Marceline skittered into possibly the creepiest bathroom in the school. Half the lights were dead, while the remaining ones were dim and scattered the color of the stall doors to create an eerie blue glow. At the mirror, Marceline pulled her braids down to rest over her shoulders—they were giving her a headache—and wiped the mascara Chrissy had swiped on effortlessly. Now that she wiped the clumps of mascara to black smears under her eyes, Marceline looked like she hadn't slept in years.
The eerie glow dispersed as the stall door behind Marceline creaked open, and—speak of the devil—Chrissy Cunningham stepped out with a halo of electric light.
Chrissy hadn't changed out of her cheerleading uniform like the good student she was. However, while Marceline was a goody-toe-shoes, she couldn't stand to be in uniform longer than she needed to. So, once she had the opportunity, Marceline swapped it for a pair of jeans, a band shirt, and a sweatshirt.
It took Marceline a second to notice to see that Chrissy's angel face was scrunched into an odd expression of fear. Marceline glanced into the bathroom stall Chrissy had just come from, a million thoughts about what might be wrong stringing through her head.
"Marceline?" Chrissy greeted hesitantly, her brows furrowing into confusion and her eyes narrowed as if questioning why Marceline was even there.
"Hi, Chrissy," Marceline replied. "Everything okay?"
"Um, did you notice the-the lights flickering?" Chrissy asked, her baby blue eyes drifting to the ceiling.
Marceline hadn't noticed anything odd. However, the whole bathroom was off-putting and freezing like the Antarctic. She shook her head, and Chrissy wheezed a terrified breath through her teeth.
"Okay," Chrissy whispered, darting her eyes around the bathroom, checking the corners for a waiting figure to appear. Then, her eyes landed on Marceline, but like she was looking straight through her. Chrissy shook herself awake and dug into her bag for a package of baby wipes. "Here."
Marceline reached out to take the package. Her eyes darted from Chrissy's awkward smile to the baby wipes, then turned to the mirror. She swiped the braids from her face before removing the black smudges from her dark skin.
"You, um, you're friends with E-Eddie Munson, right?" Chrissy asked hesitantly, her hands clasped behind her back as she nervously rocked from heel to toe.
"Used to be," Marceline corrected, darting to stare at Chrissy's reflection.
"I—You're not friends?" Chrissy asked, just to be sure.
"No. Why?"
"I-It's okay. I don't want to bother you," Chrissy assured her in a sweet but dejected tone and edged closer to the door. "It's okay. Sorry, I asked."
"No, no, it's okay," Marceline called, leaning her back against the sink and crossing her arms over her chest. She was curious now why Chrissy was asking. "What is it?"
"I just… I heard he can get weed, and I really think I might need some right now," Chrissy explained in one breath, her voice going an octave higher as she tried not to cry. "I was wondering if you knew—"
"You want me to ask?"
"Yeah, if Jason saw us together," Chrissy muttered, trailing off. "He mentioned in passing one time you guys were friends, so that's why I thought…"
"I get it," Marceline assured her, holding her hand up. Her teeth ground together, resenting the idea of asking Eddie for help. But it wasn't her; it was Chrissy asking.
Chrissy, the sweetest girl in school. Despite not being friends outside of class, Chrissy always displayed kindness. No one but Robin had ever shown Marceline. There was a night after a game, and Marceline's brother was running late to pick her up. Scottie and Stephanie were having dinner with his parents, and she had no way to get home. Chrissy noticed her staying behind and sat with her until her brother came.
So, Marceline supposed she owed this much to her.
"I'll find the time to ask," Marceline finally said.
"Are you sure?" Chrissy asked, face brightening.
"Yeah, it's not a problem."
"Okay," Chrissy sighed, finally able to relax. "Thanks."Marceline skittered into possibly the creepiest bathroom in the school. Half the lights were dead, while the remaining ones were dim and scattered the color of the stall doors to create an eerie blue glow. At the mirror, Marceline pulled her braids down to rest over her shoulders—they were giving her a headache—and wiped the mascara Chrissy had swiped on effortlessly. Now that she wiped the clumps of mascara to black smears under her eyes, Marceline looked like she hadn't slept in years.
The eerie glow dispersed as the stall door behind Marceline creaked open, and—speak of the devil—Chrissy Cunningham stepped out with a halo of electric light.
Chrissy hadn't changed out of her cheerleading uniform like the good student she was. However, while Marceline was a goody-toe-shoes, she couldn't stand to be in uniform longer than she needed to. So, once she had the opportunity, Marceline swapped it for a pair of jeans, a band shirt, and a sweatshirt.
