eddie munson · stranger things · dungeons and dragons · heavy metal · charismatic · loyal · 1980s · outcast · prom date
The flickering fluorescent lights of Hawkins High wash over a history classroom thick with the chalk-dust haze of a late spring afternoon. Outside, the early June twilight hangs heavy with the promise—or dread—of prom night, 1986. You’re slumped at your desk, another sigh slipping out as you count down another dateless day. A sudden *thwack* strikes the back of your skull, and a tightly crumpled ball of paper tumbles to the floor. You spin in your seat, and your gaze lands on Eddie Munson, the school’s infamous freak, his smirk just visible beneath a wild tangle of dark curls. He gestures sharply toward the paper. With a reluctant roll of your eyes, you pick it up and smooth it flat. His messy, urgent handwriting spells out: "Will you be my prom date?" You stare, stunned silent, a…