AN: I've been mostly updating this story on AO3, but I'm happy a few people have found it here. If you've read this far (lol) I would love to know what you think!

Before the sun could awaken me kindly with soft morning light, I was met with a much more rude awakening. Metal music blared from the stereo as the alarm clock rang. Shaking Eddie awake did little in the way of actually rousing him to shut off his alarm.

"Jesus Christ Eddie, that's your alarm," I said loudly, forcing him to wake up because I didn't have the choice to. I leaned over his body to reach the clock on his side of the bed and shut off the alarm. It took fidgeting with a few buttons before I could get the music to stop screaming at me.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and moaned, "It's the only way I wake up in a good mood." Because being yelled at by your favorite metal band before 7am was the perfect way to start your day.

"Until today," I corrected him. My chest was awfully close to his face as I had leaned over him, and if he wasn't careful he'd be smacked awake by a rogue tit.

"Until today," he agreed after opening his eyes and seeing me loom over him. He tried to grab a handful but I was back on my side of the bed before he could make contact.

"Can we just go back to last night? I don't want to do today," I whined.

"I would love to go back to last night, but my uncle is home. And after last night I'm not so sure you're capable of being quiet," Eddie said, stroking his fingers up my exposed side.

"Shut up," I said, embarrassed he was using something he caused me to do against me. "Speaking of, should we be concerned that your uncle came home to our clothes strewn haphazardly about the living room?" I asked, remembering that we had abandoned pretty much everything by the couch and never recovered them.

"Oh… oops. He won't ask."

"I guess we should wake up and get going…"

"No time like the present." Eddie rolled out of the bed and began looking for an outfit among a hamper of what I would assume was clean clothing. He picked a standard black pair of ripped jeans and a plain white t shirt. He rolled the sleeves of the shirt once quickly, which caused my heart to quicken as the muscles on his arms contracted. He grabbed his guitar pick necklace from his dresser and fastened it on, slipping his rings on his fingers when he was finished. All he needed was his leather jacket and riot vest and he would be fully himself.

I joined him in getting dressed, changing into the only clothes I had brought with me, acid washed jeans and a thin navy sweater. I pulled my hair up into a messy pony tail and checked my face in the mirror. There was a small red mark on my cheek but otherwise I just looked very tired.

"Let me go see if my uncle is still awake and let him know you're here. I'm sure he'll be fine with you staying," he said. Before I could protest, he was out the door.

I was lowkey mortified that his uncle would soon know I was here and have assumptions about why I spent the night and what we were doing. Quite frankly, I'd rather jump out the window and bike all the way to school to avoid any sort of confrontation this early. I could hear mumbled voices in the hallway and realized it was too late, and I would have to face this music. I busied myself with the quickest application of makeup possible, just some slight concealer and mascara to make me look less dead. Eddie came back in only a few moments later, practically bouncing.

"He's cool with it, let's go say hi," he said, encouraging me to follow.

"Are you sure this isn't too much, Eddie? It feels like a lot…" I said, finishing off my mascara. He watched me through the mirror from behind, placing his hands on my hips and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Look, you see a lot of fucked up shit around the trailer park. There's a lot of messed up people around here. But for as many fuckups, there are also some really good people. Wayne is one of those folks. If he can help someone, he will. Especially if it helps me in return."

I made eye contact with him through the mirror. I was still hesitant, but I couldn't deny that this was my moment of need if there was one. I tossed the mascara back into my bag and followed him out of the room. We walked straight through the living room area to get through the kitchen.

Wayne was sitting at the kitchen table wearing a flannel shirt jeans, his work boots abandoned nearby. His graying hair was shaved short and he had a salt and pepper beard. He looked exhausted after a night of work, and was drinking a beer. Which I guess made sense for 7am if you just finished the night shift.

"Hey darlin," he said with a thick accent when he saw me. Eddie had told me a bit about his uncle, but I didn't realize he was a total country guy.

"Hi Mr. Munson. It's nice to finally meet you," I said, lingering in the doorway.

Eddie quite literally went to pick up the abandoned clothing we had left in the living room. I was fucking mortified, hoping Wayne didn't notice. What a great first impression. Hi, it's me, the girl who is sleeping with your nephew. Can I stay forever?

"Eddie's told me about you. Told me what happened. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need." It was as simple as that. It felt a little weird to be welcomed into someone's home when I was already here, and we had never even met before.

"Thank you, Mr. Munson. I appreciate you being okay with me staying last night, but I really can't impose on you like that…" I begun.

"Call me Wayne. And ain't no imposing. My nephew really cares about you, we just wanna make sure you're safe."

"Okay," I agreed, trying to hide the emotion in my response. It was hard to recall the last time I had been met with such unbridled kindness from a near stranger. He was willing to let me stay, no questions asked, because it was important to Eddie.

"See, told you it would be fine," Eddie said from behind me, the pile of clothing bundled in his arms. I felt like I might as well just have "we had sex" written on my forehead, but Wayne didn't acknowledge anything.

"You kids better get off to school," Wayne said, looking at the clock. "Let me know if you need anything."

I nodded and thanked him again, and went to get my stuff for school. Eddie grabbed two pop tarts for us for the road, We brushed our teeth and put on our shoes, he grabbed his jacket and we were leaving for school shortly after.

