Chapter Text
Robin stood her ground against Claudia Henderson in the middle of Family Video.
“Mrs. Henderson I think you would really like The Apartment. In fact, I think you could even grow to love it.”
Dustin’s mother flipped the VHS over to once again scan the back, clutching her pink purse like a security blanket. “I just want to watch something like Endless Love .”
Robin pursed her lips. She had been saying this for the past thirty minutes. Her first suggestion, despite her own distaste for the film, had been The Blue Lagoon. But, Mrs. Henderson had already seen that one. Three more recommendations later and a lengthy conversation about how Grease 2 would never live up to the original had Robin scrambling. In a selfish act, she picked up one of her favorite movies in hopes of an end to the hunt.
“I promise you, this has all of the things Endless Love has and more!” She grinned and gestured to the VHS. “I just didn’t suggest it to you at first because I wasn’t sure if you were, uh, a true romance fan!”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.” Mrs. Henderson replied, still eyeing the description through the thin glasses propped at the end of her nose.
Robin bit down a retort and eyed the clock on the wall, wishing for this to end. She tried to catch Steve’s attention at the counter, but he was caught up in his latest issue of Boston magazine. Ever since he had decided to follow Nancy to Boston in the fall, he had become obsessed with the publication. She would normally tease him that his fixation was because he didn’t know anything about Boston, but these were desperate times. She was expecting a call at precisely two-thirty from her cousin, Cherie Buckley. She would have landed in Denver by now and would be leaving for Indianapolis shortly. But she had promised she would call right before she boarded to let her know everything was going smoothly.
“Do they get together in the end?” Mrs. Henderson spoke, interrupting her panic.
“What?” Robin came back into focus.
“The couple, do they get together in the end?” She asked again.
Then, a resounding ring came from the center of the store. Steve coolly set down his magazine and reached to answer the phone. “Family Video, how can I help you today?”
“Um, sure they do!” Robin answered quickly. “I’m just gonna get Steve to check you out over here.” She ushered Mrs. Henderson to the cash register, ditching her almost immediately to rush to the phone.
“Robin, phone!” Steve called to the back of the store where she had been a few minutes earlier.
She appeared at his shoulder, “Right here, dingus.”
Steve glanced at her and then the back of the store, narrowing his eyes. Something was turning in that head of his but he didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he handed over the phone, “It’s Cherie.”
“Thanks! Now, move.” She shooed him away and gripped the phone to her ear.
“Robin?” A voice spoke into her ear.
“Cherie!” She tried her best not to squeal. They had been raised more like sisters than cousins, so sometimes Robin would lose hold of herself.
Cherie laughed, “Don’t get too excited, I’m only halfway to Indiana.”
“Yeah, but that’s closer than we’ve been in, like, a year,” Robin explained, toying with the cord. “We have so much to catch up on.”
“I know, I can’t wait to hear about-”
A chime at the door made her head swivel in that direction. She opened her mouth and began to ask Steve to attend to whoever it was but was caught off guard when she spotted none other than Eddie Munson standing in the doorway. Well, she shouldn’t say she was too caught off guard. Eddie had been coming into Family Video just about every single day since graduation. After everything that had happened over spring break, he had grown a little clingy to her and Steve. Robin didn’t mind Eddie’s presence but some of the customers found him a bit eccentric. Neither her nor Steve had the heart to tell him, not after everything he had gone through. He was like one of those Pound Puppies stuffed animals that kids seemed to be obsessed with lately. But, at this moment, Eddie didn’t seem so lost and forlorn. Instead, he was in a more Rocky-ish stance with his fists in the air and a wide grin on his face.
“I did it!” He exclaimed as he waved a piece of paper in Steve’s face. He began to climb onto the counter, flashing a grin at Dustin's mother as if he had just realized she was standing there. “Oh, hello Mrs. Henderson.”
Claudia offered a weak smile, "Hi Eddie. Is Dusty with you today?"
As they continued their brief conversation, Robin rolled her eyes. Of course, everyone had to start making noise just as she had found a brief moment of peace.
“Hello?” Cherie spoke again, “Are you still there?”
“Sorry, the store is a little busy this afternoon.” She turned towards the back of the store, hoping to block the ruckus out.
“Sounds like it,” Cherie snorted a short laugh, “You’re still coming to pick me up, right?”
“Of course! Keith is coming in to cover our shifts. Is your flight still on time?” She questioned.
“Yeah, we should be departing soon from Denver.” Cherie answered, “I’ll meet you at five sharp, alright?”
“Oh yeah, you’ll see me. I’m gonna have a big poster and everything.” Robin joked. Although, she had thought about making one. Maybe she still had time to throw something together.
Cherie laughed again, “God, I hope so. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Shit, maybe she did need to scrounge something together.
“Oh shit,” Cherie cursed.
“What’s wrong?” Robin asked, concerned about the sudden shift in her tone.
