Can't Trust ANYONE Around Here
Part 3 of the Their Year (‘86, Baby) series
A Stranger Things Fanfic
Music could fix anything. That had always been Eddie’s motto, even before he had watched it save two people’s lives.
Music had helped as he adjusted to a usually-empty trailer in a new town. Music had taken the place of friends for a couple years, then helped him find friends. Music helped drown out the things he didn’t want or need to think about, and music would definitely help him stop worrying for a few minutes.
Chrissy was home for a week on break, and now that they were . . . something (he didn’t think kissing once made them dating, but it made them something, right?), he had hoped they would get to spend some time together. So far he hadn’t seen or heard from her since she’d left his trailer on Saturday, and he was too afraid to call for fear of making things worse.
At this point he was seriously considering driving to her house and helping her sneak out the window if she needed to.
“Okay, everybody ready?” Grant asked, glancing around the group.
Eddie nodded, tightening his grip on his guitar. There was nothing he could do by worrying, so he really needed to stop. Besides, three days wasn’t that long. It was hard for her to get out of the house, and she never felt like she could call him from home (who knew if her mom would be listening in), and she was probably just busy. There was absolutely no reason for him to think anything was wrong.
Gareth tapped his drums to count out the beat. Eddie took a deep breath and started playing.
Music did help, pouring through him and washing away all the nerves. People talked about stage fright all the time, and sure he had gotten nervous the first time he and his friends had played for someone other than Wayne and Jeff’s dad, but it hadn’t lasted long. One time with an actual audience, and he was hooked. Never mind that it had been a bunch of bored kids and some frankly alarmed teachers, he couldn’t get enough of it. Somehow, playing guitar just felt right when so many other things didn’t.
The song ended, and he shifted his fingers to the chords he would need for the next. A quiet thunk in the back drew his eyes to the small figure trying to sneak in.
He didn’t pay much attention at first. Students often took advantage of The Hideout’s shady reputation, and Eddie frankly didn’t care which star player or top student had decided to try a drink a little early.
At least, until he caught a glimpse of the white dress that definitely wasn’t made to fit in.
The girl caught him staring and flashed a bright smile as she slid into a seat at an empty table near the back of the room. He nearly missed Gareth’s cue as he smiled back.
It was a good think they practiced so much this week, or he probably would have missed a dozen notes with how often his eyes were drawn to Chrissy, staring at him in awe as though this were the greatest music she had ever heard. (He knew for a fact that wasn’t true. He’d made a point of exposing her to as wide a variety of music as he could.)
They finished the song faster than seemed possible, and Chrissy leapt to her feet, clapping. She bit her lip and glanced around when she realized no one else was, but she didn’t stop.
“Isn’t that Carver’s girlfriend?” Grant whispered, frowning.
Eddie gritted his teeth. “They broke up months ago.”
Grant shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t pay enough attention.”
“Apparently Eddie does,” Gareth muttered before tapping out the beat again.
Eddie turned away from them both and grinned. He knew Gareth was trying to make fun of him, but he couldn’t feel embarrassed about his crush on Chrissy. Not when she had kissed him just three days ago.
For once, he felt their performance couldn’t end fast enough. They cycled through one song after another, the usual adrenaline rush just making him antsy.
When they finished (finally, finally), he strolled off the stage calmly, knowing his friends would never let him alone if they guessed what was on his mind. He packed up his guitar slowly and waited for them to walk away, then glanced around, looking for Chrissy.
She had disappeared from the table, and he frowned, scanning the room for a white dress and strawberry-blond hair.
“That was amazing!” Something crashed into him, nearly knocking them both into a table. He yelped.
“Sorry!” Chrissy winced and waited for him to regain his balance before throwing her arms around him.
“That’s okay.” He hugged her back. “You really liked it?”
She pulled back and nodded, her giddy smile lighting up her face. He couldn’t help but match it.
“I’m glad.” He let go of her with one hand and tugged on his hair. “I, uh, I didn’t really think you wanted to come watch us.”
“No, no! I really wanted to come, but I knew my mom would never let me leave the house again if I tried.”
The implication hung heavy in the air between them, and he let both hands fall to her waist as his smile faded. “What happened? Do you need someplace to stay?”