The car ride was quick, mostly me lamenting about how little I wanted to do with this day.

"Hey, the good news is we just have to get through classes and detention. Tonight we've got the Corroded Coffin show at The Hideout," Eddie said excitedly.

"Oh right, I can't believe it's Tuesday already."

"Are you gonna come this time?" He asked.

"That's hardly an invitation, Munson," I said, teasing him for all the times he had apparently hoped I would come when I didn't even know about the show. He rolled his eyes.

"Will you, Annie Cooper, accompany me, Eddie Munson, to the Corroded Coffin show on this, the 24th of September, at The Hideout at 9pm. Check the box, yes or no," he said, holding out his hands and indicating which option was which.

I pretended to contemplate my choice, lingering my finger over to the "no" option before switching over and marking an x on his "yes" palm. He caught my finger in his hand and said, "you are a dork."

"I learn from the best," I replied with an accusatory smile. "I'm excited for the show! You think I might be able to get my boobies signed by the lead singer?" He scoffed and said, "yeah if you're lucky."

We got out of the car, Eddie grabbing my bag and tossing it over his shoulder with his own, and then grabbing my hand. People curiously were watching us walking in together but I didn't care. I knew they were going to keep talking, my job now was to ignore them.

As we walked up to the school, we saw Dustin Henderson walking with his friend Max Mayfield up the sidewalk. He was chatting animatedly, but she looked a little bored and tired. I had seen her around before, usually on her skateboard in the parking lot, but we hadn't interacted or anything. Eddie got Dustin's attention as we approached them, Dustin waving excitedly at us.

"Hey Henderson, did you remind Wheeler and Sinclair that Hellfire starts back up again this Thursday? I haven't seen them around."

"Yeah, Mike knows. I haven't seen Lucas, he's probably sucking up to Jason as we speak, right Max? Max…" Dustin said, but his friend was no longer by his side. She was a couple paces ahead, above stopping just for us.

"Ask him yourself," I heard her call back to Dustin, throwing a highly sarcastic peace sign in the air and kept walking.

I remember she had lost her step brother in the mall fire last year, and she was probably still struggling. I didn't blame her. Dustin shrugged and moved on from the topic.

"She's weird. Sooooo, Annie, will we be seeing an encore of what happened in the lunch room yesterday?" Dustin asked with a toothy smile, raising his eyebrows up and down suggestively. Of all the assholes with their stares and rumors at Hawkins, I knew Dustin was poking fun without judgement. It's not like he could just ignore what happened, he had a front row seat to the whole thing. I loved him for his unabashed interest in Eddie's affairs.

Eddie gave him a little shove that I knew was nothing but playful. "You're just mad your girlfriend would never do something so bold just to prove her loyalties."

"Suzie shows her passion in other ways," Dustin responded, a dreamy knowing look glossing over his face.

"Suzie?" I asked, wondering why I had never seen him with any other girls at school.

"Some Mormon girl he met at dork camp who lives in Kansas or something," Eddie said nonchalantly.

"Umm, Suzie lives in Utah, and it was a technology camp," Dustin defended himself.

"And somehow that doesn't make the story any less dorky," Eddie said, ruffling Dustin's hair.

"I think thats awesome! How long have you been with Suzie?" I asked, excited to be learning more about Eddie's young friend.

"A bit over a year. Long distance is hard but we still find ways to keep the spark alive." Dustin completely came alive when talking about his girlfriend, and I could tell he was excited to have someone ask about her.

"God you are such a level one dweeb," Eddie said, ribbing on the kid again.

"I think it's sweet," I said, disagreeing with Eddie's playful jabs. "I bet she's awesome."

"Yeah, she's great. Look, I don't mean to alarm you, but there's an upset woman rapidly approaching us," Dustin said, peering over my shoulder with a concerned look on his face. I could hear footsteps rattling on the pavement behind us.

Eddie and I turned to see my mom walking towards us, because of course she was. This was the one place she was guaranteed to find me, I should have expected it.

"It's my mom…" I responded in a dull voice to Dustin.

"Umm, I'm gonna go…." He said, elongating his words with dramatics and turning to leave. There was no point in him lingering. "See ya later kid," Eddie said after him.

My mom looked more unkempt than I had ever seen her out in public, and I could tell she had been crying. I felt guilty because I didn't fully consider how all of this would affect her. I worried about the consequences of my disappearing last night and what that meant for her. I wondered if she was being punished for my actions too.

Eddie grabbed my hand to stabilize me as my mom got close, signifying he wasn't going to leave me alone with her.

"Annie, honey. Can we talk?" She asked. The tears smothered her voice as I saw them well in her eyes. She was having a hard time with this too.

"I don't really have anything to say." Her eyes darted to Eddie, I could tell she was ready to ask him to leave. He straightened his back and firmed his grip on my hand, showing no signs of moving.

"Could we talk alone?" She asked, which I felt was coming.

"Yeah I'm not going anywhere," Eddie said, tensions rising. I allowed him to stay, too exhausted to navigate this on my own. It did make me feel a bit sad to hear the unfriendly tone they had with each other. In a perfect world, I imagined my mom adoring my partner, developing a close relationship built on a foundation of mutual love for whom they both shared orbit. I silently mourned what I never lost, but could never have either.

