☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

°•. ┊ Daylight┊.•°
✧ ˚ ━ i understand, act three

CHAPTER FOUR — the hellfire club

✧

I wake up in a sweat after yet another nightmare about the events of July 4th. I catch my breath and look over to the clock on my nightstand, it reads; 6:03 am. Forty two minutes before my alarm goes off. Awesome. I roll out of bed and make my way into the bathroom, taking a hot shower to wash away the horrors of my sleep. I put on the first pair of jeans that I can find and a t-shirt, shoving my feet into some boots, before grabbing my jacket and heading out to the kitchen. "Hey, so I'm gonna be home late. Here's a twenty, try and get your sister out of the house. I know, it's difficult, but she can't let this dictate the trajectory of her life."

"Says the woman who has thrown herself into work to deal with losing her first and seemingly, only love." I argue, as I take a bite from the apple in my hand. She sends a glare my way and I toss my hands up in surrender, lifting my bag from one of the bar stools. "I'll try, but no promises. Bye." And I shut the door behind me, reading the watch on my wrist, and running to my car, realizing that I'm beyond late. I toss my bag in the passenger seat, put the key in the ignition, and step on the gas. I drive as fast as I can to the Henderson residence and out run Lila and Dustin, the latter still trying to put his shoe on. I laugh at the pair, before moving my bag from the seat to the floor, so Lila can sit and they both enter the vehicle. "Hey, Henderson, how's your Spanish grade?" I ask the younger boy, while glancing at him through the rearview mirror.

"Perfect." He smiles, cheekily.

"Really?" I combat. "Last I checked, which was yesterday, it was complete ass. How'd you fix it overnight?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Dustin says, making spirit fingers and raising his brow.

"Right." I shake my head, glancing over at the girl beside me, who is currently applying eye makeup. "You do realize that you're in a moving car. And not that I'm a terrible driver, but I would advise against it. And why are you putting on anything more than mascara? It's just school."

"Because we have the pep rally today, so-" She groans. "Oh, who am I kidding. I am doing this to impress Robin."

"Dude, she's already your girlfriend. Stop being a tryhard" Dustin jokes causing me to laugh. Delly glares at the two of us.

"What?" I shrug, glancing between her and the road. "The kid has got a point. Robin likes you for you. Not what's on your face." A small part of me wants to step on the brakes, but I decide that it's a little too mean. Lila finishes her makeup, just in the nick of time, as I pull into the school parking lot. I put the car into park and we all exit, Dustin running ahead of us to catch up with Mike, while Lila and I take our time. We discuss tonight's game, while walking towards the gym. Neither of us is necessarily looking forward to this pep rally. Unfortunately, us taking our time and being deep in conversation leads to me nearly getting hit by a car. Not just any car; Harrington's driving. "Watch it, dick!" I shout at him, pausing to send a dirty look his way, then continuing onto the grass.

"Shit. I-I'm sorry. My bad, Sam. I, uh, I should've been paying better attention." He stutters, poking his head out of the window. Robin hops out of the passenger side, in full band gear, grabbing her instrument from the back seat, and making her way towards us. "Are, uh, are you alright? I didn't hit you or anything?"

"Nope." I state, avoiding eye contact, and giving Robin a smile. "All good. We're cool. And uh, we-we are gonna be late. So...bye." I turn on my heel, grabbing each of their arms and dragging them towards the swarm of high school students. Once we're far enough away from the boy, I release them and sigh. "God, that was so awkward. I was so painfully awkward. What the hell." The two of them try to assure me that it wasn't that bad, but I know that they're full of shit. Griffin comes over to us with a goofy grin on his face.

"What's with the long face?" He teases, walking backwards in front of me. "Rough morning?"

"Bite me, Griff." I huff. "Shouldn't you be with the team? Why are you out here?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that you and Lila are still coming to the game."

"Actually, Sam can't," Robin jumps in, earning a very confused look from me. "She has to oversee Hellfire. Eddie asked her and she owes him, so she's stuck. And besides, Nancy can handle covering the game for the paper on her own."

"Right." I say, turning back towards the blonde basketball player. "Yeah, I haven't talked to Nance yet, but I was waiting till after the rally. I'll be cheering you and Sinclair on from the other side of the school, though." I send a smile his way, while he salutes the three of us, running off towards some of his teammates.

