Chapter Text
Eddie was not anticipating a good summer.
He had expected to take the cash he had been stashing away all year from dealing and get the hell out of Hawkins. Instead, he failed his senior year and would be staying. That had been a hard one to hear.
Every moment that had counted down on the school’s clock on what should’ve been his last day of school ever he regretted letting Wayne convince him not to drop out more. Watching everybody he had known since kindergarten celebrating as they rushed the parking lot while Eddie just stomped to his van made it worse. To make things worse than that, every day since the other seniors in Hellfire, his only real friends and the biggest freaks he knew, made plans and left him behind one by one. The final nail in the Corroded Coffin was when the other nails decided to go to college or travel, leaving Eddie the sole member.
By June Hellfire was just him and Gareth. A sophomore a year older than the rest of his class after he was held back in second grade. Eddie didn’t know Gareth that well outside of Hellfire, but he was also getting sick of spending time alone in his room. So when Gareth called him and asked if he’d be up for going to the drive-in, Eddie didn’t hang up.
Apparently, Gareth had a movie date with a senior girl with strict parents. When asked how he came into it, Eddie was told he wanted to go with him and then switch cars, leaving Eddie with a stranger. His first question was how sure Gareth was that this wasn’t a prank, which he assured him it was not. Second was how sure Gareth was that whoever he was switching cars with would be totally fine spending 2 hours alone with Eddie Munson in his van. Gareth assured him she would be cute and cool and definitely fine with hanging out with him. Eddie wanted clarification on that last part, because he was pretty sure that unless explicitly asked there were quite a few people who wouldn’t be on board with that.
Gareth insisted that she had been asked, then asked a second time to make sure she knew exactly who they were talking about and she had agreed. He didn’t catch her name, sure, but Eddie agreed after Gareth agreed to replace his bassist.
So it seemed like Eddie was going to the movies.
Once they got there Eddie was pretty sure this was going to go really badly. Gareth hopped out and waited awkwardly outside Eddie’s window for her friend to get out. He tried to guess who it was based on the silhouette, but all he could make out was a ponytail and a scrunchie- that could be anybody. The two girls were sharing a few words before their departure and Eddie was convinced it was about him, and repeated to himself again that Gareth said that the only people who really hated him had graduated when he didn’t. He didn’t believe it any more this time than the last. He grimaced in anticipation of somebody who was going to give him a hard time all night as the door opened, and when that ponytail and purple scrunchie came into view his heart skipped a beat.
Samantha. The girl who sat next to him in the English class he had to retake with the juniors last year. Samantha who had the prettiest, softest looking hair and softer looking sweaters who made terrible puns about King Lear. She always got a little embarrassed when she'd hear him laugh, he had always worried that she thought he was making fun of her- but the time he held his tongue to stop from upsetting her she frowned and looked at him. She smiled the next time he laughed and it was the prettiest smile Eddie had ever seen.
Maybe Eddie really was just susceptible because not a lot of girls looked his way, but he got butterflies when he saw her smile. He never really talked to her outside of class, just laughed at her jokes, every once in a while getting the courage to make one back, and sometimes watched her ponytail bob up and down as she doodled on her homework.
She glanced at him through the window and waved a little nervously. Eddie prepared himself for the worst and most likely scenario: the realization that maybe she wasn’t as sweet and soft as she seemed in school and she’d treat him like everybody else did. But she hopped over to the passenger side and got in beside him, and he swallowed thickly when he smelled her perfume that made him think of candy apples.
His brain froze on trying to decide whether or not to introduce himself or not when she smiled at him.
“Hi, Eddie,” She said cheerfully, and he felt a little bad for being surprised that she remembered his name. In the split second he spent thinking about it instead of saying hello back her eyes widened in slight embarrassment as she thought he had forgotten hers instead.
“Hey, Samantha.” He said, smiling at her wide and seeing her shoulders relax.
"You can just call me Sam." She said, shifting around in her seat to get comfortable. "Are you one of those guys that has, like, car rules?"
"Whaaat does that mean?" He asked, confused.
"Like, how comfy can I get? Can I sit cross legged or are you gonna get mad about my shoes on the seat?"
“Shoes on the seat, dashboard, out the window, take 'em off, put mine on, make new ones out of the seat leather. Whatever you wanna do.” He said with an anxious laugh and she began to giggle.
“That- I’m really sorry, I’m not very good at reading people all the time- does that mean I can put them on the seat or not?” She asked, with a confused face that Eddie thought was kind of adorable.
Eddie grinned and laughed, answering by putting his foot up on the dash awkwardly around the steering wheel, accidentally bumping the horn with his knee, making them both jump.
“Whatever you wanna do. Get comfy, because something tells me those two-” He said, glancing at Gareth and Kelly in the other car, who were obviously already making out. “-are gonna ask us to stay for the double feature- a choice I will leave up to you.”
“Why me?”
Eddie stopped himself before he said anything self deprecating.
"Because you are a guest in this van and that means you get special privileges."
"Like what?"
"Like deciding if we should go home at 10:30 or 3 am."
