chapter one
1991
Hawkins, Indiana
"You don't remember me?" He slightly winced as the words came out of his mouth and passed the fingers that lingered closely to his lips.
She murmured in a soft breath. "I'm sorry. I…" She half apologized out of courtesy, but a part of her truly meant it.
"That's okay," He let out a soft sigh. "I wouldn't remember me either, Chrissy."
"So you see," Jason continued almost out of breath as he shut the door of the car behind him, placing the keys on his utility belt, just beside his badge, "even though it seems like it's easy, actually getting to where I am now isn't so easy. You know, you have to read all the material and remember every single law, and some of them honestly don't make sense in my opinion, but that's beside the point."
He waved a hand in the air almost like he was dismissing the thought that popped into his head and scaring it away. Crossing in front of the car, he passed his hand over his mouth, gently trying to comb the mustache he had been growing out. Chrissy nodded, complying to the long ramble of his new job. It wasn't that much of a conquest. They'd known that Chief Hopper would step down some day, and it actually came earlier than expected. Now, Jason might not have been the smartest of them all, but he could charm any District Attorney that walked into the county jail. She pursed her lips as Jason wrapped an arm around her shoulder, guiding them towards the entrance of Hawkins High.
"And like I said, they wouldn't give this job to anyone. I mean, so many people were fighting for it," Jason said as he pushed open the gymnasium's heavy doors, as they closed behind the couple he took a finger to his temple, squinting at Chrissy, "you have to be clever, if not, you'll get dog shit."
Chrissy quietly chuckled and nodded. Again. Whenever Jason started speaking, you had to patiently wait for him to finish, and if not, well - "I'll get us some drinks, looks like we're early." Jason murmured the last few words under his breath, twisting his wrist upwards to look at the time. He placed a hand on her shoulder as he gently pushed her into the metallic folding chair that sat empty beside one of the many round tables in the gym.
He scurried off to look for whatever drinks they had - in his mind hoping he would find something with at least 4 or 5 percent alcohol - and Chrissy could finally breathe. It was like she had been tense the moment she started getting dressed for the reunion. Her mind was racing with the different faces that she hadn't seen since they graduated. Maybe she would see some other cheer buddies, wondering where they ended up after only five years.
The gym was lined with obnoxiously colored streamers, all pinks and blues and yellows, that swayed slightly as the air conditioning blasted against the old, crack-filled walls of the school. Her eyes followed the gleam that ricocheted off the ribbons and streamers, finally landing on the disco ball that twirled just above her head. The lights were bouncing off every other direction, and for once she slightly smiled.
What did that young, hopeful freshman think when she first stepped foot in this place so many years ago? She wanted to be a pop star, for one. She wanted to be the next Olivia-Newton John, or Diana Ross. Those dreams quickly slipped away when she had no idea what tonality was, or how to carry a melody. Didn't mean she didn't still enjoy singing to her favorite songs in the shower, or alone in her room.
So the next best thing was being a cheerleader, and the first week of freshman year she quickly went to tryouts. What she lacked in raw vocal talent she recovered in her hard working and willful personality - she wasn't going to lose. The day the flier for the new cheer squad members was posted, Chrissy felt like she would belong to a group of people that would later go on to be her lifelong friends. With a long sigh, her eyes looked away from the small pieces of glass that made up the disco ball and quickly glanced at her fingers. Her nails pricked and pulled at her freshly done manicure, pushing one of her nails beneath the thick red plastic sheen that covered the soft ball of her thumbnail.
Just plastic. A plastic coating over something. It was just like that, she thought, she was just something covered in plastic, smothering her. A knot tightened around her stomach as her throat went dry, her breath catching just past her teeth. She herself felt like she was just a casing. Plastic.
A gentle finger ran down her neck, the hairs quickly standing like nails against her skin. She shuddered as she slowly craned her neck to look at whatever - whoever - was behind her. Her fingers gently pushed back the hair behind her ear, trying to act like she wasn't about to empty the contents of her stomach all over her professionally cleaned blazer.
