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

One Rainy Day in Columbus

Chrissy raced down the steps of the big lecture hall, holding her jacket over her head to protect herself from the rain. Should she go back to her dorm room for an umbrella? She chanced a quick glance at the sky. It looked cloudy and dark as far as the eye could see. It didn't matter, she decided. A little bit of rain never hurt anyone, and she had somewhere to be.

She ran to the campus bus terminal and crowded in under an awning with everyone else trying to escape the downpour. She didn't have to wait long before her bus trundled up.

Once on the bus, Chrissy found a seat and pushed her wet hair back from her wet face, checking her appearance in the window next to her. Then she settled in to watch the people. She didn't know if she always loved Columbus as a whole, but there were parts of living in the big city that she couldn't imagine her life without anymore. Like people watching. She found herself endlessly fascinated by the glimpses of other people's lives she got. Eddie always told her this was a good indication she was on the right path, studying Psychology in college.

Pulling the cord to stop the bus, Chrissy got off at her stop and ran again through sheets of rain up the block to a little all-day diner called Phil's. She and Eddie had found it on their first weekend together in the city. She liked it because it was removed from campus and her student life and they never ran into anyone she knew there. Phil, the owner, was a kind, interesting man who always had a smile for them, and Chrissy felt like it was a little slice of Hawkins in the way all the regulars seemed to know each other.

Reaching the glass door, Chrissy flung it open and ran indoors, into the warm, dry restaurant. The bell jingled over her head and she stamped her feet before shaking out her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack just inside the door. Looking around she saw a few booths were occupied along the front window, but not by anyone she recognized. She kept looking and there, in the corner, she saw a familiar mop of curly brown hair, sweet brown eyes, and a big smile aimed at her. Eddie. She caught herself almost sighing out loud at the sight of him. Nothing made her happier than seeing him. He stood and jogged over and when he scooped her into a hug and nuzzled his face into her wet hair, she started to laugh.

The End

Author's Note:

This is it! The end! I'll let you know I had BIG intentions of writing a long scene that would have come before this one in which there's a party at Steve's house at the end of summer and everyone's there and Eddie's band plays and Chrissy gets to see him rock on the guitar and Eddie gets to have lovely little friendship moments with Dustin and Steve and Max and all his pals...

But, I was putting too much pressure on myself to cram everything into that great part and I was finding it hard to write, and honestly, I'd moved on from this story mentally a few weeks ago, so I just needed to finish it. Just try to imagine a big, beautiful end-of-summer party happening before Chrissy and Eddie go off to start their new life in Columbus together.

This last little scene could be happening a few months later or it could be happening a few years later. It's up to you, however you'd prefer to read it. No matter what, Chrissy and Eddie will be together forever.

Thank you all so much for reading my little story! It's been a fun and educational writing experience for me. May you all be well!

See you in the Upside Down,
Oatmeal