Partners in Crime-Eddie Munson x OC

Chapter 31

"Is this on right? I feel like it's not right." Eddie stood outside the gym fidgeting with his cap.

I gently scooted it a bit to the left and patted his head with a smile. "There, now it's straight. I have to say you look quite handsome, Eds."

It was true. In his green graduation cap and gown, he looked so cute. Top it off with the grin he wore and his giddiness, and he looked beautiful. It was those kind of thoughts that, when I voiced them out loud, irritated the shit out of Max. She would roll her eyes when I talked about how pretty my boyfriend was.

"Me? Sweetheart, look at you. My smartypants girlfriend with all her ribbons and cords...absolutely stunning." He stepped closer and twirled one of the cords hanging from my neck around his finger.

"I'm honestly just a little mad they cover these up," I sighed, scooting the cords away from my neck and the jagged scar that sat there.

At first, I'd hated it. People would stare at Eddie and I in public, at the scars on my neck and calf and on his cheek and arm. They would turn up their noses and look horrified. All I could think about was that those weren't even half the scars we possessed, and the hidden ones looked even worse.

I'd asked Eddie once if the staring bothered him too. He immediately said no. He liked the "badass look" the scars gave him, and that he was proud that they showed he chose to stop running. That's when I began to look at them from a different standpoint. I got those scars protecting the people I love. That made them worth it. Now, I no longer hid them and I kind of liked scaring the judgmental people of Hawkins with them. Eddie also liked to remind me on occasion of how we were matching all the time, one of the first things he'd said back at the hospital.

Eddie leaned forward and kissed the scar on my neck. "I'll kiss the rest of them later, princess. The one on your leg, your shoulder, your side, your back...." He trailed off, whispering gravelly in my ear.

I swatted his arm playfully and we looked over as someone made a gagging noise.

"I swear, you all can't even stop making out for graduation? Really?" Steve rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Are you all ever not touching? I hate to think what it's like when we're not all here to watch you." Dustin added, looking disgusted beside Steve.

I flipped them off and pecked Eddie on the cheek. "Just go in and get a seat, you asshats. The ceremony starts in like ten minutes."

"Yeah, yeah, just don't make the other kids too uncomfortable. No one likes the couple that scars everyone for life at graduation." Steve looked at us skeptically before heading inside to grab a seat with the rest of our families.

Steve had a bit of a point, though I would never tell him that to his face. We'd already chased poor Robin off with our PDA, and she left to go set up for band early. Part of that was definitely the fact that she wanted to see Vickie, though. The girls had been going out since the end of April, and Robin was completely smitten. Jeff had also been standing with us briefly, but he couldn't stand it either. Our friends constantly complained that we were that annoying, overly-affectionate couple, but their complaints were mostly jokes regardless.

Eddie and I lined up in alphabetical order with the rest of our class down the hall. Thankfully, Mayfield and Munson were next to each other on the roster so we got to walk in together. We had a little surprise planned. It wasn't technically a surprise, since a couple of the seniors had talked about doing a handshake or something of that nature before they split ways to go sit down. Eddie and I had just planned our own thing to do months ago, so we decided to act like it made us stand out.

It seemed to take an eternity and a half for the procession into the gym. I felt like I'd aged about eighty years by the time Eddie and I got to walk in. We linked arms as we walked up the aisle between the two rows of chairs. Dustin and Max sat beside Eddie's uncle, my aunt, and my dad, all of them cheering once we walked in. Just before we split to each sit on one side of the aisle, we turned to each other and did the little devil horns with our fingers, the same motion Eddie liked to do on occasion to mess with the basketball team. Principal Higgins shot us a slightly displeased frown, but it was worth it.

The rest of the class filed in and we sat down. Then we sat through another eternity of speakers, and music from the band, and a song from the choir, and the national anthem, and a variety of other things. Then came the part we'd all been waiting for. Diplomas.

The first familiar face to receive one was Robin, looking delighted as she shook hands on stage and accepted her diploma. Vickie and I were definitely the loudest ones cheering when she went up there.

A little further down the line was Jeff. Eddie and I clapped for our friend, grinning. Out of the Hellfire boys, I was probably the closest to him after Eddie. We'd had a deal to lend each other notes for English and Spanish if one of us wasn't at school that day.

After a few more people, Nancy Wheeler went by and grabbed her diploma. I'd never see her the same way after the Upside Down. She was effortlessly cool and a little terrifying.

Finally, it was my turn. They read off my name and I headed across the stage, putting all my focus on not tripping. I wasn't even clumsy, I just had an underlying paranoia that I'd fall at graduation. Alas, doubts aside, I successfully made it to Higgins and grabbed my diploma with a smile. Then I had to bolt off the stage so I could see Eddie walk.

Thankfully, I made it just in time.

"Edward Munson."

I began cheering as Eddie practically bounced across the stage. I could hear Dustin yelling from the bleachers, too. Eddie kept true to his word. I beamed as my boyfriend hurried over to Principal Higgins, snatched his diploma, and flipped the elderly man off. As soon as he did, he sped off the stage and ran over to plant a kiss on my lips. I could barely stop laughing to return the kiss. Higgins must have been too tired to deal with Eddie any longer because the man didn't do anything besides go a little purple in the face from anger.

We returned to our seats and watched as the last of our class walked across and got their diplomas. Finally, it was time for everyone's favorite: throwing the caps. We all switched our tassels from right to left and flung the caps high in the air.

The band began playing the song we were to walk out to, and everyone scrambled to find the cap with their name written on the inside. I grabbed mine in the nick of time and returned to the line beside Eddie. I laced my fingers through his as we left the gym victoriously. Our class's exit was definitely much less graceful than our entrance.

"What'd I say, Hel? I told you it was finally my year," Eddie grinned at me as we joined the rest of our class in the hall.

"'86, Baby!" I recited Eddie's infamous line with a matching smile.

We'd made it.