ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ [eddie munson]

ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴꜱ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜɴ

** tw: substance abuse / vomiting **

His heart felt like it was going to explode. It rose, it fell, it skipped and stopped. He continued to look at her puzzled. Lorraine got out of the chair, clumsy, sitting instead right in front of him on the grass. Her hands grazed the grass underneath them, hearing the music continue on in the background. Her head spun around as she tried to look up at him, a few tears already falling from the tip of her nose. She opened her mouth to continue, but the words couldn't come out. Instead, she tilted her head back and drank the last few sips of vodka that was in her flask. Tossing it to one side, completely ignoring that Eddie was there, waiting. He'll probably be angry, she thought, although it's understandable. She was selfish for never saying anything. The more she looked at the ground, the more it got blurry, feeling how with every breath she was swaying harder and harder.

Eddie immediately took her face into his hands. The cold metal of his rings shocked her into a semi-awake state. She was there, she wasn't somewhere else. Her mind had snapped back to reality. The reality that Eddie Munson was just a few inches away from her face, his eyes twinkling with pain but happiness. He smiled, the indents burning beautiful lines across his face.

"Lorry," He struggled to say, murmuring almost. It was like something was pulling his tongue down further from his mouth. Instead of speaking, he slowly lent over to her forehead, leaving a warm, and soft kiss as he pressed his lips against her. A tear fell from his eye, as he lent his cheek on the top of her head. He felt her starting to cry, as well.

"Let's get something to eat," He said, sniffling a bit, lifting her face to look into her eyes. He didn't want to forget, he didn't want to miss the moment. He wiped away the tears that built up at the corners of her eyes. He slowly hooked his hand under her arms, getting both of them on their feet. She struggled a bit to find her balance, but stood there, like a lost child waiting for directions. He bent over to turn off the radio, grabbing the handle in one hand. Eddie turned to her, wrapping one arm over her shoulder, guiding them to the trailer just a few feet in front of them.

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Lorraine laid almost motionless on the couch as she watched Eddie make something in the kitchen. Her head was spinning, her mouth was numb. "I kinda outdid myself, didn't I?", she whispered, barely loud enough to hear.

Eddie was too busy heating some leftover meatloaf that was in the fridge, turning the volume up on the radio that he just brought in. Earlier, swapping Lorraine's mixtape to his own. He bopped his head up and down, mimicking guitar solos with his fingers. His face scrunched up, almost like he was really playing.

She watched him, smiling childishly. "I wish I never graduated," she blurted out. Eddie just heard the last bit of the sentence, reaching to turn down the music, lifting his eyebrows and flattening his lips.

"I said," she rang out, trying to sit up straight on the couch without losing her balance. "I wish I never graduated. I would have stayed right here, we could have tried it one more time. Together"

Eddie's concern grew. What is she talking about, he thought. He tilted his head a bit to the side, walking slowly towards her. He shook his head a bit in disbelief. "Lor, you finished, you got to go to the city. Just like you wanted." He raised his hands a bit, flashing his fingers. He smiled, although forced, to lighten the mood. "You're a big shot writer."

She puffed. Still under the influence of whatever she took that day. "Nah, you see Eddie," she tried standing up, he quickly went to grab her before she fell. She giggled. "It's not real." She extended the syllables to exaggerate the intensity she felt. Eddie couldn't understand what she was going on about, still looking into her eyes, wondering where this was going. "None of it is real."

"You're gonna do great, Eddie." She slurred, sticking a finger right into his chest. "You're gonna graduate, and you're gonna play guitar all over the country! This is your year!", she raised her hands in the air. Slowly dropping them alongside her, she continued "I'm back in Hawkins. I shot my shot, and I missed.", she shrugged off. As if it was something silly.

"Why..", Eddie whispered, concerned more than anything. "Why didn't you talk to me? Lor, you know you can talk to me. You never wrote, you never called." He said desperately, his raspy voice getting closer to crack with every word. He didn't know she never got to go to college, he didn't realize that she had been crumbling right in front of him.

"You are an amazing writer, your ideas are insane." He gleamed, trying to bring up any positive emotion he could.

Eddie lightly smacked her face, the worry growing in him. "Hey!" he softly shouted, "Come on Lor, don't fall asleep. Come on!" His voice grew louder, tapping her face with increasing eagerness.

"Jesus Christ, what the fuck did you take," he scrambled, seeing how she started to fall asleep. He wasn't sure if it was just the alcohol, the weed or whatever it was. He didn't know what was happening and didn't particularly want to find out. He grabbed a trash can from the side of the couch, emptying the contents on the floor. Lorraine slid into the couch, melting to its shape.

"Okay, okay, you're okay." He whispered, bringing the trash can closer to her mouth. "You're gonna need to spit that shit out."

But she wasn't answering, she was completely out by now. "Shit." He muttered, "Shit. Shit. Shit." He quickly took off his rings, tossing them alongside the tissues and pieces of paper discarded from the trash. He quickly put two fingers inside her mouth, reaching to the end of her throat. As soon as he felt a gag, he quickly removed his hand and brought the bin closer.

Lorraine's eyes widened as she started to vomit into the basket. She gripped the edges, gagging and heaving her body to completely rid herself of the contents inside her stomach. Eddie sighed, relieved.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Turning herself two lay flat on the couch. Her eyes were tired, the bags under them darkened even more so now. Eddie brushed her hair away from her face, cooing.

"Not another word," he said. Kissing the temple of her head. He got up to toss the bag outside in the garbage. Returning just in time for the oven's timer to go off. He quickly turned it off and sighed. He washed his hands, grabbed a glass and filled it with water, leaving it on the table beside the couch. Switching off the light, he took a quilt from a chair across the room and draped it over her.

Turning around he went into his room, flopping himself onto his bed. She has changed so much, he thought to himself. He propped himself up just enough to take out a book from his bedside table. It was old, cracked, written in. It seemed like a hidden relic. Where was the hyper kid he knew, shoving books in his face, eager for his reaction

"The Lorax?" Eddie questioned. "What the hell is this?"

"He's a hairy guy, who wants to save the planet!" Lorraine giggled, "It's really good, I think you'll like the words he makes up."

"How is this," he pointed at the yellow and orange creature in the book, "Supposed to to save the world?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes, brushing the hair out of her face. "You don't get it." She tilted her head to the side, gleaming a wide smile across her face.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

He read the line of the book a couple of times, seeing her face in the summer breeze. He glued his eyes shut, trying to remember Lorraine, that Lorraine. His Lorraine. He sighed, and soon drifted off to sleep with the idea that if he does care enough, if he cares just the right amount, things will get better.

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HI guys! I hope you're enjoyng the story so far.

Sorry if they're long, I like going into detail and I get carried away.

If you think I can approve on something, please, leave a comment! :)

Title: Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks

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