Hellfire's Angel | Stranger Things

The Breakup

           Frankie woke up the next morning feeling determined. It was make or break time for her and Travis, and she knew which outcome she was rooting for, despite the heartache it would inevitably cause. Asshole or not, he had been her boyfriend for several years. He hadn't been all bad. She blamed puberty, hormones, and the fact they just weren't right for each other. Not anymore.

However, she would miss the boy she had first been friends with, the one who had taken her on adorable, well-thought-out dates, showered her with affection and love. The one who had initially stolen her heart and taught her what it meant to love. Who held her hand as they walked down the school corridors. Gave her his jacket when it was raining and she forgot hers. Her prom date who had danced the night away with her. The sweet boy who told her she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

That boy had disappeared a long time ago.

Three years they had been together. Their first year had been perfect, the honeymoon phase never-ending. But it did, it always did. Midway through their second he had begun to change, but not in a dramatic way that you would instantly notice. It began with sour looks and the odd derogatory comment. She began to pick up on his behaviour towards other students, never quite the level of bullying as some of the others were like, but still nasty enough. However, she didn't pay the same attention to the way he was talking to her.

He stopped calling her beautiful when she turned up for school in a new outfit, always having to make some criticism. It wasn't until he began saying it in front of her friends, did they pick up on his attitude and warned her. The slow trickle soon turned into a steady flow, and she began to notice it too. Every. Single. Time. A lot of the time she would brush it off, but over the summer he'd become relentless. Every hurtful word he said chipped away at her heart, slowly but surely having an affect on the love she had for him. The flame in her heart was slowly dying, until one day it was finally extinguished.

She had finally had enough of his words. It was time for her to say a few of her own. And today was the day. The beginning of the end.

She put on makeup, leaning towards a slightly heavier look than she usually did. Her style was always about subtlety, today she was slightly more grunge. She made a different attempt with her hair, waking up extra early to wash it and blow-dry. Looking in the mirror, she felt pleased she'd been able to add some bounce to it.

Next was her outfit. If Travis thought her recent outfits had been revealing, he was in for a shock with the one she was about to produce today. It was a white v-necked blouse which had belonged to her mothers, but she had stolen. She had always loved the shape of the front and how much it showed off her cleavage. Before puberty hit, she would stuff her bras with socks to create the image her mom had whenever she wore this top.

It was daring for school, there was a high risk she would be pulled up for it. She made sure to pack a nice sweater vest in her bag, just in case. Next, she picked out a skirt, a black leather one which ended above her knees. Short, but not too short that she might get in trouble, or so she hoped. She would not have an alternative to wear.

She completed the look with a black leather jacket and black shoes. She looked in the mirror and smiled, then laughed. It certainly was daring. Just the outfit she needed to break up with her boyfriend.

"You can do this," she told her reflection. "Just remember all the shit things he's said. The way he's treated people. The way he's treated you."

After a spray of perfume, she headed out of her room. Her parents were eating breakfast in the kitchen, she would have to make sure to sneak passed them so they wouldn't confront her over the outfit and force her to change.