teenage tragedy (Max Mayfield)

4. four

"Hello?" Will's voice came over the phone the next morning.

It was nine am in Hawkins, eight in Cali, and it was also Will's birthday. He was officially fifteen, today, so Cammie obviously had to phone her best friend to wish him a happy birthday.

"Happy birthday, Willy!" Cammie said.

Will groaned over the phone.

"I hate that nickname," Will said. "But you're talking. That's good. Thanks for calling. Are you okay? How's Max? And the guys?" he asked.

"All good over here. You guys?" Cammie said.

She peered down the hallway of the trailer, seeing Max still sleeping in bed while Susan hung the laundry up outside on the washing line.

"All good here. Mike's coming today, so El's been up since six and won't stop bouncing around. Johnathan is... Well, Johnathan. And mom is mom," Will said.

Cammie hummed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come out. I... It's just... I-"

"No, it's okay," Will said quickly. "Seriously, Cam. I get it. Believe me. Things aren't good at home, and I know things with Max are hard and everything. Writing is enough until we can come back to Hawkins. Mom said I can this summer, if one of the boys let me stay with them," he said.

"Can't wait," Cammie said.

She frowned when she heard a gasp, looking down the hallway to see Max sitting up in bed, chest heaving.

"Shit," Cammie muttered. "Fuck. Will, I gotta go, okay? And happy birthday. I miss you, and I love you, my little fruit loop," Cammie said.

"I miss and love you, too, fruit loop," Will chuckled.

Cammie ended the call and walked to the kitchen, filling a glass with water and getting two painkillers out of the cupboard above the sink. Max walked over and took them, swallowing the pills down.

"Billy?" Cammie asked, tucking Max's hair out of her face.

"Yeah. Did you even sleep?" Max asked, leaning into Cammie's hand and kissing her palm.

"No," Cammie muttered.

Max went to say something, but she was interrupted by the sound of sirens. Cammie and Max hurried out onto the porch, seeing squad cars pulling up outside Eddie's trailer, Eddie's uncle pacing in front of the door with a cigarette in his hand.

"Holy shit, what do you think happened? Was this why Eddie left?" Max whispered.

The door opened and Susan stepped out, looking over at the commotion.

"Looks like that Munson boy's up to no good again," Susan said.

Max looked at Cammie, who silently followed Max down the porch steps as Max walked towards Eddie's trailer slowly. They peered around an officer, seeing the body of Chrissy Cunningham facing away from them.

"You can't be out here. Get back inside. Back inside," an officer stepped in front of Cammie and Max, motioning for them to go away.

Cammie looked at the trailer one more time before walking back to Max's trailer, mind going a million miles an hour.

Did her drug dealer actually murder Chrissy Cunningham? Surely Eddie wasn't that stupid, right? Cammie knew he sucked at school stuff, but it was common sense not to kill someone if you've got a witness who can place the victim at the scene at the same time you were there. Then again, Eddie had seemed freaked out when he left the night before, so maybe it wasn't Eddie. Maybe someone else had done it and Eddie was a witness himself.