Chapter Seven

A pair of zombies moved down the sidewalk flanked by a vampire and a superhero. The group stalked the shadows and moved door to door, each decorated with skeletons, cobwebs, and gore. They would each dive their hands into cauldrons filled with candy and pocket loot before moving on to the next scene of horror, for the next handful of goodies.

It was Halloween night and the sky burned orange as the sun was setting. It welcomed a night of terror where monsters roamed, and dread permeated through the air like a thick fog. That was how it was advertised at least, in reality, anyone involved loved the holiday and had more fun than fright when they prowled the streets. That was, of course, assuming they had more treats than tricks.

Double D wondered how he and his cohorts would fare on this All Hallows' Eve. He, Ed, and Eddy were walking down the sidewalk bound for the frat house Eddy had been tipped off about. While Double D wore a more skeptical expression, Eddy's was that of his trademark swagger and arrogance, and Ed just smiled as he watched everything around him. As a connoisseur of the macabre, this was his favorite holiday. The only thing that could have made it better was if he could still get candy, but most houses weren't so kind to unaccompanied adults as they were the younger crowd.

He had done his due diligence and secured the three of them costumes to the best of his ability but because of the short notice, he was given the store shelves were barren. Despite that, he had managed to decorate his friends in what he considered to be an acceptable manner.

Eddy led the pack, his hands in the pockets of an orange jumpsuit that was adorned in rips and splatters of blood, a pair of broken, plastic handcuffs dangled from his wrist, and his hair was blasted back and sat messily and he had two dark circles around each of his eyes. He didn't care too much about how he looked, he just wanted a costume that would turn heads. He had to admit that Ed had gone the extra mile this time. While he might not be the only escaped convict on the run that night, he was without a doubt the best looking.

Double D wore a tattered lab coat over a pair of scrubs and was covered from head to toe in fake blood. He was grateful his outfit came equipped with a cap so that he wouldn't have to explain the presence of his trademark beanie should the conversation arise. That was something he hated to talk about, no matter how much everyone else seemed interested in the topic. The mask also gave him some comfort. It would be a crowded place and he knew how rampant bacteria could be in environments such as their destination.

Ed himself was dressed in a cowboy hat, a faux leather vest over a button shirt, and jeans. A pair of empty gun holsters hung around his hips. Double D had begged him not to take his guns to town for this particular evening citing a number of reasons even Ed had to agree with. The plastic spurs spun against his stained tennis shoes. The budget he had wasn't all that much, so he skimped that one little detail.

The escaped convict, mad doctor, and cowboy stopped in front of their destination and admired it for a moment before they headed inside. It was a large, multistoried brick house with an open porch, extravagant, white pillars bordering it. Greek letters spelled out the frat on the brick face of the house above the steps.

Both the house and the well manicured lawn were decorated in the usual assortment of hedge stones and fake spider webs. A litany of jack-o-lanterns lined the porch, and a mechanical ghoul guarded a bowl of candy he clutched in one of his hairy arms.

The music was already radiating out of the residence, it vibrated the windows with the bumping bass, and more than a few patrons were outside the main party, having private conversations with friends on the porch or isolated from the rest of the happenings on the lawn. The trio ignored them as they made for the front door. The werewolf barked a greeting, being triggered by a motion sensor. Eddy plucked a candy apple jawbreaker out of the bowl and stuck it in his mouth, tossing the wrapper over his shoulder for an already aspirated Double D to pick up and pocket with a sigh.

Ed stared at the numerous decorations with wide eyed wonder before his over-active attention was struck as Eddy opened the door. The music blasted out from within, the sound of a popular dance song, and an uncountable number of voices each trying to talk over it hit them as they shuffled inside. A guy in a toga with a red cup in his hand acknowledged them when they walked in with a smile and a nod, which Eddy returned before he resumed his business of chatting up a witch wearing more makeup than registerable clothing. It was the sort of event where if you were there then you either knew somebody or otherwise belonged, so the lax door service was the only sort of official greeting the Ed boys got.