It took Marceline a second to notice to see that Chrissy's angel face was scrunched into an odd expression of fear. Marceline glanced into the bathroom stall Chrissy had just come from, a million thoughts about what might be wrong stringing through her head.
"Marceline?" Chrissy greeted hesitantly, her brows furrowing into confusion and her eyes narrowed as if questioning why Marceline was even there.
"Hi, Chrissy," Marceline replied. "Everything okay?"
"Um, did you notice the-the lights flickering?" Chrissy asked, her baby blue eyes drifting to the ceiling.
Marceline hadn't noticed anything odd. However, the whole bathroom was off-putting and freezing like the Antarctic. She shook her head, and Chrissy wheezed a terrified breath through her teeth.
"Okay," Chrissy whispered, darting her eyes around the bathroom, checking the corners for a waiting figure to appear. Then, her eyes landed on Marceline, but like she was looking straight through her. Chrissy shook herself awake and dug into her bag for a package of baby wipes. "Here."
Marceline reached out to take the package. Her eyes darted from Chrissy's awkward smile to the baby wipes, then turned to the mirror. She swiped the braids from her face before removing the black smudges from her dark skin.
"You, um, you're friends with E-Eddie Munson, right?" Chrissy asked hesitantly, her hands clasped behind her back as she nervously rocked from heel to toe.
"Used to be," Marceline corrected, darting to stare at Chrissy's reflection.
"I—You're not friends?" Chrissy asked, just to be sure.
"No. Why?"
"I-It's okay. I don't want to bother you," Chrissy assured her in a sweet but dejected tone and edged closer to the door. "It's okay. Sorry, I asked."
"No, no, it's okay," Marceline called, leaning her back against the sink and crossing her arms over her chest. She was curious now why Chrissy was asking. "What is it?"
"I just… I heard he can get weed, and I really think I might need some right now," Chrissy explained in one breath, her voice going an octave higher as she tried not to cry. "I was wondering if you knew—"
"You want me to ask?"
"Yeah, if Jason saw us together," Chrissy muttered, trailing off. "He mentioned in passing one time you guys were friends, so that's why I thought…"
"I get it," Marceline assured her, holding her hand up. Her teeth ground together, resenting the idea of asking Eddie for help. But it wasn't her; it was Chrissy asking.
Chrissy, the sweetest girl in school. Despite not being friends outside of class, Chrissy always displayed kindness. No one but Robin had ever shown Marceline. There was a night after a game, and Marceline's brother was running late to pick her up. Scottie and Stephanie were having dinner with his parents, and she had no way to get home. Chrissy noticed her staying behind and sat with her until her brother came.
So, Marceline supposed she owed this much to her.
"I'll find the time to ask," Marceline finally said.
"Are you sure?" Chrissy asked, face brightening.
"Yeah, it's not a problem."
"Okay," Chrissy sighed, finally able to relax. "Thanks."
Eddie Munson and Marceline Palmer had been friends for years. They had been best friends, in fact, and now they were hardly more than strangers. Marceline didn't know him anymore, and Eddie didn't know her. But, she could still see the shadows of her Eddie wandering the halls or standing on lunch tables as he was when Marceline entered the cafeteria.
His high-top white Converse pounded against the table top as he sneered down at those mindlessly eating their lunches around him. He pranced and lectured on about his Holy Campaign of the exclusion of being an outcast.
As Marceline watched, she realized she made a terrible mistake. She should've just told Chrissy no. Told her that she didn't know Eddie or that they didn't talk anymore, but Chrissy had a way of twisting someone to her will without even meaning to.
Marceline walked through the rows of crowded tables, her hands clung to the straps of her backpack as she considered when she would gather the courage to talk to Eddie. She headed for the lunch table she shared with Robin, but she hadn't arrived which was typical. Robin was the queen of fashionably late. However, as Marceline look across the cafeteria, she noticed Robin sitting with her band friends.
Marceline stopped in the middle of the cafeteria debating what do next. She could go sit with the jocks or the science club or head for the library—
"That's what's killing the kids!" Eddie cried, sprinting off the table and scaring a girl just trying to get to her seat. She scrambled away before Eddie could do worse. He stood back with a devilish smile as he raised his ringed hand for the two cheerleaders trying to pass.
"Hey, Marceline," the girls greeted as they noticed her standing there and she smiled tentatively back.
Eddie turned on his heel hearing the familiar name. His brows raised so they hid under his bands and a smirk of amusement carved into his skin at the sight of her.
"Marcy, hey, come to join us?" Eddie asked teasingly.
Marceline glanced back at the band table, Robin with her friends, with Vickie as she laughed so hard she was red in the face. She hadn't even noticed Marceline's absence. She turned away, glancing at Eddie as she buried the frown.
