𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 || eddie munson

CHAPTER SIX

june was exhausted, starving. they hadn't spoke since yesterday. hiding in castle byers seemed to work. what also seemed to work was will's singing, acting as a force repelling monsters away from them. that was the only time they made any noise. sometimes june hummed, and he liked to think that worked. it was mostly corroded coffin's music, june was their biggest fan. sometimes he hummed his and eddie's favourite song. he wasn't sure eddie liked it as much as june did, but when it played on the radio, eddie turned it up to full volume and sang along with june. the memory made june smile.

he thought about eddie a lot. eddie made him feel normal, okay. june wondered if will thought about mike, or his family.

uncle jim.

june had barely thought about his uncle. he felt guilty, but maybe subconsciously he pushed away all thoughts of his uncle because he was upset.

he wondered if hopper was worried, and if he was, how much? or did he not care? did he also just assume june ran away? or was he worried sick, not sleeping, making missing posters, filled with guilt for what he could've done.....

june didn't want to think about it anymore.

-

june's guesses were correct. 200 copies of june's school picture from last year, his age, what he was wearing when he went missing, his height, where he might be.

he had a cigarette between his lips. none had gone missing since june left. a small part of him missed needing to buy an extra pack because june stole so many. he missed counting his beers to make sure june didn't take too many.

he'd called joyce a few times. actually, joyce had called him. then he got an unexpected call from wayne munson, telling him he had some of june's things at the trailer and eddie would bring them by later.

eddie. god, hopper hated that kid. he hated him so much, but for some reason june liked him.

eddie stopped by at 4. he looked worse than hopper, though hopper hadn't seen himself in days.

"here," eddie said quietly. he handed hopper a duffle bag.

hopper took and set it down in june's room. "look, chief, i know you hate my guts, so I'll make this quick, but i just- I'm sorry.." eddie said quietly. "i told him to wait for me at the school... i had hellfire club, i should've fuckin' just brought him with me... i thought he'd stay, or go home with jonathan, or-"

hopper put a hand on eddie's shoulder. "don't beat yourself up about it, kid," hopper said. he retracted his hand, running it through his hair. "his mom pulled stunts like this all the time when she was younger," he chuckled. "ran off with june's dad most of the time, came back a week later... he's gotta be fine. he has to be."

eddie nodded. he stood in the doorway, unsure of what to say. hopper took his shoulder again, pulling him inside. eddie tripped, but following hopper.

jim offered him a beer, eddie declined, but hopper came back to the sofa with two beers. eddie took a long drink.

"do you think.. it has anything to do with will?" eddie asked.

hopper took a sip of his beer. "i don't know. he's had run-ins before, bad ones, but.."

"when?"

"summer of '80 was the first time," hopper said. "came home with a black eye, a broken wrist,"  eddie didn't like how he added that this was the first time. "he begged me not to report it, but i did..

"last year was the worst time. two black eyes, broken arm, busted lip.. then he had 'fag' carved into his arm," eddie grimaced. he'd seen the bandage on june's arm before, but he never asked. he was glad he didn't. he could picture it now, june's big blue eyes filling up with tears, his lip quivering, arms wrapped around himself like he wanted to hide. "i didn't make a report again. june looked so scared... i try to protect him, i do, it's just not safe for him here... I'd move if we could afford it, but we can't, and, well, our phone bill would be worse than it already is, what with him calling you and jonathan everyday,"