"What exactly do you think you are doing?" Eddie breathed angrily in the kitchen, his back facing the living room. He was standing over his best friend, Emmett, who was just staring right back at him like nothing was wrong.
Emmett put his hands behind his head and relaxed into his chair. Right before he opened his mouth to respond, Eddie cut him off.
"You do realize we were going to fuck her up this afternoon, remember?"
"Jesus, Ed, calm down! I can see the vein in your neck pulsing and it aint pretty."
Eddie craned his neck towards the living room, finding it hard to choose what was harder to stare at-his best friend acting like a complete dumbass or the green-day-loving parasite lounging on his living room couch, talking effortlessly with his friends.
Emmett stood up. "Listen-"
"There is nothing to hear, Emmett. You're out of the crew."
"Out of the crew? For what? For bringing some chick to your house without permission? What kind of shit-rule is that?"
Eddie kept his arms crossed. He couldn't find the words to express the resentment he was feeling-the backstabbing betrayal coming from his own friend. He felt as if though he tried to talk again a stream of vomit was going to fall out instead of words.
The sound of laughter came from behind them. Emmett took a step closer to Eddie, almost touching him. This was how they usually took care of things when the guys argued. They got closer and closer to each other—chest to chest- until one of them get the courage to take the first hit. Between Emmett and Eddie it was usually a joke, but as Eddie looked into his friends eyes, he saw no trace of the usual playfulness behind them.
"You need to take that dick out of your ass-"
Emmett didn't even have time to finish his sentence. Eddie shoved him towards the open door leading to the backyard in an angry impulse. Emmett, seeing it all coming, grabbed onto Eddie's bullet belt and they both spilled over the small steps leading out into the open.
Emmett wrestled himself over Edward and pinned him down.
"Stop! Fucking stop!"
"You sound-like-a god damn little bitch!" Eddie mandage to grunt out as he tried to over power Emmett. It was no use. Even though Emmett was thin, he was broad shouldered and strong. If you were to throw a couple of weights at him he'd become Arnold Swarchenegger in no time.
"I sound like a bitch? I DO? Please, you're the fucking hypocrite here!"
Eddie loosened his grip. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"The pacts!" Emmett gave Eddie one last shove and rolled off him in one smooth move. He pushed his green hair back, trying to flatten the destroyed mess that was his liberty spikes.
Eddie hopped up as well. "If you remember the pacts why go against them, huh? I thought you were serious about this shit, Em!"
Emmett took a cigarette out of his front pocket and lit it, throwing Eddie a strange look.
Eddie just stood there, oblivious. "Well? Tell me, idiot!"
Emmett took deep drags from his cigarettes. He was staring at Eddie like he knew something he didn't-as if Eddie was a foolish child.
"The fuck are you waiting for!?" Eddie spat. He couldn't hold himself back. He heard his house quiet down inside. At this point he didn't care. Emmett never acted strange around him and the guys-well never stranger than usual. He also was never judgmental nor malicious, but they way he was looking at Eddie drove him completely mad.
Emmett threw his cig on the floor, hitting Eddie's foot. "Oh fuck your pacts, Cullen. You don't even follow your own rules."
"Just fucking say what you gotta say, Emmett."
"Don't you remember? First week of freshman year? We were all drinking at the river beds with Sam and the boys. Before we were initiated."
Eddie nodded, impatiently. "We were headed to a show near the projects."
"That night, before we left, Sam recited the rules that you two had worked on."
"I know the fucking rules, Emmett!" Eddie growled impatiently.
"Do you?" Emmett lowered his voice. He didn't look angry. He didn't look like anything. "Because I specifically remember one of those rules was "Don't Fall in Love". What do you say about that huh? What is Tanya to you?"
"She's a friend." Eddie said too quickly.
"Oh for fuck's sake give it up."
"This has nothing to do with that bitch in there." Eddie lastly said.
Emmett's head turned slowly towards the house. Eddie followed his gaze and saw Belle standing on the steps of the kitchen door.
"Do you know what she did this afternoon?" Emmett was laughing. "She fucking took a dive for me. I was carving at a wall afterschool and when I saw a security guard coming I threw my pocket knife aside. The fucker caught me and even found the knife. I denied that it was mine but he didn't stop fucking with me. I was about to give in until Belle, here, came out of nowhere and said it was hers."
Eddie squeezed his jaw shut.
"The cop got confused. While he was dismissing me, this chick left behind his back, leaving him with nothing. I had to thank her."
"Why did you do it?" Eddie asked Belle, who he couldn't bring himself to look at. He could feel her staring at the back of his neck.
Emmett walked out of Eddie's eyesight and closer to Belle. Eddie turned and saw her standing at the door awkwardly, blushing furiously. Most of the hair in her face looked greasy and unkempt. He wouldn't be surprised if she was hiding sickly patches of acne behind those dirty locks.
Belle didn't look at Eddie. She smiled softly at Em, who was putting the ligther he used to light his cigarette in her messenger bag. "I don't know why I did it. I just wanted to."
And with that Eddie was left sitting in his backyard, alone. He didn't bother going back inside to see if anybody had stayed. At this point he didn't even want to be with himself.
Despite his current self-disgust, he couldn't keep his mind off of Tanya.
Tanya. The one that started it all.
next chaper preview
"What do you mean, it's hard going back, Jake? I was with you. Nothing about our past was difficult."
"It wasn't difficult then . . . because I wasn't ashamed. I thought what . . . we did was normal. I know now it was all just a stupid cry for attention. It's time you realized that too, Bella."