𝑮𝑹𝑬𝒀 - Eddie Munson [2]

FOUR

FOUR|THE GAME

Bernadette reapplied her lip gloss and fixed her hair, making sure her appearance was perfect. Even though she had left Hawkins High, her reputation still remained strong and she had to keep it that way.

"Birdie?" Steve Harrington waved over at his sister, mumbling something to the girl on his arm before bouncing over to his little sister, immediately embracing her. "How's Los Angeles been treating you?"

"It's hot." Birdie answered truthfully, allowing him to lead her towards the gymnasium. He wrapped his other arm around his date, quickly introducing the pair. "How has everyone been?"

"The usual."

Her eyes followed his, noticing Robin standing with the band decked out in the green uniform. She waved a small greeting to her old friend, chuckling to herself over the ridiculousness of her clothing.

"Everyone now please rise for our national anthem." The principal addressed the rowdy room, silencing it instantly. "Singing for us tonight, we have a very special guest. All the way from Nashville, our very own Tammy Thompson!"

"No fucking way!" Birdie gasped as she spotted her old friend walk across the gymnasium. "I really did miss a lot."

She held her hand over her heart, trying to focus on the anthem as her brother whispered "Muppet" over to Robin. She snorted in response, quickly hearing the similarity.

The game was close, Lucas winning for the team with the final throw. Birdie cheered loudly, excited to see Hawkins High finally win a game. She congratulated the boy quickly before leaving the gymnasium, waving goodbye to Steve knowing that she wouldn't see him.

Bernadette sat cross legged on the bonnet of her Camaro, a cigarette hanging lazily out her mouth as she waited for him to be finished before knocking on his trailer door. A chill passed through her body, goosebumps covering her arms as she stilled.

A scream pulled her away from her sudden state of fear, scrambling off the car she burst into the trailer. She gasped in fright, watching as the cheerleader was glued to the floor, her bones broken, eyes expressionless.

"Eddie!" Birdie slapped his cheek, knocking his senses back in him. She grabbed his hand, pulling him off the ground and out of the trailer. "You have to trust me, understand?"

"What the fuck was that?" He screamed, holding his head between his hands as he thrashed around in the passenger seat. "Holy shit!"

"Eddie!" She yelled back, driving quickly out of the trailer park. "There is no easy way to explain what the hell that just was but you have to trust me, okay?"

"Okay." Eddie said, starting to calm down as she drove quickly through the old roads. The pair remained silent, her mind slipping back to her last moments with Billy. His hands shaking as the fear set in, eyes concentrated on the road in front of them as he swallowed back his tears.

He leaned his head back, watching as a tear fell delicately down her cheek as she focused on the road. He reached his hand over, resting it on her thigh to try and comfort her.

"You should be safe here." Birdie broke the silence, pulling into the driveway of her family home. "Don't worry, no one will even notice you're here. They never do."

"Thanks." He followed her into the large house and towards her bedroom, admiring the minimal décor. "How are you not freaking out?" Eddie questioned, sitting on the edge of her bed and watching as she changed into comfier clothes.

"I was there, at the Star Court Mall fire. Except it wasn't actually a fire." She ignored his sympathetic stare, a frown on her face as she realised she had become used to it. "Billy Hargrove was my boyfriend. He died in my arms."

"I'm so sorry." He went silent once he saw the look on her face, knowing not to push any further for answers. He shakily reached for his coat, unable to take the outerwear off.

"Here." She helped him take off his coat, kneeling down to take off his shoes. "I'm sorry you were dragged into this. You don't deserve this life."

Eddie looked at her through teary eyes, his expression breaking her heart. She reached up, cupping his cheeks and wiping away the tears. The cheerful, overly dramatic boy she had spent her first day back in Hawkins with was long gone, his broken eyes now staring back at her with so much pain she thought she was staring in a mirror.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Birdie repeated, holding him close as he cried into her chest. They lay down on the bed, Birdie still holding him close as they lay awake, the nightmares still haunting them.

The sun streamed through the crack in the curtains, lighting up the room. Bernadette rolled over, eyes fluttering open, expecting a head of curly hair to greet her. Instead she found the space beside her empty. She reached out, the mattress cold, indicating he had snuck out hours ago.

"Fuck!" She cursed loudly, jumping out of bed and running into her closet. She threw on the first pieces of clothing she found, grabbed her keys and ran out the house.