"Why'd you do that?" Lila asks, turning to look at her girlfriend.

"Because he who shall not be named, is going," Robin starts, but I cut her off.

"He goes to all of them. That's nothing new, Robbie."

"Yes, I understand that, but he is bringing a date." She explains. Oh. Great. "So, I'm doing you a favor. Now, you can avoid any more weirdness."

"Listen, I love you and I appreciate it, but it's the championship game." I breathe, as we finally enter the gym and stop before Robin has to go over to the band section. "I go to all of them, even when I knew that I would have to see him. I do it to support my friend and my surrogate little brother. I have to go. And I promised Nance that I'd go with her."

"Fine, but getting out of my lie is on you." She starts to walk away, stopping to face us. "And don't say that I didn't warn you." I raise my hands in surrender, laughing softly. Lila and I walk up the bleachers, finding a spot behind the remaining Party members. The cheerleaders and the band go out and do their performances, then the basketball team gets introduced, all of the players running out. I cannot imagine the egos on some of those guys, I mean seriously, it's a high school sport. And it's basketball. I love the game, but there are better sports; like hockey and baseball. Football's pretty good, but not my favorite. The captain, Jason Carver, starts to give some long-winded speech about the support and community of Hawkins. He starts to talk about the mall and the people we've lost. He even goes on to mention some names.

"So, last night, when we were down by ten points at half to Christian Academy, I looked at my team, and I said; Think of Jack. Think of Melissa. Think of Heather. Think of Billy. Think about our heroic police chief, Jim Hopper. Think about every one of our friends who perished in that fire. What did they die for? For us to lose to some... some crap school?" My entire body tenses and I feel my blood boil. This jackass is unbelievable. I cannot believe that he is trying to say that the tragedies of their deaths and the loss that their families feel and have felt for months, was because they died for this stupid fucking basketball team to win a championship title. I don't think I ever heard Hopper talk about basketball. And Billy played one season. One. He didn't even like Jason. Hell, I doubt he was actually friends with any of them. This is complete bullshit. I zone out for the remainder of the pep rally and sit down, watching my leg bounce up and down rapidly. After the rally ends, Griff, Robin, Lila, and I all walk to our classes together, which conveniently are in the same hall. My classroom is the first one we approach and as I'm about to enter, when Ms. Kelly comes over and stops me. She pokes her head into the room and lets my teacher know that she's taking me. Awesome. I follow her to her office and she gestures for me to sit down. I was supposed to be done with these visits. I lied to her flawlessly and got away from the weekly visits. Got away from any visits, except for the ones that I chose to schedule. Before weekly visits, I had them twice a week. I didn't hate it, but I would get super uncomfortable whenever she would say or ask something that hit a little too close to home. And she would pick up on it and it set me back. I was finally out from under her thumb and now she's pulling me back in. What doesn't help my case is the fact that she has been talking to me this whole time and I haven't heard a single thing.

"Sam?" I focus on her.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"I asked you how you've been doing lately?" She smiles. It's supposed to be a comforting smile, but it makes me feel uneasy. I shift in my seat, trying to figure out what to say. Trying to figure out what she wants to hear. "It's not a trick question, Samira."

"Right, I know." I fix my posture. "I've been good."

"And the drinking? That's stopped? No back slides?"

"No. No back slides."

"How has that been? Difficult, I'd assume."

"Yeah, a little. But I, uh, I go for a run whenever I get the urge to drink." I take notice of my leg bouncing again. There's a ringing in my ear and I squeeze my eyes shut, in an attempt to stop the throbbing in my head. Chronic migraines. I've had them ever since the fight this summer. Most days of each month and they're nearly debilitating. I take Ibuprofen like candy. And I have to continue to up the amount that I take because my body has gotten so used to the medication. Thankfully, overdosing on it is next to impossible, so no need to worry.

"Nightmares? Headaches? They've stopped as well?" Her question takes me back to this morning and I swallow the lump in my throat. Another ringing starts again and I try to ignore it.

"Gone. Well, the headaches still happen, but the pain has lessened and they are much less frequent." I tell her a lie that isn't entirely a lie. She's more likely to let it go and less likely to be able to figure out that I'm lying. "Listen, it's been great, catching up, but I should really get to class."

