The Stranger -Sequal To Vienna-

Chapter 6

Eddie's POV

I pull into the parking lot of the music store and shut off. I decided to bring Stevie lunch from Mo's Diner, after the craziness of current events and everyone walking on eggshells around Stevie, she deserves something nice to focus on right now.

I round the corner of the building towards the front when I stop before opening the door. I see an all-too-familiar blue Chevrolet Camaro peeling out of the parking lot across the street.

Fuck no.

I had hoped that he fucking left.

Shit, Stevie.

I swing the door open so fast, I expected it to fly off its hinges.

"Stevie?" I yell into the empty store, "Angel, It's Eddie! Are you here?" I feel the panic rising in my stomach again. I set the bag from the diner onto one of the tables in the store.

I'm about to hop the counter to get to the back room when I hear the knob on the door and then the door swings open. Stevie steps out with a box and she looks almost scared to see me, "Stevie?"

"Yeah?" She speaks plainly setting the box on the counter before turning back to the room only to return with another box.

"Hey..uh-" Suddenly I can't find words. My brain has gone into panic mode and I let out a breath.

"Eds?" She looks at me while opening the box she just carried out, "Are you okay?'

"Are you okay?" I return the question to her as she looks at the contents inside of the box before picking it up and carrying it over to a display on the far wall as I follow her.

"I'm good." She kneels down and starts putting cassette taps onto the display.

"Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asks, not looking at me.

"I saw Billy's douche mobile hauling ass out of the parking lot across the street." The mention of his name stops her for a second. She basically flinches before returning to her task without saying a word, "He wasn't here, was he?" She doesn't answer again. "Stevie? Was he here?"

She sets the last tape from the box onto the shelf and stands up. She grabs the empty box and walks over to the counter. "Yup." She says plainly. She throws the empty box back into the back room and turns back to me.

"What happened?" I feel my blood boiling. This asshole probably fucking waited. He saw that she has had someone with her every day since he showed up and the first day she was by herself he fucking shows up. Half of me wants to jump in my van now and hunt his ass down. "Did he-"

Stevie interrupts me, "Nothing happened."

What?

"Nothing happened? He didn't say anything?"

"Nope. Just bought a new cassette and left." I don't know whether to believe that or not because after the scene he caused at the party and from what everyone else has been telling me he doesn't seem like the kind of person not to AT LEAST say something.

"What tape did he buy?"

"Don't remember." She shrugs.

Now I know she's lying. Stevie could tell you what tape or record a random person bought three months ago. Music is what she lives for. She loves talking about the different music she helped people pick out while she was at work, sharing her passion with everyone that steps through the door of this place. There's no way she just 'doesn't remember'.

"Stevie." I put my hands on the counter and lean forward.

"What?" She replies, not looking up at me.

"What happened?" I ask again.

"I already told you. Nothing happened" She rips open the other box.

"Stevie"

"Eddie." She fidgets with the top of the box.

"Just tell me." I put my hand on hers as she just stares back at me blankly. "What did he say? What Happened?"

"God Why don't you believe me!" She tears her hand away from mine and carries the box over to another empty display. She sits the box down with a huff.

Here we go.

"I want to believe you, I really do! But how can I believe that that asshole didn't say anything? I know you! I know how you act normally and this-" I wave my hands around at her, "-Isn't it."

She gives me a pissed-off look one that usually means she is ready to throw a chair threw a window or knock someone to the ground, "What do you want me to say, Eddie?" She snaps at me, "Do you want me to say that he came storming in here yelling and screaming about how I belong to him? Or that he started trashing the place? Threw me against the wall in a fit of rage, maybe?" She puts her hands on her hips.

Did he fucking do that shit? Because I'm perfectly fine with spending life in prison.

I let out a frustrated breath, "I just want to hear the truth, baby."

"That's the problem. Ever since he came back, nobody wants to hear the truth. Nobody believes me when I say I'm fine or that NOTHING HAPPENED. I can't go to the store by myself. I can't go to work by myself. Can't Go to the hideout. Can't step foot outside of my own damn house! Hell! I can't even stand up in a fucking room without someone asking me where I am going or what I am doing or if I need help. No, I have to be the goddamn damsel in distress who is just one broken shoelace away from breaking down. Well, guess what? I'm not! I'm fine! And NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENED."

"We are just trying to help," I say softly.

"You just need to trust me enough to believe that I can handle whatever happens or better yet just trust that I wouldn't lie about stupid shit."

"We do trust you!"

Stevie scoffs. "Oh really?" She lets out a laugh, "Did you know that Hopper has driven past the shop four times this morning? Twice within an hour of me being here. Steve also drove passed and if Dustin wasn't in school right now he would have rode past on his bike."

Yep, I know all of that but i'll be damned if tell her that.

"Everyone just wants to make sure you are okay, Stevie!" I step closer to her.

"Then everyone needs to quit hovering over me! Believe that I am capable of doing this alone like I have for years."

"The thing is you don't have to do this alone! We love you! I love you! We are here for you, whatever happens."

"If you really are here for me, then all everyone to stop treating me like I am a foot tall. I'm Fine!" She exclaims and I step back and nod my head. "And the next person that drives by here checking up on me, because I know that's what they're doing, I'm not stupid, they will get a fucking display case thrown through their back glass."

"Okay." I decide that I shouldn't keep trying to push her to tell me. I don't want to make her upset, I really don't I just need to make sure she's okay.

That's she's safe.

"I'm sorry I made you mad." I step around her and walk toward the door, before I walk out of the door I point towards the bag from the diner, "That's a cheeseburger with no onions from Mo's. I'll see you later. I love you." Her face softens a bit.

As the door shuts behind me, I take a quick glance back into the store. Stevie has turned away from the window and before I step around the building toward the van I see her kick the box sending the cassette tapes across the floor and she put her hands into her hair.

Have I fucked it?