twist of fate.
CHAPTER THREE

' Cindy Newby: The Party Girl. '

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Cindy Newby hated halloween.

     It wasn't that ghouls or gore scared her, in fact, Cindy rather liked the horror genre, she just didn't like how everyone seemed to act around this time of the year. She hated the dressing up and the parties, which were all just an excuse for a bunch of teens to get together and drink all night. It wasn't what Cindy considered to be fun, yet every year she was forced to participate in the ridiculous holiday. Either her friends would drag her to a party — like they were trying to do this year — or she would be on candy duty at home with Bob who was big on halloween.

     This year was no different. Cindy had hoped that considering Bob would be able to spend the evening with Joyce this time, he would tone it down, but Cindy knew better than to expect anything less than perfection from her father and she had a feeling that he already had the night planned out. That was why Cindy had decided she would go to Tina's party. She didn't really want to go, but she knew that a night out with her friends would be good for her. That's what she kept telling herself, at least.

     Steve's words from the day before also kept replaying in her mind. Even he knew she needed to take a break and Cindy couldn't fight the smile formed on the blondes face as she thought about the boy. She hated the affect he had on her considering they were barely even friends, more acquaintances than anything. His presence was intoxicating and if it wasn't for the fact she was his tutor, she would be avoiding him at all costs. Steve Harrington was a distraction and Cindy did not have time for distractions.

     Before the party, Cindy made a quick stop at the Byers' house to check in with Bob. He had gone there straight after work so Cindy hadn't seen him yet. She had asked him that morning if she could go to the party and he said it was fine. Bob wasn't a strict parent, but he did like to know what his daughter was up to and Cindy had no problem telling him. She always made sure to keep him updated so he didn't have to worry and he truly appreciated that.

As Cindy arrived at the house, she was greeted by Bob in his Dracula costume — or as he liked to keep telling her — his Dadcula costume. It would always make her giggle and roll her eyes every time he said it which is why he continued to do it. He loved seeing his daughter so happy in little moments like those and they were the memories he always carried with him. Cindy was yet to put on the costume that she had managed to put together at the last minute. She was quite impressed with what she had come up with and she just hoped people would understand.

Natalie and Matthew were on their way to pick Cindy up so she swiftly walked to the bathroom to get ready. She walked past Bob who was showing Jonathan how to use the video camera so that he could document the trick or treating for Joyce to watch later. Joyce was busy helping Will get ready and reminding him to stay close to Jonathan at all times. Cindy smiled at the interaction as she slipped into the bathroom and began getting changed. It was a simple costume, but it took Cindy a while to fix her hair exactly how she wanted it. At one point, she had to call Joyce in to help hairspray the back of her hair while she put her makeup on. It took a lot of effort, but as Cindy stared at her reflection in the mirror, she knew it was worth it.

     There was a knock at the front door as Cindy stepped out of the bathroom and she smiled, jogging over to answer it. She pulled the door open to reveal Natalie and Matthew stood there, their costumes looking flawlessly good. Despite her hate for the holiday, Cindy couldn't pretend like she wasn't impressed each year by her friends costumes. This year Natalie had dressed up as Rizzo from Grease and Matthew was Indiana Jones. They both looked amazing and Cindy felt slightly outdone as she saw them.

"Seriously, how do you guys nail it every single time?" Cindy asked, letting the two friends enter the house. They both laughed and Natalie pretended to flip her hair, trying to stay in character and embody Rizzo entirely. Matthew took of his hat and greeted the girl.

"Years of practice, Blondie," he replied, using one of his many nicknames for the girl. "But, hey! I'm seriously impressed that you managed to pull this costume off in a night. This took me months to plan," he added, motioning to his scarily accurate costume.

     "Really?" Cindy smiled.

     "Totally," Natalie said. "The fact that you put it together just using things from your wardrobe is actually incredible. You might have to help me next year."

     Cindy felt quite proud of herself in that moment. It was only a silly costume, but having validation from two of the biggest halloween fans meant a lot to her. She may not like halloween and parties, but when she put her mind to something she always wanted to be the best at whatever it was. In this case, she'll graciously accept the compliments from her friends as validation.

     As the friends were talking, Bob entered the room, his face lighting up at seeing Cindy and her friends in their costumes. "Happy halloween!" Bob exclaimed, admiring how put together they all looked.

     "Hi, Mr Newby," Natalie greeted. Matthew gave him a small wave as he walked closer. "Nice costume," she added, smiling at him.

