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moonchildreads · 1 year ago

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small town

Chapter 24 - Up Where We Belong

IN THIS CHAPTER: Graduation gowns, strawberry milkshakes, and Wayne asks a question [9.9k]

WARNINGS: dealing with grief (nancy, dottie, eddie to a less extent), writer not knowing how graduations are in the us

A/N: happy new year!!!! i hope everyone is having a wonderful start of 2024, here's your belated christmas gift from yours truly. if you read this and think "that's not how that works", then i don't know what to tell you bestie but i tried. i watched a TON of graduation ceremonies on youtube and i pulled heavily from those, aside from borrowing things from my own not-american graduation. i hope you enjoy it anyways! (and let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist!) <3

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All we have is here and now All our life, out there to find

Friday, June 13th - 1986

Wayne Munson had walked the halls of Hawkins High School several times throughout recent years courtesy of his nephew’s misbehaving, but never making it past Principal Higgins’ office was turning out to be a problem. Resigned, he stomped on his cigarette gently before following a family that looked like they knew where they were going, regretting not taking up Eddie’s offer to escort him inside before he disappeared in search of his friends and fellow graduates. Graduation. Ain’t that a funny thing to think about, Wayne mused. The auditorium, he noted as he finally found it, was decorated in bright orange and calming forest green, a Class of 1986 paper banner hanging from the dark curtain that was doing its job as an unassuming background at the very back of the room. On the stage, there was a regal-looking wooden lectern, and a small table with stacked up rolls of paper tied with orange and green ribbons; next to it, a bunch of black chairs where teachers would probably be sitting during the event had been carefully lined up into a single row.

Excitement filled the air. It was in the murmurs of the people taking their seats, skimming their programs to proudly find the names of their kids printed on the semi-matte paper. It was in the way the school’s faculty could not stand still, barely having time to say hello to everyone walking in before they were off to check yet another little detail so everything could go as smoothly as possible. Wayne walked down the central aisle trying to find a good spot to sit in while feeling a bead of sweat go down his back. The last time he’d worn a suit, any suit, had been to his mother’s funeral eight years before; in fact, he still only owned that one suit. The temperature in Hawkins was steadily rising as June turned into July, and Wayne felt incredibly stuffy in his clothes but he didn’t dare wear anything less for such a special day. Eddie had defied all odds and was now a High School Graduate, the first Munson to walk to stage in three generations. Truth be told, his Uncle was willing to bet that he was actually the first one to do so in their entire family history, and thus, Wayne wore the suit, and the shirt, and the tie, and searched for a seat near the front to witness his nephew doing the exact opposite of what the whole town had always expected him to do: succeed.

Bianca, Donny’s mom, was fussing over her youngest grandson, Francesco, when she saw Wayne looking a little lost in the crowd and waved at him to wordlessly invite him to sit with them. The eldest Munson approached them with a smile, settling himself on the row behind the Vitale family who was so very busy trying to keep little Francesco and his (barely) older cousin Marco from running down the aisles and bothering other families.

“Good to see y’all made it,” Wayne commented, shaking Donny’s dad Angelo’s hand before turning to Vittoria, Donny’s heavily pregnant older sister. “Though I coulda sworn I heard you were on bed rest, missy.”

“I am, but what my doctor doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” she laughed, hand resting over her swollen belly. “This little lady hasn’t stopped kicking me all day, I think she’s more excited than I am to finally be outside the house!”

“It’s a special day, I’m sure the doctor won’t mind too much as long as we take it slow,” her husband said, kissing the side of her head. “Say hi to Mr. Munson, Marco.”

“Hi!” the little boy said, standing between his parents’ seats. “Whose Grandpa are you?”

“Marco!” his dad exclaimed, but Wayne laughed loudly.

“That’s not a grandpa, you dummy! That’s Eddie’s dad,” said Francesco, before grabbing his cousin’s hand and leading him towards Nonna Giulia down the row in search of the candy she always kept in her purse.

“I’m sorry,” Vittoria said with an apologetic smile. “They read this picture book about families at pre-school and now he thinks all men with white hair are grandpas.”

“Ah, it’s fine. I know I’m not gettin’ any younger,” Wayne joked, his eyes straying to the side of the auditorium where the seniors were finally getting ushered into formation.

The Vitale family craned their necks to see their boy, and Wayne in turn searched for his: Eddie was standing near Jeff towards the middle of the line, the two of them engaged in conversation as they waited for everyone to get into their respective places. It wasn’t that Eddie wasn’t paying attention to what his friend was saying; he was clearly answering back and keeping the chat going, but it seemed to his Uncle that he was searching for someone in the crowd, eyes scanning rows of unknown family members for a face he hadn’t yet found. Wayne was about to lift his hand to let him know where he was sitting, but it soon became apparent that Eddie hadn’t been looking for him - he had been looking for the short haired girl who had just ran into the auditorium with a panicked look on her face and an askew cap on her head.

Dottie hurried over to where her classmates were standing, enveloping a curly haired girl Wayne wasn’t familiar with at the very back of the line in an enthusiastic hug before doing the same with Donny. Wayne saw with an amused smile how Eddie waited patiently for his turn while she hugged Jeff, and how all his anxiety looked like it was melting away as he embraced her, eyes closed and face buried in her hair. After saying their hellos, Dottie kept walking to the front of the line where she greeted a strawberry blonde girl with excited hops and shared an equally loving hug with both her and Gareth. Her dad watched her with a fond smile from his place near the doors, a program held tightly in his hands. Taking pity on the poor man who Wayne knew was attending the event alone much like he was, he motioned for James to join their mismatched group who gladly took the offer, walking briskly towards the still empty seat next to Eddie’s uncle. James greeted Donny’s family before getting comfortable on his wooden chair and let a long breath out. Finally.

“Long morning?” Wayne asked, knowingly.

“Be grateful you don’t have a teenage girl in your house, Wayne. It was near impossible to get here on time,” James scoffed.

“Can’t be worse than Ed’s allergy to his damn alarm clock. It went off for a whole 15 minutes before he got up today.”

“Did it wake you up?”

“Nah. Was already up reading the paper but I wasn’t about to turn it off for him. He just rolls over and keeps sleeping if I do,” he said, and James shook his head with an affectionate smile on his face.

“Teenagers, right?”

“Yup. Teenagers.”

Over the few short months Wayne and James had known each other, they had learned to appreciate the quiet but hard work the other did for their respective kid. It wasn’t easy to be a single father, and even though Wayne wasn’t Eddie’s biological dad, there was no doubt in James’ mind that he fulfilled that role wonderfully in the boy’s life and heart. The Munsons and the Burkes had gone through a lot over the years, that much was undeniable, but on that hot Friday morning both fathers could be proud that their kids had made it to the other side relatively unharmed, all the while somehow finding each other to rely on along the way. If Dottie and Eddie were going to be inseparable all summer as they had been since the day they met, it was only fair James and Wayne got to compare notes on parenting and commiserate over the little annoying things they’d miss once the kids had left the comforting safety of their family homes.

Before they could continue their talk however, teachers began herding the seniors into a neat single file and getting into their places on the stage, Principal Higgins taking his spot behind the lectern. Excitement amplified as the crowd hushed - only suppressed coughs and a few little children’s voices could be heard in the quiet room. Wayne saw Higgins approach the mic and took a deep breath letting the pride he’d been feeling all morning take over him. The heat of the almost-here summer was forgotten outside in the parking lot, along with his smushed cigarette butt and the heavy weight he’d been carrying since a CPS agent left a scared 8-year-old Eddie on his doorstep all those years ago.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Hawkins High School Principal Thomas Higgins,” the man began, voice booming across the room with the aid of loudspeakers; Dorothy peered at him over the shoulder of the taller girl standing in front of her. “On behalf of the faculty, staff, and administration of Hawkins High, we’d like to welcome family and friends, and most importantly, to our seniors to the Commencement Exercises of the Graduating Class of 1986.”

Higgins paused for effect and the crowd followed his cue by breaking into happy applause - the aforementioned seniors gleefully waved to the few family members they could find within the sea of heads straining to look at them. The Class of ‘86 stood patiently to the side towards the back of the auditorium, waiting to be called into the main aisle where their names would be announced one by one and they’d go up the stage, accept their diploma, and go back downstairs to the rows of chairs at the front left that had been reserved for them. The full graduating class was small, no more than 40 students, and Dottie wondered how different things would have been for her if she were graduating with her New York classmates in a year that comprised around 400 kids instead of doing it in Hawkins, Indiana.

“Please, rise from your seats and join us in singing the National Anthem, followed by the Hawkins High School Spirit Song,” Higgins announced, and the sound of creaking wooden chairs filled the air as everyone followed his request.

Dottie sang along to the National Anthem without thinking too much about it, but when the first notes of the Hawkins High school song came through the speakers, she realized she had no idea what the lyrics were. No one had told her they’d be singing it during their only rehearsal, and certainly no one had spared a moment to teach it to her in the last six months. She wasn’t even sure she knew a spirit song even existed before that very moment. Eyes surveying over the crowd of family members, she saw that most if not all were singing along - the only ones not joining in were probably those who hadn’t attended Hawkins High and lived in a different town, perhaps even in a different state altogether. Heat rising up her chest under her dark green gown, she turned her head to the front, feeling very much like an outsider amongst her peers for the first time in months. Bryan Butler right behind her sang louder as the song was ending and she tried to not call attention to herself to let him take the spotlight. Once the music stopped, Principal Higgins neared the lectern to continue his speech.

“Thank you, you may be seated now,” Higgins said, and the wooden creaking resumed for a second as everyone sat back down to watch the rest of the ceremony. “The Hawkins High School Class of 1986 has experienced many memorable moments over the last four years, and Hawkins is proud of how these young graduates have worked and persevered through hard times to get to this day. We as faculty could not be prouder or more thrilled to celebrate with them, and we look forward to sending them off onto the next chapter in their lives. Parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and other family members, we are honored to have you here today as our guests to celebrate our graduates and we thank you for your support. Please clap along as the Class of 1986 proceeds to their places.”

