"All I'm saying is I don't think that it's a good idea you schedule two dates on the same night." You look over to Steve. You're in the passenger seat of his car as you're parked up in front of Robin's house, waiting for her to finish getting ready. Both of you are still in your Family Video uniform because you couldn't be bothered to go and change. "I mean, what if you get their names confused?"

"OK, yeah. Point taken." Steve sighs as he checks his hair in the car mirror. "I just feel like I've been going through half the girls in Hawkins and I've gotten nowhere… all the dates have sucked. Maybe I could just like, speed up the process?"

You had never seen Steve with real romantic feelings towards anyone other than Nancy Wheeler. He would never admit it out loud but you could sense he was still pining for her, even though she was still doing long distance with Jonathan Byers. It was almost like he was just trying to find himself a distraction, rather than someone he could actually see himself in a relationship with.

"Why rush it? Just enjoy being single for a while," you suggest, something you'd been trying to do since Billy. 

You hear a door close and look to see Robin coming out of her house and down the front path towards the car, where she gets into the back. You both greet her and then Steve drives off towards the school where you're collecting Dustin after his Hellfire meeting.

"Max is coming tonight, right?" Robin asks quietly and you nod your head.

"I think so." You and Robin had grown very close to Max since the death of Billy, knowing now that it was just her and her mom, much like you and Dustin, except the difference was that your mom wasn't spending all her nights after work drinking and was actually there when you needed her for something. It was even harder on Max that the other good friend she'd had her own age, El, was now in California. "She's been a little distant lately. It's coming up to what would have been Billy's birthday next week. March 29th."

"Shit. Is she still going to counseling?" Steve asks.

"Yeah, but there's only so much counseling can do for someone who has seen the things that she has." You know from your own nightmares that just talking about it isn't enough to get over it.

"Tell me about it," Robin gives a nervous giggle from the back. "I mean, I know you've both dealt with monsters a lot more than me but sometimes I fall asleep and I'm back in that elevator and having to listen to Steve pee and surrounded by weird green goo and then-" She realises she's began rambling and stops. 

"I don't think any one of us will get over it for a while." You lean your head back on the headrest as Steve fiddles with the buttons on the radio. "So uh… I asked someone else to come tonight, I hope you guys don't mind."

There's silence for a moment and you know they are both considering the possibilities of who it could be, before Steve starts to look worried. "Nancy? Is it Nancy?" Honestly, you didn't feel like Nancy was the kind of person you'd have fun with at the fair.

"No," you shake your head in reassurance and he visibly relaxes. There's no more guesses. "It's Eddie. Eddie Munson."

You wait for either of them to speak.

Steve is the first one to acknowledge it. "Eddie 'The Freak' Munson?"

"Steve!" you scold, reaching out to lightly slap him on the arm, before realising that probably wasn't a good idea while he was driving.

"Oh God, please be careful, last thing I want is to die in Steve's car," Robin panics from the back.

"Sorry." You shoot her an apologetic look before turning your attention back to Steve. "That's not cool. You don't have to call him a freak just because he's not someone you would have hung out with. I mean, if we hadn't battled Demogorgons and Russians together you'd probably think Robin and I were freaks too."

"That's not true," Steve shifts in his seat, but you can tell by his facial expression that he knows you're right. 

"So are you two like going on a date or something?" Robin asks, and you see she's fixing her mascara in a small compact mirror. "Oh no… are we all third wheeling? Is it even third wheeling if a whole group of us crashes the date?"

"No, no, nothing like that." You look down and fiddle with the sleeve of your jacket. "He kinda helped me out with something Dustin related yesterday and I just thought it would be nice to invite him along because he and Dustin are so close."

You're not looking at Steve but you can just sense he's rolling his eyes. "Ah yes, Dustin won't shut up about how good he is at Demons and Dinosaurs."

"Dungeons and Dragons, Steve," you smile out the window at his obvious jealousy as he mutters something from next to you.

Eventually you reach the school and you all get out of the car to meet Dustin, even though he's already standing waiting with the school in darkness behind him. "Hey sis, Robin, Steve."

Steve reaches out to ruffle his hair fondly as you take a look around. You had been expecting Eddie to be waiting with him but Dustin was all alone and Steve's car was now the only car in the parking lot. Dustin is looking between the three of you. "What are we waiting for? The land of candyfloss and bright lights awaits."

"Not too much candyfloss for you," Steve points at Dustin's mouth. "Took long enough for those pearly whites to come in, can't have them falling out already."

