Chapter Text
The agenda had been clearly laid out, with little input from Daphne. Carol showed up some time after lunch. Daphne had tried very hard, since waking up that morning, to forget about the promise she made to Carol. She had hoped that the locksmith from yesterday would give her some reason to completely ditch, but he had dropped off the key as promised with not a single issue Daphne could use to her advantage. Carol had called, only to say she was coming over and for Daphne to get dressed. There was no avoiding it. So, with reluctance and a slight case of nerves (which she’d deny if asked), she had done her hair and makeup, and put on an outfit she knew Carol would approve of.
When Daphne had moved away, her style had completely changed. She was almost completely unrecognizable from the small-town cheerleader she used to be. The only thing that stayed the same was the platinum blonde of her hair. The color of her hair was something she was rightly proud of. A stark blonde, almost white – but completely natural, though many had accused her of bleaching. If not for that recognizable hair, she’d have morphed into an entirely new human. In the city, Daphne was who she had always wanted to be. No pretending, no dressing to impress others, just her. Her. Ye ah, it was her! That was who she really was, and she’d be damned before she went back to just pretending again. She may be back in Hawkins, but she was a different girl now – and she didn’t care what anyone had to say about it. So, she changed out of her outfit into something that felt more like her. Something that made her happy. The nerves still lingered, out of dread of what they might say – and they remained, no matter how many times Daphne tried to will herself to real, true confidence. She’d just have to fake that part.
And fake it she had. When she met Carol at the door, long after she had gotten ready, the face Carol made was far from subtle. She disapproved, or maybe she was confused. Whatever the case, she chewed her gum and tried to search for something to say. Luckily, Daphne did it for her. “So, what’s the plan?”
Apparently, Carol had only the vaguest of ideas for them. Or, she was making it up as they went along. Probably both.
“Girl’s night. You’ve been gone a whole year and a lot’s changed --” Daphne ignored the way Carol shot her a look. “It’ll be so nice to catch up.” When Daphne made no move to respond, Carol kept talking. “Sooo – movies, popcorn, soda...or maybe some wine? Do you drink still? Whatever, drinks are up for debate. You know alcohol makes me sleepy so maybe we shouldn’t. Anyway! I’ll get the food and you’ll . . .”
Pick the movie. That’s how it always was when Carol stayed over. Carol picked what they ate, and Daphne picked what they watched. Sometimes, Daphne was mean and picked horror – knowing Carol was queasy and didn’t have the heart for anything close to scary. Daphne was the opposite, and it was something Carol never, ever understood and she’d never bothered to. Looking over the selection of VHS tapes in the section labeled ‘Horror’, Daphne had decided the moment she walked into Family Video that she was going to pick up something that would make Carol leave as early into the movie night as possible. It was an evil plan, a genius plan – fool-proof. But it was just a matter of picking the right one. There were a few she had in mind already, but the choice felt important. She couldn’t be too hasty. So, she settled into kneeling in front of the shelves, studying each tape with great seriousness.
“Uh, hey? Do you need help?”
Daphne had remained completely unmoved in her kneeled position up until the point someone spoke to her. She turned to look over her shoulder, “No, thanks.”
Her gaze quickly returned to the tapes, hardly bothering to get a look at the person who she spoke to. “Are you sure? Because I’m something of a movie expert, you know – if you need an expert opinion.”
“I don’t.”
“Oh. Uh..”
Daphne stood up and pointed at a tape, “Actually, this one. Fright Night? What’s that about?”
There was a pause before the employee gave an uncertain, “Um... vampires, I think?”
“You think? I thought you were an expert.” With that, Daphne turned to give an incredulous look at the self-proclaimed movie expert who couldn’t even confidently give her an answer, and the face she saw almost made her laugh. Steve “The Hair” Harrington. Former king of Hawkins High, working at a video store and pretending to be a movie expert. There was something stupidly comical about that, but she held back the laughter that so desperately wanted to escape.
“I mean, I am an expert. Just not really about that movie, it came out last year – you know. I haven’t really...had time to watch it, personally.” Steve seemed to study the girl’s face for a moment. He hadn’t really gotten a view of anything but the back of her when she was crouching. But now that he saw her face, she seemed really familiar. “Wait. Do I know you from somewhere?”
