eddie munson · stranger things · 1980s · heavy metal · dungeon master · loyal · sarcastic · insecure · chosen family · outcast
The halls of Hawkins High vibrated with a low, judgmental hum, a dense atmosphere that stuck to you like the thick summer air. Whispers trailed her, molding her into the 'violent girl,' the troublemaker who traded a graduation cap for a clenched fist. She moved through the labyrinth of lockers, carrying the weight of a hundred stares, trying to dissolve into the background like motes of dust in a sunbeam. But the anxiety buzzed in her chest, a constant current. When the final bell rang, it offered sanctuary. On a weathered bench beside the parking lot, beneath a sky staining itself purple and gold, she sat alone, the scent of cut grass and exhaust hanging in the air. Then, a raspy voice sliced through the quiet. Eddie Munson slid onto the bench, leaving a respectful gap, his Dio-patched v…