Wow, this is pretty quick for me. I just got a burst of inspiration and decided to get everything done while I still had it. I do intend to make a couple references throughout the story of what's going on in the type period. Hopefully, I'll be at least mostly accurate.
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1984:
"No, Jack, absolutely not!" Vlad insisted when Jack told him of his idea.
"Come on, V-man, it'll be good!" Jack exclaimed. "Besides, both of you need to get out more." By now, Jack was nearly 6'3 and had tons of fat and muscle. Vlad still laughed when he told him about the Fenton fudge recipe.
"Oh, yes, excellent idea." Vlad laughed. He was only about 5'7 and weighed about 145 pounds. He had the ability to eat pretty much whatever he wanted and not gain any weight. They were quite an odd pair, but were still best friends. "Do you remember the last time you dragged me into something? Let's see: what happened? Oh, yes, it ended with me on the floor, holding myself in pain." And do you recall what happened when Maddie tried to make herself socialize again? However irritated he was at his friend, though, he wasn't going to use that to score a point in an argument.
"I thought she'd make a good girlfriend for you." Jack defended himself. "I didn't know it would end with you being kicked in the crotch; how did that happen, anyway?"
"I was trying to compliment her and she took it the wrong way." Vlad stated. Actually, what happened was that he was nervous and mumbled something. She didn't hear him correctly and swung her leg.
"Anyway, I've got a new girlfriend!" Jack laughed. "Her name's Nancy Thompson and we've been going out for the past 2 weeks."
"How long is this relationship going to last?" Vlad groaned. His relationships never seemed to last more than a couple months. Girls just fell all over his feet. Much as he cared about his friend, he couldn't help but feel resentful. Jack even enjoyed telling him the details, like how so far he had been with three girls. Logically, Vlad knew he was just making conversation with his best friend, but sometimes it felt like he was rubbing it in his face.
"Hey, she's a great girl." Jack smiled.
"Just remember her father is a cop and would love any excuse to haul you to jail."
"Yep, that's going to make things awkward when I meet him. Hey, what's this?" Jack grabbed a piece of paper in Vlad's room that got his attention. He generally kept his room quite clean, but it still had occasional clutter. "Whoa, Vlad, where did this come from?" It was a drawing he had made about a month ago. Someone with blue-green skin, curved hair, red eyes, and fangs was flying above three corpses, black energy around his hand. "This is just creepy."
"Give me that!" Vlad snapped, grabbing it out of his hand. What he drew was his business, no one else's.
"You know, if the school saw you with that, they'd probably expel you." Jack warned. Vlad was a good person, but Jack knew he had a strong darker side to him. He always refused to talk about his parents, even when Jack pushed him. He didn't know much about it himself, only when he was younger, he sometimes had bruises that couldn't be explained by the bullies at school. "Who are those dead people, anyway?"
"It doesn't matter." Vlad hid it out of sight. Really, if his friend couldn't figure it out, he wasn't about to tell him.
"Ok, V-man." Jack dropped it. "Hey, I ought to introduce you to Nancy!" He grabbed onto Vlad's arm and sped out of his room, Vlad trailing helplessly behind him. They were out in the street before he knew it.
"Hey, guys." Maddie greeted them. Vlad stuck out his hand, making Jack chuckle to himself. She shook it, both of them staying silent for a few moments. A few months before, he had confessed to Maddie that he had feelings for her. That had made their meetings awkward. Thankfully, their friendship had not fallen apart.
"So how have you been holding?" Vlad asked with concern.
"I've been all right." Maddie admitted. She had some feelings for Vlad and part of her wanted to pursue a relationship with him, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't take the chance. "I was listening to my parents argue. Mom thinks Reagan's going to start a Third World War with this so-called 'Star Wars' program."
"Yeah, I have my doubts about it." Vlad replied. "It would be great if we actually managed it, if we could actually defend ourselves against nuclear attack. Still, I'm not going to hold my breath on that."
"Who'd want to aim at Springwood, anyway?" Jack laughed. "So how's school going?"
"It's going all right; Vlad helped me with my science project." Maddie smiled. Vlad barely kept himself from sighing. He wanted to be around her, but at the same time, doing so hurt. Still, he had grown extremely protective of her, especially over the past couple of years.
"Good to hear; now are you two coming to our sleepover?" Jack asked. "Me, Nancy, and a couple other people are meeting at her house. You ought to join us!"
"Are you sure about this, Jack?" Vlad wondered.
"Jack, what happened to your arm?" Maddie gasped. Indeed, there were two cuts going down his right arm.
"No idea, actually; I woke up with them." Jack shrugged. He couldn't think of any explanation for it, but he had a weird dream the previous night.