The speakers began playing Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 in D and the crowd broke into fervent applause once more, Michael Allen leading the way for his fellow seniors to stand in the central aisle right below the middle set of stairs where they’d wait to be called to the stage. As they fell into their designated spots, Dottie finally recognized who had been assigned to stand right in front of her; it was Robin Buckley, the shy band nerd she had met at Family Video a few weeks earlier and briefly bonded with over their shared love of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. She was wearing white Converse sneakers with little drawings in blue and black ink, and the edges of her black rolled up jeans could be seen poking below her gown. She’s so cool, Dottie thought, not knowing that Robin was desperately trying not to scan the audience lest her nerves paralyzed her. Not even painting her nails bright orange had saved them from being chewed on this time around.

“Hawkins High School’s Class of 1986 was given the opportunity to choose a member of our staff to read their names as they cross the stage today,” Principal Higgins explained as three people already on stage stood from their seats. “I am honored to announce that this year, our Assistant Principal Mrs. Elaine Chandler will present the diplomas to our newest graduates. Mrs. Suzanne O’Donnell, Mr. Leopold Hauser, and myself will present them with their diploma cover, graduation medallions, and honor cords if applicable. Elaine?” he motioned for her to switch places with him.

“Thank you, Principal Higgins,” said Assistant Principal Elaine Chandler, adjusting her glasses on her nose as she looked down the list of names in front of her. “Allen, Michael,” she called first from behind the lectern, and the crowd clapped as Michael went up to her and received a hug and a rolled up certificate before moving down the stage towards the other teachers to shake their hands.

Dottie’s palms began sweating as more names kept being called and her time as a Hawkins High student slowly came to an end. Even though she had felt very much like an intruder looking in through a window during her first few months in the town, she had to admit that was happy here now - certainly much more happier than she’d ever been back in New York. Here all the teachers knew her name without having to read it from a file. Here she had a group of friends she’d go to literal Hell and back for, and she had a boyfriend who loved her the way she’d always thought love should be: easy and gentle. Here she had attended the best prom of her life, and her face would be permanently attached to a club that had given her the safety she’d never gotten anywhere else to finally, truthfully, be herself. Here Dottie had been at home.

While Barnes, Kathleen was getting her extracurricular honor cords for being part of the cheerleading team, Mrs. Chandler called upon Buckley, Robin and Dottie suddenly found herself at the front of the line. Robin climbed the steps with as much grace as she could muster while being pretty much mortified, and Mrs. Chandler soothed her with friendly pats on her back before presenting her with her diploma. The tall girl accepted it with shaky hands, her rings glinting under the stage lights, when a loud cheer rang above the polite applause of the crowd. Robin laughed, half embarrassed and half grateful, and when Dottie turned to see where the sounds were coming from, she found not only Dustin and Erica hooting and hollering besides a couple who were clearly Robin’s parents, but also that Steve guy that worked at Family Video with her, the one that Robin had described as her strictly platonic best friend with a capital P. It looked like retail did bond you forever after all.

Mr. and Mrs. Buckley looked between confused and amused as Steve pinched his bottom lip and let out a loud whistle - a chortle escaped Robin’s mouth while a cheerful Mr. Hauser, who had been her favorite teacher all four years of high school, put her graduation medallion around her neck, nerves all but forgotten before she skipped her way down to Mrs. O’Donnell to receive her extracurricular honor cords for being in band. Huh, that’s curious, Dottie thought distractedly. Didn’t know Dustin and Erica were such good friends with her and Steve. I wonder how they met.

“Burke, Dorothy,” called Mrs. Chandler through the speakers, jostling Dottie out of her musings.

This was it. The moment of truth. Dottie climbed the stairs and accepted a hug from Mrs. Chandler, hearing her friends cheering for her loudly in the background when her damp fingers came into contact with her diploma. She glanced at the crowd and time seemed to stop when her eyes found her Dad, a proud smile on his face and his program tucked under his armpit so he could clap loudly for his daughter. She waved at him and Wayne, who had also stood up to cheer for her, and time resumed after a blinding flash went off and she was whisked along to where the rest of the teachers were standing. She shook hands with both Principal Higgins and Mr. Hauser even though she hardly knew both men, and accepted her diploma cover and her graduation medallion before turning towards Mrs. O’Donnell. She was about to hug her teacher when the old woman presented her with her own honor cords, entwined green and orange ending in delicate tassels dangling from her manicured hands.

“That’s not- I’m not-” Dottie began.

“You have one of the highest GPAs in your year, besides being involved in two extracurriculars. Congratulations, Miss Burke. You’ve earned this,” O’Donnell said, and it was perhaps the only time in the whole semester Dottie had seen her genuinely smile.

“T-thank you,” she managed to get out, letting the woman drape the cords on her shoulders and rushing to her seat before she began bawling on stage.

“Hey, congrats!” Robin whispered once they were both seated next to each other, shaking her own cords lightly. The ceremony continued with no regards to their little chat.

“You too! Didn’t know I had qualified for any of this, I think everyone saw me have an aneurism up there.”

“Nah, everyone’s too nervous about not tripping down the stairs on their way back, don’t worry about it.”

“Coleman, Gareth,” Mrs. Chandler announced, grabbing Dottie’s attention.

Carver, Jason hadn’t even reached the sidestage stairs to go down after accepting his diploma when Gareth, in his haste to get everything over with, tried to climb two steps at a time and got his feet tangled in his dark green gown. Cunningham, Chrissy, who was right behind him, quickly caught his arm before he could lose balance and hit the floor. He quietly thanked her with red cheeks and embarrassed eyes before he finally went up the stairs, one step at a time. Chrissy went back to the front of the line while other classmates around Dottie and Robin snickered at the little mishap; Gareth accepted his diploma and other paraphernalia, and got the hell off the stage as quickly as humanly possible.

“Thank God that wasn’t me,” Robin muttered, and Dottie grimaced in agreement.

Gareth ended up awkwardly sitting between Jason and Chrissy, but much to his relief, they had all been assigned to the row behind Dottie. Taking advantage of the proximity, he leaned forward to talk to his friend as the ceremony progressed and Chrissy quickly joined, stopping to give Dottie a kiss on her cheek from her seat behind her as a second greeting. Jason watched the scene unfold and asked himself when had his girlfriend started hanging out with people he didn’t know. He thought he knew everything about Chrissy - when had that changed and to what extent? Selfishly, he couldn’t help but think about what the future would look like for them when they left for college. Chrissy was headed to OSU and he would be at Indiana State, almost four hours and more than 250 miles between them. Would this be their last summer together? He didn’t like to entertain that thought.

Davis, Monica, Foster, Kyle, and Hanson, Randall were some of the names they didn’t pay much attention to until Humphrey, Andrew was called to the stage. Jason distracted himself from his anxiety over his relationship possibly having an expiration date by clapping loudly for his best friend. Dottie and Gareth shared a mischievous look: Andy wasn’t wearing any bandages on his nose anymore, but the dark purple shadow under his eye was still very visible with the bright stage lights illuminating his face. After him came Hurley, Marcie, one of Dot’s colleagues from the newspaper club, and Kemper, Lucy, the girl who had sold almost everyone their prom tickets. Morgan, Theresa was on stage when Dottie realized she knew almost all the people in her graduating class by name now, even if they had never spoken to one another before. In New York, she’d never known the names of all the people within a single class, not since elementary school at least. She wondered if they remembered her, but then decided she didn’t care that the answer was probably a resounding no.

When Munson, Edward was called to the stage, Dottie and Gareth stood up to make as much noise as possible, both infinitely proud of the long haired boy with the charming eyes who was accepting the one piece of paper that had seemed so elusive all this time. Dustin and Erica hollered at him, and the rest of the Hellfire Club, still in line waiting to accept their diplomas, joined them in their antics. When Principal Higgins went in for a handshake, Eddie pulled him into a hug; the older man laughed and let it happen, a sort of fondness for the metalhead’s unwavering resilience present in their interaction. He accepted his medallion and his own honor cords for being the Chapter Leader of a student organization, and just before he climbed off, he approached the edge of the stage with a dazzling grin.

“Here it comes,” Dottie muttered, anticipating her boyfriend to give the middle finger to the entire town and bolt as he had declared he’d do on multiple occasions.

What Eddie did instead was find his Uncle in the crowd and bow deeply in his direction as people clapped for him like it was the end of a play. Wayne pretended to not be choking back tears as his nephew got off the stage, lips pursed behind his fingers trying to hide the grin threatening to break out on his face.

“Coward,” Gareth said, and Chrissy hit him in the shoulder.

There was no time for Eddie to do anything more but find his seat, because immediately after him came Patton, Jeffrey, and exactly ten names later, came Vitale, Donatello. The teachers laughed and cooed at his excited nephews jumping up and down the aisle, cheering for his favorite Uncle. One day in the not so distant future, they’d probably be handing them their diplomas too. Just how many faces in the crowd had walked through these same halls, attended the same classes, and some of them even had the same teachers as the Class of ‘86? A much younger and recently married O’Donnell, a Higgins as a History teacher prior to his Principal days, a Kaminski after his eldest son had just been born. Never before had the kids in the Hellfire Club felt as much part of the Hawkins High community as they did now - it almost felt unfair that they had to permanently leave the place to finally feel that way.

“And last, but certainly not least,” said Mrs. Chandler when there was only one person left to climb up the stage. “-Wheeler, Nancy, the valedictorian for the Class of 1986 who will say a few words for us and her fellow graduates after receiving her diploma.”

