This had to be a joke, right? Jason Carver's sister was standing at the doors to the band room right before a Hellfire Club meeting. You looked nervous, playing with the strap of your purse. Probably scared to be seen with the freaks.

"Is Eddie here?" you asked awkwardly. Eddie's head perked up from where he was hunched over character sheets. But it was Gareth who answered for him.

"The fuck you wanna know for, Carver?" he asked gruffly. Gareth was a good friend, protective. Eddie could count on him to make sure their new campaign wasn't interrupted by bullies. He once punched Tommy square in the face for giving Dustin a wedgie.

You had a folded up note in your hand, your name and a heart scribbled on the seam. "I wanted to give him this."

Yeah, definitely a joke. Eddie had been treated like "the other" of Hawkins since elementary. He was loud, poor, had uncommon interests, and generally seemed like a threat to the average student. So there was no way in Hell that Jason Carver's sister, the flyer on the cheer team and star soprano in choir, was bringing him some love note.

Gareth seemed to share Eddie's train of thought, because he scoffed and waved you off. "Nice try, Carver. Why can't your kind just leave us alone?"