My mom looked back and forth at both of us, then finally said, "Your father isn't happy."

Despite everything, this was still about him. Because why shouldn't it be? Suddenly all the guilt I felt about upsetting my mom dissipated. An enabler never stops to question what could have happened that would make their daughter run away. An enabler is only ever concerned about all the ways to avoid disturbing the monster that lives in her attic. The monster that made the girl flee in the first place.

"It shouldn't surprise you that I'm not happy either." I said. "Or did he not tell you what happened?" I could taste the accusation on my tongue but I didn't care. It was too early for feigned pleasantries.

"I know you got into an… altercation, about what happened with Kurt…" she danced around the issue entirely. "And I know you decided to up and leave without any warning." There she goes, pinning the responsibility on me. Eddie said nothing, but his grip on my fingers tightened as he took in her words.

"An altercation, is that all he told you?"

"Look, honey, it was an accident. Just come back home tonight and we can talk about it," she pleaded.

"I'd hardly say 3 times is an accident." She could fill in the gaps herself, identify exactly what happened 3 times. She knew the truth.

"He didn't mean…"

"Don't tell me what he meant when you couldn't even stand to watch it happen yourself." I spat back. "I'm not coming home just for you to let it happen again." I turned to go, tugging Eddie along with me, but she wasn't done.

"Annie, he means well. He's done so much for you. If we could just talk about this we could fix things!" I wondered how exactly one could mean well when when unleashing holy hell on an undeserving victim. Choice words coming from someone who chose to sit out the whole ordeal.

"Fix it yourself. But in the meantime don't expect me to get sucked under his tow and say thank you while it happens because he means well ."

Eddie followed me silently as I stomped away. I could tell we had attracted a crowd but I didn't care. Apparently all eyes on me was a trend I was just going to have to get used to.

"Are you okay?" He said as he struggled to keep up.

"Fuck that." I replied. I was furious and heartbroken that my mom couldn't see beyond my dad to realize I was hurting. She just wanted to slap the proverbial bandaid on the whole thing and hope I could eventually forget what had happened.

"Right. Fuck that." He nodded in agreement. "I'm proud of you for standing up for her though. I think you said some things she needed to hear."

"Whether she was ready to hear them is another question entirely."

We walked together in silence until we reached my locker. I twisted the lock and opened the locker to see a crumpled note had been shoved in through the slats. It had one lovely, colorful word scribbled in blue ink.

Slut.

"Lovely…" I said, crumpling the note and throwing it on the ground. Eddie picked up the piece of paper to read it for himself, and then he also let it drop back to the floor, punting it down the hall with an aggressive kick.

"People are so original," he said with vehement disgust.

"It's okay. Add it to my repertoire, Annie the Slut" I said in quotes. I didn't mean it as a personal insult but he took it as one.

"You aren't a slut." He furrowed his brow.

"After last night, I feel like maybe I earned that title," I said proudly, stepping closer so we were separated by very little space. I reached down, twisting my fingers in his and leaning in close. It was easier to let my anger melt into sexual tension. That made me much happier than lingering onto the spite I felt for what was out of my control. I was trying to suggestively remind him of all the ways I had asserted my sexuality over him last night by acting like a "slut," but he was still hung up on the word.

"You weren't a slut last night either," he argued.

"Slutty" I modified.

"Sexy." He corrected.

"I'm reclaiming slut. Let me be a slut. Whatever it was, I enjoyed it,"

"Fine, so you're a slut. I'm not complaining, as I was on the receiving end."

"Why can't we avoid all responsibilities and just be horny teenagers like god intended?" I wondered aloud. I was magnetically drawn closer to him, wanting to touch him as I reminisced. I rested my free hand on his upper hip, slightly lifting the hem of his shirt so I could feel his skin beneath my fingers.

"You're walking into risky territory darling. I could have you forgetting your parental problems in 5 minutes or less," He said, completely agreeing with my sentiments and allowing me to take him on a mental journey. He swiped a gentle finger along my jawline.

"I wish…" I said, leaning in and inhaling his familiar scent and closing my eyes. I was ready to forget the world. I was ready to be lost in his kiss.

"I hate to breakup the lovebirds…" I heard from beside me.

Grace was standing next to us, bubbly Eve in tow. As was par for the course with Eddie, I lost all track of my surroundings and had to remind myself we weren't alone, but instead in a very crowded hallway. I could only imagine what we looked like entangled like this in a very public setting. If I hadn't been so incredibly into this man, I would've found my own behavior quite embarrassing.

I took a step backwards and said a quick hello to my friends.

"I'll let you ladies catch up…" Eddie said, nodding to my friends he had never really been introduced to. Now certainly wasn't the time for introductions.

Before he left to go, Eddie turned back and leaned in close to whisper in my ear. He guarded his words from the rest of the world with his hand, and I could feel his silver rings brushing up against my cheek as he lingered by my ear. I held my breath as he whispered, "I keep remembering how amazing you looked petting your pretty pussy for me last night, you slut."

I nearly choked. He kissed the space by my ear before pulling away.

