Chapter Text
Chapter 1
“Impossible, we just bought this dress a month ago!”
The stern voice of Chrissy’s mother bounced in her head and traveled right down into the pit of her stomach. Her hands grasped the cold porcelain with desperation as another wave of nausea hit her. She carefully leaned over the bowl and cried out as the hot bile burned up her throat and poured out of her mouth.
“I’ll just take a bit out from the back.”
Chrissy leaned back and tried to control her breathing and avoid heaving. Her head was swimming and she was afraid she might pass out again.
“Come on out Chrissy, let’s try the dress on again.”
She heard steps approaching the bathroom stall she was kneeling in. The room was so dim, it was hard for her to make out who was standing there, just a foot away.
“Come out or I’m going to gut you like the fat pig you are!”
Her mother’s voice echoed out so loud that it almost knocked Chrissy off balance. She shut her eyes and fought the urge to scream.
“Are you okay?” An unfamiliar voice called to her.
When the girl finally had the courage, she saw the shoes at the door were not her mother’s. She took a raspy breath out and sudden frustration took over her fear. “I’m fine,” she replied as calmly as she could.
There was hesitation, and then, “are you sure?”
“Yes. Please, just go away,” she begged. There was no response, just the sound of footsteps and then the heavy door slammed. There was a silence that followed that consumed the entire room.
Chrissy pushed herself off the floor and unlocked the stall. Her legs felt like jello as she made her way to the mirror. The faucet knobs had dried soap on them, and it made her skin crawl. She reached over and pulled out a paper towel and draped it over the knobs before turning them.
It’s not that she was afraid of germs, but something about this bathroom in particular always creeped her out. She didn’t usually have that much of a choice though, since this was one that most people wouldn’t frequent. Especially none of her friends.
Chrissy craned her neck to look up at the reflection in front of her. Her eyes were bloodshot and watery. She knew from experience that it would take about 20 minutes for them to clear. As she lathered the liquid soap between her palms and fingers on auto pilot, her mind was already picking apart the flaws she could see all over her body and face. Her gut started to tense again, so she looked away from herself and dried her hands quickly.
The hallway was mostly empty by the time she made it to her locker. A few other students were chatting in a group just around the corner. Chrissy instantly avoided the mirror that she had glued on the metal door once she opened it. Her head floated as she tried to decide on what books she would and wouldn’t need over the weekend. After a few seconds, she noted that she had gotten all her homework done during study hall. She hated how forgetful she could be sometimes. It felt like recently, it had been even worse.
Chrissy’s shaky legs carried her to the end of the hall and into the corridor that led outside. A tall blonde teen leaned against the wall with his hands in his pocket. Next to him was the case that held the basketball and football trophies that the school were displaying. The one on top was the one that he helped bring home last year. Jason - she knew he was proud of himself. She was proud of him too, but sometimes she felt like success was the only thing he was able to recognize.
Jason smiled at her as she approached. “Hey babe, what took you so long? I was starting to get worried.”
“Sorry! I just haven’t been feeling well,” she explained with a forced grin. “But I’m okay now.” She didn’t want him worrying about her. As much as she knew he loved her, sometimes his attention was more smothering than helpful.
“Yeah you’re not looking so great today,” he said while he looked her up and down.
Chrissy knew he meant that in good faith, but she sometimes wished he would choose his words better. He was not her mother, she knew that, but it was hard to not draw parallels when it felt like his eyes would scan her body for the imperfections that she was desperately trying to hide.
He landed a kiss on the top of her head. “So I was thinking,” Jason pulled her in close and stroked her hair. “Since my parents are going away for their anniversary this weekend, would you maybe want to stay over? I know how much you hate being home alone.”
Jason was right, she did hate how quiet that house was when her father was at work. Since her mother died, it felt like she was the only person that lived there anymore. Chrissy wanted to weigh out the pros and cons, but she knew how impatient he gets. “Jason, I would but,” she started speaking weakly, she was always deeply afraid of disappointing him. “I just haven’t felt great, and I don’t think I’d be much fun.”