Robin's smile melted the ice that held her lungs from taking another breath. Her shoulders naturally relaxed and instantly could feel the threat of tear trickling at the corners of her eyes. She smiled, matching the intensity in which Robin held out her arms straight in front of her, waiting for her to accept the embrace.
And Chrissy was not hesitant to quickly shoot out of her seat and wrap her arms around Robin's neck, squeezing her so tightly that Robin chuckled in her ear and pleaded for air.
"Chrissy," her hoarse voice was like bells ringing to her ears, "I can't breathe."
Her croaking voice made her giggle and quickly released her from her grip. "Robin Buckley," she smiled accompanied by a hefty sigh, "I've missed you so much."
The tears still threatened to show Robin just how much Chrissy actually did miss her. As Robin took her hands into her own, Chrissy began to let her eyes roam the slimmer face that looked right at her. Robin was never one to go with any conventional fashion, and even after five years that hadn't changed. Her hair was cut short into a pixie cut, and seemed to be a little outgrown from her last trip to the salon. It allowed you to see the baby hairs that would curl around her temples and just behind her ears - perfectly, chaotically everywhere, but just in the right spot. It allowed her intensely blue eyes to flutter behind long thick eyelashes that no longer hid behind straw-like bangs. She was wearing a thin blazer, thinner than the one she had been wearing, and ten times as large. Though it seemed like she was wearing more casual clothes, she wore a chic black linen shirt that was loosely tucked into her beige slacks.
Noticing that Chrissy seemed to be looking at her outfit, she gently took her hands away from Chrissy's and tucked them into the pockets of her pants, leaning backwards on one foot as her other foot turned slightly, showing off herself. Chrissy smiled again, almost jumping slightly in place as she leapt and embraced her once more.
"Oh, come on." A voice groaned behind Robin, a low mumble following, "Why does everyone, every single time, just end up checking you out?"
Steve Harrington. Robin pursed her lips into a smirk as she quickly pulled one hand out of her pocket, softly curling it into a fist and shoving her knuckles right into his chest. Steve winced, exaggerated, and took his hand to her wrist to pull her away. A smile quickly replaced his shocked and hurt expression, taking his hand to Robin's shoulder. Chrissy could remember that wherever Robin was, Steve was trailing behind. Even when both girls had their pep rallies, and Steve had already graduated from Hawkins, he would be there for her. Chrissy always admired the bond they had, although at first she may have thought they were together, but as they grew closer together she quickly realized that wasn't the case.
"Chrissy Cunningham," Steve nodded towards her, extending a hand for hers to shake. She giggled once more, a genuine smile on her face, as she gently took a hold of his hand as they hardly even gave it a shake.
His hair had still been as glorious as it was in the 80s, although maybe less volume. You could tell that he was channeling something along the lines of John Stamos, shorter than she had remembered but just as neatly combed and styled. He also wore a loose, dark navy blue shirt that was tucked into a pair of new, although intentionally worn out, jeans. He still wore some simple white sneakers, not drawing attention to himself that much. Although his clothes seemed to not have changed, his face wore a mountain of memories. A small curl in his lip professed a sly grin, of happiness and excitement, however his eyes seemed more sunken into his face. Where the ends of his almond shaped eyes ended, small wrinkles appeared. Of course, they were older, but it seemed like Steve had aged far more than they had.
A hand began to slowly crawl around Chrissy's hip, moving towards her stomach and pushing her backwards. Her breath was caught in her throat once more, biting the corners of the inside of her lips as her smile quickly disappeared into a faint line on her face. Jason was smiling, like they had been waiting for him to arrive. His breath already smelled sharp with alcohol.
"I got you one, babe," He whispered into her ear as he gestured to the table with his chin. The red cup was like a beacon against the pale blue table cloth. She gulped, loudly. Giving him a slow and shallow nod, she lent toward the cup and grabbed it, smelling the liquid that was inside for a minute. It was bitter. It was like smelling what a bee sting would smell like. With a small sigh through her nostrils, she took a few sips, as Jason began chatting with the others.
