Fi and I got back to her place around one in the morning and thank God Mrs. Myers wasn't the sort to freak out. We told her what happened, and she understood, hugging us and agreeing that Carver was the world's biggest dick. When she offered me the guest room, I took it after calling my uncle to let him know.

You'd think I'd be ALL wound up, what with the adrenaline and my aching shoulder, not to mention that thought of Fi just across the hall, but once I started to undress, the fatigue hit, and I barely made it under the covers.

I slept hard, with a few weird-ass dreams about bats and using Fi's Lacrosse stick to fight 'em off. I finally woke up because my bladder was about to pop.

Bacon . . . I followed that scent to the kitchen.

"Sorry, I was beat," I admitted, dropping into the seat next to Fi in the breakfast nook.

"We saved you some," she assured me, pushing the plate over. "I guess you'll be heading out soon, huh?"

"Have to," I told her regretfully, picking up a strip and taking a bite. "New tires, for one, and rehearsal with the band, along with," I sighed, "applying at Bradley's Big Buy for the summer warehouse work."

"Ooh, that reminds me," Mrs. Myers reached behind her to the phone table and picked up a file. "I need your signature in a few places, Eddie. I found the forms you need to register your music."

"Yeah?" I looked at her and Fi did too.

"Yeah. And it's not as expensive as you thought," Mom pushed the file his way, along with a pen. "I suggest you sign all these, and then as we get a few dollars here and there, we'll send them off when you have enough. Do you have anything that's already transcribed and ready to go?"

I thought while Fi finished the last of her cereal. "Three," I told Mrs. Myers "One of them is . . . pretty violent," I admitted, feeling nervous.

"Not here to judge the content," she assured me.

I shot her a look. "You . . . are pretty amazing, Mrs. Myers."

She laughed. "Working the ER gives you an education about humanity, Eddie, and I think you should call me Angela from now on. If you give those to Fi, we'll make copies and get your originals back to you, all right?"

Fi watched me sign the forms. "What's the J stand for?"

"Joseph, for my grandfather," I told her. "Better than being named for my other grandfather, Lawrence."

She thought about that. "Ooh, yeah, not a great monogram."

"I am many things," I assured her, "but a tree ain't one of them." We all cracked up.

-oo00oo—

Bradley's hired me, as I knew they would, so at least I'd be making money over the summer. Later in the week, I was called in to the police station to tell my side of what happened at Enzo's, along with Fi and her teammates. The Carvers had lawyered up, surprise, surprise, but his basketball goons had turned on Jason, and with all the evidence, it was deal-making time.

I saw him one last time, even though I never told Fi. I knew Carver had to clear out his locker, so I waited. His parents had him under their thumb now, but they dropped him off to pack up his sports shit from the locker room after school was out for the day.

The locker room was empty, so it was just us.

He looked . . . small. No fucking swagger left. I suppose I could have felt sorry for him, but any pity I had died when he looked up and saw me.

"You mother-fucking, trailer trash bastard!" Carver hissed at me, showing the cardboard box aside. "This is all YOUR fault, you FREAK!"

I didn't say a word, but I walked up to him. He was flustered now, not sure whether to take a swing at me or not. I cocked my head.
"How?"

"What?" Carver was shifting around, looking spooked, and I didn't get it. He was a jock, he didn't need goons for back-up. I mean he loved having an audience, but if he wanted to punch me he could . . . unless . . .

I had an idea. I leaned in close.

That's when I saw his pupils get wide.

Bingo.

I whispered, "I get it. You can't beat the gay out of yourself, so you take it out on me, doncha, big boy?"

"You shut your fucking MOUTH, Munson, or I'll . . ."

"What? Kiss me? Is that what you've wanted all along, Carver?" I taunted. It felt damned good to have his number now, and I shifted a little more until I was nearly up against him.

Carver wasn't moving away, or backing up, and when I looked in his face, he was terrified, all pink-faced and blonde, wide-eyed.

I kneed him hard. He folded up like a rickety lawn chair, letting out a high-pitched groan as he clutched his nuts and staggered back against the lockers.

For good measure, I kissed him, too, feeling him writhe and whimper before I pulled back and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"There ya go. Touch me again, hassle Fi or Chrissy or anybody else in this town and I'll drop this story everywhere. Me, I already have a rep, right? But you, Mr. Golden Boy—this will fucking BURY you."

I walked out, leaving him whimpering and shaking against the lockers.

-oo00oo-

Two weeks later I was in a hot, itchy green polyester robe, sitting next to Fi and feeling unreal.

I was gonna graduate. FINALLY. The grades were in, the classes were over, summer was in front of us and I was done with Hawkins High. I was getting tired of Principal Higgins' speech, but he finally nodded and up in the choir loft, the orchestra started up a muffled version of 'Pomp and Circumstance' as the first row got up and started to cross the stage behind the podium.

Mrs. Lydecker was reading names, looking up and nodding for the ones she personally recognized. I knew Angela was sitting with my uncle over on the far side near the big windows to catch a breeze. Since the heat was only going to climb, the back doors were open, letting in the sunshine.

Three rows had already gone, and then it was our row's turn. I got up, feeling nervous as hell.

"Susan Monaghan . . ." Mrs. Lydecker read. "David Morse . . ."

I looked out at the audience, spotting Henderson and the others out there, all in Hellfire shirts, and it made me grin.

"Edward Munson!" Mrs. Lydecker trilled.

Shit! The Hellfire Club rose up all at once and HORNED me! I damned near lost it, grinning back at them, and when I looked at Angela and Wayne, SHE was waving horns at me too! Wayne was smiling and I gave him a nod because yeah. He'd kept me when nobody else wanted me. He'd been there and . . . God, I loved him.

I stepped up to Higgins and made it a point to take the diploma and HOLD IT OVER MY HEAD in triumph.

Yeah, he didn't like that shit at all, but he couldn't do anything about it, either.

"Sofia Myers!" Mrs. Lydecker called and I moved off so my baby could get her diploma next. I followed the line back to our seats, dropping into mine with a relieved sigh, staring at the folder in my hands like it was made of gold.

"Holy shit," I muttered. "Holy shit, I did it."

"Yep," Fi assured him, rubbing my back. "You sure as shit did, babe."

I turned my head to smile at her.