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You couldn't believe Munson. You wanted to strangle him. You'd been friends all throughout high school and never once had he made you as mad as he did on that Wednesday morning. It started when he decided he had a "genius" way to get back at Jason Carver for chucking a basketball at his head in PE class.
"Just think about it, y/n, you'd be the perfect distraction! You just gotta do that little hair thing you do and Jason'll be so distracted while you're doing your hair-move, that he won't even realize that I'm going to switch out some of the letters on his jersey."
"What hair-thing?" you asked.
"The one you're doing now," he said, pointing to you twirling a curly strand around your finger. "You're just gonna do that and he'll never even see me sneaking into the locker room. God, you're heaven-sent! An angel! Everybody, it's an angel on earth, y/n!"
He was yelling at the end of his tangent and people were starting to give the two of you weird looks.
"Okay, Eddie, first of all: pipe down, please. Second: I never agreed to this! I can't get caught in some weird prank with you or my dad will literally kill me. Third: you don't know that Jason would fall for whatever 'hair trick' and even if he did, I think I'd be so grossed out I couldn't show my face at a pep rally again."
"Oh, c'mon! Have you seen the way he stares at you? It's disgusting. I think I almost had to pull him off of you at Dylan's end-of-the-year party last year. He was like ten seconds away, at most, from trying to get his mack on with you."
You snorted.
"Please for the love of God, Eddie, never tell me that Jason Carver is trying to 'get his mack on' with me ever again."
"It's your hair, what can a guy say? But, anyways, I was thinking we'd do this after lunch before PE?"
"Eddie," you groaned.
"Y/n," he groaned back, giving you his best puppy dog eyes and sticking out his bottom lip in a faux pout.
"Ugh, fine, but if we get caught, I'm going to be pissed."
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Almost as if you were a fucking psychic, you and Eddie got caught. After the lunch bell rang, the boys had about five minutes to change into their gym clothes. Eddie headed into the locker room after sending a wink in your direction and with a shit-eating grin on his face. While he was in there with some paperclips trying to force Jason's locker open, you were doing your best to flirt with the star basketball player.
"I'm really bummed you and I haven't had more classes together this year," you told him, stopping him before he entered the locker room.
"Oh, yea?" he asked, sitting upright and giving you an award-winning smile, showcasing his unnaturally white teeth.
There was something to be said about men who looked too perfect. It grossed you out. He looked like a robot. A genetically modified robot on growth hormone. What's even worse, Jason was blond. There's something to be said about blond men. Eddie had better give you an Oscar after this performance.
"Yea, I was really bummed when we hung out at Dylan's party and then we didn't speak after it."
"I gave you my number."
"Uh, yea, I totally forgot. I must've been too, you know, tipsy off the punch, I guess. It's just all such a... bummer."
You tried to throw in whatever hair move Eddie told you to do earlier, rapidly twirling stands around your fingers and then trying to flip it. Instead of coming across as attractive, you thought you looked like you were having some sort of mini stroke. Jason must've not seemed to notice.
"Well, what do you say you and I make up for some lost time this Friday night?" he asked.
"That sounds-"
"Fucking Munson!" you heard someone yell from the inside of the boys' locker room. Within seconds, you saw Eddie rushing from the locker room with a group of guys hot on his tail.
"We gotta go!" he yelled at you. "We've been found out!"
Correction: he'd been found out, he'd just ratted you out. Like a complete fucking idiot. Jason turned his gaze to you. It was steely and cold.
"Uh, I'm sorry, I gotta run!" you said, following behind Eddie.
"Eddie!" you yelled, grabbing his hand and running with him as fast as your legs could carry you. You and Eddie locked eyes, laughing as you were chased. It looked, by some miracle, that you were about to outrun your assailants. You had almost made it out of the school when you ran smack-dab into your assistant principal, sending her, you, and Eddie crashing to the floor in a jumble of arms and legs. The jocks had gained on you at that point and started hysterically laughing when they saw you on the floor.
"Fuck," Eddie whispered.
"Language, Mr. Munson," Mrs. Lancaster said, taking one of the jocks hands and brushing herself off.
Eddie stood and offered you a hand. You took it, feel especially sore after standing.
