"Why am I doing this?"

The lyrics to Need You Tonight by INXS blasted through the stereo in Frankie Walsh's bedroom as she dug through her closet. The high school senior, frustrated, threw clothes off the hangers in a frantic search.

"Why am I doing this?"

Tina Anderson, resident popular girl of Hawkins High school, was throwing a last minute party for Halloween. She was passing out flyers between periods and gave one to Frankie making the girl promise to come. Frankie didn't know why she was going, its not like she had any friends that would attend. She blamed peer pressure because the fact was, everyone from school was going. She knew that about ninety percent of those kids were going to be shitfaced drunk as soon as they stepped through the Anderson doorway, but just like the last two years they would all know if Frankie Walsh didn't show up to the party. It didn't really matter if she went or not but she'd rather not deal with Tina and Carol teasing her all year on how she couldn't even show up to a simple Halloween party...again.

"Why am I doing this?" She sighed out as she got to the end of her closet where all the clothes were that she hasn't worn in years. Some stuff even had a light layer of dust sprinkled across the shoulders. Spotting a simple white dress at the end of all her clothes, Frankie unhooked it from the rod and brought it out of the closet. Walking to the mirror in the corner of her room, she lifted the dress up to her body. Letting out a small hm, she quickly stripped out of her day clothes and slipped the white dress on.

"This could work." She said studying the white fabric. Lifting her eyebrow while looking herself up and down, she grinned. Nodding to herself she thought, this is it.

Opening up the door to her room, she ran down the hallway to the living room. Spying her mother she quickly asked, "Do you still have those angel wings from the time I was in that play for church?"

Her mom looking up from the book she was reading scanned her daughter's form. Getting up and letting out a very mom like aw, Denise Walsh reached for her daughter.

"Oh you look so pretty pumpkin." She said, twirling around her daughter. Rolling her eyes at her mom's antics she smiled.

"Thanks mom, so what about those wings?" She asked getting back to the point. Her mom shook her head at her daughter then walked down the stairs to the basement. Following her mother, Frankie shivered as they stepped down into the basement. It always gave her the creeps and was super cold down there. Digging through a box as her daughter stayed on the last step of the stairs, Denise let out a loud aha.

"Here you go pumpkin, is this for tomorrow?" She asked as they walked back up the stairs.

"Yeah, some girl from school is throwing a party and everyone's going, so I thought hey why not? Nothing better to do." She said weakly.

Her mom, picking up on her weary voice looked at her daughter in concern. "Keith is busy?" She asked about Frankie's long time best friend Keith Cardarople.

Pursing her lips and nodding, she sighed. "Yeah he has work all week, bummer that we can't hangout tomorrow."

"Do you think Claudia would let you watch Dustin tomorrow night?" Her mom asked hopefully. Knowing that her mom was just trying to help she lifted her lips into a half smile.

"I'm too old to babysit mom, plus Dustin was already telling me that him and his friends were going trick or treating." Quickly changing the subject, Frankie thanked her mom for finding her wings and walked up stairs.

Sighing, Frankie took off the dress and walked to her dresser to grab her pajamas. Figuring it was already late and it wouldn't be that big of a deal if she went to sleep a bit early, she threw her clothes on the bed.

Ring

Scrunching her eyebrows in confusion, Frankie silently sat on her bed reaching for her phone.

"Hello?" She asked bewildered. Usually if someone was calling for her mom they'd call the downstairs phone. Keith was at work till nine tonight, so it couldn't be him who was the only person she could think of that would call her this late.

"Hey Frankie." Rolling her eyes, she dropped back on the bed and closed her eyes.

"What do you want Dustin?" She asked, lazily running her fingers through her hair. Dustin Henderson, the kid who's lived next door to Frankie for the past thirteen years. Her mom Denise and his mom Claudia were close friends, both women single mothers bonding over that fact. Dustin and Frankie had been close by association for years, growing into a sort of brother sister kind of bond. Even that bond couldn't help the obvious annoyance in her voice at this late call. It's not that she hated the kid, in fact she loved him, but why was he calling her at eight a clock at night.

"Just wanted to tell you that maybe you should shut your curtains, you wouldn't want anyone to see you undressed now would you Fran?"

Screaming and red in the face, Frankie ran to her window flipping off her neighbor who was laughing from his room. Still screaming the teen angrily shut her curtains before going back to the phone.

"I swear to god, Dustin if you go telling all of your little friends at what you saw-" She seethed into the phone about to throw something. Too late he thought out, still laughing from the other line. "-you will never see your walkie talkie thing ever again, got it?" She said before slamming her phone back on the receiver. Slipping on her pajamas she dove into bed ready to fall asleep.

