MATILDA, eddie munson.

037.

MARCH 22ND, 1986
📍cunningham house
9:36 PM

"hello?" matilda greeted, answering the phone.

"matilda?" the voice from the other line said.

"max?" tillie spoke. "is that you?"

"yeah, it's me," max confirmed. "i'm sorry to be calling right now. i'm guessing you've heard?"

"the cops are sitting in my living room as we speak," tillie told her, quieting her tone. "why are you calling?"

"we're trying to track down eddie. we're calling everyone he knows. do you have any idea where he could be? i hate to ask this right now, considering things, but we're worried about him."

"matilda, who is it?" she heard her mother holler from the living room.

"just some person trying to sell us something. it's nothing," she replied, holding the phone away from her face. she saw her mother nod and begin conversing with the policemen again and put the phone back to her ear. "i'm worried too. but no, i don't know where he is."

"shit," max sighed. "do you know anyone who might?"

"no, sorry," tillie replied with a sigh. "but listen, can i help you look? i really can't be at home right now, and i want eddie to be safe and i want to know the truth about what happened to my sister."

max seemed to falter for a moment, falling quiet as she whispered to other people in her surroundings. "yeah, you can help us. dustin said that eddie really likes you so we probably need you. we're at family video, you know, the movie rental store?"

"yeah, i know where that is," she whispered, cautious of her mother or the cops hearing her. "it's a few blocks away. i'll be there soon. i'll see you then."

"great, bye."

matilda placed the telephone back on the wall, looking into the living room and seeing her mother and the cops distracted in deep conversation. her eyes flickered back and forth between them and the back door, which led to an alley she could follow round to the front of her house.

she slowly walked over there, trying to make as little noise as possible, before carefully twisting the handle and unlocking it, stepping out. closing it, she cringed at the small bang it made and hoped her mother hadn't heard it. without waiting to find out, she swiftly turned on her feet and began making her way to the movie store.

— 📻🪐🏹 —

MARCH 22ND, 1986
📍family video
10:03 AM

entering the store, tillie smiled awkwardly at the four faces staring at her. max, dustin, steve harrington and robin buckley, who she had a few classes with. max and dustin both had phones in their hands, whilst robin and steve looked bored out of their minds.

"hi," she said. "um, any updates?"

"nope," max replied. "are you sure he hasn't told you about a place he likes to go or somewhere he stays or anything like that?"

"nope," she shook her head, walking towards the counter. "anywhere he told me about or took me to see is right in public."

"i'm still confused how you guys even know each other," steve voiced up. "i mean, eddie 'the freak' munson and matilda cunningham. weird pairing."

"it's a long story," she responded.

steve nodded and cleared his throat. things were a little awkward between them since they'd been on a few dates and even made out a couple of times. the other three looked at them in confusion.