“Maybe tomorrow if you’re feeling better, then?” Jason tilted his head and gave her a pleading look.
She was sure most of the girls in the school would die to have a boy like Jason Carver to look at them like this. The truth was, a year ago, it was a lot different. She wasn’t sure when it happened, but his gold charm had tarnished.
“Did you hear me?” Jason asked. He grabbed both of her shoulders and waited until her pupils refocused on him.
Chrissy creased her brows and forced another smile. “Sorry, I just have been feeling off. I’m a bit dizzy and spaced out there.”
He rubbed up and down her arm. “It’s fine. Go home and get some rest, we can hang out tomorrow.”
Chrissy immediately felt annoyed that he had just made plans for her without her acknowledgement. This wasn’t something new for him, but lately it was more frequent that he would do that. Ever since she turned him down for sex, he had been ever more persistent to get her alone. She knew that he was ready, but she wasn’t. When she told him that, she left out the part that she likely would never do that with him.
Jason waited for her answer, his finger tapped her collar bone. Chrissy knew he needed an answer, and she didn’t have the strength to fight. “Sure, yeah, tomorrow.”
“Great, I’ll see you in the morning then.” Jason placed his hand on her lower back and pulled her in for a kiss. “Do you need a ride home?”
Chrissy curved her back so that she could look him in the eye. “No thank you, I’m going with Tracie today to help her study.”
“Alright babe,” he nodded. He landed a kiss on her nose and said his goodbyes. He joined the rest of the basketball players who were waiting for him outside, then turned towards the gym and vanished out of sight.
Another lie , she thought, that’s just who I am now I guess.
Chrissy headed towards the empty football field and sat on the bleachers. The cold metal kissed her thighs right where the cheerleading outfit didn’t reach. She pulled down the fabric and leaned forward on one arm and stared out into the woods. A fast wind picked up her ponytail and jostled it around. Her life felt like it was spinning out of control. She barely recognized who she was anymore, not that she even knew in the first place. Since she’s been going to the counselor at school, she had started to realize how her mother’s abuse had deeply affected her. She wasn’t sure if the person she is, is the creation that her mother sculpted or if it was really who she was supposed to be. Who was she really, at the core.
“Funny seeing you here.”
Chrissy snapped her attention to a petite girl with short brown hair walking up the steps towards her. Her seat shook with every step the girl took, and right before she was next to her - she recognized who it was.
“Meri?” Chrissy said shakily. She hadn’t spoken to her childhood friend in well over a year and a half. The guilt of that reality grew in her chest once she joined her on the bleachers.
“The one and only,” Meri announced loudly, leaning back and kicking her feet up on the empty seat in front of her. “Watching the big game?” She smirked and elbowed Chrissy, who was stiff to the touch.
This got a small chuckle from Chrissy. “Something like that,” she smiled and looked down at her twisting hands.
“Shouldn’t you be at practice with.. Oh what’s his name, Jerry?” Which got another giggle, but also a forced smile that her friend could spot from a mile away. “Sorry, a sore spot?”
“What? No, no at all,” Chrissy defended quickly. “Why would it be?”
Meri lifted her splayed hands and raised her brows. “Woah, woah okay. Not a sore spot, got it.”
There was a moment of silence. Chrissy knew that her friend hadn’t meant to make fun of Jason in a nasty way, and that wasn’t really what made her feel so uneasy. She wasn’t used to someone picking up on her emotions, or even acknowledging them at all. More guilt rose in her until she couldn’t hold back her words anymore.
Meri was feeling the same way, and they both spurted out, “I’m sorry.” Then they looked at each other and laughed.
Chrissy was brought back to the first time that she stayed over at Merideth’s. She was so embarrassed to tell her new, and only friend, that she was afraid of the dark. After laying in panic for over 15 minutes, she started crying. Meri comforted her and turned on the nightlight that she had hidden in one of her drawers. Truth be told, both were afraid of the dark, but neither one of them wanted to admit it first. There was never judgment for any fears or feelings that she shared with Meri.
