Lily held her trapper keeper to her chest, weaving through the halls of Hawkins High. She kept her head down, looking at her shoes, careful not to bump into the wrong person in the crowded hallway. She was headed to her Junior year world history class. It seemed like she was in the clear, her classroom in sight, but she wasn't so lucky.

"Hey, Lily," a cheerleader, Erin, called out, "Come here!" The girl smiled, beckoning with her hand for the girl to come toward her group of friends. The group of cheerleaders were crowded around Erin's locker, each of them staring at Lily with devious smiles.

Lily shot them a look of confusion, but shyly walked towards them anyway, "Hey guys, what's up?" She asked as the girls began to snicker among themselves.

"Is it true," Erin asked with a grin, leaning forward like she was sharing a secret, "Did you do it?"

"Huh?" Lily squinted at the question, "I don't know what you're talking about," she looked at each of them to try and get a hint at what they were talking about.

"There's a rumor that you and Tommy H had sex under the bleachers when he and Carol were on a break," Stacy giggled, biting her bottom lip with a pleased look in her eye, "So, is it true?"

Lily quickly shook her head no, "I didn't have sex with Tommy under the bleachers!" She said in a hushed voice, not wanting anyone to hear them.

"Not with Tommy?" Erin snickered, "Then with who?"

"I haven't had sex with anyone!" Lily pleaded, "Who told you that?"

At that moment she felt a pair of hands grab at her waist, "Well if it isn't my bleacher buddy," Tommy H had a shit-eating grin on his face as he leaned his head on Lily's shoulder from behind, "You know, we can turn that rumor into a reality if you want," he whispered in her ear.

Lily felt every muscle in her body tense as she put a hand over the ear he just whispered in. She leaned away from him, trying to escape his grasp, "Don't touch me."

She felt his grip tighten as he chuckled, the vibration against her back sent waves of dread down her spine, "Don't be like that, Lily," Tommy chuckled, drawing attention to the two of them as the crowd in the hall became sparse.

Lily shook her head, fighting against his grip as a voice rang out from down the hall, "Hey, let her go!"

As Tommy turned his head to see who it was, his grip loosened slightly. Lily took that as an opportunity to dig her heel into his foot, and her elbow to his stomach. She broke from Tommy's grasp, only turning a moment to watch him keel over, before running to her classroom door.

She paused a moment, looking back to see who called out. Whoever it was, Tommy was standing toe to toe with him. He was blocking the boy who helped her, but she caught a glimpse of leather and brown hair clutched in Tommy's fist. Lily turned to the teacher's desk, "Mr. Harvey, there's a fight in the hall," Lily told him, not wanting her savior to end up in the Nurse's office. Mr. Harvey stormed out into the hall as Lily took her seat, feeling thankful she'd escaped that encounter unscathed.

That memory was at the back of Lily's mind when she awoke that morning. Looking back at it, she realized it was Eddie that helped her. Now that she thought about it, the three-time senior had been more of a prominent figure in her life than she realized. From continuously offering her rides, to "accidentally" buying an extra copy of the tape she'd been eyeing at Starcourt, and even getting into an after-school fight with Tommy H over a stupid rumor, Eddie had been showing her nothing but kindness from the moment he met her.

And she'd chosen to ignore him, due to her grandmother's personal biases.

She lifted her head, feeling her heartache at the thought of Eddie's selflessness toward her. The early morning sun was peeking between the trees and reflecting on the water. Birds were chirping and frogs were calling out into the crisp morning air. In any other circumstance, she'd be mesmerized by the sight, but today she was just focused on keeping Eddie safe. She looked around for any sign of the aforementioned man, and slightly panicked when she didn't see him asleep on the floor.

She stood, only taking a brief scan of the shed before spotting him snoozing in the small motorboat. Like Steve the evening before, he was gripping the oar in his hands as a weapon. It looked like he'd been acting as a guard in the night, but his body got the best of him and he fell asleep. A small smile came to her as she studied his sleeping features. This version of Eddie, with slightly open lips and a content look across his relaxed features, looked as if he couldn't hurt a fly. This Eddie didn't deserve to be in the spot he was in. Eddie didn't deserve to see what he had seen, to be in that trailer. No, that punishment was not fit for him, and despite what her mind was telling her, it wasn't fit for Lily either.

It wasn't fair.

She looked down at her hands, picking at the side of her nails. That's when she noticed how filthy she was. Her clothes were lightly caked in mud from her breakdown last night, she wrinkled her nose and wiped her hands against her pants, trying to flake some of the grime off. She sighed, but suddenly recalled the empty house they were right outside of. She thought Reefer Rick wouldn't mind if someone used his washing machine while he was away.

