Chrissy is not just counting down the days.

No, at this point, she's counting down the hours until she can return to school.

She's always enjoyed it, but never has she been desperate to sit in those uncomfortable chairs, taking notes so quickly that her hands cramp, and listen to lectures from teachers that probably should have retired years ago.

But currently, Chrissy wishes she had a time machine to take herself forward.

She still has 127 hours until the school bell rings on Monday.

Why is she so excited? She never really thought about it, but school offers her a sense of freedom that she is biting at the bit to have. When school starts, there are thousands of reasons to be late home; tutoring, last-minute practice, college application seminar tips, making up a test, studying for a test in the library…the possibilities of ways to slip her mother's grasp are endless.

Just as she'll be able to slip Jason's.

His visits have been less frequent now that he's back in session, but she still thinks that this number could be cut down by a lot. But the week she starts back up is the week he starts his baseball practice, always needing a sport to do, and that will eat up a large chunk of his time.

He could ever be a cover. Of course, she could tell her mom she's going to watch him or she's garnering some cheerleaders to support the team and her mother would just believe her.

Her mom may be nasty to her, but she doesn't distrust Chrissy.

All her life she's been perfect. If her parents thought they were past the rebellion stage, well, good. It would be better this way anyway.

Mostly, Chrissy is desperate to see Eddie. To catch a glimpse of him in between classes, to find his warm eyes across the lunch cafeteria, to skip Jason's practices to spend time with him, perhaps behind the school in the woods at that strange little picnic table…or better yet (or perhaps worse) she's having dirty thoughts about his car.

About how he might lay her down, how gentle it would be (but maybe also dirty if she asked for it), and how pleased with himself he'd look afterward. That one invaded her thoughts at the worst of times; like at Church on Sunday. When she couldn't meet her mother's eye, her mother assumed it was her piety, but Chrissy was pressing her thighs together and trying not to moan as she lost herself in fantasies of Eddie having his way with her as the dull drone of the pastor's psalms faded from her mind.

She was not as innocent as Eddie would be led to believe. She was a senior for god's sake; she'd heard it all. Her friends at school could be raunchy at the worst of times, and she was dating an eighteen-year-old male.

They'd had sex entirely once.

Jason had been pressuring her and Chrissy was told that this is what girls do with their boyfriends. For a long time, she hasn't been upset, persey, that it happened, because at least she knew what all the fuss was about, though she didn't really get it. Not truly.

After it happened, Chrissy managed to convince Jason that she was wracked with guilt and was sure the Lord was upset with her for having sex before marriage, and make him promise they wouldn't have sex again until they were married in the eyes of the Lord.

In reality, it had been so terrible that Chrissy couldn't imagine wanting to go through that experience again.

Her friends told her this was to be expected; no one's first time was ever good. Arguably neither was their second, or third. It wasn't until you were having sex on the regular that you found your groove.

But Chrissy didn't want to believe that. Or, she didn't think it was possible. It had been so underwhelming, so incredibly disappointing that she didn't think it could get better. And even if there was a slim chance, she had no interest in acting as a school matron to Jason, telling him how to make it better when she had a feeling he would take offense to her even suggesting improvement.

She just assumed that maybe she was someone who didn't enjoy physical intimacy. She would give Jason the occasional hand-job when he got antsy, but she never needed to fulfill her own needs. That one time had shown her that no, it was fine, she was a-ok without it.

Instead of having to 'insult' Jason's manhood and likely having a long, drawn-out fight that would creep up every time she criticized him, she went with the Jesus excuse.

God would forgive her, right?

Luckily…Jason just believed it. No arguing, no prying, just understanding. It was perhaps the last time that she felt like he was a good boyfriend on that front. He admitted he was feeling some guilt too, and it would be best if they didn't. Show a good, Catholic, innocent image to the rest of the student body that couldn't keep their hands off each other.

That had worked. She'd been fine. She had always shot down her friends when they pouted and said how sorry they were that Chrissy was missing out on the wonders of a good bang. And she had thought they were overreacting.

Until now.