“What’s been going on, Chrissy?” Meri asked. “There are some rumors, you know how nosey people can be, and they said you’ve been missing cheer.”
Her tone was gentle, like it has always been. She was a born listener. “Yeah, today was actually my first day back in a bit.”
Meri nodded and leaned back against the bleachers again. “Well I’m glad you’re getting back into the groove of things.”
“Yeah, Jason said once I start the routine again that I’ll have fun with it again.” She picked at the tip of her fingers and chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m uh, I'm sure he misses me at his games.”
Her friend craned her neck back and faced the cloudy sky. “You know,” she started weakly before clearing her throat and continuing, “I’m sorry to hear about your mom. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner.”
Chrissy suddenly had a lump in her throat. “Oh, it’s okay. Thank you.”
“Nah it was a shitty thing for me to do, Chris. I should have been there for you.” She lifted her head to look at her teary eyed friend. “I know you have new friends and all, but I’m still around if you need me.”
She nodded and smiled. “Thank you,” she sniffled and focused her gaze out on the field again. Black spots started to form around her vision, her head spun faster and faster. It was like the blood from her brain vanished.
“Are you okay?” Meri asked and quickly sat up and put her hand on the girl’s shoulder.
Chrissy could hear her but her mind went dark.
The next thing she knew, she was laying on the bleacher with her gray-eyed friend staring down at her. She had these spells from time to time, but was usually able to excuse herself fast enough to do it in private. When she passed out in cheer, they forced her to take some time off.
“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she said while holding her head and sitting up. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Well you did, what’s going on? Are you sick?” Meri questioned. Chrissy could hear the fear in her voice, and her hand was quaking when she touched her arm.
“No, I’m not sick.” Chrissy leaned and put her head in between her knees and breathed out slowly. “I just, I haven’t been able to, like.” She hesitated, afraid of admitting the demon that she had been hiding from everyone. She knows it has a name, the counselor helped her identify it at the beginning of the year. She was embarrassed to admit to even herself that she had - what Ms Kelley called a pretty bad case of bulimia.
Meri placed her shaky hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Hey,” she said as gently as she could, “you can tell me.”
Chrissy knew she maybe didn’t deserve the kindness that she was getting from her friend, but God she needed someone to listen now more than ever.
*******************************
The small flock of sheep that Eddie collected was formed around his van. They had just finished their two hour long session for his campaign in Dungeons and Dragons. Every week, for a year, they had been meeting to continue their journey. Everyone was still amped up, particularly Dustin who repeatedly told Mike that he believed Vecna was going to be the end boss.
Eddie would never interrupt such banter, even though part of him was unbelievably excited to show the party that Dustin - in fact - was right. He could already see the smug smile that would spread across the boy’s face before shoving in an aggressive ‘I TOLD YOU.’
They were going to be battling for their lives - well, their characters' lives. After a year of careful planning and surviving, this was going to be one of his favorite campaigns that he has ever played through. Hopefully, no offense to the Hellfire Club, would be his last.
This year would be his year. He looked forward to nothing more than grabbing that diploma and never looking back.
Mike shook his head and announced that he was going to head home. From what Eddie heard, he was going to California to see his girlfriend. He still wasn’t sure if this girl existed or not, but Henderson swore up and down that she was real and awesome.
The rest of the flock started to say their goodbyes to go their separate ways. Eddie opened his van door and started the engine. He took a moment to watch his friend’s walk away, he knew he’d miss times like these eventually. Maybe not right away. The high of graduation would last him a good while, he guessed.
“Uhm, excuse me,” a frail voice called out. It took a repeat to catch his attention. Standing before him was Chrissy Cunningham. He blinked twice dramatically, looked around and back at her. There was nobody else behind him, though she surely wouldn’t be talking to him - the one everyone dubbed ‘the school freak’. “Can I talk to you?”
“Uh - sure?” He replied, still a bit on edge. He was waiting for the entire basketball team to come out and start laughing at him - or worse, to jump him. Earlier in the cafeteria, he did make quite a scene and even threw a jab at the jocks. He considered getting in his van and just leaving, but the look in her eyes convinced him this wasn’t some kind of sick prank.