"Did you fall on something again?" Vlad asked. They continued talking and joking around until Nancy arrived, throwing herself in Jack's arms. Nancy was only about 15 years old, 3 years younger than Jack was. She had brown hair, blue eyes, and was currently wearing a pink sweater.
"Always good to see you, Jack," Nancy smiled. "And this would be Vlad and Maddie." Jack constantly spoke about them. It seemed a very odd friendship to her. She knew who Vlad was; what person in Springwood didn't? But he didn't seem the type to become friends with Jack.
"Nice to meet you," Vlad stated cautiously, offering his hand. It was not lost on her that he immediately positioned himself in front of Maddie, ready to jump in immediately if necessary.
"Hey, Nancy, you mind if they come along?" Jack asked.
"I'm not sure; it was meant to just be you, me, and Tina." Nancy admitted. She looked at the two of them, expecting them to be disappointed or even angry. However, they looked indifferent or even relieved.
"Come on, Nancy, let them come along." Jack smiled. "Those two need to get out once in a while."
"Jack, we're fine; just because we don't go out every day of the week doesn't mean there's something wrong with us." Vlad protested. Unlike Jack, Maddie and Vlad rarely socialized outside of their small group.
"All right, they can come along." Nancy sighed. "Just be grateful I like you so much." She kissed his cheek and smiled.
"Ha, ha, this is going to be fun." Jack declared. Vlad and Maddie shared nervous glances.
Later that night, they arrived at Tina's place, Jack excited and his friends nervous. Vlad brought along a paintball gun for protection. He knew he'd probably get weird glances for doing so, but he didn't know what he was getting into. Besides, he wasn't about to leave Maddie's side. If anything, she was even more nervous than he was.
"So you're really taking Karate classes?" Nancy asked Maddie. "When did you start?"
"About 6 months ago." Maddie responded. "I'm nearly to my Yellow Belt already." She pushed herself hard in her class and practiced at every opportunity.
"Yep, she's determined to kick the butt of anyone who crosses her." Vlad joked, putting an arm around Maddie's shoulder. She flinched briefly, but otherwise said nothing. "Especially after…" He was cut off by a warning look from Vlad "Well, V-man here always seems to have a target on his back, and I can't always protect him."
"Shouldn't you be able to protect yourself, Masters?" Tina asked him. She had blond hair, brown eyes, was wearing a nightgown, and like her friend Nancy, was 15 years old.
"You'd think so." Vlad sighed, deciding to leave the room. He pulled out a popcorn bags and put them in the microwave. Honestly, how could Jack nearly let that slip? He watched as the bag expanded, waiting impatiently. Still better than being in a room with people I don't know.
"Hey, Vlad," Maddie greeted her friend. "You decided to get out of there too, huh?"
"Yeah, I'm not good at meeting new people." Vlad groaned, getting a bowl and pulling the bag out, nearly burning his fingers in the process. "I still can't believe Jack talked me into this."
"I saw the paintball gun next to your sleeping bag." Maddie admitted. "I think it's sweet that you want to protect me."
"I'm not physically strong the way Jack is, but I do what I can." Vlad replied. He wanted to hug her but refrained. Maddie could handle physical affection if he or Jack told her it was coming, but if they did so unexpectedly, it made her nervous.
"He's in his element, isn't he?" Maddie looked at them. He was telling the girls one of his stories, both of them giggling.
"Yes, he is." Vlad sighed. He put in another bag of popcorn, since a single one wouldn't last long among five people. "How long do you think he and Nancy will last?"
"We'll have to wait and see."
Meanwhile, Jack just laughed, and wrapped his arm around Nancy's waist. "So what is it with your friends?" Nancy wondered. "They've been acting really weird."
"That's just them; don't worry about it." Jack told his girlfriend, or rather, lied to his girlfriend. Neither of them was especially social, and Maddie barely hung around anyone else at all. Maddie tried to hide it, but it was obvious to him that she was still quite haunted from her experiences. Bastard; opened wounds that were just barely starting to close; His efforts at helping Vlad make friends didn't go very well, doubly so for dates.
"So are you feeling better, Tina?" Nancy asked.
"Yeah, I'm getting there." Tina replied. "That dream was real frightening, though. He liked scraping his fingernails against the wall."
"The guy in my dream did the same thing." Nancy admitted. "Actually, they were more like finger-knives, something he built himself."
"Why would someone build a glove with knives for fingers?" Jack asked. However, that did sound quite familiar. It matched the description of something that happened about 10 years ago.
"Maybe because he's got a few mental problems," Vlad offered, walking back into the room with bowls of popcorn. He handed a bowl to Jack, who immediately started gulping it down. Nancy took the occasional handful looking amused and disgusted and the same idea. Yes, jack's eating habits will do that. "Here you go, Maddie."
"Thanks, Vlad." Maddie replied, grabbing a handful. "Hey, you didn't put much salt on this time."
