The mall was not where Eddie wanted to be on a Friday afternoon. The after-school crowd was loud and pushy. All he wanted to do was get the supplies he needed for the new D&D campaign he was working on, and get out. He did not want to get jostled by yet another gaggle of jocks who were intent on making his experience as miserable as possible. He didn't want to listen to the screams of younger kids playing tag and hide-and-go-seek amongst the hall kiosks. Unfortunately, the dollar store in the mall was one of the better ones in the area, and he was kinda on a budget when it came to craft supplies. So, he squared his shoulders, and bustled through the horde, making a beeline for his destination. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact so as not to accidentally egg on someone. He only paused momentarily when he saw a heads-up penny on the ground. He wasn't much for superstitions, but picking up lucky pennies was a habit Wayne had instilled in him since was a kid.
He made it to the dollar store with only a few minor shoulder bumps. He went over his list, which was scribbled on a napkin. Paintbrushes, permanent markers, glue, two posterboards, and a spool of red velvet ribbon. There was something else on the list, but it was so smudged he couldn't read it, so he shrugged and figured he would just have to come back for whatever it was.
On the way out of the store, he flicked the penny into the fountain (or wishing well, as Wayne used to call it) and started the trek back to the parking lot. He was about a yard from making his great escape when he looked across the mall and spotted a slumped-over, curled-up, pink-clad figure. He recognized this figure immediately as Chrissy Cunningham. She was sitting on the floor in the hallway to the restrooms, back against the wall, knees to her chest. His instincts told him she was crying. His instincts also told him to let it go and just continue on his merry way. But, he stole another glance at her, and started walking in her direction.
"You ok?" he asked, setting his bag on the floor and kneeling down in front of her.
Her head popped up and she blinked at him, her blue eyes wet with tears and puffy. "Eddie?"
"You know my name?" he teased.
She folded her arms over her chest, "That's a stupid thing to say."
"I'm sorry, just surprised is all. We haven't exactly interacted since middle school."
She stares at him, then says, "The talent show, right?"
"Yup, you were doing the…" he mimes cheerleading, "And I played with my band-"
"Corroded Coffin!" she exclaims.
"I'm shocked you remember."
"With a name like that, could I forget?" She wipes at her eyes with her sleeve and chews the inside of her cheek.
"So, I'll ask again: you ok?"
She nods her head, staring at him, but then a tear rolls down her cheek and she shakes her head no.
"Aw come on prom queen, what's a matter?"
"Don't call me that," she glowers, "And it's none of your business."
"Ok ok," he holds up his hands in surrender, getting to his feet, "I'll get out of your face."
He starts to walk away, but he feels a tap on his shoulder. Chrissy is standing behind him, staring at the ground.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"It's ok, you're upset, I get it."
She stares at the ground again, shifting her weight from her heels to her toes.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She nods, "But… not here?"
"Uh, well, we could… I mean, I know a spot that's more private."
She nods again.
He offers her his free hand and she takes it, which blows on the tiny ember in his chest that's been laying dormant since eighth grade. There was no point in having a crush on Chrissy, she was unattainable by all standards. There was still no point, he told himself, trying to smother the burning ember.
He guides her out of the mall, drops his bag through the open window of the van, and then guides her toward the wooded area behind Starcourt. There's an old picnic area back there that was used as a rest area for truck drivers before the mall was built in front of it, blocking direct access to it from the highway.
"Where are we going?" Chrissy asks.
"The most private spot I can think of," he says, "There used to be a rest area back here, no one uses it anymore."
"Except you?"
"It's, um, convenient for business transactions," he mumbles, suddenly very aware that he's taking Chrissy to where most of his weed sales take place.
She giggles, and the sound makes the ember smolder again. "Business transactions, huh?"
"Well what else should I call it?" he can feel himself blushing, for some reason.
She laughs again, then shocks him by saying, "You don't have any weed on you now, do you? Because honestly, I'm thinking that might help me more than just talking."
He swallows hard to keep himself from choking on his surprise and spins to face her, "Ok, tell me right now, are you setting me up?"
Her face goes puzzled, "Uh, no? Why would I do that?"
"Um, because your boyfriend has it out for me, and everyone knows I'm a drug dealer and-"
"Eddie, breathe," she says, placing a hand on each of his shoulders, "For starters, Jason's not my boyfriend anymore. And obviously, I know you're a dealer, but, it's not like you're a serial killer."
Eddie swallowed hard again, "Ok, yeah, sorry. I just… I'm not used to people like you being so cool about being with people like me…"
"Eddie, you offered to lend me an ear. I thought that was really kind of you, for the record. You know, you're not what I thought you'd be."
"Well if you were expecting fancy mobster stuff, sorry to disappoint."
"I thought you'd be a little mean and scary."
"Me?"
