The Break (An Eddie Munson Story)

Chapter 7: Outside The Video Store

A/N: emotions are running high in this chapter. I'm curious to know your thoughts after you've read it. Why not leave a comment below?

For the content warning, there are severe themes of depression, self-loathing, mentions of neglective parents and drug use.

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"Hey, I'm gonna pop into the video store, wanna come with?" he question was unexpected, you had been planning to make your excuses and leave Hawkins and yet, despite yourself, you did want to go into the shop and see Steve and Robin one last time but you instead declined with an unconvincing smile and a lie that tasted bitter on your tongue. "Ah, come on." he strived to convince you. "It's been forever since I rented a movie. We can watch it tonight, since we've got the weekend ahead of us. We can ever go get some of that Pilsbury popcorn you like? It'll be like old times." he seemed excitement at the prospect of spending the evening with you, which made it all the more harder to decline his offer, even though you knew better than to indulge his short term whim. Once you became a regular character in his life, it was only a matter of time before you would make him sad too, you thought glumly.

He was clutching at straws and he knew it. Wanting you to follow him into the store was a long shot that would probably fail but Eddie was certain that, if you would just talk to someone other than him, then maybe you would open up about your struggles and be more accepting of help. Like he thought, it was a long shot but he had to try because he was struggling with working out how best to support you in your current mental state and without the input of any reliable adults, he was having to resort to your friendship group. Now, if he could just get you in close proximity to Robin...

"Y/N?" your name was only said at a normal pitch and yet, you flinched in horror, as if it had been shouted.

Standing only a short few feat away was one of your Best Friends and to say you were overwhelmed was an overstatement. You stared back at their knitted brows and pressed lips with a deer in the headlights expression. They must have seen you through the store window and left the other to man, well woman, the desk.

"S-Steve?" you stuttered out, already feeling a fool.

His expression broke into a wide smile, that crinkled the corner of his eyes and added a twinkle to his gaze. "Hey!" he said in greeting, engulfing you in a hug, that made you freeze up in his hold, unable to return the friendly gesture.

When he pulled away, Steve held you at arms length, taking in the sight before him. He had to admit, when Robin had relayed the information from Eddie's call back to him, he had not known quite what to expect this afternoon. Compared to the version of you that now predominantly existed in his collection of memories, you were definitely looking worse for wear and had certainly had better days. At a glance, you looked tired and carried a general defeated aura about your being, like life had finally kicked and kept you down. This was not the Y/N he knew and cared so much about.

"It's good to see you." he was trying to be cheerful, to treat you as he normally had during your long friendship. "It's been a while. How've you been?"

Your non-commital 'fine' resulted worrying in your friend more. Pulling away from Steve, you looked like you wanted to be anywhere but stood in the parking lot beside him. In the past, you had been inseparable, able to talk for hours on end. Now it was just monosyllabic responses and unmet eye contact, as you shifted anxiously, gaze darting around looking for an escape route.

"Are you, uh...coming into the store? I know Robin would love to see you." he hopelessly wanted you to follow him into the shop. Robin was smart, Robin would know what to do, Steve reasoned.

"Oh, hey, yeah." Eddie quickly chimed in, gleaning the reasoning behind Steve's line of enquiry. He might not have liked the guy personally but this was not about him and his childish grudges, this was about you and your wellbeing. "We were just talking about renting something for a movie night. Right, Y/N?"