. But Steve could never be caught buying drugs, and to be fair, Reed couldn't either, it's why he always came to Jen. (Jen was a nobody.)
Reed hums, eyes lingering on the fading dark spot on Jen's collarbone that peaks out. He can't help but stare.
He remembers what she tasted like when he looks at her too. As odd as it sounds, she tasted like flowersâwell, he assumed it's what flowers tasted like. "Yeah, that's no problem. Thank you again, Jen.."
He squeezes her elbow gently as he passes by. The jeans on his thighs rub against her own as he goes. She lets out a bated breath.
Reed isn't nice to people, not like he is to Jen. She's always wondered why. Was it because of the sex? (Alex would kill her if she found out she slept with him.)
Jen slips a note into Eddie's locker on the way to her first class. She abandons her cheer duffle in her locker on the way as well. She has her first class with Nancy Wheeler, and she can't help but stare. Does Nancy like that her boyfriend has a brunette cherub? Does she take care of Violet like a mother should?
Does Nancy cut like a mother does? Probably not.
Steve Harrington has this class too, he just sits a few seats behind Jenâhe catches her staring at Nancy. Until Jen catches him staring at her. They both look away startled with red bitten cheeks. Steve usually doesn't get embarrassed. They both know that.
Jen has study hall for her second class of the day, and she usually hides away in the library. She also likes to people watch as she stands at shelves skimming along book spines.
And despite her best efforts, she finds Steve Harrington first. She wasn't even aware he'd be in here, she was pretty sure he had math during this block?
He's at one of the tables, a few hefty books in from of him. And an essay of some sort? His college essay? But her eyes move to his face regardless of what he's doing. His brown mellow irises bleed stress. His hand is rough at his jaw and his eyes look a little watery and red. She wonders if he's just only thinking about college?
What about Violet? She seems to be reading his mind.
His hair looks really soft too and she would love to curl strands between her fingers. She wonders if Nancy loves his hair.
"Hey, you wanted to see me?"
She gasps, flinching a little. Why is everyone scaring her today? The girl turns over her shoulder, Eddie's closer than she thought. His breath kisses her lips. His nose bumps hers gently.
He had been watching her stare off at Steve Harrington, but he doesn't mention it. "You okay?"
The girl nods gently. "Yeah, sorry.. Um, Reed stopped me this morning. He says he needs more.. He's having a get together at Steve's place tomorrow night.."
Eddie nods slowly. Jen smiles gently, "I told him it might cost a little more.."
Eddie then cracks a half smile (smirk). "Yeah, sounds good to me. Tell him to find you when the bell rings, right before you gotta go to cheer. I'll leave it in your wheel."
The girl nods gently, "okay." Eddie hums, gently pushing back the girls hair as he leaves a kiss under her ear. "I'll see you Jen."
"Bye, Eds."
Her cheeks are beat red. Eddie's never been one for things in public, especially school. The girl takes in a breath, the back of her palms lay against her heated face and when she looks away from the shelf before herâshe catches Steve Harrington's eyes.
He's looking at her. He's been looking at her.
This time they both don't shy away, not in the slightest.