Chapter Text
Chrissy couldn’t help but tug at the hem of her skirt as she fidgeted in the passenger seat of Jason’s car. A tight and queasy feeling snaked its way from her stomach and up her chest as the car slowly came to a stop beside the curb of Hawkins High. Chrissy looked past the beads of condensation on the windows and felt that the school looked eerie and unwelcoming at 8am on a Saturday morning. There were no other students milling about, no sounds of talking and music, and it all made the coiling in her stomach squeeze tighter.
“Babe it’s gonna be okay, getting detention is a rite of passage. They probably wouldn’t have even let you graduate without going once” Jason’s smooth voice teased as he put a warm reassuring hand on her thigh.
“I’m just so bummed that I’m going to miss going to your game” Chrissy lied.
In all honesty Chrissy was a little relieved that she didn’t have to cheer the Hawkins basketball team at their away game today. She just didn’t have it in her today to plaster a smile on her face and pretend everything was alright. It wasn’t like she hated being a cheerleader, but sometimes she wasn’t ready to be the Chrissy Cunningham that her team needed.
“It’s okay we’ve still got some games in the season. Although I’ll miss seeing that beautiful smile on the sidelines when we crush the Raiders.” Jason replied.
Tucking his fingers under her chin, Jason pressed his thumb against her baby pink stained lips and turned Chrissy to directly face him.
“Now I’m going to do my best to be back in time to pick you up but you know how the guys get if we win. So if I’m not out front this afternoon call your dad to come pick you up.”
“Okay. Good luck today!” Chrissy replied and leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek.
With a quick step Chrissy shut the door and made her way across the concrete towards the entrance of the school. She knew there wasn’t a chance in hell she would call her dad to pick her up from detention. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham thought that their sweet girl had left early to get ready to cheer at the away game today. The thought of how her mother would react knowing that Chrissy not only lied about cheering at the game, but that she had also skipped class twice in past week sent a shiver down her spine. Telling them was simply not an option.
The room where Saturday detention was held was stuffy and empty save for Mrs. Greene as Chrissy walked in that morning. Faded posters of U.S. Presidents of past and maps hung on the walls. The far side of the room had an expansive set of windows and Chrissy made her way towards one of the desks over there. If she was going to have to spend her Saturday morning at school she might as well get a nice view of the surrounding woods.
“Well Miss Cunningham I can’t say that I’m not surprised that you’ve ended up on my list this morning. However, I hope you’re ready to spend the next few hours thinking about what choices led you to being in this room this morning. In fact ---”
THWACK
Mrs. Greene was loudly interrupted by the sudden thump of the classroom door being kicked open hard enough that it hit the wall. Chrissy’s eyes darted to the doorway and saw a dark mop of hair, round brown eyes, and glinting rings. Inhaling a sudden breath Chrissy watched as her fellow detainee strode over to a desk behind her. The anxious coiling in her stomach began twisting again as she fully realized how out of her depth she was today.
“Mr. Munson I’m glad you could finally do us the honor of showing up” Mrs. Green quipped sarcastically.
Munson? Chrissy could vaguely remember Jason and his friends referring to Munson the Freak but she didn’t remember ever having any classes with him.
“Janet you know I would never miss the opportunity to spend quality time together in this fine institution” a voice from behind crooned.
Still facing Mrs. Greene, Chrissy didn’t miss the narrowing of the educator’s eyes and the slight frown that began to take over the corner of her mouth.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t Mr. Munson. Now, you two are here today to make up for the poor choices you each have made. Education is a privilege and I won’t see you two squander the opportunity to learn. For the next few hours you’re going to stay in this room and study for the end of the year exams coming up. I have a few matters to attend to in the office but I’m hopeful that you two can make better choices this morning than you did last week.” Mrs. Greene scolded with a thin aged voice.
Mrs. Greene let out a huff full of disappointment and turned to walk out of the classroom. Just as she was about to close the door behind her, Mrs. Greene turned around and pointed a bony finger in the direction behind Chrissy.
“Munson be nice. Cunningham, come find me if you need me” Mrs. Greene hissed as she finally turned and walked out of the classroom.
Chrissy could feel a pair of eyes boring into the back of her head but resisted turning around. Mrs. Greene’s final warning weighed heavily in the air and she just wanted to get through today without any issues. Instead she reached deep into her peach backpack and pulled out the latest Sweet Valley High book. Even though Chrissy didn’t come off as a bookworm, say like Nancy Wheeler, she was a voracious reader. Jason always teased her when he found a new romance paperback tucked in her bag at practice. Chrissy was brushing her thumbs while opening the pages when she heard him.