For all that was good and holy, she and Eddie hadn't even had sex yet, barely even kissed, but she was lit as though someone had suddenly put a different kind of kindling and used a different match and suddenly those barely burning embers were bursting with flames, and an understanding.

Her friends, if they ever found out, would never let Chrissy hear the end of it. They would love to lord the fact that they were right about this over her head forever. And she'd have to let them.

Somehow, Chrissy imagined that having sex with Eddie would be leagues and bounds and miles better than with Jason.

Except friends don't have sex with each other. At least, not the type of friends she was pretty sure Eddie was trying to get them to.

Mores the same, she thought as she got herself off to a memory of his voice because their imaginary sex was fucking fantastic.

It's like Vecna knocked something loose, jostled something free from a high-up shelf in her brain because she was insatiable with the need of late. She'd also never been a fan of masturbation, but all of a sudden, she was exploring her body in ways she had never before, finding pleasure in motions that had usually been met with mild disinterest.

She laughed to herself; perhaps she was corrupted by the devil because she was hot for a head-banding, long-haired metal-playing geek and she herself was exploring parts of herself she didn't think existed.

If she was under some sort of spell, she hoped she would never wake up.

She swung her feet out of her bed and went to wash her hands in the bathroom. Then, she looked over her outfit.

She had plans to try to meet up with Eddie tonight and try some drugs for the first time.

She wanted to wear an outfit somewhere between 'oh, we're such good friends' and 'please take me on your kitchen counter'. Did an outfit guide between these two situations exist? She doubted it, so she was on her own to figure out the right balance.

She decided to go with a modest top but a short skirt. Her legs were her best features anyway.

At the door, she saw a male figure about to ring and realized it was…her boyfriend.

Yay?

She summoned as much pep, which was still far less than usual, to greet him, but did not offer him inside.

"What happened to baseball tonight?" She asked, specifically hoping to try to meet up with Eddie because she knew Jason would be preoccupied until late in the night.

"Coach has food poisoning or something, so he just sent us home," Jason shrugged, "And I've barely seen you, babe. I know you're supposed to be resting, but I miss you." He said, coming to hug her. He didn't seem so bad in moments like these, which is probably why she stayed with him for so long.

"You're so thoughtful," She said.

"I thought maybe we'd go see a movie, or just play a game here. Maybe Clue. Matty can kick my butt again," He said with a laugh. Matty loved Jason. He was easy to idolize.

It did sound like fun, or it would had she been the Chrissy from her old life. She really enjoyed a good board game, but she found little desire to play it with Jason, even with his 'nice face' on right now.

"You know, I'd love to, but I promised Cheryl we'd meet up-," She began. Jason's face turned cold, a flicker of emotion before it was gone.

"She'll understand. I'll call her and explain." He said simply, and it was clear that he was going to come into her house and she was not meeting Eddie tonight. Worse; she had no way of letting him know. She hoped he didn't think she just ditched him.

A bitter taste filled her throat as she moved aside for him. If she hadn't, he would have been able to just simply move her. She had never liked the way he ordered her around before, but it was so clear now.

"Actually, you know what, she said if I wasn't feeling up to it, not to worry. So if I don't show, I'm sure she'll just assume I fell asleep," Chrissy said, tapping her chin as though she just recalled. His hand on the receiver paused.

"Oh, well, I'll make it up to her," Jason assured.

Chrissy and Cheryl had been best friends since freshman year, though Chrissy hadn't seen her nearly as much as she should for being her supposed best friend. She did know, though, that Cheryl would cover for Chrissy, no questions asked if Jason did come bearing 'I'm sorries' tomorrow at school. She'd just go with it and never ask questions. They had that sort of unspoken relationship with each other; always have each other's back and don't say a word unless you were really concerned.

She should make a point to try to really see Cheryl this week, Chrissy thought as she followed Jason to their living room.

"Hello, sir," Jason said, nodding to Chrissy's dad, and then her mother, "Ma'am."

"Jason! Son, what a pleasant surprise!" Her father stood to clasp Jason's shoulder, "We haven't seen much of you!"

"Sort of pushed a lot of responsibilities aside after Chrissy…" He looked back at her, "Well, after what happened. But I miss my best girl," He said with a smile, squeezing her hand.