She slowly made her way out of the boathouse, careful not to wake Eddie with any noise, and made sure no one was in sight before she jogged toward the house. She went to search for a key but found that the front door was already unlocked. She slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. The sun lit up the dust particles floating around the rooms as she wandered through the house, finding the laundry room near the back of the house. She slipped out of her clothes, leaving her in her underwear as she silently cursed herself for not packing an extra outfit.

There was no way she could go back to her trailer for clothes now. Her grandmother would kill her for staying out and not telling her beforehand, and with none other than Eddie Munson? Oh, lord, the beating she'd get for that- it made her shudder just thinking about it. She played with the possibility of sneaking in through her bedroom window, but the risks of someone spotting her or her grandmother being home swayed her thoughts. With nowhere else to go, Lily stood in a drug dealer's laundry room, praying that no one would see her through the windows as she stood in her bra and underwear.

Feeling all of her nerves clawing at her, she went to Reefer Rick's bedroom, scanning the closet for anything she could find to cover herself. Her hand paused when she came across a long white shirt hanging near the back of the closet. She grabbed the large t-shirt and put it on, it was one of those Marlboro shirts you'd get if you sent back however many cigarette boxes to get a certain prize. The shirt just met her knees, and she was grateful she found something clean that covered everything.

She made her way back to the laundry room after grabbing a sports magazine with a scantily clad woman on the cover. Lily had a feeling that Rick didn't buy this because he liked sports. She sat atop the empty dryer, flipping through the pages, attempting to ignore the ones that seemed a little too crusty than usual- he must've spilled something on it.

Frumpy, that's how Lily felt in comparison to the women in the magazine, with their toned bodies and gorgeous hair.

She was halfway through the magazine when she heard something, a floorboard creak. She felt her breath catch in her throat and held it to see if she could hear anything else. Another creak in the floor signaled that someone was in the house, and they were headed her way. She rolled up the magazine in her hand and slowly got off the dryer, her socked foot was silent against the wooden floorboards. She lifted the magazine behind her with one arm, ready to strike whoever turned the corner. She bit her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes at the hallway, leaning against the doorway so she wouldn't be seen by anyone coming in.

Eddie let out a noise in shock as he turned the corner, spooked by a gasping Lily. She held her hand to her chest, lowering the magazine as she realized who it was, "Geez, Eddie! Way to give me a heart attack."

"Sorry," Eddie said, his eyes moving from her face to what she was wearing, "You were gone when I woke up, and I was worried something happened," he still seemed a bit on edge, but due to their early wake-up time he figured no one would be out to see them, "What are you doing?"

"My clothes were nasty, and I felt gross," She explained, her shoulders lifting to meet her ears as she shuddered, remembering the feeling.

Eddie nodded, his face falling when he noticed the magazine in her hand, "You're going to feel even grosser when I tell you why some of those pages stick together."

Lily tilted her head in confusion, looking at the magazine in question, "What do you mean, I thought he just spilled soda on it or something."

She looked back to Eddie for any guidance. The man just looked at her with a furrowed brow, tilting his head down slightly and widening his eyes when she wasn't getting it. Suddenly, her face bloomed with a mixture of horror and disgust as she looked at the magazine and back at Eddie.

"I need to wash my hands," Lily said, immediately dropping the magazine on the floor.

Eddie scrunched up his nose and nodded, "Yeah, you go do that."

She held her hands out in front of her, careful not to touch any part of her body as she rushed to the bathroom, "That's nasty," She cried, frowning as she scrubbed at her hands furiously.

"Did you have to choose one from the floor?" Eddie asked with a chuckle, leaning against the bathroom door.

"You hush," Lily told him, her frown turning to a look of amusement as she thought about the situation, "Boys are so gross," She flicked her wet hands in the sink after turning off the water- then used her shirt to dry her hands, "Remind me not to touch anything else in here."

Eddie stepped out of her way so she could exit the bathroom. He lingered behind her as she walked back to the laundry room, letting out a small breathy laugh as something came to his mind, "That shirt makes you look like one of the party girls Rick would take home."

Lily's brow furrowed, "Really?" She asked him in a deadpan tone, "Me?" She crossed her arms in front of her when she realized how little clothing she had on and that no one had ever seen her like this before.

Eddie smiled and shook his head, "No, not really. Those girls are a bit more..." He paused and tried to think of the right word, "Immodest. You, however," He began to move his hands around her like he was mimicking her aura, "radiate holiness. I feel like I'm at church camp right now," He joked.

Lily's face fell as she looked toward the ground, pursing her lips and letting them go with a smack as she sighed, "Well, not for long. The whole, trusting in the lord thing," She shook her head, swallowing as she felt a wave of guilt come over her, "hasn't exactly worked out for me."