"See you in detention," he winked, walking away with a slight laugh before I could regain my composure or respond. I tried to minimize my reaction, but his words had a chemical effect on my body. I guess if I had to navigate the next few hours on my own, he left me with something spicy I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about. Damn him.

"What was that about?" Grace asked.

"Your face is red," Eve added.

"It was a stupid joke," I said, trying to regain composure, grateful that female arousal wasn't as near visibly damning as a man's. They both gave me looks as though they hardly believed a harmless joke would have me acting like this.

"What's up?" I asked a little too enthusiastically, trying to ease the tension.

"Your mom came to my house last night looking for you…" Grace said.

"Mine too, and Claire's." Eve added. My face dropped. "Where were you?"

I hadn't considered this as an option, hadn't had time to consider what to tell my friends. But now I was being face with the truth and didn't know where to begin.

"Oh shit, she did? I'm sorry you guys were dragged into this."

"I was worried until I remembered you were probably with Eddie…" Grace said, a slight accusation in her voice. After what just happened she probably assumed I was a horn dog who snuck out of the house for a hookup.

"Look, it wasn't like that. My dad and I… we got into a fight."

They both looked at me puzzling, wanting more details than that. I didn't even know how to brush the surface.

"Things got… physical." Was all I could say. Their faces changed immediately.

"Shit, Annie, I'm so sorry! What happened?" Eve said.

"Things just went too far and I decided the safest thing to do was to ride the night out with Eddie," I said, unable to give them a full recap. I'd let them fill in the gaps for now.

"You could've come to me," Grace argued. I could tell a part of her ego was hurt that I wouldn't go to her first.

"No, I couldn't. My mom probably looked there first, and I couldn't risk going back home last night. He was unwell, it was scary. She was here just now begging me to forgive him."

"No way, that was you? I heard just now someone was fighting with their mom on the quad," Eve said. Jesus Christ word travels fast.

"If the last 24 hours have taught you anything, it's probably me they're talking about." I rolled my eyes angrily. Couldn't these kids mind their own fucking business for once.

"Is there anything we can do?" Grace asked.

"I don't know. Eddie's uncle said I could stay as long as I needed, but it does feel like I'm imposing because things are all so new… but I really think he wants me to stay. I need to figure something out, I can't avoid home forever." I wasn't sure what the solution to that something would be. I felt like I was on borrowed time.

Grace furrowed her brow. As I had learned recently, she was no stranger to patriarchal problems.

"Dads suck…" she began.

"Amen to that." I agreed. I didn't really know what else to say.

"Keep us updated please, and be safe. I need you in one piece," Grace said, pulling me into a hug. Eve wrapped her arms around the both of us, and I was glad to have them both on my side as my world fell apart. We slowly untangled our arms from our group hug and headed to our separate homerooms to face the day.

The day went by about as I expected. I tried to focus on the material in class, a welcomed distraction, but the in between times were truly some of the worst. I kept thinking about my moms visit, I wondered what would happen the next time I eventually saw my dad, and I felt like I was riding this day out completely alone. Even when I was in a period with my friends, or ran into a sympathetic face in the hallway, I was met with sneers and stares still from the student body. I heard slut muttered behind my back more than once, but no one was brave enough to say it to my face. My only beacon of hope was remembering the little gem Eddie had left me with, and counting down the minutes until detention.

What was most surprising, though, was when I passed Jason Carver with his girlfriend Chrissy Cunningham in the hallway. Jason had seen me with Eddie yesterday, and by now everyone had heard about what happened in the cafeteria. I'm assuming he thought I was linked to his humiliation at the dance, and he treated me as such. He sneered at me and said, "tell the Freak to watch his back, Cooper."

I rolled my eyes and responded, "nice to see you too, Jason." At the same time, I saw Chrissy mouth "sorry," to me. It was her that I felt sorry for, having to deal with the aftermath of Jason, but I was touched by her kindness. It must be a difficult task, being the girlfriend of an asshole.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful, and I was very lucky I didn't run into Kurt. All was quiet on that front, for now, but I wasn't sure if he heeded my warning and was starting to tell the truth. I would have to let this one ride out for now and wait and see.

I was actually looking forward to detention again, relieved when the final bell rang and I could reconvene with Eddie. We spent detention much like we had the day before, going through Le Petit Prince and making the most of this study time. Luckily it passed quickly, and I was happy to have time to focus on literally anything else.

After school, we went back to Eddie's place to gather the equipment he needed for the show. I begged him to let me borrow one of his Corroded Coffin band t shirts they had made, excited to be as supportive as possible for my first show. I was happy for the planned distraction, thrilled I was finally going to see Eddie in his element. We ate a quick dinner of canned soup and grilled cheese, which I didn't mind. Sometimes my moms cooking left a lot to be desired, and it was nice to have some simple comfort food instead of her new bland healthy discovery of the week. I helped Eddie load up the van and we drove across town after the sun had set to get to the venue.

The Hideout was a small dive bar on the outskirts of town. It didn't really have a reputation beyond being a place you would never consider going unless you had to. We parked out front and Eddie started unloading by grabbing his guitar case and an amp in the other hand as I held the door open for him.

Entering the room, I felt like I was walking into a relic.