"You know you're always welcome here," Her mother said, kissing his cheeks, acting like a doting, kind mother.

Chrissy inhaled sharply.

It wasn't just her brother that loved Jason; it was her whole family. Something she had...sort of forgotten about in her haze of obsession towards Eddie.

They would not take it well if they broke up.

And of course, why should that matter? Shouldn't it just be what Chrissy wanted?

Ha, you would think, right? Absolutely wrong. She had liked a great many boys before Jason but Jason was the first her parents approved of. If she dumped Jason and then started being suspiciously gone often, her parents would know something was up, and her chances of seeing Eddie would be even slimmer.

Reason #1 to begrudgingly stay with Jason, so in a roundabout and totally ironic way, she could be with Eddie.

She didn't feel bad for thinking of using Jason like that. It had always been a sort of shared knowledge that he was 'using' her, thorough previously her benefits had been that she was with the most eligible guy in school, and her clout was grown ten-fold.

Jason used her for his image too; the All-American sports legend, dating the Cheer captain. Her grades had slipped a bit with the whole Vecna situation lately, but usually, she had stellar grades and great prospects. It was an image thing. Jason could get away with a lot by his own facade, but somehow dating Chrissy Cunningham made him nearly untouchable.

The events of the time she was in that medical coma were insane, at least to her, but she'd heard from more than one person that they thought his actions were 'romantic'. Blech. She was seriously worried for anyone and their love life if they said that.

It wasn't romantic. It was arrogant at best and psychotic at worst.

Jason glanced at what was on the T.V., "MTV has a really great new music video," He said with a smile.

"Oh, you two have fun. Come now, Arthur; let them be." Mrs. Cunningham said, shooing him away.

Well, sometimes Jason's influence wasn't all irredeemable. Chrissy would never be allowed to watch MTV while her father was trying to watch his program. Matty found them almost instantly; he blabbered on about everything Jason had missed with him and Jason listened, nodding along.

Chrissy watched, wondering if Eddie would be as kind to Matty as Jason was? At least Jason was always nice to her younger brother.

They spent most of the night watching MTV and then played a three-person board game when Matty grew tired of what was on the channels. It was an enjoyable night by most standards, but Chrissy felt like she was crawling out of her skin because whenever she had a traitorous moment of fun, her mind would harshly remind her where she would much rather be right now.

Jason left around 10 pm; far too late for Chrissy to even attempt contacting Eddie.

As her mother waved him away at the door, she turned, "I'm so glad you two are still going strong, dear," She said, locking the door behind her, "He's so good for you."

"Yeah, lots of people say that," Chrissy muttered, unable to offer her own thoughts about him for fear of lying.

"You know, after…it all went down, I was so scared," Her mother said. Chrissy met her gaze, trying to find something to say in return, but bit her lip, "And honestly, if you two couldn't make it…" her mother shook her head, lost in thought, "If you weren't with him, I might never feel safe with you leaving the house. I know Jason will protect you. He's done such a good job so far, hunting down that demonic boy."

It didn't take three guesses for Chrissy to figure out who her mom was talking about.

She could remind her mother that Eddie hadn't done anything wrong, she'd asked to buy drugs, and he hadn't taken advantage of her, but it would just be silent words her mother stubbornly refused to hear at this point.

Chrissy looked out the window, a sense of dread tingling in the back of her throat as she wondered if perhaps she was tied to Jason if she wanted any sense of autonomy at all.

XXX

She had intended to break up with Jason before she returned to school because that would show Eddie she was serious about it, but now she was having worries. She wasn't having second thoughts, gosh no, but she was realizing that breaking up with Jason would be far more complicated than she imagined.

The first was him coming to her house, as though to remind her that if push came to shove, her family may very well choose him over her.

Second, came in the form of her teachers; Jason had brought her some homework from school while she was out, but of course, it came with the assurance that she shouldn't do whatever she didn't feel like doing.

Could she just do none of it then, she wondered? She was really not in the mood to do schoolwork, despite her excitement to get back to school.

