plumxwrites - Tumblr blog

plumxwrites · 9 months

Text

Ah!! Thank you!! This means so much!! 🥰

sincerely yours... // eddie munson. (3)

pairing: eddie munson x fem!ballerina reader (she/her pronouns)

summary: Untouchable, is what he called you. Dating Jason, the captain of the basketball team, most would call you the same. Living your holier than thou life, something else he said, you can't seem to swallow the need to prove him wrong.

word count: 13k

warnings: this is for mature audiences only, sex talk, gentle mention of marijuana, slight insinuation of mean parenting on eddies end, mentions of death, insinuation of cheating, cursing, IF I MISSED ANYTHING PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

a/n: hi, thanks for being here. :) I didn't plan for any of this to happen this way if I'm being honest... Oops?!

Everything was normal.

That’s what you kept telling yourself.

Everything was absolutely normal.

Saturday’s rehearsal ran positively smooth. You arrived fifteen minutes early to warm up, you tied your shoes perfectly, and each run through of the show only got better. The costumes had arrived, you and the other girls got to try on the pastel pink tutus for the ballad that were dripping in diamonds, and the silky, sapphire blue dresses for the more peppy piece in the finalé.

Costumes made it all the more exciting, all the more real. The date of the show was charging toward you at full speed, and though your dance friends fluttered with excitement, your mind was elsewhere for the three hours you spent in the studio.

Stuck on messy curls and brown eyes, you somehow were still able to nail every dance without having to work too hard. Tirelessly practicing for hours on end paid off when you had a boy on your mind that wasn’t your boyfriend.

It was curious, how you and Eddie seemed to have much more in common than you once thought. You hadn’t expected him to have gone through as much as he had, losing his mother like you, and in getting to know him you’ve seemed to have only scratched the surface. There was so much more you wanted to know, so much more you wanted to see.

By the time Sunday rolled around you expected Jason to call to ask to see you, even though he enjoyed the element of surprise to your dismay and would oftentimes show up unannounced. However, none of that happened. No phone call, no unconsented visit, nothing.

The entire day you spent around the house with your father it made your mind wander to Friday night and the party he had thrown. He could’ve possibly been upset that you hadn’t been able to go which was why he was avoiding you, or, for worse things, something could’ve happened, like Chrissy Cunningham.

The thought merely bothered you, you were hanging around Eddie Munson at the same time, but not nearly in the way Jason would be around Chrissy. You’ve seen how the two interact at his basketball games. It makes everyone question.

Letting the idea of those two snowball in your mind into Monday morning, after a calm car ride to school, an unease bursts in your stomach the minute your feet hit the pavement of the Hawkins High parking lot.

Pressing your glossed lips together, you glance out amongst the parked cars toward the back, where Eddie was parked on Friday. Sure enough, his van was there, and it was running. He was still in it.

Entertaining the thought of going to greet him there for only a second, taking note of the way it made your heart feel, you quickly tucked it away and turned toward the doors. If you continued this Eddie thing for any longer than it’d been happening, you were only going to create more problems for yourself. Neither of you had even had the chance to discuss what that night had meant for your relationship.

Were you guys friends? Were you allowed to talk to each other at school? Jason would be around, that you both knew, so maybe talking at school was out of the picture… But, then again, you didn’t want to have a secret relationship- Friendship. A secret friendship.

Jason hated him, for whatever reason you presume you once had before three nights ago. Nothing would ever work between the two of you, no sort of relationship, unless Jason was out of the picture.

Twisting the cool silver metal on your ring finger between your other two, you push your way into the delightful main hallway amongst the other joyous students of Hawkins High and hope to God, that Jason believes in, that Robin would find you. She knew jackshit about this past weekend. You wanted to call her on Sunday, even see if she wanted to come over, but your mind was too heavy.

Plus, it was better if no one knew where you had been anyway. The less people knew, the better. The safer it would be. For everybody.

Keeping your head held high you embody the facade of someone without a secret, though it seemed like every single person who looked in your direction was able to peer into your soul and figure you out. Eddie said it himself on Friday. If he were to stop anybody in this hallway and ask about you, they’d be able to tell you a lot more than one would think.

This wasn’t new, people glancing your way when you passed by, but to make yourself feel a bit better you repeatedly told yourself that you had done nothing wrong. If anyone were to find out you were at Eddie’s, you knew that you were only doing homework, and that was that. If you seemed on edge about it that would only amplify the suspicion that something had happened, and nothing happened!

You didn’t want anything to happen… Something you also continued to repeat to yourself.

Passing by a group of seniors you’ve grown up with and just barely knew their names, you gave them a small smile, nothing too crazy, just something to let them know you were cool, and calm, and totally innocent. The three of them returned it, but it didn’t last long. Nor was it a ‘we knew what you’ did smile.

It looked like a ‘we feel sorry for you’ smile.

Yours wiped away almost as quick as theirs did.

For the rest of the walk down the hallways to your locker you over analyze every which way a student looks at you. It was all the same, a quick sympathy smile.

Shimmying some books and an extra notebook into your bag, you double check to make sure you have the assignment for O’Donnell that drove you face first into this anxiety surged Monday morning, and when you pop open the pages of the book you had wedged the packet into, you find you have two.

In your rushed exit from the Munson household it appears you have swiped the boys homework.

This was turning out to be a great day!

Snapping the book closed, you add it to the clutter in your bag and slam your locker shut, making passerbyers jump. Turning around tentatively, praying there weren’t any boys around that would make your morning worse, you’re greeted by your best friend instead, wearing a cropped green sweatshirt and that pathetic smile you’ve been given by everyone and their mother this morning.

“What the hell happened?” you asked, gritting your teeth. Robin sighed, tilting her head to the side. “No, don’t give me that, tell me what happened. What did Jason do? Who did Jason do?”

Robin’s eyes shot open. “Hang on, it’s only a rumor.”

Heart sinking to your knees, you roll your head backward and groan. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.” Dropping your chin to your chest you stare at your sneakers and take a deep breath. “Who was it?”

Robin pressed her lips together, firm. Peeking up at her and her gorgeously golden natural wavy hair, she bobs her head. “Uh, yanno…” she trailed off, glancing at every accessory you were wearing before she muttered, “Chrissy.”

Your anxiety started to turn into anger. Pure rage. Chrissy was the one girl you had to fight off for years, the one you would brag about Jason in front of, the one you would amp the girlfriend act up to whenever she’d walk by in the halls, because you had him. And she didn’t.

Of course the one night you aren’t around is the one night a rumor spreads like wildfire through the dusty halls of Hawkins High, where no one else had anything exciting going on apparently. And to make matters worse, Jason was MIA.

“Before you get upset, it’s just a rumor,” Robin continued, trying to save the situation.

“Yeah, I’m already upset,” you mumbled.

Robin pressed on by, barely letting you get the words out. “I didn’t go to the party because you couldn’t go, obviously, but I know Nancy went,” of course Wheeler went, “And Steve told me that Nancy said the two of them disappeared for a little bit, but then Nancy heard from somebody else that they were just talking, and Chrissy was crying, or something like that. I don’t know, so take it all with a grain of salt, dude.” Robin spoke a mile a minute without any air time. Her words went into one ear and out the other, the shitty excuse, the Nancy Wheeler part, the Steve talking to Nancy part, because when the hell did those two start hanging out again, and why was Robin so nonchalant about it?

Jason disappeared with Chrissy. Point blank. It was enough to be suspicious of.

“And what is it about people saying you were at… Eddie Munson’s… the night of the party?” Robin lowered her voice drastically, making you stand straight up, pushing your chin up high the way it was when you walked in the school doors. “I mean, I thought you weren’t gonna go ‘cause of rehearsal, but… Were you really there? At Eddie’s? And why-”

“Robin,” you whispered, cutting her off. The look in your eye told her plenty. “It was a homework thing.”