“I heard, uh. I heard that you sell things,” Chrissy started off, her words fumbled and a touch of pink rose in her cheeks. “I was told maybe you could, I don’t know.” He noticed that she seemed jumpy, moving from one foot to the other. Her arms were tight against her chest.
Eddie knew talking to someone like him would be risky for her reputation. He wasn’t dense, he knew what she was referring to, but he wasn’t sure why she would ask him specifically. “What are you looking for exactly?”
“Can we,” she stopped and leaned back to look past the hood of his van to where the gym doors were. “Is there somewhere else we can talk?”
Dustin stopped in his tracks once he came from behind the van. “Woah, did I interrupt something?” He eyed both of them with confusion and concern written in his face.
“What do you want, Henderson?” Eddie asked before he rubbed his mouth in frustration. This girl was so skittish, he was sure she was going to turn heel and run. “It’s okay, he’s cool.”
Chrissy stared at him and twisted her hands in a knot.
“I’m cool now? Hell yeah,” Dustin laughed out, his large smile spread across his face.
Eddie rolled his eyes and stalked towards his friend. He placed a heavy hand on his shoulder and led him away from where the girl was standing. “You need to get lost.”
“Oh, so I DID interrupt something,” he smirked and elbowed him on the side. Eddie responded by grabbing that same arm and holding it against his torso.
“Tell me what you want, and then get lost,” he demanded quietly. The smile faded from Dustin’s face and they both looked back at Chrissy and waved awkwardly.
“Jeez, okay. I was just going to get my dice from you. You took them when we were cleaning up,” Dustin whispered. He pulled out of Eddie’s grasp and raised his brows before gesturing to his pocket.
Eddie fished in his pocket and pulled out a handful of dice. Dustin picked the two copper colored ones that were his and nodded. “That was pretty dramatic, even for you Eddie,” he pointed out as he placed the dice in his jacket. “If you have a secret girlfriend, I’m not going to tell anyone.”
The long haired boy put his arm over his friend’s shoulder and pulled him in. “Do you want to die?” He asked quietly.
Dustin shrugged and tapped Eddie’s face with his palm playfully. “Go do your thing.”
They both turned and waved at her again. Chrissy was standing very still and was ever the more confused on the interaction. Eddie patted Henderson on the head and pushed him forward, making him stumble.
***************************
Eddie couldn’t help but stare at Chrissy who sat in front of him at this picnic table in the middle of the woods. This was his spot, where he would often make deals with other students. It wasn’t that he was in awe of her, he knew that she was just a person like him. A lot of the jocks and ‘popular’ people would come to him when they were looking to score some drugs. Yet, none looked as nervous as she did now.
“So how does this work, exactly?” She starts off, her words felt almost stuck in her throat.
“Ah, it’s just like every other old sale. Except cash only,” he nods and gestures to the open tin box in the middle of the table. “And for obvious reasons, no receipts.”
Chrissy remained silent, her eyes still drawn toward the table.
He continues the normal routine of explaining, “I’ll give ya a half ounce for.. 20, what do you say? It’s a pretty good bang for your buck, and it’ll be much more than you need.”
A squirrel scurried up the tree and made her jump. She took a sharp breath in and glanced behind her nervously.
He knew he was scary to people. Eddie knew from the moment he was in elementary school that he didn’t fit in with the other kids. Teachers would scoff at his disheveled hair and clothes. They didn’t think he noticed, but he could hear their whispers about him. How they would scoff when he would come into the classroom late. They expected nothing but bad from him, and he guessed she felt the same about him right at this second as well.
Eddie closed the lid, and placed his hands flat on the surface. It was clear that being around him was putting her on edge. “Listen, we don’t have to do this. Just say the word and I will get up and walk away.”
“No. It’s not that - I don’t want you to go.” She sighed and rubbed the palm of her hand on the edge of the table. “Do you ever feel like you're losing your mind?”