"Of course, but how's Max?" Ms. Kelly asks.

"She's fine." I stand, lifting my bag from the floor. "You see her every week and talk about her feelings, so I think you'd know better than I do." I give her a tight-lipped smile and exit the room, passing Chrissy Cunningham who is on her way in. I go back to class and keep my head down, ignoring the entire lesson. I woke up today and it wasn't bad. I wasn't regretting the fact that I woke up, I wasn't wishing to go back to sleep or wanting to drink the day away. It was better than most mornings and as much as I appreciate the fact that she actually cares or at least does a damn good job at pretending to care, that meeting snuffed out all of that contentedness. The rest of the morning passes quickly and I'm walking through the cafeteria, debating whether or not to sit inside or out in the courtyard. I pass the basketball table as Eddie mocks them and Jason stands calling him a freak. The Munson boy puts his hands to his head and makes faux horns, sticking his tongue out and laughing as Jason sits back down. I smile, shaking my head slightly at his antics. He gives me a small wave, before returning to his seat at the head of the Hellfire table. I glance around the room and maneuver through tables, sitting down at one on the far side of the cafeteria. I pull out my book, until Robin joins me and we start talking about random things.

"Oh my god." She basically shouts, adjusting quickly and casting me to jump. "Did you see Delilah today? I mean, obviously you did, you drove her here. But she looks so pretty. She always looks pretty, but today she's wearing this amazing outfit that suits her entirely and the color of her eye shadow really makes them pop. They're so green today. God, I am a lucky woman. The luckiest, actually." I smile at the fact that she's so infatuated, so in love with her girlfriend. They're both beyond happy. I love it. She picks up the apple on her tray and grimaces. "I grabbed the wrong apple. I didn't want granny smith. Too tart. Damn."

"I'll go get you a different one. I want another one anyways. Be right back." I walk down the center of the tables and stop because Munson is standing in the aisle.

"This year's different. This year is my year. I can feel it. '86, baby." He faces his friends and I place a hand on his shoulder, as I pass by him. "Apologies, Queen Slam." He bows, slightly and uses the ridiculous and frankly, unoriginal nickname he came up with.

"You're an idiot." I laugh. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, but you love me anyways."

"Sure. Let's go with that." I start to walk away, when he grabs my elbow. I look at him, as he looks at Henderson and Wheeler, mentioning something about helping find a sub.

"Slam, how would you feel about joining Hellfire for the night?" He offers. I look between him and the two younger boys.

"Pass." I huff. "I have to help Nancy cover the championship game."

"As if you really want to spend your night watching jockstraps run up and down a smelly gymnasium." Eddie argues.

"Compared to spending the night playing a game I know jack shit about with these dweebs. Yeah, I do. And I want to support Lucas, someone has to." I direct my last comment towards Mike and Dustin earning scoffs from both parties.

"It's not our fault that Lucas decided to bail on us for some roid heads." Mike argues.

"Okay, news flash, shitheads." I snap, earning a look of shock from the older boy to my left. "This is high school. In the 80's. There is a social hierarchy and some people would prefer to climb the ladder. Just because you guys don't doesn't mean that you can be pissed at Sinclair for wanting to be liked. And if you were truly his friends, you would understand that instead of bashing him for it." And with that I storm away from the table, fed up with how they've been treating one of their best friends. I swear, they did the same shit to Will last summer. All he wanted was to play DnD and hang out with the Party, but because everyone had girlfriends, they were always too busy. And now that El moved, Max broke up with Lucas, and Suzie lives in Utah, they're all about it. Add the fact that there's a club dedicated to their stupid game. I love them all, but sometimes they really bug me. I grab a couple of red apples from the line and return to Robin, placing one of them on the tray in front of her, sitting back down.

"What was that about?"

"Munson wanted me to sub in for Hellfire club and I said no, obviously." I explain, aggressively taking a bite of the fruit in my hand. "And the little shits were complaining about Sinclair choosing basketball over DnD tonight."

"Them and that stupid game." She shakes her head. "Is Max going to the game?"