“They’re boarding and I totally didn’t realize it. I gotta go, okay?” Cherie spoke quickly. “I’ll see you soon, bye!”
“Oh- okay- bye!” Robin stuttered until she was left with a deadline tone then hung up the phone.
“Who was that?” Eddie’s voice sounded behind her.
Robin turned slowly, “That was my cousin.”
“Oh, nice.” He was sitting on the counter, holding a folded piece of paper in his hands.
“Is everything going smoothly?” Steve questioned, his arms folded across his chest. “The plane is leaving on time?”
Robin nodded, “Yep, everything is on time.”
Eddie blinked at the both of them, “Okay I hate to interrupt this but I have a thing to say and it’ll only take a minute.”
“Go for it, dude.” Steve ushered for him to continue.
“Perfect.” Eddie hopped off of the counter. “Gather round and let me share with you…” He unfolded the piece of paper as Robin and Steve both looked over his shoulder. “My future!”
Plastered out before them was a poster with several band names listed in the middle. In the background, a creepy castle loomed over the lineup. Right in the dead center in huge red and yellow letters spelled out “Ozzy Osbourne”. Shifting her eyes to the top corner, Robin read the words “Monsters of Metal” and almost instantly knew what this was about.
“What is this?” Steve questioned.
“Pfft, only the pinnacle of live music.” Eddie scoffed.
“And this is your future…how?” Robin questioned. For the past few weeks, Eddie had been having a quarter-life crisis at the ripe age of twenty. Graduating high school and escaping Vecna had spun him into this sudden zest for life. He strived to find his purpose and not end up like the capitalistic drones he so feared. He had given up his drug-selling venture and instead poured most of his time into his music. Between that and the Hellfire Club, one would think that would be enough to keep him occupied. But Eddie hadn’t slowed down, not for one second. He would come into the store, Hawkins Post in hand, and read off several career paths just to get their reactions. Looking at the poster, Robin was glad to see him excited about something. She just had so many questions.
“Well, here’s the thing. I was thinking and, like, maybe if I go see Ozzy in concert, it’ll give me some kind of mental clarity into what my purpose is.” Eddie explained, tapping the rockstar’s name with his index finger. “I’m telling you, man, when this fell out of my Circus magazine?” He glanced at Steve, “It felt like fate.”
Steve narrowed his eyes at the poster, “Oh, this Ozzy guy. That’s the guy that ate a bat.”
Eddie looked excited, his grin growing wider. “Exactly!”
“Metal?” Steve asked.
“The most metal.” Eddie offered a soft punch to Steve’s shoulder. “Man, I knew you’d get it.”
“Hold on,” Robin squinted closer at the poster, “This says that the concert will be in Donington Park.”
“Yeah.” Eddie nodded.
“I’m pretty sure that’s in the UK.” She frowned, recalling a travel brochure she had perused once.
“Oh,” Eddie’s face dropped momentarily, only to light up again moments later. “I guess I’m going to the UK, then!”
“Oh yeah, how are you gonna get there?” Robin asked him.
“Plane, probably. However, I would be willing to take a boat if necessary.” Eddie shrugged and began to fold the poster back up.
“Do you have a passport?” She asked.
“Yikes…no.” His voice trembled slightly as he stuffed the poster into his front jacket pocket. He fiddled with the chain at his belt. “Are those free?”
Robin shook her head, “Nope, you have to buy ‘em.”
“And a plane ticket.” Steve chimed in, “And if you’re going across the pond it’ll probably cost a lot.”
As Eddie grew more nervous, she knew she only had a few seconds to cheer him up before he began a mope fest of epic proportions.
“But, hey! The good news is that you have until August to save up for all of that. Right?” Robin offered him a smile, remembering spotting the date of the festival to be the sixteenth of August. He would have a little over two months to execute some sort of plan.
“Oh, yeah.” Eddie’s demeanor began to lighten up again. “You’re right. I should probably find a job, then, huh?”
“Eddie, I think that’s a great idea.” She grinned, glad that he was finally putting all of his energy to good use.
“Got any openings here?” He asked.
“Actually, yeah, me and Steve will be out for a few weeks working at Camp Lover’s Lake so-” She began, only to be cut off.
Eddie waved his hand in the air, “Hold on, hold on. You guys were serious about doing that?”
Steve and Robin exchanged a glance and then responded at the same time, “Yeah.”
“I thought you were kidding!” Eddie exclaimed. “You two are going to voluntarily go back to the place we all almost got killed?”
“Look, I know it seems crazy, but the starting pay is, like, waaay above minimum wage.” Steve defended, leaning back against the counter behind him.
“Way better than what they pay us here.” Robin huffed.
“I heard that.” A monotone male voice behind them made her jump. Keith was standing there with a broomstick in hand. He must have come in through the back entrance when they weren’t looking. He pointed the broom at Eddie, “What have I told you about being in the employee zone?”
