Chapter Text
The rest of the school day passes in a blur and Chrissy finds she’s lucky to have an extra change of clothes in her gym bag as to not feel uncomfortable sans her underwear.
Her mind wanders during every class and she tries to ignore the stares and whispers that follow her.
Can you believe what happened? Did you hear about Jason and Chrissy? Why was Munson there? Who’s Chrissy’s soulmate then?
Over and over and over again.
No one seemed to actually care about what Chrissy was going through. Jason had lied to her, for months!
And she, well she had lied as well she supposed, and cheated.
Not that it matters now, she thinks sadly.
She didn’t know what she was going to do, how she could make things right with Eddie.
Honestly she didn’t understand what she did wrong. Perhaps she could’ve phrased it a bit better?
Hey Eddie, I know I made it seem like we’re just having a purely physical relationship, but I’m 99% sure that you’re my soulmate so if you could confirm that would be awesome!
Chrissy wants to bang her head against her desk with how stupid she sounded. She feels a tap on her arm and turns to see Nancy Wheeler.
“Hi, I wanted to check-in.” Nancy tilts her head, “Are you alright?”
Chrissy forgot that she and Nancy shared their last class together, but she’s thankful for the brown haired girl.
Chrissy nods and says,“I have about a half-hour before cheer practice.” A sigh, “Could you talk?”
Nancy’s smile is kind, “I have about a half-hour before Newspaper. Let’s go to the library.”
They walk in silence but it’s not awkward as Chrissy would’ve thought. Nancy’s permed hair bounces as she walks head held high.
She wishes that she could be as self-assured as Nancy seemed.
They sit in the back of the library away from prying eyes and curious ears. Chrissy fidgets with the strings on her sweatpants.
Nancy is the first to speak, “So, what’s actually going on?”
Chrissy doesn’t know where to begin, but Nancy nods her on anyway.
“Well, Jason isn’t my soulmate.” Chrissy looks everywhere but at Nancy, “And I’ve obviously known since last Friday.”
“Hmm, and apparently Jason’s known that as well.” Nancy pull out a pen and pad.
“You’re not going to write an article about this are you?” Chrissy worries.
“While this is definitely Hot Gossip, I wouldn’t publish such an intimate story without all party’s approval.”
Nancy clarifies, “I just find writing keeps things organized.”
Chrissy breathes a bit more relieved and adds, “I’m pretty sure I know who my soulmate is though.”
She closes her eyes and prays that Nancy won’t question further.
“It’s Eddie Munson.” A matter of fact.
Chrissy gasps, “What? Why would you say that?”
Nancy just laughs quietly, “You two are not discreet you know? Plus Steve told me you guys ‘hung out’ on Friday?”
She actually uses finger quotes for “hung out” and Chrissy blushes.
“It’s not like that!” Liar it was exactly like that.
“Plus him coming to your rescue today? Eddie likes to cause a ruckus, but doesn’t typically care for the ‘popular drama’.” More finger quotes.
“He’s just a nice person.” Chrissy argues quietly.
“I don’t disagree, but why you Chrissy? You two aren’t exactly friends.”
Chrissy knows that Nancy is right. She isn’t friends with Eddie.
They do spent time together.
One night and then she basically dragged him into two sexual encounters!
She doesn’t even really know him.
But, she does a bit. She knows that he lives with his uncle because his mom died and his dad is in jail.
She knows that his favorite metal band is Dio but Metallica is a close second Chrissy!
She knows that he’s the one to fix things around the trailer and is looking for a more acceptable job to help his uncle.
She knows that she likes how energetic and unpredictable he can be. She knows that she likes how the Freshman seem to follow him around and hang on his every word.
She just, likes him and not because his initials are imprinted on her skin either.
She wishes that they had actually spoken to each other before Friday, so maybe her conclusions wouldn’t seem so much like an after thought.
“I like him, Nancy.” Chrissy sighs, “And not just because he is my soulmate, but you’re right in that.”
Her eyes meet Nancy’s and there’s a glimmer of solidarity.
“I know how you feel.”
Chrissy can see her rub her palm with the J.B. is etched.
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
Chrissy's eyes shine with something akin to hope.
Chrissy preforms during cheer like it was any other practice. She is head cheerleader for a reason and reminds the younger girls of this.
The girls seem to want to bombard her with questions after practice, but she holds them off with the iciest glare she can manage.
Which, to be fair, isn’t much but she still tries.
“Alright you wannabes, leave her alone.”
Stacy says practically dragging Chrissy away from the rest of the team.
“So,” the bleach-blonde girl starts placing a piece of gum in her mouth, “Are you going to tell me what’s up or keep me hanging?”