But, her father suggested she meet with her teachers the Thursday before she returned so she could make sure she was 'ready to jump back in'. She tried to argue that her teachers were probably busy, but then her mother got on the phone with the principal, and the next thing you knew, she had plans to meet her teachers after the last bell rang. Jason was given special permission to leave 8th period early and come pick her up.

She hated this.

She didn't know Eddie's schedule, but she hoped that, if anything, this entire trip wouldn't be a bust. That she would see him. That she could try to slip away to explain what had happened the night she bailed (at least, she was sure that's how he saw it, he hadn't tried to contact her since then).

"Who are you looking for?" Jason noticed her scanning the hallways, pushing herself on her tiptoes to look around corners and through windows, and the way her eyes never stayed focused forward. As she bit her lip and wracked her brain for an answer, Jason's expression grew dim.

"Oh, babe, that monster isn't here," He said, and stupidly, she almost asked 'Vecna? How do you know about him?', because that's who the monster in the closet was to her now. And she felt so stupid and so angry when Jason continued speaking, illuminating his meaning by saying, "That freak's been banned from any after-school activities. Try to run his little sacrifice club now, huh. I think he should be expelled, but we're working on that."

We're working on that.

Chrissy's blood ran cold. She scowled, shaking.

"What?" She demanded, "Why?"

Jason just smiled at her, like she was slow or something, and she could almost hear what he was thinking, 'oh, thank god you're pretty'.

"A bad influence like that can't be in the school. He nearly killed you. It's only because, for some unfathomable reason, the Harringtons support him that he's still here. I guess they like to be divisive, though. Their son is a real piece of work too. You hear he's working at a movie rental place? Sorta pathetic," He snorted.

"That's mean!" Chrissy snapped. She was a second away from adding that Jason used to idolize Steve Harrington until Jason frowned.

"Yeah, you're right, that was a bit uncalled for. You're so good, Chis," He said, nudging her, "I still think it's weird though. Why do you think that his parents are so gung-ho about Munson? Do you think the two of them are-"

"You think about this far too much. I don't think it's healthy," Chrissy said flatly, trying to curve the conversation away.

Jason just grunted, shrugging.

And then he didn't leave her side at all.

Most of the teachers just wanted to wish her well and gave her quick recaps of what she missed in the extra two weeks she'd taken off. It seemed the whole school was a bit rattled, so she really only missed one real week of instruction.

The thing that bothered her, though, was that it was obvious there was a narrative. The narrative about what happened to her, and who to blame.

She was sure in part this was Jason's doing.

Every single teacher made some comment about how sorry they were that Eddie tried to kill her, or promised her that they'd keep them apart; going so far as to say they'd kick Eddie out of their class if Chrissy 'ever felt uncomfortable'. Two even tried to insulate that Eddie had tried to take advantage of her, either to coercer her into peer pressure and drugs or even sexually take advantage.

Eddie? The boy who had rejected just a kiss? Who was the most respectful boy she was pretty sure she'd ever met?

She wanted to laugh in their faces.

No matter how many times Chrissy firstly thanked the teachers for their concern and then tried to set the record straight, all her teachers just smiled placidly at her and looked at Jason. She couldn't see his face behind her, but she was sure he was giving some sort of signal that she was still traumatized and didn't know what she was saying.

If Jason wasn't here, Chrissy would lay into the teachers. Probably cry a bit.

But Jason was like an unwanted shadow, a parasite dug deeply into her side.

As she was meeting with her French teacher, she saw a familiar flash of ginger hair in the hallway. She stood, grabbing her bookbag abruptly.

"I, uh, ladies' room! I'll be right back, like, ten seconds. Emergency," She said, and Jason, standing to go with her, sat. All it took was bringing up the mere idea of a tampon for Jason to go scurrying.

Once alone in the hall, Chrissy ran after Max and Lucas.

"Hey! Hey, wait up a second, wait!" She called. Max turned and blinked in surprise.

"Oh, didn't think you were back until Monday."

"Teachers. Catching up. Really stupid," Chrissy said, digging into her book bag, using shorter sentences to try to focus her attention on her search. She found a receipt from a Mcdonald's and held up a finger, "Can you do something for me?" She asked.

