Against all odds || Stranger Things 4 | Hellcheer

Chapter 2

As they enter his trailer, Eddie keeps on his careless act while trying to take as much trash as he can away from Chrissy's view. He feels silly about this sudden self-consciousness and convinces himself he's just trying to make her feel comfortable. She sure looks like she'd rather be anywhere else. If she was laughing in the car, her anxiety has kicked back time ten!

He already made his decision in the van. This only confirms he's doing the right thing. "I'll be back in a sec," he says, leaving her in the living room. He enters his bedroom and his eyes are instinctively drawn to his guitar hanging on the wall. Friday nights are usually just that beauty and him. "Sorry, I'm late, sweetheart." They'll have a guest for once!

*

Chrissy is puzzled to see Eddie coming back from his room with his guitar. "How about we don't wait until Tuesday for you to hear my music, uh?" he asks with a mischievous smile. From what she remembers from that talent show in middle school, it's very unlikely to be to her taste, but he's been so nice with her she doesn't have the heart to say no.

He sits on the couch – a black cable slithers on the floor behind him – and pats a spot next to him. She can tell from his face how excited he is. There's something endearing with how passionate he is for both his music and that fantasy game.

Trying not to think about its cleanness, she sits at the other end of the couch, pulls at her skirt – those fat ugly thighs! – and give Eddie a smile. He's beaming, she can feel his energy radiating. Something inside her wants a piece of it. Nothing could hurt her if she did...

He hits the first chord. The sound is coming from his bedroom, where she guesses he stacks whatever equipment he needs for his shows. It echoes through the trailer, adding up to the already distorted tone. She resists the urge to wince. It's loud and definitely not her style, but she doesn't want to hurt Eddie's feelings.

A bell tolls over the music, she snaps her neck toward the sound. A shiver runs down her spine, she peers through the window to try and see outside. It tolls again. She turns to Eddie, but the couch is suddenly empty. She can still hear the guitar, although it sounds lower, creepier.

She stands up, trembling, and calls for him. With no response, she tries his bedroom, only to find her mother sitting by her sewing machine.

*

Eddie lifts his head from his guitar, hoping to find Chrissy looking at him, but she's staring dead ahead. All he sees is her ear and that cute curl of hair that falls along it and hides the rest of her face. Her stiff stance tells Eddie she might not be enjoying the song. More than making him feel sorry they can't bond over his music, it fills him with disappointment against himself for not being able to sooth her anxiety like he did on the way to his place.

He should go back to what she came here for, but he hates the idea of staying on a bad experience. What are the odds of a song he knows how to play and she would like? The odds... He smiles to himself. He's been using that song as a warm-up for a while because his uncle loves Phil Collins and Eddie wanted him to be able to enjoy at least a bit of his practice session. This should be perfect.

*

Chrissy runs down the stairs, heart pounding. Her mother has transformed into a monster, her cruel words blending in the heavily distorted guitar sound that echoes in the house. Part of her knows this is a nightmare – how could she be in her home when she was with Eddie in his trailer just seconds ago? – but the terror feels very real.

She frantically calls for her dad, bursting into the living room. He used to be her superhero when she was a child, carrying her on his shoulder, catching her before she fell off her bike, getting rid of any wasp that would fly too close to her. He won't let a monster get her, will he?

She already feels safe just seeing the back of his head sticking out of the armchair, but her relief gets crushed when he turns to her, his lips and eyes sealed. She screeches and stumbles back, sobbing.

The guitar stops, she can hear footsteps from up the stairs – It's coming for her! She spins on her heels and runs away only to come across the most gruesome dinner table. Heaps of dishes covered in flies and spiders that make her shriek. The stairs creak, a guttural voice that resembles nothing like her mother's anymore calls for her.

Chrissy throws herself at the front door, desperate to leave this hell house, but the nightmare won't allow that. Large boards have been nailed to the house, blocking her inside, while the creature reaches the end of the stairs.

She's pushing against the boards when she notices the music. It sounds like a guitar, but it's not as sickly distorted as before. The tune is familiar, although she's too distressed to care to put a name on it.

*

Eddie keeps his eyes on his fingers as he plays 'Against all odds'. Chrissy hasn't said a word, he'd rather not know if she's looking at him or not. He hopes she doesn't mistake this for a flirty move... Is he flirting? He frowns. No, he's just being friendly to someone who seems to be going through hard times. That's all.

Not that he wouldn't want to flirt with her, because she's pretty and sweet and boy does he love her laughter – he slaps himself mentally. There's no point in thinking like this. Instead, he sings in his head.

But his mind wanders again to Chrissy and he imagines her flashing a smile at him next time they run into each other between classes. How he would smile back and maybe dare a wink. Which would probably make him a dead man if anyone from the basketball team saw him.

"Fuck Jason and his squad", he thinks. If that dickhead was a good boyfriend, surely Chrissy wouldn't be here tonight! So if Eddie wants to befriend Chrissy so that he can make her feel better, he will!

The burst of confidence gets him to sing out loud, "You're the only one, who really knew me at all." He feels the heat on his cheeks. Now this was way too cheesy! He's not even a good singer, it's Jeff who takes care of it for the band. Still, he keeps going, feeling like an idiot but hoping to win a little more of Chrissy's trust in the process.