Stacy offers a piece of gum to Chrissy who declines.
You look like a cow with all that chewing. Not to mention the sugar!
“I just don’t know where to start.” She replies honestly.
“Well, how about you stay over my house tonight?”
Chrissy starts to protest but Stacy holds her hand up, “I don’t care that it’s a school night and you need to do your homework or whatever. You know Principal Higgins will pass you because you’re cheer captain.”
She had a point and was looking at Chrissy with a fake tear in her green eyes and pouted lips.
“Alright, I’ll call my mom at your house.” She caves.
Stacy’s house was always loud with her three younger brothers screaming all the time, but Chrissy found that she enjoyed the chaos.
Stacy’s mom tried to feed her two pieces of meatloaf and actually looked sad when Chrissy politely said, “No, thank you” and her dad really played with the younger boys after dinner instead of just siting on the La-Z-Boy and watching the news.
Chrissy’s heart aches for all the could and should be’s when she’s with Stacy’s family.
“Chris, let’s go.” Stacy motions with her chipped polish.
For all of her pretense on Friday about “keeping the status quo”, Stacy is surprisingly understanding.
“I might not like, get it, but if the drug dealer is your soulmate then who am I to judge?” Both hands thrown in the air.
“Calling him the drug dealer instead of his name is very judgmental Stacy.” Chrissy says but laughs anyway.
Stacy throws a pillow at her head, "Whatever!"
Chrissy lays back on Stacy’s bed looking up at a poster of Patrick Swayze.
“I have to talk to him, clear things up.”
“Oh, you can’t just ‘hit it and quit it’?” Stacy jabs.
Chrissy scoffs, “Of course not! It’s bad enough that’s basically what Eddie thinks I’m doing.”
“Right, you want that headbanger to know you like, have feelings for him, gag.”
Stacy pretends to stick a finger down her throat.
“Ugh, what happened to you being supportive and not judgmental?” Chrissy groans.
“Okay, okay. Peace offering.” Stacy begins, “I help you do like, the most romantic gesture. Even better than when Claire gave Bender her earring!”
“And what could top that?” Chrissy deadpans.
Stacy huffs and squeezes her eyes shut thinking, “Yeah, I’ve got nothing.”
Chrissy wants to pull out her hair. Is there really nothing I could do?
“We could dress you up like Joan Jett or Siouxsie? Pull a Grease?” Stacy offers and Chrissy laughs.
“I’d never look good in that.”
“Then you’re really on your own Chris.”
And Chrissy supposed she was.
Tuesday presented the same issues that Monday did and Jason was still trying to get her to be with him.
“Chrissy please, I know we can work through this!”
She ripped her arm away from his grasp. “Jason, we aren’t soulmates and even if we were.”
She took a deep breath, ”I don’t think that I’d want to be with you.”
He just stares, like always. “But Chrissy. I made it so we could be together, no matter what.”
His eyes search her face desperately.
She just shakes her head, “Don’t you see how messed up that is? Why force two people who aren’t fated and ignore our real matches?”
She tries to convince him, “What are your actual initials?”
Jason looks like he’s about to cry and Chrissy almost pities him, almost.
He goes to lift up his basketball shorts and there on the back of his upper thigh are the letters T.T. small, but visible.
“Don’t tell me it’s Tammy Thompson!” She just about screams, What a scandal!
But Jason shakes his head. “No, it’s not her. I, I asked her after she sang during the pep rally.”
Chrissy does feel sad now.
He doesn’t know. His soulmate might not even be in Indiana!
“Jason, I’m sorry, honestly, but we can’t keep pretending.”
She hugs her arms around herself, “Besides, I do know my soulmate and I-”
She closes her eyes to avoid his gaze, “I want to be with him.”
After a few beats of hearing nothing but their shared breathing she opens her eyes.
Jason’s fist is balled, but she doesn’t think he’ll hurt her.
“It’s him isn’t it?” It’s quiet but she can still feel the venom in the words.
“Who?” She asks even though she knows the answer.
“That complete waste of space, burnout.”
Chrissy’s surprised he maintains the same low tone.
“I should’ve known something was off. That freak is constantly staring at you and has been for almost two years now!”
Jason does half-scream that last part.
Two years? Eddie’s known about me for two years?
She realizes that of course he must’ve known, he is practically two years older than her.
But to not say anything? Even after her last Friday?
Chrissy recalls Eddie’s saddened face as he said “But the girl isn’t mine.”
He must not think he’s Chrissy’s soulmate!
She really wants to berate herself for not saying anything earlier. All their previous interactions make her feel worse.
