"I don't want to watch Star Wars," Christopher Lepley complained. In one swift movement, he slipped the video from his sister's hand and returned it to the shelf. "Seriously, Sadie? I've seen that movie twenty goddamn times. What about The Terminator?"

Further down one of the aisles of Family Video, Carla Lepley glared at her son without mentioning his chosen language. "Your father doesn't like sci-fi. Let's stick to a movie we will all enjoy, please…" she said with a sigh.

"Keep searching, squirt." Tousling his brown locks as she moved, Sadie slipped past her brother, who had undoubtedly gained at least three inches since their Thanksgiving in Seattle. By summer, the boy would surely match her height.

Sadie wandered past the comedy and horror section, intent on grabbing a few boxes of candy from the counter when she realized Steve Harrington stood organizing the discount bin. Her steps slowed, waiting until he was fully immersed in conversation before approaching the snacks.

If anyone asked, Sadie would have told them high school was the time of her life. She saw KISS three times in concert, partied with friends, and spent entirely too much of her father's money at Starcourt Mall. While Sadie hadn't necessarily fit into any particular crowd at Hawkins High, it never bothered her. What was the point of wasting breath on that shit? Those labels meant nothing outside of Hawkins.

Only half-listening to Harrington's conversation to ensure he didn't notice her, Sadie busied herself with candy selection. A box of Good & Plenty for her dad and some peanut M&M's for Chris. Colorful packages in hand, the young woman heard something that made her stomach sink.

"Eddie gets his drugs from someone named Reefer Rick, and sometimes Eddie crashes there."

Fingers tightening around the innocent package of peanut M&Ms—her mind slipped away from the video store as the more repressed high school memories flooded back. For almost two years, Sadie dated Reefer Rick's preferred dealer. The hardest part was looking back and realizing she was no better than her mother for leaving him the way she had. The distance was just… too much. Eddie could have moved with her to Seattle if he had stopped being an idiot for thirty seconds and taken his schoolwork seriously. Instead, he left her to figure things out on her own. And surviving outside Hawkins without him was much more stressful than she had anticipated. She hadn't told Eddie that, though. She hadn't given him one damn reason.

"That sounds promising," another voice said from behind the counter. "Where does this Reefer Rick guy live?"

There was a short silence before the first voice chimed in again. "See, that's the thing… No one knows. He's more of a legend than someone people actually know."

Sadie glanced over her shoulder before turning completely, looking past Steve Harrington to find Robin Buckley looking far too eager to buy drugs. Maybe she was more interested in finding Eddie, which, strangely, made Sadie's chest tighten with a pang jealously.

Two others stood behind the counter, and though she didn't recognize the redheaded girl, the boy was unmistakably Dustin Henderson. He was probably still in middle school when she graduated, but his mother had always attended Carla's bunco nights. On several occasions, Dustin had come along to entertain Christopher while she snuck from her bedroom window.

Sadie began to creep toward the counter.

Standing behind Harrington, the young woman was bold enough to clear her throat after their third mention of Eddie. Brown eyes scanned the video store, ensuring her stepmother and brother were still arguing over their selection before she proceeded. She slid past Steve, ignoring his confusion as she inserted herself into their conversation. "I know where Reefer Rick lives," Sadie murmured.

"No," Steve sighed. "Come on… We're not doing this. It's a Saturday, Robin."

Sadie ignored him, looking to Robin instead. "Why?" she pressed. "Are you looking to buy?"

Silence passed over them, but it was Dustin who spoke up first. "No, we're not… looking to buy drugs! Are you crazy? We're looking for our friend, who may or may not also be friends with this Reefer Rick…"

Behind her, Steve rolled his eyes. "Nice. Very subtle, Dustin. She knows who we're talking about, okay? Lepley dated the freak."

The young woman was hesitant, and dark brows creased at Harrington's jab before she inevitably asked. "Why are you looking for Eddie?" The longer they stared, the more dread she felt building in the pit of her stomach. "I don't understand… Have you checked his uncle's trailer?"

Motionless, the four of them stared at her. Seconds ticked by, maybe even a minute, before Robin dared move. She ran a hand through short, reddish waves and offered a humorless laugh. "She doesn't know." A hand retrieved the television remote and pressed the power button, illuminating the screen in the corner of the store. Robin clicked around, landing on an interview that was taking place live. The officer spoke vaguely, offering details to the public about the death of a Hawkin's high school student— Chrissy Cunningham.

