Wrapped Around Your Finger - Eddie Munson

Chapter One: The New Girl

January 1986, Hawkins, Indiana.

It's been a week since I've moved from Boston, Massachusetts to Hawkins, Indiana. I was freshly 18, about to finish my senior year of highschool... in some backwoods town without any of the friends I grew up with. I would have really hated it here if wasn't for the fact that I was able to get a job at Crash's Comic's, the only comic and game store in a 50 mile radius. I'll be running the cash register and sitting in as the DM on Dungeons and Dragons nights when needed, my only saving grace.

My alarm rips me awake at the ripe hour of 6:00am, warning me of my impending first day of senior year at a new school in a new state. I rolled out of bed, took my medication and began dreading the day. I hesitated in front of my closet, this wasn't Boston anymore. How are people gonna react when they see me? I doubt many of them have seen a punk girl with a mullet and studded boots waltzing around their town before. Fuck it, let the staring commence.

I grabbed my old leather jacket and Heaven & Hell tour t-shirt, both hand me downs from my mom. She would laugh if she could see where me and dad ended up. My first ever concert was the July 16th, 1968 Florida Black Sabbath show. I was 6 months old. I paired that with plain denim jeans and some old boots. A quick comb through my hair and some eyeliner hastily smudged under the eyes and I was all set. I walked down the stairs of our small cabin and grabbed myself breakfast as dad read through the newspaper over his morning cup of coffee.

"Ready for your first day, kid?" He asked, looking at me over the brim of his glasses.

The years had been tough on dad, he's been raising me alone for the past 15 years. He was never able to move on after the cancer finally caught mom. His once long black hair was now gray, his eyes ringed with dark circles complemented by crow's feet.

"Boy, am I ever!" I said sarcastically, throwing him a grin as I gave him a goodbye fist bump. Ok

"Be good!" He called after me as I opened the door.

I stepped out into the rural Indiana scene, God I missed Massachusetts, and started my bike ride to school. The greenery of the midwest was a culture shock compared to the concrete streets of my home city. Low hanging branches stretched out over the streets, green lawns and flower gardens decorated front yards. Maybe it wasn't all so bad.

I hopped off my bike as I approached the school and locked it up with the other student's bikes. I glanced around at my surroundings. Guys in letterman jackets stood around their muscle cars in the parking lot, a group of girls in matching primary colored skirts snickered to each other while glancing over at a girl in a unicorn sweater and her friend, just as I'd expected.

"Just six more months until I graduate." I thought to myself.

I passed a group of cheerleaders chatting excitedly on my way in and made eye contact with a blonde haired girl. She smiled warmly at me, which as a change from the usual reactions I got. I smiled back at her and continued inside. I went up to the front office and got my class schedule and school map. I was waiting for the secretary to come back with the papers when the door to the principals office opened.

"And try to stay out of trouble, Munson." The principals voice was exasperated as he ushered a student out. I did a double take as he stepped out of the office. Long black hair and a custom battle jacket, this boy looked like he'd jumped straight out of an Iron Maiden poster.

"You know me Principal Higgins, trouble finds me!" He said to a closed door before turning to walk away.

His eyes met mine for a moment before I quickly looked away, turning my attention to the secretary who had just appeared with my papers. I thanked her and left the main office, letting my map guide me to my first class. The drab, off white hallways were crowded with bored students shuffling their way to class.

I took my seat near the windows a few rows back from the front, having gotten there a little earlier than everyone else. Students and teacher filed into class, including the blonde girl who smiled at me today. I glanced at her and she noticed me instantly, choosing to come and sit near me.

"Hi, you must be new here! I'm Chrissy." She grinned, getting out her notebook and preparing herself for class.

"I'm Hannah..." I hesitated, not sure if this was a set up or not.

"Nice to meet you!" She cheered, turning to face the teacher as he started his lesson.

"Hellfire Club. Auditorium Storage Room. Every Day At 2." The poster read, accompanied by a pair of crudely drawn tabletop dice.

Alright, I was interested. I made a mental note to check it out today, even if it was too late to join the campaign since school was almost out, it might be fun to sit in and watch. I could jump in and play as extra characters, enemies, or maybe even the BBEG.

The rest of the day went by with a blur, doing my best to just grit my teeth through these last few months. The bell rang and I tossed my bag over my shoulder, wrestling my way through the crowded halls to find the auditorium storage.

The sound of laughing and dice clattering told me I was in the right place. I took a deep breath, mentally prepared myself to be thrown out, then opened the door. 7 heads snapped in my direction, all eyes locking on me like a target.

I felt out of place already. I wondered to myself if it would make things worse if I just turned around and left without a word. The shuffling of my papers and dice rolling ceased as the club processed my presence.

"Uh, band club is a few doors down?" One of the freshmen guessed, looking to his two friends on either side.

"Oh, no I-I'm actually looking for the Hellfire Club? I just transferred here and was hoping that maybe I got lucky enough to catch a campaign." I stammered out awkwardly.

"Actually, you're timings not bad. We just finished up a chapter and are updating our character sheets. Eddie, you think she can join?" The curly haired freshmen asked with excitement.

I looked at who he was speaking to and froze. It was that cute guy I saw leaving the principal's office this morning. He seemed shocked to see me. Not necessarily to see me in this room asking to join their club, but here, in Indiana of all places. A slight smile tugged at his lips as he looked me over.

"Hey, why not? Freaks gotta stick together!" He said with a kind of teasing charm that made my cheeks feel warm. Someone pulled up a seat and tossed me a character sheet.

"I'm Hannah by the way. I just moved here from Boston." I introduced myself.

"I'm Dustin." The curly haired freshman smiled, "This is Mike and Lucas." The two friends waved politely, "That's Gareth, Jeff, and Jake."

"And I'm Eddie, the leader of our little cult." He said, gesturing out his hands with a dramatic bow. He smirked up at me through his bangs, my heart fluttered. Shit.

"So, what classes do you need most?" I asked, taking my seat and starting to fill out my character sheet.

"We could use... a Thief or another Fighter, ladies choice." Eddie answered, flipping through his notes.

"Can never go wrong with a good Thief." I said, filling out my sheet. "Introducing Goren The Reckless of the Kingdom of Fruztii. The infamous rebel daughter of the Crown."

"Let's get to it then!" Eddie clapped and sat down at the head of the table, "Our scenes starts off in a local tavern..."