Eddie scurried back over the counter, regaining his balance in front of the cash register.
Robin caught a glimpse of the clock and sucked in a breath. It was two-thirty and they needed to be on the road to Indianapolis.
“Hey, some kid spilled popcorn back there so someone is going to have to-” Keith began.
“Sorry, Keith, gotta go!” Robin shed her vest and set it next to the register.
“Yeah, Keith, good luck with that!” Steve followed her actions.
Keith sighed, “This place will thrive without them.” he seemingly said to no one.
Strange comments aside, Robin booked it out the glass doors and to the parking lot with Steve in tow behind her.
“Wait, where are we going?” Eddie questioned.
And apparently Eddie as well.
“Airport.” Robin answered, “And we’re late.”
“And I still have to get gas,” Steve added.
Robin spun around to face him, halting in her tracks. “I thought you filled up this morning?”
Steve spun his key ring on his index finger and caught it in a fist. “Don’t worry, Robin, we’ll still make it on time.”
“If you guys are in a pinch, I could drive you,” Eddie spoke up, jingling his own keys in the air. He gestured to where his dark van was parked behind him, “My uncle filled her up earlier.”
Eddie might have been a hellish driver, but he was fast. Plus, he was her best option for getting to the airport on time.
Steve glanced at Robin, “Works for me, what about you?”
“As long as I get shotgun on the way there.” Robin asserted.
“Then I’ll get it on the way back?” Steve bartered.
“And I’ll control the music.” Eddie pointed at both of them, “With no arguments, alright kids?”
Robin nodded, “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go!”
Eddie unlocked his van and Robin climbed into the front seat. Steve toppled into the back, holding onto the back of the seat.
“Sorry, I still don’t have seatbelts back there.” He apologized as he started up the vehicle. Immediately, a symphony of electric guitar and drums overloaded the speakers. “Which airport are we going to again?” He asked, shouting over the music.
“Indianapolis!” Robin pulled out an index card from her pocket. She had written down the directions to get there last night, just in case. “Just head south on this road and I’ll tell you when to turn.”
Eddie was already bopping to whatever song was playing, he only showed a thumbs up to indicate he had heard what she said.
Robin held on to the passenger handle as he skirted onto the road, no doubt leaving some road marks behind. In her head, she found solace in the fact that they would at least arrive on time, even if they didn’t arrive in one piece.
A few minutes down the road, Eddie turned down the music and nodded toward Robin. “So, what’s the deal with this cousin of yours?”
“We are going to get her from the airport,” Robin confirmed. “Her plane lands at five.”
“Okay, yeah, but, like what’s her deal ,” Eddie repeated.
Robin narrowed her eyes at him, “Why?”
“Look, I just wanna know if she’s, like, a drug smuggler or some type of secret agent or something.” He gripped his steering wheel, “Which, of course, I don’t mind. I just wanna know what I’m getting myself into.”
“Whoa- man, no,” Steve commented from his spot at the back. “What makes you think that?”
Eddie raised one of his hands off the steering wheel in defense. “You just never know with you guys, and I’m trying to keep a straight record this summer. I really don’t want to get into any more trouble or my Uncle Wayne will kill me, and then I won’t get to go to Monsters of Metal.”
Robin let out a short laugh. “Eddie, I can promise you that the most trouble Cherie has gotten into is when she went to Denny’s with her theater friends and didn’t tell her mom.” She shook her head, “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
Eddie suddenly went quiet, his expression turning to a perplexed mien. The cogs seemed to be turning behind that look, but Robin couldn’t quite place what would have confused him about what she just said.
“Yeah, plus she’ll be at Camp Lover’s Lake with us so she’ll be outta your hair if she turns out to be some sort of cretin.” Steve chimed in.
“I regret teaching you that word,” Robin mumbled.
“Hold on, hold on.” Eddie shook his head. “Cherie is your cousin?”
“Biologically? Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” She confirmed.
“Cherie Buckley is your cousin?”
Robin slowly nodded and watched his facial expression closely as a huge grin formed on his face and he shook his head again. “I swear, Munson if you don’t stop shaking that beast of a hairdo on your head and keep your eyes on the road.”
“Sorry, I just- Jesus Christ, I thought she moved out to California or some shit.” His disposition lightened as that silly grin remained on his face. He kept his eyes straight on the road, but his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.
Steve and Robin exchanged a wary glance. As far back as she could remember, Cherie had never mentioned hanging out with Eddie. Her cousin was exactly as she had implied, straight-laced and focused on her goals. She had known that Cherie and Eddie had been in the same graduating class at some point, but it never occurred to her that their paths would have crossed. Cherie was the salutatorian of her class and lead in the school play and Eddie…wasn’t. However, this discovery made Robin curious. Maybe Eddie used to be a whole different person. Or, maybe he led some sort of double life. She watched him closely, now. What secrets lie beyond those dull eyes? Maybe this summer would turn out to be even more interesting than she anticipated.