Chapter Text
CHRISSY
Chrissy hurried across the field and into the forrest after her last class of the day. As she walked into the woods, she heard a clock chiming, the sound growing louder with each step. She found a grandfather clock tucked away behind a cluster of tall oak trees. The glass of the clock face shattered and black widow spiders quickly scurried along the cracks. Panicked, Chrissy turned to run but she immediately collided with someone.
“Whoa! Hey, hey, hey!” The person shouted. It was Eddie Munson. Chrissy breathed a sigh of relief seeing her classmate. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice was kind and almost reassuring. It made Chrissy feel a more relaxed. But only a little.
“You okay?” Eddie asked when Chrissy didn’t say anything in response. He dipped his head down to meet Chrissy’s eye line. His eyes were the darkest shade of brown she’d ever seen but there was something sweet about them. Eddie Munson always seemed like he was smirking no matter what his mood was, like he was privy to some big secret, but today he seemed to have a softer expression. Instead of his usual mischievous smirk, he had just a hint of a smile. It was almost jarring for Chrissy to see him this way.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Chrissy finally said and Eddie nodded, unconvinced.
They both took a seat at the picnic table littered with graffiti. Eddie sat across from Chrissy and plopped down a metal lunchbox between them.
“Alright, let’s call it twenty bucks for half an ounce?” Eddie said pulling a clear bag of shrooms out of the lunchbox and holding it up toward Chrissy. “Plenty of bang for your buck.”
Before she could respond, Chrissy jumped at the slightest sound. It was just a chipmunk scurrying up a tree but Chrissy had been jumpy all day. When Chrissy looked back at Eddie she saw him roll his eyes at her panicked expression.
“Listen, if you don’t wanna do this, just say the word and I’ll walk away.” He snapped the lunchbox shut and pulled it closer to him.
“No! I don’t want you to go!” Chrissy said louder than intended. She grabbed Eddie’s hand which was resting on his lunchbox. Eddie looked down at her hand on his. His fingers were much thicker than hers and were covered with clunky silver rings. Eddie’s chestnut eyes flickered down at Chrissy’s hand then back to her eyes. He flashed his famous smirk at her as she quickly retracted her hand from his.
“Sorry,” Chrissy said looking down at the picnic table, her fingertips tracing the grooves in the wooden planks.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked.
“I’m fine. It’s just…do y-you ever feel like you’re losing your mind?” Chrissy stuttered.
“Uhh, just about every day?” Eddie shrugged his shoulders and said with an easy laugh. His smile was contagious, almost immediately making Chrissy feel relaxed for the first time all day. “I mean, I’m doing a drug deal with Chrissy Cunningham, the queen of Hawkins High!”
Chrissy laughed at that. Sure, she was popular but she had never heard someone refer to her as the queen of their high school.
“You know, this isn’t the first time we’ve…hung out?” Eddie looked around, almost timidly trying to find the words. He was ringing his hands together, twisting the metal bracelet around his wrist.
“Really?” Chrissy asked. Other than passing him a note in spanish class today about setting up the drug deal, Chrissy and Eddie rarely acknowledged each other in school. She was a cheerleader and he was a metal head who very clearly hated jocks.
“You don’t remember?” Eddie asked.
“Sorry, I don’t.” Chrissy shook her head, her golden blonde ponytail bouncing behind her.
Eddie clenched his heart and threw him self backward into the fallen leaves behind him. Chrissy yelped at the abrupt motion.
“I wouldn’t remember me either, Chrissy!” Eddie yelled, grinning at her from under his long messy locks.
Chrissy giggled then immediately rolled her eyes after realizing Eddie was fine, but she couldn’t keep her lips from curling up into a smile. As jumpy as she was, she had to laugh. Eddie Munson was funny? And kind of charming?
“You really don’t remember me?” Eddie asked as he combed his hands through his brown curls.
“I’m sorry! I don’t.”
“Talent show. Middle school. You were doing this cheer thing with your friends, ya know?” Eddie said as he waved imaginary pom poms with his balled up fists. “It was actually pretty cool! And uh, I was in a band-“
“Corroded Coffin!” Chrissy yelled, a huge smile creeping across her face.
“You do remember!” Eddie spun around and slapped his hands together.
“With a name like that, how could I forget?!”
“I don’t know, you’re a freak,” he said crossing his arms and smiling at her.
“You just seem…” her voice trailed off as she looked for the right word.
“Different?” Eddie offered.
“Yeah.”
“Well, my hair was buzzed and I didn’t have these sweet ol’ tatties!” Eddie pulled down the collar of his baseball tee to show Chrissy an image of skull on his chest. Chrissy stared at Eddie and quickly realized her face was getting hot.
“Um, you played guitar, right?” Chrissy asked, trying to deflect from her crimson cheeks.
“Still do, still do. We play every Tuesday at the Hideout.” Eddie crossed his arms as he spoke. “We get a crowd of about five…drunks.”
Chrissy giggled uncontrollably at that. She wasn’t even really sure why, it wasn’t THAT funny.
Eddie nodded and turned away from Chrissy. She swore she noticed his cheeks were a little red too. Eddie gently swatted at the tree behind him. “You should come see us! It’s no Garden but you’ve gotta start somewhere.”
“You know, you’re not what I’d thought you be,” Chrissy said quietly.
“Mean and scary?” Eddie asked, covering his face with his brown curls.
Chrissy nodded.
“Yeah well, I kinda thought you’d be mean and scary too,” Eddie said as he swung his legs over the bench of the picnic table.
“Me?!” Chrissy asked, she was so surprised her voice was almost a whisper.
“Terrifying,” Eddie said smiling at her. Chrissy blushed. Why was he smiling at her like that? Didn’t he hate jocks? Doesn’t he know she’s dating the captain of the basketball team?
“The good news is…” Eddie started as he opened his lunchbox back up. “…flattery works on me. Twenty-five percent discount. Fifteen bucks for the the half ounce. You’re robbing me blind here!” Eddie laughed and Chrissy started to smile but then she remembered why she needed the drugs in the first place.
“Do you have anything stronger?” Chrissy asked.
Eddie noticed her voice shifting to a more serious tone. He studied her, trying to make out why her mood shifted so quickly.
“What kind of high are you looking for?” Eddie asked.
“It’s just…I’ve been having these bad nightmares lately. I know that sounds dumb but they feel so…graphic sometimes.”
Eddie was quiet as he rested his chin on his palm.
This was so dumb, he’s going to think I’m crazy!
“Well, shrooms probably aren’t what you want if you’re having these graphic nightmares. They might even make it worse.”
“Oh,” was all Chrissy could manage. “Good thing I asked.” She shrugged and Eddie laughed but his eyes stayed focused on her expression.
“You might be better off with just some weed,” Eddie said.
“Really?”
“Yeah! You ever smoke before?”
Chrissy just shook her head.
“It just relaxes you, helps you sleep better, that sorta thing.”
“Oh, okay. Do you sell weed?” Chrissy asked.
“Chrissy, that is mostly what I sell!” Eddie said and Chrissy gave him a weak smile. “I don’t have any on me, it’s all at my place but I can bring it to school Monday-“
“Do you think…” Chrissy interrupted him. “Do you think I could come get it sooner?”
“Uhh, yeah! Sure, why not?”
“Okay! I’m going to be cheering at the game tonight but can I come by after that?”
“Yeah! I, uh, have this hellfire thing tonight. It should wrap up around the same time as the game. I can pick you up and drive you there?” Eddie asked.
“Yes! That works!” Chrissy beamed, finally feeling the smallest sense of relief. Eddie smiled at her.
“Perfect,” he nodded his head and they walked out of the woods together.