She shook her head. “My mom just found out today that apparently Mrs. Ingram saw me leave your trailer Saturday morning.” She bit her lip. “After seeing me arrive at midnight.”
Eddie winced. “I’m so sorry, Chrissy. I shouldn’t have told you to stay, I–”
“No.” She squeezed him tight. “No, you were just trying to take care of me. You did nothing wrong, so stop apologizing.”
He forced a slight smile. “You really don’t need a place to stay?”
“Nope! Mrs. Wheeler told me over the summer that I’m always welcome, which is what I told my mom today when she said I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the trailer park anymore.”
His breath caught. “So–so you’re out.”
“I am.” She took a deep breath. “I want to go see my dad and brother at Christmas, and mom if she’ll speak to me, but I’m not staying at home anymore. I want to come back to see you and everyone else for breaks, but I’ll find somewhere else to stay.”
He pulled her close and rested his chin on her head. “You know you’re always welcome at our place.”
“I do.”
He rubbed his hand down her back. “Are you okay?”
She didn’t answer at first, and he held her tight. He remembered when he had first moved in with Wayne. It was good for him, and he’d known it would be, but for that first week, all he could think of was how much he missed his dad.
Chrissy put her hands on his shoulders and pulled back to see his face. “I’m better now.” She smiled, a sad smile, but a genuine one, and he smiled back.
She studied him for a long moment, her eyes roaming from his eyes to his hair (she tucked a strand behind his ear), to his lips (his heart missed a beat), to his cheek (he wondered if there was something on it and he wiped it off, which made her giggle and bite her lip, and suddenly he was the one staring at her lips.)
He dragged his gaze back up to her eyes. “Do you, uh, do you need a ride back? To the Wheelers’, I mean? Or did you bring your car?”
She shook her head, grinning. “Mrs. Wheeler drove me over, and I told her I’d catch a ride back.” She tilted her face up to his, a hint of mischief in the corners of her smile. “She doesn’t mind that, you know.”
He folded his arms. “Doesn’t mind what? A junky, weed-smelling van showing up in her driveway?”
Chrissy sighed as though he completely missed the point. “She doesn’t mind my boyfriend dropping me off.”
Oh. Oh. He licked his lips. “Is that, uh, is that what I am?”
She pulled back, shrinking in on herself, but she didn’t look away. “If you want to be.”
“Yes.” The answer slipped out embarrassingly quickly, but what else was there to say?
She smiled even as a rosy blush (visible through the colored lights of the bar) nettled across her face. “Good.” She stared at him again, and he felt lost in those big blue eyes. The mischievous quirk returned to her grin. “You know what else Mrs. Wheeler doesn’t mind?”
For once, he couldn’t think of a quick response, so he just shook his head. She didn’t give an answer, instead grabbing the collar of his vest and dragging I’m down, pressing her lips against his. She gripped the denim so tight he felt her knuckles press into his chest, and his breath caught in his throat. His hands slid up to her shoulders and curled around the back of her neck.
He was never going to get used to this. Never going to get used to Chrissy Cunningham liking him back, wanting to be his friend, coming to his concerts, and certainly not to her kissing him like her life depended on it.
The unpleasant realization that his back and neck were getting sore from leaning over intruded, but he wasn’t willing to pull away just yet, so instead he dropped his hands to her waist and picked her up, depositing her on the table they stood in front of.
She pulled back, startled, but he followed, and she let him draw her back in, wrapping her legs around his waist and hooking her feet together.
“Hey, Eddie, have you seen–”
Eddie started to pull away to tell Jeff that now was really not the time, but the other boy’s, “Ohhh,” and hastily backtracking footsteps told him he needn’t bother, which was just as well since Chrissy clearly wasn’t ready to let go of him just yet.
She did let go of his vest, though, sliding her hands up his shoulders, his neck, his chin, and into his hair, her fingers tangling in his curls. His hands reached up to cradle her face, his thumbs brushing slow circles on her cheeks.
Finally he pulled away, lingering only inches from her face.
“That . . . was a long time in coming,” he murmured.
“Really?”
He nodded. “Oh, yeah. I’ve wanted to kiss you since that talent show in middle school.” He smirked. “Well, maybe not quite like that.”
She flushed, eyes widening. “No you didn’t!” She didn’t sound certain.
