Chapter 2 The door to the boat house opened swiftly, unlike before. She looked around. Eddie wasn’t in sight. Good, she thought. Stay out of sight, just in case. “Eddie?” She called out. He emerged from the boat covered with the blue tarp, where he was hiding just the other day. Chrissy flinched, she had been very jumpy lately. She looked at Eddie, standing there, watching her, his brown eyes once filled with joy and love now filled with fear. “Hey,” He kind of breathed it, not actually saying it, but she could understand it. Chrissy held up her bag. “I brought food,” She smiled slightly, as if it would lighten the mood. It didn’t. The “mood” was scared, sad, unpredictable. Eddie took a step closer. “And a pillow, with a blanket,” Chrissy handed the stuff to him. He took it and set it on the table next to him. “Thanks,” “No problem,” Chrissy flashed a friendly smile, a real one this time. “No, really.” Eddie looked at her intently. It made her heart race and face flush. “Thank you for…everything. The food, being there… you’re the only one I know that actually understands,” Chrissy’s face flushed even redder. Dustin and the rest understand too… No they don’t. They just know what and how it's going on. They don’t actually understand. But Chrissy did. She understood. “Yeah…” Chrissy didn’t know what to say at that point. It was strange… that day in the woods they could talk so easily. They connected. But that connection disappeared. Evaporated. Obliterated. Gone. But maybe they could get it back. “It sucks,” Eddie began, suddenly. “Being in here alone,” “So I won’t leave,” Chrissy surprised herself. You idiot, she thought. Just because he wants company doesnt mean he wants your company. But Eddie let out a sigh as if he had been holding his breath. “Good,” He smiled, then waved around the cluttered shack. “Would you like a tour?” He said, teasingly, with joy again. Chrissy chuckled slightly, it almost wasn’t even a chuckle, just a sigh, but sounded like a chuckle. “I would love a tour,” Eddie smiled his usual smile again, oh how Chrissy had missed it. “Okay,” He motioned over to a boat with a blue tarp over it. “My very comfortable bed! Well, now I have a pillow and blanket, so it's even better!” Chrissy chuckled at the way he exaggerated everything. “And here is my table where I eat food. Oh! And over there is my window that I look out for entertainment!” “So much fun,” Chrissy said sarcastically. Slowly but surely, the connection between them was growing back. No longer non-existent. No longer evaporated. No longer obliterated. It felt good, natural. “Did anyone else come by yet?” “No, just you,” Eddie smiled, like he only wanted Chrissy to come see him, to come take care of him. Chrissy kind of sighed a chuckle. Awkward silence killed her. Maybe she shouldn’t think things like that- maybe it would really happen.
It must have been obvious that Chrissy was thinking because Eddie was staring at her. Like, directly at her. She met his gaze, and he looked away. Strange… She thought. “So… what about you?” Eddie said, suddenly. Me? Why would he ask about me? “I’m-I’m fine,” Chrissy stated, looking down at her fingers as she peeled at her cuticles. Eddie looked at her as her finger started to bleed. He grabbed her hand and looked at her with a worried expression. “Dont do that,” Eddie pulled a Band-Aid out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Here,” He didn’t say it in a snarky way like her mother would have. Like, “Stop it, my friends will think I’m a bad mom”. No. When Eddie told her to stop, it was like “Hey, I care about you,” “Sorry,” She mumbled. Chrissy took the Band-Aid and wrapped it tightly around her finger. Eddie went off to look through the back that Chrissy had brought for him, but continued to steal glances at her. “If you think I’m going to disappear, I won’t,” She finally said, with a ghost of a laugh. Eddie chuckled. “No, no, haha, very funny, it's just-” He shook his head. “Nothing.” Ok? Chrissy thought. Strange. She wouldn’t push. Chrissy watched Eddie as he stared at the window. The connection was gone again. Why were they like this? The spark between them continued to disappear- then reappeared. What, does it have BPD? Pick one already! The door slammed open and Chrissy almost fell over. She balanced herself on the table, then felt a sharp pain across her palm. She looked over at Eddie who had ducked behind the table. Smart move. But who the hell would just bust open the door like that? Chrissy looked at the door to see Dustin. She glared at him. It was agreed between all of them, that they would knock twice on the door or the wall or the freaking window, for God’s sake, just don’t bust the damn door open! Chrissy almost fell and cracked her head open! “You idiot! You’re supposed to knock!” Steve’s boisterous voice came behind Dustin. Good, at least someone knows. “Sorry, sorry,” Dustin asserted quietly. They continued to bicker as Robin pushes past them both, muttering “dingus” under her breath Eddie appears from behind the table, and he looks generally fine until he looks at Chrissy’s irritated face and her holding onto the table to keep balance. Chrissy picked up her head, and almost passed out. There was a small cut on the fat part of her palm, but it was dripping blood. Crap. She looked at the table. There was a nail sticking out of the wood. Her hand must have grazed it, because she didn’t know it was there. Eddie’s eyes widened. “Are you alright?” He rushed over to her and grabbed her hand. He grabs his bandanna from his back pocket and wraps it around her hand. Chrissy watches him as he does it. “I’m okay,” Chrissy lied. Well, kind of. It hurt like hell, but somehow Eddie’s presence helped ease the pain. “You have a big enough Band-Aid for this?” She said in a lower voice, smiling ever so slightly. Eddie looked back at her, also smiling as he tied a knot in the bandana. “I don’t think so,” The way Eddie was looking at her made her insides flutter and her face flush. Jesus, what was wrong with her! She isn’t with Eddie! She’s with Jason! She loves Jason! She doesn’t love Eddie! “Okay- don’t mean to interrupt, but…” Dustin said suddenly, staring blankly at both of them, while Robin smirked at Chrissy. She knew that smirk. All she wanted to do was yell “I’m with Jason! I don’t like Eddie!” But that would be crazy. That would be absurd. That would be insane.