This struck Double D as something odd, being a much more cordial host. But Eddy brushed it off and wandered into the fray exuding an aura of confidence he had long since mastered conjuring. This wasn't the first party he had drug his friends along to, and it wouldn't be the last.

They followed suit and strode through a busy living area, the TV muted but showing a classic monster movie that drew Ed's eye. The large man taking up the majority of the couch with a female under each arm drew Double D's judgmental gaze, while the two girls in the opposite corning making out attracted Eddy's attention. Ignoring the distractions, however, the group made their way into a kitchen that hosted only a few patrons. Almost all of them were refilling their refreshments while a handful spoke in more reasonable tones to their friends and acquaintances.

Eddy scooped up three red, plastic cups and set about making each of his friends an easy drink to sip on before he shoved them into each of their open hands. Double D had long since learned not the fight these sorts of things. It was always in vain and the louder and more adamant he got the more likely it was to ruin someone else's experience. So, he always just limited it to one drink that he never finished, it wasn't a surprise, but he didn't make a habit of drinking.

Ed, however, took a few gulps of the rum and off brand cola drink, he savored the carbonation that enhanced the cheap alcohol. He was more adapted to this sort of thing and would be finished with his drink in a few minutes. But by then he would have discovered the keg that was no doubt there and would spend a lot of his time that evening in its presence. Beer was something he enjoyed, and he seemed to have a limitless capacity to the stuff. He never got much more off it than a good buzz, which was saying something considering Eddy always had to be walked, or carried, home from these events by a half-drunken Ed and an embarrassed and upset Double D. His task of nights like these consisted of babysitting and ensuring the safety and security of his pals. It was a noble job, but a thankless one.

After taking a hardy sip from his drink and hissing as it rose from the back of his throat Eddy spoke up, "Well boys, let's mingle!" With that, he turned on a heel and made his way back out into the main room. Ed laughed and followed suit, while Double D just shook his and tailed after the two of them determined to keep them from getting into too much trouble.

As the group explored the happenings, they drew closer and closer to the room where the most voices emitted from. It was a dining room, at least it looked like at one point it had been. The place was void of any furniture, the only piece being a small set up on one side lined with plastic cups for beer pong. A team of two looked like they were finishing up what couldn't have been their first game judging by how much they were swaying and missing shots. A small crowd had gathered around and cheered their friends on and joined in the revelry.

The floor to the room was covered end to end in plastic sheeting that was used for painting, but the large keg that sat in the center surrounded by other partygoers gave it a different purpose. Double D being the neat freak he was appreciated it more than his two friends, who smiled at the keg in Ed's case and the crowd in Eddy's.

Ed gulped down the rest of his drink as Eddy elbowed him in the ribs, "Come on, monobrow. Let's get over there and show these ladies what we've got." he said, gesturing to the beer pong table.

Double D for his part just stifled another sigh, it was shaping up to be a long night of hard work managing his best friends. But he considered it worth it if they had a good time. He followed them over to the table and watched as Eddy introduced himself to a pair of upperclasspeople and indicated his interest in playing the next game with his number two, Big Ed. Who, in turn, nodded in excitement. He loved this game.

The night was going great. Ed and Eddy had won their game of beer pong and earned both the approval of the upperclasspeople and the admiration of their peers. Because of this the trio had been introduced to a number of new faces and given the fast pass for the line to the keg. The perks of being a social butterfly and befriending the hosts.

Eddy was starting to get tipsy after his third drink and just entering the stage he liked the most, where he could have fun and be the person he always wanted to be. The person he always pretended to be. While Ed had downed more of the keg's contents than anyone else thanks to his insatiable appetite for the stuff and an impressive keg stand that even made the most experienced of frat boys envious. But, given the ferocity of his drinking nature was beginning to call more and more and as such, he had made another run to the bathroom. While Double D snuck out the back door to get some air.

This left Eddy alone, not that it bothered him. As much as he adored his two best friends there were some things you had to do alone, and as Eddy chatted up the third girl that evening, he was glad Double D and Ed weren't there to cramp his style. While the other two had blown him off over his advances, this vampire was at least faking interest in what he had to say. That was until he felt something constrict around his free wrist and a familiar clicking sound meeting his ears.