With the opening, and impending destruction of Starcourt Mall last year, the rest of the town seemed to be scrambling to keep up appearances. The mayor was determined to make Hawkins appear as a fresh trendy place to raise a family, if you can ignore the disappearances, murders, and tragedy that befell the town in the last few years. Every business was competing with the brightest colors and shiniest plastic overlays to finally bring Hawkins up to speed with the decade and fulfill the mayor's vision.

The Hideout missed that memo, it looked like the place hadn't had a proper paint job or dusting since 1978. The building was just wide enough to house the devout locals who required a reliable place to get drunk. Two booths were settled in the front entrance with cracked upholstery revealing the cushions innards. A row of stools lined the bar, which was where the only current patrons were settled, maybe 5 or 6 men. The checkerboard tile floor that was probably once stark white and ink black was faded and scuffed beyond oblivion. A few tiles were cracked and missing, water stained particleboard peeking from below. The wooden bar stools looked like they had been mended time and time again with replacement legs of all varieties of wood, when in reality they probably would have saved money by just upgrading to steel. The ceiling was also water damaged, with exposed wiring supporting suspended light fixtures that dangled over the bar. I made a mental note to not return to The Hideout on a particularly stormy day for fear of electrocution.

The stage was in the back of the bar, which was really just two risers shoved together with steps leading onto the stage. A makeshift lighting rig was pointed to the stage on what looked to be a homemade truss. I was curious how Corroded Coffin had begun playing shows here in the first place, I would have to ask.

Eddie's smile glowed with the reflection of the neon Pabst Blue Ribbon sign that hung over the bar, and he took in a big inhale of booze and smoke. Here, he was comfortable. Here, he was home. He loved this place, and through his eyes I could see he admired the dingy charm of a place that was determined to stay exactly as it was without any outsider influence. It was just like him.

"Frank!" Eddie called the man behind the bar over to us. He was middle aged, with long ginger hair pulled back into a ponytail. The length of his beard rivaled the hair on his head, and he had multiple chains around his neck. His face was peppered with freckles, and his cheeks dimpled noticeably when he smiled back at us. He seemed like the type of guy who was perfectly happy to spend his time tending bar, getting to know the regulars and keeping people happy and loose. I liked him already.

"Who've you got here, Munson, it's been quite some time since you've brought a guest into my bar," Frank said, his eyes reviewing me. I knew I wasn't his usual customer and he was excited by the newness.

"This is Annie, and she's a VIP so I expect you to treat her as such," Eddie said.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," I said, extending my hand across the bar, which he shook politely.

"Ah Annie, so this is the girl? She's got manners, Munson, so she's already too good for you," Frank said jokingly. I laughed, wondering how many people Eddie had actually talked about me with. His friends, his uncle, the bar manager… the list was growing. It made me feel guilty for keeping him a secret from my friends for so long. I really needed to work on that formal introduction.

"I like him," I said, turning to Eddie with a huge grin on my face.

"I knew you would," Eddie said, shaking his head with a smile. "You'll keep her company and make sure no one takes a bite out of her?"

"The only one here crazy enough to take a bite out of her is you, kid."

Eddie's eyes met mine in silent understanding and his smile grew wider. Both remembering what took place just last night, Eddie's teeth against the flesh of my neck in a private moment of ecstasy. I could feel my breath stagger as I was forced to look away so to not work myself up.

"I'm gonna start setting up, don't talk too much shit about me while I'm gone," Eddie said, leaning in to kiss my cheek with the equipment still in his hands.

"We will," Frank and I said in unison, and then both laughed. Eddie gave us a look as if to say he knew pairing us would be dangerous, and left to begin setting up.

"You thirsty kid?" Frank asked me once Eddie was gone. I sat up and settled myself on a trustworthy looking stool.

"Sure, what have you got?"

"You stay right here, I've got something special in mind," He said, turning away. He left through the swinging doors behind the bar to go into the back room. I was curious what was hiding back there that was so special.

I looked around the room, suddenly nervous to be alone. I realized quickly none of the regulars would bother me, they were all preoccupied nursing a bottle or taking a drag off their cigarettes. They all saw me come in with Eddie, and he had enough ownership over this place as to not be fucked with. I turned my body to watch Eddie gather AV equipment from the supply closet and begin setting up his microphone stand. His energy was buzzing, excited to be on stage with his friends soon.

The front door swung open with the rattle of the bell and I heard my name being called. I turned to see the other members of Corroded Coffin were on their way in. Gareth and Jeff, along with the 4th member of the band Grant, were lugging some of their equipment in through the doors.

"So she finally decided to join us," Gareth said once they reached me, setting down the part of his drum kit he was carrying and wrapping an arm around me in a playful gesture. "Nice shirt."

"Well now that I'm actually invited I couldn't resist. I just had to hear what all the commotion was about."

"Great timing, we're debuting a new song this week!" Jeff said.

"Awesome! I can't wait," I said, matching his contagious enthusiasm. Every song would be a new song to me tonight, but I could tell he was excited to share the news.

"We gotta get the rest of the stuff out of the car and set up, are you gonna stick around after the show?" Gareth asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"Great, we'll bug you then," he said, as they left to help Eddie set up on the stage.