"No. She never does." I sigh. "I wish that she would. I wish she'd do something. Anything. I am not a joiner. Never have been. Let alone a school joiner, but I have joined. I'm on the paper. I never would have if it weren't for Nancy and for the fact that I wanted something to distract myself from my own thoughts. But I did. And it has helped. I want that for her. I want her to get through this. Past the grief, past the survivors' guilt. The problem is, that it doesn't seem like she wants to. And if she's gonna get better, she has to want to get better." We spend the remainder of lunch gossiping, until the bell rings and we empty our trays into the garbage and drop them on top of the trash cans. The two of us walk out of the cafeteria and she walks me to the newsroom, before heading to her next class.

"Thank god you're here." Nancy approaches me. "Save me from the inquiries these two have about my love life." The brunette links her arm with mine and shoots a glare at Fred and Candance. We walk towards the pair and stand at the table, staring at the set up for the paper.

"Well, speaking of your love life, when are you and Jonathan going to have a real conversation?" I ask, looking at her. She scoffs. "What? All I'm saying is that I am friends with both of you and from what I've heard from both parties, the two of you are holding back things because you're afraid to lose or to hurt the other."

"We're fine."

"Okay." I breathe. "I just don't want to see you guys ruin something amazing because of some minor miscommunication. What you guys have is special. Truly special and losing something like that is- it sucks. It really sucks." I run a hand through my hair and release a sigh. The three people around me have gone quiet and as Fred starts to say something, I jump at the loud bang that sounds through the room. We all turn towards the door and find Mike standing there.

"Nancy!" He shouts after canvasing the room and locating his sister. "Nancy, hey. Um, do you wanna join Hellfire tonight?" She looks like she wants to kill him, before she shoves him right back out the door he came in. Nance returns her gaze to us and I laugh a bit at the look on her face. We figure out the layout for the paper and Nancy looks back over my editorial on the popularity of shoulder pads this year. It's a crap piece. And it's only because I nor anyone else could come up with anything better. I'm sure some people will enjoy it; those tuned into the trends of the world, but I wouldn't read it. And I had to write it. As we wrap things up, I exit the room, with the Wheeler girl on my tail.

"Hey, so we're still on for the game, right?" She asks, catching up with me. "I wanted to double check because Griffin mentioned something about you being stuck with the Hellfire club."

"Oh, yeah. That was Robin's brilliant idea." I start walking backwards, so I can look at her. "Apparently, Steve is bringing a date to the game, so she figured I would want to avoid it. But I am mature and I gave Lucas my word that I would be there. I have been to every single game and I refuse to miss the most important one. We are still on."

"Okay, just making sure." She smiles, turning on her heel and heading back into the newsroom. I spin around and continue out of the double doors, walking across a field at the back of the building and down a path. I'm looking for Eddie because he owes me a favor and if I'm right, he should be making his usual deals at the picnic table back here. I'm trekking through the woods and finally start to approach the table, finding Eddie with his back to me and preparing to scare him. I halt my actions when a feminine voice catches my attention. I peer around his form and take in Chrissy Cunningham sitting in front of him. Huh. Who would've thought that the cheer princess is a stoner? I step forward, making my presence known to the pair and the blonde looks like she just had a heart attack.

"It's all good." Eddie says, trying to calm her nerves. Now, I've been told that I can have a resting bitch face at times, but I didn't think I seemed all that scary. "This is my friend, Sam. She's not gonna tell anyone you were here. Honestly, she doesn't even care that you're here. Isn't that right, Sammy?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I uh, couldn't care less." I breathe looking at the girl. "And I don't run my mouth, so your secret is safe with me. Or rather, us." I gesture between the Munson boy and I. She seems to release some sort of sigh and they wrap up their conversation, while I stand awkwardly to the side. As Chrissy stands and walks by me, she sends a smile my way, which I return. "Well, that I wouldn't have seen coming."

"Me neither." He comes over to me. "What can I do for you, Slam?"

"Figured I'd get my order now, since you have that big Hellfire campaign tonight." I say.

"I don't have it. Not here." He states. "But you can stop by after you watch a bunch of guys play with their balls."