     "Thank you, Natalie," Bob said as he stepped further into the room. "Did Cindy tell you? I'm Dadcula," he added, putting on his Dracula voice and lifting hands in the air. Cindy rolled her eyes as Natalie and Matthew let out a laugh.

     "Clever. I like it," Matthew said, nodding his head in appreciation. It was just his humour. Cindy shook her head before opening up the front door once again so that the three teens could leave for the party.

"Bye, dad," Cindy said, smiling at Bob. Joyce had walked in not too long after and was now stood by him. "Bye, Joyce," she added, waving to the couple. The three teens gave a quick wave goodbye before walking out the door.

Just as Cindy was closing the door she heard Bob call out "Just be home no later than eleven."

"Got it!" Cindy called back, finally closing the door and jogging over to climb in the back of Matthew's car to head to the Tina's house on the other side of town. Matthew drove to his house which wasn't too far from Tina's and parked up. They decided to walk from his house to the party because Matthew didn't want to have to leave his car over there if he was too drunk when they left to drive it back. Cindy hoped he wouldn't get to that stage but then again she knew better than to expect Matthew to stay sober. As he always told her, free alcohol is free alcohol.

The three teens could hear the loud music as they approached the property and Cindy had never felt more out of her comfort zone. Cindy recognised most of the kids who were scattered around the front lawn, except for one who was upside down, drinking from a keg. Everyone around him was counting and when he finally stood back up again they all cheered. Cindy had no idea what was going on, but everyone else seemed impressed. A few people began chanting Billy and it suddenly dawned on Cindy that it was the new kid that Natalie had mentioned. The look of disgust on her face made that clear.

"Oh, great," Natalie said, folding her arms across her chest. Her eyes were drilling into the back of the new guys head as they watched him walk inside. "He's here."

"Come on," Matthew said, laughing at his friends reaction. "He can't be that bad."

Natalie turned to face, an unimpressed look on her face. "You haven't met him yet and I pray for your sanity that you don't," she told him. Natalie knew straight away what kind of guy Billy Hargrove was and she also knew what kind of guy Matthew was which was why she did not want them to interact with each other. She didn't particularly want to ruin her perfect reputation because she got into an altercation with the new kid, but if she had to she would. Natalie would do anything to protect her friends.

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said as he grabbed both Cindy's and Natalie's hands and dragged them towards the house. "I think we could all use a drink."

     Once they were inside, the party finally began. Cindy had told them she was only going to have one drink, but all the dancing was making her thirsty and the only thing to drink was the smokey red liquid in the punch bowl that one guy described as pure fuel. That didn't exactly calm any of Cindy's pre-existing nerves, but it was better than nothing and she was surprised to find it actually tasted pretty good.

     Cindy was out in the middle of the dance floor, swaying to the beat of the song that was playing. She hated to admit it but she was actually having a lot of fun. It felt like for a moment she got to be someone completely different. She wasn't Bob Newby's daughter or the girl with perfect grades, she was just Cindy.

     "I'm gonna go and get and another drink," Cindy said to Natalie and Matthew. She had to raise her voice quite a bit so that they could hear her over the song that was playing.

     "Slow down, Cind," Matthew said, winking at her. He was quite glad to see his friend loosen up and let her hair down. Not that her hair was actually down as it was being tightly held in place by almost an entire can of hairspray.

     Cindy laughed, shaking her head. "Yes, dad," she commented before turning to walk away. As she turned on her heel she managed to walk straight into somebody. She held onto them as she steadied herself before looking up to see their face. "I'm so sorry... Jonathan? I thought you were supposed to be taking Will trick or treating," the blonde questioned as she let go of Jonathan's arm. He had left the house before she was ready so he didn't realise she was going to the party too. Jonathan looked as if he had been caught out by his mother.

     "Don't say anything," he said, looking at Cindy with hope in his eyes. Cindy wasn't going to snitch on him. She would never do that and it almost hurt that he would even question that. Cindy thought there was more trust there than that.

     "I won't," Cindy reassured the boy and he looked relieved. She was just as surprised to see him there as he was. "It's nice that you're letting him do his own thing." Cindy understood why the family were so protective over Will after what happened, but it had been months since the incident and Will seemed like a smart enough kid for it not to happen again. She wasn't sure why everyone around him continued to make it such a big deal especially considering he hated all the fuss and attention.