Taking a deep breath, Robin blows a raspberry on her lips and glances around the emptying hallway, bobbing her head up and down extremely fast. “Right,” she said, looking back at you. “Right! ‘Cause Eddie does homework.”

“Shut up!” you hissed, taking a step closer to her. “If anyone asks, I wasn’t there. I don’t know Eddie, and I certainly didn’t go to his house. I didn’t help him with anything, we didn’t do anything, he didn’t drive me home, he didn’t meet my dad.”

Robin’s brows skyrocket. “He met your dad?”

“Briefly,” you whispered, your tone harsh as you squeezed your eyes shut. “We can talk about it later, but right now I need to get through this first class that has both Chrissy and Eddie in it, and then I have to face Jason at some point, if he’s even here, and then I have to figure out what the hell I’m going to do about everything Eddie and I talked about…” Sucking in air quickly, Robin puts a hand on your shoulder to calm you down.

After a few more breaths, you look at your best friend and shake your head.

“I’m supposed to be worried about my show. That should be stressing me out, and it was stressing me out, but now… I have this boy in my head, and it isn’t my boyfriend,” you whispered. Robin nodded, then pressed a finger to your lips.

“I know Eddie,” she copied your tone, keeping your conversation on the down-low.

“I know you do,” you mumbled against her finger. “We talked about it.”

“Shush,” she warned, narrowing her eyes. “As much as this makes me wanna jump up and down and scream ‘I told him so’, there are two rumors going around right now about this high school's most popular couple,” you rolled your eyes, “that will set off drama bigger than when MTV came out.”

“I love MTV.”

Robin groaned, then laughed. “I know you do. But, listen to me. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. In fact, he saves every ladybug he comes into contact with, says they’re good luck, or something… He wouldn’t cause you unnecessary stress, and if he knew that he was, he’d kick himself in the nuts for it.”

Robin takes her finger away and grabs the straps of her bag. Smiling at her, a real smile, you nod and fold your hands in front of you.

“I really didn’t realize that you guys were, like, friends. I’m sorry I missed that,” you said. Robin shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ve just had classes together in the past, and band, so,” she shrugged again. “He always told me not to tell you that we knew each other, yanno, but…” Classes together in the past, meaning Robin’s been hearing about you from Eddie for a long time. Three years…

He was right again, the asshole. You were too wrapped up in your own life to realize what was going on in other’s. Even your best friend’s.

Throwing your arms around her shoulders suddenly, you take her by surprise and pull her into a long, tight hug. Burying your face into her shoulder, you squeezed her and sighed.

“You’re a good friend,” you said. “A really good friend, and not just to me.” Robin frowned, creasing her brows. “Thanks… I’ll always try to…” she fumbled her words for a moment as you pulled away from her. With a breath, she shrugged and repeated herself. “Thanks.”

“No, thank you,” you said. “I should’ve called you yesterday, I wanted to, but…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Robin smiled. “Call me later. I need to hear everything when we aren’t in this decrepit building.” Sharing a laugh, she taps your shoulder away and starts to walk backward in the opposite direction of you. “Good luck in class!”

Saluting, you fake a cry to make her laugh again, then haul ass toward O'Donnell's classroom.

Whipping around two different corners you knew the bell was about to ring because the hallways were nearly clear. Almost running, you reach into your bag to pull the papers out of the pages of the textbook to have them ready as soon as you’re in the door. Teachers in the hall pulled their doors closed, and you knew you were about to be marked late.

“Good god, I thought you weren’t coming,” Eddie’s voice said from in front of you. Looking up with wide eyes, you’re met with the sight of him leaning against the lockers next to O’Donnells door. His arms were folded across his chest, and he was empty handed because you held his assignment between your fingers.

Sneakers smacking on the tile, you hurried over to him, heart beating out of your chest, and handed his paper over to him without looking at his eyes. You weren’t nervous before Friday night, you were pretty confident around him, like there was some sort of dominance you had to establish. Even Friday morning when you walked into the classroom, you were different. He got under your skin to annoy you, but he didn’t make you nervous.

“No, I’m definitely here, having a blast,” you muttered, keeping your stride going, and he followed you into the classroom that was full of chattering students. “Sorry I took that with me.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I was just actually worried you weren’t gonna show, this is like the first time I’ve actually finished homework, and I, uh, feel like we need to talk about stuff.” You don’t know why, but you walked him to the desk he normally sat in, on the opposite side of the room as you.

“What do we need to talk about?” you asked, looking around the room to see if anybody was watching the two of you. “We did what we had to do.” You mentally kicked yourself in your balls for how harsh your tone seemed.

“Um, I guess about what we’re doing right now,” Eddie suggested, slipping into his desk. Rounding the back of it, you pause, staring at your occupied desk and the brunette cheerleader in it smirking at you. She was turned backward leaning on Chrissy’s desk, who showed up to class today to make this day even better. The strawberry blonde was side-eyeing you, letting her friend do most of the work for her.

“Great,” you muttered to yourself. The brunette usually sat at the desk next to Eddie. Her change of seating arrangements left it conveniently open for you today.

Eddie, with his focus forward, used his peripheral to watch you sit down seemingly exhausted, sliding down a bit so your posture was wonky. Folding your arms over your torso, you take a deep breath and give him a quick glance. When he tilts his head slightly to glance back, you both snap your attention forward as the bell finally rings and Ms. O’Donnell hustles into the classroom.

This class was going to feel a lot different than it had once felt on Friday.

Pulling out your textbook and a notebook, you slip out the extra one you had put in at your locker and toss it onto Eddie’s desk. Pursing his lips, he stares at it. You actively watch him fight away a smile.

“Take some notes, would ya’?” you whispered, also giving him a pencil.

Tuning into your teacher who took notice of the seating change, you make it your mission to pay attention today. There wasn’t any room for any more mistakes that would hinder the plan until the show, until graduation. Giving the corner of the room another glance though, you find Chrissy looking at you, having watched you hand Eddie the book and the pencil.

The pit in your stomach worsened, but you sucked it up and put on your best smile. One that made her recoil with disgust and focus on your teacher.

For a half hour you were able to drown out your worries with classwork, moving through the textbook with Ms. O’Donnell’s guidance, working on problems as a class and reviewing techniques that would be ‘crucial for your final exam’ according to her.

Eddie was quiet the entire time, you could see him scribbling in the notebook as your teacher spoke, and you hoped that he was writing everything she was saying. He looked like he was paying attention, and he wasn’t messing with you, so he must be doing something productive.

Ms. O’Donnell asked the class a question, opening the floor for discussion on a problem you were all working through on the chalkboard, and for a few seconds, nobody raised their hands. You knew the answer, you could work through it in your head, but you liked to give other people a chance to answer. Especially now after how Friday went. You didn’t want to always be the ‘good girl’.

Even saying the words to yourself made your spine chill.

“Nobody?” Ms. O’Donnell offered for the last time. Sighing, you’re half a second away from raising your hand, until, to everyone's shock, Eddie puts his in the air. Turning your chin to look at him, he’s got his eyebrows pulled into the center of his forehead inquisitively. You could see his eyes scanning the board, putting pieces together.

Hesitating, taking a step back from the board, it seemed like Ms. O’Donnell was giving him a chance to retract his offer, but he stood strong. She nodded once, and said, “Yes, Eddie.”

“Uhm,” he mumbled at first, his hand coming down slowly. “I think it’s…” You mentally cheered him on, begging his brain with your eyes to get it right. Shit, even if he got it wrong he still raised his hand in a class he used to sleep through. The problem that was on the board was similar to one you helped him with on Friday, if he remembered how he got through that one, he’d certainly get this one right.

