Strawberry || Eddie Munson

17

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Chapter Seventeen: Rock And Roll Saved My Soul

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Eddie leaned against the RV and watched as Robin poured the lighter fluid into a bottle of vodka. He constantly replayed his conversation with Stacey over and over. He looked away from Steve and Robin briefly and saw that Stacey was sitting with Max.

Across the field, Max and Stacey sat in silence. Neither one of them wanted to be the first to break it until Max decided to.

"I watched Billy die," she said, "that's what Vecna has been showing me."

Stacey's breathing stopped at her words. "I'm sorry," she mustered up, "you don't deserve that."

Max looked at her. "But I do. I've sat and prayed that bad things would happen to him before he died. Then I wished bad things would happen to me-"

Stacey's arm reached out as she placed her hand on Max's shoulder, "Max, listen to me. Billy, by the sounds of it, was possessed by Vecna to reach Eleven. Deep down I'm sure that he was a nice guy. He used his trauma and racism to cover up the fact that he was broken inside. Just like I use drugs and alcohol to cover up the comments my mother makes." Max looked at her. Stacey sighed retracting her hand. "When I was little, my mother would watch what I eat. She'd make comments here and there and they just never stopped. By the time I was fourteen, my father left my mother for a woman he'd been paying for sex for years. I guess that's really when my mother's resentment started. I started sleeping around just like the woman my father left her for."

Max's lips formed a thin line. "You and Billy. You guys were together. Did you ever love him?"

Stacey shook her head. "What Billy and I had was just acquaintances trying to fill a void. But, uh, no I never loved him in that way. He meant something to me sure, but love? Not in the way I love Eddie-"

"You love Eddie?" Max asked in shock. "I-I thought you hated him."

"Well," Stacey chuckled, "you'd be surprised at how much feelings change and develop from thirteen to eighteen. Not to mention I was stuck with him for a week," she glanced up at him. He was leaning against the RV by Steve and Robin, "Eddie's great. He's sweet to me. Maybe I just fall too fast or I've loved him longer than I've known but yeah, I love him."

"You should tell him," Max said, her blue eyes glancing up at the long-haired boy. "Before, you know, it could be too late."

"You should tell Lucas," Stacey retorted. Max's cheeks turned red.

"I-I don't love Lucas," Max stuttered. Her hands gripped onto the headphones that sat on her neck.

"Bullshit," Stacey called out. "You love him and you should tell him before, you know, it could be too late," she sassed at the younger girl, "besides, he loves you too, Max. I can tell."

"Eddie loves you too," Max admitted. "He talked about you to us. You're his future, Stacey."

Stacey bit her lip. "Eddie's got a great future ahead of him but me? I'll be trapped in this town forever."

"Stacey! Max! It's go time!" Steve called from the RV.

The group huddled around the RV entrance. Steve walked up into the vehicle and started the engine. Stacey faced Dustin and Eddie. Dustin held up padding and a few bandanas.

"Let's suit up."

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Stacey sat in between the boys on the ride to the Creel house. A neon pink bandana was wrapped around her head the way Eddie's was seeing as he helped her with it. She had Robin and Nancy find her a new shirt so she wore a tight black t-shirt under Eddie's jacket. The jeans she borrowed from Robin suddenly felt restricting as the RV grew closer and closer to the house. She had a strap around her chest that held the hairbrush and hunting knife. The shield sat at her feet. Her throat ran dry.