“Jason, I am sorry, but I need to go.” She doesn’t wait to hear his response.
She tries to look for him all day, but it doesn’t seem like he came to school today.
Wonder why ice queen.
She doubts that she’ll see him in lunch, but one can hope. Chrissy walks with her mind still struggling to find any words that might help her situation when a young redhead blocks her path.
“Oh, excuse me!” She jumps, but the redhead doesn’t move.
“Um, can I help you?” Chrissy says awkwardly.
“You’re Chrissy Cunningham, right?”
“Yes, and you are?”
A huff, “Someone that had to listen to pitiful music all night from the trailer across from mine.”
She’s the definition of a ‘fiery redhead’ my goodness.
“I’m sorry?” Chrissy offers.
“Yeah I’d guess it’s because of you, so here you go.” The girl hands Chrissy a folded paper with her initials C.C. on it.
“He practically had to beg me to give you this, the coward.”
An eye roll from the younger girl.
Her mind tries to make sense of this interaction. Wait trailer?
“It’s from Eddie?” She has to regulate her vocal range.
“Who else, Uptown Girl?”
She really didn’t want this conversation to last did she?
“Oh well, thank you?”
Another huff, “Max.”
Chrissy gives a grateful smile, “Thank you Max, really!”
The freckled girl gives another eye roll, but smiles softly and half waves as Chrissy walks off.
Her hands are shaking as she opens the paper.
Melethril nîn,
I’m sorry, I can’t be the prince as I’m just the squire.
Gerog i chûn nîn (mi i chaim gîn)
E.M.
She tries to re-read the letter, but she doesn’t know what language this was.
Greek? And who said she was looking for a prince anyway?
She feels heat in her cheeks from anger and now agrees with Max that he was a coward to write this and not speak to her himself.
She doesn’t stop until she reaches Eddie’s usual table and recognizes the younger boys Dustin, Mike, and Lucas.
“Do you know where he is?” She demands.
“Whoa, we get to speak with Chrissy Cunningham AGAIN.” Mike says awed.
“Uh, he’s not in school today.” She looks at one of the older boys, Gareth?
She shakes her head and sighs.
“Will you play at the Hideout tonight? It’s Tuesday nights, right?” She hopes.
A cough, “Uh yeah, we should still play. At 7.”
Another boy, Jeff? She really needs to know their names.
“Ah thank you!” She smiles.
She’ll speak with him then for sure.
Gareth, she thinks says ,“Holy shit, Chrissy Cunningham is coming to see us!”
Dustin rolls his eyes and snarks, “She wants to see Eddie, idiot.”
Chrissy's eyebrows shoot up and she goes to sit next to Dustin, who blushes.
“You’re smart right? Do you know other languages?”
She watches his eyes go wide and say, “Ah, yes I can speak Spanish, French, and I learned some Latin last summer to converse with my lovely Suzie.”
She hears Mike and Lucas groan, but she just smiles handing him the note.
“Great, do you think you can translate this?”
She watches as he lipreads the note, his eyes going wider than they already were.
“Oh Shit.”
This worries Chrissy, “What? What does this say?”
Dustin shakes his head, “I’m sorry Chrissy, but my Elvish is super rusty.”
“I have no idea what that means.” Her heart drops.
Mike adds, “It’s one of the languages of Middle Earth.”
She gives a weak smile and shake of her head.
“From Lord of the Rings?”
She must look like a deer in headlights because the boys just sigh and she sees Lucas hit his head.
“Too bad Will is in California he, like, can speak fluently.”
Chrissy wants to bang her head against the table, why is this so difficult?
Dustin lightly taps her shoulder, “Don’t worry, I think I have a copy that might help you. Could you come over to my house after school?”
Chrissy lights up and nods. Her luck just might be changing.
Dustin, she's reminded, is super talkative and doesn't stop even when he hands her The Languages of Tolkien's Middle Earth.
“Luckily you don't need to read any of the other books before looking at this. But if you wanted to borrow them, I have the entire trilogy and The Hobbit, although I recommend reading The Hobbit first before Fellowship even if it's more popular."
Chrissy's head is spinning and all she can do is halfheartedly agree.
"I know you two will clear things up!" Dustin chimes in, "You two are like Beren and Lúthien or maybe Eowyn and Faramir."
Chrissy stares blankly, but he keeps going "No! Definitely Samwise and Rosie."
She smiles kindly but says, "Dustin, I'm sorry but I really have no idea what you're talking about."
He laughs and leads her out of the house, "Good Luck, Chrissy!"
Holding the book tightly in her hands she agrees. Checking her watch to see that she only had about 2.5 hours before Corroded Coffin would get on stage she practically runs back home.