"Sure, what?" Lucas asked arm slung around Max's shoulder.

Chrissy scrawled a note; something between a plea for Eddie to talk to her and a heartfelt apology for what happened and folded the note up tiny. She gave it to Max, "Can you please, please, please give this to Eddie?"

"To Eddie? Lucas frowned, scratching his head, "Why would you need to-,"

"Oh, Lucas," Max rolled her eyes, "For someone so smart you can be a real dummy sometimes." She turned to Chrissy, "Of course, I will."

They all lingered for a second, and though Chrissy knew the longer she was gone the more Jason would grow suspicious, she couldn't help it.

"II heard Eddie was banned from Hellfire Club. How…how is he at school?"

"It's not good," Max said, expression fierce. She was the type to protect those she cared about, Chrissy had come to learn, and while Lucas was a bit more reserved, Max was the one who would burn everything down if it came to that. Chrissy appreciated the spitfire personality of Max Mayfield, "He's still allowed to be here, but barely. Every day there are discussions…the rumor mill is rampant. He thought he was an outcast before…" She tugged on her bookbag angrily, "Jason treats him like shit, you know. Like, they weren't friends before, but he's just…awful now," She said, her face twisting, "And no one stops him."

"No one?" Chrissy asked. This situation was the last thing she wanted to hear.

"The teachers have decided what they think happened," Lucas said cooly, "And most of them are pretty stubborn. Eddie's always been a scapegoat. Kids like us always are," He said with a sad smile.

"So…what?" Chrissy blinked back tears. This was all her fault. If she'd never asked to buy drugs from him, she wouldn't have roped him into this.

"Look, even his old bandmates aren't talking to him. We're all holding down the fort- me, Lucas, Dustin, Mike, Nancy, and Robin- but we're trying to find a solution. I don't know how much longer it takes before something just…explodes."

"If he got into a fight, that would be it. And everyone goads him enough that, hell, he has better self-control than me at this point," Lucas said humourlessly.

"So that's Jason's goal? To try to get him expelled by getting him to punch him?" She said.

"Seems to be. He's not exactly a criminal mastermind." Max replied.

"Yeah, I know," Chrissy grumbled, shoving her hands into the pockets of her cardigan, "The teachers won't do anything if he starts something, will they?"

"Call the police to have him get an official reprimand, but that's it. Jason will walk away as a victim."

Chrissy felt sick, "He…can't! You have to tell him to resist the urge. I know that Jason is very punchable."

Lucas gave a bark of laughter, before nodding, "He is. But Eddie also knows. Eddie's not stupid, at least not common-sense stupid. He wants to graduate."

Chrissy looked down the hall, realizing that all too soon that she should get going.

"I'll, well, see you on Monday," She said, forcing a smile, "Please, give that to Eddie."

"Good luck," Max said, and Chrissy knew that she meant it.

Back in the French room, Chrissy finished up what she needed to. Jason suggested they grab a bite to eat at the restaurant next to the school.

A few students milled, and Office Callahan was devouring a sandwich at the counter. He waved at Jason, all too familiar with him for Chrissy's comfort.

"Chrissy, glad to see you up and about," He added, "You gave the town quite the scare!"

"So I've heard," Chrissy sighed, looking at the menu intensely, though she knew it by heart.

"Now that you're feeling better, do you think perhaps you could come down to the station to answer some questions about the…incident?" Callahan prompted.

Chrissy snapped her head up, "I answered them at the hospital," She said uneasily, "Didn't I?" Had that been a dream?

"Yes, no, I mean, yes," Callahan flustered through his answer, "You did, but erm, you know…if you've thought of anything more-,"

"I haven't," Chrissy said crisply.

"Or, even if you hadn't, just to…corroborate your statement. You might not have been totally lucid when we talked, describing incidents how you wanted them to go rather than how they did. It's a coping mechanism of the brain."

"I assure you, I was perfectly sane when we talked," Chrissy said, despite just a moment ago thinking that maybe she'd had a dream that she'd answered questions, "And I have not made up anything. If you brought me in, you'd hear the exact same story you heard at the hospital, Officer," She said angrily, "Now excuse me. I'm hungry."