Dustin narrows his eyes at Steve and you and Robin laugh at the two of them. You hope that it hides any disappointment from your face at the fact that Eddie appears to have gone home. Maybe he had changed his mind in the end, and you hoped he didn't feel awkward after spending time together yesterday. 

"No romantic ferris wheel rides tonight for you then," Steve whispers to you and you elbow him in the side as you all get back into the car. Before you can stop him Dustin has already claimed the front seat and you've now been moved to the back with Robin.

Steve and Dustin are chatting in the front so you take the opportunity to catch up with your friend. "So, have you spoken to Vickie again?" You and Steve are the only two people that Robin opens up to about her dating life.

"Not since I tried to ask if she preferred beans or spaghetti in the cafeteria the other day and accidentally asked her if she preferred speans or baghetti," Robin's cheeks turn a light shade of pink like it's the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to her.

"She probably didn't even notice," you try to be supportive and encouraging because you know Robin is finding it difficult. "I think that if you like her, then you have to give it a try."

"Yeah, but I'm just worried I'm reading the signals wrong." Robin looks around, keeping her voice down so Dustin doesn't overhear. "You ask the wrong person out and the worst that's gonna happen is that it becomes awkward for a few days. I ask the wrong person out and boom! Everyone knows my secret."

You place a hand on her arm. "I know. Well, for now, you can safely vent to me and Steve."

Soon you've arrived at the fair and get parked up in the parking lot. It seems busy already, likely due to the fact that nothing exciting usually happens in Hawkins so people take any opportunity for a little fun.

Standing at the gate waiting, skateboard propped up against her leg is Max. She has her headphones on and looks bored. You all say hello and head through the gates.

"You doing alright?" You hang back behind the rest of the group as Max rewinds the tape that's in her walkman. "Did you speak to Ms Kelley today?" 

"Yeah, but it's not exactly productive," Max sighs, and you can see from her face that she looks more troubled than usual. "She's a high school counselor, I don't think she's trained to deal with whatever the hell kind of trauma that watching your brother get torn apart by a fifty foot monster leaves you."

You give her a sad smile. "You know where I am if you need anything. Even if it's just a girls night in with Robin and I and we bring the movies."

Max nods as you catch up to the others. You take in the bright lights and colors of the various rides, with the air filled with the sounds of fairground music and screaming kids. The smell has always been your favorite and reminds you of happier times as a kid. 

You notice a familiar face in Erica Sinclair who is standing with a group of her friends, holding an ice cream cone. "She probably threatened them into giving her that cone for free," Steve mumbles and you and Robin nod in agreement. It's reminding you of your time working at Scoops Ahoy, something which you'd also really enjoyed but more because of their company rather than the actual job. You, Steve and Robin came as an employee three pack now. "Do not attract her attention," Steve warns and you all try and venture the opposite way.

Dustin's eyes fall on a ride named Thriller, which looks to be half ghost train and half rollercoaster. He watches as the people currently riding it come to a stop and file off before turning back to your group. "We have to try this one."

You pay for two tickets, handing one to your brother and offering the other to Robin and Steve. You want to check out a few more things before going on any of the rides.

Robin nervously shakes her head. "I'm far too uncoordinated for that, I'd be on the floor two seconds after stepping off."

You look at Steve but he's busy staring at a group of girls leaning against one of the food stalls and shake your head.

"Fine, I'll go."

But just as you're about to board the ride with Dustin, you see a familiar figure walking towards you, looking nervous about approaching the group. Dustin cocks his head to the side as he too recognises him. "Eddie?"

"Henderson," Eddie gives Dustin's shoulder a quick pat before looking at you. "Or should I say, Hendersons."

"Hey Eddie," you smile, as he looks at the others. Robin gives a small wave, Max doesn't look at all bothered that he's even here and Steve nods his head at him, which Eddie hesitantly returns.

"What are you doing here?" Dustin asks, still confused but you can hear the excitement in his voice too. He looks Eddie up and down. "Where's your Hellfire shirt… did you go home and change?" Before Eddie even gets a chance to answer, Dustin is scrunching his nose up and sniffing the air. "And you're wearing aftershave?"

"Hey, shithead, are we doing this or what?" Steve senses how awkward the moment has become and interrupts Dustin's interrogation of Eddie, pointing to the ride next to him. The operator is getting ready to close the gate. You give him a thankful smile for distracting him and taking your place.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming, don't get your panties in a twist," Dustin follows after him and you watch as they go and take a seat.

"Uh, so Max and I were gonna go search for some food," Robin looks around at the various stalls, rubbing her hands together. You know full well what she's doing by trying to leave you alone. 