“So uh what gives? What did the Queen of Hawkins High do to end up in a place like this? I thought your Saturday mornings would be more like baking cookies or having cartoon birds braid your hair” Munson asks with his chin resting on his arm propped on the desk.
Chrissy scooted her chair back and to the left to get a better look. Even though it was early on a Saturday morning Eddie Munson seemed to be buzzing with energy. She could see his left scuffed Reebok bouncing lightly under the desk and the ringed fingers on his free hand were tapping somewhat erratically. His leather jacket and denim vest completed an appearance that practically screamed, “don’t fuck with me.” The pit in Chrissy’s stomach grew heavier.
“Well my birds were a little busy this morning and the bake sale isn’t until next Monday so no cookies today. What about you? Why are you here?” Chrissy tried to joke but it came out more sheepish than she had intended.
A mischievous glint appeared in Eddie’s large brown eyes and Chrissy started to feel even more like a mouse seated in front of a hungry lion.
“Tsk tsk sweetheart you’re didn’t answer the question. However, I do know that you ladies love keeping secrets so who am I to begrudge you that” Eddie teased.
“Well I don’t think you answered my question either.”
Suddenly Eddie was out of his desk and prowling over towards Chrissy. He sat down with a dramatic flourish and settled in a desk next to her.
“Astute observation Chrissy. Well if you really need to know, apparently our upstanding educators still don’t take it well when they see you working on writing other things instead of your school work in English class. Which honestly is very hypocritical because I was working on a story but I was punished because I didn’t want to write an essay on Shakespeare. I mean for fucks sake there’s only so many times one can read the bard” Eddie rattled off.
As she looked at Eddie’s gregarious expressions and felt his magnetic energy Chrissy couldn’t help but be curious.
“What were you working on instead? What was so important?” Chrissy asked and felt a bit of flush starting on her cheeks.
Grinning like a Cheshire cat Eddie reached into his bag and pulled out the most beat up notebook Chrissy had even seen. There were pages sticking out, weird symbols written on the cover, and it looked like it had been ran over several times. Eddie slapped the notebook down on top of her Sweet Valley High book.
“This is what I was working on. My absolute masterpiece. I’m calling it The Cult of Vecna” Eddie said with a deepened voice that sounded like a man in a movie preview.
Chrissy opened the notebook and saw pages and pages of erratic scrawl. Drawings of creatures with green skin and vicious looking tusks were juxtaposed next to sketches of long lithe elegant women with pointed ears. As Chrissy thumbed through the pages she couldn’t even imagine how much time this had taken. The level of detail surpassed any notebook she had ever put together for cheer routines and event plans.
“This is kind of crazy. What is this? What is a Vecna? Did you really make this?” Chrissy asked a little more eager than she would have liked. God why couldn’t she be a little less of a spaz.
“Sweet Chrissy that is an outline for the D&D campaign I’m running for the Hellfire Club” Eddie stated proudly.
The flush on her cheeks grew hotter. It wasn’t like this was the first time someone had called her sweet. But she had a feeling Eddie wasn’t the kind of guy to throw around compliments he didn’t mean.
“I’m sorry I’m not really familiar with that. What’s D&D. Is it like a game?”
“Chrissy this is more than a game.”
Eddie stood up from his desk and made his way to the front of the room. He leapt up onto Mrs. Greene’s desk and pushed aside papers and books with his feet.
“It is a club of likeminded young men who get together and engage in world building a fantastical realm. Your wit, dexterity, intelligence, and even mental fortitude are all tested. This is a band of brothers united against a common evil. D&D darling is a life line for all the unwanted and freaks of the world” Eddie preached with bravado.
A laugh bubbled out of Chrissy and she couldn’t help but smile.
“Now I have it on great authority that Mrs. Greene is in fact quite the booze hound and is probably already knocking back wine coolers in the principal’s office.” Eddie made his way back to Chrissy and slipped into the desk next to her once again.
“She’s not going to be coming back to check on us until the end of our detainment at three. I don’t know about you but if you want we can spend this Saturday sitting quietly and reviewing algebra or if you’d like I can initiate you into this little club. It can be our secret” Eddie’s large brown eyes focused on Chrissy so intently that she felt locked in place.
Chrissy knew that she should say no. That Jason, her mother, her team, and everyone else in school would be scandalized to hear about Chrissy Cunningham being initiated into a club called Hellfire. But Eddie was looking at her so earnestly that she felt like she could trust him to keep this a secret. It was weird because even though every part of his appearance screamed predator, like the snakes she had read about in biology, she didn’t feel scared.
