Chapter Text
"______, Eddie's calling," said her mother, entering her room without knocking or asking permission. She was listening to Metallica at full volume and knew she probably wasn't going to hear her.
"I'm coming," she said, dropping the magazine she was reading, leaving it at the foot of his bed and getting up from it to go downstairs to where the house phone was. "Hey, what's up?" She wanted to hold back the urge to smile like the lovesick fool she was, since her mother was circling the house like a shark, and she didn't want her to know she liked him, not because she was ashamed of him or because her mother thought he was a bad influence — on the contrary, she and Eddie got along well, she didn't see him as a bad guy, but who would want her mother to know which boy she liked? And on top of that he was a close friend who often went to her house.
"Are you at home?" he asked nervously.
"Can't you see I am, asshole?" She asked now. "What's wrong?"
"Okay, don't move from there, I'm on my way," he said, and hung up.
"Your fucking mother," she whispered to herself, she hated being left wondering, she was worried, but knowing Eddie it wouldn't be serious. The most serious thing that could happen was that he'd get caught smoking or selling weed.
She didn't hear Eddie park his van in front of her house because her music was on full blast, but if it wasn't for that, she would have heard him. She had good hearing and recognised the noise made by the engines of his loved ones' cars. She could also recognise the sound of keys or footsteps as they walked.
What she did hear was the doorbell of the house in the distance. She got out of bed and turned the music down, it was obvious that Eddie was there to tell her something, although she had no idea what, but she'd better be able to hear it loud and clear, she'd listen to her favourite songs loud and clear at any other time.
The door to her room was open, so he didn't ask permission to enter. He was practically at his houss, but he did leave it ajar when he entered.
"What is it?" She asked indignantly as she sat cross-legged on her bed. "You've got me fucking intrigued!"
"Boom," he said, raising his right hand, in which he held a pamphlet. She could clearly see names of rock and metal bands she knew: Scorpions, Ratt, Y&T, Metallica, Rising Force, Victory.... Though his eyes went to her favourite, Metallica, hardly paying attention to the others, as she didn't care that much about them.
Eddie took off his shoes and sat down on her bed, facing her, also with his legs crossed.
"It's this year's Day on the Green," he said, handing her the sheet, "Saturday 31 August. The next day it's Wham! and some other pop bands I obviously don't want to see. I've always wanted to go. We have to go, I won't take no for an answer."
"18'50$... It's expensive, and in Oakland! How are we going to get there, if we go at all?"
"But it's worth the price! And we can go by bus, or by plane, or in my caravan... Yeah, I think my caravan would be better. Think about it, you and me, travelling around the country in a caravan, listening to our favourite songs and shouting them out, and then listening to them played live by their creators and together with more fans..." He couldn't fit the smile on his face and his eyes were shining, it was adorable when he looked so excited, you could tell he liked what he was talking about. "It's a great plan, you can't say no," he said pointing his right hand with his index finger.
It was true, it was a great plan and she couldn't say no to him. And she really wanted to live such a unique experience with him, and alone, but the money issue put her off, and she didn't know what her mother would say about it.
"And on top of that, it's the summer holidays, you can't give me the excuse of school."
"Yes, but the money and my mother..."
"Don't worry about the money, you know..." He whispered.
Yes, it was true, he was loaded from selling weed, but it was bad for her to accept that he paid her entrance fee and everything, and that he drove and paid for the petrol.
"Even though you're failing all your science subjects, you're a good girl, I'm sure she'll let you have a whim like that. And I'm sure she doesn't think too badly of me, does she?"
"I hope so... But before we say anything, we should organise it a bit, so that she sees that we're not going on a wild adventure, that we're organised, and get her in a good mood."
"I see the logic of it, but it has to be as soon as possible, tickets may fly."
"Then let's get down to work. We must go to the library to consult maps and their routes."
That's what they did. They worked out how long the trip would take to get there and back, when they would have to leave Hawkins and when they would be back, motels to spend the night in, gas stations, how much money each of them would have to take with them to pay for expenses, how much the whole trip would cost, and a little emotional and psychological blackmail to use on _______'s mother if needed.
The next day, she let her mother know that Eddie would be going to dinner in the evening and that they wanted to tell her something important. The second she thought they wanted to tell her that they had been together for a long time or even worse, like a pregnancy, but she cleared her worries by telling her it was nothing of the sort.
"I want you here at six o'clock sharp. Get ready," she told him as she got out of Eddie's caravan in front of her house. Her house was between the school and his house, so he was her taxi driver.
"I know, I know."
"Isn't he coming in yet?" asked her mother when she saw her walk in the front door alone.
"No, he's going home to get ready," she said as she made her way to the stairs and took her backpack off her shoulders, "or did you want him to get ready here?"
