Eighty-Six, Baby!
Eddie Munson graduates...because dammit, he deserved to. I haven't written anything in a long while, so be kind. 😁
Eddie Munson stepped up to the creaky stage of the Hawkins High gymnasium, the scratchy polyester of his glaring orange gown scraping against his faded ripped jeans . Beneath the formal attire, he wore a denim vest, and a well worn Metallica tee with the Ride The Lightning album cover emblazoned on the front peeked through. The moment Principal Higgins grudgingly handed him the rolled-up diploma, Eddie paused, looked the man dead in the eye, flashed a wide, wicked grin, and threw up the middle finger before snatching the paper and running like hell off the stage.
The gymnasium erupted into a mix of outraged gasps from the school staff, and earth-shattering cheers from the back row, where the rest of the Hellfire Club—Dustin, Lucas, and Mike —were stomping their feet, shouting and waving homemade banners. It had taken three, seemingly endless, painful years, countless failed assignments (and assignments he just couldn't be bothered to do, frankly) and more than a few supernatural interruptions, but Edward Munson was finally a Hawkins High graduate.
Waiting for him behind the bleachers was his uncle Wayne, a proud, tear-filled smile breaking through his usual gruff exterior. "Took you long enough, kid," Wayne chuckled, pulling his nephew into a bone-crushing hug.
As the sun began to set, the newly-minted graduate tossed the graduation gown into a dumpster near the Forest Hills Trailer Park, barely resisting the urge to light a match to the hideous garment. Cracking open a cheap beer on top of his rusted van, Eddie looked out at the familiar, quiet town. Hawkins was still cursed, weird, and often terrifying, but today, it was his for the taking.
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Steve Harrington slammed his hands against the horn of his car, the loud blare perfectly syncing up with the final bars of 'Leper Messiah' blasting from Eddie's van. The graduation ceremony had barely let out, and the parking lot was total chaos.
"I can't believe he actually did it," Robin Buckley gasped, leaning out of Steve’s passenger window. "I mean, let's be honest, logistically, statistically, the odds were entirely stacked against Edward Munson. And yet, the execution? Actually flipping Higgins the bird like Dustin said he would? Flawless. Eleven out of ten."
"Yeah, well, he owes me twenty bucks," Steve grumbled, even as a grin broke across his face. He watched Eddie spring out of the gym doors, the orange gown trailing behind him like a superhero cape as he sprinted past a red-faced Principal Higgins, and rolled his eyes as he watched Munson rip off the gown and toss it in the trash.
The party moved straight from the high school to the Hideout, Hawkins' local dive bar. Eddie didn't care that he was technically underage to buy a drink there—the owner owed him a few favours, and tonight, as a special celebration, Corroded Coffin was taking the stage.
The air inside was thick with the smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke, and the rest of the band were already tuned up. When Eddie walked in, still wearing his ripped jeans and denim vest over his Hellfire Club t-shirt, the small crowd went wild.
"Ladies and germs" Eddie shouted into the mic. "They said it couldn't be done! They said I'd be roaming those shitty hallways until I was a senior citizen! But noooo....they can all eat their words with a side of 'Fuck you!' Here's to eighty-six, baby!"
He hoisted his beloved guitar like a knight raising his broadsword, and the band immediately launched into a blistering, powerful set that shook the dust from the ceiling rafters. For two hours, there was no Upside Down, no government labs, and no terrifying creatures that wanted to rip them apart. For those two hours, Eddie Munson and Corroded Coffin ruled the world.
It was finally his year.
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