He laid his hands on the table on either side of her legs and leaned closer so his nose brushed hers. “Wanna bet on that?”
She shrank back. “But–” He raised his eyebrows, but she didn’t finish, only shrank further, twisting her hands.
“I’m sorry.”
The words were so quiet and so very much not what he was expecting that for a moment he thought he had imagined them.
“What?”
She looked up, her big, blue eyes meeting his. “I’m sorry. I mean, if I had realized sooner, things would have been so much easier, and–”
“Stop.” Her mouth slammed closed. “You have nothing to apologize for. First of all, I tried not to let you know I had a crush on you because I didn’t think you could possibly like me back.”
She made a sharp noise of protest in the back of her throat, and he held a finger in front of her mouth. “Let me finish, please.” He studied her nervous expression and brushed her hair behind one ear, leaning closer and whispering, “Second, I’m perfectly content where we are.”
She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.
“Me too.”
For once, Eddie’s van did not flood with music. The speakers stayed silent as he drove, one hand on the steering wheel and the other tangled with Chrissy’s. They talked about anything and everything as he drove her back to the Wheelers', and the drive back seemed to fly by so much faster than the drive over. Chrissy wasn’t ready to get out when Eddie parked.
“I don’t have to go just yet,” she murmured, leaning on his shoulder.
He chuckled and slid his thumb over her knuckles. “The Wheelers might not mind me showing up, but I doubt they want me sitting in their driveway too long. Just stoking the rumor mill there.” She pouted as she reached up to comb the fingers of her other hand through his hair. “Plus I have work tomorrow.”
She frowned. “Boo. Work just ruins everything.”
“Mmhmm. I agree. I’ll just quit my job and we’ll run away together. Dunno how we’ll pay for gas or food, though.” She laughed, and he squeezed her hand.
A light flickered in one window, and they spotted someone peeking through the curtains.
“Told you,” he muttered. “Mrs. Wheeler’s probably worried about me ruining your reputation even further.” Chrissy stuck out her tongue at him, and he gasped, tearing his hand from hers and clapping it over his heart. “You wound me. How am I ever to survive this great offense dealt so casually by the woman of my dreams?”
He was joking, of course, but his words made her duck her face to hide her blush. “I can see you tomorrow, though, right?” she asked quietly.
He shook his head and rolled his eyes heavenward. “I don’t know. I might have perished from heartbreak by then.”
“Eddie,” she laughed. “Be serious.”
He looked back at her and grinned. “Of course.” He leaned over, resting his forehead on hers. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, baby.”
Her face flamed, but he didn’t seem to notice as he kissed her lightly, then reached across to open the passenger door.
“Good ni-ght.” He stretched out the last word, and she thought it incredibly unfair how easily flirting seemed to come to him.
“Good night, Eddie. See you tomorrow!”
She walked on air, not concrete, up to the Wheelers front door, humming to herself, remembering the way Eddie had shone under the failing stage lights, playing his guitar.
“Did you have fun?” Mrs. Wheeler asked from the couch where she sat reading a romance novel.
Chrissy nodded. “Thank you so much for driving me. I hope it didn’t inconvenience you too much.”
Mrs. Wheeler waved her concerns away. “It wasn’t that far. I will admit that I don’t particularly like the look of that place, but I suppose you’re an adult and can decide what you want for yourself.”
“Oh, it was fine,” Chrissy said quickly. “Pretty much no one even noticed me, and I only went to see Eddie play. I mean, the whole band, but Eddie’s the one who invited me, so . . .” Mrs. Wheeler looked amused, and Chrissy bit her lip. “Is–is it okay if I call Nancy?”
“Of course. There’s a phone in her room. I’m sure you know where it is, and you have her number, don’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you!” She practically skipped upstairs to Nancy’s bedroom, which she was temporarily commandeering, flopped down on the bed, and dialed the number for Nancy’s dorm room.
“This is Nancy Wheeler. Who is this?”
“Nancy, it’s Chrissy!”
“Chrissy! How are you? How is school?”
Chrissy twisted her hair around her finger. “Well, I’m actually on break right now. I’m calling from your house.”
Nancy didn’t respond for a long time, and Chrissy traced the flowers on the bedspread with her finger. “Chrissy, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” The words spilled out out of habit, and she shook her head. “Really, I’m actually fine. I mean, I was upset this morning, and I’ll probably be upset again later, but right now, I–I’m really good right now.”