The crowd broke once again in loud applause as a red cheeked Nancy in her dark green gown and bright orange valedictorian stole greeted all her teachers with a few flashcards containing her speech in her hand. Karen Wheeler looked at her daughter with shiny eyes, infinitely proud of her little girl that’d grown into a smart, capable woman right in front of her. In a few months she’d be far away, following her dreams, and taking a piece of her mother’s hopes with her as she did so, but none of her fears. Holly raised her arms, silently asking to be lifted up so she could see better, and Karen picked up her youngest daughter, pointing at her big sister in the distance so she could wave at her. Nancy took her place behind the lectern and looked at the audience, a carefully put together mask over bittersweet eyes that Dottie had almost become used to seeing on her friend. If she stared into a mirror too deeply, she could recognize the dents in her skin of her own mask, now laying shattered at her feet.

“Honorable guests, Principal Higgins, Hawkins High School faculty, academic and supporting staff, friends, families, and graduates - good morning,” Nancy began, voice soft but pleasantly clear. “It is with great pride that I stand here before you on such a special occasion to deliver this speech, which I promise I’ll try to keep short and sweet,” she lightheartedly smiled at her audience before she grew solemn once more. “However, before I start, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silence to commemorate the students and family members who could not be here today with us, and to remember the victims of the Starcourt Mall Fire on July 4th, 1985.”

Not a sound could be heard for a few heartbeats, and Dottie watched the faces of the town she’d come to love morph from amused to weary. There was real mourning here, a deep gash left open in a community that couldn’t heal properly because some wounds were just too deep to scab over. Eddie had told her everything he knew about what had happened, the official story everyone that hadn’t been involved in the tragedy repeated when asked, and her heart constricted when she saw Dustin and Erica in their seats with their heads down. They looked downright haunted. Steve sat next to them, watching over them with such turmoil in his eyes that Dottie had to wonder if there was something they were all missing about what happened. Had Steve also been in the mall with them? Had Robin, who was quietly sitting next to her like she was reliving a horror movie behind her eyes, her fingers absentmindedly tangling and untangling themselves in her honor cords?

Karen, sitting next to her unaware husband and emotionally closed off son, took a few deep breaths to keep her tears at bay and gently kissed Holly’s head before shifting her baby on her lap to hold her against her chest more tightly, like someone could snatch her off her arms at any given moment. Dottie twisted her mom’s engagement ring on her left middle finger and bit the inside of her cheek while blinking away the wetness gathering on her lash line. Not now, she scolded herself. Later.

“Thank you,” Nancy said, breaking the silence and moving onto her next flashcard. “Four years ago, we arrived at Hawkins High as children, and we are now leaving as young adults with our whole lives ahead of us. Some will go on to college, others will enter the workforce, but all of us will take the lessons learned here and let them guide us to become who we were always meant to be,” she turned to look to her side. “I'd like to thank our teachers for sharing their knowledge with us, for being patient and pushing us to achieve great things. With their help, our Hawkins High Mathletes reached their first ever state finals and brought home the silver medal earlier this year.”

There was a loud cheer coming from somewhere in the auditorium that sounded very much like Rick Stewart, exiting Captain of the Hawkins High Mathletes. Some people laughed goodnaturedly and joined in, the teachers clapping proudly at their labor being recognized. Nancy smiled and continued, knowing the applause would only get louder as she read the next part of her speech.

“I'd like to thank our coaches and counselors for making school more than just homework. You taught us about discipline, teamwork, and integrity, which led our basketball team to win the 1A North Central Conference Championship for the first time in 22 years,” the applause that followed was deafening, and it took several minutes for it to die down before Nancy could keep going. “I'd like to thank our families for supporting us in more ways that we could ever count, for chaperoning our dances and field trips, cheering for us at our sporting events, and attending all our plays with so much love and commitment, that our Drama Club was able to extend their winter run of West Side Story with a packed audience every night until their closure.”

The cheers this time were much more subdued, yet polite and sustained enough to not be embarrassing to the Drama Club members and their families in the audience. It was clear, however, where the town’s loyalties stood: Indiana’s love for basketball was known throughout the country, and Hawkins wasn’t the exception to the rule. Nancy looked at her graduating class and grabbed the last two flashcards in her pile.

“No one achieves success alone, and we are truly grateful for the help and guidance we’ve received during our years as Hawkins Tigers. However, if my classmates indulge me for a second, I’d like to ask each of you to think about a moment where you felt proud of yourself. Think about the things you’ve accomplished here, and the challenges you’ve overcome. A great woman by the name of Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, you gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Our time as Hawkins High School students has come to an end. We did it, Class of ‘86. We did the thing we thought we couldn’t do, and we’ve learned that we can take the next thing that comes along, so keep moving forward. I’m proud of you, and I hope you are too. Thank you, and congratulations to us all.”

Dottie followed Nancy with her eyes as she shook Principal Higgins’ hand once more and left the stage towards her seat. Her hands were shaking lightly, and her lips were pursed, but she almost looked lighter, like she’d left significant weight behind that had nothing to do with public speaking related nerves. Nancy’s speech had been beautiful, there were no doubts about that, but it was strange to think about someone like her looking at her high school years as something that had been horrific to live through. She was popular enough to not have been bullied, pretty enough to have been desired and looked up to, smart and well-off enough to never have to worry about not fitting in.

High school was certainly hard for almost everyone, but the way Nancy had spoken about it left a familiar bitter taste in Dottie’s mouth. If Eddie had been right when retelling her the town’s recent strange happenings, Nancy had probably been thinking about her friend Barb when writing her speech. She would have most likely graduated alongside her, maybe she’d be headed to a nearby college where the two girls could still see each other often, or to a completely different one across the country and they’d have to call every weekend with updates on their new lives. Holland, Barbara should have been called up to the stage between Hall, Suzanne and Humphrey, Andrew, but now she was just another name added to the always-growing list of people who ought to have been there, but ultimately couldn’t be.

“Thank you for that inspiring speech, Miss Wheeler,” said Principal Higgins, returning to his place behind the lectern to close out the ceremony. “Graduating is an amazing achievement for these students, and we here at Hawkins High are excited to see the things they’ll accomplish in the future. By the authority vested in me by the Governor of the State of Indiana, Mr. Robert D. Orr, I confer the appropriate diplomas for the Class of 1986. Graduates, please move your tassels to the left,” he smiled at his now former students. “Congratulations Tigers, you can now throw your hats!”

As they had been instructed during rehearsals, they threw their hats directly above them, not wanting to lose them on the way down before they could take pictures with them but in the excitement and elation of the graduates, some caps ended up on the floor, prompting kids to search for the lost items under their chairs while their classmates cheered above them and congratulated one another. Dottie hugged Robin again while Principal Higgins said his goodbyes through the loudspeaker without anyone really hearing him, families eager to leave the auditorium and get into their cars quickly to avoid the inevitable bottleneck at the entrance of the parking lot.

“Thank you all for coming and being part of this special moment,” Higgins said, voice ringing above the loud chatter and scraping of chairs. “Please drive safe and have a good weekend!”

“Dad!” Dottie called upon seeing James talking to Gareth’s family near their cars. He waved at her in acknowledgment and she turned to her friend to say her goodbyes. “I’ll call you as soon as I have my new schedule down, okay? We can go to the movies some day!”

“I’m gonna go see family up North next week, but I’ll call you when I get back,” Chrissy said, arm still tangled with hers. “We have to go see the new Karate Kid coming out soon, Ralph Macchio is so cute.”

“I’m not even gonna correct you on that because I do wanna see it with you, but just know I think you’re crazy,” the brunette said, laughing at her friend.

“Well, excuse me, bad boys aren’t everyone’s type,” the blonde retorted, a secretive grin gracing her fairy-like features before she pulled her into a goodbye hug. “I’m gonna miss you!”

“We’ll see each other soon! You go have a great trip, forget about this boring town for a while.”

After the girls said their goodbyes and went in separate directions, Dottie watched Chrissy greet her family with curious eyes. She didn’t know much about the Cunninghams and was surprised to see that her newest and most unlikely friend had a little brother she had never mentioned before. He must have not been the right age to be in high school yet or he’d probably be under Jason’s overprotective wing, especially if he was athletic like his big sister.

Chrissy might have looked small and dainty, but there was a certain fierceness cheerleaders had in their step - their aura had been painstakingly trained to command a room and demand attention. And yet, Dottie noticed that as Chrissy turned from her unassuming Dad to her elegant Mother, the brightness she radiated seemed to dim ever so slightly, even if her charming smile stayed in place.

“There you are! I was looking for you everywhere,” James exclaimed, her thoughts instantly lost to the wind. “Congratulations, honey. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Dottie melted into his hug, knocking her cap even more askew with his shoulder. “They gave me honor cords, did you see? I didn’t know I had earned them!”

“I’m seeing them now! You worked so hard, good job.”

“Congratulations, sweetie!” Lydia, Gareth’s mom, said, pulling her into a hug. “Have you met Gretchen yet? Gare’s big sister?”

“Hey, congrats,” Gretchen said with a polite smile on her face.

“Thank you, hi! It’s nice to finally meet you, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Likewise,” Gretchen said, eyes sparkling with mischief as she saw Gareth approach with two more kids toddling behind him. “I’m always really curious to meet any girl who would even talk to my brother in the first place, but you seem normal enough.”

“Oh my god, shut up,” Gareth said, and Erica snickered.

“Honestly, he’s lucky we’re nice to him,” the middle-grader joined in, making Gareth groan in annoyance.

“You’re my friend, you’re supposed to be on my side!”

“Congrats, Dot!” Dustin said, hugging the older girl from her right side, prompting Erica to cuddle up to her on the left. “We’re super proud of you.”

“Aw, Dus,” she pouted, leaning her head on his. He really was like the little brother she’d always wanted and never had. “Thank you, you’re so sweet. I’m happy you two could be here!”

“It was fun! We enjoyed it.”

“I saw you guys with that Steve guy earlier, did you come with him?”