"Gotcha!" he heard her say from behind him as he was pulled away from the vampire whose number he was about to get. He cursed under his breath and turned to face down his captor. He wasn't surprised to see Lee Kanker. However, he couldn't stop his eyes from widening when he saw her outfit.

She wore tight, high waisted shorts that showed off her long legs, along with a top that revealed plenty of her chest. The badge glistened under the low lights and when he met her eyes, he was staring back at himself thanks to the mirrored lenses on the aviators. The ensemble was tied together with a hat that matched the rest of the outfit, another fake police badge at its center.

"Careful, girls!" she shouted out over the music, "He's a wanted man."

On either side of her stood Marie and May, each glared at him with smiles on their faces and evil in their eyes. It was the same hungry look he had seen them hold before, too many times to count and as his eyes took in their outfits, he cursed Ed with all he had.

Marie was wearing a white mini skirt and thigh highs, along with a white top that hugged her petite figure emphasizing what she did have, a fake stethoscope hung around her neck and the symbol on her hat matched the one stitched on the breast of her top. A red cross. Of fucking course.

May on the other hand wore cut off shorts, that had more cut off to them than shorts, along with a checkered top tied off above her mid rift. A tan hat sat on her head and a red bandana around her neck completed the look and he spotted a pair of familiar looking boots. He wondered why Nazz had to have been so generous and give May Kanker of all people that particular pair, but he bigger worries.

"This one's mine, girls. Go find ya men." she ordered to her sisters who slank back into the crowd and left Lee and Eddy in the most private type of moment they could have in a room full of drunken college kids.

Eddy stumbled backward and tried to jerk out of his bindings, but his effort only earned him a swift tug from Lee, who pulled him closer and left him with a feeling of fear and disappointment.

"Oh no ya don't!" Lee chastised. "The rest o' this costume might be fake, but these babies are as real as it gets. From my personal collection." she smiled down at him.

The realization dawned on him, and a look of horror washed over his face. He tried to run, to struggle against them, to get away. But it was all in vain. There was no escape.

"That's right!" she grinned, "You're stuck with me tonight, hot stuff." Her shadow enveloped the ever shrinking Eddy as he trembled.

Double D breathed the cool night air as he sat on a raised back patio overlooking the empty fenced in yard. He could hear the party still reverberating from inside the house, it rattled the windows and almost shook the stones from the foundation. But this was a quiet moment where he could enjoy himself and his thoughts. Ed and Eddy could survive a little alone time, and he was happy to be with no one other than his thoughts as he stared up into the night sky. He heard the glass door slide open, and the gesture showered the serenity with the chaos inside for a brief moment before it slid shut again. Someone must have been looking for someone or checking to make sure he hadn't passed out unattended in the backyard. That's what he thought at least before someone slumped down next to him.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" she asked, the usual bite in her voice gone. In its place was curiosity. Something that before the semester had begun, he wouldn't have thought possible.

He couldn't help but jump, his body stiffened but he made no move to jump up and make his escape. He stared at her for a moment, she made no move to attack him. In fact, in the moonlight and against the glow of the warm lights from inside she looked picturesque as she stared up in the same night sky, he was admiring moments ago.

"Oh Marie." he swallowed the lump that had formed in his thoughts and chastised himself for being so rude. Despite their history that was no reason not to be polite and courteous. "I wasn't expecting you this evening." he put on his best smile.

She shrugged, "Shoulda known better than that."

"Yes, I suppose." he began, "It is good to see you."

She scoffed, "Yeah right."

This grew his interest, what did she mean by that? "Is everything alright?" he asked.

She threw he head back and downed the contents of her red plastic cup, she let a small belch and was quiet for a long time, only looking up at the sky. The sound of the party was right behind them but at that moment, it felt as far away as the stars that twinkled overhead.