Daphne blinked, surprised. He didn’t recognize her, yet she had fully anticipated everyone to. Maybe it was how she was dressed. Or, maybe Steve went through so many girls he couldn’t recognize any of them anymore. Whatever it was, she simply smiled at the question. “I don’t know. Do you?”
He shifted his weight to one side, and peered at her long and hard. She could practically see the gears in his head turning as he eyed her from the top of her head – to the tip of her chin. (He surprised her by not going lower than that.) “I definitely do. Definitely. Did you go to Hawkins?”
“Maybe.”
“Were we in the same year?”
Daphne nodded, still smiling.
Steve snapped his fingers, pointing at her in an almost accusatory way – if not for the proud look on his face. “Wait – I got it. Michelle.” He seemed so confident in his answer, Daphne couldn’t help but give a snort. It almost felt wrong to correct him, and she debated on going along with it. “Try again.” The look on his face quickly slipped into one of disappointment as he lowered his hand to rest on his hip. He looked so defeated, it stirred some small mercy in Daphne’s heart. “Daphne.” She admitted, mimicking the way he held his hand on his hip. He showed no sign or recognition.
“Sawyer?”
“Daphne Sawyer? I don’t know a – wait, Sawyer!” It all clicked, and he gave a wide smile showing off his rows of perfect teeth. It never was hard for Daphne to understand why Steve was so popular with the girls in school. He was extremely handsome, more so when he smiled like he was right now. It was infectious. “Sawyer! Baby!”
Daphne nodded, a smile warming on her face. “That’s me.”
“You know, I almost had no idea who you were. I can’t believe I almost forgot about THE Baby.” Steve palmed his face in faux embarrassment before scoffing out a laugh. “Jesus, you know. You look different! Really different.” A pause. “A good different. A good one. A really good – uh -- one?”
The blonde raised a curious brow at his sudden stumbling over words. “Thanks, I think. Anyway, movie expert, I really need a good scare. Something with like...blood and gore would be nice. Freaky, even. Bonus points if I haven’t seen it.”
There was a lost look in Steve’s eyes as Daphne explained what she wanted, though he tried to look like he knew exactly what she was talking about, and had a perfect solution. She wasn’t fooled for a second. “Uh-huh, well – you know, you could always do Halloween. That’s a favorite.”
“Of yours?”
“Oh, no. Not mine, personally – but other peoples, you know.”
“What’s your favorite horror movie?” The question seemed to shock him slightly. His mouth opened and closed a few times before Daphne, with an amused expression, nodded. “Movie expert.”
“See, um – horror isn’t really my thing. Other stuff – definitely an expert. You name it, I know it.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure.” Daphne once again returned to looking at tapes, but he seemed hesitant to leave her side. Instead, they stood together silently for a bit. Daphne removing tapes from the shelf one by one, putting them back when they didn’t pass whatever inspection she had in that head of hers.
“Evil Dead.” Steve’s sudden voice shook Daphne out of her concentration as she looked at him. “Did you say Evil Dead?”
“Yeah. I mean, I haven’t seen it – but it’s supposed to be scary. Weird, though? I think someone said it was weird.”
“Weird, huh?”
“Yeah, like. Odd? Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.”
“It’s my favorite.” Daphne suddenly smiled, and for a moment Steve seemed fixated on it before he awkwardly chuckled, “No bonus points for me.”
“No, no.” Daphne looked briefly over the shelves for the last time, pulling out The Evil Dead and nodding with approval. “It’s a perfect choice. I was set on something I hadn’t seen, but – can’t beat the favorites, you know. Definitely bonus points for you, Harrington.” He beamed at that, ears practically flushing under the praise.
“Can you ring me up? I have to go meet Carol.”
Just like that, Steve’s face immediately fell, contorting itself into one of mild disgust. “Oh, yeah. I can.”
Daphne followed Steve to the front of the store, where she waited patiently for him to ring her up. She leaned on the counter, watching his hands pass over the VHS cover and type into the computer.
“Sorry...I forgot you hate her.”
“I think I always did.” He doesn’t look up when he speaks. Had she thrown off the mood by mentioning Carol? She should’ve remembered their bad blood. She’d listened to Carol’s long tirade about it. Well, half-listened. Such was the case when Carol went on her rants. “How long are you renting for?”