"Sure. I promised to check on Max, anyways, so that'll work." The two of us walk back towards the school and he walks me to my car. "See ya, dweeb." I drive home and decide to take a nap before the game. I regret not going along with Robin's lie. It was an easy out. I'm exhausted and I hope that this nap will be able to happen without any interruptions from my mind. I've taken up the devil's lettuce as a form of coping. Is it healthy? No. But it's less concerning than my drinking and it helps with my migraines. Also, when I found out Jonathan Byers became a stoner, I felt that I was severely lacking in some departments. Maybe it's just what California does to people. I smoked way more back home than I ever have here. Granted, it took me a while to find a dealer in Hawkins. I toss on sweat pants and a t-shirt, getting into bed and I fall asleep pretty quickly. I'm awoken by the phone on my nightstand ringing repeatedly. I nearly roll off the mattress, as I reach for it.

Hello?

Hey, were you sleeping? You know what nevermind. Just get here. The game starts soon.

And with that she hangs up. Shit. I didn't set an alarm and for once I didn't have any nightmares to wake me up. I stumble out of bed and put my jeans back on, replacing my t-shirt with a floral print top, and my jacket. I assess myself in the mirror and clean up the messy mascara, before tossing my hair in a half-up, half-down bun. I take my bag and keys from my desk and run out of the door. I drive over the speed limit and fly into the parking lot, running into the gym. I hesitate before walking through the doors, pulling a compact from my bag and looking over my current state once more. I take a deep breath and walk in, heading straight for Nancy, who is standing with Fred on the sidelines, watching the players practice. "Sorry. I needed a nap and didn't set an alarm." She hands me a notepad and a pen. I canvas the gym, my eyes meeting Robin's and we share smiles, before I keep looking at the crowd.

"Don't do that to yourself." Nance whispers, leaning towards me.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I shrug, glancing at her and then focusing on the court. The principal comes out and drones on, which I ignore, until he announces the singer of the national anthem. I swear, I almost made Nancy pinch me. "No fucking way." I laugh slightly, my eyes returning to Robin's once more. I see her head turn and my gaze follows hers, Steve. His eyes catch mine and we both start laughing. I feel Nance's elbow jab into my ribcage and she shushes me. I pull myself together just as Tammy Thompson starts to sing, which causes me to lose it again. I hold the notepad up to my face to shield it. I look back at the two friends and Steve glances between Robin and I mouthing 'I told you, muppet.' He's right. And I have to say, his impression was spot on. Once the girl finishes butchering our country's anthem, the three of us make our way into the stands, sitting with Delilah and the game begins. We watch the game, we take notes, and we chant with the rest of the crowd every now and then. I continue to glance behind me at Steve and his date. Now, this could just be the jealousy talking, but he seems more interested in the game then in her. One of our players gets injured and the coach calls Lucas off the bench. Finally. And now things just got interesting. I cheer for the Sinclair boy and earn strange looks from a few people around me. They run a few more plays and the clock is almost out. Everyone's on edge as their time-out ends and we watch them run the final play. I grab Nancy and Lila's hands and watch as Lucas gets the ball and takes the last shot. It goes in. He did it. He fucking did it! I don't think I've ever yelled that loud in my entire life. I start jumping up and down like a schoolgirl, shaking Nance's shoulders. I turn to my best friend and we embrace each other. I wait outside of the gymnasium for a bit, until Lucas comes out.

"Did you see that?" He asks, excitedly.

"I did." I smile at him, pulling him into a hug. "You did amazing! Congratulations. I think you're gonna be in the cool crowd now." I gesture towards the group of teens that just came out of the building and were talking about some party. Jason calls out to Lucas and asks him if he's coming, which causes him to look back at me. "Go! I just wanted to congratulate you on your win."

"Thank you. You didn't have to come, but I'm glad you did." The younger, but taller boy smiles before turning and heading towards his teammates. I wave to Griffin and he gives me a toothy grin.

"Make good choices!" I call out and he spins, giving me a thumbs up.

"I'll watch out for him, Sammy." Griff says. "Don't you worry."

"Yeah, somehow that doesn't give me any comfort!" I respond. I get into my car and drive to the trailer park, parking outside of Max's. I go inside and notice our mom asleep on the couch. I walk quietly past her and go into Max's room. "Hey. They won. And Sinclair made the winning shot."

"I heard." She gestures to her radio.

