Chapter 18: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

"I come home, in the mornin' light

My mother says "When you gonna live your life right?"

Oh momma dear, we're not the fortunate ones

And girls, they wanna have fun

Oh girls just wanna have fun"

Saturday. January 11th, 1986.

POV: Winter Reid

Eddie's van pulls into the parking lot outside Family Video.

He was on time to pick me up today. He graciously knocked on my door at 1:45 pm, bowed towards his van, and said, "Your carriage awaits."

I would love to get my license and start driving myself around, but I'd have to share the station wagon with my mom and she works so much I'd probably never get a chance to drive. Also, we're poor.

I reach down to the floorboard where I've stuffed a change of clothes and a toothbrush in my small corduroy backpack.

"What are your plans tonight?" I ask Eddie as I pull my bag onto my lap.

Eddie smiles at me and says, "I'm playing it by ear. But, Patti will probably come around later..."

I nod my head, "She seemed nice."

Eddie regards me with an inquisitive look.

"I mean it! Well, I guess she looked as nice as could be expected... considering I kind of invaded her privacy." My cheeks blush at the memory and I'm not sure why I keep talking. "I mean... she could've been really pissed at me. But, she seemed cool. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that if you really like her, then I like her. Not that you need or want my opinion but I think-"

"Yeah, thanks," Eddie cuts me off.

I bite my lip and nervously tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. The topic of who Eddie dates seems to be a touchy subject. I've never really cared before, and he's never introduced me to anyone on purpose. But, our friendship is built on trust, and I hate the idea that there are things we might not be able to share with each other. So far, the only strict boundaries we've set have been to never mess with the other's music and to never keep secrets. There isn't anything he could say to me or I to him that would send us running for the hills.

That's our promise; we won't abandon each other and we won't tell lies.

Still, he doesn't have to gush to me about Patti if he doesn't want to... the boy does have some serious commitment issues he needs to work through. I know he is uniquely aware of how it feels to be misunderstood, and he never wants to give someone his heart if they won't know how to hold it.

I release a sigh and reach for the passenger door handle. My sneakers hit the pavement and I pull my backpack over one shoulder.

"Oh!" I exclaim and extend a flat palm towards Eddie. "Cassette, please."

He obliges and reaches into the center console, pulling out a homemade mixtape with a label that reads 'Filthy Fifteen' in his spiky handwriting.

The filthy fifteen are a collection of songs deemed woefully inappropriate by a committee of concerned parents, which is headed by the human equivalent of wonder bread, Tipper Gore. The issue went all the way to the Senate, and Eddie and I listened to the testimony of Dee Snider over the radio. Mrs. Gore argues that the songs are so-called "porn rock" that is infiltrating and poisoning the minds of the youth. The committee compiled 15 songs that they found explicit, and those that made the list earned their spots by talking about Satanism, drugs, or sex. Eddie felt vindicated by the crusade and made a mixtape with all of the songs. He said it's a historical record of artistic expression and freedom of speech.

Eddie opens his door and walks slowly over to the passenger side. He leans against the van and holds up the cassette between two fingers.

"You're going to give the poor girl a heart attack." He smiles at me and slowly waves the tape through the air. "I don't think cheerleaders listen to WASP."

"I'm a cheerleader who listens to WASP," I scoff and pluck it from his grasp.

Eddie grins. I pull my backpack down on my shoulder and tilt my head up at him. "Besides, I think exposing her to some culture will benefit her worldview. Maybe we need to educate the masses instead of avoiding them."

I smile sweetly up at Eddie.

"Yeah, you go ahead and do that," he scoffs. "I'll keep my distance."

"Winter!" I hear a voice call.

I turn and see Helen standing in front of the video store. She waves enthusiastically, then her hand falters. A perplexed look crosses her face as her eyes drift to Eddie and then back to me. Her hand drops to her side.

"That's Helen?" Eddie narrows his eyes. "She looks so... wholesome." I give him a warning look and a smirk spreads across his face. "Please tell me if she even makes it past track three."

"She will! Tonight will be an education, okay?" I say confidently.

Eddie lets out a mocking laugh. He glances back at Helen and waves at her. She looks like a deer caught in headlights.

I grab his hand and yank it down. "Stop that."

Eddie smiles at me, my hand is still wrapped around his wrist.

"Well. Have fun at your sleepover," he says with a mocking tone. "Call me if you guys try a ouija board and accidentally summon the devil."

"Thanks for the ride, Eddie." I lean forward with a smile and then turn to walk towards Helen.

I'm halfway across the parking lot when I glance over my shoulder and call, "Tell Patti I say hi!"

Eddie scrunches his nose up and waves his hand through the air, shooing me away.

