86' Baby - Eddie Munson

2.

Saturday, February 22nd

After escaping from Andy, Alex wandered around until she found a section of bleacher that was tucked away in the shadows, the perfect sanctuary from her unofficial and unwanted date. She knew it would be impossible to avoid him for the rest of the night, but she was going to try her best. Nibbling on a cookie that she'd swiped off of the nearby refreshments table, she took a seat and watched as the ceremony for prom king and queen began. Mr. Higgins was kicking it off with his usual speech on school pride and integrity. As if Hawkins High was some great, prestigious institute instead of the small-town shit hole it was. The anticipation felt unnecessary. Everyone knew Chrissy and Jason would win, just like they had the year before and any other popularity contest their school had.
Alex scanned the room, looking for anything slightly exciting to entertain herself with when she noticed a dark figure moving through the crowd. She watched as Eddie Munson slid his way toward the punch bowl.
Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he pulled a flask from his sleeve, unscrewed the cap, and began emptying the contents into the bowl. He was dressed in his usual uniform of a leather jacket and a pair of ripped jeans, except he'd traded his various band T-shirts for a wrinkled white button-up. "You need something, Clark?" He spoke without looking up. The bite in his tone caught her off guard. "You're going to get in trouble." He dramatically shook out the last of the clear liquid. "Only if someone sees me." His words were long and drawn out. He glanced around again to make sure he was still undetected. "I saw you." Her eyes didn't leave him as he placed the cap back on the container. "Yeah, well, unless you're a narc, I'm not too worried about it." His eyes finally met hers. "Are you?" He questioned, slipping the flask into his jacket pocket. She nodded towards the punch. "Not if you share." His lips spread into a smile. "Deal."
After pouring them each a serving, he made his way around the table towards her. His silver rings clinked against the glass as he handed it off.
"Thank you." He gave her a quick nod, taking the spot next to her. Even though they'd gone to school together for years, they'd hardly ever spoken to each other. She'd bought weed off him a few times, but those interactions were usually brief, for obvious reasons. She knew that he was in a band and that he lead some d&d club, but other than that anything she heard about him usually came in filtered through Jason, who seemed to have a very biased opinion of him. The sound of Mr. Higgins's voice Bellowed across the gym.
"AND NOW FOR THIS YEAR'S PROM KING AND QUEEN...." Silence swept over the room.
"JASON CAVER AND CHRISSY CUNNINGHAM!!"
The crowd cheered as balloons were released from a net, tumbling down from above. Jason and Chrissy made their way on stage to receive their crowns. Eddie let out an amused snort. "Shocker." He knocked back the rest of his drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He pointed toward the stage. "Do you think people like them ever get tired of winning all the god-damn time?" Alex let out a small laugh. "Uh, no, I know for a fact that Jason eats this shit up." Grinning, Eddie turned to face her.
"Speaking ill of one of your own?"
He tsked. "Shame, shame, Clark." Alex scoffed. "Aren't you like Chrissy's lady-in-waiting or some shit?" She turned to meet his eyes. "Yeah, well, aren't you like the king of the freaks or some shit?" The corners of his lips twitched. "Touche." Alex hid her smile by taking another sip from her cup.
"So, indulge me." Eddie leaned back against the bleacher behind him.
"Why are we hiding back here when you could be living it up out there with your date?"
"Well, first off, I'm not hiding, and second, I don't have a date." Eddie stared at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's not what it looked like earlier when you were dancing with hot stuff out there." A smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"You mean Andy?" Her face moved from disgust to realization. "You watched us dance?" He shrugged, unwilling to elaborate. Alex's eyebrows drew together. "Okay, well, since we're asking questions, I have one." Her knee bumped against his as she turned her body to face him better. "Why are you here?" Eddie let out a laugh, his brow raised. "What a fucking rude question."
"I didn't mean it like that. It's just I've known you since like middle school and I've never seen you at a dance before." He dramatically sat up straight and adjusted his jacket.
"Well, I'm a changed man." She eyed his leather jacket. "Clearly."
"What, you don't like the jacket? His body leaned in towards her. "I didn't say that." Eddie's mouth curved into a smile, his brown eyes focused on hers. Alex suddenly became very aware of how close he was to her.
"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Alex glanced up, her stomach dropped at the sight of Andy standing in front of her. Forcing a smile, she looked up at him.
"Well, you found me." He grinned down at her. "What are you doing back here." His smile tightened as his eyes darted toward Eddie. She stood up, stepping off the bleachers and onto the scuffed gym floor. "Just having a little chat with Munson." Eddie gave a small wave with his fingertips. Andy's stance stiffened, and his smile turned into more of a grimace. Without acknowledging Eddie, he turned his attention back toward Alex. "I came to see if you were ready to get back out there with me." Alex felt a pang of guilt as she opened her mouth to answer.
"You're going to have to get in line, dude." Eddie pushed himself up, hopping down off the bleachers with a loud thud. "Clark promised me a dance, and I plan on holding her to it." Andy's fists tightened. "He's joking, right?" His words were sharp with disdain. She glanced between the two boys, caught off guard by Eddie's lie.
"No, I...I said I'd dance with him." Andy's face began to redden, though she was unsure if it was from embarrassment, anger, or a mixture of the two. Eddie made a show of holding out his arm to her, and she met his gesture.
"Better luck next time, big boy." Eddied jeered, clapping him on the shoulder as they passed.