Nancy sighed. “Well, I’m glad. Do you want to talk about it?”
Chrissy wrinkled her nose. “Not really, but . . . it does have to do with what I called to tell you about.”
“Alright, well you sound in a good mood, so I’m expecting a good story.”
Chrissy paused, considering how best to explain, then decided to drop the bomb, just to see what happened. “I spent the night at Eddie’s three days ago.”
Silence, then, “Chrissy Cunningham, you didn’t!”
“I got to Hawkins really late, but I stopped to see him first, and then he told me I should stay cause he didn’t want me driving so late, but he slept on the couch, so–”
Nancy was laughing halfway through her explanation, and finally called, “stop, stop, I understand. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”
Chrissy closed her eyes and tugged on her hair, getting ready for the actual important part of the conversation. “But I kissed him.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Like, a quick peck on lips, or actually kissed him?”
“Nancy!'
“What?”
Chrissy burrowed under the covers and pulled the phone closer to her mouth. “Actually kissed him. I kissed him tonight too, at his concert.”
“At his concert.”
“Yes.”
“You’re telling me you, Chrissy Cunningham, went to The Hideout, listened to a metal band perform, then kissed one of the members in front of the bar?”
“I, um . . .”
“He really is corrupting you,” Nancy laughed, and Chrissy flushed. “So are you two actually dating, or did you just make out a couple times?”
“We didn’t–” she stopped. “What counts as making out?”
Nancy laughed again. “You’re adorable, you know that?” And somehow the question didn’t sound condescending like it always had from her other friends in high school. “But you didn’t answer my question.”
Chrissy bit her lip. She had asked, hadn’t she? The word “boyfriend” had slipped out of the space where it had lodged in her brain for months, and she had been so afraid when she asked that he would say no, would say he realized it was just too much, and he wasn’t willing to go that far, but then he said yes, and she had kissed him, and he kissed her back–
“Chrissy, are you there?”
She dragged her mind back from where she could still feel his hands burning at her hips when he had picked her up. “What?” Oh, um, I think so. I mean, he said he would like to be my boyfriend when I asked.”
“Well that’s good,” Nancy said, and Chrissy could hear the grin she was biting back. “Finally moving on from just making eyes at each other across the room.”
“We didn’t–” she broke off as she remembered all the times she had looked over at him only to find him already looking at her.
“Mmhmm,” Nancy said. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do when you go back to school?”
“Oh, well, we were already calling and writing regularly, so we’ll probably keep doing that.”
“Just make sure you’re both on the same page.”
Chrissy nodded, though the other girl couldn’t see her. She remembered Nancy showing up at her house in the middle of the summer, angry and ranting about how she had found a college acceptance letter in Jonathan’s room. They had fought for weeks, and Chrissy wasn’t entirely sure how it had been resolved, but she knew his entire family had been involved, and eventually it had been Hopper, the old police chief (who somehow wasn’t dead, despite all the news reports about the mall fire), who had convinced him to go.
“He and I can talk about it tomorrow,” she said.
She heard noises and another voice over the phone, then Nancy said, “Carla just came back, and we have a big history test tomorrow that we need to study for. Can I call you back tomorrow?”
“Of course! Good night. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Chrissy.”
She hung up, got up, changed into her pajamas, and climbed back in bed. She doubted she would sleep much, still feeling giddy and turning over memories of the night again and again in her mind.
Eddie wanted to be her boyfriend. He had kissed her and driven her home and told her he’d liked her since middle school.
She knew exactly when she had started liking him: that day on the picnic bench, when he had fallen off to make her laugh, taking a small moment to show her that someone actually cared. And he had stared at her with those big, brown eyes, tugging on his hair, and she hadn’t understood then just why her heart flipped.
But now she knew, and now he gave her that same bright smile whenever he saw her. Now she had kissed him and watched his eyes light up as he actually played guitar instead of just talking about it, and now she didn’t have to wonder if his hair was actually as soft as it looked, and, oh, she was in deep and she knew it.
She pulled the covers tight around her, burying her smile into the fabric.
The bell above the door rang, and Eddie called, “be right with you,” without looking up as he pulled out change. He counted the bills into his current customer’s hand, then nearly dropped every coin when he glanced over at the figure who had just walked in.