She shrugged and slipped off her shoes and crossed her sock feet under her to get comfortable.
Before the movie started he went to grab some popcorn and she revealed a stack of sour candy in her backpack. It was a little awkward at first as the trailers began to play and the movie started with a voiceover and a dimly lit mysterious street.
"Sometimes I think that people in movies have never seen a movie before." She said, all of a sudden, and Eddie turned to her with a furrowed brow and a tilted head and tried to say what do you mean with popcorn in his mouth.
"Like…would you buy something if you went into this spooky underground shop?"
"Why wouldn't I? That stuff looks awesome."
"and probably cursed. Look at it, every single thing in here is haunted." She said definitively, though her resolve quickly dissipated when she saw his confused face.
"Sorry- I shouldn't talk during movies."
"No no no- please, talk all you want. Usually I can't shut up I just didn't…expect that from you I guess." He said with a nervous laugh.
"Oh, um…sorry?"
"No! Not a bad thing- at-at all. I'm sorry for like…making assumptions based on the fact that your normal and actually don't try to talk in class all the time."
"I usually just don't have much to say."
"I don't believe that for a second- people with opinions this strong on horror movie shops is bound to have more to say."
She just furrowed her brow and shook her head, turning back to the movie.
"I would buy something, by the way. Ghost and all- I'd be an amazing demon hunter. - would you really want to miss your opportunity to see proof of the supernatural?"He bragged, and she shook her head defiantly.
"I'm gonna survive by not needing any proof to believe in the supernatural and stay the hell out if it's way. I'll throw salt over my shoulder to make sure that all the ghosts know that I respect them and nobody needs to kill me."
"Even if you say no adventures Gandalf still may come knocking." He mused, and she smiled with a shake of her head. "It's from-" He stopped when she gave him a look with raised eyebrows.
"Lord of the Rings isn't, like, obscure, y'know."
"Wow. Alright, I deserved that."
"And besides, it went kinda bad for Frodo."
"Frodo saved the world!" He said defensively, and she gave him the same look.
"Samwise Gamgee saved the world."
Eddie had been prepared to retort, but he wasn't about to argue that.
"Very true, he should never be overlooked."
"Never." She agreed, and smiled, taking more popcorn and turning her attention back to the movie again.
After a few minutes of quiet, Eddie glanced at her.
"So you really wouldn't buy anything?"
"No way, that's why you're gonna end up cursed with- whats this movie about?"
Eddie shrugged. "Don't know yet- and I already said I'm fine with being cursed."
"But you've seen movies before- you know that the Gung ho dude is always the one that gets killed first."
"But the first guy doesn't even know he's in a horror movie, he doesn't have to be on his guard."
"I think you'd know as soon as you went into the shop that you were in a movie, right?"
"That could be the start of any movie, though. What if it's not a horror movie? I could be missing out on a super cool adventure. The ghost could be friendly!"
"That’s just not a risk I’m willing to take.” she said, shaking her head.
“So you wouldn’t buy anything? Really?" He asked, and she shook her head defiantly.
"Nope, and neither me, nor anybody I know, will be murdered by ghosts. Except for you, I guess, but that's just because you're inviting it."
"Yeah but I'll look so cool when the demons finally get me." He insisted, and she laughed. Eddie felt his cheeks heat up a bit at the sound and turned his attention back to the screen, as she had too.
They watched a little boy come running out after the man in a trench coat..
"It's important. There's three things you gotta remember- direct sunlight hurts it, don't get it wet, and never ever feed it after midnight."
"Three rules? That's ridiculous, it's a living creature. When I got Bunny he came with a whole book." She said incredulously.
"You have a bunny?" Eddie asked, not even a little bit surprised that somebody who always looked so soft would have the softest animal. "What's his name?"
Sam bit her lip, she hadn't meant to mention Bunny, and now she was about to lie. She always felt bad, she wasn't ashamed that he was a lizard and not something more classically cute, but she also knew that people sometimes could be weird about it.
"Uh- his name is Bunny." She said truthfully, and he smiled.
"That's cute." He said with a smile as his mind conjured the image of a little girl holding a rabbit next to parents who were about to regret letting her pick the name.
"After midnight isn't very specific either- when can I feed him again?"
"What does he even eat, do you think?"
"Right? This man is so irresponsible. The wizard said he didn't want to give it to him, he just stole this guy's pet ghost or whatever."
"I don't think it's a ghost." Eddie commented.
"Might as well be. At this point he should just know that something's wrong, though. This is what I mean when I say that he's never seen a movie before."
"He doesn't know he's in a movie, though! How's he supposed to know when the rules are active?"
"Okay, the shop thing I can forgive but the second that an old wizard doesn't want to sell you a mysterious brand new animal and then his grandson steals it and gives it to you and says never ever ever feed it after midnight is when the rules kick in."
Eddie gave her a conceding nod.
"Alright- what are the rules, then? Just in case a wizard's grandson tries to give me a new animal. I'm gonna take it for sure so I gotta know how to stay safe."
Sam thought what seemed to be very hard for a moment.