Double D just watched her, taking her in. She wasn't unattractive. Quite the contrary in his opinion, but in the past, he had few opportunities to marvel at her like this. The dark sky and the faint lights only enhanced her pale skin and blue dyed hair, the reflection of the moon shown in her eyes. As he stared, he noticed her outfit, and how little of her body was covered.

"My goodness!" he gasped. He pulled off the lab coat and draped it over her shoulders, "You must be freezing."

She smiled, a small and faint one, but still a genuine smile. "Tell me something nerdy." she said, startling Double D. It wasn't that he was afraid, he was of course, but in this small moment it seemed as though they were in a sort of limbo where she wasn't her usual self, and he wasn't his.

He took what had to have been his second sip of the evening. The ice cubes had melted and the cola had gone flat a long time ago. He choked the liquid down and thought. "Any preference?" he asked, as he turned away from her and stared up into the night sky.

"Tell me something about the stars." she replied. She sounded distant.

He scratched the back of his neck and squinted his eyes. It shouldn't take much work to come up with something. He raised his arm and pointed up into the sky. "See that?" he asked.

She followed his finger and squinted into the array of glistening stars. She was confident that she was looking at what he was pointing to but made no sound of acknowledgment.

"It's a little faint by now, but that is Mars." he continued.

"Yeah. I can see it." she confirmed. "When I was a little girl, I had this book on astronomy. It wasn't anything too in-depth, but it talked about stuff like that. I'd stay out late watchin' the stars. Tryin' to figure out which were which in the diagrams." As she spoke her smile began to fade. "It was a lot better than staying in. Listening to all the fighting and yelling."

Double D wasn't a people person. He didn't pride himself on his social skills and lacked the ability to pick up on queues. A lot of the way he acted was just on instinct and the chivalry that was drilled into him as a child. Always treat people with dignity, kindness, and generosity. That's what his mother had instilled in him, and he was proud of that. But even with his novice understanding, he could pick up on what was going through her head.

It hadn't dawned on him until he had started researching psychology in high school, but he knew the upbringing he had was much different from that of the Kankers'. Three girls with three different dads, living with their unseen mother in a trailer. Each of them was plucked up out of their old lives and forced to live anew in Peach Creek where they were surrounded by strangers who couldn't understand them.

Double D might have known a thing or two about parents not being around, but everything else was alien to him. Despite his ostracization, he did have friends in Ed and Eddy, and once that business had been wrapped up with Eddy's brother, they were both accepted and welcomed into the small bubble of friends that all lived in the cul-de-sac.

The Kankers were never given that chance, however, and while their over eagerness died away as they entered their teens, their social status never advanced. There had been those who had tried. Nazz came to mind. She had attempted to befriend the sisters, if for no other reason than to have more girls in her network of friends, and she had succeeded. The three sisters had attended a number of the parties she threw, and they had even spent time together as friends a few times. But they were always on the outside looking in.

Double D knew it couldn't have been easy for them looking at everything they didn't have. Big houses, happy families, huge networks of friends, coupled with the distinct anxieties the lower class had to suffer with. When he had made these realizations, he had forgiven them for everything that they had done and continued to do. It was no wonder why they acted the way they did.

"I'm sorry." It slipped from his lips without him realizing.

"It's whatever." she replied, the silence washed over them again. It wasn't the most comfortable of silences, but it did bring the young man some solace. The two of them were communicating without speaking, on a number of levels, and being someone who had trouble talking to the opposite sex in intimate moments like this, he appreciated it.

"You know," she started, breaking the silence, "when I was coming out here, I was coming up with everything I could do. How I coulda tackled you or wrapped you up in a hug from behind, how I coulda held you down and kissed you. But in the end," she shrugged again, "I guess it doesn't matter."

"Well, I supposed I should thank you for that." he grinned, earning a small chuckle out of her. He searched his brilliant mind for what to say or what to do. How to make the girl who was showing the pain she carried every day hurt just a little less. The number of elemental formulas and math equations he knew wouldn't help him here. So, he relied on another powerful tool in his arsenal, his ability to ask questions and listen. "Why doesn't it matter?"

