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"NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

Billy shot a playful, exaggerated look at Isadora as he steered the car toward Family Video, the tension of their banter filling the small space between them. They were supposed to be having a movie night, but picking a film had become a bit of a challenge.

"Come on, Issi, you've rejected every single movie I've suggested," Billy said, his voice tinged with frustration. "I thought it was your turn to pick tonight."

Isadora shrugged, glancing out the window at the passing streetlights. "Yeah, it's my night, but I'm just not sure what I'm in the mood for yet."

Billy sighed as he pulled into the parking lot of Family Video. The neon sign buzzed faintly, casting a warm glow over the car as he shifted into park. "Well, we can't stand in here all night, you know. You'll have to pick something eventually."

They stepped out of the car, the cool evening breeze brushing against them as they made their way to the entrance. The bell above the door jingled as they stepped inside, catching Steve's attention. He stood behind the counter, arms crossed, eyebrows raised, clearly surprised to see them so soon.

"Didn't expect to see you two until later tonight," Steve remarked, leaning on the counter with an amused look on his face. "What are you doing here already?"

"Now, is that any way to greet your best friend?" Isadora teased, strolling up to the counter with a mischievous grin. Steve rolled his eyes, but a small smile crept onto his face as she continued, "We're here to pick a movie for the night."

Billy, standing beside Isadora, chimed in, "I've already suggested a bunch, but she's vetoed every single one."

Isadora shot him an exaggerated eye roll before turning back to Steve. "I'm just waiting for the right one to jump out at me."

Well, Fast Times is always a good option," Steve suggested with a smirk, clearly proud of his go-to movie pick.

"I already suggested that," Billy grumbled, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "She shot it down."

"Because we just watched it at our last movie night, when it was your turn to pick, William," Isadora quipped, raising an eyebrow at Billy and smirking as she emphasised his full name. Billy blinked in surprise, and Steve chuckled.

"Wait, since when do you call him William?" Steve asked, amused. "And how did you guys get here? I thought Billy's car was still in the shop, and Issi, you're still driving that beat-up junker of yours, right?"

Billy sighed, shaking his head as he leaned against the counter. "Good luck convincing Issi to get rid of that car. She's practically in love with it."

Isadora gave a small, wistful smile, avoiding their eyes for a moment. She didn't want to get into why she cherished the car so much, "Yeah, I adore that car, and I'm pretty sure I can fix it."

"Issi," Billy began softly, his tone a little more serious, "you've been saying that for months. Every time you fix one thing, another problem pops up. Maybe it's time to let it go. You deserve a car that doesn't break down every other week."

Isadora sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Billy noticed the slight change in her mood and quickly softened his tone. "I'm not trying to upset you, Princess," he murmured, reaching out to squeeze her hand gently. Isadora smiled at the endearing nickname and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze in return before wandering off toward the shelves to start browsing.

Billy watched her go, concern flickering in his eyes. He didn't want to push her about the car; he knew it meant something to her, even if she wouldn't say why. Shaking his head, he turned back to Steve, who was still smirking at him.

"She's stubborn, but you already know that," Billy muttered.

"Yeah, she's always been like that," Steve replied with a chuckle, leaning against the counter.

Meanwhile, Isadora smiled as she spotted Kendra and Robin restocking shelves nearby. "Hey, Ken! Didn't know you were working today," she called out, walking over to join them.

Kendra groaned in mock frustration as Isadora started flipping through VCRs, "Isa, I just finished organising this shelf!"

"Sorry," Isadora laughed, her fingers already flipping through the rows of VCRs. "I'm just trying to find something for movie night."

Kendra gave her a sympathetic look. "What about Grease? I know you love that one."

Isadora paused, considering the suggestion. "Grease is a classic, but I don't know... I'm in the mood for something different."

Billy joined them, hands in his pockets as he stood behind Isadora. "I've tried making suggestions," he said, exasperated. "But she's rejected every single one."

Isadora turned and shot him a teasing look. "Your suggestion was Fast Times, which we've watched more times than I can count."

"And we can always watch it again," Billy teased with a grin.

"Nope. Not happening, William," Isadora said, firmly shaking her head as she continued browsing.

Robin, overhearing the conversation, called out from across the store. "Doctor Zhivago!" she suggested enthusiastically.

Isadora looked over at her, wincing slightly as a dull ache started throbbing at her temples. Steve, standing nearby, raised his voice as he and Robin began discussing movie picks, making the ache worse.

