Chapter Text
Hawkins Indiana was not prepared for anything out of the ordinary. The town wasn't forgiving and the people in it were even crueler. You found your cookie cutter and you didn't stray outside its edges.
Melanie Meyers was very familiar with her cookie cutter. She didn't get to choose it, her cutter was assigned to her from birth, but she definitely knew her role and how to fit into it. It all seemed fine. Life was simple, school was easy, her friends were nice.
But the cookie cutter was boring. Melanie wanted nothing more than to just take a sharp knife to the dough that was her life and make whatever the hell she wanted out of it.
So she did.
On the surface, Melanie Meyers looked and acted like your stereotypical girl next door. She was soft-spoken and kind and did exactly what was asked of her. But behind closed doors, Melanie couldn't have been any different.
However, that didn't mean Melanie was itching to spill her private life to her friends. Robin and Chrissy, despite being a year younger than her, were too kind for their own good so naturally, they knew quite a bit about the secret life of Melanie Meyers and in return, Melanie knew about theirs. The rest of them though were just nosey future socialites with too much time on their hands.
The three girls had each other's backs, Melanie being the glue that held the other two together. They were inexplicably connected although Melanie was almost sure that what happened two summers ago when curious minds got the better of them was what bonded them. Chrissy had decided that it just wasn't for her, but that didn't stop her encouragement of the other two from finding themselves. And vice versa, when Chrissy fell in love with Jason last spring, the two supported her.
However, the appeal of slamming Debra and her annoyingly perky sister Sheila's heads into the wall was increasing. The day wasn't even halfway over and between the two of them, she'd already been asked three times what she did over the weekend.
Maybe they knew she was lying when she said she just spent time with her older brother, Daniel. It wasn't a complete lie really. Melanie had gone over Friday after school and spent the afternoon hanging out with him and his band before entertaining her niece and nephew so him and her sister-in-law could have some alone time.
She had not however spent the entire weekend at his house like she had told Debra and Sheila. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, but one more question about what her nephew's favorite tv show was or if her niece was eating solid foods yet and Melanie might hurt them. If she wanted her business aired around Hawkins, she'd simply rent out a billboard.
Unfortunately, Chrissy and Robin weren't at lunch yet so Melanie didn't have a buffer between them.
Chrissy was busy with Jason. After the magnificent loss the football team took on homecoming night a few weeks ago, the basketball team was actually trying to be cordial for once and boost everyone's morale. Melanie wasn't sure what that entailed exactly, but if she had to wager a guess it probably had something to do with a kegger. And Robin was always late to lunch, too busy staring at Tammy Thompson from her locker to make it with everyone else.
Melanie needed space. She could apologize to Robin for bailing later.
She was quick to pick up her tray, some bullshit excuse about PMS leaving her lips before she turned to find somewhere else to sit, somewhere they wouldn't follow her. That knocked out most of the tables in the cafeteria, the unfortunate reality of befriending social butterflies, but when her eyes caught on a head of messy brown hair Melanie had her most dangerous idea to date.
Sitting down for lunch with Eddie Munson in front of the entire school was risky. People could talk or worse the drama king that was Eddie would make a big deal about it. While entertaining to watch him bag on the entire football team, she wasn't sure she wanted to be on the receiving end of his insults. But he wasn't so bad in middle school or in the couple of classes she shared with him, so fuck it.
Eddie Munson was positive he was hallucinating when he saw Melanie Meyers sit down in front of him. The resident good girl and his polar opposite doesn't just decide one day to pick up a conversation with him. He was quick to look around the cafeteria for Ms. Kelly, assuming she had put her up to this, or maybe just for anyone else to look at him and confirm that he wasn't crazy.
Her eyes were a challenge, waiting to see if he'd say anything as she tossed her bag into the seat next to her. A smile perked up her lips as she popped the tab on her coke can and began talking.
"So how about that weather."
The look on Eddie's face was comical, somewhere between disbelief and utter confusion. Melanie couldn't remember a time when she had seen him without a smirk. After a long sip of her drink with Eddie's expression unchanged and eyes darting around panicked, she snapped her fingers at him.
"Hello, earth to dingus."
He sobered up quickly, she'd give him that. His eyes finally settled on hers.
"What are you doing?"
Melanie shrugged her shoulders, bringing her pizza slice to her mouth.
"Eating, what does it look like I'm doing?"
"Yeah, no, I get that, but why are you eating here?"
She swallowed her food, the pizza tasting surprisingly better than it looked. Eddie still looked concerned but she wasn't sure if it was for her or himself.
"Because if I get one more annoying comment from the Collins sisters I'm going to stab them with my fork."
The panic was back and Melanie was definitely sure it was for her this time.
"Why are you telling me this?"
She just hummed and smiled back at him.
"Because it doesn't matter who you tell, they'd never believe you. Melanie Meyers doesn't have violent urges, that would be lunacy."
Eddie was definitely hallucinating or dreaming or something. First, Melanie Meyers would never sit across from him at lunch. It's too messy, the town sweetheart doesn't interact with the town screw up. Second, Melanie Meyers would definitely never admit to wanting to hurt someone. Eddie wasn't even sure she had it in her to kill a spider.
The rest of lunch when by quiet, Eddie mostly contemplating which of his life choices had led him to this moment while Melanie simply ate her food and finished her calculus homework before sixth period.
The bell rang for the end of lunch and before Eddie could do anything, Melanie was already standing up, smile still plastered to her face.
"This was fun. We should do it again sometime. See you in English."
And with that Melanie Meyers walked away from Eddie Munson.