Eddie tilted his head. He could see how vulnerable she was in that question. He thought for a moment and replied with, “Oh you know, on a daily basis.” A wide smile spread across his face. “Like I feel like I’m losing my mind right now that I’m doing a drug deal with Chrissy Cunningham. The queen of Hawkin’s high.” He knocked on the table and laced his fingers together.
Her expression lightened, and he swore he even saw the edges of her lips twitch. This pushed him to go a little further. “You know,” he continued. “This isn’t the first time that we’ve hung out.”
She pinched her brows together. “No?”
“You don’t remember?”
She shook her head slightly. “No, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Eddie said simply. They stared at each other for a moment before he flung himself on the ground while holding his chest.
Chrissy gasped out as he rolled across the leaves and stood up quickly.
“It’s okay, I wouldn’t remember me either Chrissy. Honestly.” Eddie brushed off the debris from the ground off of his hair and clothes. “I have stuff in my hair?”
Her laugh, it immediately cured all of the tension in the moment. It rang out in the forest and surrounded the both of them.
“You don’t remember me?” He asked while crossing his arms and stepping forward.
She stopped giggling to finally say, “I’m sorry!”
Eddie Munson was not what she expected at all. She always heard horror stories about him being mean, weird and a straight up savage devil worshiper. As he stood in front of her now, she wasn’t sure if they were even talking about the same person.
“Middle school, talent show. You were doing this cheer thing,” he playfully throws his hands around to mimic a cheerleader. “It was pretty cool actually. And I, I was with my band..” he side eyed her, and watched as her entire face lit up.
“Corroded coffin!! Oh my god, with a name like that how could I forget?” She yelled out excitedly.
He pointed at her and clapped his hands “You do remember!”
“You played guitar, right?”
Eddie placed his palms on his back and started pacing. He knew this was just a silly conversation, but the fact that she even acknowledged his band made him feel like he was on cloud 9. “Ahuh, still do. Still do! You should come see us. We play at The Hideout on Fridays. It’s pretty cool. We actually get a crowd of about.. Five.. drunks!”
Chrissy laughed again. She wasn’t sure of the last time that she did laugh this much. Yet here she was, in an autumn colored forest with Eddie Munson - the people everyone whispered about. For once, she didn’t feel that knot in her stomach that had been there for months.
“You know, you’re not what I thought you’d be like,” she commented, her smile so bright that it almost made Eddie falter.
He took a piece of hair and pulled it over his face. “Mean and scary?”
“Yes,” she laughed.
He walked forward and sat back at the table. “Well, I actually kinda thought you’d be mean and scary too.”
With a soft tone she asked, “Me?”
He nodded, “terrifying.”
Just like that, Chrissy felt like she was back to the way things were before her mother died. The rest of the world melted away, and she was just in the moment.
“Other good news, flattery works with me. A half, fifteen bucks. You’re practically robbing me blind.”
Her face fell again and Eddie’s gut twisted. He never liked to push drugs on anyone, but she had been the one to approach him first about it.
“Is it strong?” She asked quietly.
He thought for a moment. He didn’t really feel like it was stronger than anything else he’s ever tried. Eddie shrugged and responded with, “I mean, it’s not something that can knock me on my ass. But it’s pretty good shit.” He could tell from her darting eyes that she wasn’t entirely sure what that meant for her. “Is this your first time or something?”
“I mean,” Chrissy grabbed the hem of her skirt. “Yeah, it is.”
Eddie never liked to mix his personal life with his business, but part of him felt bad for the girl sitting in front of him. Even though he knew that the moment they’d be in public together, she would shut him out and pretend she never spoke to him in her life. Maybe she would even whisper how he’s a freak. Something felt different here, as much as it felt like a fever dream.
He rubbed his chin and swallowed the saliva that was pooling in his mouth. “Now, I don’t normally give out free samples. But since I’m also giving you such a huge discount, why not. Would you want to try it with me at my place?”