"You would think that people would be… at least somewhat on time, right?" Robin sat just in front of Chrissy, her legs sprawled out, almost slipping off her chair. She was flicking the fake flowers that were just in the middle of the table, whilst Steve paced quietly behind her with his hands shoved in his pockets.
"It is weird," Jason spouted behind her, as he lent a hand on Chrissy's shoulder - his nails almost digging into her skin. "There's no one, not even at the drinks table." He gestured once more, slightly tipping the cup towards the area with plates and bowls of finger food and coolers. He took another chug.
"At least they could have gotten the good stuff," Robin raised her brows as she took her cup and began to swirl the contents under her nose, "It tastes like crap."
Voices began to emerge from the hall, almost like shouts - Chrissy immediately began to tense. Her fingers gripped the edge of the table tightly as if she was embracing an impact, like something was hurtling towards her and she needed to be ready. Her eyes were glued to the door, every second the voices were getting louder and the knot in her stomach grew larger.
The doors swung open and through it came Nancy Wheeler, her elegant long curls neatly parted to the side and cascading past her shoulders. She wore some baggy jeans and a plain white t-shirt, a bright pink and purple windbreaker draped over her with the sleeves rolled up just below her shoulders. It looked like she was in a rush. She turned, before the doors slowly closed, and shouted once more.
Jonathan Byers strolled in behind her, seeming to be more relaxed than she, as he ran his fingers through his hair and let his bangs loosely fall around his forehead. You could hear his leather jacket crunch as he bent his elbow and reached for the back of his neck before looking at Nancy. Giving a small smile, he seemed to look at her with a certain thought in mind, which made Nancy quickly smirk and give a small sigh before she turned to us.
Her arms quickly shot up into the air, stretching them so high that it looked like she was about to leap off of a building. Robin quickly, stumbling out of her seat, began to sprint towards her although there wasn't a great distance from their table to the door. They embraced, Robin almost bringing both of them to the floor. Laughter filled the practically empty gym.
Chrissy stayed where she was, Jason's fingers squeezing her shoulder for a moment as he took another, perhaps bigger, chug of his drink. He quickly shook her shoulder like he was ramping up for something, like he was ready to play a basketball game. How is it possible that with only a few people around, people from your past, you could so easily revert to the feelings you had at that age.
The three slowly walked over to the table, giggles caressing their lips. Steve seemed hesitant to get close to Nancy, however, he did reach out a hand towards Jonathan who responded with a hug. The loud claps of their palms patting each other's backs echoed around them.
And then began the chit chat. The questions, and the generic answers that everyone would say. How was 'insert your college here'? Well, although a state college, Chrissy was able to get into her first option. The same one that Jason had applied to. So, your degree? Chrissy wanted to major in Marketing, she wanted to spend time in creative rooms, deciding the best way to reach others, empathize with their wants and needs. She didn't, however. The ring that choked her finger seemed to grow a size smaller, like it wouldn't allow the blood to flow correctly. She began to spin it along her finger as she continued to listen.
"But TV is just as bad as the movie business," Robin boasted to Nancy, who listened intently. "There's the same amount of drama." She had studied Audiovisual Communication, and landed a job as an assistant director in the city. She went on and on about the different stories they'd cover, the hectic environment, the rush. "Sometimes, it reminds me of you Nancy. When you were on the school paper."
Nancy seemed to shudder at the thought. It was true, she truly enjoyed investigating and trying to find a story at any little corner - she would dive into the deepest rabbit holes. And above all, she loved getting lost in them. Just like Alice, you could say.
"Yeah," Steve piped in, taking a small sip of his drink before he continued, "Like with the Hellfire Killings. You were all over that, I remember you spent nights trying to figure it out."
Everyone felt the deep, thick fear they had felt that night return. Like a window that didn't close properly, it wasn't overwhelming but you'd grab your arms to protect yourself from the cold. Chrissy, especially, felt the ice enclose her once more, as she began to lose herself in the thought of that night. Robin pursed her lips and kicked Steve's shin underneath the table. Nobody liked to remember that night, or the nights following. Graduation felt empty without the others.
