’86 Baby!

Nancy looked down at the paper in front of her. Her hands trembled. The graduation tassel hanging on the side of her face was way more distracting than it should have been. Throughout her high school career, she had strived to be class valedictorian. Under different circumstances, she would have been ecstatic. She had written this speech as a freshman in preparation for the big day. Now no amount of revising could save these empty words.
“As you all know…it’s been a…a challenge…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the crowd of Hawkins, all in graduation robes and with somber faces. So many empty chairs. So many tears. It was an emotional day, but in a different way than most graduations.
Parents still crowded in the back to support students who were there despite their own child’s chair being empty. The parents whose children were in attendance dripped of survivor’s guilt. Many students cast longing looks at empty seats, where friends should have been, which held decorated graduation caps and flowers, a tribute to those who should have been there.
Nancy’s heartbeat pounded in her ears and she felt her own cheeks get hot with oncoming tears. She sniffed back a sob and it rand through the microphone in the deafening silence. Looking around she saw her classmates cast their eyes downward. The cheer squad ducked heads showing her photos of Chrissy on their caps. The basketball team had done the same for Jason. Many other black graduation caps held similar memorials. Towards the back where families sat, she saw Hopper and Joyce holding hands behind the row of children she had come to love. Her eyes found Steve, who tried to force an encouraging smile, but it didn’t have the same effect with the way he was squeezing Dustins shoulder. The curly-haired boy looked haunted at his place at the end of the aisle, his hellfire shirt peeking out from his button-up. Lucas was at the hospital with Max, but the other boys and Eleven had shown up to pay their respects.
That’s was this was. Not a celebration, but a funeral. She squeezed her eyes shut and then with a frustrated sigh, she tore the speech up in half.
“Fuck this,” she muttered into the microphone, the crowd stirred slightly. “Let’s not pretend this is a joyous day. It’s not. It sucks. So many of us aren’t here and those of us that are would give anything to have them back. This ceremony is pointless.
There was a slight murmuring through the crowd, a few scandalized looks but most nodded in agreement.
“So let’s change this up. None of the two roads diverged, oh the places you’ll go, we are the future BS.” Several shouts of agreement echoed through the crowd. “Today let’s recognize everyone who isn’t here. Let today be a day of honor and memory of the amazing people we wish were joining us today.” She sucked in a deep breath to fight back a sob, ” And let’s just all make a vow to each other to do something with the fact that we were left behind. The world is such a darker place without their light. Let’s all just promise to try and make it a little better.”
The auditorium erupted in cheers. “For Jason, ” a basketball player cried out. “For Chrissy!” several girls voices cut through. A slew of names rang across the room as tears fell and fists were raised. Across the graduate heads, she almost saw Dustin smile.
She stepped away from the podium as the principal stepped forward, giving her a nod. The crowd quieted as he cleared his throat into the microphone. “That was beautiful, Miss Wheeler.” he whispered. She gave him a small smile and left the stage to sit with her classmates.
“We have decided, ” the principal said seriously, “in honor of those no longer with us, to still call every name on this list. We ask that they be celebrated in the same way that those who will be receiving diplomas are, for if not for the tragedy of late, they would be handed one as well. They aren’t here to shake my hand, but they well earned it just the same. “
Some claps rose and fell as the names began to be called. As promised, not a name was skipped, and those names were met with claps and cheers, the same as the rest.
“Paul Martin.”
Nancy looked back at Dustin as the M’s started. He had already begun to cry and Steve had pulled his head to his shoulder in comfort, rubbing the young boy’s back.
“Daisy Mullins.”
Looking even further behind them, she caught sight of Eddie’s uncle. Wayne Munson was sitting off to the side, all the way in the back, his face looked to be set in stone. Nancy’s heart broke. She had only known Eddie a short time, but it killed her to see Dustin’s usual perky smiling face so overcome with grief. She turned back around, wiping her own eyes.
“Eddie Munson”
The crowd sporadically clapped, definitely less enthusiastically than they had for others given most of the town’s unjustified satanic panic hatred of the boy. Nancy let out a loud yelp of celebration and clapped even harder, hearing Dustin and the Hellfire group do the same.
“86 baby!”
Nancy froze as the crowd fell silent. Her head whipped back where the voice had come from and saw a sea of heads swivel along with her.
There, like an unearthly ghost, stood Eddie Munson, fist in the air, a grin on his face. He was exactly as they had left him. Dirt smudged his appearance, blood stained his Hellfire shirt and dried to his face darkly against his twinking eyes. The only difference was a clean black graduation robe thrown on like a cloak.
With a swagger all his own, he marched proudly between the chairs, head held high and mouth open in a wide smile that crinkled his dimples. People watched in awe as he paused at Dustins seat, grabbing his shoulder and giving him a hard shake. “I told ya, man, this was my year!” he exclaimed, his voice echoing over the still room. Dustin gave him a huge hug around the middle but didn’t take his eyes away from the older boys face. Eddie laughed, and ruffled his hair, reaching high-fives from the other Hellfire members, who weakly returned them with a shocked confused look. He even delivered a sharp punch and pointed “Harrison” at Steve.
Eddie smirked in silence as he continued up the aisle. He passed Nancy and she caught a glint of something in his smile as he shot her a finger gun and clicked his tongue as he sashayed by. One of the scowling basketball players murmured something as he passed them but promptly fell silent as Eddie paused in his steps.
Nancy watched in fascination as Eddie turned and hissed at the boy, putting two fingers at his temples like devil horns. This time she didn’t miss the fangs. Or the red that flashed in his eyes. Neither did the jock who fell out of his seat in fright. Whispers rippled through the crowd, but none were as loud as Eddie’s cackle as he turned back to the stage. Back toward his diploma.
Eddie took the stage and Principal Higgins stood like a statue as he watched the rebel student meander toward him. Eddie held out his hand for a shake. Reluctantly, Principal Higgins quickly shook his hand and handed Eddie his diploma.
At this point, there was a rustle in the back as some of the parents on the police force seemed to finally come to their senses and began to get to their feet. Eddie snickered as he noticed them, he leaned toward the podium and flashed a rock n’ roll sign.
“Yeah, I know you guys want to arrest me. But let a man have a victory, yeah?” he uttered into the microphone. “I worked my ass off to finally get out of this institutionalized hellhole and you haven’t even had Wheeler up here to get her diploma. Let’s not upstage the grads,” he winked. “Okay, big boys?”
The cops paused and at each other, unsure. Hopper looked at Joyce questioningly.
“I’ll be in my seat, I’ll come willingly once it’s all said and done. But for fuck sakes, have a little decorum,” Eddie drawled. He blew a kiss and as promised walked over to his seat, scooping up the tribute the Hellfire crew and his Corroded Coffin bandmates had made. He gave a mock salute to the officers who shifted their feet before sitting back down, keeping a cautious eye.
After a moment of uncertainty, the names started to be called again. But Nancy couldn’t make herself turn around. Eddie slumped further into the seat, his surrounding classmates leaning away from him. She watched as he toyed a finger over his new pointed canines. Catching her eye, he wiggled his fingers at her in a wave, keeping his thumb pressed against his right fang.