Chrissy smiled and waved. “Take as long as you need. I can wait!”
The customer (thankfully the only one at the moment) picked up her collection of tapes and left the store.
Eddie leaned across the counter. “What are you doing here?” He winced. “I mean, I wasn’t expecting you to come while I was working.”
She skipped over to the counter and laid her hands on the edge, looking like a child at a candy store with her giddy smile and the sly look in her eye as she peeked up at him. “You said I could see you today.”
Her grin was infectious. “Yeah, but I was planning to pick you up after work.”
She tilted her head to one side. “I just thought I’d come a little early. You get off soon, don’t you? I was pretty sure you did, but I couldn’t remember for sure.”
“Uh, yeah, I do, but this last half-hour is gonna be really boring.”
She shook her head. “I don’t mind!” She bit her lip. “But if it would be easier to work without me, I can come back later.”
He grabbed her hand. “No, no, you can stay.” He grinned. “I could use the company.”
She beamed. “Perfect!”
He stared at her, wondering how he had gotten so lucky that this girl just wanted to spend time with him, no matter what he was doing. The tape playing softly in the corner clicked off, startling him out of his thoughts.
“Oh, um, do you want to play something? Jerry always lets me play whatever I want as I close up.”
Chrissy cocked her head, considering. “Billy Joel?”
Eddie grimaced, but pointed over to one shelf. “That monstrosity is over there. You can pick out an album.”
He pulled the current tape out and put it back in its case. Chrissy dropped another one on the counter, and he put it in and hit play. As the first few notes of . . . whichever song this was (okay, so Billy Joel’s songs tended to blend together in his head. Sue him. He was getting better) filled the room, he jumped the counter, landing in front of Chrissy. The slight twist of her lips as she held back a grin rewarded him.
He picked up the tape he had taken from the player a minute before and waved it in her face. “And now, for my next trick, I’ll perform the daring feat of reorganizing the shelves.”
She raised her eyebrows and lifted her chin. “That does sound dangerous. Can I help?”
He shook his head quickly, hair flying. “I could never allow a lady such as yourself to join me on such a perilous journey.” He took one of her hands and spun her around, making her giggle. He flashed a smile. “You can watch, though.”
Chrissy followed him from shelf to shelf as he moved all the tapes misplaced by distracted adults, annoying teens, or bored kids trying to make pictures with the colored boxes. She told him about her day and asked about his. They discussed places they could go when he finished cleaning up, and then she admitted she had told Nancy Wheeler they were dating.
“What did she say?” he asked, carefully studying the tapes in front of him.
“She didn’t seem too surprised. “She’s known I like you for a while.”
His eyebrows shot up, and he whirled around. “Oh?”
Chrissy just grinned and nodded at the shelf. “Isn’t that the last one?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I, uh, just gotta sweep and lock up, and I’ll be ready to go.”
She sat on the counter as he swept the room in record time, then grabbed the keys. “You ready to go?” She nodded and hopped down.
Since Benny Hammond’s closed a few years ago, a new diner opened up not too far from the music store. Eddie often stopped there after work. It wasn’t fancy, but Chrissy said she didn’t mind, but could they walk over instead of driving?
They got a few weird looks as they walked in, swinging their clasped hands between them, but neither of them were strangers to staring. They ignored the looks as they slid into a booth near the back.
By the time their food came out, rain had started pouring down the windows. Chrissy winced. “Guess I shouldn’t have suggested walking.”
“Maybe it’ll clear up by the time we finish.”
It didn’t. If anything, it got worse.
They stood in the doorway of the diner, staring out at the dingy grey-ness. Eddie wished he had brought his leather jacket, or had at least thought to grab his old umbrella from the van.
He turned to Chrissy and raised an eyebrow. “You ready for an adventure?”
She lid her hand in his and buried her chin in his arm, then nodded. He pushed open the door and dragged her out into the torrent. She squealed as the cold water hit and clutched his arm tighter. The rain drenched their clothes before they walked even a block. Eddie shoved his hair back, squinting to see through the dripping mess.
“Eddie!” Chrissy tugged on his sleeve and pointed to the glass door labeled “Family Video”. He groaned. Seeing Harrington and Robin in his current state sounded like a horrible idea, but at least maybe they wouldn’t freeze to death. He pushed open the door, ushering Chrissy inside.