"You okay, love?" Billy asked, concern lacing his voice as he gently touched her back.

Isadora gave a quick nod, trying to shake off the discomfort. "Yeah, just a little headache. I'll be fine."

Robin, oblivious to the tension, continued her enthusiastic pitch. "But it's about doomed love! And Julie Christie is like, absurdly beautiful. Seriously, the most gorgeous creature ever."

As Robin flicked on the TV to show a scene from the movie, Isadora rubbed her temples again, the throbbing in her head intensifying. She took a deep breath and walked away from Billy, making her way over to where Robin and Steve stood. As she reached them, the TV switched from the movie to a sudden news report that captured everyone's attention.

The reporter's voice crackled through the screen: "We're here in Forest Hills Trailer Park in East Roane County, where the body of a Hawkins High student was discovered early this morning. Police have not released the victim's name..."

Isadora's heart sank as a cold, uneasy feeling spread through her chest. She and Billy exchanged a look, both of them sensing that something was very wrong.

"What the hell?" Isadora muttered under her breath, her stomach twisting into knots.

"Holy shit," Steve added, his eyes glued to the screen as the group huddled closer to watch the report unfold.

"As you can see behind me, Chief Powell and the Hawkins Police Department are actively investigating the scene..." the reporter continued, her voice serious. The camera zoomed in on the scene, showing the flashing lights of police cars and the ominous sight of a covered body being wheeled away.

Isadora crossed her arms over her chest, trying to quell the growing sense of dread. The bad feeling in her gut settled in deeper as the screen flashed images of the crime scene. She turned away from the TV, needing a distraction, and wandered back to the shelves, but the news report lingered in the back of her mind like an itch she couldn't scratch.

Billy followed her, his hand gently brushing her shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay, Issi?" he asked softly. "You don't look so good."

Isadora hesitated for a moment, picking up a random VCR from the shelf and staring at it without really seeing it. "I'm just... a little shaken, I guess," she admitted, setting the VCR back down.

"What's going on? Is it just the news, or something else?" Billy pressed, his tone gentle.

"I don't know," Isadora murmured, shaking her head. "It's probably nothing, but I just have a bad feeling about that report."

"What kind of bad feeling?" Billy asked, frowning.

Isadora glanced over her shoulder at the TV, her stomach still churning. "I can't explain it... I just feel like something's wrong."

Billy nodded, understanding her instinct. He didn't push further, sensing that she wasn't ready to talk about it. Instead, he let her be, watching as she grabbed another VCR from the shelf.

"A horror movie? That's not like you," Billy noted, his brow furrowing.

Isadora gave a weak smile and shrugged. "It looks interesting."

Billy touched her forehead, checking if she was running a fever. "You sure you're not sick?" he teased.

"I'm not sick. The movie just looks interesting," Isadora retorted, swatting Billy's hand away as he tried to check her temperature. She gave him a playful glare, but the growing ache in her head was making it harder to focus. Billy frowned, clearly unconvinced, but before he could respond, the bell above the shop door jingled, and both of them turned to see who had entered.

Dustin, Ellie, and Max hurried inside, looking rushed and tense. Isadora immediately broke into a smile despite the discomfort gnawing at her. "Ellie! You're back from California?" she called out, stepping forward with excitement.

Ellie returned the smile, though it was a bit more subdued. "Yeah, just for spring break. I'm staying with Max," she replied, her voice warm but distracted.

Isadora didn't hesitate, closing the distance between them to wrap Ellie in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again," she said, holding on for a moment longer before pulling away.

"You too," Ellie said, her smile widening as she hugged her back, though her eyes flicked nervously toward the others.

"Hey, Steve," Ellie greeted casually as they made their way toward the counter. Steve was already focused on the TV behind him, where the same disturbing news report from earlier was still playing.

"You guys see this?" Steve asked, gesturing toward the screen, his eyes narrowed in concern. The group's attention was instantly drawn to the ongoing broadcast.

"How many phones do you have?" Dustin suddenly asked, ignoring the news report and glancing at Steve with a determined look on his face.

"Someone was murdered," Steve muttered, not understanding the urgency in Dustin's voice.

"How many phones do you have?" Dustin repeated, this time with more insistence.

Steve blinked, confused. "Uh, two. Why?"

"Technically three," Robin chimed in from behind the counter, not looking up from what she was doing. "If you count Keith's."

"Three works," Dustin nodded decisively.

