The Break (An Eddie Munson Story)

Chapter 60: Cookies and Confusion

A/N: Wow, have we really reached 60 chapters already? It feels like only yesterday Y/N was having a breakdown in their car. The real question is, do you want a reconciliation with Eddie or more prolonged angst?

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"Has there been any more news yet?" the usual gaggle of greetings were forgotten that late afternoon, as the children all piled into the basement at the Wheeler residence, all eager to know if Mike had aquired any further information about the events in California.

Yet, all the young boy could do was offer an apologetic shrug. "No, nothing. The phone hasn't rung all day."

Bags were quickly discarded in favour of the group arranging thrmselvrs to sit in a makeshift circle. Many meetings such as this one had taken place over the years. Usually, the main agenda of discussion was something supernatural, born from the Upside Down, not rooted in reality. Max was not sure which she disliked more, the stuff of nightmares thar lurked in the dark and went bump in the night or, the potential threats that existed only to plague their own conscious plane. Humans could be far more malicious than any Demogorgon. "What exactly did El tell you last night?"

"Not much. She couldn't talk for long. Apparently it was pretty chaotic at the house and Joyce needed to use the phone."

"Who was Joyce calling?" Dustin asked, as he handed a tupperware tub of cookies homemade by his Mother. Distressing news always required some kind of chocolate for comfort- at least, that was what she had always told him. Judging by Lucas's grateful hum of appreciation, as he bit into the still slightly warm baked good, Mrs Henderson had been right in her advice.

"I don't know. No one would tell Will or El anything. They just got told to stay in their rooms and that dinner would be brought up to them, instead of eating downstairs." the revelation was met with a look of shared concerns, considering how much of a stickler Joyce was now about her family all sitting down for dinner at a set time. After years of disruption and heartache, she was trying to instill a sense of normalcy and cohesivity to the household dynamic. So, to have everyone separated, instead of partaking in the ritualistic sharing of food, could only have meant that things truly were dire in California.

"Was El able to use her powers to listen to the conversation from her room?" Lucas questioned in between bits of his second cookie.

With a shake of his head, Mike went on to explain that, "She was going to but Joyce made her swear on my life that she wouldn't."

"Damn, then it must be serious then." the half-eaten cookie remained untouched momentarily, as the enthusiastic hunger faded at the thought of something terrible befalling one of their makeshift guardians. You had survived so much in the Upside down but it seemed that reality had a particular vendetta against you.

"Will said he could hear yelling from his room. Nothing specific, it was mainly muffled voices but he managed to hear the word landlord used a few times."

"Landlord?" Dustin's curiousity was peaked. "Why would they be yelling about a landlord?" Eddie had a penchant for talking about you during his phone calls home. There had been a brief conversation about your fridge being broken and the landlord being delayed in fixing it but that had been it. "That's kinda weird."

"Did either Will or El get to see Y/N?"

Again, Mike shook his head, trying to recsll everything El had told him during their hurried call together that morning. It had been a collective of hushed voices, so as not to garner any attention from the rest of the household. She had not needed to have worried. No one had paid any attention to her, as the young teenager had dialled Mike's number into the landline. All eyes and concern had been directed to you, as you remained safely tucked away in the guest bedroom. "Only for a second. El said that they were wrapped up in a blanket."

"A blanket?"

"Yeah, like they were cold."

The next question felt obvious but Max asked it anyway, wanting to fully understand what had transpired in their absence. "Was Eddie there?"

"He was the one doing a lot of the yelling."

That was not an answer she had been hoping to hear. While Eddie had a pretty stable temperament when it came to you, Max could still hear the haunting echoes of his raised voice, during that fateful night in the trailer, when you had left Hawkins for good. The auburn-haired girl felt the familiar twist of anger in her gut, at the thought of the brunet being confrontational towards you during your time of need. She "At who? Y/N?" Max questioned defensively, already considering the multiple ways she would make Eddie suffer, if he had caused you any further upset.

"I think just general yelling." there was something else the young boy wanted to say but judging by his reluctance, it was not going to be good news. "There was one more thing." the group grew silent, hanging on Mike's every word and considering the worst until he said, "Will thought he heard something mentioned about the cops needing to be called."

At the confession, Max could not suppress her grimace. Landlords, Eddie's distress and now cops- the picture forming in her mind was a bleak one. Whatever had happened in California, you were beyond the help of some smalltown kids. What assistance could they provide you? Sure, they had faced Demogorgons and Mindflayers but this...this was a situation better suited to an adult or authority figure.

So wrapped up in her own thoughts, Max only realised the change in conversational trajectory, when Dustin stated in frustration, "So, what? We just wait for El's call?"

"I mean, I don't know what else we can do. It's not like we can travel all the way to California..." Mike started to retort but soon, his words tailed off, as a new train of thought overtook his previous line of reasoning. "We...we can't travel all the way to California?"

"No. No, that would be impossible." Lucas agreed, taking a bite of his previously forgotten cookie. "Exactly, we have school on Monday."

"Our parents would literally kill us." Dustin nodded too, knowing that if his Mother discovered him travelling out of state instead of sitting in furst period American History, he would be grounded for life.

"Unless..." the three boys shared a conspiratorial look, as they simultaneously had a lighbulb moment but before they could act upon their reckless plan, Max was quick to snap her fingers, garnering her friends' attention.

"Guys! Focus. We aren't going to California." she huffed, infuriated that they could even entertain that as a possibility. Sure, they had travelled into parallel dimensions and still made it back home in time for Calculus on Monday morning but this was different. There were no responsible babysitters around to watch out for them, should something go wrong. The only young adult left was Robin and all they had reached was her answering machine all day. Wherever she was right now, she was uncontactable. "For once, Mike is right-"

"-Hey!" he interjected, hurt by her accusation.

Max paid the boy no mind, as she continued to rationalise why exactly they had to remain in Hawkins. She had to be the voice of reason amongst the hairbrained schemes the boys would otheerise cook up in her absence. "We just need to sit tight and wait for El or Will-"

The shrill tone of the kitchen landline began to sound throughout the Wheeler residence, like the beckoning call of fate, which was promptly answered by Mike's Mother, Karen. They waited with bated breath, unmoving. Just...waiting. Was there ever such a thing as a coincidence? Perhaps the person on the other end of the receiver was just a pendling telemarketer, trying to sell a dud product to bored housewives. Maybe the growing anxiety would all be far nothing, when the phone was replaced on the wall and the conversation easily forgotten about in favour of the more important.

It was only when she yelled for her son, did the saviours of Hawkins rise from the basement depths, only to be met with her bemused expression. Confused with their reactions, Mrs Wheeler simply said, "Jane says she needs to speak to you. It's urgent, apparently."