Chrissy paused before she replied. A part of her was scared that what everyone said was right. That at a drop of a hat, he would turn on her - just as her mother always had. His dark eyes remained focused on her as she was in thought. He was quiet and she could feel him patiently waiting on her answer. Something that she wished Jason could do for her from time to time.
“As long as it’s not too weird for you, then, that would be nice I think,” she trailed off and stared at her hands.
“Chrissy, this entire situation is weird.” Eddie remarked and leaned forward with his chin propped up on his fist.
His beaming smile made her feel at ease once again. She realized it must have been contagious, and she tried to hide her grin that was forming behind her sleeved hand.
**************************
Eddie was a bit self conscious as he climbed into his van. If he knew he would have a girl, particularly a cheerleader, in his vehicle at all in his lifetime he may have taken the time to actually clean up a bit. He grimaced as he quickly shoved DnD books, piles of loose paper from school and other miscellaneous loose items onto the floor behind them.
Chrissy stood patiently with the passenger door open while she waited for his permission to get in. She glanced around in the desolant parking lot. It was right by a main road. She knew that everyone in school was likely out and about, and part of her was terrified of getting caught getting into Eddie’s van. Not for the sake of popularity, but she would have a better chance at explaining herself to a wall rather than Jason.
“Hey, sorry about all this,” Eddie said as he grabbed another crushed soda can and tossed it towards the back of the van. The passenger side finally looked decent, and he gestured with his hand to the seat. “Your royal carriage awaits.”
Chrissy nodded and hopped up to sit next to him. The dashboard had a layer of dust on it, and she could see where some coca cola had spilled on the center console between them. She recognized the smell to be a mixture between his car tree air freshener and smoke. Unlike Jason’s brand new BMW, which she swore always had a leather scent lingering.
Instinctively Eddie reached for the radio and pressed on the knob to turn it on. As soon as the face of the radio lit up the van filled with ear blasting music that made her jump. He quickly turned it down and mumbled an apology. Chrissy pulled the seatbelt over her chest and fastened it. Her attention drifted to the long haired boy, who was gripping his steering wheel. His expression seemed distant, like he was lost in a thought that he just couldn’t catch.
She wondered if maybe this was a bad idea after all - that just hit him that he was about to be a babysitter for the evening. Chrissy started to storm up ideas on how to excuse herself, when he finally turned his head to face her. He gave her a small nod and grasped the lever and put the van into drive.
They pulled ahead and merged onto the main road. Another car approached towards them, and she had to fight the urge to slink down to the floor.
Eddie watched her reaction from the corner of his eye, as he expected her to do just that. But to both of their surprise, she stayed seated calmly.
The speakers in the doors were grainy and distorted during some of the more bassy parts of songs. He knew that turning the volume all the way up was a sure way to blow them out, but when he had a bad day it’s really all he has sometimes.
Chrissy listened closely and took a deep breath before asking a question that she was afraid he would just plainly laugh at. “Is this Metallica?”
Eddie was caught off guard and raised his brows before glancing over at her. “It.. is, actually.” He never pegged her as the type to listen to ‘the devil’s music’.
She grinned, satisfied that she may have won some bonus points with him. She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to do so - but she figured it had something to do with the fact that he got her out of the funk she had been stuck in for weeks.
Yes, that’s definitely it , she thought to herself.
The large silver rings that Eddie wore on his fingers gleamed in the sunlight that poured through the windshield. Small reflections swam across the ceiling as he reached over and rolled his window down and let the breeze flow in. She held the edge of her skirt down as the air flowed in and tousled their hair around. His long dark locks whipped around, like he was in the middle of a storm.
Another brick in the wall came on the station and he quickly turned it up so he could hear it over the wind. He mouthed the words as his left hand tapped to the beat. He remembered when his father would play this song when he would be on one of his drink benders. It always seemed to fall on a school night when he’d have the song on repeat for hours, always mixed with the faint screaming between him and Eddie’s mother.. As much as this song held some bad memories, he refused to let it control how it affected him now.
