Isn't It Wonderful

Watch the Moon

Eddie's feet dragged along the wet pavement, his combat boots felt like cement blocks anchored to the driveway. He didn't know why he kept letting Robin talk him into these things. The cookie-cutter lawn of the Wheeler house loomed before him, and already he could hear Madonna blaring through the windows. He nervously adjusted the rings stacked upon his fingers and frantically searched for an excuse he could use to get out of this. He considered faking sick and thought of a heartfelt birthday wish he could tell Nancy tomorrow, but a pair of bright hazel eyes flashed within his mind, and his heart fluttered. He remembered who would be here, and while that only made him more nervous to join the fray, it was an opportunity he couldn't resist.

He steeled himself and ran his fingers through his hair, for once he had actually made a half-hearted attempt at styling it. He knocked upon the door and struggled to adopt a casual air. Over a minute passed, and nobody appeared. He figured they probably couldn't hear it over the music, so he knocked once more, this time much louder. After a moment, Robin opened the door with a smile, beer in hand, thank god. Her hair hung loosely and swung about as she leaned out of the doorframe. The light from within encircled her head, giving her a haloed glow

"Took you long enough! I was afraid you were gonna leave me out to dry!"

"Sorry Robin, it took me a while to walk over."

"Why didn't you tell me you needed a ride? Steve drove me over, we could've picked you up!"

"Ah that's ok, I didn't want to be a bother" he shrugged sheepishly.

"Eddie you're literally impossible you know that right?" Her voice dropped to a whisper, "How do you think you're gonna get to know him better if you never even try"

"Not now Robin! Besides I'm here aren't I? Will you just let me inside already?"

She rolled her eyes and swung the door open. He entered into a dimly lit house livened by blaring music. Robin practically skipped ahead into the kitchen, "There's beer in the fridge!" she called back to him.

He was glad to hear that – he was going to need it. He treaded cautiously into the kitchen, following the music. A Psychedelic Furs song was playing now - that was one thing he loved about Nancy, she had great taste in music.

He found his way into the kitchen and saw Robin, Jonathan, and Argyle perched around the kitchen island. Across the room, he saw Nancy talking to some friends. He paused for a moment, surprised not to see Steve at the center of the action.

"I told you guys he was going to come!" Robin gleefully announced to the rest.

"Better late than never Munson." Eddie could always count on Argyle to offer a warm presence, even if often came shrouded in a haze of purple palm tree delight.

"Sorry guys, it took me longer to walk over than I expected." Eddie realized that for once, he seemed subdued. His dramatic flair was dimmer, and though he tried to amplify himself as best he could, he couldn't seem to conjure up the usual flamboyance. He quickly grabbed a beer from the fridge and got to work. He was hoping the alcohol would kill the nerves.

"I'm glad everyone could make it, Nancy's been really looking forward to it. It's all she's talked about for weeks honestly." Jonathan offered with a wry smile. He was ever the enigma to Eddie.

"Ah yeah that's great. Where's Steve though? Did he make it?" He tried to ask this as subtly as he could, but he wasn't sure whether he succeeded or not. Robin flashed him a knowing glance before responding.

"Yeah he's out back talking to some girls. Go figure."

Jonathan rolled his eyes and downed the rest of his beer. Searching for a way to venture out of the conversation, Eddie glanced at Nancy and the group to his left.

"I should probably go say hi and wish Nancy a happy birthday. I'll be back."

He made a quick glance at Robin, who offered a small smile before turning to ask Argyle about the record he had bought the other day. Robin was ever the eager ally.

Eddie paced slowly into the living room, hoping Nancy would see him out of the corner of her eye. Thankfully, she did. "Eddie! I'm so glad you came!"

"Of course, happy birthday Nancy! Thanks for having me, sorry it took me so long, I was stupid enough to walk all the way over."

"That's far Eddie!"

"Yeah I learned the hard way. My car broke down again, so it was my only option. I'm glad I made it though."

"Me too!" Nancy said with a smile before one of her friends called after her to take a picture.

"Ah sorry Eddie, let me just take a few pictures with them. I'm so glad you were able to make it! Help yourself to the beer in the fridge!"

Eddie graciously thanked Nancy for her hospitality, but secretly he was more grateful to her friends for their interruption. Now he could head out back without having to excuse himself. Eddie crept out the back door into the Wheeler's yard. There, he found a crackling fire-pit, surrounded by a horde of Hawkins High's most popular girls and the man of the hour, Steve "The Hair" Harrington himself. Good god.

Even from afar, Steve was nothing short of captivating. The flames rippled off his hair, casting him in an auburn glow. He wore a denim jacket, his classic Nike low-tops, and light- wash jeans, but he may as well have been clad in the finest tuxedo. Eddie didn't even realize he was staring. Somehow though, he stumbled out of his trance and quickly pivoted to look in another direction.

Looking at the swarm of girls flocking Steve, Eddie let out a limp sigh. Even after the party had cleared his name, Eddie hadn't gained much favor with the jocks and cheerleaders of Hawkins High. In the wake of Chrissy's death, they had been unwilling to shake his reputation as a creep. To be honest, Eddie wasn't really bothered by it. He had never really been much of a social butterfly, and he didn't really care what the rest of the school thought of him. The bond he had formed with the party was the first time he had ever really found friends. In fact, he had grown especially close with Robin, bonding over their love of thrifting, classic Rock, and beer. Homosexuality was often a common topic of conversation as well.

Tonight's problem though was that Eddie knew he'd never be able to speak to Steve as long as he was surrounded by the Hawkins pretty committee, so he reluctantly strolled over to Nancy's patio table and lit up a cigarette. Luckily, it was a full moon, so he wasn't entirely alone as he sat dragging on his cig.

He was usually used to looking in from the outside. This time though, he found himself despondent. Watching Steve flirting with his crowd of admirers, Eddie couldn't help but feel worthless. Though he and the girls shared an attraction for Steve Harrington, the similarities ended there. He was everything they were not. Having had enough, Eddie got to his feet and crushed his cigarette beneath his feet. Time to leave.