"Sure," she said, shrugging her shoulders and slinging her backpack, so it slammed against the table. The boys staring jumped at the suddeness of her appearance and Marceline glared at Gareth. "Move over."
Jeff, on Gareth's right, moved over without hesitation to let Gareth move out of Marceline's warpath. Marceline sat down heavily in his seat beside Eddie where he sat regally at the head of the table. She looked over the warm bodies occupying the seats around her which consisted of Eddie's bandmates and two fresh-faced newbies.
"Hey, Mike," Marceline greeted, raising her hand with a thin smile when she noticed him staring.
"H-Hi, Marceline," Mike replied, his dark brown eyes wide with confusion over the whole weird situation.
Marceline could feel Eddie's gaze pressed into the side of her skull, but she ignored it, pulling her lunch from her backpack.
"You know Mike?" Eddie asked curiously.
"We don't need to talk," Marceline assured him.
"She's friends wirh Mike's sister," Mike's friend, Dustin, answered for her. He didn't seem bothered by the palpable tension between Eddie and Marceline. In fact, Dustin seemed blinded by the mere thought that these two had an obvious rivalry between one another as he turned the conversation to an even worse on. "So, uh, speaking of monsters, um, Lucas had to do his, uh, balls-in-laundry-baskets game." Dustin laughed like it was an inside joke, but no one joined him. "So… he's not gonna be able to make it to Hellfire tonight. And I know there's no way we can beat your sadistic campaign without him. So, me and Mike, we were talkin'… shooting the shit, and we were thinking that maybe, we might…"
"Postpone!" Mike exclaimed in frustration as Dustin beat around the bush.
The table exploded into cries of outrage, horrified by even the mention of the possibility. Marceline knit her eyebrows together, resting her fingers on her temples as the headache from Jason's speech started to swell. Then, she huffed, digging into her backpack, and retrieved some Advil left for period cramps.
Eddie kept his cool, staring darkly at the boys and their insane suggestion while carefully cradling his lunch. Then, his eyes flickered over to Marceline, noticing her take the pills before returning his attention to the table.
"Shut up!" he exclaimed in a fitful explosion, and they all stopped immediately. "You sayin' Sinclair's been taken in by the dark side?" he asked Dustin and Mike.
Marceline rolled her eyes. She remembered him asking her the same question years ago when she first tried out for cheerleading. It was still the same old shit with him.
"Uh, something like that," Mike replied uncomfortably.
"Something like that?" Eddie repeated, unamused as he tossed scraps of his lunch at their heads. "And rather than find a sub for him, you want… you want to postpone 'the Cult of Vecna'?"
"I-I don't want to postpone it. We don't want to postpone it! It's just that, y'know, most of the subs will be at the championship game," Mike explained quickly, as if Eddie would bite his head off if he didn't have a good enough answer.
Eddie—who had stood from his seat, kicking his chair out of the way and paced toward the window—spun on his heel when Mike finished. He asked, "Oh, it's the championship game?"
"Yeah…"
"Can I level with you?" Eddie asked, narrowing his eyes as he walked back to the table, crossing his leg comically over the other. "Jeff graduates this year, Gareth's got, what, a year and a half. Me, I am army-crawling my way toward a D in Ms. O'Donnell's. If I don't blow her final, I'm gonna walk that stage next month, I'm gonna look Principal Higgins dead in the eye, I'm gonna flip him the bird, I'm gonna snatch that diploma, and I'm gonna run like hell outta here!"
"Didn't you say that last year?" Gareth called to Eddie's back in amusement.
"And the year before that?" Jeff added, raising a brow.
"Yeah, yeah, and I was full of shit," Eddie told them off, walking back to his seat but stopped behind Marceline. His hands latched onto her shoulders, and she could hear his voice echo through his hands as he spoke. "This year is my year. Maybe I'll head out with Marcy here, and we can be best buddies in college!" he cooed, squeezing her shoulders.
"No chance in hell, Edward," Marceline told him, slapping her hand against his wrist to get him off.
Eddie's face dipped down, invading her personal space once again as they came nose to nose. Marceline felt her eyes go cross-eyed as she looked into his coal eyes watching her in pale amusement.
"What? They only take pretty weirdos at Harvard?" he asked patronizingly, plum breath fanning over her face.
"They definitely don't take kids who got held back twice," she retorted, a forceful push to her words to make sure he knew it was full of fire.
"Maybe you're right," Eddie whispered, shrugging his shoulders. He pulled away, spinning around the table like a shitty ballerina before landing behind Mike and Dustin. "'86, baby. You know what that means?"