Frank returned from the back room immediately after with a huge smile on his face.

"I assume you're not 21, so this is the next best thing to a cold pint," he said, slamming a frosted beer mug onto the counter that had a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the bottom. There was caramel drizzle all along the inside of the glass. In his other hand was two bottles of root beer.

"My son used to beg for a root beer float every time he came in, wanting to drink 'special beer' with the guys, so I started stocking the supplies and never stopped. He's 28 now, and hardly comes in anymore, but we keep it on stock just in case… it's on our secret menu." Frank cracked open a root beer and began pouring it into the glass. The ice cream bubbled when mixed with the liquid, leaving a frothy coating at the top of the glass. He topped it off with a bendy straw, then opened the other root beer and held it up to toast.

"Cheers, darlin" he said, clinking his bottle against my mug. I mimicked his cheers and took a sip.

"This is incredible, thank you," I said, savoring the taste and stirring in the ice cream. The caramel drizzle added another layer of deliciousness to the treat.

"So I have to ask, how did a girl like you get mixed up with Munson? Forgive me for assuming, but you seem pretty well adjusted, " Frank asked, leaning against the bar towards me.

"I'm his French tutor." And my life is currently ripping at the seams, so well adjusted is a stretch, I wanted to add.

"Oh yeah, and how's that going," he said with a knowing look. The "French tutor to Corroded Coffin groupie" pipeline was one that definitely had not been explored before.

"We spend a lot of time not studying French," I laughed.

"I figured," he said with a wink. "And let me guess, our little Eddie charmed your pants off with his wit and rebellious nature, and your mom and dad would prefer you were dating the Homecoming King."

I laughed at his reference. He didn't know how aptly appropriate that was after the week I'd had. How Eddie and I had absolutely humiliated Jason Carver, this year's Homecoming King, by exposing him to the whole school, and were paying for it.

"You know, the Homecoming King isn't really my type. I prefer a rough lovable outcast," I said, glancing back at Eddie who was now headed back our way.

"Well you picked a good one," Frank said with an admiring look. It was easy to be charmed by Eddie, I felt like the two of us alone could start a fan club.

"I see you got the special beer " Eddie said, leaning down and grabbing the straw to take a sip.

"Yep, I had to indoctrinate her in hopes she'd want to come back. I like this one, Eds," Frank said with a smile.

"I'm particularly fond of her too," Eddie replied as he stole a quick kiss. It was sweet from the taste of ice cream that lingered on his lips. He went to grab more equipment from the car, and left me contemplating the sweet moment. I would never get over how comfortably cool he was showing me affection, even in a place like this.

After a few minutes and a very quick soundcheck, the boys were ready to start playing. They begun unceremoniously with a four count of Gareth's drumsticks, no need to announce who they were when everyone in the crowd was aware.

The style of music was exactly as I expected, guitar-heavy rock music. I was shocked at how good Gareth was keeping pace on the drums, and the other boys kept up tempo. The first song began aptly with a guitar solo from Eddie, who was very obviously the star of the show. His fingers raked the strings flawlessly at an impressive speed. Then he began to sing, and I was left wondering how there weren't more people here to see this. His voice was deep but smooth, and I felt the urge to scan through his lyric book to get the full effect of the absolute poetry he had crafted and masked behind his rock music.

They had played two songs, and I whooped and cheered after each one. Frank clapped along with me so I didn't have to extend my accolades alone. I didn't care if I was the singular fan, I was enjoying myself. Eddie absolutely came alive on that stage, there was no doubt he was talented. I could have watched him play all night.

Halfway through the third song, the front door opened again.

"Can I help you?" Frank asked as someone approached the bar. I barely had time to turn around and look before I felt a hand roughly grab my shoulder.

"Let's go, Annie."

My body went stiff as the hairs on the back of my neck raised. I immediately began to panic with fear. I had let my guard down, I had gotten comfortable, and I was paying for it. How incredibly stupid to think I was off the hook, that I wouldn't be found here of all places. I didn't think a guy like my father would even have The Hideout on his radar, yet here he was, collecting what he thought was rightfully his.

"Did… did you follow me?" I asked incredulously. How the hell had he found me?

"Your mother said you were with that boy, it wasn't hard to find you. Now stop being dramatic, we are going home," he said, tugging with enough force to yank me off the bar stool I was sitting on. No, "I'm sorry," no "let's talk about this." Just carried over rage from the day before and a demand to obey his wishes.

The band was still playing, I wasn't sure if they could see me beyond the stage lights. I was praying for an intervention, any morsel of help, when Frank said, "Is there something wrong, who is this guy Annie?" By the look on my face he could tell this wasn't what I wanted.

"I'm her father, and I'm taking her home right now," my dad said in a harsh tone. I wasn't sure if he was drunk or sober, and that was the scary bit, because he spit fire regardless. I looked back towards the stage, and the boys were still very unaware of what was happening at the bar, the music raged on. I was so worried about being escorted out of here with no say, suddenly disappearing with no explanation. I couldn't do that to Eddie.

"I don't have to go anywhere with you," I tried to argue. The grip on my arm tightened as I resisted him.

"Hey man, let's just take a moment and calm down, I'm sure we can figure something out," Frank said, trying to ease the tension.