“You know Steve?” Dustin said, curious.

“Yeah, he works at Family Video with Robin!” Dottie said.

“You know Robin?” it was Erica’s turn to ask.

“Uh, yeah, we’re classmates? She was sitting next to me throughout the ceremony- wait, how do you know them? What am I missing here?”

“Nothing! Steve’s, uh- Steve’s our babysitter!” Dustin hurried to say. “Did you know he used to date Nancy a while ago? That’s how we met, through Nancy. And we know Robin through Steve. Hawkins is a very small place.”

“W-what? Nancy and…”

“Yeah, she dumped him in front of everyone at a party and he’s been all mopey and sad since then,” Erica said, prompting Dustin to elbow her. “What? Just the facts!”

“Uh…,” Dottie looked at Gareth, dumbfounded.

“Anyway,” Dustin continued, aware that multiple eyes were on him. “He’s our babysitter.”

“Dustin, you’re fifteen,” Gareth laughed. “You’re a little old to still have a babysitter.”

“My Mom’s protective of me, okay? I’m an only child.”

“And he’s a good babysitter?” Dottie asked, amused.

“The best. Steve’s… yeah, Steve’s great. More like an older brother figure than a babysitter,” Dustin smiled, clearly fond of the older boy. “You should hang out with him, I think you’d like each other.”

“Stop. Just stop,” said Erica, knowing where Dustin was headed.

“What?” he shrugged, feigning innocence.

“Alright, let’s take some pictures!” said Lydia, not having paid any attention to the kids’ conversation.

While they were in the middle of taking photos, the remaining Hellfire Class of ‘86 joined the group with their respective families. Eddie snuck up behind Dottie while she was distracted taking a picture with Jeff and picked her up, arms encircling her middle and spinning her around while she giggled unabashedly, hands coming to rest on his forearms when he put her down but didn’t let go. Wayne had to hide a chuckle while he talked to the other parents; his nephew really wasn’t as smooth and mysterious as he thought he was, and Wayne had been around the sun too many times to not recognize what he was seeing between Eddie and his little lady friend. Gretchen, in turn, looked at Donny and lifted an eyebrow at him quizzically.

“What have I missed?” she quietly said, a smirk lifting the corner of her lips. She’d always liked Donny the best out of all his brother’s friends, and was aware that as much of a good confidant as he was, he never shied away from gossip.

“He said he wanted to wait until after graduation to ask her out so I don’t think anything has happened yet,” Donny muttered back, crossing his arms and leaning closer to her friend’s big sister. “They’re totally gone for each other, though.”

“You don’t say,” Gretchen said and turned to Erica who looked very interested in their conversation. “What do you think?”

“I think he’s too chicken to ask her out,” Erica laughed. “But they have been looking really cozy lately. That’s suspicious.”

“Eddie knows she’s into him,” Donny said, making Erica’s eyes widen. “Forgot to tell you about that.”

“You bastard, I thought we had a good thing going and you’re withholding information from me? Nuh-uh, this is betrayal. I want reparations.”

“Oh, she’s feisty,” Gretchen said.

“Come to the restaurant this weekend, I’ll give you ice cream and we can catch up and compare notes,” Donny offered, genuinely interested in keeping his friendship with the fiery younger girl intact. “But it has to be this weekend, Dot starts working with us on Monday.”

“How big is that ice cream?”

“Big as you want.”

“Deal,” she put out her hand for them to shake on it, but it was merely a formality - Donatello Vitale had no intentions of ever crossing the one and only Erica Sinclair again.

As families began saying their goodbyes and heading to their cars, it soon became clear that Eddie and Dottie did not want the festivities to end so fast. They’d already taken multiple photos with everyone and with each other, waved Dustin and Erica off as they climbed into Steve’s red BMW, and even said hello to the Wheelers, but they would just not leave each other’s side, always fluttering around one another no matter what was happening. If James thought anything strange about it, he didn’t mention it, but as Wayne looked at his nephew’s beaming smile, he realized he didn’t have the heart to cut his happiness short when there was such an easy solution to their problem.

“You two have any plans for lunch?” Wayne asked James, finishing up another smoke.

“Not really, no. I was thinking of picking up some burgers to celebrate. Why? You have any suggestions?”

“Well, me an’ Eddie like to go to the diner down on Randolph on special occasions. Thought you might want to join us,” he smiled at the kids who were now both staring at him expectantly.

“Can we go, Dad?” Dottie asked with hopeful eyes. “They have crinkle fries - you love crinkle fries!”

“That’s really kind of you, Wayne, but we don’t want to intrude,” James was saying, but Eddie hurried forward.

“You wouldn’t be intruding, sir. We both graduated today, we can celebrate together!”

“Come on, Dad, they wouldn’t ask if they didn’t want us there.”

Both older men looked at each other with knowing eyes and James sighed theatrically before conceding, his daughter cheering happily at the new impromptu plans. The teens quickly headed in the direction of their cars deep in their own happy little world; their parents amusedly looked as Eddie opened her door for her and helped her in while they talked about burger combinations and debated about their orders.

“Meet you there?” James asked Wayne, also getting into his car.

“You bet. Come on, boy, quit the yappin’. You’ll see her again in ten minutes, she’s not gonna run away from you!”

“Jesus Christ, Wayne!”

Eddie and Dottie had already been to the diner down on Randolph a few times; some of them before they’d begun dating and once after, but never with their parental figures as unofficial chaperones. The booth at the back they loved to sit at was occupied, so they chose a table near the front instead - the diner was bustling with energy as multiple families had had the same idea as them and got a headstart on their kids’ summer holidays. Eddie helped Dottie with her chair, thoroughly enjoying how shy she’d get whenever he did something remotely gentleman-like, and plonked himself next to her, quickly engaging in conversation about the menu she was holding. James had no option but to sit in front of his daughter as Wayne took the seat in front of Eddie, both of them also busying themselves with their own menus.

The teens tried to act normal in front of their elders, they really did, but it was such a lovely day, and they were celebrating one of the biggest achievements in their short lives that it was as if they’d forgotten that friends didn’t usually look so smitten with one another. Wayne took little peeks at them over the bright laminated piece of paper in his hands, catching how Eddie was stroking the side of her arm resting on the table with his pinky finger while she talked; he loudly coughed when James put his menu down and took his reading glasses off, the unexpected sound making them jump and separate instantly just in time for him not to see them. A young and friendly looking waitress approached their table, pad of paper and pen in her hand.

“Hi! Are you ready for me to take your order or are we waiting for the wives to arrive?” she said with a perfect customer-service smile. Dottie blinked up at her twice, her face morphing into a blank expression.

“No, thank you, it’s just gonna be us four today,” James said politely.

Today, he’d said. Like Margaret and Maureen were off doing other things, like working or shopping or attending a jazzercise class, and couldn’t join them for lunch but they’d probably be around later. Like they weren’t gone forever. Like they were still alive. Nancy’s speech rattled around in Dottie’s brain, her eyes glazing over and her ears filling with invisible cotton. James and Wayne ordered their food, and Eddie ordered for both himself and her, very much aware that something was bothering her. Her sight was stuck to her Dad’s hand resting on the cheap laminate tabletop. The gold band that had been there on his finger since Margaret and him had said I do all those years ago taunted her, glinting under the fluorescent lights of the diner. They’d promised each other forever, and what did they get? What did she get?

“Dot,” Eddie muttered, hand sneaking down the table to settle on the exposed skin of her knee. “Darling, can you hear me?”

“Huh?” she turned to look at him in a daze.

Behind him, there was a table where a family sat: a father, a mother and a daughter, barely older than she’d been when she’d lost the most important woman in her life. The baby gurgled in her Mom’s arms, and the woman cooed at her, noses nuzzling against each other’s. Dottie turned her head towards the other side of the diner where a mother was cleaning up a little boy’s face, chocolate staining his chubby cheeks.

She had just graduated from high school and her mother wasn’t there. She hadn’t been there when she got her first period, during her first heartbreak, or when she won a spelling bee at age seven. She wouldn’t be there when she graduated college, when she got her first job, when she got married to the boy who was holding onto her leg with worried eyes. She would never be there, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. It was always going to be just them.

“Honey, are you okay?” James asked, leaning forward.

“I-I’m sorry,” she managed to get out before she stood up and bolted outside and into the parking lot, her chair scraping against the floor in her haste to get out of the diner.

“I’ve got it, sir,” Eddie said before he sped after her, his chains rattling with every long step he took to catch up with her.

In silence, James and Wayne watched their kids through the huge windows next to their table. When Dottie saw Eddie running behind her, she turned her back on him, hugging herself as she tried to keep her emotions together. She lifted a hand to wave at him over her shoulder and said something - probably that she was okay, that she didn’t need help so he should go back in - but as he came closer, it was evident that the storm that had been brewing inside her all morning was on the brink of overtaking her. All it took was feeling his hand hovering on her shoulder for her knees to buckle as she folded onto herself, Eddie instantly rushing forward to catch her and pulling her into his chest, her back rising up and down violently as she sobbed into his graduation gown. He chewed on his lower lip as he held himself together, never one to cry in public where people could see him and judge him for it. He muttered something into her hair, his chin resting onto the crown of her head, gently rocking her side to side as her sobs subsided.

“She was really lonely until we came here, y’know,” James said, breaking the quiet that had fallen on their table. Wayne could only look at his nephew, the gentleness he’d always known he’d possessed perfectly on display. “All her new friends are great to her but Eddie… you’ve got a good boy there, Wayne.”

“They’re both good kids,” Wayne said, matter-of-factly. “It’s a damn shame they’re so young and been through so much already.”

“Yeah, it is.”

In the parking lot, unaware that they were being watched, Dottie lifted her head from Eddie’s chest, an embarrassed smile on her lips as she fanned her face with her hands in an attempt to dry her tears without ruining what was left of her mascara. Eddie, still holding onto her, blew on her cheeks; she laughed, heart feeling equally heavy and light at the same time. There was joy and levity to be found in shared grief, that was something new she had learned from him.

