My choices of cologne were limited to an ancient bottle of Aqua Velva, or a tiny pack of Obsession that I'd been given back when the Mall had cute girls passing out samples.
I opted for the Calvin Klein, figuring it HAD to smell better. At five eleven, I pulled up to the curb of Fi's house, carrying in my stuff and feeling that giddy nervousness that hits whenever you do something out of your usual routine. I looked up when the door opened and ooohhhhhhhhyeaaaaaah.
Fi. Fi looking HOT as hell in this silver slip sort of thing and AHHHH! Sheer black stockings with like, little flowers on them?
Dead. Dead right there. Bury me under the welcome mat.
"You . . . look . . . like a goddess!" I blurted. "Holy shit, those leggggssssss . . ."
Fi was pink-faced but smiling too. She thrust a hip out and gave a model's pout at me. "Ya like?" She demanded.
"I LIKE," HAD to kiss her. "Like, a hell of a LOT."
"Eddie, your shirt's almost done," Mrs Myers called from the living room.
I followed Fi as we went in, gave Mrs. Myers a quick hug and took the shirt. She pointed down the hall. "Bathroom's the first on the left, so go get changed and we'll see if Heidi's hem job is any good. Fi, go put the tickets in your purse right now before you forget."
Strip down, shirt, slacks, jacket, shake the hair, check for gunk in my teeth, and . . . I stepped out and headed to the living room, feeling pretty good.
Fi spotted me and damn, the glow in her eyes was worth it.
"You look like . . . Peter Frampton!" she blurted.
I gave a resigned shrug. "It's the hair, right?" At least she didn't say Andy Gibb.
"Hems are good, let's see . . ." Mrs. Myers reached out and swiftly rolled up both my jacket and shirt sleeves to my elbows. I made a move to take off my bracelet and rings, but both Fi and her mom firmly shook their heads.
I was little anxious, but Mrs. Myers grinned, and Fi slipped her arms around me.
"Gonna need my stick tonight to fight off the rest of my team," She teased me. "Possibly their dates as well."
"I'm sensing you approve," I murmured back, kissing the end of her cute nose before letting go of her and getting the two white boxes. "So, ah, much as I sneer at tradition, both of you deserve . . ."
I held out the corsages, and while Fi was delighted . . . her mom burst into tears.
"Eddie . . . honey, you didn't have to do that!" Mrs. Myers told me as she took her box.
I shook his head. "I just . . . I just wanted to, Mrs. Myers. Ever since I've been hanging out with Fi, both of you are just . . . you're good people. Maybe the only ones in Hawkins outside of Hellfire and the band. And I know you're not going out tonight, but I figured you deserved flowers too, yeah?"
She pulled me into a tight hug, and I hugged her back before shooting Fi a soft look.
"Okay then. Into the dragon's lair?"
She nodded. "We're strolling right down his throat, punching his uvula and turning his stomach into a mosh pit!"
THAT was my warrior princess. I took her hand and kissed it.
-oo00oo—
The banquet was in the big back room of Enzo's restaurant, and by the time we arrived, there were plenty of people in the parking lot.
Fi took my hand; hers was warm. She squeezed it reassuringly and we headed to the front doors together.
"Fi! And oh WOW, Eddie you look hot!" Someone called from the foyer. There was a chorus of agreement from some of the other girls and I blushed.
"Told ya," Fi whispered to me with a wink.
Some of the coaches seemed surprised to see me too, but I noted most gave approving nods to the suit at least, so that was reassuring as well. Funny how a damned suit could make a difference. I was the same Eddie, but pants and a matching jacket somehow let me pass.
"Hey there!" Jack-Off Carver was calling for attention at the banquet room door, nodding and acting like some unofficial MC. He spotted us and it took everything I had not to sink a fist in his face right there.
"Munson?" came his disbelief.
"Carver," I intoned, staring at him. Fi wiggled her fingers, and I loosened up the death grip I had on them.
"Jason," She murmured, "You're um, blocking our way."
He shifted to let us by, still looking confused, and I loved it. We made our way to one of the big round tables by the windows and sat down, watching people mill about, or find seats or just talk. A few came our way to greet us, and people wandered over to talk.
On the other side of the room, I could see Chrissy with some of the other cheerleaders, going around and greeting people. When she made her way to our table, Fi smiled at her. "Hey! Terrific color on you!"
"Thanks," she dropped her gaze for a moment, and then shot a smile at me. "Eddie Munson, you look great!"
"You do too," I told her, while slipping an arm around the back of Fi's chair. Chrissy chatted with us for a moment and moved on, but I shook my head when she headed to another table.
"Not a happy camper," I murmured to Fi, who nodded.
"Yeah," she agreed. "But then again, look who she's dating."
"Right? All of Jason Carver's alleged humanity could fit into a single pip on a die and still have room for the rest of his team," I scoffed.
Fi nodded. "Yeah, but tonight is about bigger and better things. Mostly boring things," She teased to lighten the mood. "Wait until Coach Lewis leads us in a rousing chorus of 'Hawkins Tigers, Charge to Victory' and you'll hear why most of us went into sports, and not choir."
I grinned at that.
Fi was dead-on about the dinner—Chicken Ala King over noodles along with some anemic side salads and rolls. I had a few bites only to catch my baby's wrist when she tried to steal my roll.
"Ah-ah. Not yours, Miss Myers," I chided her playfully.
"Trade?"
"For what?" I glanced at her plate, shaking my head. "Not touching any of that."
"Hmmm, what about . . ." She fished in her purse and pulled out a Tootsie Roll. I eyed it suspiciously.