“Oh, twenty-four hours? I don’t know. I’ll bring it back tomorrow.”
His fingers type on the keyboard briefly before he’s stuffing the tape into a plastic bag.
“Sorry, again. I didn’t mean to – bring up anything?” Daphne chewed on her lip, “I was only gone a year but I’ve forgotten a lot.”
“Don’t worry about it. All in the past, et cetera et cetera.” He passes the bag to Daphne’s waiting hands. His eyes flicker over her face, noting the rueful expression and the way she worried away at her bottom lip. He felt bad, so he offered her the most charming smile he could muster. “It’s all good.”
His smile seemed to provide some comfort, and she returned one of her own. “Cool.” She turned to leave, but as soon as her hands touched the railing of the door, she spun around, “Oh! And nice hair, you’ve still got it.”
She had left before he could reply, or before she could notice him run a hand through his hair with satisfaction.
But as soon as the door shut behind her, a freckled face popped up from one of the aisles. “God. Stop drooling.”
“What? I’m not – I’m – I’m not?”
“Definitely drooling.”
“Yeah. Okay, Robin. I’m not drooling, alright? No drool.” He wiped at his mouth, as if to prove his point.
Robin’s head retreated back below the shelves as she yelled, “Definitely drooling!”
Carol found Daphne’s excitement mildly unnerving as she watched the blonde pop whatever movie she had found into the VCR. Daphne had insisted Carol not know the name, or what it was about. Which could only mean one thing, but she said absolutely nothing. She merely continued setting up the girls’ drinks and snacks in what she deemed a “presentable manner”.
“You’re gonna love it!” Daphne exclaimed as she flicked off the lights and ran to plop down with the remote in her hand. Carol gave the girl a peeved look at the graceless way she had chosen to seat herself, but only muttered, “If you say so…”
They were only fifteen minutes in when Carol’s suspicions were confirmed. Teens going into a creepy abandoned cabin to spend the night? As stereotyped as it was, it meant little to Carol’s frail nerves. Her eyes occasionally glanced to Daphne, who was leaned back on the sofa chewing on popcorn with a perfectly content expression. Throughout the entire film Carol frequently shot looks at Daphne, who never once seemed to flinch or jump -- just smiled with some kind of odd delight. It was something Carol had never understood, and always found extremely weird. But, Daphne was a popular girl. Someone worth knowing. Carol, though she’d denied it, had cared about remaining in Daphne’s good graces. So, she considered these oddities little secrets that she would keep. For Daphne’s reputations sake.
God forbid they think Daphne was weird, and by extension: SHE was.
Forty minutes in and Carol excused herself to the bathroom, declining Daphne’s offer to pause. While the other girl remained fully entertained, Carol made her way to Daphne’s bedroom where she picked up the phone and dialed a number she’d memorized for years, and in a hushed tone she kept the conversation as brief as she could. “Tommy...hey, it’s me. Yeah, I know. Can you come pick me up? … Thanks. As soon as possible. Like, right now. Duh. Okay. Bye, love you!”
Carol returned to the living room, to find Daphne still seemingly enthralled. But as soon as she sat down, the girl turned to look at her. “You okay, Care-Bear?”
Carol tried not to flinch at the nickname. She’d always hated it, though she said nothing to Daphne - who, she was certain, took some kind of sadistic glee in calling her it.
“Yeah, I just need to go home – you know. I just got my period and I feel like shit!”
“Do you need a tampon or something?”
“No, no don’t worry about it. I had one, I’m just cramping so bad – you know. I really wanna go home.”
Carol fancied herself a good liar. Daphne always knew differently.
“You want me to walk you home?”
Before Carol could answer, a truck horn honked from outside. It took everything in Daphne’s power not to smile.
“I called someone! I’ll see you around, Baby! I had fun.” Carol was quick to rush to the front door, offering only a “Good night!” before she shut it behind her and rushed down the sidewalk, hopping into Tommy’s truck and encouraging him to drive. From between the blinds in the window, Daphne watched victoriously as the tail-lights faded from view. She muttered a “finally” under her breath before locking the door Carol had fled through and plopping back on the couch. Reaching behind her back underneath her shirt, she unhooked her bra and tossed it across the room with a satisfied sigh. With a smile on her face, she pressed play on the remote, and settled in for the rest of the night with her favorite film.