"What should I make him for dinner?"
"Whatever you want, he'll eat it all pleased," she said on the first floor.
Hours passed and the doorbell rang. It was time. Luckily, he had been on time. For what he wanted to do, he was, but not for his early morning classes at school.
Eddie wasn't that uncomfortable, because he already knew the mother of his best and only female friend, but she had told him that her mother saw him as a possible boyfriend, so he knew what was going through her mind when she saw him with her daughter (the same thing happened with some people at school), and that made him ashamed, because on top of that, at least on his part, he did feel something for _______, something more than friendship.
And well, besides, it was the first time he had dinner and spent so much time with her mother, and of course, there was also the main plan, the mission they had to achieve: to convince her to let her go with him on a trip around the country and go to that metal festival. Technically she didn't need her permission, since she was already 18, but being a woman and still living under her roof, for things like that it was better to have her approval.
"Well, what is it that you wanted to tell me? Intrigue kills me," said her mother, as the three of them sat down at the table.
"Like mother, like daughter," he thought.
"Well, mom, as you know, I love metal, and so does he. It's a music that has helped me a lot in many ways for a long time, and so has Eddie, even though we've known each other for half a year. There's going to be a festival in Oakland on Saturday the 31st of August and we'd really like to go. We've thought about going in his caravan, both of us driving every couple of hours. Also, because of the proximity, we'd like to visit San Francisco and Los Angeles for at least a day, and we'd come back through the south, through the Bible Belt. He has insisted on paying for everything but I have told him no, I could pull from my savings or start working a bit. We've also looked at routes and motels to sleep in, and if anything should happen to the car Eddie is a good mechanic and has all the necessary equipment. I would call you every time we stopped at a place with a phone box. And I think I deserve to go to the festival, plus it's something that would make me very happy and travelling around the country in a car would be an experience..."
"And of course I would look after her in every way, you don't have to worry about anything," he said as seriously as she did.
"Of course, of course," she pointed her index finger at him, giving him a quick glance and a quick nod.
She looked at each of them and a smirk appeared on her face. They were both already fearing the worst.
"All this to ask me to take you on a trip and go to a concert?" she asked incredulously while holding back her laughter.
"...Yes?"
"For God's sake, you don't need to worry so much, you're both old enough to ask my permission. Besides, I can't wait for you to see the world and get wise," she said, looking only at her daughter.
"So, ma'am, does that mean yes?" asked Eddie.
"Of course it does," she replied, and they both looked at each other smiling from ear to ear and high-fived.
She looked at them tenderly. It was obvious to her that they were both in love with each other.
Time passed ridiculously slowly.
During the months of waiting before the festival began, Eddie slightly increased the prices of the weed he sold, and started giving private guitar lessons to kids in town to earn a little extra and to disguise where he was getting the money to afford the trip. Meanwhile, she started giving drawing, English and Spanish classes to other kids.
On 1 May Live Aid was announced, but despite being closer than Oakland, as it would be held in Philadelphia and would be no more than a day's drive (not counting the return trip), it was too expensive. 35$ each ticket. The price was understandable, as the event was going to be an unprecedented spectacle, where many people would be working for a good cause, but they already had enough expenses with what the Day on the Green tickets cost and the trip they would be making. Besides, even if they didn't go to the festival, raising so much money in such a short time was quite difficult, as Live Aid would be on 13 July, and tickets flew quickly, and rightly so, seeing the list of artists who were going to attend to help the cause.
Anyway, they watched Live Aid together on TV and that made them want to go to Day on the Green even more.
And finally the day came for them to go on the trip. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't climbing the walls like Spiderman herself because she was so nervous. She had never left Indiana, she had never made such a long trip, both in terms of distance and days, and she had never been separated from her mother for such a long time. But at least she was going to experience all that with her best friend and the boy she was in love with.
She had been ready since the day before and had gone through her luggage four times, and was about to do it for the fifth time, when a clack sounded outside her house. It was him, no doubt about it. She almost had a heart attack. It was time to go.
She left the house with the luggage and she and her mother pretended to put the things in the caravan, but he got off them and insisted on doing it himself.
As it was almost the end of August, and it was so hot, he was wearing no shirt and shorts. Both young friends were embarrassed for her mother to see him like that, but it was an understandable outfit because of the heat.
She hugged her mother goodbye and told her that she loved her very much. As the mother she was, she could feel her nervousness.
"Don't worry about anything, silly, you'll have a great time, you'll see," her mother whispered in her ear as they hugged.
"I know, but..."
"Before you go, I have to take a picture of you!" said her mother as they parted, "Come on, get together."
Eddie put his arm around ______'s shoulders and pulled her close to him, resting his head on hers, and she posed, making a peace sign with one of her hands. He made a devil sign with his free hand.