     Jonathan shot her a smile as his eyes started looking her up and down. "What are you dressed as?" he asked, unsure of what her costume was supposed to be. So far, everyone had pretty much guessed it correct when they asked her and so Cindy was quite taken aback by the question.

     "I'm Cyndi!" Cindy told him, motioning to the red dress she was wearing that she had found in an old box of her mothers things. "Get it? I'm Cyndi Lauper," she clarified. She had tried to recreate one of her looks from the Girls Just Want To Have Fun music video and despite the short time frame she had, it was actually pretty accurate.

     A look of realisation washed across Jonathan's face. "Oh," he said and Cindy laughed. She knew Cyndi Lauper wasn't exactly his taste in music so the more she thought about it, the more she realised why he wasn't able to guess it. That did make her feel slightly better.

     "What about you? Who are you dressed as?" Cindy asked, looking at Jonathan's outfit. It look like something he would wear everyday and she was right.

     "Uhh— someone who hates parties," he joked which made Cindy giggle. It was a mixture of his comment and the alcohol bubbling inside of her.

     "Cool," Cindy nodded. She was about to ask Jonathan why he had decided to come when she heard her name being called from across the room. Cindy turned around to see Matthew and Natalie standing by the glass doors, beckoning her over. "I should probably go and see what they want. I'll catch you later, yeah?" Cindy said and Jonathan nodded, watching as the girl left him to check on her friends.

     The blonde approached the two teens and smiled as she reached them. Natalie looked annoyed while Matthew stared out of the windows. Cindy furrowed her brows as she looked at Natalie, slightly confused at what was going on. Natalie just rolled her eyes in annoyance.

     "Look at him, Cindy. Tell me I'm wrong," Matthew said and it took Cindy to realise what he was talking about, but when she saw Billy standing out in the garden it hit her. "Tell me he isn't one of the most handsome guys you've ever seen."

     Cindy followed his gaze and laid her eyes on the boy. "He's kinda cute, I guess," she shrugged which made Natalie scoff.

     "Kinda?" Matthew questioned. "Cindy, he is so hot!"

     "He's a total ass," Natalie finally spoke up. She didn't look at Billy for a second, she just kept her eyes focused on the people dancing in front of her.

     "Yeah, a hot ass," Matthew replied which set Natalie off. The two of them began to argue with one another and Cindy was not in the mood to start a fight with either of them. At times like this, Cindy found it was best to just let them get on with it themselves. That was when Cindy realised she still hadn't got another drink so she left the two friends and ventured off into the kitchen.

Cindy had to push her way through the crowds of people before she finally made it to the kitchen. It was just as loud in there as it was in every part of the house so there really was no escape from it all. The blonde noticed most people had moved away from the punch bowl so she walked over and filled her red solo cup up with the strange liquid. She took a sip, loving the feeling that it gave her. It was different and that was what Cindy liked about it. She was trying something new and she was proud of herself for that. It appeared someone else was also proud of the girl as she felt a tap on her shoulder. Cindy turned her head to see Steve Harrington.

"Cindy Newby: The Party Girl," Steve joked as he stood beside the blonde, leaning against the kitchen counter. He was surprised that she had actually turned up as when she mentioned it to him it sounded like she was hoping for some kind of excuse not to go. Steve wasn't entirely sure why, but the moment he spotted her from across the room he felt better. Things had been tense with Nancy all night but seeing the familiar girl standing in the kitchen dressed as her favourite singer, sipping punch from a plastic cup and looking as beautiful as ever, made it all seem trivial. It was a reaction that he had not anticipated being elicited by Cindy Newby.

"That's me," Cindy laughed. "I decided to drop the good girl act and I'm going rogue." She winked at the boy and a smile grew on his face at the girls newfound confidence. She was always so quiet at school and he didn't have a problem with that, but seeing this side to Cindy was exciting for both of them.

"Is that so?" he chuckled. Cindy couldn't help but stare at Steve as he spoke. It was so strange to her that less than a year ago the two teens would not be having this conversation, yet here they were talking as if they had known each other personally for years.

     "Oh, I'm actually glad I bumped into you. I finished reading your essay. I liked it, but obviously there is always room for improvement. I made some notes and I was thinking maybe we could go over it after school sometime this week. Maybe tomorrow? If you're busy that's fine. I'm free whenever so just let me know whenever is good for you," Cindy rambled and Steve just slowly nodded his head. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows, not saying a word. It took Cindy a moment to realise what she had just done.