And he did. He confidently, and sloppily, finished the problem while Ms. O’Donnell wrote it all out, tacking on the correct answer at the end.

“Yes!” you whispered, and the entire back row heard you, including Chrissy. Gulping, knowing the cheerleaders were looking at you, you sunk further in your chair and avoided their glares.

“Correct, Eddie. Good job,” Ms. O’Donnell smiled at him for the first time all year, then her eyes flickered to you before moving on with the lesson. When her back turns to the board, a folded piece of paper drops onto your desk on top of your notebook. Keeping your chin down, you only move your eyes, scoping the scene to see who the culprit was, but you had a good idea of who threw it.

Unfolding it discreetly, you read what’s written in scribbled handwriting and shake your head.

‘We gotta talk’

You look at him, but he’s conveniently listening to Ms. O’Donnell. You write something back to him and toss the paper back, starting a conversation that would last until the bell rang.

‘What do we need to talk about? Also this isn’t what the notebook was for’

He huffed a laugh at that one.

‘Didn’t get to ask if we were allowed to talk at school that’s all’

Staring at the note, you aren’t sure what to write back, because you don’t even know yourself. It felt silly to discuss whether or not you were allowed to speak to one another, there shouldn’t have to be a rule, but given your boyfriend, you knew why Eddie was wondering this as well.

‘I don’t know if we are,’ you wrote. Then added, ‘Let me see what Jason says to me today. People are talking about us’

‘Why the fuck are people talking about us I didn’t tell anybody’

‘Me either. Guess the people who saw us leave started talking’

You heard Eddie sigh in disappointment, then his note read, ‘Assholes’

Laughing to yourself you write back, ‘Agreed. Assholes.’

Eddie flashes you a quick smile. ‘I had fun with you. Even if you did stalk my room’

Dropping your jaw slightly, you shoot him a glare. ‘Did not stalk your room the door was just wide open you messy boy.’

He copies your shocked look. ‘I am not messy I am creative’

‘Okay you messy musician. Pick up your clothes’

‘And what would that say about my troubled teen image I am working tirelessly to maintain!!!?!?’

Smiling at the note, you recognize that you haven’t stopped smiling this entire time. And each time you tossed the paper back onto his desk, you waited anxiously for it to return to yours.

‘Alright John Bender relax’

Eddie opened the note and laughed aloud, quietly. His shoulders rose, and he rolled his head backward.

‘Knew you liked that movie princess,’ his note read. It made you blush.

Nibbling your bottom lip, you write, ‘Thats Rio to you’

“Alright class,” Ms. O’Donnell said from the front of the room. She began wrapping up the lesson as the students around you started to clean up their belongings. Closing your own books, you pack up your bag, and as soon as the bell rings, the note is tossed back onto your desk.

Unfolding it, shaking your head at all the scribbles you both had tried to fit on the piece of paper, Eddie’s last note leaves you breathless.

‘Apologies, Rio. I meant what I said. I had fun with you. I wanna do it again. You get me. Also we should watch that movie together. It’s my favorite. Come find me after you talk to lover boy. Thanks for the notebook. Sincerely yours…’

Looking at his desk, he was gone. Folding the paper quickly, you shove it into the back pocket of your jeans as you stand up, trying to shake the butterflies out of your system. You needed your mind as clear as possible if you were going to talk to Jason. You can deny what you did all you wanted, there were few witnesses, but your boyfriend was going to have a lot of explaining to do if he was going to get himself out of this Chrissy hole.

He had three years worth of Chrissy related problems, you had one night of Eddie problems. There was no way he’d be able to pull you under and make this your fault.

Approaching Ms. O’Donnells desk when the class was clear, you hand over your completed assignment with a smile. She took it with a small “Thank you”, and eyed you curiously.

“Eddie gave me his before he left,” she said. “It was finished, and a little messy, but it was finished.” All you could do was nod. “Did you two work on it together? I didn’t get to ask him, the boy ran out of here as fast as he could.”

“Uh, yeah, we did,” you said with a breath.

Ms. O’Donnell smiled and flipped through your packet. “I can tell, his last problem looks just like yours.” She pointed her eyes up at you. “And he even answered a question in class today.” Fidgeting where you stood, you were unsure why she felt the need to talk to you about this. You also would love to not be the reason behind why Eddie felt the need to participate today, but she felt the need to make it known.

“Yeah, he did,” you nodded. She smized, like she knew something you didn’t.

“I saw you two passing notes.” Your stomach took a tumble, and your eyes widened. Before you could apologize, she said, “I’m choosing to ignore it, because my shock is outweighing my frustration.” She gestured to the assignments on her desk. “Thank you for helping him. And thank you for getting this to me on time.”

“Of- Of course,” you stammered. “I’m sorry.”

Your teacher smiled again, and sent you away with a wave of her hand.

The hours crept by agonizingly slowly until the bell finally rang for lunch. Like Friday, the hours that passed like molasses gave you all the time you needed to prepare yourself for Jason and his crew of groupies. If something was going to happen, they would have his back without a doubt. You’re sure they’ve already curated something of a jumble of excuses.

Heading into the cafeteria, passing by Eddie’s table without wandering eyes, you do find your boyfriend sitting with his friends to your disappointment. A teeny tiny part of you was really hoping that he wasn’t here, but you had to do this.

Jason's back was to you where he sat laughing with his teammates, and the three who saw you coming quickly tried to shut the table up, thinking they were being discreet about it all. With an eye roll you approach them and slip into the chair beside your boyfriend.

Placing your bag on the table in front of you, you twist sideways to face him, tucking your sneakers beneath the chair, your legs crossed at the ankles. Jason, jaw clenched, eyeing his friends, doesn’t give you his attention. The silence from the boys around you simply added to your suspicions, so you decided to get the first word in.

“Why is there a rumor about you and Chrissy?” you asked, tone flat, and the basketball players snickered and whispered, as if they had bet you were going to start with that. ‘Oh shit’s’ were exchanged, as well as some ‘She said it’s’.

Jason, physically hiding a smirk, kept looking at his friends as he said, “I could say the same about you and Eddie.” The team, once again, lost their minds.

Taking a deep breath, knowing it was coming, you maintained face and pulled the discussion back in your favor. “We can talk about that in a minute, I asked you a question.” Jason screwed his face into an expression unimaginable and faced you. You’ve never bit back at him before, nor have you ever gotten fresh. Something within you was spurring you on.

“What?” he asked harshly.

“You heard me,” you said. “Why are people talking about you and Chrissy? I want the truth.”

“Why are people talking about you and Eddie? Did you hear me? They’re saying you got in his car and left with him. What the hell is that?” he sneered. “And after everything he said that morning? After you told me you couldn’t come to the party because of your stupid rehearsal and homework? You lied to me.” Your lips parted, half in shock and half in disbelief that he called your rehearsal stupid. “You’ve been pulling away from me for days now, don’t act like you’re all innocent and like your ballet shit is the reason why. You lied to me, I was hurt, so yes, there’s a rumor about me and Chrissy.”

Staring at him, the cafeteria chatter is the least of your worries, all of that noise seems to be pushed away somewhere while Jason’s words flood your mind, taking it over, making you more anxious than you felt this morning. Your palms were sweaty, and your fingers were trembling.

“People came into my house telling me all about it, and I know people talk and things get taken out of context, believe me. But, to hear that my girlfriend, my hardworking, future driven, trustworthy girlfriend got into the car with a freak with nothing to live for? I couldn’t believe it.” You try your absolute best to not let his bad mouthing of Eddie affect you. As much as you wanted to snap back at him, you couldn’t add fuel to the fire. “So, do you want to tell me what you and the asshole did? And then I can tell you what I did, that you made me do?”