"Where did that come from? I mean in a 'why did you pack it' sense and not 'which factory made it' sense," I wanted to know.
"Part of my emergency stash," She admitted, waggling it at me. "I'm carrying a few of these at all times."
"Trade," I agreed, and swapped the roll for the Roll. At the end of the room at the faculty table, Coach Lewis was getting up and clearing his throat.
"All right, settle down . . . don't make me have you run laps around this place!" he bellowed. He got a few faint laughs for that, but mine wasn't one of them. "I think we can all agree that Hawkins has the best athletes in Indiana . . . ." he blabbed on, boring the shit out of most of us and ended with the very lame, ". . . and yes, even the GIRLS have some good athletes, sometimes."
I looked around and saw Fi's team all taking that insult in with some very bland expressions. Damn. There wasn't a woman here who couldn't kick his ass, but nope, he HAD to be a dick to the end. Mrs. Cleveland got up next. She'd been the one actually coaching the team for two years, so we applauded her.
"Thank you, ladies and your escorts," she told us. She was a LOT more upbeat, and when she said, "Fi Myers has been an outstanding middie this year with real speed and quick reflexes that helped us build goals early . . ." I saw my baby blushing.
"Outstanding," I repeated in a low voice. "Uh, what's a middie?"
"Position on the field," Fi replied with a grin. "You watched me play and didn't even know that?"
"Game? What game? Hot girl with outstanding legs running around showin' them off—that's what I was watching."
More giggles spluttered out of her.
I'd been watching Carver out of the corner of my eye most of the evening, and he'd been doing the same when he wasn't passing a hip flask around his friends. Every time he looked our way, I could feel his loathing, so when he and a few of his crew got up and sauntered out, I scowled.
Something was up, and it wasn't good.
"Stay put," I murmured To Fi before kissing her temple. I rose and slowly made my way out of the banquet room. Mrs. Cleveland was starting to wind up, and I knew the awards would be next, so I needed to hurry.
I moved through the foyer and peered out through the glass doors to the parking lot. Jason and two of the others were crowded around a BMW when I saw him squat down for a few seconds. The car sagged a few inches as Carver moved to the other side. It took me a minute to realize what I was looking at—
He was slashing the tires.
Son of a bitch!
I mean what the hell? I looked where I had parked and yeah, the Valiant was flat on the asphalt, so I yanked the glass door of Enzo's open and ran out.
"Carver, what the FUCK are you doing?" I shouted, lunging for him. He pulled up and away from me, grinning with all those pearly whites.
"Oh Eddie! Why'd you DO it?" he called, shoving me with one hand while he dropped the other in his pocket. "Grab him!"
Two of his goons did, and I was caught between struggling or risking ripping the jacket. The bigger one managed to twist my left arm up behind my back putting an explosion of pain through my shoulder.
Carver grinned at me, and I could smell the fumes on his breath.
"Damn, Eddie. You might clean up on the outside, but we ALL know you're rotten to the core, freak, and it's time we swept the trash out of Hawkins! Don't go away now," He patted my face and turned to go back into the restaurant. I struggled, but his jackasses tightened their grip.
All I could think was how screwed I was. Nobody would buy that Jason had done it. They'd look at him, Mr. Golden Boy . . . they'd look at him . . . and I realized something.
Something that might work.
I heard Jason yell, "Hey! Someone's slashing tires in the parking lot!"
The parking lot at Enzo's was pretty well lit, and people spilled out of the door from the restaurant, staring.
"We got him!" One of the players called. "Right in the act!"
"Damn it!" that was Coach Lewis. "Munson! Figures! Lowlife, just like his old man!"
I gritted my teeth at the old, familiar put-down. Fat-Ass Lewis loved reminding people about my dad.
"Eddie!" Mrs. Cleveland and Fi both rushed over to me, trying to get the basketball players to let him go, but they didn't. "What's going ON here?"
"He came out and slashed the tires!" Jason shouted. "He's dangerous and needs to be expelled!"
"Bullshit!" Fi shouted back. "He wouldn't DO this!"
Damn I loved her!
"We caught him in the act!" one of the players yelled. "Right here!"
I looked at Mrs. Cleveland and said something in a low voice. She waved to people to be quiet, and I spoke again so everyone could hear it.
"Why would I slash my OWN tires if I did this?" I asked as quietly and seriously as I could. "It doesn't make any sense."
"Because you're a freak, trying to cover your crime!" Jason shot back. Fi stepped forward, getting into his face and for once, he didn't seem to like it.
"You asshole," she hissed at him. "You fucking ASSHOLE! You set him up!"
Yeah, getting a little turned on again by Fi's ferocity. Having someone go to bat for me was great and having Fi do it was like watching a Valkyrie get ready to decapitate a hyena.
"You're just emotional, Fi," Jason said through a small smile. "Taken in by a drug-dealing freak!"
I looked at Mrs. Cleveland and played my last card.
"Search me," I told Mrs. Cleveland. "Because if I did this, where's the knife?"
The minute those words left my mouth, Jason went pale.
Yep. He'd fucked up. If he hadn't been drinking it might have dawned on him to plant the knife on me, but nope. He missed that step.
Carver started backing up, but Fi grabbed his wrist and twisted his hand to show the rubber grime thick on his palm.
"Bonnie! Charlene!" she yelled and they flanked me, murder in their eyes as they latched onto Jason. He struggled but Mrs. Cleveland came over, looking calm but her eyes were glittering.
"Empty your pockets, Carver," she said in a mild voice. "Right. Now."