𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 - 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖

[Sunday, March 24th, 1986. NOW.]

With Eddie's name ripping from your throat in a desperate scream, you barrelled through the door and into the boat house.

The first thing you saw in the half-dark inside, pale moonlight spilling through the boathouse's open back to illuminate the scene in front of you, was Eddie.

His back was pressed against the furthest wall, cornered like a fox on a hunt by Jason and Andy. His ringed hands were wrapped around the wooden hilt of one of the old boat's oars, raised like a spear to keep the two away from him, and his dark eyes, already wide with panic, screamed with raw terror as they met yours, as you lunged forwards – and a resounding "NO!", ripped from his own throat to mingle with your scream when a pair of hands grabbed you from behind, pulling you back as Eddie made to dart towards you, but Jason and Andy blocked his path.

"Ed-", you cried, but your words were cut off by a hand being clamped over your mouth, muting you, your desperate thrashing futile against this sudden chokehold you were locked in as a voice you recognized as Chance's crooned into your ear, "Not so fast, slut."

Even in the half-dark of the boathouse, with only the moonlight filtering in through the building's open back to illuminate the gleeful sneer on Andy's face, the menace glinting in Jason's cold eyes as steely as that of the crowbar in his fist as he looked at you, you could see that Eddie was trembling, unshed tears of panic glittering in his huge dark eyes to mirror your own as your eyes locked across the small space.

"How did you get out of your cage, little birdie," Andy drawled as Jason's eyes bore into yours, icy shards of hatred and...something else as you struggled against Chance's hold, his arms locked around you like creepers, holding you against him with such force that you felt the air being squeezed from your lungs, forceful enough that you feared your bones might snap any moment as his hand pressed harder against your mouth, rendering you mute and helpless. As helpless as Eddie in his own corner.

"Aw, look at this, Freak," Jason said, ice-cold gaze never leaving yours as he twirled the crowbar in his hand, "Looks like your little slut got it bad for you, huh?"

"Maybe he fucks better than he looks," Andy drawled with a lewd grin, eliciting a chuckle from Chance, his breath hot and wet against the back of your neck to make you flinch, more tears pricking your eyes as you watched Eddie avert his gaze from you at the memories roused by Andy's gloating words.

Of kisses shared beneath the silver light of a star-splattered November night sky, of wandering touches and gentle whispers that ended in nothing but heartbreak and pain.

"You were a distraction, Eddie. An adventure. Did you truly think this could be real?"

"You don't mean that. You said it meant something."

"I never said that, Eddie. That was you. I just told you I wanted it."

Andy Warren's vile words were twisting the knife you'd plunged deep into Eddie's heart that night.

The way Eddie had averted his eyes from yours at the jab hadn't escaped Jason, told him everything he needed to know – and for a heartbeat, his lips curved into a malicious, gleeful little smirk as he drawled, "Look at that. Did the little slut have enough of you, after all? What did you think? That a cheerleader would want anything more from you than screwing around a bit?"

At the sight of defeat – pure, all-consuming pain and defeat in Eddie's gaze as he held Jason's, his trembling fists tightening around the oar he was holding raised between them – rage blazed through you.

You wanted to hurt Jason. You wanted to scratch out these ice-cold eyes, rip away the gleeful smirk, make him pay for all his small and big cruelties against Eddie.