Tears began to well in your eyes. Swallowing hard, you said, “I did lie to you. We missed an assignment in class that we had to make up together. It was O’Donnells fault, we went back to his place.” Jason scoffed. “We did our homework, Jason, that’s it. We did our homework and we talked, we didn’t do anything else, we didn’t do what you think we did.”

“Yeah, sure, okay,” he mocked. “What guy takes you back to his place and doesn’t do anything.”

“Excuse me!?” you exclaim, feeling a tear roll down your cheek. Jason shook his head.

“I don’t believe you,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Mandy, Chrissy’s friend? She takes that class with all of you, she told me you guys were talking the entire time. Flirting? I think she said flirting. Eddie even moved his seat to sit behind you? It’s all so cute, actually. You skip out on an important night of mine to go fuck him.” You just about jumped out of your chair.

“Jason!” you almost shout. “I didn’t do that, I swear to you,” you hold up your hand, showing him your ring, “I wouldn’t ever do that to you. We made a promise.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t even keep that promise.” The words left his lips without a care of who heard. Then again, you let that info slip to Eddie on Friday.

Putting your hands on your lap you smooth them over the denim you wore and take a deep breath. “So, you and Chrissy then? You guys… did it because you think that Eddie and I did?”

“Ew, don’t say his name,” Jason said. “That makes it more real.”

“I didn’t fuck him!” The tables around you turned in your direction briefly before returning to their own conversations.

Jason leaned toward you. “And I didn’t fuck Chrissy. We shared a couple drinks and talked.”

Clenching your jaw, you watch him for a crack in his supposed truth, but he doesn’t falter.

“See, you don’t believe me, so how do you expect me to believe you?” he asked, gesturing toward you as he sat back in his chair. “This Chrissy thing has been going on for too long, you always get crazy over her, no matter what it is. You’ve never lied to me, ever.” Well, that wasn’t true. “So can you blame me for not believing you? The first time you lie, and it’s this? It’s him?”

“I’m not lying, I didn’t touch him,” you whispered, wiping a tear from your cheek. It’s replaced in an instant.

“Okay,” Jason sing-songs, twisting in his chair to face the table, and his friends. “Think we need, I dunno, a break, or something.”

“What?”

“I said, I think we need a break,” he said louder, looking at you. “You broke my trust, and accused me of shit I didn’t do. I need some space.”

Grabbing the straps of your bag, you sling it over your shoulder and push your chair back, standing up with power.

“Gladly,” you snapped, and hurried from the cafeteria, pretending not to notice Chrissy slipping into the vacant chair beside Jason as you pushed the double doors open and tumbled out into the hallway.

Letting your tears fall steadily, you hurry for a bathroom, any bathroom, and push yourself against the cinderblock wall once you're within the safety of the smaller space. Sliding down to the floor, you pull your knees into your chest and lay your head over your folded arms, trying to calm down.

Jason had literally just handed you everything you’ve wanted, you weren’t sure why you were so upset. You ultimately wished it had been under different circumstances. You didn’t want to be a liar. You didn’t want a rumor to run your name into the ground. You didn’t want to be known as a cheater, because you aren’t. If anything, Jason is, but he’s entirely too good at twisting his words around, and yours, that he can get away with just about anything.

Either way, you’ve acquired the space you dreamt of. For however long, you weren’t going to have to deal with Jason. Until he comes back and decides he’s bored of whoever he involves himself with, you’ll be tormented with the idea of him and Chrissy. Who’s to say it was only that night at the party? It’d been three years.

“Hey, you in here?” a concerned voice that dripped with honey spoke into the door that was propped open with a wooden stopper. You knew who the voice belonged to, and it warmed your heart, but also sent a chill down your spine. You didn’t want him to see you like this.

Lifting your head, you wipe your eyes before you answer him so he wouldn’t catch you crying, but he brings himself inside the girls bathroom anyway without your permission. Tossing your hands to the side, you can’t help but laugh and shake your head.

“Come in?” you joked when he came into view. Eddie and his unruly curls. Eddie and his ripped blue jeans and black DIO t-shirt. He was tapping his finger tips together nervously, taking his time to walk toward you.

“You, uh… You okay?” he asked, his eyes saying things written in a thousand different languages. Sniffling, you smile.

“I’m fantastic, Eddie,” you said. “Look at me, I’m fantastic.”

Eddie nodded once. “Sure, you look it,” he said, and it made you laugh. He paused his walk, halfway into the girls bathroom, seeming to not care where he was, and suddenly all you can remember is his ‘sincerely yours…’ that he scribbled at the bottom of the note he passed to you.

He wasn’t going to sit next to you if you didn’t tell him to, so you tapped the tile beside you. Eddie breathed and nodded, following suit.

Tucking his own knees into his chest, the white strings tightened over his thighs, not that cared to notice or anything. The two of you sat in silence for a minute or two before he spoke up.

“Did you guys… break up?” he asked quietly. Smiling, you turned your chin.

“Oh, you’d just love that wouldn’t you?” you teased, your teary eyes making him melt.

“How can you possibly be making jokes while you’re crying?” he half asked. Wiping your eyes for the last time, you rest your head against the wall and let your gaze dance around his exquisite appearance. “What happened?”

“I think he slept with Chrissy,” you whispered. The words cut at your heart. Eddie’s eyes widened.

“Oh shit,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, oh shit,” you sighed. “He had a party Friday night, and almost everyone in our grade was there.”

“Everyone except us,” Eddie nodded, catching on.

“And Robin,” you added, nudging him with your elbow. “And I’m sure it wasn’t everyone there, but whatever, it doesn’t matter. I really think he’s lying to me. I feel like he’s been lying about her for a while.”

Eddie reached for your left hand, the touch staggering your breath. He toyed with the ring on your finger. “Even if he was wearing this?”

You rolled your eyes. “I said the same thing. I even flashed him mine, and told him I’d never do that to him.” Eddie snatched his hand away, tucking it into his lap.

“What?” he asked, wearing worry on his brows. “What are you talking about? What’d he say? What’d he think? What?” You laughed again. “Stop laughing at me,” Eddie cracked himself, huffing a laugh through his breath. “I’m serious. He’ll kill me.”

“He won’t kill you,” you said, dragging it out, closing your eyes for a moment before you look at him. His brown puppy dog eyes make your heart flutter. You aren’t even sure if you can say this to his face, but you power through. “He says… his words… we fucked.” There’s barely a flicker of shock on his face.

“Wow, I mean, I’m flattered,” he said confidently. “But, you really aren’t my type-”

“Eddie!” you exclaimed, rocking your body into his, the two of you laughing together. Hooking an arm beneath one of his you pull him closer to you and give him a fake glare. “Now you’re the liar.”

Smirking, Eddie squints and leans closer to you, your noses now centimeters apart. “Sue me.” His eyes flicker to your lips, for only a second. He’s so close you can feel his chest rising with each breath he takes, and you hope that he can’t feel how fast your heart is racing.

Everything was quiet, the world was quiet. There wasn’t a damned thought in your head with Eddie this close to you that you could make out the imperfections in his chocolate eyes. The brown was shattered by a golden hue around his pupils, the two colors swirling together in a comforting pool of warmth. His being radiated with it, with warmth, and comfort, and trust, and you’ve only really known him for a weekend.

“How was your dance practice?” he asked within a whisper, as if you both weren’t shaking in your boots. “The show rehearsal, how was it?”

Jason called it stupid.

Biting your bottom lip, you nodded. “It was good,” you whispered. “I couldn’t stop…” His presence was addictive, and being this close to him pulled you right under the influence, drunk on his aura that seemed to manipulate every thought from between your lips. His eyes begged you to go on. “Couldn’t stop thinking… about you.”

His expression faltered for a millisecond, his eyes giving his shock away. Swallowing, Eddie attempted to smile.

“You, uh, y-you what?” His eyes were drawn to your lips more and more the longer you sat here like this, and even though he was stammering like a nervous little kid, his energy masked it like it was nothing.