I laugh and run towards Helen.

"Hey!"

She glances cautiously at Eddie, then her eyes snap over to mine.

"You okay?" I ask and lightly push against her shoulder. She looks frozen and I half expect her to shatter at my touch like an ice sculpture.

She leans forward and whispers, "Is that Eddie Munson?"

"Yes," I whisper back. "But he actually prefers to be called Edward."

Her eyes widen at me and I laugh.

"I'm kidding." I glance behind me. Eddie has climbed back in his van and his tail lights flash as he backs out of the space.

"Is he..." Helen begins to speak.

I turn to face her, she still looks as if someone has slapped her across the face.

"Um...is he your boyfriend?"

I choke on my saliva and gasp out a strangled laugh.

"Eddie? No!"

Helen looks at me, startled by my sputtered cackles. I continue to shake my head and swallow hard.

"Eddie Munson is not my boyfriend." I cast a glance over my shoulder at the now empty parking spot. "He's my friend."

"Oh! Sorry!" She looks embarrassed and stares down at her shoes. "I was just surprised when I saw you talking to him."

I hook my arm through the crook of her elbow. "It's okay. I know we make an odd pair. But he's not as scary as he looks," I say. Helen raises her eyebrows tentatively. I smile at her. "I promise. He's actually very mushy... but that's hidden deep, deep beneath the surface."

She returns my smile and I squeeze her arm.

"Let's go get some videos!"

Helen giggles as I yank her toward the front door.

The bell chimes as it swings open and shuts behind us. Teens fill the aisles, it's Saturday afternoon in Hawkins and everyone seems to have had the same idea. Helen looks around the space, her eyes trace the ceiling and land on the display by the door.

She looks giddy. "God, I love the video store!"

I laugh and we start walking down an aisle. Covers stare out at us from their propped up positions.

"You know I've only been here once," I say. Helen turns to me, her mouth falls open in shock. I shrug. "We don't have a TV at my house."

Helen's hand lands hard on my upper arm. "No TV? What do you do then?"

"Um... read?" I reply. Helen looks stupefied.

"But, I love going to the movies," I continue. "Although the one at the Starcourt Mall was way better than The Hawk. I loved the throwback nights they had. You could go and watch Bringing Up Baby or The Blob."

My fingers run along the tapes and read all the unfamiliar titles.

"Oh the mall," Helen groans and drops her arms dramatically. "I miss the mall. I can't believe it burned down. That was like... the Mecca of culture. Now we have... nothing." She rolls her head around and looks at me, her face is pulled into a disappointed frown.

I snort, "We really need to work on your definition of culture. The mall was just a giant building full of bright lights and places to throw your money away."

Although, I never had any money to waste there, I think to myself.

"The movie theater was the only redeeming part of it. If you could sneak past an employee at Waldenbooks, you could get to the hallway that connected the entire mall, then sneak into the theater and duck into a showing without anyone noticing." I grin at Helen.

She blinks slowly at me. "Sneak into a movie without paying?"

"That's the most rebellious thing I've ever done, trust me," I laugh. "But, yeah, that's how I wasted a lot of time last summer."

"With Eddie Munson?" Helen asks.

I raise my eyebrows at her and her mouth closes quickly as if she's surprised the question fell from her lips.

"Sometimes..." I nod my head. "But I wanted to see everything and Eddie is very picky about the movies he's willing to watch. I didn't mind going by myself, though, it's an easy place to be alone. It's almost meditative."

"Well, I'll go to the movies with you!" Helen chirps. "Ooh, there's a new John Hughes coming out next month, we should go see it!"

I smile brightly. "Really? As long as it has Molly Ringwald in it, I'm sold."

Helen smiles and moves ahead of me, searching the shelves for a movie. I look up to read the signs above the aisles that denote genres.

Romance, Drama, Horror.

My eyes widen and I move past Helen into the horror section, bending down to survey the bottom shelf. My eyes flash with glee at the gory cover pictures and masked killers.

Helen hesitantly follows me. "God, I can hardly look at the pictures!"

"Oh come on!" I look up to see her crossing her arms tightly and avoiding eye contact with the tapes. "This stuff is the best!"

I reach over and pull a copy from the shelf.

"Are you serious? It's all blood and guts and screaming!" Helen gawks at me. "No, it's too terrible." She shakes her head.

"Really? What's so terrible about exploring the nature of evil from the safety of your sofa?" I take a step towards Helen, gazing at the copy of Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge I have clasped in my hand. "The mystery, the stakes, the epic kills? And the best part... the final girl."

I look at her enthusiastically, her mouth pulls into a confused grimace.

