The Freaks - Eddie Munson

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Munson

I'd never run so fast in my life, but somehow Wheeler still beat me to the grave. As we rushed over to Max and the rest of the group, Dustin passed us running back to the car.

"Henderson!" I yelled back at him. He yelled something that was inaudible back at me before climbing into the car through the open window. I rushed up to the scene, kneeling in the grass with everyone else. Max's eyes were white, her face pale.

"What's happening to her?" I ask, but nobody answers. They're all yelling her name and shaking her shoulders. Dustin came racing back, the walkie talkie and a handful of mixtapes in his hands.

"What the hell?" my words were mostly under my breath.

"Y/N, what's her favorite song??" Dustin yelled at her. I glanced over at her. We all did. Her eyes were locked on Max, shaking her head.

"I-I don't know." she was scared out of her mind. I wanted to hold her. Tell her it was going to be okay. Dustin started tossing aside cassette tapes into the grass, reading them out loud until Lucas interfered.

"That one!" he yelled, snatching it from Dustin's hand and shoving it into Max's walkman. They moved the headphones over her ears and turned on the tape.

Silence.

We all sat, anxious for her to wake up. I'm not sure how the music would help, but we all had a silent hope it would. That was when she started to lift off of the ground.

What the hell...

So this was the shit they dealt with all the time?

"No no no no..." Lucas muttered. We all rose with her. But she didn't stop rising. 10. 20. 30 feet in the air. The yelling started again.

"Max!"

"Max!"

"Max come back!"

"Max!"

It seemed like an eternity before finally, she fell towards the ground. We all reached out, catching her in a parachute of arms.

"Oh my god, Max." Lucas immediately wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight.

"I thought I lost you." her breathing was heavy, and she shook like crazy.

"I'm okay. It's okay." she whispered. I glanced over at Wheeler. Tears streamed down her blushing face, reaching for a hug. She joined Lucas and Max, followed by everyone else. I even joined in on the hug.

Once we'd all broken away, Lucas helped Max to her feet and we all headed towards the car. I saw Y/N shaking.

Shit.

"Hey, are you okay-" Steve pulled her away into a half embrace.

"She's fine, Munson." I stopped in my tracks as Steve pulled her away, rubbing her arm in comfort.

Asshole.

"I see the way you look at them." I jumped as Dustin spoke from next to me.

"Jesus, Henderson."

"They're not together, ya know. He's still hooked on Nance."

It doesn't matter. I'm still jealous as hell.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know."

*

Max took the front seat this time, hugging her knees to her chest. Her favorite song was on a loop in her headphones, keeping her safe as we drove back to the trailer park to meet Nancy and Robin. Dustin explained to everyone on the drive what Nancy had said over the walkie talkie what the whole music thing was about. Mr. Creel had explained to them how music reaches parts of the brain words can't. I definitely knew this to be true. And if it were the only way to save someone in this situation, I thought to myself...

"Hey Wheeler?" she turned to me, her attentions grasped. Dustin and Lucas had sat close together on one side of the car, and Y/N and I on the other side. Her hand involuntarily rested on my knee, for lack of room. "Can I ask you a question?"

She nodded. Her eyes were still puffy from crying. "Um...what's your favorite song?" my question surprised her. I could tell. I figured she'd think about it, but her answer was immediate.

"Separate Ways."

"You're sure?"

"Almost positive." she laughed lightly. I smiled at her and began playing with my rings again to distract me from her smile. .

"Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"What's yours?" I smirked.

"Master of Puppets. Metallica." her eyebrows raised.

"You know it? I've been learning it on the-"

"Guitar." I finished quietly, "I know." she gave me a small smile, looking down at where her hand rested on my knee.

I was relieved when she looked out the window and didn't remove it.