Hell & Back

Chapter Seventeen

Chrissy made it through most of the day without an incident. A few times her mind wondered away from her while she was in class but she actually put in effort to pay attention. She hadn't brought anything for lunch and didn't particularly want to venture into the woods alone, instead she chose to take a walk into the gym to see the cheer practice.

She watched as they practiced cheers she had made up and done over and over for years. Some of the girls were new but most she knew. "Chrissy!" She heard a voice call over to her. "Hey, are you here to join?" Alyssa asked excitedly walking up to her. Chrissy smiled and waved in her direction but shook her head. "No. No, just came to watch." She said waving her hand absently. "Oh, okay." Alyssa said sounding disappointed.

Chrissy stood by the doorway and watched, she could see herself out there with a fake smile and self conscious thoughts about how she was too fat or how she was messing up. Cheerleading lost its fun when the pressure came, now she didn't feel the need to be perfect. She smiled to herself and turned to leave when she saw him standing against the wall across from her.

"Queen Chrissy regretting her decision?" Jason said taunting her. Chrissy started to walk away but he caught up to her quickly "I see your dressing in your own clothes, maybe you are coming back to yourself." He said pulling a strain of her hair. "Leave me alone." She said in a low voice "I'm cursed remember?" Jason started to walk away from her but then he turned back around "When you come to your senses, I still love you." He said before walking away.

Eddie ran into the video store, seeing Steve and Robin at the counter. "Eddie, are you okay?" Steve said jumping over the counter and taking Eddie by the shoulders. "He's in my head, man. He's in my goddamn head." Eddie said over and over, each time getting louder. "Calm down." Steve said making Eddie only look at him in disbelief. "Are you not hearing me Harrington? He is in my head talking to me." Eddie said "Have you heard him?"

Steve let go of his arms and turned away from him running both hands through his hair. "No I haven't, not since we got back. Are you sure you really hear him and it's not just in your head?" Steve said turning back around. "No, he said we are connected. How can he get through?" Eddie said sitting on the floor. He just needed to sit and think out loud. Steve and Robin were coming up with ideas but he wasn't listening as intently as he should have been. "Don't tell the others." Eddie said after a moment "If they know, they will be scared and it will draw him out more."

Eddie sat leaning back against the counter for awhile while Steve and Robin brainstormed and worked. He wasn't interested in going over to see his old band anymore. Telling either Steve or Chrissy they were in danger seemed to only end with them being scared and in more danger in his mind, so he would just have to make sure they were both okay at all times. Dustin and Mike walked in after awhile, pleasantries were shared but Eddie didn't feel like talking. "Hey, do you wanna sub in tonight at HellFire?" Dustin asked coming over and sitting beside him

"Shit, I was suppose to meet Chrissy." Eddie said getting up and running out the door. Damnit. He ran to the front of the school, he saw Chrissy sitting on the stairs talking to her cheerleading friends. She had told him she wasn't doing it this year but he never asked why, he didn't want to know if it was because of him. She caught sight of him and started walking over with a smile, okay so maybe she wasn't mad. "Sorry, lost track of time." He said as she walked up. "It's okay." She said taking his hand "Today wasn't so bad."

On the way to her house, Chrissy told him about Jason and how her old friends keep asking her to join them. "Why don't you want to?" He asked her, it almost caught her off guard that he even cared but of course he cared what she wanted he always cared about her opinions. "Cheerleading seems kind of dumb when a monster wants to kill you." She said jokingly but felt his grip tighten on her hand. "If you enjoy something it's not dumb. Vecna feeds off of trauma and hurt not happiness." He said, he didn't mean it argumentatively but it made her feel defensive "Why don't you do the things you enjoy?" She asked accusingly.

Eddie was quiet for a little while she was worried that she had actually made him mad. "I'm not that person anymore. I mean I am but I've played guitar everyday for a year in the Upside Down, all day long some days as a means of survival, to go play in a garage band just feels weird." He said letting out a sigh "I can't explain it. I could go tonight and join the Hellfire campaign but I have fought real monsters, pretending feels kinda dumb."

Chrissy was looking over at him while he played with the rings on his hand and staring off at the ground. "I think if I go back to trying to be 'Perfect Queen Chrissy' I will lose the real Chrissy again." She said absently but Eddie took one of her hands in his, he stopped walking and she did the same. Eddie turned so they were looking at one another. "If only you could see how perfect you are." He said pushing a piece of hair behind her ears. "Keep reminding me." She said with a week smile "Always, babe." He said returning a smile.

They stayed holding hands as they walked the rest of the way to her house. "I need to find somewhere to live." Eddie said taking a drag off a cigarette, the statement caught Chrissy off guard and she dropped his hand "I didn't expect you to leave." She said avoiding his eyes. "I don't want to leave but I don't want you to get in trouble." Eddie said putting an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. "You could come with me again." Eddie said looking down at her "No one to hide from. Privacy. No pressure to be perfect." He was taking in almost whispers as they stood outside her house.

Chrissy though about the weeks they spent hiding out by the lake. It was the happiest she had been in a long time. She had left before and when she came home she was in big trouble but she was eighteen now and they really couldn't stop her. "We will always be hiding until Vecna is killed." Chrissy said realizing that it truly was the only way they would be free. Eddie dropped his head and sighed dramatically "Yeah." He said with a playful smile "He needs to find a new hobby." 

When Chrissy and Eddie walked into the house, her mom was sitting on the couch. Chrissy wanted to back out of the house before her mom started being rude or arrogant to Eddie. Eddie leaned against the doorframe still holding onto her hand while the other was in the pocket of his jacket. "Oh, Chrissy! I'm so glad your okay. Have you heard? Someone from your school was found murdered!" Her mom said whipping her eyes. 

Chrissy and Eddie looked at each other in complete shock, Eddie dropped her hand and went over in front of the television, he sat down on the coffee table and watched the news report. Chrissy went over beside him and put a hand on her shoulder while they watched as the news anchor talked about the crime. Just like Jason's teammate in the lake one of the new cheerleaders name Melinda was found in the woods. Her face was contorted and her legs and arms were broken. Eddie reached up and took Chrissy's hand, she was shaking. I told you Eddie, you can't save them, Vecna's voice laughed in his mind.