“Okay, that sounds like fun” Chrissy said with a shy smile
Chrissy realized she couldn’t remember the last time she had spent an afternoon so fully engrossed in something. Her head felt like it was swimming with new words like paladin, lich, and wyvern. Watching Eddie explain the history and reasons why he loved D&D had been more exciting than any lecture she had attended. His passion for the game seeped off him in energizing waves that drew Chrissy in.
Now it’s not like she after today she could really explain the game to say someone like Jason. But she definitely felt like she had peered behind the curtain and witnessed a world so unlike her own.
When she got together with her team they would talk about things like who had gotten too drunk at the last party, had they noticed how Heather B always stayed behind in Mr. Anderson’s class, or if they thought the Hawkins curse was really over. The idea of spending hours every week coming up with original stories with someone like Angela Cleaver was so absurd that she couldn’t even picture it.
Chrissy was flipping through the pages of Eddie’s Monster Manual when they heard the faint taps of Mrs. Greene’s heels from down the hallway.
“Be cool, Sodapop” Eddie stage whispered as he haphazardly stuffed all of his notebooks and books back into his bag. Eddie grabbed two history books from the baskets underneath their desks and placed them on top open to the same page. As the tap tap tap grew incredibly close Eddie used his legs to push his desk away from Chrissy’s and started loudly speaking.
“So you’re telling me this Napoleon guy sold the land to the US for less than the amount of money Ghost Busters made? It’s absolute madness Chrissy! Lunacy I dare say wouldn’t you Mrs. Greene?” Eddie teased while twisting around in his desk to face Mrs. Greene as she entered the classroom.
Mrs. Greene’s flushed face pinched into a grimace as she took them in.
“Mr. Munson while I always want to encourage extra reading, need I remind you that you’re currently taking US History of the 20th century. I certainly hope that you fully finished your assigned reading before pontificating about the merits of the Louisiana Purchase” Mrs. Greene chided while turning to face Chrissy.
“Miss Cunningham I do appreciate that you’re always willing to help out your fellow student and are a good role model. I hope today reminded you of your priorities so you can avoid spending your future Saturdays with those who would rather throw away their futures” Mrs. Greene said with dripping disdain.
A tightness spread in Chrissy’s chest and she was about to protest when the loud scraping sound of Eddie standing up from his desk interrupted her thoughts. Eddie turned back to face her as he grabbed their bags from the ground. He shook his head in what felt like a plea to stay quiet. He gently placed her backpack in her hands and started swaggering out of the classroom.
“Always a pleasure Janet.” Eddie crooned as he strolled out of the class and made devil horns behind Mrs. Greene’s back.
Not wanting to be left alone Chrissy made her ways towards the door and managed to politely nod to Mrs. Green as she exited the classroom. Eddie was still walking slowly down the hall and Chrissy followed him out the front doors of the school and out to the curb.
Chrissy frowned at the empty parking lot. Jason’s car wasn’t there. Even with a morning away game he should have been back by now. He should have been here. She knew she should have just ridden her bike but she hadn’t wanted her parents to be suspicious of why she was riding a bike when she should have been picked up by one of the other cheerleaders or Jason for the game. How could she have been so stupid. This wasn’t the first time Jason had forgotten to pick her up. But it was the first time it actually mattered.
Panic began to course through her veins as she thought about trying to explain to her parents why she had gotten Saturday detention for missing school. There was no way she could explain that she had been so stressed this week that she had accidentally gotten puke on her clothes after purging in the bathroom. That she had been stressed about fitting into her uniform after her mother had taken it in last Sunday as a “motivator”. Few things incited the wrath of Mrs. Cunningham like exposing her less than perfect methods of parenting. Chrissy could feel her breath become shallower and quicker as she imagined the punishment for lying when she felt a hand gently shake her shoulder. A flush covered Chrissy’s cheeks as she realized she forgot she wasn’t standing alone on the curb.
“Hey Chrissy you need a ride? My van isn’t exactly a beamer but I think it can do the job for today.” Eddie asked with kind eyes.
“Yeah that would be really great.” Chrissy said with a huge exhale.
“Excellent, follow me princess your chariot is this way” Eddie said while walking towards the beat up van parked towards the back of the lot.
Eddie trotted ahead of Chrissy and opened up the passenger door. As she made her way over she could hear the sounds of cans and other objects being tossed into the back. Apparently satisfied with his efforts Eddie stepped back onto the pavement and gestured for her to take a seat. She couldn’t help but giggle as he closed the door behind her. The van smelled vaguely earthy and the seats were stained with mysterious substances. Turning to look in the back Chrissy saw a ratty beanbag chair and a floor covered with empty beer cans and tapes.
“So uh, was your boyfriend too busy tossing balls into laundry baskets to pick you up?” Eddie asked slightly dismissively as he settled into the driver’s seat.
