Chapter 2
HAWKINS, INDIANA
Here he was.
Eddie Kaspbrak was officially on .com and had created an online profile, explaining his living situation and other details to any other potential swappers.
He casually explored the site while waiting for a response, it was all very real, and he was keen, more eager than he had ever been as he returned to drinking his wine (still from the fucking bottle).
Minutes slowly passed and Eddie started to lose hope.
Who was he kidding? This was a fucking stupid idea.
He lingered for a few more moments and was about to completely give up, when he heard a ding symbolising the arrival of a new message in his inbox on the website.
He clicked on it speedily, his eyes impatiently scanning the text.
It was from a guy named Will who lived in LA and seemed interested in participating in a house swap with Eddie for the usual two-week period.
The two messaged back and forth, coming up with mutual agreements for their stays which included the dates they would be away and other information such as ground rules. Once Eddie and Will had agreed and established a set of guidelines, it was officially settled.
They would both start the two-week exchange on the next day, with each booking a separate ticket to the other's state/city and living in the other's place for a 'holiday period'.
After chatting about a few more final details, they ended their conversation and Eddie immediately pulled up the airline website in a separate google tab, purchasing the first ticket he could get his hands on to Los Angeles.
Once his flight was confirmed (at 6:15am the next fucking morning), Eddie drunkenly dashed into his bedroom, sorting through items of clothing in his wardrobe and throwing suitable pieces onto his bed, attempting to pack.
He also hastily programmed an alarm on his phone, deciding to set it for a bright and cheery 5am start.
Eddie then lugged his suitcase out of his spare bedroom and tried to neatly stuff his shirts and pants into it, though it really looked more like a crime scene.
His mind was hazy, and he knew it was probably the alcohol speaking but he didn't care, too ready to indulge in this fantasy of living in fucking LA where he imagined a damn mansion with a butler and everything.
It was anything to get away from Peter and the hole in Eddie's heart from that fucker's betrayal.
Scurrying around, he picked up his discarded wine bottle (that he had dropped at some stage) disappointed to see that it was completely empty.
Disgruntled, Eddie instead reached for his now melting carton of Ben and Jerry's which had been sitting on the coffee table the whole time and was starting to drip all over his hands.
This was all Peter's fucking fault, and he was going to pay for it one way or another.
After attempting to fold most of his decent clothing into his suitcase, Eddie crashed onto his bed dramatically, passing out several seconds later.
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
What the fuck?
Eddie rolled over, wincing at the feel of his crinkled clothing against his skin and the dull aching of his head.
He squinted at the clock beside his bed which read 5:00am and was seconds away from dozing back to sleep when his thoughts jolted him fully awake, forcing him to recall his previous night in crystal detail.
He had been furious at Peter understandably, had come home, drank way too much fucking wine, started an online account, made a deal with a total stranger about a house exchange and booked a fucking plane ticket for this morning.
If that wasn't bad enough, he turned to look at his luggage and yeah, was reminded of that shit.
His clothes were strewn everywhere, and his suitcase looked like a downright disaster.
Eddie's head was throbbing as he slowly padded into the kitchen, gulping down a handful of painkillers with a glass of water.
He had forty minutes until he had to be at the damn airport and was in no state to pack or do shit.
Despite this, Eddie plastered a brave expression across his face while he moved back around to face his mess from the previous evening.
Maybe this house exchange program would be good for him and his sanity?
Deep down he knew it would be.
Deep deep down.
Knowing that if he didn't do this exchange, he would most definitely regret it forever, Eddie took in a deep calculated breath, bracing himself for a complete and utter meltdown.
It was time to fucking do this.
The Hawkins Airport was small and often very easy to navigate, but since it was holiday season and snowing outside, it had basically turned into a scene from Game of Thrones (and no Eddie wasn't exaggerating in the fucking slightest).
After frantically trying to tidy his house for this Will guy and packing his suitcase, Eddie had managed to arrive with thirty minutes until his flight.