"Now, would anyone like to tell me what is going on here?" Mrs. Lancaster asked.
"I can," Jason said, holding his green Hawkins High basketball jersey in his hands. He opened it to show Mrs. Lancaster the back. Instead of the usual CARVER in bold, Eddie had taken the C and the V off the jersey and replaced it with an H and a D, so the jersey read: HARDER. Eddie started laughing. You punched his gut and he groaned.
"You gotta be kidding me, Ed. All that just for 'harder?' You could've done so much better," you whispered under your breath.
"I tried," he whispered.
"Not hard enough."
"Quiet," said Mrs. Lancaster, sternly. "Care to explain yourselves?"
You and Eddie stayed quiet. He kept sending glances your way. You ignored him.
"Detention for both of you. Be grateful I'm not sending a call to your parents. I'm willing to let you off easy for your first offense, y/n, but if you and Mr. Munson pull anything like this together ever again, it will be a suspension for both of you."
You nodded, your cheeks burning with shame and your eyes staring at the tiled floor. Eddie's eyes were drilling a hole into the side of your head.
"By the way, y/n, we're off for Friday," Jason said, taking his defaced basketball jersey and following after his friends back to PE.
"Mr. Clemson will see both of you straight after school. Mr. Munson can show you the way, y/n," Mrs. Lancaster said, gathering her papers together and heading off to her office.
"Y/n, I'm sorry," said Eddie.
"I'm not in the mood, Eddie, I'll see you after school," you mumbled.
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The final bell for the day ended and sure enough, Eddie was waiting outside your last class, ready to escort you to your first ever detention.
"I'm 'ere for me lady," he put on his best, obnoxious Cockney accent.
"Eddie, c'mon," you sighed.
He shrugged, deciding it was best not to say a word, as he escorted you to your detention.
It was only you, Eddie, and Mr. Clemson in the classroom. You took a seat in the back, Eddie followed, sitting down right beside you.
"Up front, Mr. Munson," Mr. Clemson said. "Let her do her work alone."
Eddie made a fake gun with his hands and pretended to blow his brains out, stumbling his way to the front. Usually you would've laughed, but you took a page out of Clemson's book and rolled your eyes. You weren't in the mood for any more of Eddie Munson and his shenanigans today. Plugging in your walkman, you turned on your favorite Joy Division tape and started your reading for your English class.
You were halfway through your chapter when you say Eddie Waving at you from above your book. You took your headphones off, glaring at him.
"What?"
"Mr. Clementine left so it's just you and me. What do you say we blow this place?"
"Yea, because I haven't been in enough trouble today."
He gave a soft sigh.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean for you to get caught with me."
"I didn't get caught! You ratted me out!"
"Oh, yea... Well, I'm sorry anyways. I'm just tired of Jason Carver and all of his bullshit. I wish he'd come up with another word besides 'freak' every once and awhile and I see the way he looks at you. I hate it. Especially when you dressed up as Samantha from Sixteen Candles for Halloween. He was all over you and I don't know what I'm getting at here..."
"Eddie?"
"Yea?"
"Are you- are you jealous of Jason Carver?"
He paused, dropping his eyes to your desk, tracing his finger along an old carving in the wood.
"Maybe I am," he mumbled.
"Why would you be jealous of fucking Jason Carver? The guy's a loser. He thinks because he can throw a ball he's able to act like a douchebag. Not to mention, his hair doesn't have half the volume that yours does. You have him beat in every way."
You reached across the desk and took his hand.
"Why wouldn't you want someone like Carver? You're really pretty, y/n, everyone knows it and you choose to hang out with a loser like me. Why?"
"You're not a loser," you snapped at him. "You're really passionate and-and I've never seen anyone as ballsy as you or as caring. Remember when I got strep and you showed up to my house with boardgames and Oreos? I bet Carver would never do that. Also, could you imagine me sitting through a basketball game without getting bored? I think I'd rather sit through D&D, because at least you buy me Cokes."
Eddie smiled.
"I really want to kiss you right now."
"I really want you to kiss me."
"What about Clemson?" he asked.
"Hell, I've been in enough trouble for today," you smirked.