5. friends will be friends

"All right, that's enough." Mike impatiently says, as Karen grabbed the fallen polaroid she took of his son, as Clemency chuckled at the two.

"One more, okay? Just one more." Karen says as she raises her camera to take another photo of his son, as he whined. "Why?"

"Because it's not all the time that you will look this good, Mike." Clemency mocked as Mike glared at her. "Clemency?" Karen scolded, as Clemency went back up stares, and bumped into Nancy on her way.

"Clemency, are you sure you're not going with us?" She asked as Clemency shocked her head. "No, I'm hanging out with a friend of mine."

Nancy confusedly looked at her sister as she ran up stairs. Clemency quickly puts on a black hoodie and grabs her bag, and leaves the house to hurriedly bike to Bradley's Big Buy. She could have come with the rest as they went on their way to the Snow Ball, but she is meeting up with Eddie, therefore it was not a great choice.

She waited as they finally left when she went on her way, making sure they wouldn't drive past her, as she pedaled her way to the store. As she reached her destination, she halted as she got off of her bike, and walked side by side with it. Leaning the bike in the wall next to her, as she put up her hoodie, and she herself leaned by the wall, waiting for Eddie.

Looking up as she heard the familiar sounding car engine, as Eddie drove crazy on his way, and took a halt in front of the store. Clemency pursed her lips, as she took her bike with her. Eddie quickly got off the van, and went to the back, helping Clemency put her bike in it.

"So, how was your night?" Eddie teasingly asked, making Clemency sigh and roll her eyes, and proceeded to make her way beside the driver's seat, as Eddie took the wheel. "I still don't understand why you're hanging out with me instead of assisting in the middle school dance like your sister?"

Clemency raised an eyebrow at him, as he looked at her through his peripheral vision, furrowing his eyebrows as he focused on the road. "You really need to ask that? Really?" She says, as she looked outside the road, making Eddie scoff.

"I'm just gonna get bored there, besides, it's not bad to take a break away from children from time to time..." Eddie chuckled at this, confusing Clemency. "It's just... you sounded like a parent..." He says as she purses her lips, shaking her head in response.

"And a bad parent at that..." She admitted as they both chuckled, Eddie nodding in agreement. "Okay, but for real, is it really that bad... I mean the school dance of middle schoolers? You know... for hanging out with me to be much better?" Clemency confusedly looked at the guy, as he continued. "You know... because it's just me... just Eddie Munson." He chuckled out with an awkward smile, still keeping his eyes on the road, as they got closer to the trailer park, Clemency frowning as she looked at Eddie.

It's her first time seeing Eddie like this, Clemency used to just give quick glances at Eddie in school, which obviously is not giving away much about the guy's whole personality, seeing him in just one class they have together, his seemingly intimidating demeanor and appearance. But right now, he seems to be filled with self-doubt. It made her sad somehow, finally analyzing this guy, with all her own worries aside.

"But... I think you're fun to be with. And I usually either like or hate talkative people, but they are usually the ones I get to know because they do the talking before me, which is a very difficult thing for me to do first myself." She confessed as Eddie tilted his head.

"You mean, starting conversations is hard for you? Hmm, well, I actually did thought you were a snub the first time I laid eyes on you." Clemency looked at him in disbelief, making him chuckle a little.

"You are actually a nice person... Oh, and also is Nancy the same then?"

"No, I'm shy, while she's more reserved... Well, many of my family members are quite like that, but they are okay, I guess." Eddie nodded, as the van stopped and they reached the Forest hills trailer park. The two walked out of the vehicle and approached Eddie's trailer.

"Oh, I forgot to ask, you play D&D right?" Clemency asked as she entered his trailer, and his eyes lit up. "Do you play?" He asked back as Clemency looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and shook her head, making Eddie frown at the girl in response.

"No! It's my brother, he is basically addicted to playing D&D... well, they don't play much anymore, because from what I know, It's just been a tough few years for him and his little friend group.. But if they go to high school soon, I feel like they will be joining your club." Clemency shared as she sat down, and Eddie grabbed them some snacks and the tapes they planned to watch.

"I'll gladly welcome them in the hellfire club, princess." He says, dramatically waving his arms to Clemency, as he walks off to his, room, making Clemency laugh, and shake her head.

"Oh, wait- but the thing is, I might be off of school by then, you know, finally graduated?" Eddie optimistically says, as Clemency gave him a questioning look. "Funny joke, Munson. Very funny." She says, earning a gasp from the guy, as she chuckled from his reaction.

"You'll see Wheeler, 85' is finally my year!" He says, as Clemency nodded, but still in doubt, as he mocked her in return.

As soon as they have set up everything, the snacks, the drinks, and the finalized selection of movies, they proceed. The two watched horror movies all night. It was Clemency's idea that she had suggested days ago, even after everything she had witnessed last month, she still wanted to watch them either way.

Eddie found it funny that Clemency constantly jolted due to the terrifying scenes all throughout each of the movies they have seen, and he would constantly tease Clemency, in which she would keep on blaming to drinking way too much coffee, which is true and a fair point.

Clemency, trying to hide her fear, would keep pointing out how illogical some scenes were, and proceeds to explain why, while Eddie stops her and calls her a smartass.

Hanging out with THE Eddie Munson was never a thing that Clemency had ever expected she would do, but here she is, having a little sleep over with him in his trailer, and actually having a fun time.