But Max looks confused. "We were? But I'm not even that hun-"

"Yes, we were," Robin is smiling but speaks through gritted teeth as she narrows her eyes at Max. "Come on," she links her arm through Max's and the two of them walk off in the opposite direction, before Max can even begin to protest, as Robin shouts over her shoulder. "We'll catch up with you guys later!"

Eddie watches them go before he turns to you and the two of you begin to walk through the fairground. "OK, so just gonna say it, your friends are weird." You both laugh and you totally agree, but you wouldn't change them for the world. "But so are mine, so I guess we're even. I do have to say, you are not a group I would have expected to see together."

You rub your arm, thinking about how different your life would be if the events in the Upside Down hadn't happened and what your friend group might be like. "Yeah, we kinda got thrown together through some… circumstances, and I guess it stuck."

"Circumstances?" You look at Eddie and he's studying your face, like he's trying to read you more. You don't know how much to tell him, but it's hard to hide away under his intense gaze.

"The um… the Starcourt Mall fire," you say quietly. At least that's how the news had told the story, even though you knew the truth about what had happened to all those people that the Mind Flayer had taken and it had been nothing to do with a fire. 

"Shit, you were in that?" Eddie asks. "Henderson has never mentioned anything."

"Yeah, he doesn't like to talk about it. I don't think I'd have gotten through it if it wasn't for them." Your mind flashes to Billy again and you quickly squeeze your eyes closed, trying to get rid of the images. 

"You know, I'm absolutely terrible at giving advice, probably the worst person you could ask," Eddie begins, but he's smiling softly. "But, if you ever wanted to talk about it with someone who wasn't there, then I can definitely shut up and listen."

"Thank you, I appreciate that." 

Eddie suddenly stops walking. "I'll be back in two minutes." He disappears down the side of one of the rides and moves out of view and you watch after him in confusion. 

You find a bench to sit down on. You can see Dustin and Steve in the distance on the ride. Dustin looks like he's having a great time but Steve not so much. You know he'll probably need at least five minutes after this to fix his hair and chuckle quietly to yourself. 

Robin and Max are nowhere to be seen but you know they'll be fine together.

You watch a small kid trying to hook a duck on one of the game stalls and remember your mom bringing you to the fair when you were younger. There was one teddy you were adamant you had to have, so when your mom couldn't win it, she'd paid extra money to buy it instead to stop you from crying. Now that you were older you realised she was probably trying to compensate for your lack of a happy family.

Eddie returns a few minutes later, holding two toffee apples, one of which he hands to you and you accept with a thanks, before he sits down next to you. "So how was your Hellfire meeting tonight?"

Eddie looks shocked that you're asking and blinks. "It was great, same as always…" He pauses for a moment like he feels he's about to ask a stupid question. "Do you play?"

"No, but I've been trying to learn a bit more about it." You had been working on a surprise for your brother. "Dustin's birthday is coming up soon and well, I saved up my wages to buy him his own set. I'm trying to paint the uh… mini-" You stop, trying to remember what the pieces were called that you had read about.

"Miniatures," Eddie finishes, his face lighting up like you've just brought up his favorite thing in the whole world, before he stands up and paces back and forward in front of you excitedly. "I can absolutely help with that. Anything you need to know about Dungeons and Dragons, I am your man." He bows in front of you and it makes you giggle. "I'll even get you a matching shirt."

"Thanks, but I have one rule that I'm not going to break which is never to wear the same clothes as my brother," you laugh, before taking a bite out of the apple you're holding. "How did you get into it?"

Eddie crosses his arms and looks thoughtful. "You ever found the real world so… normal, that the thought of escaping to this fantasy world…"

You used to find the real world normal, but that was before Eleven, the lab, the Upside Down, things you couldn't even imagine existed. Now you'd be happy if the world stayed normal and even boring.

"That was incredible," Dustin's voice sings happily as he and Steve walk towards where you're sitting. You look up and Steve looks like he's seen a ghost, his face much paler than when you had arrived here. Dustin on the other hand is buzzing with excitement and takes Eddie's arm before steering him in the direction of the rides. "Come on man, we gotta find something else to go on."

You and Steve watch them both go, your eyes lingering on Eddie.

You don't notice at first that Steve is looking at you and shaking his head. "I knew it… you do like him."

"What?" You make a face but you don't say anything else. There's something about Eddie that has you intrigued. Until now you had been too quick to judge him before getting to know him, like everyone else. Maybe it was how easy it was to relax in his company, or the way his eyes sparkled when he smiled…

Steve puts his hands on his waist and sighs. "Our love lives are a shambles."