“Um Jason is just really busy and I’m sure he was having to help out the team in some way.” Chrissy replied while looking at her shoes. It was too embarrassing to admit that Jason was probably pounding back beers with his team and forgot to come get her.
Eddie turned the keys in the ignition. Screeching guitars and pounding drums flooded Chrissy’s ears.
“Yeah well I still think it’s pretty uncool to leave a girl waiting” Eddie said as they peeled out of the parking lot squealing.
Eddie accelerated onto the main drag and looked at Chrissy with a small smile.
“You know this is actually isn’t the first time we’ve hung out” he shouted over the blaring music.
“What?” Chrissy shouted with a laugh.
Eddie’s hand twisted the volume dial slightly to the left and brought the volume from mind splitting to something a bit more manageable.
“I said, Chrissy Cunningham, that this is not the first time we’ve hung out.”
“No?” Chrissy asked. She was searching her mind but she couldn’t remember ever hanging out with a guy with long hair and tattoos before.
“You don’t remember?” Eddie probed.
“No.”
“That’s okay.” Eddie replied nonchalantly.
Suddenly Eddie quickly accelerated while taking a hard right turn and Chrissy felt butterflies in her stomach. Eddie thumped his fist against his heart and Chrissy let out a yelp.
“It’s okay Chrissy I wouldn’t remember me either. But honestly you really don’t remember me?” Eddie asked with a teasing tone. He continued to weave through the winding streets of Hawkins in a way that made her stomach flip.
“I’m sorry!” Chrissy squealed as he took another hard turn.
“Middle school. Talent show. You were doing this cheer thing. You know with the pom pom thing. It was actually pretty cool. I was with my band.”
Chrissy felt a jolt and remembered, “Corroded Coffin!!”.
Eddie joyfully slapped the steering wheel, “You do remember Cunningham”
“Of course I remember, with a name like that how could I forget!” Chrissy felt electric. “Wait but you looked so SO different!”.
Eddie maneuvered the van past Family Video and towards the direction of Chrissy’s part of town.
“Well my hair was buzzed and I didn’t have all these sweet ol’ tattys” Eddie pulled down his shirt and revealed yet another tattoo on his collarbone.
Another flash of recognition filled Chrissy’s mind. “You played guitar right?” she asked genuinely wanting to know the answer.
“Still do. Still do. You should come see us. We play at the Hideout on Tuesdays. It’s pretty cool. We actually get a crowd of about five…drunks. It’s not exactly the Garden but uh you gotta start somewhere.” Eddie rambled on while looking out the window away from her.
“You know you’re not what I thought you’d be like” Chrissy confessed as she took in his profile.
Eddie’s fingers twirled around his hair and pulled it to cover the bottom of his face, “Mean and scary?” he asked.
“Yeah” Chrissy admitted.
“Well I actually kind of thought you’d be mean and scary too” Eddie said with a laugh as he slowly rolled the van into Chrissy’s subdivision.
“Me?” Chrissy gasped. She couldn’t imagine anyone like Eddie Munson finding someone as pathetic as her intimidating.
“Yes, Terrifying” Eddie said as he pulled the van to a stop two streets away from the address she gave him.
Chrissy turned to face Eddie completely. His ringed fingers, which never seemed to hold still, were lightly tapping against the steering wheel. His expression was soft and there was a slight smile that that extended to his eyes.
“You know I, uh, figured your parents might not exactly love seeing their darling princess dropped off by a metal head in a van” Eddie said with a smirk. Chrissy took a sharp inhale as he leaned closer to her with his arm extended. His face was just inches away and she felt lost in his dark eyes that she couldn’t quite read. Her body was absolutely on fire when she heard the click of the passenger door being opened.
He never took his eyes off her as he leaned back into his seat. Chrissy knew she shouldn’t be so flustered when she had a boyfriend but it took a moment before she could break the intense eye contact.
“Thank you for taking me home. And uh thank you for today. It was actually pretty fun” Chrissy said as she swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat.
“Well the gates of Hellfire are always open to you Chrissy. I’ll see you around” Eddie said while giving her a two finger salute. He bit his lip and seemed about to say something when instead he shook his head and turned the volume dial back to the right.
Chrissy took one last second to take in her driver before stepping out of the van and into the warm Hawkins spring air. As she closed the door behind her Chrissy couldn’t help but feel like something else was supposed to happen. Like maybe if she had been more brave she could have asked him what he was going to say. But Chrissy’s life wasn’t a D&D campaign. She wasn’t a brave cleric marching into battle. She was just another girl who let life happen to her. Walking back to her house had never felt more disappointing.