“Sometimes I feel like Eddie understands her better than I do,” James admitted, fingers toying with his wedding band.

“They understand each other in ways that you and I never will,” Wayne mused. “That ain’t a bad thing. Actually, I think it might be healthy.”

“Mhm,” James agreed, half lost in his own thoughts.

Dottie squeezed Eddie one last time like she was mentally preparing herself, gathering strength for whatever came next, and nodded once to let him know that it was okay to let her go. Eddie followed her inside quietly, holding the door open for her as they filed in and sat once again at their table. They both looked very tired, and perhaps even a little bit flustered at having to face their guardians after bolting out of the diner so unexpectedly. Dottie leaned forward to grab a napkin to blow her nose.

“M’sorry,” she said, eyes low. James grabbed her hand gently.

“You okay, honey?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. S’just a lot, you know?”

“I know,” her Dad said, watching her glance at Eddie next to her.

“Can I… is it okay if Eddie and I go to the lake after lunch?” she asked, shy. “We want to burn some cards.”

“Yeah, of course,” James said, knot tightening at the base of his throat and fingers tangling with his daughter’s.

Eddie was silent through the entire interaction, hands hellbent on shredding the paper napkin in front of him to minuscule pieces. Wayne could feel their table shake as he bounced his leg frantically, something he had long understood as his nephew’s tell when holding back tears. The waitress, unaware of what had just transpired, came back at that moment with their drinks and two milkshakes for the teens. Dottie smiled at them with wet eyes, and Eddie had the indecency to look sheepish: she hadn’t mentioned to him she wanted one, but he knew she loved strawberry milkshakes from this specific diner because they made them with real strawberry ice cream and not the powder. He must have ordered them when she blanked out. The simple gesture felt like balm for her anguished soul.

“Well, I’d like to propose a toast,” Wayne said, dissipating the remaining uncomfortable tension at their table. “To the Class of ‘86.”

“To the Class of ‘86,” James joined him, clicking their bottles of Coke together in the air.

Food arrived shortly after, and as an easy conversation sanded whatever edges were still sharp for the moment, Wayne observed the tender behavior of the kids sitting in front of him. It wasn’t as playful as it had been before, no, this felt much more… intimate. Considerate. Muted, yet still softhearted. Not missing a beat in the story she was telling to her Dad, Dottie grabbed the cherry on top of her milkshake and left it on top of Eddie’s. He gave her a toothy grin before popping it into his mouth, and she shook her head at him fondly. Yeah, this ain’t a bad thing at all, thought Wayne, taking a bite out of his food and laughing along with James at the ridiculous gossip Dottie and Eddie were sharing about their now former classmates.

“Okay, hold on a second before you run off,” Wayne said, as his nephew ushered his friend towards his van.

After lunch was done, it was decided that Wayne would drive Eddie and Dottie back to their trailer so they could get Eddie’s van and head to the lake for what they were calling The Card Ritual. The eldest Munson didn’t really understand what it meant, but it seemed that James knew what they were talking about so he didn’t ask too many questions about it - all he knew was that the kids were going to buy some cards at Melvald’s and then burn them, and that Dottie was emotional over the whole thing. If burning some paper brought peace to her heart, then who was Wayne to judge? He’d indulged in far more destructive coping mechanisms throughout his youth, evidenced by his unshakeable smoking habit.

After they’d said goodbye to James, they climbed into Wayne’s truck and headed to Forest Hills, graduation caps, gowns, and his suit jacket now discarded into the backseat. The heat kept rising in the early afternoon and Wayne just wanted to get out of his clothes, drink a glass of icy cold water, and take a nap in his undergarments next to his trusty fan, but he felt like there was a pressing conversation to be had before he went in and could finally relax on his day off.

“What’s up?” Eddie asked, Dottie coming to a stop next to him.

“I just gotta know, kid,” Wayne turned to her. “Does your Dad know about you two or do I have to play dumb with him?”

“W-what? What do you mean?” she asked, nervously.

“I may not be young, but I ain’t blind, sweetheart,” he smiled. “You’re not in trouble, I just wanna know how to act around your old man, that’s all.”

“He doesn’t know,” Eddie muttered, grabbing Dottie’s hand and surprising her with how quickly he confessed. “No one knows, we haven’t told anyone yet.”

“Except Chrissy,” Dottie said.

“Except Chrissy,” he conceded. “She knows because I asked her for advice, but she’s the only one.”

“How long?”

“Huh?”

“How long has this been going on?” Wayne asked, pulling his lighter out of his pocket.

“Uh, like two weeks? We’re not, like- we’re not official yet,” Eddie scratched his neck uncomfortably.

“Not offi- Edward,” his Uncle hardened his stare. “I taught you better than that.”

“Shit, I swear I was gonna do it today! Wanted to wait until after graduation, I’m not trying to be a flake-”

“It’s okay! We talked about it,” Dottie said, hanging onto his arm. “I don’t mind waiting, we just thought it’d be best to keep it a secret for now,” Wayne turned to look at her, wary. “Mr. Wayne, please, I’d announce it at the next Town Hall meeting if he’d let me.”

“We share all the same friends,” Eddie explained. “They’ll wanna know all the details, and I just- she breaks up with me and I’m the biggest loser in Hawkins, you know how those assholes are.”

“Oh my god, stop calling yourself a loser!” she whined.

“Don’t break up with me, and I won’t be!” he argued back, but it was clear he was being silly about it.

“Okay, so what’s the situation here? You two dating or not?” Wayne asked, getting back on topic.

“Yeah,” Eddie said, smiling down at her with hearts in his eyes. “We’re dating. I was gonna ask her to be my girlfriend officially later today but I might as well do it now since you’re so nosy.”

“It’s not like anything’s changing anyways,” Dottie said. “We just didn’t put a label on it, but I’ve kinda been his girlfriend since that party we went to a couple of weeks ago.”

“Hell yeah you are. And I’m your boyfriend, right?”

“No, you’re my private driver,” she deadpanned. “Of course you are, Eddie, what kind of question is that?”

“Just making sure, darling,” Eddie said, and Wayne snorted at how smug his nephew looked.

“Well, then… you two can go now, I guess. I’ll keep the secret.”

“Thanks, Mr. Wayne,” Dottie said, coming to hug him. “We’ll tell people soon, we just want a little bit of privacy for now. The guys can be so nosy sometimes.”

“Don’t I know that, kid,” he chuckled. “I’m real happy for you two.”

“I’m really happy too,” she whispered to him, a bashful smile on her face.

Eddie finally let her into his van, her white sundress and summery sandals a stark contrast against his ripped jeans and chains. They were an odd couple if one only looked at their clothes, but it was so clear that they vibrated at the same frequency that Wayne couldn’t help but think that he should have expected this development sooner. He didn’t know why he’d chosen to believe them when they’d said nothing had happened between them the night of the party. His nephew went towards the driver’s seat when he called to him again.

“Ed, a word,” he was dead serious as Eddie jogged to where he was standing.

“Yeah?”

“You treat that girl right, okay?” Wayne said, voice low so she wouldn’t hear from the van. “I don’t wanna hear shit from her Dad about you bein’ stupid with her.”

“I know.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not gonna fuck this up, Wayne. I love her,” Eddie told him, so sure of what he was saying that it knocked the wind out of his Uncle’s lungs for a bit.

“Love, huh?” Wayne laughed softly, and Eddie shrugged with red ears but looked so very happy. “Go, have fun. And take care of her.”

“I will,” he nodded.

“I’m proud of you, son,” Wayne said, ruffling his hair roughly like when he was just a boy barely taller than his own hip. “And your Momma would be too.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, eyes full of unshed tears. “I’m proud of me too.”

taglist: @munsonology @kurdtbean @every1lovesanunderdog @eg-dr3amer3

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a-babe-without-a-name · 7 months ago

Text

Sister Lovers, Water Brothers

Chapter Six: The Dive

Masterlist

Steve wasn’t happy with the way Munson was treating one of his kids. So unhappy in fact, that he forces himself into their club leader’s van to see what he’s getting up to with Chrissy Cunningham, and maybe it’s a good thing he’s so paranoid because it might just save her life.

Or, the one where Chrissy doesn’t die in the Munson trailer, and, despite the world-ending, the king(former) and queen(current) of Hawkins High cannot take their eyes off Eddie Munson

Read on AO3 (content warnings in notes on A03)

Chief Powell knew that just because this was the third body he’d seen, it wasn’t going to be any easier to look at. Andy had been the one who called, panicked and crying as he ranted about Chrissy Cunningham and freaks and broken bones. Eventually, they had gotten a location out of him and were on the scene in under 10. Powell and his officers found Andy sitting on the front step of local drug supplier Rick Lipton’s house. Powell cursed himself for not thinking to look there, leave it to him to be outsmarted by a fucking high schooler at a time like this. Andy had a rag soaked in blood wrapped around his hand, he noted to have Callahan inquire about that when other matters were figured out.

Andy was still shaking when Powell leaned down to him, “Where is he?”

Wordlessly Andy stood and walked quickly around the side of the house. They found Jason sitting on the ground, facing the slope down to Lover’s Lake, holding Patrick McKinney’s body. Powell choked back bile as he approached, he could hear Jason breathing heavily as he cradled his dead friend in his lap, staring out over the lake. He didn’t need to be close to tell that Patrick’s body was identical to Anne Carver’s and Fred Benson’s. The gaping eyes and broken limbs were enough to draw Powell to the conclusion that they had been killed by the same person. Thing. Whatever it was.

Both Patrick and Jason were soaked, they must have been out in the lake when it happened. Powell’s head was swarming with what questions to ask. He knew this was going to fall back on Eddie Munson and, knowing he shouldn’t have any conclusions at this point, it was getting less and less believable that he was the one doing this.