But in reality, her hunger had disappeared the moment Callahan started to bother her.

"He just wants to find the truth, babe, go easy," Jason said, rubbing her back.

She looked up, scowling. No, he just wants to find a reason to arrest Eddie, she wanted to snark back to him, but just huffed and looked away.

"It would make the town safer if you just…you know, remembered things correctly." Jason continued.

"I did. I won't go and lie to an officer," Chrissy said, refusing to look at him over the sightline of her menu.

"Well, then, maybe…twist the truth a bit. Think of the good you'd be doing. You'd be getting a would-be serial murderer off the streets." Jason said. Chrissy did look up now, horrified. She looked back at Callahan, who surely heard, hoping the police officer would lay into Jason for suggesting she lie to an institution of the law, but instead she saw Callahan share a glance with Jason when she stuttered and stalled.

"No," She said, unable to say much more, "No, no! You want me to condemn an innocent man? Are you crazy?" She grabbed her things, about to storm out.

"No, I want you to see reason," Jason said, grasping for her wrist, his grip stronger and anchoring her still, "And realize that all you need to do is whisper, just a hint, and all this drama and worry and madness goes away. And Munson will be out of our lives for good. You just have to halfway mean it, and Callahan will do the rest. Just say you're scared of him. Or-"

"Let me go," Chrissy said, narrowing her eyes, "And I'm going to pretend you never said any of that. I'll see you on Monday."

"Oh, Chrissy," Jason sighed, as though waffling between finding her amusing and frustrating, "You're so…misguidedly noble. I guess it's cute. A bit childish. It's okay though; if Eddie comes near you at all, you won't have to worry about what you'll say about him to the police. I'll choke him with my bare hands. And that will be the end of that."

Then he let her go.

Chrissy stared at Jason in horror, feeling bile rise up her throat. She turned to look at Callahan, and from the way the officer was pointedly not looking at her, he had heard.

Not only had he heard, but he wasn't going to say anything at all.

Chrissy stumbled outside into the slightly muggy weather and then around the back and out of sight. She didn't even have to force her finger down her throat this time; everything she'd eaten came up, and this was perhaps the single time in recent years she tried not to vomit.

A growing sense of absolute dread and helplessness gathered in her stomach.

It was clear now; Jason was insane.

But he was the town hero and sweetheart. He had everyone, fucking everyone, wrapped around his finger- her parents, her brother, the teacher, the principal, the doctors, and even the freaking police officers. Chrissy wished the old Cheif, Hopper, was around. He always seemed reasonable.

She now knew that she couldn't break up with Jason. Even if she lied and found some reason not to tell the truth about why, Jason would go after Eddie anyway, just for an excuse to beat the shit out of him convinced there was something between the two.

Which, there was, so that plan would backfire, of course.

And if he did find out it was because Chrissy wanted to date Eddie…she shuddered. She didn't even care to think of what would happen to her, all she was worried about was Eddie.

If Eddie even looked her way, Jason would kill him.

That wasn't an exaggeration. She knew evil; she'd looked Vecna right in the eye.

The same look was in Jason's expression. He had it in him. He would kill Eddie and the teachers and the officers would just look the other way, let Eddie take one 'for the greater good'.

She felt tears roll down her cheeks. She couldn't imagine staying with a monster like Jason, but hell, what was she to do? To keep Eddie safe, or safer, she had to stay with Jason. Distract him, Be the best, most doting, most barf-worthy girlfriend, the girlfriend she hadn't been of late.

But she also didn't think she'd have the willpower to stay away from Eddie. Being friends was tortuous enough right now, she was pretty sure her heart would wither if she had to cut him off cold turkey.

She had to try, right? She had to try to save him, just like he saved her.

She was angry, hurting, and furious. She survived death. Wasn't life supposed to be easy for her after this?

After much too long pressed against the cool stone of the building, Chrissy stood and wiped her lips, starting the long walk back home.

She just hoped she didn't just sign Eddie's death warrant with her choice.

Max and Mike and everyone else needed a better plan, and they needed it like yesterday.