Billy, sensing that something serious was brewing, glanced at Max, who had been unusually quiet. "Max, what are you three up to?" he asked, his voice low but firm, his protective instincts kicking in.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked at the same time, frowning as he watched Dustin yank his backpack off and start rummaging through it with purpose.

Before anyone could react, Dustin suddenly jumped over the counter, sending a stack of VCR tapes flying in every direction.

"Hey! What the hell, man?" Steve shouted, rushing forward in disbelief as his meticulously arranged piles of tapes were now scattered across the floor.

"My pile!" Robin groaned, glaring at Dustin while she bent down to retrieve some of the tapes that had fallen.

"No, no, no, my tapes! Dude, what are you doing?" Steve cried, hands in his hair, as Dustin shoved the tapes aside and started typing rapidly on the computer.

"I'm setting up base operations here," Dustin muttered, his fingers flying across the keys as if the urgency of his task justified his destruction of the shop's order.

"Base of operations?" Steve echoed, his voice rising in frustration. "For what?"

"I need it to find Eddie's friends' phone numbers," Dustin explained without looking up, his tone impatient.

Steve, clearly still irritated, gave Dustin a glare. "You've gotta be kidding me, Henderson. You're not setting up base operations in my video store," he snapped, but Dustin didn't seem to care. He was too focused.

Meanwhile, Billy leaned over and nudged Isadora gently. "Is Steve jealous?" he whispered with a grin, though his eyes lingered on Steve's tense face.

Isadora, rubbing her temples to ease the pressure building in her head, sighed. "I can't tell if it's jealousy or if he just feels like Dustin's replaced him with Eddie," she replied quietly, the weight of the growing headache making her wince. Billy's smile faltered as he noticed her discomfort.

"Seriously, guys," Robin interrupted, her eyes scanning the scattered tapes with a mix of annoyance and resignation. "Maybe on a Monday you can play around like toddlers, but it's Saturday—our busiest day."

Dustin, not missing a beat, glanced up for a split second. "I get it, Robin, but this can't wait until Monday."

"And why, exactly, is calling Eddie's friends suddenly an emergency?" Robin asked, crossing her arms as she looked from Dustin to Max, her suspicion growing.

"Because it is," Dustin said curtly, returning his attention to the computer.

Steve looked like he was about to explode, his hands thrown in the air in frustration. "Do you want to strangle him, or should I?" he asked, glaring at Robin.

Robin, not missing a beat, shrugged. "We could take turns," she replied dryly, glancing down at Dustin's backpack as it spilled out more tapes.

Billy chuckled at their banter, but his smile faded when he noticed Isadora rubbing her neck again, her face paling. His brow furrowed in concern. "Issi, are you sure you're okay?" he asked softly, leaning in closer.

Isadora quickly lowered her hand and nodded, trying to put on a brave face. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, though her voice was a little more strained than usual.

Billy wasn't convinced, but before he could say more, Max, who had been silent for most of the exchange, spoke up. "Can we just focus for a second? There's something we need to explain."

Robin crossed her arms, clearly growing impatient. "Alright, fine. Explain what?"

Max hesitated for a moment, glancing at Dustin as if she wasn't sure how much to say. Isadora, sensing the tension in Max's posture, felt a sinking feeling in her gut. "Is this about what happened at the trailer park?" she asked, her voice quieter now, the weight of her suspicion pressing down on her.

Max glanced up, startled that Isadora had hit the nail on the head so quickly. Slowly, she nodded. "Yeah. It's about that."

"Do you know something?" Kendra asked, stepping up beside Isadora, her expression mirroring everyone else's growing concern.

Isadora shook her head. "No, I just remember what we heard on the news earlier," she said, her eyes drifting back to Max. "But you do, don't you?"

Max swallowed hard, her voice low when she finally spoke. "I ... I saw Chrissy's body in Eddie's trailer this morning."

The weight of her words hung heavy in the air as everyone processed what she had just said. Isadora's eyes widened in shock. "What? Are you sure?"

Max nodded slowly, her face pale. "She was still in her cheerleading uniform. The same one she was wearing when I saw her with Eddie last night."

Steve's face went slack with horror, but it was Billy who spoke first. "And you told the cops, right?"

Max hesitated, shaking her head. "No. But Dustin doesn't think Eddie did it. We can't just assume he's guilty ... but it doesn't look good, finding her body in his trailer like that."

"And that's why you're trying to get in touch with his friends?" Kendra asked, her brow furrowing as she tried to piece it together.

"Exactly," Max replied. "Eddie freaked out. He ran. I don't know if he was scared because he did it, or—"

"Or something else did," Kendra finished, glancing between them.