"But," Nancy blurted into the silence that tethered everyone's lips shut, "I get to write stories for Jonathan's paper," She said, as she placed a hand on his knee and glanced at him for a moment. She took a sip from the cup and nodded. "I get to do it right from home, that way I get to spend time with the kids."
Jonathan nodded, his lips in a straight line as they both began to look off into the distance, quietly drinking. Chrissy knew very little of what they both were currently doing, but she did remember that Jonathan began working for a local paper a few hours north of Hawkins as a photographer. Immediately, they both took the chance to leave this place and start their lives together. Something that Chrissy wishes she could have done - that she should have done. Though she thought that was exactly the right thing to do, the perfect plan, their blank stares and tense shoulders told her a different story.
Steve slammed a hand against the table, which shook it violently, as he began to speak. "So," He took a breath, rising from his seat and stretching his hands over his head, "When is this 'shin-ding' going to start?" His fingers curled into air quotes as he lowered his hands, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah, it's been like… an hour, right?" Robin questioned, a slight slur curling her tongue, as she looked at her watch.
"Well," Nancy interjected, "Maybe the time was printed wrong on the invitation. I just don't understand why they'd play the music, the lights…" She crossed her arms over her chest and leant back into her chair, her chin raising upwards to get a better look at what was going on up and around her. Her words trailed on into a deathly silence between the group, the echoing of a record player playing off in the distance.
Before anyone could continue their strange conversation a loud burst of metallic rang through the gym and over the music. Chrissy almost jumped out of her seat, as did everyone, whipping her gaze towards the doors just across the room.
Chrissy could feel the knot in her stomach that had been tied so tight loosen slightly as she saw Eddie walk towards them. His hair was messy, tucked just below his neck in a quickly knotted bun. His arms lifted slightly as he gave them a small smirk, his eyes gleaming in shades of blue and purple because of the lights. It was like her vision suddenly became brighter, she could see colors that weren't there before. She let out a sigh of, what others could interpret as, relief. Jason's hand quickly grazed her lower neck, gripping it softly but with just a small pinch of authority that made her crawl back to reality.
"Eddie!" Robin shouted, extending the vowels of his names as she slowly got up from the chair once more. She waited in place with her arms lazily lifted off from her sides. Nancy giggled at Robin, noticing the effect that the drink had already taken. A hiccup escaped her lips.
Eddie embraced Robin, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as they swayed back and forth. "I guess I wasn't late, after all. This place is dead."
His raspy voice echoed in Chrissy's mind. Her mouth became dry. She wanted to speak but the words wouldn't come out. That, or the grip that Jason had on her was almost like he had reached into her throat and grabbed her tongue. His hand slowly went to his holster, instinctively, gently caressing the hard plastic of his gun. Steve saw the gesture and threaded his brows together, his eyes darting from the gun to Jason's gaze. Realizing that he had noticed, Jason quickly let his hand drop.
"Honestly, we have no idea what's happening here." Jason said, a cough finishing the sentence. At the sound of his voice Eddie whipped his head towards the couple as he stepped away slightly from Robin. His smirk curled into a more fierce, disgusted smile as his nose scrunched up as he saw Jason with his police uniform. He scoffed. As he did, his eyes slowly landed on Chrissy's and his gaze softened, his lips parting slightly. Like he was about to say something, his throat moved but not a peep came out of his lips.
His eyes met Jason's once more, and with flat lips he murmured, "Hey, guys."
"So why the hell are we the only ones here?" Steve questioned, ignoring the scene that unfolded.
"What, not glad to see me, Harrington?" Eddie waltzed over to Steve, throwing an arm around his shoulders. Steve smiled and patted his back.
"As much as I'm glad to see you - all of you - like, what the fuck?" He raised a shoulder and dropped it quickly. "Why are we the only ones that.. Showed up?"
"You weren't even invited," murmured Robin into her drink as she gave Chrissy a sly smile. Both Chrissy and Robin giggled.
"Steve's right," Jason said, finally releasing Chrissy from his grasp as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We've been here for a while now, I don't understand why no one else has come yet. Where's Andy? And chance?"