They shook their heads.
"It means you guys are the future of Hellfire. I knew it the moment I saw you. You sat on that table right over there, looking like… looking like two little lost sheep. You were wearing a Weird Al t-shirt which I thought was brave."
"Thank you," Dustin whispered softly.
"Mike, you were wearing whatever shit your mommy bought you from the goddamn Gap."
The table burst into a fit of laughter. Marceline scowled, wondering why she had subjected herself to this torment.
"Marcy, babe," Eddie called again. She nearly ignored him, but her curiosity and stupidty got the best of her. When she looked at him, she found a teasing smirk on his lips while the two Freshman shook under the weight of his hands. He redirected their attention so fast they looked like they had gotten whiplash. "You wanna stand-in at Hellfire tonight?" Eddie asked, his voice inviting as he did, hoping to sway her into coming.
It didn't work.
"Not until the world ends," Marceline shot back.
"Well, boys, I tried," Eddie said, pulling Mike and Dustin up by their shirt collars and walked them over to the opposite end of the table. He told them what they needed to do in hushed whispers before shoving them forward to search for their stand-in.
Eddie clapped his hands from the imaginary dirt as he walked back to the head of the table. He flopped down in his seat, his right foot resting on the seat and his knee by his chin as he sat back and stared at Marceline.
"Why are you really here?" Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow that told her he saw through her without even trying. "You haven't sat here since sophomore year," he answered her unspoken thoughts.
Marceline's eye twitched then stood, collecting her things and headed to leave. She stopped ten steps away, then turned back to look at Eddie who watched her dumbfounded.
"You comin' or what?" Marceline asked him.
Eddie's eyes widened, suddenly paralyzed in his seat at the question. Gareth and Sean slapped Eddie's chest wildly, revving him to move.
Marceline rolled her eyes at their idiotic response and headed to leave. Eddie hustled after her, throwing his slim backpack over his shoulder. She walked twice as fast as him, beating him out of the door and into the silent hallway. He didn't even try to keep time with her, sauntering with his hands stuffed into his pockets. His brow raised in amusement as he stopped in front of her.
"Are you trying to win a race, Marcy?" Eddie asked with a breathy laugh.
"No, I—" Marceline said. She started to pace the row of lockers beside her, growing anxious. "No, just, this is insane!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air then pinned them to her forehead as she paused.
"Alright, alright," Eddie said soothingly, holding his hands out in front of him. "What's insane? You're not—" he said, cutting himself off as he let out a girlish laugh underneath his head. Marceline stopped in her pace to glare at him. "You're not wanting to apologize, are you?"
"Apologize? I don't need to apologize for anything," Marceline scoffed, giving him an exasperated stared then returned to pacing.
"Bullshit," Eddie snapped back in disbelief. "If it's not that, then it's likely not that insane."
"Chrissy Cunningham wants to buy," Marceline blurted out. Her eyes flickered from his face to the beat-up black box in his hand.
Eddie's eyebrows flew under his bands again, completely stunned by her answer.
"Nevermind," he muttered, chewing on a hangnail nervously. "That is insane."
Marceline watched him follow her lead, and paced the lockers opposite her three times before he stopped, turned on her heel and stared plainly at her.
"Chrissy Cunningham?" he repeated.
"The one and only," she answered with a thin smile.
"No way," he laughed, shaking his head and headed out to leave. He wasn't going to play games with Marceline.
He nearly made his exit, and Marceline nearly let him, but those big blue eyes full of fat tears entered her mind. Marceline could barely stand the idea of making her upset in theory. Seeing that disappointed expression in person would be much worse. So, against everything Marceline had promised herself, she heaved a great big sigh.
"Do this for me, and… I'll get you to graduation," Marceline told him, the words scratching in complaint against her throat.
"What?" Eddie asked, incredulous, as he looked at her. "You wouldn't even do that when we were friends. Said I was the most annoying person on the planet to teach."
"Just do it, alright," Marceline snapped.
"On one more condition," Eddie demanded, raising a finger and waved it in front of her face. "You're at the drop, too. I'm not about to have her boyfriend out on a man-hunt for me if he sees her sneaking out into the woods alone."
Marceline's face flared red, and she bit out, "Fine."
"We've got a deal," Eddie said cheerily.
He raised his hand out to her for a shake, but Marceline turned on her heel and left as the bell rang.
Author's Note
Season 4, Episode 1: The Hellfire Club
Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you'd like. However, this is an all kind of reader safe space. So even if you ghost read or comment every chapter, I hope you know it means the world to me that you've come into this fic I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and until the next one.