Eddie came back from his little daydream and realized he was actually singing pretty loud. He drifted off and made a quick glance at Chrissy, who was focused on the road ahead and singing along as well. She turned her head and gave him a huge smile that made his heart seize in his chest. Between the way her hair fell against her glowing skin and how her bright blue eyes sparkled when she looked back at him - he understood why the guys at school loved her so much.
He knew he was going to remember this for a long time.
Eddie tapped on the steering wheel with both hands, his rings making a loud CLACK every time he struck down. He tilted his head to the side and started to make dramatic arm movements as he sang out. The window was rolled down all the way, and he quickly stuck his body out.
Chrissy instinctively grabbed the wheel while she laughed uncontrollably. Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes and her stomach was in knots - in the way that made her feel glad that she was alive.
Eddie pulled himself back inside and plopped down on the seat. She let go of the wheel and covered her mouth with her hand. He made her laugh, which is exactly what he was aiming to do. There was something about her laugh that brought a surge of joy for him. He knew how lonely it was out in the world, and if he could lighten the load for someone at all, he would.
He knew that’s what he wished people would do for him.
***********************
They pulled up to his trailer and Eddie hesitated before taking the keys out of the ignition. Chrissy watched him curiously as a few quick emotions passed over his face. She hoped he wasn’t having second thoughts. She would never force her presence on anyone, but the thought of going back to that empty house where the maddening silence awaited brought a wave of anxiety.
He got out of the van and walked towards the front door and opened it. He gestured for her to go first, so she stepped in cautiously past him.
It was a small place, and there were clothes and magazines spread out over the couch. Old cups and dishes were stacked on the counters in the kitchen and on the small coffee table. Hats hung in the corner of the living room of all different colors - mostly those of local sports teams.
“Again, sorry about the mess,” he added quickly before shutting the door behind him. His uncle would always bug him about cleaning up, and for once he wished that he would have actually listened to him. His room was even more cluttered, but he wouldn’t consider it dirty. He assumed a girl like Chrissy would probably find it repulsive.
Chrissy stepped forward and looked around. “Do you live here alone?”
“Just me and my uncle Wayne. He works all the time at the plant, so he’s usually not home,” he explained while continuing to pick up what he could.
She stood with her hands locked in front of her legs. She was nervous. She had never even had a sip of alcohol, and here she was about to smoke marijuana with a guy from school that she barely knew.
She also hoped Eddie wouldn’t think she was annoying when she was high.
He walked at the threshold of his bedroom and glanced back at her. “I’ll be right there, just get comfortable.”
Chrissy nodded and beelined to the couch. The cushions engulfed her as she sat down. He had turned his radio on and popped in a mix tape that he made for when he planned to get extra high. It had all the greats, from Pink Floyd all the way to Iron Maiden. He knew that there wasn’t much he could do to make her feel completely comfortable, but he hoped she would appreciate his music choices.
She waited quietly until he emerged from his room with a freshly rolled joint between his fingers. He plopped himself next to her and licked at the edge of the paper one more time then gingerly pushed it down.
A lighter was pulled from his denim jacket and he passed it to her. Chrissy held it in the palm of her hands awkwardly. If she hadn’t told him that it was her first time, this right there would have screamed it to him anyway.
Eddie gave a small walkthrough on how to inhale and warned her to try and control the hit. He had personally seen people get knocked on their ass after they practically inhaled half of a joint. That wasn’t something he wanted for her at all.
Chrissy learned fast and hit it like a pro. She leaned forward while both coughing and apologizing. He laughed and explained this was how it always feels when you don’t smoke often, but that it does get easier each time.
They sat back on the couch and listened to the music that was drifting from his bedroom. Her expression was different, and he could tell from the haze that shifted over her eyes that she was in deep thought. He could only hope they were good ones.
For Chrissy, she couldn’t remember the last time that she felt her breathing this slow and calm.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt hungry without the guilt that normally came with it.
“Hey,” Chrissy leaned her head to the side so that she could see him. “Do you have any chips or something?” He raised his brows in response, a smile crept across his face.
Yeah, he thought to himself, I’m going to remember this night forever.