𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 || EDDIE MUNSON

Cookie Cutter Cuties

BRANDY Leblanc wasn't the most rebellious teen there was, in fact, she was quite the opposite. Sure she participated in the occasional Halloween party drinking, or even entertained multiple flirtatious boys at once. But she never did anything out of the ordinary. Brandy had all A's and B's, she did cheerleading, and she even helped the music teacher organize her classroom for brownie points.

Brandy's perfectionism didn't just stop at her schoolwork, it bled into her social life as well as her perception of her own appearance. Brandy would never be late to anything involving friends, sometimes she would be early. She never stepped on anyone's toes even if it meant she became a door mat for her fellow cheer mates. Her hair was always waved and scrunched to perfection, her makeup never too heavy, and her outfits were never too modest nor were they too flashy.

Everything about Brandy was perfectly typical. Or at least that's how she appeared to everyone.

Deep down Brandy did have a rebellious streak, she was just too afraid to let it make a mark in her day-to-day life. The girl was afraid of rejection, afraid of being socially denied. Excelling in everything wasn't pushed upon her by her parents, it was more so Brandy herself. Her mother never complained about how she appeared, or her grades, or even who she chose to keep as company. Her father would've told her to be herself, let everyone else be a cookie-cutter teen.

She felt as if she couldn't exactly talk to anyone about her feelings, she felt like a burden when she spoke about her anxieties about being an exemplar in life. Worse things were happening in the world, and worse things happening in other people's lives for them to be concerned about Brandy's need to be liked and accepted.

In hindsight, there was only one person she imagined understood, but the girl would never bother her with it. Chrissy Cunningham had other problems going on in her life, more pressing matters.

"You okay?" Brandy snapped out of her trance, her eyes ripping away from the chicken scratch she had written on her Civics homework.

"What?" Brandy blinked a few times, her eyes meeting Chrissy's doe eyes. "Oh, yeah, I'm good, just thinking." She let out a fake chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm a little nervous too," Chrissy admitted with a little shy smile. Keeping her voice quiet so as to not disturb the rest of the classroom who was working quietly.

"What do you mean nervous?" Brandy asked worriedly. Was she that bad at hiding her emotions?

"You know, the pep rally to welcome the freshmen?" Chrissy cocked her head to the side.

Brandy let out an internal sigh, "Oh, yeah." She nodded, looking back to her paper she scribbled some non-sense. "You must be excited, the first year as a flyer?" She hummed at the strawberry blonde.

Chrissy picked at her nail bed, "Yeah, I just hope nobody drops me," She let out a small laugh, one that Brandy could tell was fake, conjured in lies.

"You're light as a bird, don't worry, we got you," Brandy laid a manicured hand on her friend's forearm, Chrissy gave her a smile in thanks for her comfort. "Besides, we've been practicing nearly every day this month, we've got it nearly perfect."

It was the first pep rally of the year, usually Hawkins High had a pep rally to welcome the new freshmen about a month into school. Every August, right as the month was about to end. It was a tradition, even now as Brandy was a senior. It's what had made her want to join the cheer team, granted it took a lot of practice to get to where she was now, but it was worth it. She was highly regarded by Hawkins High as a cheer team member. At least to most.

"I heard they're making the whole school go, even the chess club." Chrissy changed the subject.

"School spirit," Brandy sarcastically smiled, earning a chuckle from Chrissy.