CHAPTER ONE.
the beginning of the end (or is it...?)

     Let it be known, Sabrina Munson did not like change.

     Ever since she was a whimsical child, playing in the tall uncut grass outside her trailer park home, waiting several hours for her mother's return that never came, Sabrina had never liked the subject of life-altering change. She despised the notion of breaking routine, or simply being thrown into the unknown. But if there was one thing Sabrina Munson grew a deep and passionate hatred for, it was watching as someone left her behind, throwing away the space she held in their lives, and tossing it aside, all for nothing. You could blame her mother for that last one. If anything, Edith Munson and her sudden disappearance was at the root of all of Sabrina's troubles and anxieties.

     The girl remembered that fateful day like it was yesterday. Sabrina remembered playing in the tall grass while her older brother, Eddie Munson, was learning to strum the cords of his new guitar. She was humming along to the melody when her mother stepped outside their trailer park home. She was panicked, but did her best to try and hide the fact that something or someone was troubling her. Despite how young the girl was at the time, Sabrina's childlike mind could sense there was something wrong with her mother, more than usual. The woman had always been a little fanatical, but her daughter could always tell when there was something truly off.

     Sabrina never forgot the moment her mother sat in the tall grass with her, her kind eyes watching as her daughter threaded blades of green grass together, a somewhat sad smile etched at the corners of her lips. She remembered the feeling of Edith Munson tucking some of her messy brown hair behind her ear so her mom could see her face, the warmth of the woman's fingertips grazing gracefully across her cheek. She had always been gentle. At least that was what Sabrina had always remembered about her. Even after all these years, Edith's kindness and grace always reigned true more than anything the townspeople had told her.

     "Mommy's got to go away for a while," Edith had told eight year old Sabrina, the soft brush of her gentle fingers moving from her daughter's cheek to her jawline.

     That was when Sabrina had looked up from the grass in-between her fingertips. "Do you have to go away?" Sabrina had asked, confused to why the woman was leaving all of a sudden.

     Edith was crying at this point. Not fully. But Sabrina could see the glossy coating of salty tears smearing across her mother's sad eyes, and she had noticed the way Edith tried to force a smile so she didn't worry her daughter. The worst part was that it had worked. Sabrina did not worry that day. Why would she? Her mom was her protector. She was a child. She wasn't supposed to protect her own mom. Looking back on it now, maybe Sabrina should've fought harder to make her mother stay, then maybe things would've turned out a lot more differently for her. "It will only be for a little while, Lovebug. I'll be back before you know it," Edith had reassured, using the girl's given nickname to ease her worries.

     Sabrina didn't say anything back. She just dropped the small blades of grass back down to the ground before she embraced her mother, throwing her small arms over the woman's shoulders and holding her close. It was a form of affection that Edith Munson returned within a singular heartbeat, holding her daughter tightly, so tight that it had made Sabrina's chest feel tight, like she couldn't breathe. It was almost as if Edith had been frightened by the mere thought of letting her daughter go. It was only when Sabrina said something she freed the girl from her arms. "Mommy, you're crying," Sabrina had pointed out when she was face to face with her mom again.

     "I'm just crying because I love you so much," Edith replied earnestly, another forced smile on her lips as she wiped away the tears beginning to fall down her pale cheeks. The woman then cupped Sabrina's small and petite face in her hands, rubbing her thumb gently against her cheek. "And I do love you so much, Sabrina Munson. Don't you ever forget that."

     Sabrina had simply smiled in return before Edith pressed a kiss to the tip of the girl's nose, causing for Sabrina to giggle before she plopped herself back into the midst of the tall grass, resuming her previous activity, and going back to ignoring her mother's presence. Edith had given her daughter one last look, one full of admiration and pure love before she left, all without hearing Sabrina tell her she loved her back.

     Sabrina always beat herself up for that — why didn't she say it back? If she had known it would be the last time she ever saw the woman, she would've made sure to have said it. She should've said it. And from that day onward, Edith Munson's sudden disappearance had sparked a deep distain against the mere subject of change and everything it stood for.

