Eddie (self-insert x character)

Chapter 3

Chorus from "Sweet Baby Metalhead"

Buried in my head
So much I never said
I dream of you with red hot love
And lust, sweet baby metalhead
—————————-

I had been biking for hours and finally felt like my legs would give out from all the pedaling. I reached the very edge of the woods where Lover's Lake was tucked away somewhere but even the thought of seeing Eddie and finding out the truth wasn't enough to keep my legs from turning to jelly with exhaustion.
Taking care not to squish the sandwiches I plopped onto the grass and sprawled out on the surprisingly lush green floor of the forest.
So many thoughts swirled through my head at once, but the whispered words of Gareth kept pushing their way to the front. Was that song really about me?
Rolling onto my stomach and propping myself up on my elbows, I fished around in my bag for my Walkman. Feeling it at the bottom of my bag I pulled it out and set it on the grass in front of me. I inspected the tape inside and discovered that the last song played was conveniently "Sweet Baby Metalhead."
It was my favorite song produced by Corroded Coffin and I listened to it as a way to feel connected to Eddie and old pleasant memories from middle school after my family moved away. Placing the headphones on I closed the lid and hit play. Pulling out a sandwich I rolled onto my back and chewed as the deep thrum of Eddie's bass pumped into my ears harmoniously with Jeff's keyboard and Gareth's drums.
When Eddie's smooth singing finally hit my ears I dozed off and let the "what if we hadn't moved for 2 years" scenarios flood my dreams.
***
I was startled awake by the sound of buzzing right next to my ear. Shaking my head to dispel the bugs I sat up and noticed the sky had grown dim in the time I'd been asleep. It was starting to get dark and I had yet to venture into the woods to find Eddie. Tucking my Walkman back into my bag and adjusting the straps back around my shoulders, I picked up my bike and set off along trail.
As I ventured deeper into the woods, the twigs cracking and birds cawing kept me company as I traveled alone down the road meant to make the woods seem less intimidating. Soon I was swatting away clouds of gnats and it became almost too much to bear when I had a sudden thought:
Mosquitoes and gnats like moisture, don't they? Like bodies of water?

I began pedaling faster and soon heard the beautiful sound of frogs croaking. Praying that this meant I had found Lover's Lake, I pulled over to the side of the tree line and lay my bike in the weeds, pushing my way through the thick bushes. Though the density of the leaves  provided almost no visibility, a few minutes of struggling led me to the edge of a lake. Praying it was Lover's Lake I began craning my neck to see if there was a distinguishing sign anywhere before walking along the water's edge deeper into the forest.
After an undetermined amount of time I spotted a roof in the distance. Picking up speed, I neared the building and realized it was indeed a house. The butterflies fluttered in my stomach yet again and this time I let them. This could be it.
I'd gotten lucky so far so why stop now?
The closer I got I could hear male voices clearly arguing with one another. Squinting my eyes, I spotted a truck and realized it was Jason's. And it was full of angry jocks.
Goddamnit. What have they done to Eddie?
Approaching the truck slowly I considered what card I could play to get these guys away from the house. Maybe it wasn't even the house I was looking for and maybe Eddie wasn't in there but...'maybe' wasn't good enough for me to just sit back and leave it alone.
The guys hadn't stepped out of the vehicle yet and they hadn't seen me due to the angle I  was approaching from so I took a chance and dashed towards the backyard. They still hadn't spotted me and I took the opportunity to survey my surroundings and come up with a story to convince Jason I lived here. Glancing into the window closest to me I spotted a dark curly head attempting to hide underneath a tarp.
Not looking good here Eddie.
He couldn't stay there forever and these dudes seemed like they had all the time in the world to wait him out so I had to act fast. Taking a deep breath I smoothed out my clothes and began walking around to the front of the house to greet the boys.

Upon stepping out into the open, Jason pointed at me and muttered something to the boy in the passenger seat. Jason stepped out and walked up to me with a forcibly relaxed gait.
"Evening. You wouldn't have happened to see a man creeping around here, would you? Dark hair, beady eyes, dark clothes. Pretty freaky looking guy...you definitely wouldn't forget him if you saw him."
I pretended to give it some thought before responding. His detached tone made me realize that after years of being in class with him he still didn't recognize me.
Thank god.
"Can't say I've seen anyone like that around here. I reckon I'd remember a guy like that running around on my property as you said. Why? You lookin for him?"
Jason chuckled and looked back at the truck, shaking his head slightly at the guy in the passenger seat. The other guy looked annoyed but sat back in his seat and I hoped that meant I'd convinced Jason that Eddie wasn't here.
Turning back to me, Jason smiled and shrugged.
"Well let's just say he's done a bad thing. I reckon the whole town of Hawkins is looking for him, not just us," he said, gesturing towards the truck.
"Seems like he's not here though. If you do see anyone suspicious like that, do us a favor and call it in to this number rather than the sheriff, alright? Wouldn't want him causing you any harm but we also wouldn't wanna bother the sheriff if it turns out to be a fluke."
He handed me a slip of paper and I recognized the number as his own.
Shit. Even Jason's going behind the police's back in Hawkins.
I began nodding thoughtfully, fighting to keep relief from creeping onto my face.
Jason tipped an imaginary hat and walked back to the truck. He took one final sweeping glance around before climbing into the front seat and headed out of the woods and away from Eddie Munson.
Breathing a huge sigh of relief once the boys were out of view, I darted to the backyard and prepared to enter the shed where I had seen Eddie hiding.
What do I say? How do I look? Will he even hear me out? Or will he run again? What if Gareth and Jeff are wrong and he hates me?
After a pause I readjusted my thinking.
No. No negative self talk. You're here to find the truth, remember? Old feelings be damned. This guy needs help and you're here to provide it. End of story.
Taking a deep breath I opened the door and crept inside.

He didn't move until I touched the tarp. Suddenly there he was clutching a shattered beer bottle and holding it out in front of him like a shank. I gasped and stepped back involuntarily, narrowly avoiding the jagged bottle. Eddie stared at me, his eyes wide in fear.
I felt all the words escape my head seeing his face again and I stood there silently floundering for words.
His eyes were still wide though they now held more recognition than fear. Disbelief was written all over his face and he lowered the bottle slowly, looking me up and down.
Giving me a half smile he finally spoke.
"How? How are you here? I mean shit I'm not mad about it just...I'm confused."
He shook his head and dropped the bottle, stepping towards me with curious eyes.
I found my voice and spoke up.
"I asked the men of Corroded Coffin."
He grinned and shook his head in disbelief again. Stepping closer I realized how much taller he'd gotten since the last time we'd been this close to one another. It made me nervous having his soft brown eyes looking at me so deeply again and I couldn't hold eye contact with him as I continued.
"They told me I might find you here. I think some goons got that info out of them too but I sent Jason away so don't worry. He'll probably go bother some people on the outskirts of town looking for you instead."
Eddie nodded, drinking in every word. He was still just looking at me and it made me feel anxious imagining what kind of thoughts were running through his head. I met his eyes and he finally broke his gaze, staring out of the shed window at the driveway where the goons had driven off.
Stepping around me he walked towards the door and nudged it open. Scanning the yard, he looked back at me.
"Nice work. Saved my ass, that's for sure."
With that he walked out of the shed and made his way towards the house without looking back.
Suddenly my dreams of a lovers reunion were shattered.
He barely seemed to care that I was here. Crestfallen but still a bit hopeful, I picked my way out of the shed and followed him into the house.