𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐈𝐒𝐇// 𝐄𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐗𝐎𝐂

𝐱𝐢𝐢. ✭ 𝐌𝐘 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔

OCTOBER, 1977; EDDIE

"Okay, look at me." I laughed, clicking down on my new Polaroid to snap a picture of Chance. A flash and whirring sound followed after my thumb pressed on the camera's button. A picture crawled out of the slot and fed into my hand. Carelessly, I tossed it onto my bedside table along with the rest I had taken.

"Take another one!" She ordered breathlessly, jumping up and down on my bed as she played around with the last stuffed animal I had left. It was a plush bat named Claude. My mom had given it to me right before she passed. That's the only reason I kept it.

"Alright, alright, okay! But you gotta stay still. All the pictures are coming out blurry."

"Fine!" Chance took another jump before landing in a heap of herself. She cuddled Claude close as she twisted around to lie on her back. Her head hung off the edge of the mattress, facing upside down.

Crouching down, I settled on the floor to get the best angle. The shaggy carpet felt soft against my sneakers. "Say Eddie is the coolest guy with a camera!"

"Eddie is the coolest guy with a camera!" She giggled, autumn eyes twinkling. The camera flashed, freezing the moment we were in. I caught the picture and slid it on my bedside table just like I did before. "Okay, now it's my turn." Her hands reached out for the camera, stealing it away from me. "Say cheese!"

"No, don't." A flash of light blinded me against my request. Chance eagerly waited for the Polaroid to shimmy out, practically ripping the picture from the camera's slot.

"Here it is." She held it out proudly before I tugged it away to stuff it in my pocket. "Hey, no fair." Her face soured, wrinkling up. "Give it."

"No."

Chance set the camera aside, kneeling to meet my height. "Edmund Munson, you better give me that picture right now."

"Why do you want it anyway?" Narrowing my eyes, I glared at her. My arms were crossed stubbornly.

"Because you got all those pictures of me. Why can't I have one of you?" She reached behind to grab the Polaroid from my back pocket. My reflexes jumped up and I pushed her back on the bed. Chance fell on my pillow a spark lighting mischievously in her playful face. "Oh, now I'm gonna get you!"

She leaped up and tugged me down with her, tackling me to the comforter.

"Ugh, Chance, get off!"

"Give me the picture." Making her demand, she held me down.

"Never." A smile turned up my lips even as her weight on top of me anchored us.

"Then I'll just have to make more!" Chance cackled evilly, snatching up the camera to flash another picture.

"Hey!"

OCTOBER, 1985; EDDIE

"Six-one-eight." I paused, tongue resting on my top lip as I waited for Dustin to finish punching in the number. The phone book lay heavy in my hands. The name Stargrove stood out on the page filled with dozens of printed sequences. "Four-five-one."

"Four-five-one," Dustin repeated, holding the receiver loosely in his hand. The rest of the guys crowded around the phone anxiously, occupying the floor of my room.