The Deal [Eddie Munson] 1

001

***6 Months Later***

"Good morning everyone and thank for you flying with our airline. We are now in Hawkins, Indiana where it is currently 57 degrees. Enjoy your stay, or welcome back home!" The pilot says as we I feel the plane come to a complete stop at our gate.

It felt weird to be back in Hawkins after so long, but I was more than excited to see my sister and my friends. I'm sure not much has changed, but it feels like I have been missing out on so much in this town.

I stand up, grabbing my bag and heading to grab the other suitcases I had full of things. I accidentally did too much shopping in Europe, so I had to buy another suitcase to bring things home. It was Max's fault though, every single time she called me she asked me to buy her something, and she's hard to say no to.

I stumble through the small airport, almost falling over my bags multiple times as I made my way to the car. There is was, that familiar burgundy BMW.

Steve.

My mom was supposed to be picking me up, but according to her, she was still drunk from the night before, so I had to go with my last resort to get a ride from the airport.

"Let me help you. Wow, your hair got long." He says, looking at me and getting out of the car and grabbing a few of the suitcases that I was attempting to carry. "Thanks. And thanks for picking me up. " I reply softly as I throw my bags into the back of his car.

It was a bit awkward, the silence between us as we both buckled our seatbelts and he began to pull of. "So, how was Europe and your teacher thing?" He asks, glancing over to me.

"It was really fun, and it was a great experience. Hopefully I get the change to use what I learned here." I say as I reach into my purse and pull out a five dollar bill, handing it to him.

"What's this for?" He asks, declining the money from my hands. "It's for gas, you drove here and you're driving me home." I reply, attempting to give him the money again.

He softly pushes my hand away and gives me a weird look. "You're not paying me for giving you a ride, Sam. It's really not that far." I roll my eyes, stuffing the $5 in his jacket that was on the floor once he stopped paying attention to me.

"Yeah it's not far, but it's 5am! Oh, and by the way don't tell Robin I'm here yet, I'm kind of trying to surprise everyone. Even Max thinks I'm coming home next week." I reply as we continue to drive down the street.

The awkward silence soon turned into a comfortable one as we turned down all the familiar roads. There weren't many cars on the street as it was still early in the morning. I thought it would be weird to be back home, but it feels nice.

"Any idea where you want to work? There's an opening at Family Video." Steve says, breaking the silence in the car. I giggle at his words, covering my mouth to stop me from laughing loud.

"I'm flattered, but no, I am trying to be a teacher remember? I have a meeting with somebody at Hawkins this morning." I reply as we turn into the Forest Hills Trailer Park. I take a deep breath as we head towards my home, I was getting a bad feeling being here already.

"I still can't believe you live next to that freak, Eddie." He says, and I look at the truck parked by his home. "I wouldn't say he's a freak, but I never really talked to him in high school." I reply.

"Well I'm sure you will get a chance to talk to him."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"He's in high school. He's in the hellfire club with the boys. He's all they talk about now." He says, and I can hear a hint of annoyance in his voice. He stares straight ahead instead of looking over to me.