Chrissy's heart started to beat so hard she could feel the echo of it in her chest. Why had they been called there? Why were they the only ones that showed up? Is this a sick joke, a prank?
"I wouldn't be surprised," Jason continued, now pacing towards the others, placing his fingers gently on his chin. "Maybe Eddie and his freaks planned it."
Eddie's jaw clenched as he harshly swallowed. Freeing Steve of his arm, he took the edges of his jackets in his hands and began to balance on the ball of his heel as he stepped closer to Jason "I wouldn't talk too much shit, sheriff. I'm not the one here with a gun." He hissed, placing himself only centimeters away from Jason's face.
"Watch your mouth, Munson," he hissed.
Tilting his head slightly, he unfolded his lips into a large smile. "I have the right to remain silent, but not the ability."
Just as Jason seemed to lunge at Eddie, the lights completely went out. Nancy shouted more out of the fight that was about to break out rather than what was actually happening. Chrissy could hear Robin shriek in fear, but quickly heard Steve looking for her and reassuring her. Her heart was about to burst out of her chest as she could hear the rustling of clothes and squeezes of plastic soles grinding against the hardwood floor.
They were fighting. Chrissy could feel her hands begin to shake, only seeing a glimmer of light shine through the blinds that had been lowered as far as they could. Like someone wanted them to be in complete darkness. Like someone had planned for them to all be there when this happened. The thought began to tumble and grow in Chrissy's mind. It was a trap.
Her breathing began to become erratic. Her throat was tight, closed off to any air that was surrounding her. She felt like she was going to die. "Jason…" she mumbled, her fingers clenching into fists, her nails digging into her skin.
"Jason.." She whispered again, but the pressure in her chest only grew larger. She could hear them fighting, she could hear either Jonathan or Steve frantically trying to separate them between curses and shouts. She lifted her hand, as much as she could, and lent on the table as she wobbled to a stand.
She felt the blood drain from her face, she could feel the cold enter through her toes and crawl up all the way to her stomach. Her thoughts racing and bouncing from one place to another. Her parents are fighting. Jason shouting. Feeling like she was drowning in a pool of nothing but black, bleak space. As the thoughts accumulated, she began to shake slightly, her hand trembling as she began to curl her fingers on the table, scraping her nails against the rough textured plastic. Her body begged her to shout and scream out for someone, for Jason. Or Robin. Anyone.
"Eddie…?" She croaked out, a soft voice. She could feel her body giving in, like she was folding into herself. In a desperate attempt, she tried to swallow the fear and gave out one last gust of air "Eddie!"
A light shone on the three boys who stood there. Jason wiping his nose slightly as blood trickled down his lip. Eddie wiped the corner of his lips with his jacket, a stern and furious look only disappeared as he looked over to Chrissy. His expression was more of concern and worry, not anger and hate.
Her lips parted to call for him once more, but her eyes suddenly fluttered under the weight of fear and desperation. The last thing she could remember before she hit the floor was the song skipping on the record player.
"I was in a band.." he trailed on as he paced the forest floor. Chrissy scratched the deepest part of her mind, trying to remember any band she could think of. Quickly, she remembered the talent show, seeing him perform with a few more kids.
Her face seemed to transform into a smile, shouting so loud as she realized. "Corroded Coffin!"
"Corro-" His lips fell into a lean, flat smile as he pumped his fist and turned around to her quickly. "You do remember."
"Oh my god, yes, of course!" Smiling so hard she could feel the ache in her cheeks. Looking at him once again " With a name like that, how could I forget?!"
"I dunno.." He mumbled softly, a smile crawling on his face. He slowly walked back towards the picnic table. That smile made the butterflies that began to grow in her stomach only bat their wings harder.
"You're a freak."
AN:
Hi there! Sorry that I took almost a month to actually post this. Between trying to make it perfect and make it well, make sense, and also a lot of personal shit happening in my life currently (I'm okay, but it was a bad few weeks there) I just wasn't able to. I promise there will be more consist updates from now on and I'm super excited for this story :)
What do you think of my (still more to come) renditions of the characters in the 90s?
What do you think they would be like when they're older?
Stay safe everyone 3
- m
