chapter ii
a deal with the devil
LUNCH WAS ALWAYS THE WORST. Not to sound like a typical high school loser, or anything, but the moment lunch period came around, Val wanted to grab her tray and eat in the bathroom. As much as she paraded around school as a loner and made zero effort to get any friends, sitting by herself at lunch was perhaps the most pathetic Val has ever felt. She thinks it's worse in the cafeteria because everyone is shut into one room—if you're sitting by yourself, your empty table will stick out like a sore thumb.
So Val had long ago decided to sit in the very farthest corner she could find, keeping tons of distance between herself and the basketball team. Her spot was next to the trash bins, but that was about as bad as it got, luckily. She was behind the art geeks and the theatre dweebs, so nobody really paid her any attention, but she was able to see the whole cafeteria. People-watching was a game Val had grown quite the knack for.
As she ate her lunch of questionable mashed potatoes and cold vegetables, she was suddenly overcome with gratitude for spring break. A whole week of no school lunches, no pretending to pay attention in class, no waking up early. And furthermore, she could shut herself in her room all week and never have to see Mason around the house! A week of peaceful bliss.
Her thoughts of excitement for the upcoming break were interrupted by a loud, obnoxious voice echoing around the cafeteria. Val's eyes trailed over to the table in which sat the group of people led by the only person to keep the title of Hawkins' Biggest Freak from her: Eddie Munson. He was standing on the lunch table, because of course he was.
"..as long as you're into band," he was yelling, strutting across the table. "Or science... or parties.. or a game where you toss balls into laundry baskets—"
Jason stood from his team's table, glaring at Eddie. "You want something, freak?"
The messy-haired boy responded to the taunt by pointing his fingers up by his head to be horns and sticking his tongue out. Val was pretty sure he hissed. Either way, it spooked Jason enough to sit back down and ignore Eddie the rest of lunch.
Val scoffed a laugh. Then she caught Eddie's eye and remembered her dilemma from that morning—she needed a deal. And unfortunately, he was the only person who could provide it.
She tossed her lunch into the trash and stood. Most people had returned their attention to their own conversations, thankfully, so Val knew nobody was watching her as she made her way towards Eddie's table. But there was one pair of eyes following her trail—Eddie himself kept his gaze on her the entire time she was coming over. Val broke the eye contact when she arrived.
Eddie stood from his chair, offering her a low bow. He spread his hands as if presenting her to his table. "Valerie White, everyone! Hawkins High's—what is it they call you now? Emo bitch?"
She forced a dry laugh. "Real funny. Listen, Munson, I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here, but I need something."
His face split into a grin and he shoved his hands into his back pockets. "Well, well. She comes crawling back."
"Oh, please." Val rolled her eyes. "I'm only buying from you because Rick's in jail and I'm low. Can I count on you, or not?"
Eddie regarded her with some kind of thoughtfulness, like he couldn't tell what to make of her. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind, as he offered her a smirk. "I can fit you in tonight after the game. Come by my house—I trust you know where it is."