Smirking, you whispered, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“While you… danced?”

You nodded.

“The thing that you love to do, that this rehearsal was so important for, or something, you… You were thinking about… me?”

You smiled bigger, nodding again.

Eddie opened his mouth to speak, but instead he snapped it shut and pulled away from you, putting space between the two of you, focusing on the wall in front of you both. “Don’t do this to me,” he muttered.

Pressing your lips together, you stare at him, unsure of where to go now. “Eddie, I…”

“No,” he said gently, shaking his head. “Don’t say anything else, you’re not broken up, you’re still with him. I told you I liked you, and you’re gonna mess with that.”

You throw your hands up in defense. “I am not going to mess with that!”

Eddie shoots you a look. “You’re with him, and you know I like you, and you’re saying this stuff like…. Like, how you were thinking about me, and you get flirty, like you like me, but I know you don’t, but it gets my hopes up, and I just…”

“Eddie,” you whispered, grabbing his attention. The look in his eyes tears at your heart. Scooting closer to him, watching how his body reacts, slightly leaning away from you, you make sure to keep him close. Taking his hand in yours, you squeeze it and take a deep breath. “I do like you.”

“Don’t lie to make me feel better,” he said.

“Oh my god,” you said, raising your voice. “I am sick and tired of boys calling me a liar today!” Releasing your grip on his hand you leapt to your feet and stood directly in front of him.

“Jason told me he needed space, so he said we are on a break. So, no, we are not together as of right now, if that’s what a break means.” Eddie, wide eyed and attentive, bobbed his head as you spoke. “Friday, since I saw you in the hallway, since your friend pushed you into me, I have been thinking about you and your stupid hair.” Pausing, you let out a breath when you see the corners of lips perk up. “Your stupid, pretty eyes, too. I don’t know what the hell it is, Eddie. It’s just you.”

He didn't say a word, but his cheeks flushed pink.

“I’ve known you for four days, like really known you,” you continued, beginning to pace the length of the bathroom. “I didn’t know what to think about anything at first, and I still don’t know what to think, but I know that I like you. You sat behind me in class, and you were on my goddamned nerves, oh my god, I wanted to slap you.”

Eddie laughed, finally giving you something in return.

“Then, you, what? Make a bargain with me, take me to your house, prove me wrong in so many ways, become a real person to me, and I’m supposed to try to ignore all of that? You listened to me talk, you heard what I said. You understood me in a way that Jason hasn’t been able to do in three years! What the fuck, Munson?!”

Kneeling down on the floor in front of him, well, nearly dropping to your knees in defeat, his body tenses. Planting your hands on his knees, breaking down some sort of invisible boundary that had always been set in place, you take a deep breath.

“I… am not… a liar,” you spoke slowly, “So, please… do not make me out to be one.” Pressing your lips together tight, you give him a hardened glare, one that wasn’t intended to hurt him in any way, but instead insist on your honesty.

Eddie gulped, then said, “My stupid hair, huh?” He cracked a smile, as did you, both of you laughing. Dropping your head, you rock back on your heels and take away your hands, tucking them into your lap. “My stupid… What’d you call them? Pretty eyes?”

Peeking through your lashes, your grin widens. “Yes. Your stupid, pretty eyes, Eddie.”

The stupid, pretty, chocolate eyes he was blessed with darted around the bathroom, reminding himself of his surroundings, where he was and who he was with. After a breath and a shake of his head he returned his attention to you, asking, “What does any of this mean?” A heavy question.

“I don’t know,” you mumbled, to his disappointment. It was written all over his face, the expressive bastard couldn’t hide a thing. If he didn’t tell you flat out that he liked you you would sure be able to figure it out in no time. “Things with Jason have been rocky for, like, the last few weeks, at least for me. He’s… insatiable.”

Eddie nibbled his bottom lip, his eyebrows nestling above his stupid, pretty eyes. “What’s that mean?” he whispered. A smile pricked at your lips.

“It means I can’t seem to ever make him happy,” you said. “Verbatim, insatiable means impossible to satisfy.”

The concerned look on his perfectly imperfect face didn’t lessen. It got worse. “Verbatim…” his lips muttered before he sat up properly and pulled his legs beneath him, crossing them, saying, “You’re in that advanced English class, aren’t you? I just knew-”

“No!” you laughed, smacking away a hand of his that started to shake his finger at you. “I am not, I just like to read sometimes, that’s all.” Eddie’s eyes widened.

“What’s that like?” he asked, making you laugh even harder.

“Shut up, you read, Eddie,” you shoved away his hands that had found yours. “Now you’re the real liar here.” His empty hands settled on his jeans, toying with the rips on his thighs. He seemed to always need to fidget.

“And when have you ever seen me read a book?” he questioned with a dramatic raise of his brow. The one with the scar. “You know what they say about assumptions, Rio.”

Shrugging your shoulders, you say as smooth as ice, “Every Lord of the Rings book is stacked on the dresser next to your bed.”

Eddie parted his lips to throw back something quick, but instead snapped his jaw shut and narrowed his eyes. “Alright, fine,” he said. “But, to be fair, J.R.R Tolkien doesn’t say shit like insatiable.”

“Oh, come on,” you groan, rolling your eyes. “It’s gotta be in there somewhere.”

Footsteps sounded in the doorway of the girls bathroom that you and Eddie occupied the floor of, but Eddie had fired something hilarious back at you that sent the two of you into another fit of shared laughter. Neither of you heard the sneakers squeak on the tile until the wearer of the basketball shoes spoke up.

“Babe? Is this where you ran off to?” Jason’s voice carried into the bathroom, sending a chill straight down your spine. It didn’t even take an entire second for your smile to be completely wiped off your face. You felt your cheeks flush, and Eddie watched it happen. “Sounded like you were… crying?”

Sucking in a gust of air, you scramble to your feet and insist Eddie does as well. “Uh, Jason?” you cleared your throat in the process of glancing around the tiled walls frantically. “You can’t come in here, it’s the girls room.” You meet Eddie’s stupid, pretty eyes and watch them light up with a laugh he swallowed away.

“I know, babe,” Jason said. “I’ll wait right here for you. Can we talk? Please?” Eddie violently shook his head back and forth and flipped the bird toward the door. Choking back a laugh, you drag Eddie backwards against the doors of the stalls. “Are you okay? You in there alone? I can come in if you are.”

“No!” you half shouted, whipping your body around as if your smaller frame could shield Eddie out of sight. “I- I mean… I’m not alone. You can’t come in here.”

“Alright,” Jason sighed, and you heard something scuffle, like he had leaned against the wall. “I’m gonna wait for you though. Hell, I’ll talk to you from here, I don’t care who hears me.”

Glancing over your shoulder at Eddie, you hadn’t realized how close to him you were. His six foot self was pressed into the corner of the tiled wall and a stall door, gazing down at you wearily, wearing a dash of terror in the whites of his eyes. Your heels were touching the toes of his sneakers, the rubber saving you from an accidental brush that neither of you needed at the moment.

Arms out to the side to steady yourself, and guard Eddie from an unwelcome guest, you press your fingertips into the surfaces that surround you, holding yourself up. Both of you breathed through parted lips, chest rising and falling just the same, deeply and in time with one another. You’re certain your eyes were just as wild as Eddie’s.

He had asked you what any of this meant, what anything you said meant. For a moment, a few minutes ago, you didn’t know. Sure, Jason said he wanted a break, but that didn’t mean you were entirely broken up. Even now, where he stood outside the bathroom while you cowered inside of it nearly pressed up against the boy you supposedly lied to him about, he was spewing excuse after excuse for his behavior.

Through many half assed ‘I’m sorry’s’ and ‘I love you’s’ that Eddie subconsciously scowled at, you knew it didn’t mean jackshit.