"You know... the girl that always survives at the end? She starts out timid, virginal, sad... but somehow she knows how to wield a shotgun or set some elaborate booby trap that eventually saves her? And she always delivers some incredible final line like... get away from her, you bitch!" I shake the copy and look at Helen, who doesn't seem convinced.

"Come on..." I taunt. "What about this one? Nightmare on Elm Street 2!"

"Absolutely not!" She scoffs. "I didn't sleep for a week when I watched the first one!"

I raise my eyebrows at her.

Helen sighs, "Okay, I didn't actually watch it, I saw 10 minutes of it with my kid brother and then ran and hid in my bedroom..."

I walk forward slowly, extending the VHS tape towards her.

"One... two... Freddy's coming for you," I sing. "Three... four... better lock your door."

"Stop that!" Helen swats at me. "Where's the romance section?"

I laugh as she turns away from me and marches down the aisle.

I look down at Robert Eglund on the cover. "You're just deeply misunderstood, aren't you Freddy?"

I turn around in the aisle to set the tape back on the shelf and nearly collide with someone's chest.

"Woah! Sorry," a kind voice says.

I look up slowly... right into the eyes of Theodore Knight.

My eyes widen as I, and Freddy Kruger, stare up at a pair of dark eyebrows set under perfectly swooshed hair.

"Hi," I squeak out, then wince at myself internally.

Theo's face widens to a genuine smile. "Hi! How's it going?"

"Oh you know..." I glance at the VHS copy in my hands and then back at Theo. "Just your average Saturday."

I take a step back but Theo reaches over and pulls the movie out of my hands.

"Nightmare on Elm Street?" He asks, giving me a concerned look and then glancing back at the cover. "Isn't this a little too scary for you?"

My head pulls back, slightly offended. Maybe it's too scary for the type of girls who rent horror movies just so they can dive into their boyfriend's armpit and make them feel like tough, strong men, but that's not me.

"No, it's not too scary for me," I reply, a bit too harshly.

Theo raises his eyebrows at me. "Really?"

I cock my head at him. I can't quite figure out if he's teasing me or if he's genuinely interested. I think Eddie has screwed up my perceptive powers because he's always sarcastic and I can never take what he says to heart.

"Yeah... Carrie is my favorite," I say hesitantly.

"I don't think I've seen that one." Theo smiles and sets one hand on the shelf next to us, comfortably stretching across the aisle.

"It's based on a Stephen King novel," I explain. "About a girl who goes insane at prom and kills her classmates?"

Theo lets out a surprised chuckle.

I shrug, "They dumped a bucket of pig's blood on her head so I think she was slightly justified."

Theo throws his head back and laughs. I squish my eyebrows together, still not sure if he's making fun of me or not.

"Maybe I should just check out a Tom Cruise movie..." I say, feeling embarrassed.

I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear and move to turn away from Theo.

Theo catches sight of me leaving and quickly says, "No, no! I think that's cool."

I look at him and raise my eyebrows.

"Do you like scary movies?"

I am surprised to discover that I'm genuinely interested in his answer.

"Uh.. well," he stutters slightly and looks down at his shoes. "Would you think I'm totally lame if I tell you that I'm a huge scaredy cat?"

"Yes, I would," I say with a deadpan look.

Theo smiles, "Well, then I love scary movies. Especially..."

He glances at the shelves next to us.

"The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th..." He squints at another copy on the shelf. "Saturday Night Fever?"

I laugh in spite of myself. "Yeah, I think someone just put that one back on the wrong shelf."

Theo looks over at me. "I hate it when they do that."

I smile softly at him and he smiles back. I feel a small flutter in my chest.

He looks back at the movie and then drops his head.

"Okay, I lied. I hate scary movies. I am lame." He looks back up at me and shrugs his shoulders, helplessly.

I shrug my shoulders in response. "It's okay. I hate Tom Cruise."

Theo laughs, his perfectly white teeth spread into an authentic smile. I feel a blush creep up my neck and glance quickly over my shoulder. I see Helen standing near the wall in front of a poster. A teen girl holds a stack of tapes in her arms, stocking a shelf next to her.

"You're different, aren't you?" Theo asks me softly.

I look back at him. "What?"

Theo shakes his head quickly, and drops his hand from the shelf, abandoning his cool guy pose.

"Nah, nothing," he mutters.

I'm not sure if I should press him further, but I decide against it. Theo shoves his hands deep in his pockets and I nod my head at him slowly.

"Well... I should rejoin my friend." I thumb in the direction of Helen. "I shudder to think what she's picked out without my supervision."

Theo smiles at me and I turn around.

"I'll see you at school on Monday?" He calls at my back.

