Your little sister (Max) and mom have been having a hard time. You decide to move to Hawkins to help out, and while giving up California and your senior year might be hard, there is a boy across the trailer park who just might make it worth it...
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Time is funny. Sometimes we can't remember what pants we wore yesterday, yet a day ten or twenty years ago is as clear as can be. We remember the music that was playing, what sweater we wore, every moment that brought new revelations about ourselves and those around us. The problem is, we can never know when those days are going to happen. They just appear and ask you to hang on through them because there is no other alternative. It won't be until you're so far away from these moments that you'll be able to see the full scope of how little choices and movements throughout a single day could have such an impact on the rest of your life. How the events of a Friday in March of 1986, mere weeks before your high school graduation, would come to change everything you've ever known about the world around you, those closest to you, and you yourself.
But these are the thoughts of someone far in the future and far from who you were today. All you could think about after bidding Eddie goodbye and telling Max that he would drive her was crawling back into bed to find some relief for your head and stomach via sleep. There were no thoughts of destiny or fate or worlds beyond your imagination. All you could think about was not eating pesto chicken ever again.
When Eddie called to check on you around noon, you were actually feeling better, despite him waking you from your nap. You assured him that you had yet to throw up again and were going to try some toast to see how that went. He'd offered to come back to take care of you, but you'd told him to stay in school. You didn't want him to risk anything about his graduation by doing something like just sitting with you while you were just a little dizzy and tired. He told you that Lucas was skipping Hellfire for the basketball game, a fact which annoyed the hell out of him. You knew there was no point in trying to talk him down from his rant about the irresponsibility of the boys, so you let him ramble while he relayed his commands to Mike and Dustin to find a sub, especially since you wouldn't be there.
You offered to come in for it since you seemed to be on the mend, but he wouldn't hear of it. He wanted you to get better, and you were grateful that you could stay in sweats all day and just get caught up on your rest. With the chaos of finals, projects, and essays, you'd been more tired than usual lately, and you knew that having a whole day to yourself would definitely help you start to feel more normal.
When you asked him about dropping Max off, he told you that she'd refused his offer and taken the bus instead. He was willing to ask her again and take her home, but he did have a 'little business' that he needed to take care of after school. You told him to let her take the bus if she was so damned determined. With that, you wished him luck with the campaign, warned him to be careful in his 'business', and confirmed that he would be back tonight when he was done. He'd replied the affirmative, said to get back in bed and rest, and finished with a quick 'love you' that sent butterflies through you, even after months of saying it regularly.
After successfully keeping down toast and chicken noodle soup, you were feeling decidedly better and decided to clean and rearrange your room. You'd been so busy lately, both with your own work and helping Eddie, you had let things get out of control. Clothes were piled up with books and papers surrounding them. The man himself had taken to leaving things around as well, and by the time your floor and desk were cleaned there was a whole little Eddie stack waiting for him. The organized part of you was annoyed with it, but the smitten girlfriend couldn't help but smile at how comfortable you were in each other's spaces and lives.
