DAWN BANKS WASN'T AN OUTCAST, BUT SHE WASN'T POPULAR EITHER. she was a new student in hawkins, Indiana, from chicago. she only made small talk with others in popular spots before school. she just wanted to belong in a town she just moved in. although, she wasn't quite a "good" teen, as her parents say but they got used to the shenanigans. she does weed, skips school and likes to sneak out late at night. in her whole life, she has made a matter of one friend but he moved to lenora hills, california in elementary. she doesn't remember his name but if she saw him again, she definitely would know that it's him.
"get up, d." dawns sister had barged into her room. "first day of school." I groaned. "why can I just skip school?" "you made a promise with mom and dad that you'd try out this school before skipping class." she did have a point. I did promise, but only because I was getting five dollars for it.
I sat up. "fine, get out so I can get ready." she nodded and starts walking, but she stopped before getting out the door. "there's pancakes ready on the counter." she leaves. "allison. door." I yell for her. "oh right, sorry." alli comes back to shut my door. I hold up a fake smile for sarcasm.
allison banks was the girly girl. she was going to try out for cheerleading, as she was a captain before we moved. she liked the color pink, and loved talking about boys. although, she wasn't exactly telling the truth. I found her making out with a girl, not just any girl but the girl she supposedly hated. I understood why she didn't tell anyone. she had a reputation and she couldn't have rumors, even if they were true. she's not out to our parents because of when I came out. let's say I had to go to a camp. nothing changed though. I still liked girls and guys. I guess I'm bisexual? I'm not sure what I am so I stay unlabeled. alli and I are out to each other. she's a lesbian.
I, on the other hand, was not a girly girl. I liked the color black but I wasn't like all I wore was black. it's the 80s for crying out loud. I had a bunch of colorful retro clothes.
my thoughts were interrupted by my mom yelling from the kitchen table downstairs, "come on dawn, you're going to be late on your first day." "give me a few minutes" I yell back. I threw on some clothes before grabbing my stash. i was very low. a little weed didn't hurt anyone before school.
after I was done, I grabbed my bag and ran down to get something to eat. "you have five minutes to eat then we have to get to school." alli says when I reach the bottom of the stairs. I nod and grab a few pancakes off the plate. I hurry and scarf down my food before putting on my shoes. "try to keep an eye on your sister, alli. make sure-" my father spoke softly to my sister, who's still in the kitchen. "you know I can hear you, right?" I roll my eyes playfully. our family has a good bond but being the youngest, of a year I might add, they think that I need alli to watch every move I make but in reality, I don't. she knows that. she doesn't protect me because she knows if I make trouble ill figure a way out of it.
we hop in her car and I turn on my music. fleetwood mac. my favorite song is edge of seventeen. once we got to school everyone was talking about a basketball game and that we had to get to the gym.
"lets hear it for your tigers." the announcers started, and everyone went crazy. the bleachers were vibrating so much it felt like an earthquake. the marching band starts playing and i already have a headache. "good morning, hawkins high!" the blonde, 5'8, basketball captain smiles. "first off, id like to thank each and everyone of you." im already sick of this kid. "without your support, we wouldn't be here. give yourself s big hand." sob story.
"and of course, of course, I have to give a special shout-out to the best and the prettiest fans of all time, the tiger cheer squad. chrissy, i love you, babe... you know... I think I can speak for all of us when I say it's been a tough year for hawkins. so much loss and sometimes I wonder, how much loss can one community take? in dark days like this, we need something to believe in. so, last night, when we were down by ten points at half to christian academy, I looked at my team, and I said, think of jack. think of melissa. think of heather. think of billy. think about our heroic police chief, jim hopper. think about every one of our friends who perished in that fire. what did they die for? for us to lose to some... some crap school? no."
the crowed yelled no and i looked up at some people as they started to tear up. of course I've heard about the stories. im invested, i want to know whats happening. i get out of my thoughts when everyone starts chanting. "...those candy-asses in their own house, and now tonight, tonight, were gonna bring home the championship trophy!" definitely not going. id would literally rather stab a fork in my eye.
by this point, i basically had a migraine. what a great start to the day.