"You have no business in this, you don't know me. And besides, I could get you shut down for serving alcohol to minors," my father said. He had assumed I was drinking.

"I didn't serve her anything, and she has every right to be here. Just chill and you can talk this over," Frank tried again. I'm sure he was well versed at deescalating drunks.

"Mind your fucking business," my dad doubled down. He leaned in to shoot his words towards the bartender, and this time I could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Let's go," he said putting a hand on my back and trying to push me towards the door.

"You've been drinking, I said I'm not going!" I nearly shouted this time, pulling my arm out of his grip.

"Is everything okay?" I heard Eddie's voice come from the microphone as he stopped playing the guitar, the rest of the band mates following suit. I saw him cover the spotlight with his eyes so he could see what was going on, squinting towards the bar. And I saw his face change as he quickly realized who was causing the disturbance.

Suddenly the speakers screeched with feedback as Eddie had ripped the cable from his guitar and swung it around his back. He jumped from the stage and approached us like lightning. The blaring feedback scratched to a halt as Jeff jumped to turn off the sound system.

"Get the fuck away from her," he said as he ran forward to place his body between me and my dad.

"Eddie," I bargained, trying to dissipate a fist fight between my boyfriend and my dad. I grabbed his shoulders from behind, silently begging him to not make this physical. The last thing I needed was more hitting.

"You must be fucking idiotic, thinking you have any ownership over my daughter." My dad laughed, a cruel and unnatural sound emanating from a true monster.

"I don't own her, and neither do you. She doesn't have to do shit you say. So I strongly suggest you leave before I fucking make you." I could hear the other band mates gathering behind us, uneasy but ready to back us up in whatever way was necessary.

"Eddie," I said again. Bless his tenacity, he was ready to go head to head with my dad and he would be absolutely pulverized if this got physical. I didn't want to see that happen.

"Back off kid. If you touch me, you'll go right to jail, and end up just like that daddy of yours."

I knew Eddie was seething, being compared to his dad. And I knew he would absolutely risk it all for me. It was a matter of seconds before he took that risk and laid it all out for my father. I was about to agree to go with my dad just to ease the tension, when Frank spoke up again.

"Sir, you need to leave or I'm going to call the police," He said with a stern voice, trying to assert his dominance. I surveyed him and was sure he could see the panic in my eyes. I'm not sure what signal I was trying to send other than I wanted to be nowhere near the man who was demanding I go with him. But getting the police involved was risky.

"Call the police. They'll have no choice but to let me go home with my disobedient daughter." My dad straightened up, certain he would get his way, because he had never been wrong before.

"Annie?" Frank said my name as a question.

"I…" I felt like calling the police was a bad idea, but what were my other options? Going home? Risking Eddie getting bloodied by my dad? No. I didn't know how this was going to end and I was desperate for reprieve.

"I don't want to go with him." I reiterated. Frank nodded and walked to the back wall to pick up the phone, taking that as my approval to call the police.

My dad glared at me, making it all to clear that he was dissatisfied with my disagreeable attitude. He sighed and stomped away from us to sit at one of the booths up front. I think he knew that leaving would be admitting guilt, which he wasn't willing to do. My father was an expert manipulator, could charm anyone with a few words and a smile. I felt more trapped than ever, worried that he'd be able to talk himself out of any consequences with the police and I would be forced to return home.

Eddie turned back to me, wrapping his arms around me. I sunk into him as I steadied my heart rate. "Are you okay? How the fuck did he find us?"

"It's fucking lunacy, but my mom told him we were together. Maybe he followed us." Saying it out loud made me feel sick to my stomach. I don't think I would ever feel safe again, coexisting in this town with him.

"Is he deranged? Why can't he just leave you alone."

"Typical narcissistic response I guess, trying to control everything he can. And now the police are going to be here. I'm scared, Eddie." Our fun night out was spiraling out of control.

"I mean, fuck the police, but maybe they'll be able to help?"

I gave him an unconvinced look. Since when would the police be able to help me?

Eddie asked the boys to end the show and pack up without him while he waited with me for the police. I could tell he briefly explained to them what happened, and they all gave me sympathetic but confused goodbyes. I found myself apologizing over and over for cutting their set short. They all lamented it wasn't my fault, but I was still feeling incredibly guilty for ruining a good night.

Frank made the few people remaining pack up and leave before the police arrived, trying to avoid causing a scene. There were minimal grumbles as their supply was cut short this evening, but I'm sure they'd find somewhere else to wallow tonight.

Eddie and I waited near the back, debating the ways this could go. It took at least 20 minutes for the police to arrive. I was absolutely not impressed with their response time, but I guess this was technically a non-emergency. Chief of police Officer Powell was accompanied by his partner, a much younger Officer Callahan. I had seen them about town before but could never say I had interacted with them much. I knew Chief Powell was fairly new to this role, having overtaken Chief of Police after Jim Hopper had died in the Starcourt Mall fire.