Powell had been having run-ins with Munson for years, but rarely were they because of violence. Some mild vandalism, the occasional light drug charge, and a few schoolyard fist fights that, in the end, Eddie never started. Powell wouldn’t go as far as to say he was a good kid, but he had a hard time believing he was as violent a killer as the current events made him out to be.

But right now wasn’t the time to believe anything, there was more to deal with. He waved the coroner over as he crouched next to Jason, trying to gently explain what needed to happen. It was going to be another long night, the sooner he got started questioning Jason, the sooner Jason could go home.

Chrissy was nearly halfway around the lake when she had to stop. The adrenaline began to wear out and her muscles began to burn, she could barely catch her breath in the cold air. She was far enough away that she hoped walking to the tree-lined shore would be fine. She needed to find Eddie. They had agreed to meet on the other side of the lake, but that was when Eddie had a boat and Chrissy didn’t have a mouthful of someone else's blood gagging her.

The moon was high, lighting up the entire lake for Chrissy to see as she carefully crunched along the small cliffs of the shore. She couldn’t see or hear Jason and Andy, and she was sure that Patrick was dead. But there was no sign of Eddie, not even the boat.

Chrissy couldn’t help the panic that rose in her chest as she searched for him. What if he couldn’t swim? She hadn’t asked, she just assumed but it wasn’t a given. Or what if he hit his head falling in? Or his clothes were too heavy and dragged him under? Chrissy was starting to hyperventilate at the idea of Eddie’s limp body sinking to the bottom of Lover’s Lake.

“Eddie?” She whispered as loud as she dared into the dark, not able to help herself, “Eddie are you there?”

She moved further down the shore, calling out for him again when the sound of loud splashing in the direction she had just been made her jump.

“Eddie?!” She kept herself from shouting, rushing to the noise as fast as she could without slipping and falling into the lake.

“Chrissy!” He called after her as she approached, “Oh, fuck, Chris are you okay?”

She threw herself into his arms before answering. He was soaking wet, but she didn’t care, she just held on to him. She felt his head drop to her neck as he held her back, shaking.

No. Shivering.

“Fuck,” Chrissy muttered, not moving, “Eddie, you’re soaked! You’re gonna fucking freeze to death.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, teeth chattering, “It is a bit chilly, huh.”

Only he would make a joke right now. Before Chrissy could respond the sound of sirens cut through the night air, making them freeze. They were headed for Rick's house. For Patrick.

“We need to go,” Chrissy said, stepping away from him, she wasn’t sure where to, just not there.

“I think I know a place,” Eddie said, stepping up away from the lake towards the woods, he paused thinking for a moment, “We’re on the North side of the lake, right?”

“Rick’s house is on the East side right?” Chrissy asked, Eddie nodded as he looked around the woods, “Then yeah, we’re at the North end right now, or near it at least.”

“Okay, yeah, if we just had a little bit more Northwest we’ll reach Skull Rock,” Eddie said, “It’s not a house, but it’s at least sheltered.”

“Works for me,” Chrissy said, grabbing his hand and beginning to walk through the woods Northwest, she hated how cold his fingers felt. Before they got very far, Eddie spotted the boat he used to escape, rocking gently halfway beached on the shore.

“Hold on,” Eddie said, looking around before darting out into the small clearing of the shore and grabbing the rope tied to the bow, looping it tightly around a tree. He clumsily covered it with a tarp folded in the bottom of the boat, “Just in case we need it again,” he told her as he climbed back up the shore, taking her hand again and continuing towards skull rock.

They had been walking for a while, neither of them really leading, just heading in a direction and hoping they’d know when they were close enough. A twig snapping off to their left, made Chrissy freeze and Eddie duck down, pulling her with him. They held their breath as they looked through the trees, waiting for voices or flashlights. Nothing, and then another snap of a twig, and then a relieved sigh from both of them as they caught sight of the whitetail carefully stepping through the brush.

“Fuck,” Eddie shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, Chrissy could feel his heart beating in her palm. He looked up and over at her and paused, “Chrissy, are you hurt?”

He brought a quick but gentle hand to her face, tilting her chin up to look her over. She suddenly realized what she probably looked like.

“It’s not my blood.” She assured him, the confusion in his eyes clear, “It’s uh, yeah, it’s not mine. I’m totally, mostly, okay I promise.”

He held his hand there for a moment still before dropping it and standing, helping Chrissy up as well, “I’m making you explain when I’m less cold,” He shivered and continued walking, squeezing her hand.

Eventually, they made it to Skull Rock. The moon lit up the small clearing around it. Carefully they stepped into the open, worried about being so exposed. But when no other shoe dropped, they moved in closer, crouching down to take cover between the cluster of boulders. It wasn’t warmer, but being out of even the slight breeze helped enough. As they went to settle on the ground, Chrissy realized that while Eddie’s hair had dried, his clothes were still soaked.

“Wait, come here,” She stopped moving, backing out from under the rocks where she could stand, Eddie followed easily.

“What’s up?” He asked, worried something was wrong.

“Take your jacket off,” Chrissy slid her hands under the shoulders of his jacket, helping him slide the heavy wet leather off. She laid it over a boulder, hoping the cool air would dry it by morning. He watched her in confusion, not sure what she was doing, “Take your shirt off, too.”

She nodded to his black shirt, stuck to his skin. She began unzipping her cheer jacket. She had gotten it sophomore year, back when her feelings about her body were even worse than now, so it was several sizes too big for her and probably even Eddie.

“Hey, uh, Chris,” Eddie said, fidgeting nervously as he watched her unzip her Jacket, “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I don’t think this is the time or place.”

“What?” She stopped, her jacket bundled in her hand, raising her eyebrow at him.

“Uh, what?” Eddie said, shaking his head, trying to backpedal.

“Take off your wet shirt and wear my dry jacket,” Chrissy clarified, feeling heat rush to her cheeks, “You know, so you don’t freeze.”

“Yeah, no, yeah,” Eddie muttered, “I knew that, totally.”

Chrissy rolled her eyes, but the blush didn’t stop. Especially when Eddie did what she told and pulled his shirt off. Chrissy hated herself for staring at him as he struggled for a moment to get the wet fabric off. He stretched his torso up and she couldn’t help but look at the tattoos on his chest and one she couldn’t quite see on his ribs. She didn’t have time to take him all in, her eyes just reaching the top line of his hips when he was free of his shirt and she quickly glanced away, holding out her jacket to him and swallowing hard.

He stepped closer, but instead of taking it, he grabbed her hand pulling her closer, “Here,” He made her look up at him and, using the hem of his wet shirt to wipe the dried blood from around her chin.

She watched his eyes, focused on her mouth as he carefully wiped away the blood, trying not to be too rough. Even without looking, she was keenly aware of how shirtless he was right now. When he was satisfied, he dropped his hand, using the other to tilt her chin and look her over.

“There,” He smiled, meeting her eyes, “a little less Carrie-esque.”

“Thank you,” Chrissy wasn’t sure if the redness in her face was visible in the light, if it was he didn’t say anything, instead he took the jacket she was offering, easily sliding it over his shoulders and zipping it up. It was tight on his shoulders and biceps, but it fit enough.

“How do I look?” He stepped back, holding his arms out for her to examine.

“Drier.” Chrissy said, and then, “Sorry I can’t offer you my jeans, but I don’t think they’ll fit.”

“Oh, so you want me in your jeans, is what I’m hearing?” Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow and throwing her the dumbest smirk.

“Oh god,” Chrissy groaned, snatching the wet shirt from him, “Will you shut up.”

He laughed, chasing after her as she laid his shirt over the rocks next to his jacket, “I’m sorry! That one was just too easy. Thank you for the jacket, though.”

“Of course,” she went back to the spot between the rocks, crouching and climbing into the little shelter, “It would be embarrassing for you to die of hypothermia after all of this.”

“First the seat belt,” He started, sitting next to her on the ground, “And now this? I'm grateful to have you around to keep me from dying a lame death.”

“Anytime,” She laughed shortly, then yawned exhaustion starting to settle over her.

“Hey, come here.” Eddie, who was leaning against the wall of rock, unzipped his borrowed jacket.

“What are you doing?” Chrissy questioned, but still moved towards him.

“Get in,” He laughed, “You’re pretty and smart, but not immune to hypothermia.”

He held open the baggy sides of the jacket, offering his bare chest to her. Chrissy blushed, but he was right, she was just in a short sleeve right now, plus their body heat together would keep them warmer.

“You really didn’t have to call me smart and pretty,” She rolled her eyes, trying to hide her nerves with snarkiness. She climbed against him anyway, sticking her arms into the jacket and wrapping herself around his bare torso, resting her head against his shoulder.

“Hm, yeah,” He agreed, zipping up the bottom of the jacket around them, locking them together, “But I wanted to.”

Chrissy didn’t reply, she just shook her head and moved closer to him. She could feel both him and herself warming up already, sleep threatening to take her soon. Eddie shifted, wrapping his arms tighter around her and settling in against the rock.

A moment passed and then, “Chris, you still awake?”

“It’s been 30 seconds,” She scoffed, smiling against his skin, eyes closed.

“Are you okay?” He asked, sounding serious.

“What?” Chrissy was confused, they had just been over this that she wasn’t hurt.

“I mean, like,” He struggled to find the right words, “Emotionally? A lot just happened, and… and Jason is your boyfriend and the others were your friends. I just… I don’t know that I would be okay if I were in your position.”

“Hmm,” She thought for a moment, she had been blocking out most of her feelings about the situation, trying to survive the night first, “Probably not, honestly.”

She could feel Eddie press his cheek to the top of her head, when he didn’t respond she continued, “Andy has always been…sick. Just the worst of them, so I’m not surprised he tried to hurt me, but Patrick? He’d always been the nicest, obviously he had his problems, but he never really seemed like Andy or Jason.”