“Hi, Robin,” Chrissy called as Eddie stood by the door, searching for some hint of sunlight through the clouds. Of course, he could barely even see the clouds through the pouring rain, but a guy could hope, right? “Is it okay if Eddie and I hand out here a minute until the rain slows down a little?”
“Of course! We don’t–” Robin’s chipper voice dropped off suddenly, but Eddie was too focused on the rain to notice why.
Chrissy leaned up and whispered in his ear, “I think we’ve been discovered.”
He frowned and turned back to her, not sure what she was talking about. She squeezed his hand. Which she was still holding.
Oops.
“What day is it?” Robin asked suddenly, running over to a calendar on the wall. She glanced at it, then groaned loudly. “Only three days off!”
“Ha!” Harrington shouted from the storage room. Eddie’s frown deepened.
Robin looked back at Chrissy. “Wait, what day did you guys, um,” she wagged a finger between them, “get together?”
“Yesterday,” Chrissy said tentatively, a small crease forming between her brows, which was rather adorable, actually.
Robin groaned again, draping herself over the counter.
“You bet on us?” Eddie asked, narrowing his eyes. Chrissy whirled around to face him, mouth dropping open. She was far too sweet and trusting.
Robin propped her chin on the counter and spread her hands. “We’re bored. What are we supposed to do?” Harrington came out, carrying a box of VHS’s, a huge smirk on his face.
Eddie pointed at them. “I hate you both.”
“Aw, can’t take a joke, Munson?” Harrington asked.
Eddie ignored him and turned to Chrissy. “Why can’t we keep a secret?”
She grinned back at him. “Cause our friends won’t let us.”
“Steve! I got the movie out from behind the shelf!” a familiar voice called, and Eddie groaned. Suddenly the whole situation had gotten about five times worse.
Dustin burst into the room, breaking into a large smile. “Eddie!” Then his eyes drifted down to where Eddie still had Chrissy’s hand clasped in his. His eyes widened. “Holy–you guys are actually dating now?”
And yes, this was exactly how he had wanted this evening to go, thanks for asking.
The boy launched into a series of questions far too fast for him to have answered even if he wanted to (he didn’t). Chrissy stared, blinking quickly until the boy slowed down.
“Um, we started dating yesterday, and, uh, I don’t remember any of the other questions.”
“Yesterday?” A small smirk crossed Dustin’s face, and Eddie was tempted to brave the storm again. “Did you go see him play?”
Chrissy grinned, a slight blush spreading across her face. “Um, yes.”
Robin snorted. “You went to The Hideout by yourself?”
Chrissy flushed. “Not by myself! Eddie was there!”
“Right, of course, sorry,” Robin said with a smirk.
“Have you–” Dustin began, but Eddie cut him off, swiping his hand through the air.
“Enough! No more questions. None of this is your business unless we choose to share it. Got it?”
Dustin pouted a bit, but nodded, and the other two turned back to their work as though they had never stopped.
Robin glanced at the clock. “Technically, we get off work in five minutes, but we were thinking of starting a movie to wait out the storm. You guys want to join?”
Chrissy nodded and dragged Eddie over as Steve found the movie and put it in. Everyone crowded around the tiny screen and Back to the Future lit up the screen.
(“Seriously?” Dustin had asked, but Robin and Steve hushed him, muttering something about Russians and muppets and laughing hysterically. Dustin rolled his eyes.)
About halfway through the movie, the rain slowed to a drizzle. Eddie tapped Chrissy’s shoulder. “Wanna make a run for it, or stay?”
She chewed her lip. “We should probably go. If it starts up again, we don’t know how long we’ll be stuck.”
They said their goodbyes and ran to the van, only barely making it before it started pouring again. With a glance at the clock, Eddie drove her straight to the Wheelers'.
He fished out the old umbrella from the back of the van when they got there. He hopped out, opened it up, ran around to the other side, and opened Chrissy’s door. He bowed as she got out.
“Allow me to escort you, my lady.” She grinned and threaded her arm through his.
Mrs. Wheeler answered the door, stepping aside to let them in, then looked them up and down. Eddie reached for the door handle, but Mrs. Wheeler held out a hand to stop him. “Why don’t you stay a minute and I can find you something to dry off with?”