     However, that did not stop change from tormenting her life, beating her down with one uppercut at a time.

     Because Edith Munson wasn't the last to leave Sabrina behind. Shortly after the disappearance of his wife, Alan Munson, left his two children with their uncle, and never looked back. It was believed he couldn't handle losing Edith the way he lost his first wife and Eddie's mother, and others said he was a good for nothing drunk who chose his addictions over his own flesh and blood. Growing up, Sabrina was no stranger to the whispers and senseless gossip from the residents of Hawkins. She grew up hearing all sorts about her mom, and overtime, grew a strong enough backbone to no longer react to the cruel words that hanged from their lips. But the stories that spread throughout the town about her father, well, they weren't just stories, they were the truth.

     Alan Munson left because he was a deadbeat father, and knowing he left her behind was a change that altered the way Sabrina once saw herself. Her mom leaving was one thing, but her father leaving made her believe there was something wrong with her.

     And when her ex ditched her for the perfect girl from the perfect neighbourhood, Sabrina Munson knew something had to be done.

     So, she changed herself for what she believed was the better. It was a change Sabrina did not favour — changing her very being to make herself appear more flattering — instead of being just another cursed Munson in the grisly town of Hawkins. Although she despised it, changing who she was as a person did work out in her favour. As long as she continued to drown the demons living in her head, day after day, night after night, then she could fit in with the crowd of people who would normally shun her out of their lives and leave her alone in the darkness. And now she was the one leaving people alone in the darkness — forever trapped in the folds of their cursed town.

     Because Sabrina Munson was getting out sooner than she thought. As she sat on her bed, cross-legged, alone in her small and compact room, rereading the letter gripped in-between the finger tips of her trembling hands, that was when Sabrina realised this was a change she needed. Hell, she was hungry for it, starving to escape Hawkins and all of its harrowing memories with it. And after years of hard work and painting herself as the perfect student, she had been accepted into her dream school in New York, Columbia University. Sabrina and her mother had talked about it before when Sabrina was just a child. It was her mom's dream school initially, and she would've made it out of Hawkins, but she became pregnant with Sabrina at the mere age of sixteen, forcing her to halt her dreams of being a successful journalist to be a mom instead.

     So, Sabrina Munson being accepted into the exact same school her mom dreamed of going to when she was a teenager, it was more than just a chance for Sabrina to escape the decrepit town she had been unfortunate enough to have grown up in. It was her chance to live out the big dream for the both of them — her mom and her. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and she wasn't going to throw it away now. The chance to start fresh without her mother's disappearance or the Munson family reputation hanging over her head, it was her ticket to freedom, and she couldn't take that for granted.

     The best part of all of it, there was no one holding her back. No boyfriend asking her to stay for him, no family she wanted to keep in contact with, so she could pack up and leave at the end of the summer and never look back. She was going to break the Munson curse once and for all.

     And Sabrina had to fight every urge in her body to scream and run around her room in her cheerleading outfit. She knew her brother and uncle would disapprove the idea of her moving so far away from home, and they would even fight for her to stay. A risk she couldn't take, forcing Sabrina to shove contain her excitement as she opened up her drawer and shoved the college acceptance letter inside, keeping it hidden until she could work up the courage to tell her family she was going away for good.

     Then, after she had composed herself and kept her excitement under wraps, Sabrina grabbed her backpack, threw it over her shoulder before she opened up her bedroom door, and walked down the short hallway where she spotted her older brother. Eddie Munson was standing in the kitchen area, dressed in his stereotypical black skinny jeans, and his infamous Hellfire Club tee, all while he ate cereal from the ceramic bowl he held in his hands, his fingers covered in cheap and tacky rings that made Sabrina roll her eyes. She even smirked at the sight of his messy long and wavy hair, wishing he would just drop the heavy metal look he had going on, influenced by his love for all those god awful bands he had gotten into in the last few years.

     In Sabrina Munson's opinion, her brother's unsightly appearance was amusing to say the least.