~

"Why am I here?" Frankie asked to herself holding a red solo cup filled with water to her lips. Leaning against the wall watching the rest of her high school make total fools of themselves, she didn't feel like being here for another second. Playing with the ends of her hair that her mom put in a half up half down style, Frankie couldn't help but wish Keith was there. He wasn't much of a party person either but he would have kept her company.

Hearing the distant shout of 'Billy' coming from the backyard of the house, Frankie rolled her eyes at the neanderthals walking into the living room. Nothing like a group of intoxicated men to ruin the night.

Watching Tommy H dress as Daniel from Karate Kid walk through the sea of people, Frankie couldn't help but smirk at how fitting his costume was. A douche playing a douche, she thought out with a small laugh escaping her lips. Seeing him and some guy with a mullet walk up to Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler, she furrowed her brows in concern. It wasn't hard to notice that Steve and Tommy's relationship was now nonexistent since the events of last year. So when the boys began talking, Frankie bit her lip in worry. Nancy left the scene with Steve trailing her and she let out a sigh of relief.

The kids around her began to grow more rowdy as they consumed more alcohol and Frankie began to feel uncomfortable in the crowd of inhibited teens. Making her way through her sweaty peers, Frankie finally reached the front door the same time Jonathan Byers walked through. Bumping into the boy wearing street clothes, Frankie let out an embarrassed sorry then walked straight out of the door while that one Duran Duran song blasted through the house.

"Well that was a mistake." Frankie let out as soon as she walked outside. Rubbing her arms as the October air pierced her skin, Frankie checked her watch.

8:27

Groaning in distaste, the young girl rubbed her temples. She told her mom to pick her up at nine. Assuming that she'd be able to stay for at least an hour, the girl came at eight o'clock not thinking it would take less than thirty minutes to get sick of the party. Leaning forward against the Anderson's front porch, Frankie gazed up at the sky. Something in her felt a little off as she continued to stare up. It felt as if something was staring back at her.

As if breaking her stare down with the stars, she heard the front door open up. There, Steve Harrington came storming out the door of the party. Looking distressed, the tall teen lent forward against the porch rail. Not noticing Frankie Walsh, he put his head in his hands and began to whisper to himself. Looking at the boy next to her, Frankie was dumbfounded. Weren't he and Nancy just having the time of their lives like ten minutes ago? Not knowing if she should talk to the boy or leave him alone, Frankie observed him quietly.

Lifting his head up, Frankie could see the glimmer of tears streaming down the boys cheeks. Biting her lips as he said to himself what seemed to be "bullshit", she contemplated if she should talk to him or not. She didn't really know Steve Harrington, she had him for a few classes, but she and him were definitely not on speaking basis. She didn't even think he knew who she was. Even though they went to a small school, not everyone knew each other, especially not Steve Harrington and Frankie Walsh.

"Are you okay?" She asked tentatively. Watching as Steve whipped his head over to her in shock, she let out a nervous smile. Making eye contact with the red eyed boy, she tilted her head in a comforting manner.

"I-uh-" He stammered out nervously.

"I-It's okay you don't have to talk about it, I was just concerned is all.." She trailed off realizing that she was talking to a complete stranger who was looking at her like she was crazy. Opening her mouth a few times, she closed her mouth and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. Making eye contact with the crying boy again, she dropped her gaze to the floor embarrassingly.

"Uh never mind-uh I'm sorry I'll just go." She said before walking passed him and down the steps of the porch. Steve looked flabbergasted at the girl before running down the steps following her.

"Wait wait stop-" following the speed walking girl until she was in front of the neighbor's house, he grabbed her shoulder. "would you just stop?" The girl stopped by the hand on her shoulder turned towards the boy. "Thank you." He said staring at the girl in confusion. He was still out of it from what just happened a few minutes prior with Nancy, so when this random girl who he's never seen before popped out of nowhere and asked him if he was okay, he didn't know what to say.

"Um." He said searching for the right words to use. Beating Steve to the punch, Frankie placed a comforting hand on his arm, an action she's done a million and one times to Dustin when he was having issues.

"It's okay, I was intrusive, don't worry about it." She said with a smile before squeezing his arm and putting her hand back to her side. Steve who suddenly felt cold without her touch looked at her in bewilderment. Watching her walk down the street, Steve felt something inside tell him to go follow the beautiful girl dressed as an angel, but his feet stayed planted firmly on the ground.

On his way home, Steve's mind was running a mile a minute, actually missing certain turns in his aim to figure out if what just happened actually occurred. Walking into his home, he went straight up to his room hoping his dreams would distract his continuously racing mind. His thoughts before falling asleep should have been consumed by the girl who just broke his heart but for some reason they were more concerned on the girl who he just met. Who was she and why did she make him feel like a storm was about to hit?

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