"Oh," Eddie tilted on his feet awkwardly, not knowing what to say, "Do you want to talk about it, or..."

"Why did you fight Tommy H last year?" Lily asked him suddenly, coming out a bit more aggressive than she intended, "I didn't know you two had a problem with each other," she added to try and lighten the tone.

Now it was Eddie's turn to feel like a deer in headlights, "What?" He asked her, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic.

"There was a rumor going around that Tommy and I had sex," She told him as if he didn't remember, "You nearly fought in the hallway, but you waited until after school and fought in the parking lot. Why?"

Eddie felt like he didn't need to explain himself, "He tried to grope you in the hallway, Lily," he said as if it was common sense, "That was the problem between Tommy and me."

Lily shook her head with a sigh, wanting a further explanation, "But, why? Why fight him because of something that had nothing to do with you? You barely knew me."

"Because of human decency?" He lifted his arms as he shrugged, raising his voice slightly, "I don't know, Lily. Tommy was a dick. He deserved the punches I got in, alright?"

The washing machine let out a loud buzz, signaling that the load was done and cutting off their conversation. Lily nodded, the information swimming in her mind as she moved her clothes from the washer and tossed them in the dryer. While she bent down, Eddie turned his head, respecting her want for modesty as her shirt lifted. The silence was awkward as she leaned against the dryer, "Did you?" Lily asked him, "Get some good punches in?"

A grin spread across Eddie's face as he nodded, "Oh, yeah," he said, seeming pleased as punch, "Got a few in before he kicked my ass. Totally worth it," he smugly held his chin up high, though admitting defeat.

Lily couldn't help but grin as well, "He was a bit of a douche, wasn't he," she giggled.

Eddie went slack-jawed, tilting his head with a smile of disbelief, "Lillian Davis did I just hear that come out of your mouth?" He looked around like he was searching for a witness and let out a scoff, "I can't believe it!"

Lily felt herself blush as she lifted her hand in dismissal, "Stop it, or I'll have some choice words for you too," The smile couldn't leave her face as she watched as Eddie laughed.

"Oh, really?" He raised an eyebrow.

Lily nodded, "Really."

He took a step closer, the distance between them shrinking as Lily leaned back against the dryer, "If you want me to stop, you're going to have to make me," He gave her a sly smile that made the butterflies in her stomach explode.

Lily opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, completely flustered. Eddie looked at her for a moment before a quick breath escaped his nose, "I'm only kidding," He told her, backing up a bit, "I'll leave you to your laundry, Dustin and the rest of them said they'd be coming by sometime today, but they didn't say when. I'll be fine if you want to head home," He scratched the back of his neck, "I know your grandma must be worried about you."

"I'm not going back, Eddie," She told him earnestly, looking down at her feet.

Eddie furrowed his brows, confused, "What do you mean? You have to go home sometime, Lily. Your grandma-"

"I can't," She shook her head, "If I go back to that trailer..." She trailed off, thinking about the things that might happen to her.

"So you want to stay here, with a murder suspect?" Eddie didn't quite understand, "Lily, if they find me, they'll arrest you too."

She sighed, thought a moment, and then shrugged, "Well, harboring a fugitive it is. I'd rather stay here and help you."

"You'd do that for me?" Eddie asked, shocked.

"Of course, I would," She told him, "You're not a criminal, Eddie, you've done nothing wrong."

A small smile came to his face as he hit the doorframe with his knuckles, making Lily's heart flutter. She hadn't seen him like this, the sweet and mild side of Eddie Munson was a rarity to her, "I'm going to head back out to the shed," He told her lingering in the doorway a moment before saying, "Thanks, Davis," and leaving her alone in the house.

-

By the time her clothes finished drying and she got dressed, it was around 8:30 in the morning. She headed back to the boathouse, making sure to quietly announce herself before going inside. She didn't want to get gutted with a broken beer bottle. The two of them sat on opposite sides of the boathouse, Eddie fiddling with his rings and Lily digging through her bag to try and find something to entertain herself with. She could tell Eddie was becoming more on edge as the day went on, flinching at every sound outside that could possibly be human-made. Most of the time it was just a squirrel or rabbit.

When they heard the sound of a car getting closer, Eddie began to curse quietly to himself. He rushed over to Lily's side of the cabin, clutching the broken beer bottle in his hand, and tried to get a glimpse of the car out the window. He held an arm out behind him as Lily stood like he was trying to shield her with himself. Lily thought it was sweet, though she should've been the one shielding him.

The door opened and the two tensed as Dustin Henderson popped out with an armful of grocery bags, the others following suit, "Delivery service," Dustin grinned.