     "Where's Uncle Wayne?" Sabrina spoke rather abruptly, breaking the silence between Eddie and herself. This caused for Eddie to jump at the sudden, yet familiar sound of his sister's voice, dropping his spoon to the ground, a loud clattering sound echoing throughout the trailer before he cursed profusely under his breath, a long string of profanity leaving his lips, and Sabrina couldn't help but snicker in response.

     Eddie sighed in annoyance when he realised his sister was amused by his frightened exterior before he turned around, looking the girl up and down to see she was dressed in her green and white Hawkins Tigers cheerleading outfit. Sabrina could see he was being judgemental about her outfit choice, but today was a big day. It was the last day before spring break, which meant it was hours before the basketball championship game, and the cheerleading squad had to bring their all to the pep rally. Eddie never understood why Sabrina had become a cheerleader. It just wasn't. . . her. He despised how she had reshaped her very being to fit into the norms they both used to make fun of others for.

     But that was back when him and Sabrina and him used to actually talk like they were family. These days, they were nothing more than an inconvenience in each other's lives.

     "No idea. He's probably got his head resting on a bar somewhere," Eddie shrugged, and Sabrina just pursed her lips into a thin line and nodded her head. Typical Uncle Wayne, she thought, living up to the Munson family name just like Sabrina's and Eddie's father. "So, are you riding to school with me today, or are you hitching a ride with your cheerleader friend and her boyfriend?" He questioned, but Sabrina could sense he was mocking her, like he always did.

     "Her name is Chrissy," Sabrina corrected, shooting her brother an agitated glare when she saw him smile, all because he successfully got under her skin, and it wasn't even eight in the morning yet. His mere existence brought her more discontent than joy. At least when she goes to New York at the end of the summer, she won't ever have to see his smug face ever again. Sabrina then let out a quiet sigh. "And I don't really like riding with Jason, so much to my dismay, I have to catch a ride with my annoying brother instead."

     Eddie pretended to pull an offended look, a fake expression full of hurt washing over his face before he placed the empty bowl down on the counter top and planted his hand against his chest. "Ouch, and to think for a second, I thought you actually liked me," He joked in a sarcastic manner, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips in the process.

     "Never in a million years," Sabrina replied in a much more serious tone, folding her arms over her chest. "Also, could we stop at the video store on the way? I have a tape I need to return or we'll get a fine, and I don't think you or Uncle Wayne want to be paying off that fine," She asked, well, from her brother's perspective it sounded more like a request as she flashed a not-so-innocent grin.

     Eddie would've rather stuck a fork in his eye than do anything for his sister, especially because she never expressed any gratitude after the deed was done. He doesn't even know why he keeps doing favours for her. Maybe it was blind sibling love, or moronic hope that if he did enough for her then Sabrina would find it in her heart to be yourself again, and stop treating him like he was a stain on her clothes that she could never get rid of. Maybe a small part of Eddie wished him and his sister could be proper siblings again, without the years of resentment driving a wedge between them, because no matter how many times Sabrina weaselled her way underneath his skin, she was still his little sister, and quite frankly, the only family he seemed to see the most of.

     He always wondered if Sabrina ever felt the same way. She never made it clear what she was thinking in that head of hers. Maybe he would never find out, and he just had to accept that.

     So, with a reluctant sigh leaving his lips, Eddie turned to Sabrina again with a look of annoyance glossing over his eyes once again. "Fine. But you seriously need to learn how to drive. Gas isn't cheap so I can't keep running you around everywhere," He warned, picking up his keys to his van before he made his way towards the trailer door.

     Sabrina Munson let out a quiet chuckle as she followed Eddie towards the door, watching as he held the door open for her. "I'm sure your drug money covers the cost of the gas perfectly fine," She chimed in a mocking tone as she stepped outside into a brand new day.

     "I'm going to ignore that comment because you and I both know my business is why we still have a home," Eddie reminded her, following his sister outside.

     Sabrina let out a laugh as she turned back around to face Eddie, an amused grin remaining plastered across her face as she parted her lips to speak again. "Yeah, because selling drugs to teens is what pays all the bills. That's why our uncle works full time," She retorted in a harsh manner, her tongue dripping in viscous sarcasm.