She didn't respond. She just stared out into the infinite blackness of space. A few moments passed before she perked up, she looked at him and smiled before swiping the cup from his hands, "Thanks, babe!" she grinned as she downed the rest of his drink in a few greedy swallows.

When she finished, she stuck her tongue out in disgust, "Oh man, that's gross!" she admitted.

Double D couldn't help but smile and nod. "I could have told you that." He laughed.

Her entire essence seemed to brighten at this. The sorrow and the fake enthusiasm was gone, in their place real joy. She beamed at him and jumped up, pulling him to his feet along with her, "C'mon Dreamboat. Let's get you a refill." She smiled. Double D couldn't help but laugh as she pulled him along back into the party.

The line to the bathroom had been long this time. Almost too long for Ed to bear. It turned out that an over eager couple had gotten a little carried away in a brief moment of solitude and had created the traffic. But now that Ed's bladder was empty and he returned to the party he felt the desire to refill his cup, so he made his way for the keg.

By this stage in the night the majority of the occupants had had their fill of the stuff and either moved on to harder drinking, that sounded like it was being done in the main room, or had reserved themselves to more causal sipping that made for a more enjoyable experience for both the night and the following morning, and, of course, some had all together finished with the party and had already retired, some with others and some who had struck out and hadn't been able to achieve that particular goal. Regardless, the crowd that had been around the keg up to that point had dissipated, and only people with a heightened capacity for the stuff were frequenting the near empty stainless-steel drum. Ed was one of those individuals.

That's why when he saw the sizable crowd gathered around, chanting, the idiotic grin fell from his face. He had expected to fill up his cup, find his two best chums, and end the night on a high note. Maybe with Eddy getting them into some sort of trouble fueled by a bet or dare or something. Ed knew the hot-headed boy had a streak of always wanting to prove himself even at the cost of his and his friends' comfort and reputations. But it was always good fun.

He frowned and tried to come up with the best strategy for getting to his target. The crowd that encircled the keg was so dense he couldn't even see the thing, and their palpable excitement meant if he rushed through them their reactions wouldn't be approving, even with his pass from the higher-ups.

He squinted and tried to see past the crowd and at whatever had roused their excitement. The mass of bodies were packed together like sardines and jumped about in a way that made it next to impossible to see through them. What he could gather was that someone was taking another keg stand that had gained the same amount of approval and admiration as his performance earlier that evening.

The normal person in his shoes might feel a wash of jealousy overcome them, or even be embarrassed at the ego blow that they were being shown up. Most people in that room would have had that reaction, their fragile self-esteems apparent in more ways than one. But Ed wasn't most people, and he was anything but normal.

The same idiotic grin that had dropped from his features returned in full as the warm feeling of excitement and anticipation filled his stomach. He wasn't jealous, he was over the moon for whoever was now in the spotlight. His former inhibitions vanished, and he dashed forward through the crowd, earning many hateful glances and curt comments along the way. But when he reached the edge of the crowd all new reservations smacked into him like he had ran into a brick wall.

The object of everyone's attention was none other than May Kanker, coming down from what must have been a very impressive keg stand. She wiped off her mouth with her bare wrist and proceeded to throw both hands up and a toothy smile spread across her face. The crowd went wild at the theatrics.

Ed risked a brief glance behind him before he realized that his odds of busting through the gathering would be impossible and returned his gaze to the cowgirl in front of him. It didn't take long for their eyes to meet, but when they did her smile widened as a degree of genuine happiness snuck into it.

Before he had so much as the opportunity to blink, she was in front of him and before he could so much as struggle out a peep in greeting, she grabbed both of his hands and dashed out of the room. Ed dangled like a noodle behind her, everything a blur from his perspective.

When the world stilled Ed found himself in the more secluded kitchen with May looking up at him beaming. She was almost bouncing on her heels in excitement as she stared at him in pure wonder and amazement. The sudden alcohol intake taking effect.

"Hiya, Big Ed." she smiled.