     "I'm seriously talking about college essays at a party, aren't I?" Cindy asked which made Steve chuckle. "So much for the new Cindy," she sighed, taking a large gulp of the drink in her hand. Maybe there was still more room for Cindy to loosen up. 

     "Don't worry. It's cute," Steve casually said and Cindy instantly felt a blush forming on her cheeks. "At least you're trying to have fun and be a dumb teenager," he added, his smile faltering slightly as the thought of Nancy popped into his. Cindy wasn't entirely sure how to respond so she awkwardly smiled before sipping on her drink again. A few seconds later Nancy approached the two of them and Cindy stepped aside as she tried to fill her cup up with more punch. Cindy could tell she had been drinking a lot already and Steve noticed it too.

     "Hey, Nance I think you've had enough," Steve said as he walked around Cindy and tried to pull Nancy away from the alcohol.

     "No, screw you!" she replied, her speech slightly slurred. She pushed his arm away as she continued to try and fill up her cup.

     "No, I'm serious. Put it down," Steve said as he grabbed onto the cup Nancy was holding. She didn't let go and the two began a tug of war over who was going to keep ahold of it. Steve tried not to let go but Nancy pulled her hands away too quickly and it slipped out of Steve's hands. The contents of the cup ended up spilling down Nancy's white top and Cindy felt her hand shoot up and cover her mouth in surprise.

     "What the hell?" Nancy said in a whisper, glaring up at Steve as she put the cup down on the kitchen counter. She pushed her way through the crowd to the bathroom and Steve followed her, calling out her name. Natalie and Matthew both walked over to Cindy having just witnessed the fight for themselves.

     "What was that about?" Natalie asked as they reached Cindy in the kitchen. Cindy just shrugged as she saw Steve storm out of the bathroom and push his way through the crowd and to the front door. He looked upset and Cindy hated seeing him like that. She wasn't sure what came over her in that moment, maybe it was the alcohol she had consumed or the loud music that was affecting her thought process, but Cindy decided to go after him.

     "Uhh, I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?" Cindy said, her eyes still fixed to the door that Steve had just walked out of.

     "What?" Matthew asked, confused by what she was saying. Cindy walked away from the two friends and started making her way to the door. She could hear both Matthew and Natalie calling her name, but she ignored them as she stepped outside of Tina's house, her eyes scanning the front lawn for any sign of Steve. That's when she spotted him walking towards his car that was parked along the street.

     "Steve!" Cindy called out. She started jogging towards him as he stopped walking upon hearing the girl call out his name. "Are you okay?" Cindy asked slightly out of breath once she reached him. He looked even more upset than he had done when he left the party and Cindy could only imagine it had everything to do with his confrontation with Nancy.

     "What? Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he lied, pursing his lips as he tried to act like everything was okay. Cindy knew it wasn't her place to ask him what had happened, but she figured it had to be something to do with his relationship with Nancy. Cindy was no expert when it came to relationships, but she was very good at giving other people advice.

     "Look, whatever happened in there I'm sure it will all be fine. You've both clearly had too much to drink tonight and aren't thinking straight," Cindy tried to explain but Steve just shook his head.

     "No, I think she was thinking pretty clearly," Steve scoffed as he thought back to the tense conversation that he had just had. The same conversation that had ripped his heart out and crushed it into little pieces.

     "Well, I'm sorry for whatever happened," Cindy said sympathetically. She gently pushed his shoulder. "Hey, at least you've still got your super cool, rebellious tutor who likes to talk about essays at parties." Cindy smirked at Steve as she waited for his response. He tried to fight it, but a smile crept onto his face and he eventually let out a breathy laugh.

     "What would I do without you, Cindy Newby?" he asked, shaking his head, unable to wipe the smile from his lips. The comment made Cindy's heart swell. Even if he only meant it in a friendly way it was a lot better than just being acquaintances who only spoke to discuss school work. It was surprising to Cindy just how well she got on with Steve. The two were polar opposite yet she loved his company and he loved hers. Steve would never admit it to anyone but he was so glad he asked to be tutored. Not because he needed the extra help, but because it meant he was able to get to know Cindy — the quiet girl who never made him feel like he was bullshit.

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AUTHORS NOTE
don't forget to vote & comment !
I hope you enjoyed!!

i'm sorry but they are so cute :')
i'm having way too much fun writing them