EDDIE MUNSON IMAGINES

STAYING OVER (1)

starting the school year was more difficult this time than previous years with everything going on at home. you had your headphones on as you were trying to stay out of people's way to get to your locker. somebody tapped you on the shoulder as soon as you opened the locker door. you jumped slightly, taking your headphones off as you rest them around your neck and turned around to see who it was.

"hey, ________," you saw mike staring back at you. 

"hey," you said softly, turning back around to look at the books you needed to grab for the first three classes of the day before lunch. 

"how's your mom?" he asked as you paused your movements, trying to not think about it. you didn't want to force yourself into conversation about it, and you definitely didn't want to involve yourself in the conversation about your issues. you never wanted them brought up. 

"she's fine," you muttered, trying to shut down the conversation as you grabbed your algebra textbook. you held three books in your arms now, turning back around to face mike as you shut the locker door. "aren't you going to california for spring break?" 

he nodded, the excitement being clearly shown through his face as you smiled at the thought of him finally seeing eleven again. you knew how much she meant to him and how much she loved him. 

"i'm so excited to finally see her again. it's felt like ages," he said as you nodded, reshouldering your backpack as you held onto the single strap with one hand as the other arm held all your books. you and mike swerved people in the hallway as you tried to get to your class.

"i think the days feel so much longer because of everything going on," you said, looking over to the clock to see that it was around nine o'clock in the morning. 

"maybe so, but even then, i'm still ready to see her."

"what about will?" you asked, looking back over at him as you arrived at mike's class. 

"oh, yeah, i'm excited to see him too!" he said, smiling back at you.

"his birthday is coming up, try to at least spend some time with him. i know you're excited about seeing el, but you should still spend time with him." 

he nodded, giving you a brief smile before entering the classroom. you watched him walk inside before putting your headphones back on and walking towards your classroom. as soon as you entered it, you went to the back of the room and sat in the desk in the corner as you set your books out on the table. 

"everything okay?" abby asked you, taking a seat next to you as you removed your headphones and shoved them and the cassette player in your backpack.

"yeah, yeah, everything is fine."
-

the end of the day was finally on you and all you wanted was to see him tonight rather than going home to your drunk mother who was shouting through the phone at your dad who was in nashville. 

you left your last class of the day, walking into the crowded hallways as you noticed him leaving the building with gareth beside him. you went by your locker, trying to quickly put away all of your books when dustin approached you.

"_______," he said, coming over to your locker as you shut it and turned to face him. 

"dustin, hey," you said, loosening up slightly as you looked back over at the doors of the school to see gareth, jeff, and eddie all talking now. "i'm not trying to rush you, but i need to meet somebody."

dustin raised his eyebrows as you looked back over at him. 

"what?"

"are you going on a date? is it steve? he was talking about a girl he was going out with tonight," dustin rambled on as you shook your head, laughing slightly. 

"harrington's going on a date? for the twelfth time this week?" you joked as dustin laughed, following you out into the parking lot as you and him both walked up to the group of guys. 

"well, he's being a little shit and refusing to move the date so that he can come take lucas' spot in hellfire tonight," he said as you looked over at him. 

"what happened to lucas?"

"he has his balls in laundry baskets game tonight," eddie responded to you as you looked over at him. you frowned slightly, trying to think of somebody who would take his place when you suddenly thought of one. 

"what about erica sinclair?" you asked as gareth and jeff both laughed. "lucas talks about her playing it constantly, apparently she's really good." 

eddie shrugged, his metal lunchbox in his hand as he shifted closer to you, his hand sliding into yours slyly behind the two of your bodies so that nobody could see it. 

"i suppose we could think about it," he said. 

"you're being serious?" gareth asked as eddie nodded. 

"yeah, i am. we need somebody to sub for him anyways, and i'll take who i can get at this point."

jeff shrugged as dustin spoke up on your behalf. 

"i agree," dustin said. "she does play it a lot apparently and supposedly she's really good."

gareth sighed, putting his hands up in defeat as he and jeff walked off. dustin started to walk off, noticing you weren't following as he turned back around to see what you were doing. 

"i'll catch up later, dustin," you said kindly, giving him a smile to ease his confusion. 

"is everything okay? we need to meet mike and max at the diner before hellfire tonight," he said as you nodded, smiling slightly once more as you began to ease his tension again. 

"yeah, everything is good. i promise." 

he nodded, looking between you and eddie before leaving to go meet up with mike. eddie kept his hand in yours as he led you down the stairs of the track field and towards the woods with the picnic table in it that he normally did drug deals at, but he had been using it to see you lately. 

"so, how's your mom doing?" he asked you. you sighed, your hand still in his as you responded.

"she's been drinking a lot more," you muttered, feeling his thumb gently rubbing circles on the top of your hand. "i'm not really sure what else to do, eddie."

"have you tried to talk to her about the situation?"

"she's always drunk arguing with my dad," you muttered, biting the inside of your cheek. "she won't get off the phone for hours."

"do you want to stay at my place for a while?" he asked you, glancing over to see whether you were going to say yes or no. you hesitantly looked over at him, thinking about the offer and reminding yourself of all the moments you had with your mom at her current state.

"can i?" you asked softly, arriving at the picnic table. eddie set down the lunchbox as he turned to face you while he sat on the table, setting his feet on the seat of the table. 

"of course you can. you'll just have to sneak out of the window in the morning so my uncle doesn't know," he replied, staring up adoringly at you. you shifted slightly in your shoes, your hand still holding his as he took your other hand in his as you looked over at him. "i mean, if we want, we could go out in the mornings before school even starts and get some food so we can leave before he gets up."

you nodded, your hands still holding onto his as you let out a sigh.

"thank you," you said. 

"you are ever so welcome," he replied as you looked at him weirdly. 

"you're such a dork," you laughed as eddie nodded, pulling you closer to him as he pressed his lips to yours before letting go to look at you once more. 

"do you want me to get you after hellfire tonight?" he asked as you nodded, your worried eyes looking back at his. "and please, it's okay, princess. you're going to be safe from now on, i promise you. i won't let her find you."

you nodded, closing your eyes as a small tear managed to slip through one of them, eddie wiping it away. you smiled at the contact.

"nine o'clock tonight. i'll come get you, my juliet."