There were way too many assumptions going around about Eddie, and all, well, based off of the few times they had went boating, while smoking together, so far Eddie had been great towards her.

As the last film ends, Eddie looks over to Clemency, who was sitting farther away from him, and notices that she had fallen fast asleep, hugging both of her knees. Eddie walked over to her and tapped her by the shoulder. "Hey, you didn't even finish the whole movie..." He quietly says and sighed.

Eddie goes to his room and got Clemency a blanket. As he got back, he wrapped the cozy blanket around her, as the girl was still fast asleep on the couch, he smiled softly at her, and finally went to bed himself after cleaning up all the mess.

‧₊˚

As Nancy and Mike got back home, their mom greeted them as they went to their own rooms, but as Nancy passed Clemency's room, she did a second look and was confused, wondering why she still had not gone home yet. Nancy then approached Mike's room and called him. "Mike?" The boy looked back at her with knitted eyebrows, giving his sister a questioning look.

"I was just wondering, have you noticed anything strange about Clemency lately?" Nancy asks, as she leaned on the door frame and crossed her arms.

"Not much... but she just seems to be always out lately. I don't think much of it, she lived away from us for many years, she will be alright." Mike stated as Nancy nodded in response and went down the flight of stairs, as Karen noticed the bothered look on her daughter's face.

"What's the matter, Nancy?" She asked softly, smiling as her daughter looked back at her, and sighed, slowly approaching her mom. "Where is Clemency?"

"She said she's having a sleepover with an old friend from her old school, and she'll be back tomorrow morning." Karen informed her, as Nancy sighed in relief, making her mom tilt her head.

"Is something bothering you?" Karen asked as Nancy awkwardly smiled at her and shook her head. "I'm going back to my room now." Nancy says, as she went back upstairs, and Karen sighed.

‧₊˚

Feeling a headache slowly creeping in as she wakes up from a whole night of drinking, Clemency looks around her, already having forgotten where she is. Finally back to her senses, she is startled by a person standing by the door staring at her. It was Eddie's uncle, Wayne, that she never met before. The old man is looking at her, confused, wondering who the young lady might be and why she is just there on the couch.

"Hello..." Clemency quietly greeted, as she gave the man an embarrassed smile. "Are you Eddie's girlfriend?" The man uncertainly asked, as Clemency got extremely flustered, and quickly shook her head. "I'm his friend from school." Wayne slowly nodded his head from the young lady's response as he walked off and headed to his room.

Clemency quickly fixed herself, removing the pretty tightly wrapped blanket on her, just as Eddie woke up, and headed to the living room. Clemency changed her focus from folding the blankets to looking over a heavy lidded , and messy haired Eddie, making her lost in her thoughts with her mouth slightly agape, as Eddie knitted his eyebrows at her.

"Hey..." Eddie says as Clemency shakes off her thoughts and smiles brightly at him, and goes back to folding. Eddie went up to her and helped her out. "Do you wanna get breakfast?" Eddie suggested as Clemency shakes her head in response, making Eddie tilt his head.

"I'll eat breakfast when I get home." She says, softly smiling at him, as he nodded."Also, you've met my uncle?" He asked looking over to Clemency. "I did... And I was so embarrassed..." She chuckled out as Eddie chuckled back at her. "Oh, also I'll bike home." She continued as he looked at her surprised.

"Are you sure? That's a long drive from here..." Making Clemency shake her head while raising an eyebrow at him. "Okay, I literally biked almost everyday from home to Lover's lake, it's like the same thing... I'll be fine." She reassured making him sigh.

‧₊˚

Leaned in his van, Eddie's eyes followed Clemency's tracks as she pedaled her way home, sighed and smiled to himself as he went back inside his trailer, surprised as his uncle just stand there, crossing his arms looking at his nephew, as Eddie looked back at him in disbelief.

"Are you sure that isn't your girlfriend?" Wayne asked as Eddie quickly nodded. "We're just friends, like, good friends." He reassured as his uncle nodded, but still in doubt.

Clemency, on the other hand, is already tired from biking, and stops by the Hideaway pub and sees Steve Harrington, looking at her confusedly, as she looks at him nervously. "Hey? Why are you out this early in the morning?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows, as she nervously laughed at him.

"I was sleeping over at an old friend's house..." She says, using the same excuse she used on her mom, as Steve nodded at her. "Oh, by the way, there is a mall getting built around here soon, I might apply for a job there. If you're planning on getting a job for the summer, just tell me and let's apply together, okay?" Steve suggested as Clemency smiled and nodded, and started biking again, going staring home this time.

Clemency did not really have any plans on getting a job or what-so-ever, she was too lazy, and scared of talking to people to get a job in a mall, but if she had a friend applying as well, she thought, then why not?

Reaching their house, as she left her bike Ted walked past her as he was on his way to work. "Bye dad!" She yelled, but her dad didn't even look back making her purse her lips and walked inside.

"Clemency?" Karen called out, as she peaked and saw her daughter walk in, and gave her a soft smile. "Hi mom..."

"How was the sleepover?" Karen asked, as Clemency sat on and had breakfast that her mom cooked. Though Clemency almost doused herself with perfume, her mom still noticed a bit of the cigarette's smell from her, without her realizing it, but Karen stayed silent and did not ask for any question. She thought maybe her friend smokes, and thought of anything other than that.

"It was great, we ate a lot and watched great movies." Clemency admitted as she ate her meal, as Karen nodded in response.

‧₊˚

the title is a queen song