What did any of this mean?

You were begging for an out from this relationship, even if you weren’t actively looking for one. For weeks it hasn’t felt right, and after dishing some things to Eddie this weekend, you realized it hasn’t felt right for years.

What did Jason want with you?

Why was he with you?

Why were you with him?

You could’ve guessed the scholarship futures, degrees and graduating with honors had something to do with it, but other than that… He brought nothing to your life.

Eddie nudged you with his knee almost knocking you off balance. You had been gazing up at him the entire time Jason spoke not realizing that your boyfriend had asked you a question.

“Uh, huh? What?” you sputtered, blinking a million times, directing your attention forward to the empty bathroom. Eddie snickered behind you. “Shut up,” you sneered through your teeth, and he shushed you quickly after.

Jason was quiet for a moment, then said, “I’m coming in. I don’t care if I get in trouble…” His voice went on, babbling whatever nonsense he cooked up.

Heart sinking into the depths of your stomach, you try to protest, but there’s no time. The squeak of Jason’s sneakers signaled his entrance into the girls bathroom, and you were running out of places to hide.

Grabbing hold of Eddie’s wrists, you force him into a stall and shut the door quickly and quietly. Glancing down to the floor and the gap between the stall and tile, you groan to yourself and gesture toward the toilet and Eddie’s feet.

“Up, up, up,” you barely whispered, and he caught on fast. The two of you had thought the idea up at the same exact time. If you hadn’t said anything he was going to jump up there anyway.

Cursing himself for being so vertically blessed, he had to squat down to keep himself hidden from the gap on the top of the stall. His hands stuck to walls, balancing his body weight on his tippy toes and the toilet seat.

“Hey, where you at?” Jason asked. His shadow danced on the tile. “Babe, come out, let me see your face, please?”

Taking a deep breath, once Eddie was settled you turned away from him and faced the stall door actually praying to God that Jason didn’t peek inside the sides of the doors. One couldn’t even begin to understand why the design left so much space in the cracks anyway. Privacy wasn’t a thing, apparently.

“No, Jason, I don’t want to see you,” you mustered up the balls you had earlier. “You broke my heart and let me walk away. Was that Chrissy who sat next to you after I left?” Your bark held some bite, and Eddie’s smile grew from behind you.

Jason sighed, “Yes, it was Chrissy, but she just wanted-”

“To fuck again?” you projected through the stall door, hoping your words made him feel the way you did. “To check on you after you hurt me? After you called me a liar?” The last bit of your sentence threatened to go flat, your tone shaking a bit. Eddie was literally behind you perched on a toilet so that you two wouldn’t be caught together. You didn’t exactly feel so innocent either.

“Can you at least answer my question?” Jason asked. You could almost see how he was shaking his head, like a disappointed working father of two coming home after a long, tiring day. His act.

“What question?” The question he asked you while you were staring at Eddie’s stupid, pretty eyes.

“About Eddie.”

Gulping, you asked, “Which… Ask me again?”

Jason crossed his arms, you could sense it.

He asked the question again, but you didn’t hear him, again. Instead you were forced to hold back a yelp as one of Eddie’s hands grabbed onto your waist in an attempt to keep himself balanced on the seat. Stumbling backward a few steps, you both rock into one another and steady each other, releasing quiet breaths after balance is restored. Eddie’s weight had shifted the seat, it was now pushed slightly to the side.

The hand on your waist held on for dear life, knowing that if you two were caught together right now the consequences would be detrimental. Turning around to face Eddie to make sure he was okay, you find him holding in a laugh, his eyes squeezed shut as tight as ever.

“What are you doing in there?” Jason asked. “I’m trying to talk to you, like you wanted me to before, now you’re gonna give me nothing? Or ignore me? Or whatever you’re doing? I swear, I don’t know you anymore.”

Eddie opened his eyes, looking up at you with the purest of gazes. He looked hilarious where he was squatting, the rips in his jeans over his knees were stretched and his shoulders were eating his ears. You could only begin to imagine the core strength it took to keep all of him balanced where he was. He was just about as tall as you at this moment.

With one hand on the wall and the other clinging to your waist, he didn’t dare to move, not until Jason was out of ear shot, though Eddie would love to jump out of this stall and rip the jock a new one. He stayed right here for you, and you knew that, he did this for you. Plus, he liked this rebellious side of you, this sneaky side.

It wasn’t because of him either, and he knew that. This was all you.

“Answer him,” Eddie said inaudibly. Even in close proximity, holding you in a way that anyone else would deem inappropriate because you had a boyfriend, with half of his dreams coming true- Eddie was beckoning you to speak to Jason. As much as he wanted to kick him in the ass, he wouldn’t dare ruin something you wanted.

“Is it this show? This stupid dancing thing?” Jason continued on. His voice didn’t seem to affect the thinning air surrounding you and Eddie. “What’s changed, babe? We don’t hang out with people like Eddie Munson.”

The boy in front of you dropped his eyes, insinuating like Jason was right. A part of your heart cracked. Not thinking straight, your hands find the sides of Eddie’s face, your fingertips slipping into his curls as you lifted his eyes to find yours like they were before.

Now wide and surprised, Eddie’s eyes hit you with a punch of sympathy. He seemed sad, guilty. Swiping your thumbs over the apples of his cheeks, you feel the hand on your waist grip you tighter.

Eddie flickered his eyes to your lips, and said inaudibly again, “Answer him.”

Taking a long deep breath, unsure of when you had gotten so, so close to him, you shake your head slowly, intoxicated by every single part of his being.

“I’m right, and I know that,” Jason said. “You’ve been pulling away from me, and this here is proof. You won’t even talk to me. We haven’t had sex in like a week, what are we even doing?”

Eddie didn't even crack at what Jason had said, though if you were in any other setting you sure as hell would be as red as an apple. Eyes dancing between your own and your lips, Eddie was as drunk on the moment as you were.

Touching your noses together, a shaky breath is shared. Beneath the sweater you wore your heart pounded a mile a minute, and if Jason were to shut up, Eddie’d be able to hear it.

You had complete, utter control. Eddie couldn’t move a muscle, but he wasn’t protesting. The aura of this boy was infectious, you felt it on Friday, you wanted to do this on Friday, but it wasn’t in the cards. A small piece of you wonders if the rumor was what you had been asking for, to get away from Jason, to have an out, to have an escape.

Making it seem like an escape seemed dramatic, and all wrong. If you had to escape this relationship, perhaps you shouldn’t be in it at all.

“I know you can hear me, so I’ll ask you this, and when you’re ready you can find me,” Jason said. “What do you want?”

The bell rang. Neither you nor Eddie flinched, but Jason left the bathroom, and the sigh that left you was astonishing. With parted lips you watched as Eddie licked his and blinked a few times.

“What do you want?” he whispered, paralyzed in place. Sliding your hands up into his stupid hair, you grab a handle of his curls and sigh as his eyes flutter shut and his lips part.

Pressing your forehead to his, you close your eyes and furrow your brows, taking these next couple of seconds to revel in the feeling of him. The boy who sat behind you in class to annoy you, to purposely drive you crazy, to turn you on to the point where you aren’t sure you’ll ever be able to shake the feeling unless he pulled it out of you himself. And, god, you would love that.

You weren’t kissing him but your hands toyed with his curls like you were, the most you shared was the warm air between your lips.

“What do you want?” Eddie whispered again, quieter. Gazing back up at you, he waited for your eyes to open to repeat himself for the third time. “What… do you… want?”

“I want…” you breathed, sucking in air as if you’d been running. “I need you.”

Eddie’s expression went mildly wild for all of two seconds. “What?” he gasped.

Dragging your nails against his scalp, you nodded. “You heard me.”