I turn to face him and take a few steps backwards. "Most likely, yes."

Theo nods his head and smiles. I offer him a small smile in response, then turn around quickly and duck into the next aisle, feeling a small bubbly feeling growing in my stomach. I squint my eyes and shake my head, trying to get a handle on my emotions.

I feel half-excited and half-frustrated by our interaction just now. I rambled like an idiot. Why did I lead with sarcasm? How does that woo a man? Do I even want to woo him? Why do I suddenly care about wooing?

I grunt softly to myself, feeling stupid. I spot Helen, still studying the poster in front of her. The girl stocking shelves has moved next to her and cradles a pile of tapes to her chest.

"It's Barbarella," I hear the teen girl say.

"What?" Helen asks, turning to glance at her.

The girl fumbles with the VHS tapes in her arms.

"Oh... the poster. It's Barbarella. The movie... with Jane Fonda?" The girl points at the picture. "This poster is my favorite one in the store. She just looks so..."

They both stare silently at Jane Fonda's frame, who stands proud and seductive on an alien planet.

"Yeah, she looks pretty..." Helen muses.

"Cool!" She adds quickly and turns to glance at the employee standing next to her. "She looks pretty cool."

Helen breathes out an awkward laugh.

A beat of silence passes between them. Suddenly, Helen and the teenage girl both turn to walk around each other, but accidentally collide. The employee's stack of tapes clatter across the floor.

I flinch at their collision, unsure if I am able to laugh or if I should keep my mouth shut. A couple of customers nearby look at the mess with annoyance and step around them.

"Oh way to go, Robin!" I hear a voice call.

Another employee is standing near a cardboard cutout by the window, adjusting it and stopping to smile at the pretty girls who walk through the front doors.

"Shut up, doofus," the girl bites back.

"I'm so sorry-" Helen says, bending down quickly to gather the tapes.

"No, no it's fine. It's my fault really-" The girl crouches down.

I pick up a copy of Escape from New York that slid near my foot and approach them.

They're both knelt down, Helen has a stack of four tapes in her hands and the girl holds three. They slowly look up at each other and their heads dance in close proximity. I tilt my head with amusement, watching them fumble.

Helen jerks her head back quickly and stands up. The girl follows and Helen pushes the tapes towards her.

"Here. Sorry... again."

"It's okay! Thanks." The employee gives her a small smile.

They stare at each other for a second longer and I step forward.

Helen's head snaps over to mine. "Winter! Hi!"

I cock my head at her, amused at how nervous she looks.

"You missed one," I say and hand the tape gently to the girl. I take a look at her name-tag and confirm that it says Robin.

"Oh! Thanks!" Robin says.

I nod my head at her and then glance at Helen. "So, what did you find?" I move my eyes to the poster behind Helen. "Besides Jane Fonda."

To my surprise, Helen blushes.

"Uh- I uh... I don't know..." she stutters.

"Here!" Robin says quickly, grabbing the tape from the top of the stack and handing it to Helen. "This is a good one."

"Oh!" Helen says, looking down at the cover. "Rosemary's Baby? What is that about... like a baby shower?"

The girl scratches the back of her neck and Helen glances at me, I give her an encouraging nod.

"Sorry, maybe that's not your style, um..." Robin quickly searches through the stack in her arms. "What about this one?"

She hands Helen a copy of Sabrina.

Helen's face lights up and she runs her finger lightly over Audrey Hepburn's dress. "Oh! Thank you, this one looks good."

Robin pushes her lips together, a wide grin threatens to split across her face. "Yeah... no problem. It's the Family Video guarantee."

Helen tilts her head. "What is?"

Robin's mouth opens and closes. "Oh... just that we have a movie for everyone. Whatever you like, I can figure it out..." She stares at Helen with a soft look and I watch as she rushes to finish her sentence. "I can figure out what movie you would like! That's what I meant! I take my job very seriously and I'm... good... at it."

She bites her lip and stares down at her shoes.

I glance slowly between Helen and Robin. I shake my head to myself and decide to pull them both out of this awkward exchange.

"Great! We'll take both," I say.

Helen cradles the tapes and looks over at me suddenly, as if she forgot I was standing here at all. I take the videos from her.

"One for me." I pick up Rosemary's Baby and hold it up. "And the Audrey Hepburn for you!"

"Oh! Right, great." Helen utters a small laugh and looks back at Robin, they smile at each other gently before Robin drops her gaze to the floor.

"Thank you," I say to Robin, my hand reaches out and pulls Helen towards me. "We should get these checked out."

Helen nods and casts a glance back at Robin, giving her a small wave as I haul her away.