He froze, unsure of what to say, what to do, or even how to react. He knew that there wasn't an overwhelming urge to flee, which was strange to him. But he knew after their more recent interactions there was no need to. But what could he say? He didn't have much in the way of a silver tongue and knew he wasn't the best at making conversation. But the warm sensation that already had him in its clutches helped him, not being the first young man aided in his lack of social ability by alcohol.

"Hello." he belted out, louder than he had intended.

"Some party, huh?" she asked.

"Sure is!" he returned. "Having fun?"

"Oh yeah, lots!"

A moment of silence engulfed them as neither knew what else to say. The two of them hadn't spent much, if any, time alone together. On the night of the movie marathon, there was cohesion that had held them together and directed their conversation. They had something in front of them to talk about. They hadn't had any one on one that night where they spoke to each other about each other, and now that they didn't have something to fall back on, they were faltering.

As Ed looked down at her and they stared at each other. Her expression dropped and her eyes followed it down to the stained linoleum floor. A mixture of both shame and guilt wore itself on her face in such a blatant manner that even the oblivious Ed could pick up on it. He arched his eyebrows in concern, had he done something wrong?

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

"It's nothing." She trailed off, as she bit her lip and looked everywhere in the room except at him.

"I thought your keg stand was really cool." he offered and it earned him a small chuckle from her.

"There's something I wanted to tell you." she started, her teeth returned to her lips. "Something I've wanted to tell you for a long time."

"Well, you can tell me now." his words came out more as a barter than a statement. He didn't want her to feel bad and something was bothering her, it was as simple as that. He wanted to do whatever he could to make those feelings go away.

"It's just…" she started and found their shoes more interesting than anything else. "I'm really sorry." she whispered.

"Sorry?" Ed asked, "Sorry for what?" she hadn't done anything wrong.

She sighed before continuing, "I'm sorry for all that stuff back when we were kids."

His eyes widened as the realization flicked on inside his head. He couldn't say anything, so she took this her queue to elaborate.

"Back then we were messed up." she nodded, more to herself than anyone else, "We shouldn't have…I shouldn't have done all that stuff. I mean, you hate me. You're afraid of me. All because I was so stupid back then-" but her tirade was interrupted when Ed placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump somewhat before darting her eyes to meet his gaze for the first time since her guilt took the wheel.

He gave her a small smile that melted the coldness that was building inside her and set her twisted insides at ease. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. Everything that needed to be said was conveyed in his eyes and his smile. After all this time, after everything she had done, after her numerous accounts of harassment and assault that hadn't clicked in her youth, he had forgiven her. And that meant more to May than anything.

Lee wanted to put her hands on her hips and glare at Eddy, but the handcuff situation made the gesture impossible. So instead, she put her free hand on her hip, and he jerked, pulled, and led her by the other.

They were on the second level of the house and Eddy was going door to door as he searched for something to get him out of his current predicament. It was a charade that had interrupted more than a handful of romantic rendezvouses in the bedrooms and earned the duo significant ire from the participants.

"Come on." Eddy muttered, as he scanned the halls, "There's gotta be a pair of bolt cutters or something in this place!"

Lee could only sigh and shake her head, to say this hadn't gone according to her plans would be an understatement. He pulled her into a bathroom and proceeded to tear open the door to the mirrored medicine cabinet above the sink and trifled through it.

Something tickled at Lee, something she wasn't used to and couldn't pin down. This undiagnosed emotion played at her and caused her anger to grow. It was the only method of showing how she felt she knew and just as Eddy pulled out a half empty bottle of baby oil neither of them wanted to question, she was at her boiling point.

"Ah ha!" he cried out.

"Oh, for God's sake!" she shouted out, "If it's so goddamn bad bein' around me fine!" her voice caused the loose tiles on the wall to vibrate, and Eddy could only stare at her with an expression that matched that of a frightened puppy.

She reached down her shirt and into her bra and pulled out the small key to the handcuffs. With a huff, she unlocked his end. "Go!" she said.

"Lee…" Eddy muttered.

"No, get the fuck outta here." her voice was shaky, but her tone and resolve were intact.