Eddie hummed, acknowledging that he was still listening but not wanting to interrupt.

“And, ex-boyfriend, by the way.” Chrissy felt relieved saying it for the first time, “He… he isn’t him anymore. I mean, like… I loved him a lot when we first got together, but I’ve changed a lot, and he… hasn’t, I guess. Or, well, he has, but he’s changing into his father, which is scary to think about.”

Eddie nodded, thinking about Jason’s dad, the whole town knew him. He was a pastor at the local church.

“He’s been so stifling lately,” She choked back tears, the sudden loss of her first love actually setting in, “I’ve been wanting to end things for a while, I guess. But, I don’t know, I guess I was scared to. He’s so public about me, us, I didn’t want to embarrass him, not right before graduation. I hoped things would end when we went away to school, but those plans changed, and then… then he started talking about getting married and all this other big crazy stuff,” Chrissy shuddered, Eddie held her tighter, “I just can’t do it anymore.”

Realizing she had spilled more than intended, she tried to apologize, “I’m sorry, Eddie, you don’t need to deal with all that right now.”

“Hey, no,” He assured her, running a hand over her arm through the jacket, “No, it’s okay, I asked. I want you to be able to talk about this, I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner.”

“... thank you, Eddie.” She sniffed, awkwardly wiping away tears and then going back to wrapping her arm around him.

“Anytime, Sunshine,” He pressed a kiss against the top of her head, relaxing against her, “Anytime.”

Erica didn’t know whether to be pissed or anxious about her brother’s absence. At first she hadn’t cared, just covered for him, coolly. She had done so for the past year, knowing she’d get something out of it when he returned. This was longer than he had ever been gone without at least calling or swinging by the house. Now, with the two, three according to the news, high schoolers dead in the past couple of days, Erica couldn’t help the nagging feeling that her big brother could be in trouble.

Her parents were already on the couch watching the news when she came into the room, eager to catch the statement Chief Powell was giving.

“...as many of you know by now, the Roane County Line received a call a little after midnight,” The chief sounded professional, but still anxious as he read off his premade statement, the ever loyal Officer Callahan standing behind his shoulder, “reporting a homicide out here on the lake. Officer Callahan here and myself arrived first on the scene. We made our way to the shore of Lover’s Lake, about ten yards from that house you see behind me. It was there that we found the victim, an 18-year-old senior from Hawkins High, Patrick McKinney.”

Erica recognized the name, it was a teammate of Lucas’s. He was a senior, so friend felt like the wrong word, but Lucas had mentioned him at least once or twice around the dinner table.

Powell regrettably continued his statement, sounding uncomfortable as he began to describe the body, “his limbs…his body, it was uh, disfigured…”

Erica flinched, as much as she reveled in pretend gore and violence, the idea of someone around her brother’s age being mutilated made her sick.

“There was an eyewitness on the scene, who will remain anonymous. We have also identified a person of interest.” Powell held up a black and white photo, “Eddie Munson.”

Erica narrowed her eyes, leaning forward as Chief Powell encouraged anyone with information to come forward, the reporters all clamoring for more information.

There was no way that scrawny freak was the one doing this. Erica just couldn’t believe it. Lucas and Dustin had been involved in crazy shit the past few years and Erica knew about all of it. Eddie, however, had never fallen into that category. She wished she could talk to them- Lucas or Dustin or, hell, even Eddie. She hated this, she hated being 11, and she hated being treated like a kid.

“I know you’ve all got a lot of questions,” Powell continued, “And I’m going to answer as many of them as I can. Two o’clock Town Hall, where anyone from the Hawkins' community is welcome. But right now, I’ve got some work to do, and I appreciate your patience and understanding.”

The reporters began barking questions as Powell walked off towards the cruisers behind him, Officer Callahan following and flashing an awkward thumbs up. Erica’s mind raced with worried thoughts of her brother and friends as her parents began making plans to go to Town Hall already.

Nancy, picked them all up again in the morning, secluding Dustin and Steve to the back bench seats with all of Eddie’s groceries.

Robin was panicking, as usual, and Nancy was doing her best to cool her down. Steve didn’t know when Nancy decided she liked Robin, but in true Nancy fashion, the switch was noticeable. Not only did Rob get the front seat, but now instead of sighing and rolling her eyes Nancy was actually responding, and trying to help. Steve couldn’t say he was thrilled at the prospect, but he trusted Robin and knew she would never spill his feelings about Nancy and the breakup to anyone let alone the leading lady of Steve’s emotional turmoil herself. He also thought Nancy could use a friend.

In the past year she’d only had Johnathan, all the way in California, and school friends that she tended to treat more like co-workers. Everyone needed a Robin, he decided, but Nancy couldn’t have his.

As they rounded the corner, coming up on Rick’s house, Nancy cursed. Half standing in the back of the car didn't give Steve much of a view, but the news van and the amassing crowd could only mean one thing.

Everyone climbed out of the car. They couldn’t have Eddie, Steve told himself. It couldn’t end here, after all they’d done to keep Eddie and Chrissy safe. Before he could truly begin to panic, Dustin’s walkie clicked on,

“Dustin, can you hear me? Wheeler?”

Steve didn’t want to hit Dustin. He just wanted to snatch that stupid broken compass out of his hand and bash it against the nearest rock. If it was Skull Rock, that would just be a bonus, because Steve didn’t think they were ever going to make it there at this rate.

“You do realize that Skull Rock, it’s a super popular make-out spot?”

“Yeah, so?” Dustin bit back, not looking up from the compass.

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t popular until I made it popular,” Steve told him, sure, Martha Jones had shown him the spot freshman year, but he’d still been the one who made it known. “You’re heading in the wrong direction.” Sick of following the direction of a literal child, Steve broke off making a beeline for Skull Rock's actual location.

Dustin called after him, trying to throw them off again, but Steve wasn’t having it. The rest of the group brushed past Dustin to trail after Steve, Lucas threw an apologetic shrug back to his friend.

It was only a short walk to Skull Rock, once they were going the right way, and Steve announced their arrival,

“Bada bing, bada doom! There she is Henderson. In your face man, in your stupid cocky little face.”

“Doesn’t make sense,” Dustin kept arguing, unable to accept that Steve might be right for once.

“Yeah, yeah, even with it staring at you in the face, you can’t admit it,” Steve teased, “can’t admit that you’re wrong you little butthead.” He would have felt bad if the kid didn’t rightfully deserve an ego check, and if Eddie even gave him a chance. Jumping down off one of the rocks that made up the titular skull, Eddie announced,

“I concur, you Dustin Henderson are a…” He paused, and Chrissy appeared from behind him and Eddie helped her down. “total butthead.” he finished, with Chrissy’s hand still tucked into his.

“Jesus, we thought you were a goner,” Dustin let out a sigh of relief and forced Eddie into a hug. Chrissy stepped back, watching fondly as they reunited. Steve was also watching, and accepting that the horrible dread settling in his stomach was a beast of his own making. He’d been the one to invent Skull Rock, and now he had inadvertently pushed his first-ever gay crush to get with the most perfect girl to ever set foot in Hawkins.

Steve never thought he’d want to punch a child, try as Dustin might- but he really, really wanted to punch freshmen Steve.

“Yeah me too, man,” Eddie admitted as they pulled apart.

Steve and Eddie’s eyes met over the kid between them. Steve did his best to imitate the typical guy nod, but all he could think of were the hours he and Chrissy had spent alone, scared and cold. He could see them, clinging to each other for warmth, and comfort, and it was a make-out spot- Steve needed a nap, or maybe a strong drink, anything but the awkward nod that Eddie gave in turn.

Steve let the girls handle interrogating Eddie and Chrissy. He was too distracted to even attempt to help, but he got the gist. The thing with their lights, Venca in his attic, had been him killing Patrick. So they had a target, but no way to reach it.

“We just need to sneak into the upside down and drive a stake through his heart,” Max shrugged.

“A stake? Is he a vamp-” god, had he really zoned out for that long? “Is he a vampire?”

“It was a metaphor,” Max rolled her eyes.

“ I say we should chop his head off,” Lucas offered.

“Shouldn’t a gun work fine?” Chrissy asked, incredulously.

“All of the above,” Nancy, cut them off, “but we can’t do any of that until we find a way into the upside down.”

“We need El to get her powers back,” Max said

“Everything was, like, way easier,” Steve told Eddie and Chrissy, unable to meet either of their eyes, “there was this girl. She had superpowers.”

“Superpowers,” Eddie repeated distractedly, “yeah, you mentioned her.” He glanced down at Chrissy by her side, but she had actually been listening to Steve, trying to wrap her head around superpowers still.

“Hey, uh, Henderson’s not cursed is he?” Eddie asked, pointing his chin over to Dustin pacing back and forth, apart from the rest of the group.

“Cursed? No,” Steve shrugged off, “Mental? Absolutely.”

“Boom!” Dustin shouted, despite the fact, Eddie was a wanted man and they were only partially hidden in the woods. “Bada bada boom,” he continued with a whisper dramatically. Steve blamed Eddie for this sort of behavior, the theatrics were a bit over his head. Yet the way the kids took after Eddie was adorable.

“I was right.” That bitchiness was all Steve, unfortunately, and he was starting to hate how this sounded in his head. “Skull Rock was north,” Dustin continued, despite the very obvious fact that they were already at Skull Rock. Steve tried to explain as much, but the kid was on a roll. He started explaining something about electron magnets and fields, and Steve was lost. Then, despite Steve’s best attempts to get them somewhere safe or at least planned, Dustin wanted to head back into the woods, after some unknown gate.

“What say you, Eddie the Banished?” Henderson asked with a flourish.

Eddie stepped forward, out of the shadow of the rocks, and let Chrissy’s hand drop from his. He stared off at the sun coming through the trees, dramatic as always.