Behind the officer was someplace Sadie recognized. Wayne Munson's trailer.

"It hasn't been announced yet," Robin started. "...but we have reason to believe the Hawkins Police Department is looking for Eddie. They think he could be involved with Chrissy's death. She was last seen at his uncle's trailer. That's… where they found her."

Four pairs of eyes could have burned a single, gaping hole through the woman. The silence building between them was so heavy that two boxes of candy felt like lead weights in her hands. Hyperfocused on the news, her mind had slipped and spiraled to the worst places, uncertainty bringing on an awful sense of dread that tightened uncomfortably in her chest. She shifted awkwardly beside Steve, her gaze sliding from Robin to Dustin and then the redheaded girl behind him. It was torture; she wanted to scream.

Dark eyes focused on the screen once more, and Sadie felt her heart sink into the depths of her stomach. Her gaze fell to the bottom of the screen, rereading bolded text that only confirmed Robin's words—Chrissy Cunningham was dead. Mouth dry and her palms suddenly slick, Sadie placed both candy boxes on the counter. She wrung her hands nervously, eyes glazed over in thought as she tried to make sense of the news. How self-absorbed was she for even thinking their breakup had pushed him over the edge?

"H-He couldn't do that," she murmured. "That doesn't make sense. Why do the police think it was Eddie?"

"Um, I don't know, Sadie…" Steve shoved two more movies into the bin. "His endearingly rebellious, metalhead ways? Or it could be that the body was found in his uncle's trailer." Her question suddenly felt stupid. "I believe in all that innocent until proven guilty shit, but…"

Dustin scoffed. "Unbelievable! You are truly unbelievable."

They bickered, but their voices fell away. She felt selfish for wondering what the hell Eddie was doing with Chrissy Cunningham in his uncle's trailer, but Sadie pushed that intrusion from her mind as quickly as it had entered. The girl was dead, for Christ's sake. Whatever had become of Eddie Munson since their breakup was none of her business. She had moved on too, hadn't she?

Her apartment. A job on top of her schoolwork. A new boyfriend. Her life had changed—sure. But Sadie would have been lying had she said she didn't miss her simple life in Hawkins, Indiana. Beneath all the changes, she was still the same. Perhaps she was naive for thinking Eddie was still the same too. That he wasn't capable of murdering anyone, let alone the precious Hawkins homecoming queen.

"—We don't have time for this," Max Mayfield urged from her spot at the computer. Squinting, she placed her hand on the mouse and clicked around. "We are trying to find Reefer Rick's address, remember? Robin, how do you work this stupid thing?"

Family movie night was a tradition Sadie usually enjoyed until her brother placed Red Dawn onto the counter between her and Steve Harrington. Had he settled on a better movie, perhaps it would've been easier for Sadie to mind her own business.

She volunteered to navigate after admitting she had been to Rick's house on more than one occasion. She ignored the disappointment that crossed Christopher's features, wishing she could at least reassure her brother that she'd make it up to him… but the news of Chrissy's death kept her from making any promises. As Carla paid, she didn't seem the slightest bit surprised that her stepdaughter was bailing on their quality time for her friends—not that she was ever friends with Steve Harrington or Robin Buckley. That alone proved how much Carla paid attention to her stepdaughter's endeavors.

"Who's driving?" Sadie asked as the front door chimed with her family's exit.

"No—no!" Steve blurted out; his finger pointed at Dustin. "I said we're not doing this. Somebody has to attend to the customers. Let the police do their job, Henderson. If something happens again, they can handle it this time."

Dustin crossed his arms, unphased by Steve's defiance. "If something is going on, then Eddie is in trouble, and Max is right. We don't have time." He bent down, swiping a pair of keys from beneath the counter. "If you don't want to go, Sadie will drive. We'll borrow your car and bring it back once we find Eddie."

Sadie watched as Harrington stood motionless, hands planted on either hip. Something kept him from agreeing as easily as the others. Something that had happened before. His apprehension worried her, as did Dustin's reminder of time—but Max spoke up before she could dare ask.

"I can drive too. Steve knows I'm an excellent driver," the redheaded girl smirked. Her steely blue gaze flickered to Harrington, who was already reaching to snatch his keys from Dustin.

"In your dreams, Mayfield."