Max nodded grimly. "Either way, we need to find him. We need to hear his side of the story."

The group exchanged uneasy glances. Isadora's mind was racing as flashes of the past—of the Mind Flayer, the Upside Down, and everything that had happened—played in her head. It made her tense, her body instinctively going on high alert.

"Then let's find Eddie," Isadora said, her voice steady but the underlying anxiety was clear. The group nodded in agreement, and within moments, everyone was on the phones, trying to track down leads while also juggling the occasional customer.

As the others scattered around the store, Billy walked up to Isadora again, his face serious. "Issi, what if Eddie is responsible for Chrissy's death?" he asked quietly, his voice filled with genuine concern.

Isadora turned toward him, rubbing her nose absentmindedly. She froze as she noticed a small smear of blood on her hand, and her heart skipped a beat. Quickly, she wiped it away before Billy could see, forcing a calm expression as she shrugged.

"I don't want to believe that he is," she admitted, glancing back at the others. "But if it turns out he did it ... then we'll have to turn him in, but he's my friend, Billy. I want to give him the chance to prove his innocence before we jump to conclusions."

Billy studied her for a moment before nodding. "Okay," he said simply, trusting her judgment.

Suddenly, Max called out from across the room. "Hey, guys, I think I might have something."

Everyone turned toward her as she spoke. "Apparently, Eddie sometimes gets his drugs from this guy named Reefer Rick, and he's been known to crash at his place."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like a lead, but where does this Reefer Rick guy live?"

Max sighed. "That's the problem. No one really knows. He's more of a legend than someone people actually know."

"Great," Steve muttered, running a hand through his hair. "What about a last name?"

"No one has that either," Max admitted, glancing down.

Steve thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "The cops probably know. If this guy's a dealer, he's probably been busted before. His name would be in the system."

"Really, Steve? You want to involve the cops already?" Dustin asked incredulously, turning from the computer to glare at him.

"Eddie's our friend," Isadora reminded him, crossing her arms.

Steve threw his hands up defensively. "I'm not saying we call them right away, but it's an option if we hit a dead end."

"You think Eddie's guilty, don't you?" Dustin accused, narrowing his eyes.

"Whoa, hold on," Steve said, shaking his head. "I believe in innocent until proven guilty, okay? But we can't rule out the possibility."

"That's what we're trying to figure out, Steve," Dustin snapped, his frustration bubbling over.

Isadora winced as another sharp pain shot through her head. She pressed her fingers against her temples, trying to massage the ache away, but it wasn't letting up. She felt Billy's worried eyes on her but pushed through the discomfort.

"Maybe we should let Eddie explain himself before we even consider the cops," Kendra suggested, stepping forward.

"Agreed," Isadora added, nodding toward Kendra as she glanced back at the others.

Robin, who had been typing away at the computer, suddenly interrupted. "Hey, wait a second. We don't need a last name. There are twelve Ricks with accounts here."

"Twelve?" Max asked, surprised.

Robin smirked. "Yep. Let's narrow it down."

The group huddled around as Robin began going through the list, reading out the rentals.

"Rick Alderman's latest rentals are Annie and Dumbo," Robin read, glancing at the screen. "Family guy. Probably not our man."

"Not likely," Billy agreed.

"Rick Conroy rented Sixteen Candles, Teen Wolf, and Romancing the Stone."

"Nope," the group chorused.

"Rick Joiner rented Mask, Footloose, and Grease," Robin continued, making Billy grin at Isadora.

"Sounds like your kind of movies, Issi," he teased. "Are you secretly a drug dealer?"

Isadora shot him a playful glare. "No."

Robin scrolled through more names before landing on something interesting. "Rick Lipton rented Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Cheech & Chong's Next Movie, Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams, and Up in Smoke."

Billy's eyes lit up. "That sounds like our guy."

Robin nodded. "Lipton. Spelled like the tea. 2121 Holland Road."

Steve's eyebrows shot up. "That's near Lover's Lake. Middle of nowhere."

"It's a perfect place to hide," Robin added, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Without wasting any more time, the group sprang into action. They quickly locked up the video store and piled into Steve's car, all of them squeezing in as they sped off toward Lover's Lake, tension thick in the air.

As they drove, Isadora sat quietly, staring out the window as a cold sense of dread curled in her stomach. She didn't know what they would find when they got to Eddie, but the unease gnawing at her told her that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

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Enjoy! Xo

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