"Wake up, numbskull,"
It being the third time I had to utter that request, this one followed with a small splash of water into Steve's face.
"Hey! Hey, I'm up, dude, come on," Steve swung, arm colliding with the wooden bed frame he was draped over.
"You're a mess and we leave in ten minutes." I grunt, padding out of the room.
The car was being finicky. I had tried to start it over time and again, but the damned thing only revved, and then went back to being idle. When I turned the key again, the engine sputtered, but this time, it died immediately after. I tried again, same result, and slammed on the horn.
"Damn it!"
"I told you I was coming!" A disgruntled Steve whined, running his hand through his messy hair and slamming the passenger door shut.
"No, its the fucking car- we're walking." I hiss, slamming on the horn again, longer.
"Hey, hey- you're gonna wake up the neighborhood. We can't walk, we're gonna be late." Steve tried to reason.
"We wouldn't be late walking if you had woken up on time." I growled.
He sighed, running another hand through his hair. The edges were fuzzy, not typical for him. He usually perfectly styled his mane.
"What's going on?" I wondered aloud, trying to pry into his head with my eyes.
His eyes flickered away, focusing anywhere but on me. "I just- I've been going through a ton. I'm sorry about last night."
"Like what?" I pried.
He shook his head.
"Not good enough," I snapped.
He opened his mouth, eyes flitting wildly, about as quickly as I assumed his thoughts must have been moving. He closed his mouth again, not uttering anything.
"Steve, I don't know how the Nancy thing went down or what happened last Christmas- I don't know what's gotten you to the point you're at, but you're losing it-"
"Alright!" He shouted. I jumped a little. He never shouted at me. Insulted me, yes. Ignored me, sure. But never shouted. Maybe I was being pretty irritable, but still. He closed his eyes. This time, his words were a careful whisper. "Alright."
I blinked at him, somewhat defensively, waiting for an explanation.
He shook the back of his hair, loosening it a bit from it's gelled up cage. "Nancy and I broke up. Just the other day, actually. It's because of Barb."
My lower lip twisted between my teeth, and I started to chew. That checked out. Barb had gone missing last year, and she was Nancy's best friend. I pretty much had figured that Nancy had been acting differently because of that- I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to Steve. My brow furrowed. I suppose it was a bit pitiful, thinking of Steve as my best friend, but honestly, I knew too much about everyone else- too much that I couldn't forgive. People sucked. Almost all of them.
Steve shook his head, backtracking. "You know what? It's not because of Barb. I pushed her to move on. I can't handle that sort of thing. And so- well, so, we broke up."
My hands, which had formerly been gripping the steering wheel tight enough to pale my knuckles, went limp. Lamely, I just replied, "I'm sorry, man."
Steve shrugged, agitation still present, but slowly ebbing away.
Not knowing exactly how to respond- especially given Steve was acting more despairing than I knew how to handle- I pushed open the car door and began to clomp down the street. At some point, his presence was made known, as he strode beside me and gingerly draped an arm across my shoulders. I had an urge to shove him off and punch him in the shoulder for good measure, but instead I left it alone. It was en that I felt a single drop of water fall right between my eyes.
"Oh, for god's sake, now?" I hissed.
But now, indeed- it began pouring down in minutes. Part of me wanted to just turn around and stay at home- but the amount of days I'd skipped school kept me moving forward. I was actually really at-risk for not graduating next year if I didn't make it to school today. Steve's arm fell away, and I turned to blink at him, blearily, in the downpour.
"Come on, man," I moan, stamping my feet and kicking up mud with the effort.
"I'm taking a day," Steve waved, "That's a clear enough sign for me."
"Steve, I can't walk alone-" I pleaded, spitting out a bit of water that had trickled straight into my mouth, "Come on, I can't miss a day,"
Steve waved behind at me as he trudged away still.
I licked my lips, trying to clear some rainwater in futility while I watched him walk away. I released a raspy yell, my hands curling into tight fists at my side. I turned back towards the school, brow set, splashing my way down the road.
Not so far in the distance, a loud van bounced and sped my way, and I tried very hard to look like I wasn't helplessly sludging through roadside mud. It didn't seem to trick the driver, and to my surprise, they actually slowed down. Self preservation had taught me to act very confident in this situation, and so when the window slowly rolled down, I kept my eyes trained forward, my pace steady as ever.
"I don't suppose you need a ride?" The driver shouted, but I crossed my arms and gave no reaction.
"Lemme try that again; get in the van, Lana Harrington."
My eyes betrayed all of my training, flickering to the voice. I tried not to groan when I realized that it was none other than Eddie-fuckin-Munson who had pulled up beside me. Instead, I looked back to the road, one foot in front of the other.
Eddie's car had to slow to a crawl beside me to match the pace I was setting. "Lana, for real, you're gonna catch a cold."
