(y/n) - your name

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It was another quiet night, besides the occasion screaming and yelling matches that broke the silence as Eddie sat on the steps of his trailer. He tilts his head back, blowing out the smoke of the blunt he just hit up into the air above him. He stared up at the stars that shone, lost in their brightness as his senses mellowed front the hit. He drops his head, looking down the road leading to the middle-class area next to him, mind wandering about the girl his group somewhat befriended.

It had been a few days since he last saw (y/n), just disappearing out of midair when she stopped coming to the school for some reason. His club members thought that she might have just left Hawkins or maybe was just so busy with her work. Eddie agreed, letting the idea of this girl who just popped up in his life go and moving on. 

She was different from him and their lives weren't the same so what reason would there be for them to meet again?

Eddie sighs as he ruffles his hair, deciding to go to the cliffside hill as she stands up and walks out of the trailer park. His fogged mind doesn't catch the car parked nearby, sampling hiking up the hill as he hummed to a song he was currently writing. It was nights like this where he was vulnerable to the loneliness and insecurities, the darkness that made him feel so... it was hard to describe but it made him feel like shit so hence the weed.

Eddie stops when he hears sniffling, quietening down quickly and sees someone sitting against the rock on the cliffside. He furrows his brows, stepping closer to see a girl burrowing her head into her knees she held up against her chest with a bottle of vodka sitting down next to her.

"(y/n)?" Eddie whispers, his high mind not comprehending that he had voiced his thoughts out loud as she froze. She looks away to wipe her tears away and he frowns to see her so sad. "Why are you here?" she made no move to respond to him, picking up her bottle which was half empty. "(y/n)..."

"I'm sorry..." she mumbles out as she stood up to leave but Eddie quickly held her arm gently to stop her. "Eddie-"

"-why were you crying?" He frowns as she looked down at the ground, clutching the bottle tightly in her grip.

"I have to go-"

"-it's ok you know. To cry." Eddie's frown deepens as he watches (y/n) start crying again, gently taking her arm from his grip. He moves to sit down against the rock, leaving space for her. "You can stay here. You don't need to leave because I'm here. This place is just as much as yours as it is mine." Eddie whispers, hoping (y/n) wouldn't leave in fear that something might happen to her if he wasn't there. 

This was the first time in days that he has last seen her and he didn't like seeing her cry like this. (y/n) gives up and moves to sit down next to Eddie, pulling her legs up to hold them against her chest. She takes a swig from her bottle before pausing, offering it to Eddie. He blinks at her and takes the bottle offering her the blunt but she shales her head no. She was fine with destroying her liver but not her lungs. 

Eddie was glad that (y/n) didn't do drugs, taking the bottle to take a drink. "I'm fine..." she speaks up and he looks over at her as she simply watched the stars and the moon shine in the sky above her. "I knew you were going to ask... everyone does..."

"But you're not..." Eddie mumbles out and he sees (y/n) scowl. "(y/n), you're not ok-"

"-I'm just tired Eddie." she cuts him off, sighing out. "I'm just tired ok... just... just so, so tired..." Eddie snuffs out the blunt against the rock behind him before throwing it over the edge to the water below, taking another drink when (y/n) took the bottle from him. "Why are you here?"

"Tired but can't sleep..." (y/n) hums as she drinks, nodding like she understood him. 

The two sat in silence, passing the bottle of vodka between them. "Eddie, you were in the same grade as I was but why don't I remember you?" (y/n) speaks up to break the silence, leaning her head back against the rock behind her.

"Maybe we weren't in the same classes together. And if we were, I probably skipped a lot of them." she chuckles lightly and Eddie smiles softly at her.

"Probably. Or maybe either I never paid attention to people around me or I was truly insignificant for anyone to remember besides the teachers..." Eddie opens his mouth to retaliate but slowly closes it when she was right. He didn't remember her. "Never mind that, you're really repeating this year for the third time?" Eddie chokes slightly and looks away in embarrassment.

"Yeah..."

"Shit dude, you really must not like school. I almost dropped out myself."

"I just hate the classes... I don't bother to understand anything the teachers say."

"Well, if you're finding it hard, I can always help out you know. Granted, I probably won't be a lot of help since I don't remember jack shit from school but I'm here if you need me."

"Really!?" Eddie perks up at the offer and (y/n) nods.

"Happy to help."

The two fall silent again, Eddie freezing up as (y/n) leans her head against his shoulder but he lets her, carefully placing an arm on her shoulders to pull her closer to keep her warm.

~~~~~~~~

"Back again?" Robin grins as she sees (y/n) walk through the doors, beaming as she carried the tapes that she rented to place them gently on the table.

"Yeah..." she whispers shyly, not sure of what else to say to Robin who had a wide grin on her face. She chuckled as she scanned the tapes, letting (y/n) roam around the store to rent some more tapes. The two girls had an odd relationship, more so somewhat friends but (y/n) was too damn afraid to talk to Robin unless she was the one to initiate the conversation.

"We got some new releases near the back (y/n)!" Robin calls out and she chuckles as she hears the almost quiet squeak of (y/n) who said thank you. She loved teasing the poor girl, noticing her shy disposition when she first entered the store and rented out a couple of tapes. Since then, every time (y/n) came back to switch out tapes, which were almost 3-4 times a week, Robin spiked up a conversation with the girl. "What did you think about these ones?" Robin calls out and (y/n) freely replies back since there was no one in the store, explaining which movies were her favourite or admitting to the others that played as background noise while she worked.

"What's with all the yelling out here?" Steve walks out from the back staff rooms and (y/n) froze in the aisle in front of him, holding a few tapes in her arms.

"I'm sorry-"

"-(y/n)!? Is that you!?" Steve gasps out and the girl's eyes widen in surprise that he remembered her.

"Hi, Steve..." (y/n) flushes in embarrassment as he runs to hug her, picking her up in his arms. "Put me down! Steve!" Robin laughs seeing (y/n) squeal at him to put her down but he was just so happy to see her again. It had been 3 years after all.

He finally puts her down and holds her shoulders as (y/n) flushed pink. "I'm sorry but I can't believe you're here!"

"Wait, since when do you know her?" Robin calls out, walking out of the booth she was in.

"We were friends and graduated together from high school." Steve explains, stepping back to give (y/n) some space.

"Yeah, and I lost contact with everyone back home when I moved away straight after." (y/n) admits. "Sorry, I just-"

"-forget about that, when did you arrive!?"

"A couple of weeks ago. Had to settle in and unpack and stuff." Steve's eyes light up hearing that.

"Are you living here!? Are you staying!?" that light dims in sadness as (y/n) shakes her head no.

"I'm staying for a couple of months minimum for work then I'm heading back out of town again."

"Awe, you should've told me that you were back! We could've hung out!" (y/n) rubs her neck shyly, unsure of what to say to that. She was trying to avoid people that she knew because she knew they would be disappointed that she was leaving again. "Have you seen Nancy and Jonathan?"

"I didn't have the time to yet."

"I have to tell them you're back! They would be thrilled!"

"Steve wait-" (y/n) sighs as he runs off, probably to make that phone call and Robin snickers.

"Never knew the shy girl was famous." (y/n) flushes in embarrassment. "Ok, I'm sorry. I'll stop the teasing. Just these?" Robin takes the tapes from the quiet girl, scanning them. "At this rate, you might watch every single film in this store!"

"Really? Guess I really have nothing better to do..."

"Bet you won't watch everything before you leave." Robin grins, giving (y/n) the tapes as she smiles.

"Oh, you're on!"