"Oh, so you won't go to his games, but you'll listen in?" I tease, stepping fully into her room. My sister shrugs and lays back on her mattress. "Did you eat?" She nods her head and I join her. We lay there, staring at the ceiling, in comfortable silence for a while. When we hang out, just the two of us, this is usually how we end up. Neither of us wanting to say anything and neither of us knowing what to say. I sit up after about fifteen minutes of this and look at her. "Alright. Good talk."

"Shut up." She laughs, rolling her eyes. "Don't you have an errand to run?"

"Oh, shit. Yeah." I stand. "I'll be right back." I walk out of the trailer and pass my car, heading towards Eddie's place. When lights start to flicker all around the park, making me stop about ten feet away from the Munson residence. A slight panic surges through me and I take a few more steps towards the trailer, wanting the comfort of being indoors, when the lights stop. I release a breath I wasn't aware I was holding and laugh softly at myself. "Stupid." I face the trailer and take a couple more steps before the door bursts open and out runs the brunette. "Eddie? Hello? Eddie, what's wrong?" I get no answers to my questions, only his hand grabbing my forearm and pulling me to his van.

"Get in." He commands. "Get in. Sam. Move your ass. Come on! Jesus Christ!" I jump slightly at his small outburst and do as he says, running to the other side and hopping into the passenger seat. The second I'm in, I barely get the door closed, before he's driving off to God only knows where. "This is not happening. This isn't happening. You're losing your mind. I'm fucking losing it! Shit. Shit." He's driving well over the speed limit and I am deeply confused. He continues to mumble to himself, as I brace myself on the dashboard when he takes a sharp turn.

"EDDIE!" I shout, loudly. Finally, the older boy shuts up and looks at me. "Eyes on the road. Now, what the hell is going on? Why were you running? And where are we going."

"I don't know."

"You don't know where we're going or what happened or why you were running?"

"Anything!" He snaps. "My only answer to every goddamn question you asked is; I. Don't. Know." I decide against asking anything else and the rest of the drive is silent. We pull up to some house on Lovers Lake and her ushers me out of the car. I follow his movements and walk to his side of the van. He places his hands on my shoulders and forces me to crouch, keeping them there, as he leads me to a boat house at the back of the property. Once we're inside he goes around checking the windows, while I take a seat on the side of the boat. He then sits down opposite me and we both just take deep breaths.

"So, you wanna tell me what happened now?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I did." Munson twists the rings on his fingers. "I wouldn't."

"Try me." I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. He hesitates before going on to explain the entire bizarre situation with Chrissy. "So, she's dead?"

"Yeah."

"Son of a bitch." I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "She was levitating and then her bones just started to snap, before she dropped to the ground?"

"Yes, that's what I said." Eddie stands and starts to pace around. "She was in like, uh, like a trance. I couldn't wake her up. And believe me, I tried. I didn't know what to do. I know. It sounds insane. And you don't believe me."

"Actually, I do." I state. "I believe you."

"Why?"

"Let's just say that I've seen things in this town that can't be explained." I say. "But Eddie, when they find her...you're gonna become public enemy number one. And running. Hiding. Is only going to make it worse."

"What the hell else am I supposed to do?"

"Go to the police." I tell him. "Go in there and say that you got home and found her like that. Your uncle will have an alibi for work, so it won't look like he did it. And you'll be investigated, but they won't have any evidence.

"That's the worst fucking idea, Slam."

"No, it's not." I argue, slightly laughing at him using his nickname for me during a conversation like this.

"I don't have an alibi." He huffs. "Hellfire ended hours ago."

"I'll be your alibi, dumbass." I laugh.

"Really? You're willing to lie to the police? For me?"

"Yeah. You're one of my best friends. I'd do anything for you, Edwardo." I inform, throwing my nickname for him in there for good measure. "And if you tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it and then kick your ass."

"It's not gonna happen, but I appreciate the offer." He returns to his seat. "It'll never work and they're just gonna blame the freak. It's an easy out. But nothing is keeping you here. Slam. Go. Go home. I'll be fine. No one saw you with me, so you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"Except you." I state. "Eddie, I'm not going anywhere. We're in this together. Whatever this is."

[word count: 5573]

lexi's letters; eddie + sam = meredith grey + alex karev only more chaotic