I finally turned on him, giving him an annoyed sneer. "Why the hell do you care? Give me a break, and leave me alone."
He should have driven away, if he knew what was good for him. Apparently, he wasn't good at gauging that. "I can't let a lady walk to school in this kind of weather, come on,"
My nose twitched, like a rabbit, assessing the situation- and how fast it could run away. But when I went to open my mouth and decline once more, the water that dripped down my face betrayed me, pooling inside my mouth quick enough to choke me. I sputtered, knowing I should just get in the van. A kidnapping would make this more amusing, at the very least. Instead of saying anything I merely sighed, preparing for my downfall. Then, I opened the door. Eddie clearly hadn't expected me to accept- he looked clueless as to what to do next.
"So, are we gonna get going?" I urged, nerves and annoyance spewing from my lips.
Eddie jumped in his seat, turning back to speed down the road. His music was turned down low, for once in his life, and all I wanted was for him to crank it up and get out of this situation as quickly as possible. Instead, Eddie peaked over, giving me a shit-eating grin, seemingly enthralled. He was about to become very annoying very quick.
"So, Harrington," He hummed melodically.
"Nope." I responded simply, keeping my head twisted towards the window. I was giving a beautiful view of my long neck as I rung my hair out. The detail of each hay bale we passed was etched into my consciousness. I wished he would say absolutely nothing and not perceive me at all.
"But really," He started again, ringed fingers drumming nervously against the steering wheel.
"Munson, I swear to god, I'll jump out," I threatened, eyes closing, nostrils flaring.
"Alright, fine, fine," He sighed dramatically, "Just go ahead and drench my baby's seats and don't even tell me why Stevie didn't just drive you, Hawkins princess,"
My eyes flickered to his, a scowl still evident on my thinned lips. "I drive."
"Oh! You do know how to have a conversation," He responded dryly, a brash laugh leaving his lips.
I rolled my eyes. I shouldn't have responded, but something about the way he assumed I couldn't drive myself got under my skin. I hated being underestimated. "We have one car between the two of us, and he's saving up for his own. I drive."
Eddie raised an eyebrow, eyes lidded as he peaked over at me. "And… your parents?"
Why would I tell him that? Why was I here, at all? It was just last night that I assumed he was pedaling coke around the school- and frankly, I still wasn't entirely sure I'd been wrong. I was seated beside a dangerous drug dealer, locked inside of his van that he'd lured me into. His large, brown eyes were flickering between my expression and the road, and he was gently drumming against the steering wheel. He was slightly damp himself, probably hopping in his car just a few moments before he found me. I'd never attempted to look at him objectively before, and so, honestly, he didn't seem that dangerous. Plus, he did offer to drive me to school- even though I was sopping wet.
"They don't care." I said simply, but this time, my voice held no venom.
There was an intensity to Eddie's gaze that I'd never noticed. Sure, he was an intense guy- but I'd never been the object of such intensity. I squirmed in my seat. I could only imagine what he was thinking. Honestly, I was probably as repugnant to him as he initially was to me. Every day in the cafeteria he paraded around and said basically as much.
"Well, glad I was in the area." He responded just as simply. A certain understanding seemed to pass between us, and I allowed the tiniest fracture of a smile; peace, for now. It dropped, and I glanced out the window for the remainder of the ride.
Once we reached school I sloshed my way out of the van, closing the door with a heavy sigh. It was only sprinkling now. I didn't get far before Eddie began rolling the window down, calling after me.
"You gonna go soggy all day?" He shouted, a sort of chuckle following, as if he didn't know where we stood.
Frankly, neither did I. "I have an outfit for gym in my locker."
He nodded, "Right, that makes sense. You don't need my spare?"
I frown, and then I groan. Man, I'd almost fallen for it. "Oh, you were starting to seem okay- you just couldn't help yourself, could you?"
He looks almost confused, then he snorts. Then he begins laughing, as if I've told the funniest joke. "You think I'm flirting with you?"
"Oh, how crazy that would be," I retort, "I suppose now you're gonna say you don't find me attractive?"
He stops laughing, fixing me with a steely smirk. My skin prickles. "Sweetheart, I find you incredibly attractive. But you don't have to worry about me flirting with you. Your personality and status enough is a natural Munson deterrent."
I feel a weird mixture of indignation and embarrassment. I didn't mean to jab at his status- though I suppose my attitude made it clear that I wasn't interested in being friendly. But for him to insult my personality- that set me off. I gave him no other response, just scoffed, and rolled my eyes. I slumped away, flushed, fists balled at my side. He was such an obnoxious person, and for once in my high school career, I couldn't get a real read on the subject. I didn't even care if he had given me a ride with no motive, or that he kept his dealings with Aaron quiet, or that I liked to watch his hands fiddle with things- his rings brushing each other while he tapped along to his loud metal music.
That was the last time, I decided, I needed to know anything more about Eddie Munson.