Diamonds and Dragons ~ Eddie Munson

Chapter Six: Pity Party

Usually I would have gone straight home but the idea of sitting around trying to work out what I could have possibly done wrong and beating myself up over the smallest of details doesn't sound like the healthiest of options. So I drive to Steve's. His parents are away on business as per usual so I don't have to worry about being interrupted in my little pity party. I was tempted to call ahead from a phone booth near the mall but my hands were already shaking against the wheel and I knew that if I got out of this car right now I'd have a meltdown in the street and have to wait for Steve to come and find me. There was no way I could get out of the car before my destination.

The destination that is now sitting directly in front of me as I park up on the stone driveway, thanking whatever God is up there that Steve's car is here meaning he's back from dropping Dustin home. I mutter silent pleas that he's not entertaining some girl within the huge house as I rush up to the door. I know for a fact that, while he would complain lightheartedly, he would tell her to leave if I needed him but forcefully interrupting that time would make me feel even more like an asshole. "Steve!" I call out as I hammer my fist on the heavy wooden door, trying to ignore the weak crack in my voice and the lump forming in my throat. "Steve please open the door!" I add. There's a bit of shuffling and a crash followed by cursing before the door is pulled open. He takes one look at me and pulls me into his arms.

We stand like that for God knows how long, his body warm and familiar against mine from our many platonic hugs and cuddles over the years. "You look like shit," he whispers against my hair eliciting a melancholy laugh from me. "Come on in out of the street and we can talk." He keeps a steady hand on my shoulder as he steers me into the sitting room and towards my favourite spot on the plush velvet couch, closing the door behind us. He gives me a light nudge to sit which I do, giving him the space to crouch in front of me at eye level. "Come on, tell Uncle Steve all about it," he invites gently, a smile breaking through his concerned expression at the way my nose scrunches in response to "Uncle Steve".

"I'm guessing you know about Jason?"

"What about him? Has he done something? Y/n has he hurt you because I swear to God me and the guys will-"

"No, no, it's nothing like that. We just broke up. I found out he was cheating on me for pretty much the entire time with pretty much every girl over 17 in our high school."

"I'll kill him."

"No, Steve, it's fine."

"No, y/n. It's not fine. You wouldn't have showed up on my doorstep looking like you did if if was fine."

"You're my best friend, I would have had to tell you eventually."

"True but I know you. You keep everything in until you're gonna burst and then you finally come tell me. And while obviously this is terrible, I can tell there's something else you're not telling me. You aren't blaming yourself are you?"

"A little, I guess. Maybe I am the problem, Steve. I've never said that out loud before but I need to now. Everything I touch just seems to crash and burn."

"You and me both."

"I punched him."

"Wait what? You punched who?"

"Jason."

"Damn, good for you. Is your hand okay?"

"Yeah, Eddie patched it up for me."

"Eddie as in Eddie Munson? I thought that was who you were sat with earlier but I didn't want to assume. He had a buzzcut the last time I saw him."

"Yeah, apparently he's changed a lot."