𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝙼𝚎 ||𝙴𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗

011

"Damnit!" Once I made it up the hill I kicked the side of the building in frustration. The pain radiated through my leg. I turned back to the van seeing Lucas, Steve, and Robin talking while Eddie leaned against the hood of the van looking at me. 

"No luck?" He asked. I walked quickly to him realizing my dad was following me, making sure I left. 

"We need to go. Now," I made it to the passenger side of the van when my dad yelled out. 

"Dani!" I turned back to him as he was rushing over here. 

"Shit." I said quietly. 

"Who's that?" Eddie asked. 

"Her dad," Steve responded. 

"What dad?" I walked over to him before he could meet at the van. "You told us to leave, so we are leaving."

"Who is that guy?" He asked pointing to Eddie. 

"A friend, dad." I looked over my should at Eddie and he gave and awkward wave. 

"He's not going to be trouble like the other one is he?" 

"Dad, he is just a friend. He's more Dustins friend than mine." A friend that makes out with his friends sister. "He plays D&D with him." 

"Oh. Well you guys be safe then." He turned back towards the other police officers and walked away. 

"Ok, now let's go. We need to get Dustin." 

Eddie started the van and we set off to pick up Dustin. We pulled into my moms driveway and I got out. I walked up to the door and knocked. I waited a minute and no one answers. I kept knocking until the door opened. 

"Dani, what are you doing here?" Dustin asked running his eyes, clearly just waking up. 

"Get dress. We have some adventuring to do." 

Dustin looked out the door and saw Eddie, Steve, Robin and Lucas in the van, then looked back to me. 

"Why is Eddie with you guys?" He asked. 

"No time for that answer. Go get dressed, I won't wait long so hurry up." 

Dustin turned away, leaving the door open. I walked back to the van. 

"You guys can go in if you want to. I'm gonna stay here." 

Steve, Robin, and Lucas all scrambled inside as Eddie and I stayed at the van. 

"You can go in too, I'm sure Dustin would love to show you all of his D&D action figures." Eddie laughed as I got into the back of the van. "I'm serious." 

"I don't wanna leave you out here by yourself." Eddie turned in his seat to look at me. 

"Eddie, Dustin can't know about anything that's happened between us. I hate to lie to him, but he looks up to you and I don't want him to see you as anything less. He needs someone like you in his life." 

"And that can't coexist with you?" 

"I will only be putting you in danger. I put everyone in danger. I can't risk you or Dustin loosing you." Eddie turned forward in his seat. I looked out the door and Dustin and everyone else followed. Dustin jumped in the front seat, while everyone else came into the back with me. 

"Care to pick up one more person?" Dustin asked Eddie. 

"Why not," Eddie said as he pulled out of the driveway. Dustin told Eddie that Max lived in the trailer park, which was right near Lovers Lake and Skull Rock. Max walked out of the trailer, her arms crossed as I opened the back door for here. 

"Hey Dani," she greeted. "Everyone. I guess we are doing this again." 

Everyone signed and Max jumped in. There was an awkward silence in the van, with only the quiet sound of Metallica playing on the radio. We pulled into the Lovers Lake parking. Everyone got out Dustin grabbed out his compass. 

"Dustin, why?" I asked. "I can get us to Skull Rock."

"Well you might get us lost, ok?" He remarked. 

"Yea right, do you know how many times I've been here?" I argued. 

"Ew, gross." 

"Sorry, Dusty. It's just the truth." 

"Anyway, how about we split up," Dustin suggested. 

"Hendersons with Steve and Eddie and Lucas, Max and I?" Robin asked. 

"Why don't we split up further?" I suggested. "We will cover more ground. Dustin and I can search Skull rock, Steve and Eddie can-." 

"No, Dani, I'm not letting you go with 'Dustybun'," Steve said. "How is he going to protect you. For all we know so creep is out here kidnapping these people for a sick game or something."

"Steve, I can protect Dani and I perfectly fine." 

"How about Steve goes with Dustin, Dani and Eddie go together, then the three of us?" Max suggested. "This helps everyone." 

"Great," I said. 

"Each group take a walkie, if you find something, use it." Dustin handed us walkies and I clipped it to my back pocket. 

"Alright, let's go find Chrissy." We all went our separate ways, and Eddie and I began into the woods to Skull Rock. We walked in an awkward silence for a while. 

"So, you know Skull rock well?" Eddie asked. 

"Yea... I do," I said quietly. 

"Cool," He replied. We walked in silence more. "Steve is pretty protective of you, isn't he?"

"Oh, yea. He's like a big brother to me." 

"A big brother? He seems a little more interested than a brother, if you ask me." 

"He's not trust me. He's still hung up on his ex, Nancy Wheeler. And if he did see things that way, that's also forbidden territory. Dustin looks up to him." I walked further in front of Eddie. 

"So have you ever liked him like that?" Eddie asked. I turned around to him.

"Absolutely not. Like I said, he has always been like an older brother to me. Nothing could change that." 

He shook his head. I turned back around when the stinging in my leg came back. I fell to the ground grabbing below my knee. Eddie rushed to my side. 

"SHIT!" I said rubbing below my knee.

"What happened?" He asked as I help back my tears. I turned to look at him, tears pooling in my eyes. 

"Do you have weed with you?" I asked. 

He searched his pockets finding a single joint. 

"Here," He handed it to me and then lit it. I quickly put it to my lips inhaling. I closed my eyes hoping the pain would go away. I touched further down my leg feeling the muscles all contorted. I handed Eddie the joint and he just held it for me. I tried to find something to distract me from the pain as I waited for the buzz to hit. I looked over to Eddie who looked very worried. 

"Are you alright?" He asked. 

"I will be. I just need that to kick in." I paused for a minute. "Last summer I had a leg injury, damaging most of my leg muscles. It healed but I get phantom pains sometimes, like its happening all over again. Another curse I was left with from last summer." 

I tried to get up but instead fell onto Eddie. 

"I am so sorry, I shouldn't have tried to get up. I just need to find Chrissy, I should have been with her last night." I looked down at my hands. 

"You know you aren't responsible for her." 

"I know that. It's just Jason, isn't a good person. If he did something to her, I won't hesitate to hurt him." I turned my face to Eddie's, he was smiling. "What? You think I'm crazy?" 

"No, you're just really hot when you're protective." I felt my cheeks beginning to blush and I quickly turned my face from him. I tried to get up from his lap, this time he pulled me back down.