What was she supposed to tell them? That no-one in either Boston or Hawkins wanted to hire her? That an empty resume was worth more consideration than half a bachelor's degree? She had taken time out to escape stress, now she increasingly felt a dark cloud closing in around her.
The truth was, she only knew one person in Indianapolis - an ex-classmate called Jenny. She was a nice enough girl, but they weren't exactly friends. She was willing to let Rosie sleep on her couch for a few days, though, and told her where to go in town for jobs.
There was certainly a lot more going on here, and she mentally kicked herself for not packing loafers. Leaning against a lamppost in the icy rain, trying to soothe her aching heels as water flooded her pumps, was definitely not motivating. Maybe that's why she forgot to smile, and the last few managers she talked to just told her "No" without any pleasantries. Her hair probably had something to do with it, too; it was now secured in a soggy bun, and she raked stringy wayward strands off her forehead.
"And you've never worked anywhere?" One middle-aged shopkeeper mused, taking in her grey suit.
"I mean...I spent a few summers at my uncle's ranch in Ohio." She told him. "Horses, donkies, goats -"
"I mean this kind of work." He gestured to the corner store around them.
"No, Sir."
"Sorry."
"Yeah."
Maybe she should go back to Ohio. She had loved the ranch. Riding everyday, turning out stables and feeding the animals. Her uncle had never paid her, but she'd felt at home.
The Henderson's were great. Claudia kept telling her she could stay as long as she wanted, but the house was cramped. As much as she loved Dustin and had come to appreciate the quiet streets and wooded lanes of Hawkins, she hadn't settled. That's why she was here, looking for something else.
Eddie floated into her mind; she was trying not to think about him. If she left now, she knew she would lose him. After all, they had only really hung out once. She hated the thought of it, as the image of him posing on stage filled her mind. It would be like they never met.
We could meet again. She lied to herself. When I visit Dustin. Maybe he'll still be there and we can -
Shaking her head, she banished that train of thought. Even in her imagination, she didn't want to condemn him to a life stuck in Hawkins. She could tell he wanted to go elsewhere, preferably with Corroded Coffin. He was quiet about it, but he had ambitions.
She saw him again, hammering away on his guitar, one leg up on an amp. Growling into a microphone. Ambition and talent.
"No thanks."
Another door shut in her face. Rosie checked her watch - it was 5o'clock. She had been out for six hours, and not a job in sight. Her feet hurt and her ego was bruised, and she smelled like a wet dog in this second-hand suit.
Her car was parked a couple of blocks away, in a dilapidated suburb with plenty of grannies sitting watching out windows. The rain let up as she walked over, and a grey-haired lady passed with her little dog on a leash as Rosie opened her door.
"You look nice, Dear."
"Th-thanks." Something about such an unprompted compliment from a stranger hit her hard, and she struggled to get her keys in the ignition, eyes cloudy. She would have to call her parents tonight. She'd tell them she was still just taking a break. That she was fine, everything was great. Swell.
Rosie's first impulse when she drove into Hawkins was to make for The Hideout. Claudia and Dustin were probably waiting for her to arrive, but she really longed to see Eddie. After four days tramping through the city in a musty suit and pinching heels, she just wanted someone to make her smile.
As she rolled into the parking lot, however, - into the same spot she had taken that night - her nerves began to buzz. Would that man be inside? What if he came out? She pushed the locks down on her doors and opened the window a crack for air. Was Eddie even working today? She sat there, hands still on the wheel, watching narrow rivulets race down her windscreen.
Get out. Just go up to the bar and ask -
Rapping on her window. She screamed. The glass was covered in water, but she could make out a large figure on the other side. Not Eddie. Rosie backed into the passenger seat, ready to make a break for it.
The man bent over, wiping the rain away with one hand and bringing his face close to the glass.
"Murphy!"
He looked guilty as she rolled the window all the way down. "I'm so sorry, Darlin'. Didn't mean to scare you."
"It's alright. I was daydreaming."
"I just recognized the car and - I guess you're here to see Eddie?"
"Yeah."
"Well he'll be glad to see you. He's in there mopping and moping. Said you went away."
"He said that?"
"Yep. Boy's looking like a lost puppy."
Her heart thumped. "I better go in."
Murphy opened the door for her. "You sure you're alright?"
"Sure. Thank you."
Only one spot in the middle of the dance floor was clean. Like someone was only pretending to mop. Truthfully, the boards needed a lot more than water - years of patrons that didn't know their limits, they were patterned in mystery stains of varying intensity.
Eddie's sneakers seemed blindingly white by comparison, and his t-shirt was five shades brighter than the spattered apron around his waist. He had his back to her as she approached, swaying absently to the beat of his work, and probably to whatever song was playing in his head. There was no-one else in sight. She snuck up nearer.
"Boo!"
The poor guy nearly added his own stain to the floor. He yelled and spun to face her, mop raised. "What the fuck are you doing you - Rosie."
His voice softened as he said her name. She grinned like an idiot. "I'm back."
"You know you didn't have to come back." He reminded her. "You could've just kept driving to greener pastures."
"The thought definitely occurred to me."
"But you still came back?"
"I could never just leave like that." She admitted. "At least not without saying goodbye to Dustin."
He made a stabbing motion, right into his heart, staggering back and using the mop as a crutch. "Dustin. Not me? Oh, I'll never recover!"
She was laughing. Laughing like she hadn't been shunned by every single establishment she'd entered for days. He stumbled around in front of her the more she guffawed, putting his all into the performance. "I'd say goodbye to you too, if I left."
"No! No I'm not worthy!" He croaked, lurching over the handle. It looked very close to snapping. "Go! Leave me here. Fly, you fool!"
Rosie caught the mop, which was now bending in the middle. Eddie stood up, and she remembered how easily he towered over her. "You're a goofball."
"Not wrong. But not entirely accurate." He admitted. The mop clattered to the floor as he stuck two fingers to the side of his head. "More of a freak!"
The sound that escaped him next was indescribable. A hiss? Or a snarl? She was sure she'd heard a gremlin make it before. "What the hell was that?"
"What was what?"
"That noise!"
He shrugged, patches of pink appearing on his cheeks. "I don't know what you mean."
"That... that -" She mimicked his movements, sticking her tongue out. "I can't do it."
He shuffled. "Nope. Still no idea."
"Do it again."
"It must've been someone else."
"Again!" In her excitement, her hand went to his wrist. It was warm. "Please?"
His eyes snapped to her fingers, now brushing against his arm. He licked his lips. "Uh - ack!" He tried again. "I can't do it now."
"You're bluffing."
"I can't do it under pressure!" His whole face was red now, his vision darting to her face and back to her hand.
Feeling bolder, she squeezed his arm. "I'm not pressuring you."
"You. You..." His voice deepened. His eyes were virtually black. She couldn't turn away from them. His free hand hung beside her in the air. "You...em...drink?"
"Huh?"
He took a step back. Out of her grasp. She followed as he scampered away and behind the bar. "Two-thirty on a Wednesday. Even Joe's gone upstairs for a nap. We have this whole place to ourselves."
"Great." She tried to keep her smile as she perched on a stool.
Eddie threw a gritty towel over his shoulder and leaned on the counter. "What can I getchya?"
Rosie puffed her cheeks: "I could really use a glass of wine."
"Wine? We have, uh, this lovely." He squinted at the bottle. "Saving-you Blank. And what's the occasion?"
" Just really glad to be back."
Eddie raised his eyebrows at her, a flash of concern on his face as he poured her a very generous measure. "Sounds like you could really use this."