“I say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor, which…” he focused on Dustin, “if I’m totally straight with you I think is a really bad idea, but, uh, the shire…” Eddie glanced behind him towards Chrissy, “the shire is burning, so to Mordor it is.”

And that seemed to be final.

With Eddie following, Dustin was off like a shot, and everyone else fell into line or feared being left behind.

“What is Mordor?” Steve asked aloud, though apparently the only one who was confused.

“Don’t worry about it,” Chrissy reassured with a warm smile and a hand on his arm as she passed him to keep up with the rest, “Let the nerds worry about that, we’re just here to look pretty.”

“Yeah you are,” Eddie smirked, as he rushed back to collect the water and walkie that he’d stolen that morning. Chrissy flushed, but Steve refused to and instead, turning his embarrassment into annoyance, said,

“Get your stuff dude, let's go.”

For a moment, Steve thought he was doing well, treating Eddie like anyone else, or one of the kids even, but then he ran to the front of the group, dragging a giggling Chrissy behind him by the hand, and Steve allowed himself one deep self-loathing sigh.

“You gotta be shitting me,” Steve sighed when they burst out of the tree line, steps away from stumbling into the lake.

“I thought these woods looked familiar,” Eddie said bitterly, lifting a tarp to reveal the boat he had borrowed from Rick.

“This is confounding,” Dustin exclaimed, and Steve wished he’d just talk normally sometimes. It turned out not to be that confounding, however, as Nancy was able to quickly piece together that Venca must be leaving behind gates when he attacked, and their trek through the woods was becoming a full-on voyage.

Unspeaking, Eddie and Steve moved together to get the boat situated in the water. Eddie fumbled it and muttered an embarrassed apology when it splashed Steve.

Robin got on first, ignoring the hand Steve held out to steady her, and instead used both of the boys' heads for balance. Nancy followed close behind her, snatching up the offered hand and claiming a seat towards the front of the boat, and Eddie crawled on behind her. Once stable, he turned back to help Chrissy on, with one hand holding her around the waist and the other grabbing her hand.

The kids and Steve were left on shore. He saw himself getting left behind, and quickly pushed the boat out, planting one foot in the water to do so, and practically threw himself on board.

“Hey!” Dustin whined when he realized he was being left behind.

“Sorry,” Steve shrugged, “not enough room.”

“Besides someone’s got to watch Max,” Nancy added on, shooting him a look like he was supposed to be supporting her.

“It’s my goddamn theory!” he complained.

“Listen to Nancy,” Robin warned, then claimed that Nancy was in charge. Steve was more worried about rowing than logistics, but he never really thought of Nancy being in charge. Sure she was one with the plans, but that didn’t mean any of them really knew what they were doing. That much was evident as they rowed out into the middle of the lake watching for the compass to give some sort of signal.

When it began to spin rapidly they slowed and radioed the kids back on shore.

Since it appeared that they’d found the gate, and no one else was going to do anything about it Steve took off his shoes, quickly followed by his socks.

“What are you doing?” Nancy asked, sounding worried.

“Somebody's gotta go down there to check this thing out,” He explained, “Unless one of you can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then it’s gotta be me. No complaints alright?”

“Hey,” Eddie shrugged, “I am not complaining,” He dumped out the bag he kept tucked inside his jacket and wrapped it around one of their flashlights, “I do not want to go down there.”

Steve stood, rocking the boat as he moved, and when Eddie looked back up he was met with the expanse of Steve’s bareback. No sir, Eddie was not complaining even a little bit. Hawkins had not been wrong to pick Harrington as their heartthrob and he couldn’t help but try to save the image in his mind. He wanted to rub it in all those girls who’d gone out with Steve that Eddie had gotten a piece of something that was theirs, that he could enjoy Steve Harrington the same as all them.

For a moment, a burnt-out dream reared its hopeful little head, and Eddie remembered days where he’d thought of guys, men, taking him by the hand and pulling him along- not drunkenly, or hornily, but lovingly and joyfully.

He looked over at Chrissy, who was nervously watching the water and squeezed at her hand. She squeezed back, eyes locked on him.

It was okay, not every dream had to come true. Because here was Chrissy Cunningham, the sweetest person Eddie had ever met, who apparently had one hell of a bite attack, and she was looking at him.

Suddenly Eddie felt a bit guilty for checking Steve out. He had honestly assumed everyone was when Nancy started gawking, but Chrissy hadn’t even wanted a peek.

“Hey, Good luck,” Eddie said and looked up at Steve, which was a bad decision. Steve turned back to him, shoulder and chest on display as he reached for the flashlight, and Eddie couldn’t help but think of running his hands over that skin. Chrissy was right there, but then again Steve was straight, right, so looking could hurt. With the flashlight gone, Eddie needed something to do. He needed a smoke.

“Thanks,” Steve breathed and tossed his shirt back at Eddie, who caught it but set it aside to pull out a cigarette and lighter. When he tried to light it, however, Robin plucked it from his mouth and tossed it in the water with a short,

“Gross.”

Chrissy let out a disappointed, “awe.”

Steve took a few quick breaths, preparing himself, and just as he launched from the boat, Nancy called after him,

“Steve?” but it went unheard.

Dustin, Max, and Lucas anxiously waited and watched at the shore. It had been almost a whole minute since Steve disappeared below the surface of Lovers Lake.

“Come on, Steve,” Dustin watched through the binoculars, knowing he was running out of time. Steve’s record was barely two minutes, and that was in the shallow end of his pool, sitting stock still, not swimming to the very bottom of a lake, “C’mon…”

Dustin found himself counting down the seconds when the sound of radios and beams of flashlights began cutting through the dark wood.

“Shit,” Lucas hissed, grabbing Max’s arm, “Down! Down.”

The three of them dropped to the forest floor, hiding behind a fallen log. They watched as the people crept closer, shouting to each other about noise at the shoreline.

“Dustin! You are a goddamn Einstein!” Robin’s voice shouted through the walkie before Dustin could switch it off, “Steve found the gate-”

“Cops,” Max observed the whoop of a siren cutting above the chatter.

Dustin cursed, gritting his teeth.

“We can’t let ‘em find Eddie,” Lucas said, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of a plan.

Max was quicker, glancing around the woods before making a decision.

“Stay with me.” She said, hopping up from the cold ground, “Hey, officers!”

Dustin and Lucas hushed Max like the cops couldn’t possibly have heard her screaming up the hill at them.

“Over here!” She threw her bag over her shoulder, “I found the killer! This way!”

The boys groaned, cursing as they jumped up from the ground and followed Max as she darted away from the shore and into the woods.

Cold enveloped Steve, as bubbles rushed up around him.

It had been so long since he’d swam like this, in the cold even when his bones ached for sleep. It had been common practice when he was on the swim team when they met through the winter at the crack of dawn. Most swimming he did nowadays was when the kids ambushed his house in the summer, declaring pool days whenever they could. How could he deny them, when the pool his parents kept up went otherwise unused?

He dived deeper, feeling the pressure building in his ears, but with the light, he could see how close the bottom was. The lakebed was littered with old trash, a sunken boat, and picked-clean fish skeletons. Amongst the refuse, the gate made itself easily known as a bright red light emanating from it. Steve stared down and looked like a giant red eye glaring back up at him.

With a shaky hand, he reached out and brushed the veined membrane with his fingertips, causing something on the other side to reveal itself, flashing darkly against the light.

Startled by the revelation of another living thing down there, Steve pulled away and then pushed off the floor, dropping the flashlight in his rush. He reached the surface gasping for air and spitting out,

“I found it,” along with a mouth full of water.

“It’s down there?” Chrissy confirmed, unsure if she should be happy or weary.

“I found it, yeah,” Steve repeated, the cold getting to him as air blew through his wet hair, “I found it.”

“Dustin, you’re a goddamn Einstein,” Robin said into the walkie when something jerked at Steve's ankle.

The three kids sprinted as fast as they could through the brush, leading the police away from where they had left Eddie and the others. Dustin could hear them being shouted after, the voices getting closer and closer as he began to run out of stamina.

An unfortunately placed root sent Dustin flailing to the ground as his shoe caught on it, his flashlight clattering out of his hand. Lucas cursed, stopping immediately as he noticed his best friend fall, turning to go back.

Chief Powell was on Dustin in an instant. “Hey there,” He panted, grabbing Dustin by the shoulders. Dustin hung his head, knowing they were caught but grateful it was them instead of Eddie or Chrissy.

Steve hardly had time to breathe, let alone think, before something was dragging him back down into the lake and towards the evil red glow emanating there. In the panic, and the silence of the water Steve was able to focus in on something wet and strong wrapped around his ankle. The vines- he thought of the vines covering the wall of the cave the kids had dragged him into, and the way they’d tried to trap them. This one wasn’t holding him in place however, it was dragging him through the gate he’d found, and flipping him onto his back as he reached the other side.

Above him the sky was dark and stormy, flashing that same warning red as the gate, like blood boiling over. Steve managed to get back on his feet and take in his withered and waterless surroundings before a warbling screech echoed around him. Against the dark sky, he could hardly make out something flying above him, just hearing the beating of their wings as they circled in closer.

Desperate for some sort of protection, he grabbed one of the oars in the boat next to him, trapped in vines, just in time to swipe out when one of the bat-like creatures swooped down. Three of them descended, lashing out with their whip-like tails. For a moment, Steve managed to beat them off, keep them far enough away, until one caught him around the neck.

He went down, the bat lifting him just enough to rip away his balance and lay him out flat, knocking the breath out of him. The other bats continued to dive at him, their claws catching at his sides as he tried to work his fingers under the tail tightening around his neck.

It was fruitless. He couldn’t breathe.

The other bats landed on either side of him and sank in their dagger-like beaks shredding open his stomach. He could hear the loud wet sound of his own flesh being ripped open, and he knew there was no way this was not the end.

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