EDDIE MUNSON ~ Before I learned The Truth.

Putting the past behind you

The gang appeared inside the store mid-morning, Max creeping up behind me stacking videos away and making me jump so hard I dropped them on the floor. "Fucking hell don't do that to me!" I breathed, clutching my chest and shaking my head at them all laughing behind me, holding bags of their swimwear. "Sorry - it was too tempting" Max giggled and helped me pick up the videos, I stuck my tongue out at her. "Is it just you today?" Mike asked, looking around the pretty much empty space. "Nah, Robs is in the X-rated. STEVE - YOUR KIDS ARE HERE!" I yelled towards his office. Steve walked out, hands behind his back as if stuffed into his pockets, straight faced, "Sup guys" he nodded to them all, they stared back expectantly. "Well?!" Lucas asked, waving his arms in the air. Steve sucked in a deep breath, a sad look on his face, "Sorry kids, we only got one copy this morning and it got rented out right away." Disappointment flooded their young faces. I looked around them all, no clue what was happening. "Oh man, I was so looking forward to Near Dark this weekend." Dustin muttered. Steve leaned against the rack I was replenishing and brought his arm round to fan his face with a video he must have been holding behind his back, doing a dramatically loud sigh, "I know dude - maybe if you're all extra nice to me I'll let you watch it with me." The kids all saw what he was holding and let out groans of excitement mixed with annoyance, "You're such a dick sometimes!" Dustin jeered and tried to grab the video, Steve simply held his hand high above his head out of Dustin's reach, but not out of Mike's. Mike plucked it from Steve's fingers and marvelled at it, the others circling round it. They'd been wanting to watch this movie for months, but none of them were old enough to get in. "Movie night on friday?" I asked, just as Robin entered the main area of the store, "shit yeah!" Dustin smiled, and it infected us all. "You guys heading to the pool?" Robin asked, reaching our little circle, they all nodded and Max replied, "Gotta make the most of it before school starts." 

A customer cleared their throat at the front desk so I excused myself to serve them, once they left Mike appeared in front of me, his voice was low when he said "Eddie mentioned Gareth is exiled from Hellfire, wouldn't tell us exactly why, just said he broke the two of you up." I nodded, not wanting to cross any boundaries since I wasn't part of Hellfire. Mike continued, "people talk, Rain, we've heard a bunch of different things from people at that party. All of them include you going upstairs with Gareth, then dragging Annie outside and beating the crap out of her, and Gareth appearing with bruises and blood all over him. What happened?" my throat felt tight and I went dizzy, needing to sit down. "That's pretty much it, Mike. Turns out the two of them were puppeteering everything the whole time." This was all I could say, but Mike knew me too well, "did he hurt you?" I had to avert my eyes from Mike's face, otherwise I'd start panicking, but the huge gulp I did gave Mike his answer. "That's why they've both disappeared then." My head snapped back towards him, "What?" I asked, confused. Mike scratched his head, "Gareth and Annie - they've skipped town. Dustin went into the studio before we came here, said Anne wasn't there and the receptionist girl was on a rager trying to sort out all of her clients because apparently Annie just didn't show up and left a voice mail saying she quit. Doesn't take a genius to gather they've ditched together." I couldn't describe the feeling that washed over me, a strange mix of peace and anger, but either way I was glad to hear the two of them wouldn't be around Hawkins now. "

~

"Are you gonna be home for dinner toni- oh wow" My mom stuck her head round my bedroom door as I was standing in front of my mirror smoothing my hands down my outfit, "Uh yeah, just meeting Eddie for a while but we'll be home before 9." she wandered into my room and swirled her hands, motioning for me to twirl in front of her, and I awkwardly obliged. "I gotta say Raindrop, I never thought I'd see you without purple hair, but this suits you so well." she reached out to lightly touch my bright sky blue locks, that I'd dyed as soon as I got home. I chuckled as I replied, "felt like a change was needed, it's been a long time. Thanks mom." After she exited and closed the door, I heard the unmistakeable sound of Eddie's van chugging towards my house, and got one last look at myself before I heard his knocking. For the special occasion I was wearing my black leather trousers with my slim fitting, red long sleeved def leppard top tucked into them, which I'd altered to add a corset style tied back and pins decorating the deep neckline I'd cut into it. "Hel-oly shit balls, you changed it!?" Eddie's jaw dropped when I skipped outside, making my heart skip a beat as he ravaged his eyes all over me. "yup, thought since we're gonna be starting a new chapter soon, and leaving this one full of shit behind, it was time y'know." Eddie clasped one of my hands, kissing it and helping me into the van, "I know, looks incredible on you." Black sabbath pumped through the van at full blast, Eddie drumming his hands on the wheel and me playing air guitar as we both banged our heads and shouted along. When the song finished, we burst into laughter, Eddie trying to keep his eyes on the road but kept flicking them over to me. "Eyes on the road Munson or we'll crash!" he begrudgingly tore his deep chocolate eyes away from me, groaning "I can't help it when you look so fucking good, darling." My stomach did little flips, and I blushed, tapping my knees. "You clean up pretty well too," I whispered, my eyes lingering on Eddies' grey jeans and the tight fitted Guns N Roses tee that he'd messily but artistically splashed bleach all over. The edges of his mouth twitched, the smile widening when I asked, "did you get the stuff?" At that moment we pulled into the always deserted parking lot at the top of the cemetery, Eddie winked at me and tapped the pocket of his leather jacket, my heart once again skipping a beat.