"I know you don't like salt; remembered this time." Vlad smiled at her, who shyly smiled back. He liked lots of salt, but Maddie didn't. His parents always tried to teach him proper manners, eating proper food, but he always resisted, which led to shouting matches. Thankfully, as he got older, they became a little more lenient. I suppose it's weird for the kid of a millionaire to eat this, but who cares? Unlike Jack, they ate far slower.
"Are those two together?" Nancy whispered to Jack, referring to them.
"Nope, they're just friends." Jack replied. "I still think they're going to get married and have kids one day." I hope so; they deserve to have some happiness in their lives.
"He was terrifying." Tina admitted. "He wore a dirty red and green sweater."
"Tina… you dreamed about the exact same thing I did." Nancy admitted.
"That doesn't sound possible." Jack told them.
"I'm not sure; I've read cases about that kind of thing happening." Vlad explained. "Of course, most incidents I've read are supposed to have something to do with the paranormal. They don't have much about it in the library, though." He gulped down another handful of popcorn.
"It could be just a coincidence." Maddie told him. "I'm not sure if ghosts exist or not, but it's an interesting concept."
"I've heard all that before; I don't believe it." Jack dismissed. They heard a rustling in the bushes. Nancy, Tina, and Maddie rushed to the door. Vlad picked up his paintball gun, hoping there wasn't someone trying to break into the house. "Wonder what's out there? Maybe it's a ghost like what you were telling me."
"Very funny, Jack." Vlad rolled his eyes. He got up from the floor and decided to have a look. The girls, however, were already ahead of him.
"Look, girls, it's probably nothing…" Maddie tried to say, but Tina was picked up from behind, who squealed in surprise. Her boyfriend, Rod Lane, had apparently decided to crash the party.
"What are you doing here, Rod?" She asked.
"Just came to make up." Rod smiled. He looked towards Maddie and smiled. "So you two made a new friend? She's pretty hot; not as hot as you, of course, but hot. So how are you tonight?" Maddie was getting increasingly nervous.
"Get him!" Jack exclaimed, both he and Vlad tackling him to the ground. Rod screamed as the two of them held him down.
"Got his legs!' Vlad told his friend, grabbing onto them. They picked him up, while he tried furiously to break their grip.
"What the fuck are you two doing?" Rod demanded.
"Jack, let him go!" Nancy screamed at him. "He's my friend; he's not causing trouble." They dropped him to the ground, making him even angrier.
"What is your deal, you fat idiot?" Rod screamed at him.
"Don't call him an idiot!" Vlad defended.
"Calm down, all of you," Nancy interjected. She was amazed that Maddie wasn't furious at the two for being overprotective. Somehow, though, it seemed to reassure her.
"Fine; you're not worth it, anyway." Rod dismissed Jack and Vlad. He wanted to make up with Tina and knew starting a fight would just make it worse. "Is your mom home?"
"Take a guess, Rod." Vlad sneered.
"He's right; she's not." Tina sighed. "She's off in Vegas with her latest boyfriend."
"And she and Nancy have been having nightmares about some creepy guy." Jack added. Both of them cringed; why did he have to mention that?
"You're not going anywhere are you?" Tina asked Nancy. "Please don't leave me alone with this lunatic." He held her from behind, his hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle. The two of them went up to her mother's bedroom.
"So what now?" Vlad wondered. "Did anyone being some earplugs?"
"No, I'm afraid not." Jack laughed, making him groan. "Does Tina have any good movies?"
However, they decided to go to sleep. Since Nancy and Jack's primary reason for being there was supporting Tina, and she was currently being "comforted" by her boyfriend, they decided to just sleep. Vlad and Maddie stayed close together.
"Jack, we can't both fit into this thing." Nancy informed her when he tried to get into the sleeping bag with her. He saw his two friends not so discretely chuckling.
After about an hour, Vlad was the only one awake. He wanted to blame Jack for his snoring, but he was well aware of the real reason: he was awake to watch over Maddie. It was a habit he had for over two years, and would probably have for as long as they knew one another. She really does look beautiful. I'm glad to see her peaceful for once.
He simply say there, looking at her, not doing anything else. Eventually, he decided to go for a brief walk, hoping it would help him get to sleep. The streets were completely quiet; not even stray animals were out. Ok, this is weird. He thought.
Vlad heard something behind him. At first, he thought Rod was trying to play a joke on him, but he didn't hear the expected laughter. Shaking his head, he continued his walk, only to bump into someone. "Sorry, I didn't see you." Vlad apologized. He got a good look at him and gasped. That was exactly what Nancy and Tina were describing. He knew exactly who this was, but how was this possible?
"Come to Freddy, Vlad Masters." He laughed as Vlad sprinted in the other direction with all his speed.