Believe It Or Not (An Eddie Munson Story)

Prep Work

Eddie's POV:

Ripley's birthday is tomorrow and I have been working my ass off to make everything absolutely perfect. Not only did she miss the winter formal, but we also celebrated Christmas in the hospital. So for her birthday, I wanted to do something absolutely unforgettable. I commissioned Steve and Robin's help and to say I'm second guessing it is an understatement.

"And why exactly are we picking her cake up today and not tomorrow?" Robin asks from the back of my van as we drive into downtown Hawkins. Steve messes with my radio and I swat his hand away, glaring at him.

"We are picking the cake up today," I start for about the tenth time. "Because the shop will be closed tomorrow and I wanted to get her cake specifically from this store. She had cupcakes from here once and loved them, so I thought it would be nice to surprise her."

"Whoa, Eds," Robin teases, resting her chin on my chair and tussling my hair. "Who knew you could be so romantic?"

"Shut up," I grumble and Steve chuckles, looking out his window as we pull up outside of the prissy looking cake shop and jump out.

"I'd never expect to see you in a shop like this," Steve jokes, pointing at the cutesy cupcake cartoon on the door and I roll my eyes. He holds the door open for Robin and I and we step inside. There is pink everywhere. It's absolutely nauseating.

"Anything for Ripley," I sigh, my hands deep in my pockets as we approach the counter. Robin ducks off to the side, looking down into a display case at some cookies.

A friendly looking middle-aged woman comes around the corner with a smile. I assume she is Margaret, the shop owner. She wipes her flour covered hands on her apron as her eyes scan the three of us. They give nothing away and remain friendly as she stops behind the register.

"Welcome in," she says. "How may I help you today?"

"We are picking up an order," I say, clearing my throat. "For Eddie Munson."

Margaret nods and heads to the back for a moment. When she comes back, she's carrying a box carefully in her arms. She sets it on the counter and opens it, encouraging us to peek inside. Robin skips back over to glance over Steve's shoulder at the cake nestled inside.

It's pink single tier cake with edible butterflies scattered across it and she placed a cursive happy birthday sign on top. It's better than I imagined it turning out to be when we spoke on the phone.

"What do you think?" She asks and I nod my head enthusiastically.

"It looks awesome," I tell her and she beams, closing the box. We finish the rest of the transaction and Steve volunteers to carry the cake out.

"I'm the least clumsy out of the three of us, so it should be me," he says and Robin and I do not protest.

We all climb back into the van and Steve keeps the cake on his lap, guarding it with his life as I drive as carefully as I can back to his place.

I was nervous at first to have the party at his house, but ultimately, it was the only option. I figured Robin and I could at least work really hard to decorate it well so that the place looks nearly unrecognizable, so Ripley doesn't even think of any bad memories while she is here. I want tomorrow to be absolutely perfect.

Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin are in the yard, pulling chairs inside from the garage when we pull up and park. There is so much still to do tomorrow, we figured we would rally the troops to at least start decorating today. It works out perfectly since Steve's parents are out of town for the next week and he barely spends his night here anyway. He much prefers to sneak into Chrissy's house and spend the night with her.