He'd rushed through security (and the baggage drop line) despite both being a lot slower than usual, holding his carry on bag and wishing he could be anywhere else with his throat that felt dryer than the fucking Sahara Desert.
Eddie had then stopped at the first café he could find inside the airport, buying himself a coffee with as much caffeine in it as possible.
Now here he was, slowly sipping his drink and preparing for his six-and-a-half-hour flight to LA with a mid-way stop at Denver.
A minute of silence passed before the overhead speaker announced that boarding for Eddie's flight had began. He swallowed down the rest of his drink, still cringing at his headache which had now only slightly diminished from all the painkillers he'd taken.
Glancing up at the boarding line, which was still far too long, Eddie rose from his seat, planning to move to the end but was instead overcome with the sudden urge to throw up.
He shot a quick collective prayer up to whatever gods that could possibly exist, hoping more than anything that he wasn't going to throw up at any stage on his journey.
Because if there was anything Eddie hated more than germs and illness it was fucking vomit.
He felt pale and clammy and could not believe his shitty luck.
This was going to be hell and he was going to suffer every fucking minute of it.
All because of Peter Gordon.
LA, CALIFORNIA
Will Byers was petrified.
Beyond anxious as he nervously bounced on the balls of his feet, hoping for a miracle of some sort.
He had never before left the state of California in his entire life and was about to embark on possibly the biggest mistake of his damn life.
After his rather intense conversation with this Eddie guy from Hawkins in Indiana, Will had immediately booked a plane ticket for the next day.
So here he was, at 10am the following morning at LAX wishing he could be anywhere else.
He was currently in line to get his boarding ticket and was grasping his suitcase as tightly as he could while he waited.
Will had always been afraid of the unknown, and this was like jumping into a fucking pit filled with the unknown so to say he was afraid was an understatement.
He eventually reached the front of the queue and was called over by an employee who kindly smiled over at him. Her gentle presence instantly comforted and encouraged him in his moment of panic, he could do this goddammit.
After she had finished typing up his information on the keyboard in front of her, the employee handed him his printed tickets for his two separate flights (one to Denver and one to Hawkins).
Will then heaved his suitcase up onto the conveyor belt so she could weigh it and send it through (something he had observed plenty of other people doing while he was waiting in line).
He was glad that he had prepared, weighing his luggage at home and ensuring that it was well under the required limit after reading some airport horror stories on reddit.
He watched his suitcase slowly drift along the conveyor belt until it was out of sight. She then sweetly pointed him in the direction of the boarding gates, having probably sensed that Will was a travel newbie.
He thanked her before heading over to a café that was next to his boarding gate. He was already jittery enough without any caffeine in his system, so he instead opted for a peppermint tea.
As Will sat alone at his table, he curled his hands around his cup while watching the news on a television hung up nearby.
He finished his tea in no time and just as he was about to leave the café, he was approached by a mother with her two daughters. The girls looked young, and he beamed at them, trying to appear as friendly as possible.
Shyly one of the girls came forward clutching a notepad and an assortment of sparkly gel pens and he instantly knew what they wanted.
She introduced herself as Skylar and watched starry eyed as he scrawled down a quick message for her on her pink notebook paper with a glittery green gel pen before her mother gestured to him and her (sister? he assumed), wanting them to take a photo together.
After several photos he excused himself, remembering his flight and how imperative it was that he catch it in time.
Photo ops and autographs were very common for Will and he loved being able to witness the total awe and joy across the faces of children when they saw him in person.
It was a kind of magic that never grew old, despite being in this business for years now.
Once he arrived at his gate, Will observed that the other passengers were beginning to form a line and he joined in at the end, excited but also dreading the upcoming six and a half hours and all the uncertainty that this trip would entail.
AUTHORS NOTE:
Chapter 2 time!
Sorry about the long wait, but I hope this update made it up to you guys.
See you next update :)