Y/N Wheeler is often the forgotten sibling. Always in the background, she grew up ensuring that everyone else's needs were met besides her own. When she meets Eddie "The Freak" Munson, he starts to show her what it's like being your unapologetic sel...
Despite my worry around keeping our semi-relationship a secret, Eddie and I still managed to have a great night together. We spent the evening chatting, joking around, and listening to music all while having a hard time keeping our hands off of each other. Everything came easy with Eddie. We were so comfortable with each other and our interactions were so natural. The ease of conversation and touch was enchanting. I had never had any sort of relationship like this with anyone before.
Eddie and I spent most of the evening in my room because I was trying my best to keep Dustin and Eddie apart. However, I still had to have my bedroom door open slightly due to my mom's rules and, me being the person I am, I wasn't going to protest. The house had quieted down due to my mom putting Holly to bed, Nancy retreating to her bedroom, and Mike and Dustin secluded in the basement. Even with the door open a crack, Eddie and I decided to get a bit closer.
The warmth from Eddie's body enveloped me as he wrapped his arms around mine. I breathed in his scent as the space between us lessened, it was intoxicating. Eddie kissed me with both excitement and a gentleness that made me weak. I could do this for hours. Apparently that wouldn't be the case because only a few minutes in, the thing that I was dreading happened.
"Holy shit!" I heard Dustin exclaim as he stood in my doorway. At the sound of Dustin's voice, Eddie jumped off of me and we both tried to make ourselves slightly more presentable. I looked at Dustin and happiness and surprise showed on his face. "How long has this been going on?" He asked curiously, but with a smile.
"Go away, Dustin! What are you doing up here anyway?" I asked, trying to move away from the incident quickly.
"Well I had to use the bathroom and Mike told me not to use the one upstairs, so of course I used the one upstairs. When I saw you were in your room, I thought I'd pop in and invite you to join us for our next movie, but I can see that you are plenty busy in here." Dustin said with a cheeky grin.
Just as Dustin finished speaking, Mike appeared in the doorway. "Shit. Sorry, Y/N." He said as he grabbed the back of his neck.
"You had one job, Mike." I replied with irritation in my voice.
I was clearly getting frustrated with the number of people in the room and how things had gone down when I looked over at Eddie, begging with my eyes for him to do something. He obeyed.
Eddie stood up and made his way over to Dustin and placed his hand on Dustin's shoulder. "Listen Henderson, this thing between Y/N and I is new and complicated, and we'd appreciate it if you keep it to yourself." Eddie seemed to squeeze Dustin's shoulder a bit harder causing Dustin to look up at Eddie, the smile gone from his face. "Now, how about you two run along and we act like this never happened. Sound good?" His statement more of a command than a request.
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Dustin and Mike nodded their heads timidly and exited the room without and further words. As Eddie sat back down on the bed, I took his hand in mine and thanked him. And although what I was dreading happened, I somehow felt relieved.
Keeping our situation on the down low didn't necessarily bother me, but it was exhausting. Having the information shared with someone knew somehow took a little bit of the weight off of my shoulders that was caused by the heavy secret I was carrying. My relief was soon washed away when I arrived to school on Monday.
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Monday morning was just like any other morning. I ate my breakfast alone, Mike woke up late, and Nancy and I didn't speak to each other on the drive to school. Typical stuff. However, when I arrived at school, I noticed more eyes on me than normal. As I made my way to my locker, I heard students murmur as I walked by. Through the murmurs I did hear one distinct phrase, "the freak".
My heart sank and then filled with rage. Somehow the relationship that Eddie and I were exploring had been released to the public. And there was only one person that could have spread that info. Dustin.
After gathering my books from my locker, I slammed the door shut and walked through the halls with determination. I knew where Mike and his friends usually hung out in the morning and that was exactly where I was headed. When he saw me approach with hate in my gaze, Dustin threw his hands up and said half joking and half serious, "Don't shoot!"
I got right in his face and simply asked, "Why?"
Mike stepped between us. "Don't blame Dustin, it's not his fault."
My glare moved to Mike. "And how is it not his fault that the whole school seems to know that Eddie and I are more than friends?"
Mike seemed hesitant, but then responded. "Dustin and I kind of told Lucas and then Lucas must have told some of his basketball buddies and then well, you know those guys, they spread it like wild fire."
This did not make me any less mad. "Why would you tell Lucas?! Eddie specifically said to keep it to yourselves!" I was so frustrated with the whole thing. Not wanting to hear anymore of their excuses, I walked away as they were stumbling over their words trying to find the right way to respond. Not wanting to hear the murmurs about me as I walked by, I took refuge in a bathroom stall.
I had promised Eddie that I would try to be less invisible at school, but I wanted it to be on my own terms. Now the whole school seemed to learn who I was overnight and was spreading rumors about me. Rumors that I'm sure were not great due to Eddie's reputation. It took all of the strength I had to head to my first class of the day, wiping away tears as I exited the stall.