"Uh-huh. I mean, I didn't want to believe that was true, but that's what everyone acts like is true."
"I thought you'd be a little mean and scary too," Eddie laughs, feeling some of the tension release when she grins at him.
"Me?"
He pretends to hide a bashful smile behind his hair and says, "Terrifying."
He spins back around and begins haphazardly marching the rest of the way to the picnic tables. She trails behind him, giggling the whole way. When he fakes falling over a tree root she swats him and tells him he's a tease.
Once they're seated at the picnic table, Eddie leans on his elbows and says, "Ok, now spill."
Chrissy sucks in a breath, "Well, I broke up with Jason after the game yesterday. And now all of my "friends" are giving me the cold shoulder. They invited me to the mall, only to completely abandon me as soon as we got there."
"Well that's rude," Eddie gasps, "What your friends did, not you breaking up with Jason. That's badass."
Chrissy smiles, then sighs "I wasn't happy. Jason treated me too well, if that makes sense… Though now I'm beginning to think I should have sucked it up and stayed with him…"
"Sucks being an outcast, don't it?" he smirks.
She snorts, "You've always had more friends than I have, Eddie."
"Well, if you're really that lonely you're welcome to tag along with me. Then my friends'll be your friends, so you won't be friendless."
"That's really sweet, Eddie."
"Just don't tell anyone, ok? I have a reputation to uphold. If anyone asks, I told you to scram, but you don't take no for an answer." He gives her a wink and she beams at him, before miming zipping her lips.
"It's too bad you probably think Dungeons and Dragons is satanic in nature or I'd invite you to join our next campaign."
Chrissy rolls her eyes, "Don't be silly. I looked up that game in the library, after Jason wouldn't shut up about it, and it's no more satanic than The Mists of Avalon."
"Well well well, you're basically the first person outside of Hellfire itself to not condone it as a cult. Who would have thought."
"I don't think I'd be any good at it, but maybe I could watch?"
"Normally we don't allow spectators, but for you? I think we could let it slide. Maybe you'll warm up to trying it yourself."
Chrissy just stares at him for a moment, Eddie can see the wheels turning in her head, but he can't tell what she's thinking about.
"Do you ever feel like you're losing your mind?" She asks after a while.
"More often than not," he shrugs, "That's sort of my default setting."
She chews her lip, "Can I tell you something really weird?"
"Weird is my jam," Eddie replies.
"Do you think wishes come true?" Her eyes lock on his and they're so full of hopefulness, like she's silently begging him not to make fun of her. It makes his blood boil that Jason probably did that pretty often, if that was her first instinct.
"Sometimes," he says, choosing his words carefully, "My uncle used to remind me that you can't expect a wish to come true, but that if you make a wish and then you work toward your goal you can make a wish come true. But I will say, every now and again, the universe seems to grant wishes at random."
"Well… I think the fountain in the mall granted mine," she says softly.
"Your wish was for me to drag you out into the middle of the woods?"
She laughs, "No, I um, wished for a sign that I was right to break up with Jason."
Eddie studied her face trying to plus out what the sign was, but drew a blank.
She rolled her eyes again. "It's not every day your middle school crush offers to be your therapist for the afternoon." As the words leave her mouth, her cheeks flush pink, and she buries her face in her sleeves.
"Hey, look at me," he says, cupping her chin with his hand, "Can I tell you something equally weird?"
She nods.
"I threw a penny in the fountain in the mall too, and I wished for a little help with graduating this time around."
"Oh, Eddie, I can-"
"All the motivation I need is going to be making sure I'm in that auditorium with you on graduation day."
Without warning, Chrissy threw herself at him over the picnic table, wrapping him in a hug. That stupid tiny ember burst into flames, burning down whatever paper-thin walls he'd built around his feelings for her.
"And for the record, you were my middle school crush too."
Chrissy giggled, sitting on the top of the picnic table so her legs dangled to either side of his knees.
"Eddie, I wish I hadn't just broken up with Jason," she says softly.
"I know, I get it," he says, brushing a strand of her hair off her face that had escaped from her ponytail.
"But, if you want to, maybe we could try being really good friends?"
"I'd like that," he nodded.
"And then maybe, if it goes well, maybe something more?"
"I'd like that too," he grins, "Extra motivation to graduate if it's with my girlfriend."
Chrissy blushes again, "That sounds good coming from your mouth."
"Does it?" he smirks, "Well, I guess I have a good shot at getting that promotion."
"Don't push it," she giggles, leaning over for another hug.
He decided, in that moment, that even if Chrissy didn't feel the same way about him as he did about her, it didn't matter. Just having her in his life in any capacity was going to fill the Chrissy-shaped hole in his heart that he'd tried so hard to spackle over.
"Thank goodness for wishing wells," Eddie laughs.
"Seriously," Chrissy agrees, "It knew just what I needed."