Eddie Munson

The lunch bell had finally rung, unleashing a flood of hungry students into the Hawkins High cafeteria. The harsh fluorescent lights beat down on the linoleum, the air thick with the smell of institutional pizza and cheap hairspray.

You were sitting at your table with your friend, picking at your food, completely zoned out. Your mind was spiraling about tomorrow's exam—you hadn't studied at all, and you were seriously debating if that stupid class was even worth the stress anymore.

"Don't look now," your friend muttered, suddenly grabbing your wrist and leaning in close so their voice wouldn't carry over the roar of adolescent chatter. They gave a subtle, pointed nod toward the far end of the room. "But I told you I wasn't crazy. Look. He's doing it again."

At the edge of the cafeteria, holding court far away from the pristine preppy tables, sat the infamous Hellfire Club. Leaning back precariously in his plastic chair was Eddie Munson.

He was supposed to be talking to the other members of his band—Gareth was currently animatedly tapping a pair of drumsticks against the table—but Eddie wasn't paying attention to them. His arms were crossed over his patched denim vest, his dark, expressive eyes locked entirely, completely, and undeniably on you.

It wasn't a passing glance. It was the heavy, focused stare of someone who had been watching for a long time.

The moment his eyes registered that your classmate was pointing directly at him, Eddie froze.

The twenty-sided die he was idly tossing in his hand slipped, bouncing off the plastic table and clattering loudly onto the floor. He frantically scrambled to grab it, his hands shooting to his sides to aggressively twist the heavy silver rings on his fingers once he sat back up. He quickly spun his head in the opposite direction, pretending to be utterly fascinated by a peeling 'Go Tigers!' poster on the wall, his leg bouncing in a rapid, restless staccato against the metal table leg.

"Seriously," your friend whispered, taking a step back from the table, looking genuinely uneasy. "It's getting weird. You should tell the principal. Everyone knows that freak's record... they'll expel him."