𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 ⟿ s. harrington

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

A FOOL'S DREAM

☀︎

CHRISSY CUNNINGHAM HAD PICKED AT HER FINGERNAILS UNTIL THEY BLED. She stood at her locker, tuning out all the voices that surrounded her as she weighed her options. She was a good girl-- obeying the rules, getting good grades, and staying clean. Today, she was willing to put that all to the side to escape from the nightmares that haunted her mind. Slowly, she was beginning to lose a part of herself at the monster that dove headfirst into her mind.

There was one name that always stood out to her. Alex Henderson had unintentionally made a name for herself around school. Rumors stirred around in 1984 nearing Halloween when she started hearing voices in her head. Soon after, she began to act normal, dating the most popular boy in Hawkins, and everyone thought maybe she could be normal. That was until this year when she distanced herself from everyone, left her boyfriend, and only was ever seen with Hawkins' biggest freak— Eddie Munson.

Rumors quickly swirled around not too long after and whispers floated around that she was once again hooked on drugs. It was far from the truth, but it was easier to understand than a monster from another dimension.

Chrissy didn't want what Alex had, but she did want that escape. Fears lingered around that maybe if she did follow her path, she would lead herself down a hole, one she couldn't claw out of. It was a leap of faith she needed to take. The pendulum continued to sway back and forth, counting down the few moments she had left with a curse-driven monster looming in the darkest shadows of her brain. Alex Henderson could deliver that potential escape to rid her of those evil thoughts.

Chrissy gripped onto her backpack straps, her high pony swaying gently with every step she took. Her eyes remained on her feet, following every tile before Alex's feet came into view. Tearing her eyes up from the floor, she swallowed that lump in her throat and softly tapped on her shoulder. She squeaked out an anxious hello when Alex began to look her way.

Alex peeked her eyes out from behind her locker to see Chrissy Cunningham like a deer caught in the headlights watching her. It was an unusual sight that had Alex's heart pick up. Letting her locker slip from her fingertips as she gently shut it, she gave an equally quiet hello.

Hearing a locker shut further down the hall, Chrissy felt herself tense up and whip her head around in search of the sound. The hall behind them was empty and a fear resided like a heavy weight on her shoulders as she felt her heart rate reach its limit.

"Chrissy," her mother's voice rang out in a hauntingly chipper voice. "Are you ready to try on your dress again?"

Her breath remained held with her knuckles growing tight on her backpack straps when the chime of a grandfather clock filled the space around her. She was slow, turning her head back around, fearful of what she would be greeted with. Tears had sat on the edge of her waterline, threatening that with one blink they would spill over.