Her mother took the camera off her neck and handed it to her, they got into the car, both waved goodbye to her mother and Eddie drove off.
"I CAN'T WAIT!" he shouted.
"Same," she said, laughing a little nervously.
"Well, it doesn't look like it from you," he said, looking at her strangely, "what's wrong?"
"It's nerves, don't worry."
"Nerves about what?"
"To make such a trip, to be so far away from my home and my mother for so long, my comfort zone."
"I mean, it would fuck me up at this point, but if you don't want to go, there's still time for me to turn back..."
"What the fuck are you talking about?! No way, of course I want to go on the trip and to the festival, and I've got you on top of that. I wouldn't do this madness with just anyone."
"Do you consider going on a trip and to a festival a crazy thing?" he asked with a mocking smile.
"No, but yes, if it's that far away..."
"As long as you don't tell me to turn around when we're in Nebraska or something like that, it's all right," he said jokingly.
"You know I won't."
On the way they listened and sang along to the cassettes he had, and she brought her own too, so they wouldn't always be alone listening to his.
It was around lunchtime and Eddie had already been driving for a couple of hours, so they stopped to rest and eat.
"Wait, I have to put sunscreen on again," she said before getting back in the car. She had just finished talking to her mother on the phone. She had little to say to her, evidently.
"Really? That's a scam, it's not necessary."
"You're telling me you've been driving around shirtless in the sun for hours without sunscreen?"
"Of course I am."
"You're going to burn, you idiot!"
"No way, you exaggerator."
"Put it," she said, offering the bottle of sunscreen.
"No," she said with disgust.
She poured cream into her free hand, moved closer to him and directed her cream-filled hand to his collarbone, rubbing her hand over it, and trying not to look at his tattooed chest or his tablet, making a superhuman effort not to let her eyes wander to those areas of his body. That took him by surprise, but he kept still and quiet, accepting the gesture.
"Dampen down a little," she asked as she rubbed cream back into her hand, looking up, meeting his eyes. "Do you see how necessary this is?" She asked as she creamed his left cheek, inches from each other. "You're already red."
He was sure he wasn't red from the sun, but he shut up.
"Turn around," she asked again, and he again obeyed.
For a second she stared at his back. She thought is was beautiful and couldn't believe she was about to run hee hands over it. She pushed his hair forward with her little finger so as not to get even a little cream in it.
"Don't you want to put your hair in a high ponytail or a bun?" She asked as she ran her hand down his back. "You'd be cooler."
"I look ridiculous."
"I'm sure you wouldn't. Besides, what difference does it make if I see you like that."
"A lot," he thought, "you're the only person whose opinion really matters to me."
When he noticed she was done, he turned and she offered him the bottle of sunscreen again. His arms, legs and torso remained. It was understandable, she wasn't going to rub it all over him, he was too old to follow and it would be very uncomfortable in many ways, especially touching his torso, although they both wanted to.
When he finished applying the cream, he gave her back the pot and hugged her tightly.
"You idiot, you're going to stain me and you're sweaty! Ugh!" and he laughed wickedly.
"Do you want me to help you lie on your back?" he asked as he let her out of his grip.
She was wearing shorts and a crop top.
"Okay," she said as she turned around. She didn't need to, she could do it on her own, but she wasn't going to refuse help, especially if it was about him touching her.
Eddie put cream on his right hand and directed his hand to her back. He was nervous, more so than he had been before, when she was creaming him. He didn't know how to touch her, but he knew he had to act normal, so he rubbed his hand across the uncovered part of her back with the mission to get the sticky cream off his hand as quickly as possible. He tried not to look too closely at the small of her back, and his fingertips ended up inside her crop top, unintentionally brushing her bra for a second. Then he slid his hand down her right side to remove what little cream she had left, stopping when he brushed against her trousers. She loved the feel of his hand right then, in that place, like that, even though it probably wasn't a big deal and she was making a movie in her head. Then he pushed her hair forward and decided to rub cream on her neck, massaging it lightly.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome."
He got into the car, in the passenger seat, where she was before, and she quickly rubbed cream on her belly and legs, then sat in the driver's seat, where Eddie was before.
"Turn around and face the window," she said.
"For what?"
"You listen to me, okay?"
"Well... Okay."
She took off the extra hair tie she wore on her wrist as a spare in case she lost the one she was wearing and grabbed Eddie's hair, doing him a bun.
"Tell me, are you cooler right now?"
"Yes, but I'm sure I look ridiculous."
"You look gorgeous, as always," she said matter-of-factly, as she settled everything in the car so she could start driving.
After a few more hours they stopped again to stretch their legs and change drivers, had dinner at a fast food place and finally ended up at a motel, almost on the outskirts of the state.
When they entered the room they saw that there was only one bed.