A scuffed Reebok sneaker hit the floor, sending Eddie forward, catching your body in his grasp as he pushed you against the wall, standing over you. Both of his hands slid up your back, holding you close as you dropped your arms to his shoulders, keeping him crouched low enough so his forehead still grazed yours.

The stall shook when you were pushed into it, and it made the rest of them rattle, but you didn’t care. Students littered the halls, hurrying to their next class, their chatter not even daring to distract you. Eddie’s eyes clouded over with lust just the same as your own, like they’d been since he had walked into the girls room, and you wondered how hard he had to try to not always look at you like he wanted to devour you.

It was laughable, the two of you pressed together in the girls bathroom of your high school. It was a total cliche, and you were loving every second. The bad boy with the roughed up look, who was bad at school and had an enemy around every corner, his lips were ghosting the good girl’s, who always had her homework done, and dressed nice, and did her hair, and wanted to go to college, and followed the rules…

It made you smile, one so pretty that Eddie returned it. And, then he kissed you, and warmth exploded within you, coursing through your veins. A type of high you cannot believe you’ve gone this long without. It wasn’t a kiss of innocence, nor was it chaste by any means. His lips moved over yours like he was satisfying a hunger he’d never be able to escape. It was… insatiable.

Between shared air and exasperated sighs, your hands found their way back into his curls, tugging at them both gently and roughly, like your subconscious was trying to see what he wanted, what he liked, and he allowed it.

Never did Jason ever let you touch him like this.

Eddie’s hands were respectful, tentatively exploring your backside, surprised that you weren’t shoving him off. A part of him expected you to be joking, but with the way you rolled your hips into his waist he knew you weren’t kidding. Parting from your lips with a smack, a quiet whine escaped you, one that made his stomach flip.

He took to your neck, holding your hair back with a hand from behind you, kissing, sucking, nibbling on the sensitive skin, doing anything he could to get you to rock your hips into his like before, almost asking you to do it again. At the base of your neck, in the valley of smooth skin between your shoulder, he nipped gently, wrapping his lips around the spot quickly, and you did it. Your hips ground forward, and a groan was caught in your chest.

“Okay,” Eddie sighed heavily, tumbling backward, releasing you from his grasp. Planting your hands flat on the wall behind you, you pull your slick lips into a line and nod your head. Eyes wide, chest heaving with every breath, Eddie plastered his body weight to the wall and watched you carefully.

“Okay,” you copied him, studying him like he was you. Your heartbeat hadn’t calmed at all, if anything, it raced faster. You just made out with him in the girls bathroom.

You just made out with Eddie Munson. It didn’t matter where the hell you were.

“I don’t-”

“Are you a virgin?” you blurted out, speaking at the same time as him, cutting him off. Your question took him by surprise, the shock coming through as a grin and a nervous laugh. “Sorry,” you mumbled, squeezing your eyes shut. “You just…”

“Kiss… like a virgin?” he offered with a silly voice. Taking in his smile, you blush.

“No, god no, not at all, are you- are you kidding?” you stumble over a few words. “I just… Have been thinking, since Friday, just…”

Eddie held up a hand. “Hold up,” he started, then pointed toward you vaguely. “You’ve been thinking that I’m a virgin since Friday?”

Biting your bottom lip, you feign a look of innocence, whispering, “Quite the opposite actually.”

Eddie tilted his head backward, his curls pressed to the wall. Looking down at you, you swear his eyes darkened. “Well,” he paused, pondering to himself whether or not he should answer this question. “You’re not wrong.” Glancing down at his feet, you cocked your head to the side.

“Oh,” you said. “So, you’ve… slept with people from here? Hawkins?”

Eddie huffed a laugh and looked up at you through his bangs. With a small shrug he said, “‘Course.”

“Do I know any of them?” You weren’t sure why these questions were rolling out of you the way that they were, but you just had to know.

Eddie laughed again, for real this time, shooting you a funny look. “I’m not giving you names, but I’m sure you do.”

Folding your hands in front of you, you purse your lips and nod, glancing around as if discussing the weather. “How many people?”

“Jesus Christ, you don’t stop,” he chuckled. You give him a mischievous grin. “I’d typically say three, if we were… yanno, but, if you want me to be honest it’s more like…” he paused to count mentally, and he was silent for longer than you would have liked. “Probably… over thirteen, at least.”

“Over thirteen?” your eyes bugged out of your head, and Eddie cringed.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he shook his head. “I’ve been fuckin’ since I was fourteen and mad at the world, more than half of them didn’t mean shit.”

“Is this one of those moments where you’re lying to seem cool, but then later on you’ll tell me it really is three?” you asked with a small laugh, hoping to clear the heaviness that seemed to come with that question. Eddie gave you a lopsided smile before shaking his head.

“I wish.”

“Damn, Eddie,” you sighed. He simply shrugged his shoulders and tried to avoid your eyes. “Why wouldn’t you tell anyone the truth? You said you would say…”

“‘Cause how would it make you feel,” his tone grew ten times stronger, “If the dude you were about to fuck told you he’s been inside like twenty other people, and that you were about to become another notch on his belt just so that he could forget about his shitty life for thirty minutes.”

“Th-thirty minutes?” you stuttered, the words coming out of you in a breath. Eddie took a deep breath to calm himself. This was clearly a touchy subject, it wasn’t your intention to get him worked up, you were just curious.

“Jesus, Rio, I just said I’ve been inside like twenty people and you’re stuck on thirty minutes?” he half laughed. “I’ve gone for longer than that, but if I’m being honest it gets pretty boring if it goes on past forty five. Foreplay, sure, forty five minutes of that is pretty fuckin’ fantastic, but all the people I’ve been with just wanna get to it, they don’t even know what they’re missing…” His voice trailed off as he caught the longing look in your eye.

“You good?” he smiled.

Whining an, ‘Mhm’, as you squeezed your legs together, you suck in a breath.

“All of this scared you off, didn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah!” you exclaimed, visibly squeezing your knees together since he didn’t pick up on it before. “Terrified, Eddie, so terrified.” He dropped his eyes and grinned. “As much as it seems like you need to… talk about… all of that, which we totally can, if you need to- I think you should? I’m not… I’m not scared. It didn’t scare me.”

Eddie met your eyes. “That’s why Jason thinks we… fucked.” His entire demeanor shifted at the mention of his name. “I don’t say a word. I don’t kiss and tell,” a smirk graced his lips, “But, other people talk, reputations get built… Plus, I was like the only eighth grader hooking up with high schoolers, so all the guys were jealous.”

“Eddie!” you gasped, stepping forward to lightly smack his chest. “That’s not good!”

With a slight laugh he rolls his eyes. “I know,” he whispered, placing his arms over your shoulders. “Angry kid doing stupid shit, that’s what it was.”

Wrapping your arms around his back, you asked, “Your mom?”

Eddie blinked. “Dad, actually. My mom was gone when I was twelve. My dad, he…” his lips curled in disgust, “He wasn’t a nice dude.” He uses a hand to push his bangs away from his eyebrows. “Yanno that scar you like to look at?” You nod sheepishly. “Courtesy of ol’ pops.”

The weight in your knees threatened to give out, and your stomach turned to lead. “Eddie,” you breathed. He dropped his hand and wrapped it around your shoulder as it once was, and shook his head.

“No, c’mon, don’t do that to me,” he said. “Rio, you’re the one who’s supposed to tease me, not give me the sympathy face. I can take your teasing, I like it.”

Everything you’ve ever said to him replays in your head. Later tonight you know you’re going to backtrack on every conversation you’ve had with him to make sure you haven’t been an asset to his self depreciation. You didn’t want to be a part of the reason why he caused harm to himself.

