A MATCH MADE IN HELLFIRE///e.m

Go Tigers!!

SAM PLAYED THE SAME
tune that has been engraved in her brain for the past month for the pep rally. She played trumpet alongside Robin, who's been staring at Vicki since it started. The cheer squad was cheering to the songs being played, making the crowd cheer. It felt excruciatingly long and it was about to feel longer because the leader of the Jock Squad: Jason Carver, also known as the varsity basketball team captain, was going to speak today.

"AND LET'S HEAR IT FOR YOUR TIGERS!" Principal Higgins announced as the boys ran through a poster made by the art club. The crowds' cheers grew louder as they came out.

"Pssst! PSSST!" Sam heard coming from behind her. It was Steve, he was sitting with Mike, Dustin, and Max. "Hey! Steve what are you doing here? Why aren't you at work? And how did you even get in?" She whispered back. He motioned towards himself, so Sam crawled up the bleachers leaving her trumpet on the last bleacher next to Robin. "I'm sorry, oh my god, move!" Sam squeezed through people until she finally made it to Steve. She heard Jason talking, it was muffled, but she didn't care about what he had to say anyways. "Hey so uh, I'm having a party this weekend and I was wondering if you wanted to come?" Steve asked trying to talk over the crowd. "You couldn't just call me after school, Steve?"

"No! Just answer!"

"I'll have to see what I'm doing this weekend but I'm sure.. SHIT WAIT NO! I have to go to California with Mike. To visit El and Joyce, fuck Steve I'm sorry." Sam apologized.

"No uh, it's okay I mean. It'd be nice if you maybe, I don't know... stayed? I mean come on, Mike will be fine on a plane for a couple of hours by himself." Steve looked over at Mike. "Right?"

"Steve. Mike is only fifteen, he needs someone on his flight. Right, Mike?" Sam asked Mike, but his face was still, he was focused on Jason. Sam looked over and listened to what was so interesting. "You know. I think I could 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?.' Sam's heart sank and her stomach dropped.

"In dark days like this, we need something to believe in. So last night, when we were down by ten points at the half to Christian Academy, I looked at my team, and I said. "Think of Jack, think of Melissa, think of Heather... think of Billy."  Lucas looked up at Sam from the court. She gulped and her legs started to feel weak, "Think of our heroic police chief, Jim Hopper. Think about every one of our friends who perished in that mall fire. What did they die for?! For us to lose to some... some crap school? No!"

"No!!!" The crowd repeated. Sam looked around, everyone looked.. inspired. Then Sam looked at Max, she knew how Max must have been feeling. Sam's eyes started to fill with tears, she couldn't listen to more shit come out of Jason's mouth. "What, hey, hey, hey, are you okay?" Steve's voice became small, and distant as Sam walked down the bleachers, pushing people out of her way.

She ran to the bathroom, into a stall, and sat down on the toilet. She took her hat off, throwing it on the ground. The tears came automatically and she couldn't hold back from full-on bawling. "Jason doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about. He wasn't there, I was, Max was, Billy didn't die for this school, for the basketball team, for the students. He died because that thing got him." She thought, the palms of her hands were covering her eyes as she cried.

Someone come in, slamming a stall loudly, Sam wiped her tears and ran her sleeve across her nose. She looked down and remembered she was not supposed to even stain this suit. She needs to return this uniform tonight. "Hello?" Sam questioned aloud. She got no response, "Who's there?" She asked again. Someone was throwing up in the stall furthest away from her. "Hey, are you okay in there? Do you want me to get the nurse?"

"NO! I mean, no. Um, no I'm fine... Really." A soft and high pitched voice spoke.

"No, really I could get someone-"

"Please. Just leave me alone." Sam's worry became confusion and concern, she unlocked her stall, and reached down to grab her hat, slowly walking out. The stall creaked as she opened it deliberately, she looked down slightly under the stall, it was Chrissy Cunningham, in her cheer outfit. She was vomiting and crying, she didn't want help, so Sam left her, went back to a sink, and washed her face with water. The tears and snot began to dry, making her hair stick to her face.

She started to count her fingers and take deep breaths. She looked back up in the mirror, and saw Billy standing behind her. She whipped her head back, gasping loudly, her heart started beating abnormally fast. But no one was there, her breathing got heavy again, she shook her head, rubbed her eyes, and washed her face one more time and took a long deep inhale... and... exhale.

She started walking back out of the bathroom, staring at her feet, unfocused; she bumped into someone. They were wearing beat-up red vans, it was Max.

"Max," Sam said looking down at her, her eyes were heavy and her face flushed. "Hey, are you okay?" Sam asked placing her hand on her shoulder. Max removed one side of her headphones. "I'm fine." She said pushing through Sam and walking into a stall, the same one she was in. Sam didn't see Chrissy walk out yet, Sam hoped both Max and Chrissy were okay.

She walked back into the gym and sat next to Robin, "Hey what's wrong?" Robin asked. "Nothings wrong. Why, does something seem wrong? 'Cause nothings wrong." Sam answered, "You seem.. frazzled." Robin said, looking at Sam's face.

"Robin. I'm fine." Robin put her hands up and shrugged. "Okay! Okay, okay. I'm sorry." She said looking at Sam. Sam sighed and tried to get through the rest of the pep rally. She felt eyes on her from behind, when she looked back Steve was staring at her, with concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" Steve mouthed silently, and Sam nodded her head and smiled. He nodded back and watched the pep rally again, as did Sam.