The next day was Sunday and Adelaide spent most of the day getting herself more settled into her temporary home. She was trying not to think too much about having to start school tomorrow. Adelaide was never one to get nervous about meeting new people, but for some reason she was nervous about her first day tomorrow.
It was nearly supper time and Addie was standing in front of her closet trying to choose an outfit for her first day. She didn't want anything too flashy, but also wanted to look good. She was just rifling through her tshirt collection when someone knocked on her door. "Yeah?" she called out without looking up.
She heard the door open and Dustin spoke out, "Um, Addie? I'm supposed to tell you supper will be ready in like 10 minutes."
Addie finally glanced up, "Wow, you guys really do family suppers every night?"
Dustin shrugged, "I mean, when everyone is home we do. Do you not?"
At this Addie laughed, "Come on, you've met my parents. Do they really seem like the type to sit down at the dinner table and talk about their day? No, I usually eat supper alone or with our housekeeper."
Dustin knit his eyebrows together, "That's pretty freaking sad."
Addie smiled and put the shirt she was holding down on her dresser. "Eh, you get used to it." She went to sit on the bed and patted the spot beside her.
Dustin awkwardly walked into the room and sat down on the bed.
"So..." Addie leaned back on her elbows, "Are you pissed that I crashed your campaign last night?"
Dustin shrugged again, "Nah. It's fine. I think the group was all just shocked to see that I hadn't made you up."
"Why would they think you made me up?" Addie asked, confused.
"Nothing... It's just this past summer Mike and Lucas thought I had made up my girlfriend Suzie... which I hadn't. So when I told them my cool older cousin from Chicago was coming to stay with us, I think they once again thought I was making things up to seem cooler," he explained.
"You told them I was cool?" Addie asked, smiling widely.
Dustin blushed and looked away, "No. I mean, yeah. I might have said that. I mean come on, you live in the big city and you get to do whatever you want and you always just seemed like such a badass to me when I was younger so yeah... I told them you were pretty cool."
Addie's smile got bigger as she reached across and hugged her cousin, "Ugh you are just the best little cousin ever."
Dustin laughed and pulled away, "So are you like, nervous for school tomorrow?"
Addie sighed and flopped back onto the bed, "I don't know. I wish my parents had gotten their shit together and had me move down here at the actual start of the school year, at least then I wouldn't be the weird new girl showing up a month late."
"Why would you be the weird new girl?" Dustin asked, "Why not just the new girl?"
Addie smiled slyly, "Come on Dustin. I know I've only visited Hawkins a couple times, but I know how small towns like this are. If you don't fit into the perfect little cookie cutter mold that they want you to, you're immediately a weirdo. Just look at you and your friends. Tell me people don't think you're weirdos because you like nerdy things."
Dustin looked like he wanted to protest but he stopped himself.
"See? Anything outside the norm is weird or bad, and I just don't care enough to try and be someone else, ya know? I know what I like and I'm not ashamed of it. And I'm not going to let some preppy kids make me feel bad for dressing the way I do, or liking the things I do. I spent the last three years in Chicago getting people to leave me alone and let me be myself. I just want to get through this school year and leave. It doesn't help that I'm older than most of the other kids either."
"Oh yeah," Dustin chimed in, "Explain to me again how you're already 18 but just going into senior year. Did they hold you back like Eddie? Because I'm pretty sure this is like his third time being a senior."
Addie laughed, "No they didn't hold me back you idiot. My parents decided it would be a good learning experience for me to take a year off of school and travel with them for work. Of course the school board didn't agree with the level of experience that year gave me, so they made me redo fifth grade."
"Seriously?" Dustin asked in shock.
Addie nodded, "Yup. Did Aunt Claudia never tell you this?"
"Eh, she might have. I don't know. Mom tells me lots of stories."
"Fair enough. Okay, let's go eat, and then I want you to vote on my outfit for tomorrow."
Dustin groaned, "Do I have to? I'm really not the best person to ask about those things."
"Yes you have to, until you help me find at least one friend in this town."
Dustin sighed dramatically, "Fine. I'm finding you someone to hang out with tomorrow though!"
Sunday evening went by quickly and next thing Addie knew it was Monday morning and she was getting ready for her first day at Hawkins High. She had decided on a more laid-back outfit for her first day - a Queen concert shirt (courtesy of her dad's many wealthy clients of course), light wash denim jeans that were ripped on one knee, and her favorite leather jacket. She was never one for too much makeup unless she was going out with her friends, so she had light black eyeliner and mascara on.
She walked into the kitchen to find Aunt Claudia making breakfast, and Dustin eating cereal in front of the tv. He was watching some cartoon Addie wasn't familiar with. Aunt Claudia turned around and jumped, "Good gracious Adelaide! I forgot how quietly you walk sometimes."
Aunt Claudia took some bacon off the stove and set it on a plate, "Bacon hun? I figured you might be nervous for your first day so I wanted to make you a big breakfast!" She smiled, so happy with herself that Addie didn't have the heart to tell her she rarely ate breakfast, other than coffee.
"Sure. That was really nice of you Aunt Claudia." She sat down and pulled the plate over to herself. Her aunt walked over and added scrambled eggs onto her plate as well.
"Do you have any coffee?" Addie asked as she picked up a piece of bacon.
"Oh of course dear! You will never find yourself short of coffee in this house. How would you like it?" Her aunt asked cheerily, pulling a mug down from the cupboard.
"Just black."
Her aunt giggled, "Oh you really are your mother's daughter aren't you? No matter how many times I tried to tell her that coffee tastes much better with sugar and cream, she was so stubborn."
Addie smiled, "She still only drinks her coffee black. Dad doesn't really care how his coffee is made as long as it's high in caffeine."
"Hey," Dustin called from the living room, "How come you don't make me a big breakfast on my first day?"
Aunt Claudia just ignored him. "Okay eat up dear, usually Dustin bikes to school but I'll drive both of you today."
Addie finished up her breakfast, grabbed her breakfast, then headed to the car. She was trying her best to appear nonchalant about her first day but she was getting more and more nervous.
Too quickly they had arrived at the school. Her aunt pulled up to the front doors and gave Addie's hand a squeeze. "It'll be great. Dustin will help introduce you to some people and you'll have friends in no time. Won't you Dusty?"
Dustin just grunted in response before swinging open the back door and hopping out.
Her aunt gave her hand one more squeeze and gave her most reassuring smile. "Get going, you don't want to be late."
Addie took a deep breath, hopped out of the car, and headed up to the school.