"Lee."

"If bein' around me for so much as a second is so goddamn bad that you're two steps away from chewin' off your own hand that's fine. Run away just like everyone else!" she could feel her entire body tremble as she screamed. She had been mad before, in fact, it was one of the fiery redhead's trademarks. But as she shouted and poured every ounce of her being into it she knew she would have even scared herself if she was on the receiving end.

"Lee!" he screamed back at her in a matching volume that would ensure neither of them would be on the guest list to the next party hosted here. Before she could fire back at him he pointed his thumb at the cabinet and at the mirror in its face. Tears were streaming down her face.

She turned away from him finding his gaze more intense than the sun and went to wipe away the tears that trailed down her cheeks. "Yeah, whaddya you care?" she accused. "Get outta here. I'd hate to continue to inconvenience you with the worst possible thing in your life." She emphasized the last statement by throwing a thumb into her chest.

He didn't know what to say, he didn't mean to make her cry. He was just…she had handcuffed him! He stuffed his hands in his pockets and inspected the grungy floor.

"I'm such an idiot." she mumbled.

He shrugged, "Come on, that's not true."

"Yeah, it is!" she cut into him and turned to face him. The tears still welling in her eyes. "I thought you were different. I thought under all that bullshit you lather yourself in every day that there was someone who actually gave a shit about me. I guess I was wrong."

"It's not like that." he talked but found the lump in his throat an obstacle.

"Yes, it fuckin' is!" she hissed, the fire in her eyes burned brighter than her red curls. "I thought maybe you cared about me. I thought maybe I was more to you than a warm body when you were lonely. I thought after everything, every fight, every fuck, that deep down you weren't like everyone else. That maybe just maybe you were like me, and that you gave a half of a shit…"

He emitted a noise that sounded like an aggravated whimper.

"I do." he said, the sound almost absent from his voice.

"Then what the hell is this?" she gestured with wide arms to the bottle in his hand. "I thought maybe we could have some fun tonight. Take the night off and have it be like the old days. We'd be pissy at each other at first, then we'd go somewhere alone and talk. Really talk to each other about life, and when it's all said and done, we'd have each other to lean on and open up to. I mean fuck, Eddy, I've told you more about myself in those moments than I've ever told anyone."

"And I've told you more shit about me than anyone else!" he blurted out, more of an excuse than an argument.

She shook her head, "Fuck you."

"No really." Eddy relented tossing the baby oil to the floor, "I do care about you Lee. I care about you more than anyone else." he admitted and caught them both by surprise.

That had caught her off guard, but only for a moment as she returned to her upset state. "You've got a great way of showin' it." At that moment she tried to sound mean, tough, intimidating. Like a Kanker. Like she'd heard from her mother in her youth. But it didn't. It came out quiet and shaky. Weak.

He avoided her gaze again, "I'm sorry." he whispered.

"Whatever!" she said, overwhelmed and wanting nothing more than to be done with the conversation and the shitty night. "Have a good night." she wheezed out as the tears returned to her eyes. She threw the door open, and almost removed it from its hinges in the process, and stormed down the hallway.

Eddy watched her go, guilt and shame filling his stomach. It was a feeling Eddy hadn't dealt with much, in fact, he could only recall feeling it in this intensity one time before, on that faithful day at Mondo A-Go Go. Before he knew what he was doing he was chasing after her, but by then she had already disappeared down the stairs.

He bolted down them and made out Lee shoving her way through the crowd, both May and Marie followed after her asking what was wrong. But she didn't stop, she kept going as her two sisters trailed behind her and tried to offer what little comfort they could. He watched them walk out the front door, he watched them walk down the stairs of the porch and across the lawn, and he watched them walk down the sidewalk until they were gone from view, his own feet glued to the top step of the porch far behind them.

A more than half drunken guy stood propped on the railing. Eddy didn't even care to trade him a passing glance, his eyes stared at the spot the Kankers had been when they disappeared. "Damn dude." he chuckled, "You really fucked up."

"Yeah." Eddy replied, the world a blur around him, "I did."