     Eddie watched as the girl walked around to the passenger side of his van. "You can't strangle her with your bare hands, Eddie. She's still your sister," He whispers quietly to himself as he unlocks the van so the both of them could get inside the vehicle.

     "I heard that!" Sabrina replied loudly as she opened the door and hopped inside the van, now buckling herself in the passenger seat. Eddie opened up his side and jumped into the drivers seat, sticking the keys in the ignition slot before turning on the engine, an unhealthy rumbling erupting from the front of the vehicle. "And trust me, the feeling is mutual," She added in regards to what Eddie had previously said.

     Eddie could only laugh in response to his sister's words mixed with her blunt tone, shaking his head as he turned to glance back at her, their eyes meeting for a moment. "I don't doubt it for a second, Sis," He told her.

     As Eddie looked away from Sabrina, he began to steer his van out of the trailer park the Munson siblings both resided in. Sabrina chose to mute his yapping and the dreadful sound of heavy metal music playing quietly through his stereo by taking her cassette player out of her backpack along with a pair of headphones. She stuck the headphones over her head, the foam cushioning pressing gently against her ears before she pressed play on the cassette that was already sitting in the player. The opening notes of Queen and David Bowie's 'Under Pressure' started to play, thus drowning out all the other noises that did not satisfy her.

     And as Sabrina sunk into her seat, listening to the song as it begin to rattle against her eardrums, she looked out the window, and she couldn't help but think about her mom, watching as the town of Hawkins passed her bye. She wondered where the woman could possibly be, and if she was out there somewhere, Sabrina hoped she was okay.

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     Sabrina removed the headphones from her head, allowing the object to hang around her neck when she noticed Eddie pull into the first available parking space outside the famous Family Video store. Sabrina always hated coming to this place since she found out her ex got a job there at the end of the summer, and she always tried to plan her trips around his shifts when she knew his friend, Robin, would be attending to her and not him. But Sabrina had to return the movie she now held in-between her hands, and considering Robin would be at school early for band rehearsals, she had no choice but to face him and even go as far as to speak to him three years after their initial break up.

     Without even uttering a single word to her brother, Sabrina Munson let out a sigh and opened the van door, stepping outside and slamming it shut behind her. The girl then walked towards the entrance to the building and pulled open the door, entering the establishment to be welcomed by the sound of old school rock music and red neon lights. She then looked ahead to see Steve Harrington — the boy who broke her heart — was standing with his back towards her. He hasn't even acknowledged her presence in the room with him yet. Sabrina rolled back her shoulders, adjusted the sleeves of her sky blue jacket, before she walked towards the front counter with anxiety tying endless knots in the pit of her stomach.

     Setting the movie on the counter, a soft and petite clatter ringing through the room, Sabrina finally found the courage to speak. "Hi, I'm just here to return this," She spoke up, placing her hands on the edge of the counter, her shaky fingers grazing against the painted wooden material.

     Upon hearing the familiar voice, Steve Harrington turned around, only to come face to face with Sabrina Munson — the girl whose heart he broke — and she was now standing right in front of him with an unreadable expression plastered across her pale features. But her blue eyes, the ones bluer then the ocean itself, told him everything he already knew. Sabrina still resented him for the day he met with her behind the school and ended a two year long relationship out of the blue, not being able to give a valid reason, well, that was until Sabrina saw him walking hand in hand with Nancy Wheeler down the school hallway. Then it became pretty clear why things ended between them.

     They haven't spoken since the aftermath of that revelation. Neither were proud of the things said at the time, and Sabrina was far from proud about what she did in return either.

     "Sabrina, hey..." Steve greeted her in a formal manner, his nervous eyes looking her up and down to see she was dressed in her cheerleading outfit, her brown hair thrown into a high ponytail. He flashed her a sheepish grin before he looked down at the tape placed in front of him before he picked it up. "The Possession is a horror classic. I always forget you're into these kind of movies, but Robin says you rent out something new every week," He was beginning to ramble, hoping Sabrina would continue the conversation, but Sabrina couldn't think of anything worse than being forced to carry on a discussion with someone she now despised.

