Chrissy&Eddie

Chapter 6: Under the Bleachers

It had been a week since Eddie found Chrissy in the woods, and he hadn't been seen in school since. The Hellfire table seemed strangely mellow, and the boys around it seemed downbeat. The Wheeler girl's brother was on edge, always whispering to a curly haired boy, and some of the older boys were nowhere to be seen. It was as though the school hadn't quite woken up.

Chrissy had been spending lunch times sat near the bleachers, as far away from the cafeteria as possible. She hadn't spoken to Jason since that evening, and he hadn't so much as looked in her direction. She too felt on edge, leg bouncing up and down as she crouched under the stands sipping on water. The loneliness was almost too much to bear, with Jason at least her mind was occupied. Now it was free to wander wherever it wanted, and it would always go back to Eddie's trailer.

Chrissy tried to piece it together, the bathroom and the trailer, the constricted feel of the air and the cold flickering lights, but she couldn't. Was it real? Had she been hallucinating?

It made her feel mad.

"Hello? Excuse me?" Chrissy turned to the voice. A freckled girl with short hair was staring down at her, mouth agape when Chrissy faced her.

"Chrissy Cunningham?"

"Yes?" Chrissy replied.

"What on earth are you doing here?" the girl asked. Her name was Robin, from Mr Mundy's class.

"Eating..." she trailed off Robin peered down at her empty hands. "I was eating, you know in the past tense."

"Right," Robin said, plopping down next to her.

"I can go if you'd prefer."

"No no it's fine," Robin replied. "I've been after some company anyway." She took out a paper bag and began munching through the contents, occasionally throwing weird glances at Chrissy. She probably thought Chrissy couldn't see.

"So..." Robin began, paused halfway through her sandwich. "Why are you really here?"

"Fresh air and all," Chrissy said unconvincingly. "It's good for the skin."

"That's total bullshit." This girl really had no filter. "You're on the cheer team for God's sake, you spend about half your life on the track. Now if I wanted fresh air, that would sense you see," she continued. "Because I do band and we practise inside. But you? No way."

"Well what's it to you?"

"Nothing, I'm just so bored," she said. "And I love hearing about how the cheerleaders and athletes are secretly having just as shitty a time as the rest of us."

"Right," Chrissy began, "but I could just lie to you."

"And I'd drink it up," she said. "Bored, remember?"

"It's not even interesting," Chrissy sighed. "It's just Jason." Robin wrinkled her nose.

"Ah yes, your boyfriend."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"Like what?" Chrissy raised her eyebrows and tilted her head forwards. "I mean what did you expect?" Robin asked, "for me to be gushing with enthusiasm?"

"Does you really think he's that bad?" Chrissy asked. It seemed all these years she had overestimated his popularity within the less mainstream of the school.

Robin laughed but said nothing, and Chrissy narrowed her eyes. "Why?" The girl raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Why?" she exclaimed. "Oh Chrissy, Chrissy, Chrissy. You really have no idea." Robin jumped up, pacing the ground beneath the bleachers.

"He's a total dingus, y'know, absolutely dense as shit. And he's so rude to everyone. If you don't tick every one of his boxes then boom, suddenly the entire town's against you."

Chrissy didn't reply. She hated to admit that some of the things Robin had said didn't completely shock her. Jason knew everything about Chrissy, and in that way he was a comfort to her, but she began to wonder what else there was about Jason that drew her to him, if anything.

"Also, he's totally crazy about his reputation. To the point where it's freakishly obsessive. A little like you actually Chrissy."

"I'm not obsessed with my reputation," Chrissy snapped. She was lying through her teeth, but she wouldn't give Robin the victory of being right every time.

"Yeah right, why are you sat hiding under the bleachers? Because you can't bear to be seen here, but you don't want to face your table."

Chrissy was about to quip back at her, but something made her pause. Robin was right.

"Don't worry though," she continued as Chrissy stared up at her. "You're not so bad Chrissy Cunningham." And with that Robin gave her a smile.

"You are the strangest person I've spoken to in a long time," Chrissy replied. "I cannot tell if you like me or hate me."

"Like I said, you're not so bad. I mean you're a little bit bad, but isn't everyone?" Robin pulled out her sandwich and began chewing through it again, apparently contemplating. She offered Chrissy a bite but Chrissy declined politely. Instead Robin tore a chunk off and put it in her lap.

"Just eat it," Robin said before Chrissy could speak, and Chrissy picked it up, turning it over in her hands.

"You know, you're nicer than I thought you'd be," Chrissy said.

"I'm flattered."

"I would never have known it, but you're nice to talk to Robin."

"There's a lot you don't know about me Chrissy," Robin said smiling lightly, "but thank you."

Robin sat back down next to her and knocked her shoulders against Chrissy's. "Word of advice, dump Jason's ass."

Author's Note

This is very short and I feel like its a bit weird, I was just struck but sudden inspiration to actually give Chrissy a bit of company besides her shithead boyfriend. So glad Robin is helping her finally see sense.

I started writing this right after my chem exam so if my brain seems a little frazzled, it is.

Also just got notified that I now have a reader in Argentina which is very exciting given that I've never left Europe<3

p.s. bear with me for the Chreddie content, I promise it's coming...