He blinked. “I, uh, what?”
“I’ll see if I can find a jacket you can borrow too, on your way home.” Eddie stared after her as she left the room.
Chrissy tapped his shoulder and grinned. “I told you she doesn’t mind.”
“Yeah, well, I’m just a little surprised because most people don’t seem to like it when someone shows up looking like a drowned rat.”
Chrissy wrinkled her nose. “You don’t look like a drowned rat.”
He grinned and let his hair fall over his face. “How about now?”
She laughed and pushed it back, standing on her toes. “I like your hair,” she said softly. She twisted the curls that had sprung up around his face around her finger. “I like it when it gets curly after you get it wet.”
Oh. He swallowed, trying not to stare as she leaned even closer. “Uh, Chrissy? Maybe you should stop.”
An indifferent mask slipped over her features as she dropped heavily back on her heels, and his heart sank. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“No! I–that’s not what I meant.” She chewed her lip and looked back at him. He lowered his voice. “I just meant . . . I really don’t think I should kiss you here.”
Her lips parted, and her eyes widened, then she grinned and tangled her fingers back in his hair.
He groaned and leaned closer (which probably wasn’t the best idea if he was trying to avoid kissing her). “You are cruel.”
“Me?” He still wasn’t sure how those big eyes of hers managed to look so innocent.
“Mmhmm.”
“Mom! Is Eddie here? I thought I saw his van–What are you doing?”
Eddie glanced up at Mike, halfway down the stairs, staring in horror at him and Chrissy, with her hands in his hair, his at her waist (how had they gotten there?) and both of them leaning perhaps a little too close.
Chrissy dropped her hands and jumped away from him. Eddie jerked his hands back and stuffed them in his pockets. “I just came to, uh, drop Chrissy off.” Mike raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Eddie cleared his throat.
“Here you are,” Mrs. Wheeler said, running back into the room with a jacket over her arm. “See if this fits.” She handed it to Eddie, who threw it over his shirt.
“Yeah, it’s great. Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler. I’ll just . . . be leaving now.”
“Bye, Eddie!” Chrissy called as he headed back into the rain.
He waved. “Bye, Chrissy!”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
Eddie raised his eyebrows pointedly. “I’m sure. How many times are you going to ask that today?”
Chrissy shrugged and twirled her hair around her finger. “Until we get there, probably.”
She bit her lip. She didn’t know what she had been thinking, asking Eddie if she could go along to a Corroded Coffin practice. The other boys had probably only agreed to be polite, and they would all be angry at her for poking her nose in where she wasn’t wanted, and they would give Eddie a hard time about it too, and then everything would fall apart, and–
“Whoa there, Chrissy. Don’t pull that hair out. It’s supposed to stay on your head, you know.” She dropped her hand.
Eddie parked the van and grabbed her hand. “It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”
She forced a small smile. “I’m just . . . worried they won’t like me.”
He grinned. “How could anybody not like you?” She couldn’t help but match his grin, then she took a deep breath and pushed open the van door.
Loud music, similar to what she had heard at The Hideout, filled the street. Eddie tapped her shoulder and directed her around to an open garage where three boys were playing. They stopped when she approached.
She lifted her hand in an almost-wave. “Hi!” She winced as her voice came out as a squeak.
Eddie came up behind her, leaning down to keep his head mostly level with hers. He put his hand on her shoulder and gestured to each boy. “Chrissy, this is Gareth, Jeff, and Grant. Boys, you all know Chrissy.”
Gareth and Grant nodded without making eye contact. Jeff muttered, “hi.” Chrissy chewed her lip.
“I, um, just wanted to say I thought you all did amazing during your performance the other night,” she said.
Grant raised a suspicious eyebrow. “You liked it?”
She nodded vigorously, and Eddie chuckled. “Her favorite song is still Uptown Girl, but I’m doing my best to make a metalhead of her yet, right, Chrissy?” He winked and flashed her a bright smile. She grinned back.
“So, uh, Jeff said you guys are dating now . . . or something,” Gareth said carefully, fixing his eyes on the drums. “That true?”
“Or something?” Eddie asked, narrowing his eyes at Jeff. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jeff’s eyes darted over to Chrissy for a second, then dropped to study his hands. “Nothing.”