     Sabrina watched as Steve scanned the back of the tape, typing something out on the computer next to him before he moved the movie to the side. He then looked back at Sabrina with a soft glimmer in his eyes. "If you want, I can show you some of our horror picks and see if anything catches your eye. Someone returned Carrie yesterday. I think that's still your favourite, but I can ring that up for you to take home, and maybe—"

     "Steve, stop. Just stop," Sabrina interjected harshly, cutting Steve off. The sudden sound of her abrupt tone was enough to wipe the nervous grin away from Steve's lips before he stared back at her with a mix of confusion and defeat burning in his eyes. Sabrina let out another sigh, lifting her gaze to meet his own. "What are you doing?" She then asked.

     Steve furrowed his brows together, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm just doing my job," He replied, unbothered.

     "No, you're not. You're overcompensating," Sabrina argued, shaking her head in a disapproving manner, her choice of words rendering Steve speechless in the process. "You do that when you feel awful about something. You talk and talk hoping to get back into someone's good graces, but, Steve, I don't exactly want to carry on a conversation with you of all people," She elaborated further.

     Steve let out a quiet sigh, "Rina, it's not like that—"

     "Please. Please, don't call me that. It was okay when we were together, but I can't stand you calling me that now, not after everything that happened between us," Sabrina pleaded with him, and despite how much hatred she held deep inside her heart, she remained calm. "You hurt me, and I don't care how long it's been, I'm not ready to just forgive and forget. I appreciate that you became a better man, but it doesn't change the fact that what happened still happened. I need you to respect that instead of trying to create a conversation with me to compensate for the fact that we'll never be those kids again. So, please, just stop trying."

     Steve didn't say anything in response at first. Instead, he simply pursed his lips together and nodded his head, staring down at the counter to avoid any eye contact with the girl standing in front of him. "Understood," He replied solemnly, finally finding the courage to speak.

     Sabrina didn't even say goodbye. She just quickly turned on her heel and walked as fast as humanly possible out of the video store, rushing back to Eddie's van and getting back inside. Eddie turned to glance at his younger sister, now sitting in the passenger seat next to him, only to see her fallen expression. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had made her so upset when she was completely fine in herself five minutes ago, which meant her sudden change in mood had something to do with a certain Harrington boy, who must have been on shift this morning. Sabrina shuffled uncomfortably in her seat while she strapped herself in, locking her seatbelt into the lock on the other side of her.

     Eddie knew he would most likely regret asking this question, but he still did. "Hey, are you okay?" He questioned sincerely, his choice of words causing for Sabrina to roll her eyes in response.

     "I'm fine, Eddie," She huffed quietly, folding her arms over her chest as she peered out of the window.

     However, Eddie decided to prob further. "Are you sure? Because you have this look that just screams—"

     "I said, I'm fine. Just drop it already," Sabrina snapped bluntly in return, raising her voice in retaliation to the relentless question being thrown in her direction. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss her relationship with her ex boyfriend with her brother of all people.

     Releasing a heavy breath past his lips, Eddie shot his sister a look before he turned away, switching the engine back on. "Jesus, forget I asked," He muttered harshly underneath his breath before he pulled out of his parking spot and continued to drive both him and Sabrina towards the school.

     And, yet, all Sabrina Munson could think about was how much happier she'll be when she can finally leave the harrowing town of Hawkins — and all the baggage that came with it — behind for good.

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authors note.
The first chapter is here! it was meant to be posted sooner but this stupid Wattpad glitch has made it difficult to write, so I have now demoted myself to writing on my computer again which for me is even harder than writing on my phone, but we did it!
But what are we thinking of this so far? I wanted to give you guys a little intro into Sabrina's life now, and her two most important relationships in the story, so I'm sorry if this isn't much, but the upcoming chapters will be longer and a little more explosive as the story continues.

Until then I hope you guys did enjoy this chapter and I'll update again as soon as possible!