The Freak and His Queen [Eddie Munson x Chrissy Cunningham]

Moving On

It was the first Friday night of summer holiday and Chrissy was pressed comfortably against the door in the backseat of a car full of her new co-workers. They were driving through Hawkins towards someone's house and the promise of a party waiting for them there.

She had started work at Hawkins Hills Summer Camp that Monday and had miraculously made fast friends with her fellow counsellors. Most of them were a little bit older than her, having worked at the camp for a few years already. They were all charismatic, outgoing people and she'd found herself wanting to be more like them in her first week of work. They seemed to really know how to live, and now that she was free from high school, Chrissy wanted nothing more than to learn how to live. So when they'd invited her to a house party the very first weekend she'd said yes.

Now she was happy, looking out the rolled-down window, half listening to the chatter in the car. She was humming along to the music when she saw him. They were driving past a strip mall and standing outside Family Video was Eddie, leaning against the storefront smoking a cigarette. Robin was standing next to him, talking animatedly, her hands moving wildly, her bob bobbing. Chrissy watched as he took a puff of his smoke and then grinned. She felt her heart beat faster at the sight of his smile. He was wearing a plain black T-shirt under his green employee vest and her eyes lingered on his bare arms.

Those arms. She remembered being held by them at prom. How he'd been such a gentleman. Warm and confident, but he'd given her space, allowing her to determine how close they danced. There hadn't been anything stiff or awkward about him. Her body had fit against his perfectly when she'd rested her head on his chest.

That night, that dance, had felt like a dream. She hadn't wanted it to end. She hadn't wanted to wake up the next morning in a world where she wouldn't be going to high school anymore, because that meant she wouldn't be seeing Eddie every day. The little moments when she'd see him in the cafeteria, or in the hallways, had become so valuable to her. On Monday when she'd gone to work instead of Hawkins High she'd felt an emptiness where Eddie should have been.

Now, seeing him outside of Family Video, everything just clicked for Chrissy. Eddie didn't exist only in high school, and neither did she. In fact, they were both done with high school now. They could move on. They could find a new way of existing around one another.

The car left the strip mall and Family Video behind and Chrissy lost sight of Eddie, but not before she decided it might be fun to rent a movie soon.

Author's Note:

Friends, thanks for reading! We are so close to the good stuff! 

Who would you rather have as a camp counsellor? Eddie or Chrissy? Honestly, I think it would depend on what age I was. Little kid me would have loved Eddie, but I think awkward teenager me would have really benefited from how kind and supportive a self-actualized Chrissy would be.