Eddie kept staring, and Jeff shifted as though he could feel it. He shrugged. “Just that I’ve never actually seen you two hang out before I saw you kissing in the back of The Hideout, so–” He glanced up, meeting Eddie’s dangerous gaze, and shook his head quickly. “Nothing, nothing. Glad you two are finally dating, Chrissy.”
She bit her lip and tugged on her sweater, wishing she didn’t blush so easily. She let her hair fall into her face.
Wait.
She peeked through the strawberry-blond curtain. “What did you mean ‘finally’? Did you know Eddie’s had a crush on me since middle school?”
And suddenly Gareth looked delighted. “Oh, so he told you, did he?”
“Yeah, yeah, I told her, alright? Now, are we gonna practice or not?” Chrissy giggled as she found yet another example of how all the bravado in the world couldn’t hide Eddie’s blush.
“Did he tell you he liked that routine you did for the talent show back in middle school?” Grant asked, a smirk now engraved on his face.
Chrissy grinned. “Yes, he did.”
“Grant–” Eddie began, but Jeff cut him off.
“Did he tell you he used to stand in the corner beside the bleachers during pep rallies sometimes?”
Chrissy’s jaw dropped and she turned to Eddie. “I thought you hated those!”
“I did! I do!” He crossed his arms over his chest, tucking his hands under his arms. “Guys–”
Gareth leaned over the drums, grinning from ear to ear now. “Did he tell you he was nervous the whole day until your little drug deal, but then afterwards he couldn’t stop grinning and humming to himself?” Chrissy’s flush must have given the answer, because the boy sat back, flashing Eddie a contented smirk. “Of course, we didn’t know why until we found your note . . .”
Eddie threw up his hands. “Alright, since you’re clearly all having so much fun without me, I’m leaving.” He stomped off, towards his van.
“You sure you want to do that?” Gareth called. “You’ll never know what stories we tell her. Can you keep a secret, Cunningham?” He winked at her.
“She cannot keep a secret,” Eddie shouted back, though he had stopped and turned around by now. “I’ll get everything out of her in ten minutes.”
“Are you sure?” Chrissy asked, tilting her head innocently. “I won’t have to lie if you don’t know what to ask.”
Eddie frowned and his eyebrows drew together, clearly trying to look mean, but Chrissy was sure she wasn’t the only one who saw straight through his thinly-veiled pout. “Why is everyone so mean to me?”
“Because you’re our friend,” Chrissy said with a smile as the other boys laughed.
He pointed at her. “Tell me the truth. Did you just ask me to bring you here so you all could gang up on me?”
Chrissy giggled, and Eddie narrowed his eyes, but she shook her head. “I wanted to meet your friends, and hear you play again before I have to leave.”
“Then maybe we should actually play,” Eddie said with a hard look at each of the snickering boys.
Grant shrugged, trying to cover his smirk. “Fine with me.”
It was nothing like the performance she had heard earlier that week. They stopped a lot to argue over tempo, or what note was someone’s cue to come in, or whether that song was really a good choice. They repeated parts over and over and over until they were perfect, and sometimes Gareth had to dig through his tape collection and find the song they were trying to play to end an argument on what that guitar solo was supposed to sound like.
Chrissy loved every minute of it. She clapped after every song, no matter how many times they had played it, and eventually Grant stopped glancing at her nervously and started chuckling when she did.
“Did you have fun?” Eddie asked as he drove her back to the Wheelers' house that evening.
She nodded. “I really liked it. I think you’re going to sound great next Tuesday.”
He grinned and tapped his fingers on the wheel. “So, it was better than you thought?”
“Mmhmm.” She tugged on her hair and grinned over at him. “I think they kinda liked me.”
Eddie laughed. “I told you they would. And what did you think?” He didn’t look at her as he asked the question, and his tapping sped up.
She laid her hand over his for a second. “I liked them. Your friends seem nice.”
His shoulders relaxed, just a bit. “Good, I’m glad.”
- Stranger Things
- Can't Trust ANYONE Around Here
- Eddie Munson
- Chrissy Cunningham
- Nancy Wheeler
- Robin Buckley
- Steve Harrington
- Dustin Henderson
- Mike Wheeler
- Corroded Coffin Members
- Eddie X Chrissy