𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖆 𝖐𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖎𝖘 {Eddie Munson x OC}

Nine

(ep 3 pt 2 & ep 4 pt 1)

I popped out from under the tarp and sighed before heaving myself out of the boat.

"I swear, one day I am going to aggressively tickle Dustin into oblivion," I scowled.

"Why tickling?" Eddie asked as he continued eating.

"He's too pure to be punched," I shrugged and reached into a bag and pulled out some cookies. "Hell yeah." I grinned. Cookies were my weakness. Robin must have convinced Steve to buy them for me.

"Where do you think they're going?" Eddie questioned.

"I don't know but I will make out with Robin when she gets back," I bit into one of the best chocolate chip cookies ever.

"Isn't that like gay?" Eddie asked.

"Do you have a problem with it?" I asked.

"No, no. But why make out with Robin when you could make out with me," Eddie smirked.

My face got super red and I turned away.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Flirting and sarcasm are my only defenses," Eddie laughed.

"You also have good looks and..." My voice trailed off. "Nah, that's it."

"Really, Wheeler? Nothing else you think can help other than my looks?"

"Maybe it's just your super soft and cute personality under your hard shell," I shrugged and stuffed a cookie into my mouth.

"You know, you're not how I thought you would be," Eddie said.

"How did you think I would be? Hotter? Because believe me, I definitely am hotter than you think. I've just been wearing the same flannel and ripped jeans for a day straight," I looked down at my grungy outfit.

"Nah, I thought you'd be like Nancy. At the campaign the other night, you looked so uninterested it reminded me of how Mike describes Nancy."

"I'm nothing like Nancy. Our mom calls us night and day. She's all preppy and smart and has a boyfriend and I barely passed my classes while still remaining single," I ranted. "Also, Nancy is like a total genius. I'm only smart when it comes to music and drawing flowers."

"So you're artistically inclined and Nancy has a stick up her ass?" Eddie joked.

"Basically. Mike is like a good mix of both of us. My younger sister, Holly, she's a total diva like my mother."

Eddie went quiet before speaking again. "Do you think our lives will ever be normal again?"

I had to think. "No, I really don't think so. I've spent nearly three years trying to go back to normal. After Will, and then Barb and Billy and Hopper, I can't go back to how I was. We can never go back to who we were, not fully at least."

"Dustin was right."

I looked at Eddie confused. "Right about what?

He smiled a bit. "You're smarter than you think you are."

I gave him a small smile in return. We looked at each other for a moment. It wasn't awkward or anything, just taking in each other's appearances and features. It seemed that Eddie had many tattoos and we were kind of the same. Striving to hide our feelings to avoid being hurt.

It's crazy how much I had changed. A year ago, I wouldn't even think about being in a boathouse alone with Eddie Munson, let alone telling him my deepest secrets.

Just then the walkie sprang to life with a frantic Lucas. I grabbed it and listened. Eddie walked over to listen with me.

"Dustin. It's lucas. Do you copy? Dustin?"