veda henderson

          Jolting my hoodie-covered hands against each other, I try to ignore my nerves regarding public speaking. Chewing on the inside of my lip, I turn to Chief Powell who squeezes my shoulder in a reassuring matter, letting me know it'll be okay.

    I turn to my left, making eye contact with Eddie's doe eyes as he gives me the same reassuring look. "You got this, Little Lady,"

   Smiling, I feel confidence overcoming my body. Five minutes of my life and then it's all over. Eddie leans down, pressing a kiss to my hairline and rubbing my back gently. I release the breath I'm holding, dropping my palms to my side as Chief Powell steps onto the stage. I stay close behind him, the cameras immediately flashing the second they see me. Powell does his best to stand as a barrier between me and the press in the audience, protecting me.

    We reach the podium, Powell stepping up to the microphone. It's been two long months since everything happened. Within that time, I told Powell everything about the upside down and the other world below ours. After my return, he's become like a father to me in the best way. He listened to everything and came up with a believable excuse to tell the press while clearing Eddie's name.

    Powell taps the microphone, gaining everyone's attention as he leans into the device and speaks, "This meeting was called to address any concerns the public may have about the events that conspired in this town two months ago. Beside me is Veda Henderson, a witness to the crimes that took place. This conference is opt-in only, any uncomfortable questions will lead to the meeting ending,"

    Powell pulls back from the microphone, finishing his set of rules as he turns to me and nods. I return the gesture, stepping in front of him as I grip the wooden sides of the podium.

    The crowd begins shouting my name all at once, overwhelming my senses instantly. I focus, grounding myself as I search the crowd. I spot a familiar face, Nancy smiling at me as she clutches her notepad in one hand and holds the other up in the air.

    "Nancy Wheeler," I lean into the microphone, calling her name. The crowd goes quiets, Nancy stepping forward with a gentle expression.

    "Do you have anything to say about the public's treatment of Eddie Munson?" She asks, her smile infecting my face until I return it. Knowing Nancy, she chose that question to give me an excuse to clear his name further, all while allowing me to criticise the town's treatment of an innocent man.

    I turn to the side, catching Eddie's eye as he winks at me, waiting for me to go on. I turn back to the ground, my confidence obvious in the way my body relaxes, "Personally, I think the way this town easily made Eddie Munson their villain without proper evidence is the sad reality of a mob mentality. I know everyone was scared about the murders and reacted because of that fear, but, Eddie is nowhere near the monster everyone painted him as. Eddie is kind and selfless and deserves better than the demonisation this town cast upon him. Eddie Munson saved my life in more ways than one and despite not being the cause of the deaths, neither of us will be forgetting the names of the lives lost. That's what we should be focusing on, keeping the memories of the three victims alive. Chrissy Cunningham, Fred Benson, Patrick McKinney. Those are the names everyone should be focusing on, not Eddie Munson or Veda Henderson,"

    Nancy smiles her pen still on her notepad without scribbling a word down. She did that for me, not to gain points in her journalist job. 

    I turn to Powell, nodding in a way that lets him know I'm done now. He touches my shoulder, pushing me to the side as he leans into the microphone and ends the conference much to the dismay of the audience.

    Reaching Eddie, I loop my arm around his, spinning him around and walking away from the stage with him at my side, "Let's get out of here,"

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          Eddie loads the last bag into the back of his van, clicking the doors shut as I turn to the people in front of me. Dustin stands closest to me, acting like he's not upset despite the glaze in his eyes.

    "You gonna miss me, Dusty?" I reach forward, pinching his cheek the way a grandmother would. He slaps my hand away, acting nonchalantly as he shakes his head.

    "Not at all," He brushes it off, looking around him to make sure his friends aren't within earshot.

    Despite his obvious attempts to act cool, I reach forward and wrap my arms around him, pulling him into a hug that he weakly tries to swat away. He finally breaks free, fixing the cap on his head. "Don't be a stranger, Dusty,"

    He nods before pushing past me, joining Eddie's side who immediately gets him into a headlock and rubs his knuckles across his head.

    I turn forward, spotting the young ginger I've grown so close to over time. She steps forward, a bittersweet smile on her face, "Send me postcards?"

    "Only the most expensive ones for you, Max," I grin, wrapping my arm around her shoulder in a quick hug.

    Robin basically pushes the pre-teen out of the way, holding me tightly and swinging us back and forth. "You better call. If you don't, I'll totally call every police station within a 50-foot radius of your last location and send out a, like, massive search party until they locate you and-"

    "Robin," I laugh, pushing her back so I can look into her eyes. "I'm only going to be gone for three months,"

    "A lot can happen in three months," She reminds me, letting go of my body.

    "Believe me, I know," I laugh.

    "Wrap it up, V," Eddie's voice joins the conversation. I turn over my shoulder, watching as he taps the side of his van. Eddie is the one who suggested getting away, both of us being freshly graduated and wanting to experience the world we almost lost. Sure, we're not straying far from home in his van but, time out of Hawkins is well overdue. Dustin joins Eddie, standing beside the van and tapping the metal alongside him.

    "Gotta go," I tell Robin, giving her one last squeeze before reaching the passenger side of the vehicle and climbing in. I lean forward, looking through the driver's window as Dustin stands beside the door. Eddie watches him, one arm against the window seal and one holding the wheel.

    "Race me to the end of the street?" Eddie teases, revving the car's engine slightly.

    "Eddie, this shit box isn't winning you any races," I laugh, plugging my seatbelt in.

    "You in or not, Henderson?" Eddie asks Dustin, reaching his hand over to slightly slap my leg. 

    "Wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of the ladies," Dustin grins, flashing his teeth. I laugh, tucking my legs under myself and getting comfortable. 

    Eddie laughs, reaching forward to ruffle Dustin's hair before yanking the car into drive and taking off down the road like a maniac. 

    The Hawkins exit sign appears soon enough, and Eddie speeds up to pass the sign sooner.

    The second we cross that border, a visible weight is lifted off of both of our shoulders, our faces lighting up at the feeling of finally being weightless.

THE END

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A/N

ahh we finally reached the end of this story after two long years and me abandoning it halfway through then picking it up again. we're currently at 30k reads and I cant thank everyone enough for all the support shown on this story. I hope you enjoyed every minute of it!