"Okay- 1, if somebody tells you something that would indicate that you're in a scary movie, believe them right away. They don't have a lot of time to waste. If you're cautious and wrong the worst that can happen is you look stupid, if you don't believe it the worst that'll happen is getting eaten." She said, grinning at his full attention and smile.
"Smart, skeptics get killed first. Always stay prepared "
"Exactly- okay, uh, 2- don't split up. Obvious. Three is…
"Three-"
"Never ever ever feed it after midnight." Eddie said solemnly, and Sam began to giggle furiously, and he could feel his heart speed up.
"Correct. If somebody gives you a rule, don't fuckin break it. The old wizard at the store has seen this happen before"
"-too many times."
"So many times! You'd think he'd make a sign at this rate of slasher teens being put out of commission."
After a moment, clearing her throat and putting on an overly serious face. "Rule 4- don't ever forget that there's gonna be an annoying human villain every time but don't let either distract you from the other because when you least expect it - boom!" She clapped in front of his face and he jumped. "Somebody's gonna throw off somebody's plan, and they never address how they deal with the human villain dying but I'm guessing it involves going to jail for a crime you didn't commit."
"Eyes open, always."
"Oh- speaking of, rule five-always be prepared but never expect your plan to work."
"Gotta have a backup."
"Rule six, if somebody's gonna make a brave sacrifice for you, just let 'em do it. Run. It drives me insane every time they're like no don't go, like c'mon babe we gotta get moving the zombies are coming."
"Oh come on, you can't blame them for letting their emotions take over."
"I can and I will." She said resolutely, and he burst into laughter, followed quickly by hers.
"Rule 5, while we're on it- no love confessions, future plans, or any other emotional speeches until a couple of days after the final battle. You'll never make it, just save it for later."
"Seems risky if people are getting picked off, though? Isn't that just a recipe for another ghost? That's twice the trouble." He mused,
That stumped her for a moment, and he loved how serious the furrow in her brow was.
"That's true, actually. Because the whole 'he's gone and i never got to tell him that I loved him' bit is a thing too. Damn- you're fucked either way, don't have a love interest in a horror movie. That's Rule 6, no strong connections."
"Wow, I'm so glad you're here and you know all of this I would've been totally screwed since I do all of those things. Anything else? Rapid fire tips?"
She seemed to be furiously thinking before she burst out "Don't have sex!" She said, before realizing exactly what she had said and her face got red "in a horror movie, I mean- because that's always when the killer always shows up and- shut up, Eddie!" and Eddie couldn't help but start to laugh, and she covered her face.
"Shut up!" She said, peeking out between her fingers.
"No- I- I'm not laughing at you- its- it's a good tip. Too distracting. Michael Myers famously loves abstinence-" a laugh cut through between most of his words and she absolutely exploded into giggles that he couldn't stop himself from returning in full, and it was only buffeted by the feeling of her hand on his arm to steady herself.
The movie was forgotten for a while longer in their laughter when she caught sight of the screen and awed loudly through her laughs at the little fuzzy creature with big eyes.
"Oh my god that's the cutest thing I've ever seen! I take it all back, I want one."
"Now who's cursable?"
"I don't care. I love him, I will live with his curse." She said completely earnestly, and Eddie couldn't stop grinning.
Eddie didn't think he'd actually laughed like this in a long time, and most of it was just out of total shock that this girl he had sat next to and sat across lunch rooms with for his whole life was much different than he expected.
The next few hours fluctuated between awkwardness and laughter and listening to her coo over the little mogwai on the screen. Every time she saw him her eyes would get all wide and her eyebrows would go up, sometimes she’d even put a hand on her heart and Eddie would feel his shudder. She was certainly looking at the cutest thing she had ever seen and Eddie was trying really hard not to think about how he was pretty sure he was too. He had been right, and Gareth came to ask if they wanted to stay for a double feature. Sam said yes sleepily and they kept watching, dozing in and out without interrupting her running commentary until the wee hours of the morning when they said goodbye with sleepy smiles and switched back cars.
When Gareth called him the next week and asked if he’d be willing to go again, Eddie agreed almost instantly. After that it became a regular thing, three times a week, and a lucky double feature on Saturdays.
It was fun, and Eddie liked her. A lot. Maybe he should’ve made a move by now, because he was almost positive that she liked him. A lot, it seemed like, weirdly. It had been months now and now she’d rest her head on his shoulder or sling her legs into his lap while they talked about whatever they could think of. She was an odd one, it turned out. Always adding a strange joke at the end of her sentences that would make him laugh out in surprise and make her smile subtly in victory.
And she was somehow even softer that he had imagined. He’d started to wear t-shirts when she began to lean her head on his shoulder just so he could feel whatever baby rabbit-soft sweater or skin or pretty brown hair brush across his arms.
But sometimes it was still enough to doubt that she liked him too. Eddie hadn’t really done this before, nor had he been friends with many girls throughout his life and the worry that maybe this is just how she was with everybody would always come back to spook him. But looking at her on his shoulder, with her eyelids drooping from sleepiness as they watched, he was pretty sure he was right.