*vicious*, eddie roundtree

vii.

. . .

INTERVIEWER: How were you involved in the first album?

CHRISTINE: I did whatever I could. Whatever they needed.

. . .

A month had passed since the party and Christine was making some changes. The week after she had threatened Eddie with the baseball bat, Chris realized that her feelings for Graham had already begun to resurface. Watching him play with the band every day was doing something to her. She'd made a promise to herself the day Graham arrived in LA that she wasn't going to spend as much time with him (or thinking about him), but she broke that promise time and time again. Chris watched as Graham and Karen grow closer, and knew it was only a matter of time before they got together. She'd known Graham her entire life, and she had never seen him as in love with someone as he was with Karen Sirko. So, she forced herself to distance herself from him. After all, she had better things to do.

Despite being absolutely enamored with Karen, Graham noticed how Chris avoided him almost immediately. She would keep conversations with him short, opt to sit next to Warren instead of him when they went out to eat, and decline his offers to hang out, among other things that stood out to him. Graham needed to know that she was okay, that they were okay, but he knew she'd never tell anyone what was going on in her head, let alone him. So, he enlisted Eddie to look out for her, and maybe even get her to talk about it. Eddie wasn't his first choice, but he had very few viable options. Billy and Camila were too wrapped up in each other (and in Billy's case, himself) to care about anyone else's wellbeing. Warren couldn't be trusted with such a serious project, Ronnie didn't seem to like him very much, and there was no way he'd ask Karen. Eddie was the only option left. While he never would've considered asking him a year ago, the two had actually been getting along fine these days.

GRAHAM: It was the strangest thing. They were...civil. Most of the time, anyway.

"No. No way, Graham. I'm not gonna be your spy," Eddie argued from his bed.

It was late one night, and Eddie had been sleeping after their long evening at McNasty's. He was in nothing but his underwear and Graham's intrusion was anything but welcome.

Graham had been up thinking about this for hours, however, and he couldn't wait until morning to ask Eddie. Chris was just too important to him.

"Why not? You guys haven't been at each other's throats for weeks." Graham mused.

"Yeah, I guess, but that still doesn't mean I want to actually spend time with her," Eddie said, rubbing his eyes.

Graham waited a moment for Eddie to meet his eyes.

"Come on, Eddie. I never ask you for anything. This is important to me," Graham pleaded.

Eddie thought back to how depressed Graham had been back in Pittsburgh after she left. He'd been in a funk for weeks, and Eddie hated seeing him so glum. Graham had always been such a kind soul; always an optimist. To see him so down was unsettling, and Eddie did his best to keep his spirits up back then.