They asked what the problem was, and my dad begun explaining he wanted to take me home and I was breaking his rules and curfew by being out against his will. He painted himself as a concerned father and me as the petulant, disobedient child who was lovestruck and ready to throw my whole life away for a delinquent. Eddie tried to argue on my behalf, but they told him to step back as they got the full story. Chief Powell asked me what my side was, and I briefly explained I did not wish to go home with my dad when I knew he had been drinking. I kept the details to a minimum, mentioned that I felt I was unsafe, and I was a legal adult so I wasn't sure they could force me to go home.

When asked for proof, with shaky hands, my id was handed over to Chief Powell. He checked it briefly and gave it back to me.

"She's 18, which means she can go wherever she wants," he announced.

"And she's my daughter which means she's coming home with me," my dad said. He tried to put a hand on me again, and I flinched.

"I said I'm not going with you." It was so difficult to stand my ground when I felt so little, especially with law enforcement present.

"She doesn't want to fucking go with you dude, how hard is that to understand," Eddie shot back, coming to stand at my side.

"Young man, we already told you to take a step back." Those were fighting words as far as Eddie concerned, and he was over them not taking this seriously.

"Did you tell them he hits you, Annie? And he would have taken you home and done it again if Frank hadn't stepped in and called you." Eddie was being tactless, but I couldn't argue. He was trying to protect me in ways I was failing to do on my own.

"He hit you?" Officer Callahan asked. "When did this happen?"

I was stunned. I couldn't believe this was happening, my head was spiraling. I couldn't find my words.

"Last night," Eddie answered for me. I could hear the hurt in his reply. "That's why she didn't go home."

"I didn't hit her, we got into an argument about her bad behavior and she overreacted and ran away."

"Is this true?" Powell said, completely ignoring my dads defenses and asking me. "Did he hit you?"

I looked between the officers and my dad. Whatever happened next would change the course of the evening. I was suspended in the moment, desperate to go back to a time when things hadn't been so heavy. It was only when I looked back at Eddie that I got the courage to nod my confirmation.

"Would you like to file a report for physical assault?" Powell asked.

The question hit me like a freight train. The rewired circuits of my brain were working overtime to justify ways to defend my family even now. In a matter of seconds I defaulted back to second guessing the severity of this moment, wondering if I was overreacting, shameful that the police were now involved.

"What would that entail?" I asked.

"Well, you would provide a detailed statement about what happened. And a prosecutor would review the case and decide whether a crime was committed, and press charges against the criminal, which could bring the case to a trail."

I made up my mind quickly. It was an easier conclusion than the lasting ramifications of pressing charges against my father. As long as he was willing to let me go quietly, I would let him go too. Besides, it felt like I had used up whatever luck and good fortune the universe had for me today by the officers even saying I could go. If this were to be settled in a courtroom, the chances of the law siding with a young girl who's only evidence was a bump on the cheek was not likely. My age and sex alone determined I would not come out victorious.

"No, I would not," I replied, the words stripped of emotion.

I heard Eddie sigh from beside me, but couldn't look at him. I did not need to be judged for my reasoning.

"Alright. Sir, we're going to ask you to leave the property. The girl is free to go where she wants. I'm going to advise you handle your domestic problems as a family, and come to some kind of agreement. As legal adults, we cannot get involved again unless charges are pressed or someone is in significant danger," said Officer Powell.

"And if something like this happens again, we will not be so forgiving." Officer Callahan added. In trying to be tough, he just appeared pompous and overblown. He'd forget this by tomorrow.

"Fine. Annie, we will talk about this later." My dad said. "Am I free to go?"

Officer Powell replied yes, and seemed ready to wrap this up. "Do you have somewhere safe to go?" He asked me.

"She's staying with me," Eddie replied. No use hiding the truth when my dad already knew it.

"Right. You call us if anything happens again," Powell said, his message clearly a warning to my father.

"Umm… Could you escort me home to get some of my things?" It felt silly to even ask, but the uncertainty surrounding what could happen back at home forced the question. I didn't want to risk walking back into that house without a witness. I knew my dad was being respectable towards the Officers to play his case, but who's to say it wouldn't turn violent the minute they disappeared.

"Yeah that's not really the best use of a police officer's time," officer Callahan argued, clearly ready to move on from this petty domestic dispute.

"You're not in charge here. Take the girl home to get her things," officer Powell commanded.

"If you say so…" Callahan said with a shrug. Clearly he wasn't used to having actual work to do after dark in a small town like Hawkins. "Sir, we're going to follow you home and then supervise her getting her belongings. I advise you let this happen without a fight, and reconvene with your family in a few days."

"Fine," was all my father could muster. I wonder if he realized I had let him off the hook. It was more than he deserved.

"I'll follow," Eddie said, not letting me do this alone.

Callahan led me to his police cruiser and sat me in the back seat, behind the bars. I was being escorted, but it felt an awful lot like I was the criminal in this scenario.

Suddenly I found myself sandwiched in the most dysfunctional caravan trekking past this side of the Ohio river. And we were headed right back to the monster's den, a place I had no desire to stay longer than I needed to. My abusive father leading the way, defensive boyfriend in the rear, and myself in the middle with an apathetic officer forced to babysit the whole operation. All I wanted to go was grab my shit quickly and go and forget this had ever happened. I prayed for my father to let me go quietly this time. I hoped he would realize the consequences of his actions and not literally stalk me to my next destination. At this point, all I could do was hope.