Robin stands there with her arms full and pushes her back against the Barbarella poster, sighing at Helen's retreating frame.

We walk up to the counter and I set both tapes down. The employee who was next to the window turns around to face us.

"Hey there, ladies. Find everything you were looking for?"

His name-tag reads Steve.

Helen nods quickly and I smile at him. He cocks his head at me and slides his forearm across the counter, inching closer to us. I lean back slightly.

"I'm sorry. I don't think we've met before... I'm Steve Harrington." He offers me a confident smile.

I glance slowly at Helen and then back to him.

"Uh... Winter," I reply.

"Oh yeah, this winter am I right? So cold... brrrr." He says, shaking his shoulders as if shivering from the cold.

I widen my eyes at him and look at Helen who is also staring at him peculiarly. Steve Harrington lets out a small smile, shrugs his shoulder, and looks back and forth between us.

"No. Her name is Winter," Helen finally says.

Steve's smile fades.

"Oh! Cool... cool..." He turns quickly to the computer and I stifle a laugh. "So do you have an account here?"

"She does." I nudge Helen with my elbow and she gives him her details.

Steve stacks our tapes and smiles. "Great choices, by the way. I love Audrey Hepburn."

"Thanks, the other girl recommended them to us," I say.

Helen drops her gaze to the assortment of candy for sale on the edge of the counter, suddenly very interested in a Babe Ruth.

"Oh yeah... she knows all about this movie stuff," Steve says and types the titles into the computer.

"What was her name? I didn't quite catch it." I set my elbows on the counter, Helen shifts next to me.

"Oh! That was Robin." He smiles at me and I nod my head.

My eyes roll over to meet Helen's.

"Robin..." I repeat slowly and watch her reaction. "I think I've seen her at a basketball game, have you Helen?"

"Oh, you guys are still in high school?" Steve asks suddenly.

I squint my eyes at him.

"Yes..." I say. He glances over quickly, then back to the computer, as if suddenly afraid to make eye contact.

I realize he was trying to be cute earlier, but now that he's discovered we're definitely too young for him, his demeanor has completely changed. He straightens his back and professionally finishes checking out our tapes. I respect that he isn't one of those out of high school dudes who work in town and still knowingly hits on underclassmen.

"Robin's in band," he says suddenly, passing the tapes back to us. "That's probably where you've seen her before."

"Oh," I say and smile at him. "Cool. Good to know. Thanks for the tapes, Steve Harrington."

I pick up the two videos and he nods his head at me. Helen utters a small thank you and we turn around.

We walk past the line of customers that snakes down the middle of the store.

My eyes land on a teenage boy near the front of the line. He's surrounded by loud boys in varsity jackets, but he's staring at me. We make eye contact as I pass. Theodore Knight wears a sweet, lopsided grin on his face. Slowly, he holds up the VHS he's getting ready to take home.

On the cover of the tape in his hand, Sissy Spacek stands in two pictures, one as prom queen, the other blood soaked with her eyes wide and unhinged.

He looks at the copy of Carrie and offers me a shallow shrug. A wide grin breaks across my face and Theo returns it. I feel Helen nudge me lightly. I drop my gaze to the navy blue carpet and pull her towards the exit.

We leave Family Video and the surprisingly bright January sun smacks into my face.

"What was that?" Helen asks, excitedly.

"Nothing," I reply. "Which direction is your house?"

She shakes her head at me. I start walking across the parking lot, unsure where I am going but I feel the bubbles again in my lower stomach, as if someone shook up a can of coke and then opened it.

"Don't walk away from me! You and Theodore Knight just shared something. Like, something psychic. You communicated without words!"

"Telepathy," I mutter and walk down the road.

Helen trails behind me. "What?"

"Telepathy is when you communicate without words," I say.

"Okay, so not important. This is so exciting! I mean, he clearly likes you. You know, he's notoriously picky. Marissa Randall tried to throw herself at him like twenty times before she settled for Jason."

Helen lets out a squeal of glee but my eyes widen, not feeling at all comforted by the information she's sharing.

"He was staring at you, like deep into your soul. He totally likes you!" She continues.

"We don't know that," I mutter and cross my arms across my chest.

"Bullshit!" Helen scoffs.

I turn to her, surprised. She doesn't seem to notice the word slipped out of her mouth.

"Don't pretend like you didn't feel that!" She says. "I felt it and I was just standing there next to you."

I groan and she continues skipping next to me, babbling on about Theodore Knight.

I watch her speak and smile softly to myself, allowing myself for a minute to believe what she is saying.

Author's Note:

I'm a sucker for meet-cutes. What do we think about Helen's & Robin's?

Thank you for reading!