Eddie let out the breath he was holding and lowered his weapon, "You scared the shit out of us," He set the bottle down on the windowsill and ushered the group in, shutting the door behind them. Lily stepped aside and made a space for them to put the bags, thanking them as Steve handed her some breakfast. She went to join Eddie, who moved to sit in the motorboat. He had his forehead in his hand, the poor guy was stressed out of his mind. Lily rested a hand on his back as she sat, trying her best to comfort him.

Two Yoohoos and a box of Post Honeycomb cereal were split between the two runaways. She let Eddie have his go at the cereal box first, figuring the young man hadn't eaten since the night Chrissy died. He dug in, shoving fistfuls of cereal into his mouth and washing them down with the chocolate milk. It was like watching animals feed in a nature documentary, Lily was worried the boy had gone completely feral until he offered her a handful. He transferred the slightly sticky pile of cereal to her open palms, and then looked at the group in front of them.

They just stood there, watching, until Dustin spoke, "So we've got, uh, some good news and some bad news. How do you prefer it?"

"Bad news first, always," Eddie said through a mouthful of cereal. Lily nodded in agreement.

"Alright, bad news," Dustin began, "We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they're definitely looking for you, Eddie. Also," Dustin closed his eyes, almost like a wince, "They're, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy."

"Like, 100% kind of convinced," Max added. The redheaded then looked toward Lily, "Also, your grandma is totally on the fritz- reported you missing and everything. They think you were some sort of accomplice in the murder," Lily's mouth gaped open, why would they think that?

What reason did they have for Lily killing her only friend? "They think I helped kill Chrissy?" Lily asked, and the group nodded. Lily put her head in her hands, her head was racing a mile a minute. She felt Eddie's hand lightly touch her back, just like she did earlier.

"And the good news?" Eddie asked with furrowed brows.

"They haven't released your names to the public, yet," Robin chimed in, "But if we found out about you, it's a matter of time before others do too. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother are gonna be gunning for you," She stated bluntly.

Eddie frowned, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke, "Hunt the freaks, right?"

"Exactly," Robin said.

"So, before that happens, we find Vecna, kill him, and prove you guys' innocence," Dustin explained.

"That's all, Dustin?" Eddie asked sarcastically, "That's all?"

"Yeah, no, that's pretty much it."

Lily let out a groan, lifting her head, "We're screwed."

"Listen," Robin spoke again, "I know everything Dustin is saying sounds kind of delusional, but we've actually been through this kind of thing before," She told them, the two outcasts giving her looks of disbelief, "I mean, they have a few times, and I have once. Mine was more human flesh based, and theirs was more smoke related. But bottom line is, collectively, I really feel like we've got this," She slightly stammered through her unbelievable explanation.

"We usually rely on this girl who has superpowers, but those went bye-bye. So, uh..." Steve brought a hand to his chin to think a moment.

"So, we're technically in more of the--" Robin continued for him, lifting her hands to try and conjure up more words.

"Kind of..." Steve added.

"Brainstorming phase," Max interjected and Steve snapped his fingers in agreement, repeating what she had said.

"There's... There's nothing to worry about," Dustin stammered, brushing off their wary looks. Steve let out a scoff before giving an encouraging smile and nod.

Lily turned her head to look at Eddie, who shared a similar look on his face to hers. A look that read "we're fucked".

Suddenly sirens filled the air, the sound getting closer and closer. Lily's eyes went wide in fear as they all froze for a moment, "Tarp," Robin began to point at the two of them, "Tarp!"

In an instant, Eddie dropped the cereal box, grabbing Lily with one arm and flinging the tarp over them with the other. Lily was pressed against Eddie's chest as they tried to lay as flat as possible at the bottom of the boat. She felt his staggered breaths against her cheek as he gripped her close. Though Lily was afraid of getting caught, she was even more afraid that Eddie could hear her heart's incessantly loud drumming. The noise thrummed in her ears, and the butterflies in her stomach came back with a vengeance. She must've unintentionally let out a whimper or something because Eddie began to shush her gently.

"Don't worry," She heard Eddie whisper, "I'm here, okay? No matter what happens, I'm here."

Lily let out a wavering breath, pressing an ear against Eddie's chest as his fearful grip on her tightened. She could hear his heartbeat, the pace just as quick as hers. In the back of her mind, she wished that this wasn't happening under these circumstances. That in another universe, they weren't holding each other in fear, but in content with each other. They'd be in bed instead of on a boat, and in love instead of on the run. Lily furrowed her brow, cursing her mind for wandering.

When the Bible said love thy neighbor, she was sure it didn't mean it like that.