“C’mon, crack a joke,” he said, shaking you a bit, trying to stop your bottom lip from pouting. “Make fun of me, I’m a sluuut.” The last word came out of him like a song, one that brought tears to your eyes. “No, hey, wait.” His hand traveled to your cheeks where he squished them gently.

“Don’t talk about yourself like that,” you attempted to say, but your voice cracked in all the wrong places. The tears slipped out of your eyes and onto his hands.

“No, no, stop,” he cooed, frantically searching your face for any other emotion than this one. “I’m okay, I promise, I’m okay.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead, then to your temple, then to your cheek. He moved to your lips, hesitating, but with all of the care in the world, he kissed you slowly. It was quite different to the first kiss you had shared, this one was gentle, and careful, and graceful, and felt like it meant something.

Eddie wishes this one came first.

“I’m okay,” he whispered, looking down at you after he pulled his lips away. “Only a little fucked up, but I’m okay.” His attempt at a joke actually worked this time and you laughed. “Oh, thank Christ, I thought you forgot how to do that.”

Laying your head down on his chest, his black t-shirt, you take a long, deep breath of him. Cigarettes and a certain cologne lingered on his being. Tightening your fists on whatever fabric of his you were gripping, you hum to yourself and pick up your chin. “You know what’s the weirdest thing?”

“What’s that?” Eddie’s voice is soft.

Looking at his body, his eyes, the bathroom, then his eyes once more, you hold back a smile. “This isn’t weird.”

Eddie followed everywhere your eyes went, then agreed with you. “I’m in a bathroom stall with a girl I’ve liked for three years, I’ve kissed her twice, and we keep dropping, uh, random trauma to one another wherever we’re speaking. Not weird at all.”

He successfully makes you laugh, again.

“You’re nice to talk to,” you said. “Now that I know you’re not judging me.”

Eddie perked a brow. “Oh, no, I’m totally judging you, am I not making that obvious enough? Damn, you thought we were friends?”

Forcing a frown, you break free of his grip and kick his foot as he tries to pull you back in with a giggle.

“C’mere,” he sighed, giving you an actual hug. “I like talking to you too. Now that you’re not actually judging me.”

Swallowing hard, post teary eyes eating away at the wall, you breathe and smile.

There was nothing bad about Eddie Munson. In many ways he was just like you.

Holding onto hope that one day everything in this mixed up world will fall into place, all while trying to patch up a hole in his heart that would be near impossible to heal.

“We can be friends,” you said tentatively, using the word with utmost caution. Eddie, running a hand in a circle over your back, nodded.

“Yeah, sure,” he said, without an ounce of sarcasm.

“Maybe not like, in everyone’s faces though, yanno?” He laughed at your whisper. “Wait, I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just-”

“No, I know,” he said, looking down at you. “Boyfriend shit.”

With one word he sent you two flying a part, pressing back against opposite sides of the stall. Boyfriend shit. You weren’t broken up with Jason, in fact, you were far from it, and you had kissed Eddie. Many times. The look on your face must’ve gave you away.

“Listen,” Eddie held out a hand, “We can pretend like none of this happened. I never walked in here, I never spoke to you, I never touched you. You have my word.” He didn’t move, or so much as blink. “I promise.” Your frozen stance triggered a babble of words from him. “I’ll never speak to you again, if that’s what you want. I’m the reason you’re in this mess anyway, I couldn’t help myself, we’re about to graduate, I couldn’t go into the next step of my life without knowing what you would’ve done if-”

“Eddie,” you cut him off, quiet and brisk. “You’re fine. You didn’t do anything wrong. If anything you kissed me because I pulled you into it.” While the two of you are silent, taking each other in, you find that it’s… too quiet. The hallways were just as silent. “Did the bell ring?”

Glancing over his shoulder as if the wall would give him the answer, Eddie simply shrugs. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Oh my god, Eddie,” you sighed, yanking the stall door open, almost swinging it right into him. Bag slung over your shoulder, you adjust your appearance in a mirror and try to not let your eyes get stuck to the boy behind you who propped himself up against the wall. Big, beautiful chocolate eyes watched every move you made. “We’re late,” you said matter-of-factly. He smiled.

“I’ve noticed I’m pretty good at making that happen,” he said with a smug grin. Gripping the straps of your bag, you shoot him a quick frown in the glass, then start for the door.

“Let’s go,” you said, waving a hand in the air for him to follow. “You have a class to get to.” Stepping out into the empty hall, you hear him groan behind you.

“It’s just the class we read stupid Shakespear in, I usually skip it to go smoke.” Stopping dead in your tracks, he runs right into your back with a, “Whoa!”

Turning around with a strict glimmer in your eyes, you lower your chin. “Shakespear isn’t stupid.”

“Neither is your ‘dancing thing’,” he whispered. Your stomach took a tumble at the fierceness he wore on his face. He was paying attention while Jason was speaking to you. Parting your lips to speak, trying to look at anything but him, your stomach continued to tumble when you spotted a boyfriend shaped figure leaning on the wall a couple feet away from the entrance to the girls bathroom. Now your knees were weak.

“Jason,” was all you could force from your lips, cracked and helpless. Eddie, twisting his face up in confusion, took you in, then turned to where your attention was focused.

Arms crossed, a disgusting scowl painted on his lips and a foot kicked up on the wall, you both could see the steam pouring out of his ears. Using his foot on the wall to stand himself up straight, Jason dropped his arms to his side and glared at Eddie, probably wishing that his looks had the power to kill. His steps were small and slow as he came closer to where you trembled, caught red handed in a giant lie.

But, was it really lying if you never actually spoke up?

Jason standing beside Eddie was something to laugh at. The height difference was incredibly hilarious. While your heart hammered in your chest, you stole a glance at Eddie who watched Jason with indifference in his brows. The six foot tall boy could care less if your boyfriend just caught the two of you leaving the bathroom together.

Baring his teeth as if to assert some type of dominance, though the diversity of appearance clearly showed who had the upper hand here, Jason snarled at Eddie, but saved his only words for you, staring you down with shame.

“I did fuck her,” he spat. Your breath hitched in your throat, your blood running cold. “And it wasn’t the first time.” He raised his brows, turning them inward. “Yeah, I’m a liar, too.” Snapping his glare to Eddie one last time, he spun with a vengeance and hurried down the hall before you had a chance to speak up.

Eddie, in pure shock, watched as Jason sped away, then tended to your teary eyes, stepping in front of you, as friends would, and ordered you to look up at him.

Shaking your head, just a bit, you whispered, “I’m not a liar.” Eddie reached for one of your hands, bringing it toward him, giving it a squeeze. “I’m not… I’m not a liar.”

“You’re not,” Eddie hushed, stepping closer to you. “You’re not a liar. Don’t listen to him. He said it ‘cause he’s mad, people say stupid shit all the time when they’re mad, trust me.”

A sudden breath ripped through your lungs. Then, another. And the sobs were short, and silent, and your chest tightened with every exhale.

“Okay, okay,” Eddie assessed the situation, prying his brain for solutions, and he could only think of one. You told him that Shakespeare wasn’t stupid, and he wanted to believe you, but now that you were hyperventilating in front of him, he thanked his lucky stars that he had no interest in the dead man’s literature, so he took you where he planned to go anyway- whether or not you made him go to class. On Friday he learned you didn’t smoke cigarettes, but now that you were a sudden asthmatic, maybe you’d smoke something else. Just to calm down.

thank you for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed this piece!

feedback is always greatly appreciated & is huge for artists.

we also all love messages & the audience’s input, opinions, and ideas.

leave me some here! <3

& if you’d like to support my writing, buy me a coffee here! <3

#sweeties #sincerely yours…#sincerely yours

30 notes · View notes

plumxwrites · 9 months

Text

i totally forgot tags on the third part

i’m so sorry oh my god

🧍‍♂️

#sincerely yours #sincerely yours…

0 notes