October 29th, 1985

The roar of the cafeteria wouldn't allow anyone to hear a single conversation that was going on. Not even Eddie could hear his club members talk about the upcoming special campaign that he had been planning for Halloween. He instinctively took small bites out of the packed sandwich he had brought. It could have been made of cardboard and he would still have eaten it, not even noticing that someone had playfully given him a small smack on the back of his neck.

The door closed forcefully, almost shaking the entire wall of the trailer home. Eddie couldn't move, it might have been the rain that had completely frozen him in time; it could have been the thunder that engulfed the silence that surrounded him; it could have been the way he saw her heart break right in front of him, without wanting to. He wanted her to have something better. Something better than he could offer her.

"But we should totally dress in our characters!" Dustin screamed at Mike. The black-haired boy rolled his eyes giving a huff. Eddie noticed, but continued to slowly pick at his food.

"I mean, it's Halloween, and we've got a surprise campaign. It's going to be so much fun!" The boy gleamed, looking over to Eddie, nodding his head eagerly as he waited for approval.

"I think it would be a great idea." He said with a stern, deeper voice. He was the dungeon master, after all. He gave Dustin a sweet smile, watching him almost jump out of his chair in glee while Mike laughed softly. Lucas sat down just beside them, Dustin already boasting about the good news.

Eddie couldn't think of the campaign, at least not right now. He hadn't written one in a while, but because he had two new members in his club, he needed to make it special. The new freshman had only recently joined the past month, only thanks to Eddie who had overheard them talking about D&D and knew at that moment he needed to take them under his wing - before they were torn apart by others. He had the idea of making it inspired by some horror movies, maybe to scare the shit out of them. Eddie smirked to himself, softly chuckling under his breath, taking another bite from the sandwich.

He turned on his heel, his head hung in defeat. He walked over to his own home, opening the door slowly and softly, not wanting to wake up his uncle.

"Hey Eddie," he said, cheerfully, but quickly was concerned as he saw the boy soaking wet. "Damn, it's raining dogs and cats out there."

His uncle walked over to the kitchen as Eddie just stood there, nodding in agreement. He took a hand and pushed back the bangs that clung to his forehead.

"I thought you were working tonight" he softly said.

"Yeah, me too, but due to the storm that's coming in, they let us go early" Uncle Wayne said as he was preparing something in a cup, his back to Eddie. "Go get changed, you'll catch your death."

Eddie chuckled ironically. His death, he thought, probably would feel much better than what he was feeling right now.

The bell pulled him from his thoughts, back to reality. He lifted his eyes to the clock in the middle of the cafeteria wall. 12:25. He softly sighed, watching the others start to get up and collect their stuff. He was hesitant to get up and continue the day, but reluctantly he stood and walked towards the door, tossing the half eaten sandwich to the trash.

Putting away the box of VHS tapes that the manager had left her that morning, Lorraine listened to her cassette deck. The headphone that cradled her ears could be heard by those that were close to her. She tapped her foot to the rhythm of a new song by a group called a-ha. She had recently become obsessed with the song and the music video she saw on MTV. It soothed the rather negative thoughts she'd been having lately.

She grabbed another VHS and lightly dusted the cover; it must've been in the back for a while. She looked at the cover and read the title.

"The Fearless Vampire Killers." She giggled to herself, studying the pretty strange cover. She pursed her lips for a moment. He would like this one, she thought.

It must have been an hour before Lorraine could stand up off the floor. Her legs shook as she bent them to balance herself. The house was dark, a pot of spaghetti on the stove, no noise emitting from any corner of the house.

He must be working tonight, she thought. She had a small hope that he would be there, someone that would force her to smile, force her to rid herself of the feeling at least for a moment. But she was all alone

"Lorraine!" A voice shouted out from the counter, but of course she couldn't hear anything beyond her little bubble.

"Damn it," Steve huffed. "Does she really need to listen to music that loud?"

"Leave her be." Robin laughed, placing her hands on the counter to help herself. She sat right beside Steve and swung her legs.

"Yeah, but she can't even hear me." He crossed his arms and pulled his eyebrows together.

"Didn't she go to school with you? Just go up to her." Robin shrugged her arms, nudging his shoulder with hers. Giving him a small smirk.

"She graduated a year before I did. I think she left town after." He answered, waving his hand at her, trying to get her to back off. "But I don't think I've ever talked to her."

"So like, she has no friends?"

"I mean even in class, she was kinda.. A loner. I think Nancy talked to her a few times but nothing special"

"Well, that's gonna change!" Robin hopped off the counter before giving Steve to react, or stop her.

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep the cold out of her bones. Her feet were dragging behind her as she made her way to the couch; only the light of the homes outside shining a faint yellow that guided her way. The rain seemed to increase, hearing the thick thuds falling along the roof, with the faded noise of thunder that started off faint but quickly grew louder with each second. She sat down on the couch, wrapping a blanket over her shoulders.

Her emotions were twirling around inside her, she felt betrayed, she felt like she was mourning. She could see herself crying out, she could feel a scream fly out of her lips. Her body still in a shock-like state, she glanced at the notebook to her side.

Lorraine almost screamed when Robin's face came into hers, saying something but couldn't hear a word. She took the deck in her hands and paused the song, pulling one headphone free from her ear.

"I said," Robin said in an annoyed tone, "What are you doing on Friday?"

"Halloween?" She was surprised by the offer, the words not fully registering yet.

"Yeah 'cos Steve and I, you know Steve," she glanced over to him for a moment, he gave her a small wave and a flat smile. "Well we're going to hang out with Nancy at her house. I think you know Nancy, too." She blabbered. Lorraine felt like she was thrown onto a speeding truck, following her words as best as she could.

"I-"

"Come with us! It'll be fun! We can watch a movie and get sick off candy." She continued, not taking a no for an answer.

"Okay," She smiled softly, chuckling in a low voice.

"Great! Okay!" She exclaimed, hopping up and down. She lent on the stand of VHS that was closest to her, continuing to speak about the plans they had for Halloween night. Lorraine listened attentively, as best as she could. She didn't stop smiling, she enjoyed the feeling of someone inviting her, especially someone who she didn't really know. At least she wouldn't be alone.

She read the poem she had written only hours ago, and she finally felt the vomit of emotion coming up. She tensed up, furrowing her brows, and grabbed the notebook in one hand. She immediately tossed it across the room, hitting the wall in front of her and falling to the floor. It wasn't even a little phased by the attack.

Finally, she began to weep, soft moans coming from her mouth. She laid on her side, the clothes felt like daggers against her skin. She silently cried, thinking that she was neither here nor there.

I don't belong here, she thought. I don't belong in the city. Where am I supposed to go?