The Other Wheeler || Eddie Munson x Y/N

9. Advice

Eddie had called me the very next morning. We made a plan to meet at the arcade in the evening. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous about it. I seldom go out, and the few time I have, the arcade hasn't been one of the places I visit. But, in a small town like Hawkins, there aren't many places to go in the first place so I wasn't going to complain. I was just excited that Eddie called me so soon and that he seemed excited to hang out. 

Not knowing much about the arcade, I would have loved to ask for Mike's advice. He and his friends used to hang out there all the time. He would definitely be able to give me some tips for some of the games, but it seemed that the one time I actually needed him, he wasn't here. I can't blame him though. He finally had an opportunity to visit his girlfriend and best friend in California.

Since Nancy had stayed behind, I decided to go to her for advice. She hadn't been the biggest supporter of me getting to know Eddie, but she was my sister and I felt like I could use some sisterly advice. I knocked on her bedroom door and entered with her greeting. "Hey, you got a minute?" I asked.

Nancy was working at her desk. She put her pencil down and looked up at me. "Sure, what's up?"

I took a deep breath. "So I'm kind of going on a date with Eddie tonight at the arcade and I have no idea what I'm doing."

Nancy's jaw dropped open, but she quickly replaced it with a smile. "Eddie asked you out?" She questioned.

I cleared my throat. "Um, I actually kind of asked him out."

I could tell Nancy was surprised. "Wow, good for you Y/N!" She walked over to her bed, sat down, and patted the bed next to her beckoning me to sit beside her. I did as he signaled. She placed her hand on mine and grew more serious. "I'm proud of you Y/N. I was hesitant about you spending time with Eddie, and I know you know that... but since you've met him, you seem to be coming out of your shell a bit. I mean, I can't remember that last time you went out with friends or went somewhere fun. I think Eddie is to thank, so you have my full support." 

I was touched by her words, they definitely had truth to them. I wrapped my arms around Nancy and gave her a hug. "Thank you, Nancy." I said with a warm smile. We sat there together for a bit, just taking in the moment. Then I asked with a slightly joking tone, "Now what advice can you give me about going to the arcade?"

We laughed together, but then Nancy responded. "Just have fun and be yourself. I know that's cheesy, but that's the best advice I can give you." I had appreciated her honesty today and took her words to heart. I thanked her for the advice and she wished me good luck as I left her room. 

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The arcade wasn't too far from my house, so even though my mom offered me the keys to her car, I decided to walk. It was a nice night anyways and I figured the fresh air would help me clear my head before I met up with Eddie. 

Eddie was already there by the time I arrived at the arcade. When he saw me, he got out of his van. "Hey other Wheeler!" He called out as he made his way over to me. "I was starting to worry that you were going to stand me up." He said this with a humorous tone, but my walk must have taken me longer than I thought. 

I apologized, but he assured me that it was no big deal. We made our way into the arcade, Eddie holding the door for me on our way in. "So what games do you want to play?" Eddie asked me as we looked at the many options.

"I don't know, I've never actually been here before." I admitted.

Eddie turned to look at me. He had both astonishment and amusement on his face. "You've never been the arcade before? Why did you agree to come here if you don't play arcade games?"

I shrugged my shoulders and tried to hide my embarrassment. "I thought it would be fun, and you seemed excited about it."

Eddie laughed. "Well, next time I'll let you pick the place we go."

There he went again saying next time. It made me so happy to know that he wanted to continue to hang out with me. At least I knew I hadn't blew it with him yet. "So what advice do you have for a new gamer?" I asked him. He looked down at me and flashed an excited smile.

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Eddie spent the night showing me his favorite arcade games and teaching me how to play some of them. I learned quickly that he was a very hands-on teacher. He often would stand behind me and place his hands over mine on the controls to guide me through the games. I wondered if he was enjoying it as much as I was. 

After playing all of Eddie's favorite games, we decided to call it good. Walking out of the arcade, we stopped at his van. The sky had turned dark, but it wasn't too late yet. We were both kind of awkwardly standing around in the parking lot waiting for the other to say something, not wanting the date to end. That's when Eddie turned to me and spoke. "You want to walk around for a bit?" I nodded my head in agreement.

He took my hand in his and we made our way to the sidewalk.