Time After Time {Steve Harrington x OC}

4

"Sadie you're going to Homecoming right?"

Sadie looked up from her book at the group of girls sitting next to her at the lunch table. It had been Carol that asked. Carol, the redhead that was going with Tommy H, that tore down any woman in sight and out of earshot.  

"Nah, I don't think so. I'm not really one for dances."

"You mean you don't have anyone to go with?" Carol knew what she was doing spinning it like that. 

And so did Sadie. "No. I mean I don't want to go in the first place."

Carol looked around at her friends with that "look" that people do when they're making fun of someone and don't think it's obvious to said person. "Okay. No need to get defensive."

Sadie rolled her eyes and closed her book. This was bullshit. Caroline wasn't even here today, why was she sitting with her shitty friends?

"I think I'm going to grab something from the vending machine, anyone want anything?"

The nicer girls shook their heads and said "No thanks", the bitchier ones just stared at her as if she'd suddenly sprouted an extra limb. 

As Sadie stalked out of the cafeteria, Carol snickered, "She'd probably show up looking like a whale in spandex anyway. No cute dress around here is made in her size."

One of Carol's friends tilted her head as she looked at Sadie's retreating figure, "I'm pretty sure most stores around here will carry up to a size 16."

"That's not the point Tina." 

The library had a nook by the window that Sadie liked to take up. Sure, all the window looked out at was the parking lot, but it was something. 

October had crept upon them, and the air in Hawkins was as crisp as the falling leaves. The town had begun to get gloomy. It was constantly overcast and it felt like the clouds had leached out all of the colors. It was really starting to bum Sadie out. Not to mention, Homecoming was this weekend, and it was all anyone had talked about for weeks.

Sadie wasn't a homecoming hater or anything, she loved the football games and pep rallies, and she even loved the idea of getting all dressed up with your friends. It was the actual dance that turned her off of it. No matter how many school dances she'd attended, they were all the same. Awkward, sweaty, and horribly DJed. 

Besides, she had homework to catch up on and personal statement essays due at the end of the month. 

She tried to focus on her re-read of Pride and Prejudice, things were just beginning to get good at the Netherfield ball, but Carol's stupid comments earlier kept distracting her. 

Sadie groaned and once again slammed her book shut, putting it back in her bag and taking out her Walkman instead. As she left the library in a huff, she clicked "The Smiths" into place, and drowned everything out as she made her way out to the football field. 

Pulling her worn leather jacket into her, against the cold, she stomped up the bleachers and plopped down on the cold metal, leaning against the chain fence at the top. 

Sadie didn't want to spend her time with Carol or Tina or any of them, in fact, she was very adamant about sticking to rule #4: no douchebags. Which was why she only spoke to Steve Harrington about chemistry-related topics after she heard Caroline's story about their fling sophomore year. It didn't matter that he'd had a "change of heart". Anyone that could be that swayed by their friends was someone Sadie couldn't trust. 

So she didn't want to be around those girls, and neither did Caroline most of the time, but Caroline had grown up with them, and half of them were on the Lacrosse, field hockey, or softball teams, which meant Caroline spent a lot of time with them.

Sadie closed her eyes so she didn't have to stare at the awful gray sky anymore. She hated the cold. The cold made everyone miserable. The cold reminded Sadie of how lonely she was. She only had one friend at Hawkins, which was her own choice, but it still sucked when that friend happened to get sick. Sadie wasn't just alone at school, she was alone at home too. Kim was always out of the house before her in the mornings and usually wouldn't end up back home until 8:00. Sometimes they would chat or catch up on the Dallas episodes Kim had missed, but usually, the conversations only reached surface level or Kim fell asleep before the first commercial break. 

It was just a fact of Sadie's life. Loneliness. It was what happened when you didn't have any constancy, and she had accepted that. But it still sucked. 

From what little she'd experienced of relationships, Sadie knew she valued quality time and physical touch. But gray-ass Hawkins didn't seem to want to give her any of that. So suffering it was.  

Sadie's vision under her eyelids darkened, which meant someone was blocking the sun. She opened her eyes to see who could possibly be standing in front of her. 

A junior from her lit class was twiddling his thumbs nervously. He had a wide face and curly brown hair. Sadie had admired his grunge look on the first day of school. She'd even heard him talking with his friends about their band, which she thought was pretty cool.

She slipped off her headphones, "Hey."

"uh, hi."

"What's up Gareth?"

"You know my name?" He raised his eyebrows. 

"You sit in front of me in Lit, why wouldn't I know your name?"

He shrugged, then sat there for a second before realizing that Sadie was still expecting a reason for his being there. 

"Have you ever heard of Dungeons and Dragons?" Gareth leaned forward conspiratorily. 

"The roleplaying game?"

He actually looked offended at that. "It's not a roleplaying ga--whatever. My friends and I have a club where we play DnD and I was wondering...I mean, you look like a loner and all, just our type...if you wanted to join?"

A loner? Really? On the fucking nose Gareth.

Sadie had made it one of her rules to join a club...but this was a nerd club that she had literally no interest in. While this Gareth guy was cute, she did not want to join.

"No can do man, sorry. I'm pretty booked and busy at the moment. I'm doing the fall play this year and the rehearsal schedule is a bitch." This was sort of true...she'd volunteered to help with costumes. "Plus, DnD isn't really my thing." 

He shrugged and smiled, "Okay, well, had to give it a try."

"You uh-you and your friends have a band, right?

His smile widened, "Yeah, we do actually. We mostly just do metal covers."

"Cool. Do you guys have any gigs?" Sadie wasn't much of a metalhead, but she did have a thing for people that could play instruments.

"Yeah! We're playing at a party near lover's lake. Well...it's a birthday party for Eddie's supplier, but a bunch of people are gonna be there."

"Supplier? What does Eddie sell?"

Gareth narrowed his eyes, "You're not a narc or anything are you?"

Sadie laughed, "Do I look like a narc?"

"I don't know, I've heard your mom is."

Sadie laughed again and rolled her eyes, "Honestly, the rumor mill must be straining for content if that's what's spreading around. She's not a "narc", she's not even a park ranger. She's a freelance accountant." Sadie knew enough about her mom's career to not advertise anything that wasn't painfully boring. It stopped people from asking questions. 

He looked embarrassed, "Oh, sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. Anyways...what does Eddie sell?"