ALL WE DO IS DRIVE

My Hands Wrapped Around a Stick Shift

The first time Edith Tozier sees Stanley Barber, it's when the Tozier's move to Brownsville, Pennsylvania.

      Edith supposed she'd miss Los Angeles. The heat, the beaches.

      But school? Her friends? Fuck that shit.

      School can suck her dick for all she cared. As for her friends...she didn't have any. That didn't bother her, of course. She preferred being alone, headphones in and writing away in her journal.

      But she guessed a fresh start was needed. Even though it was well over a year since they got attacked by a demonic clown. God, what would her therapist think if Edie were to say that to her? Off her fucking rocker, that's what.

      But it happened. She swore on her life it did. And boy did it fucking fuck up her already fucked up mental health afterwards.

      The nightmares were constant. Horrifying ones where Eddie did die, or where it was her father instead. The ones where she was screaming from the top of her lungs when it was over, unable to even be calmed down by both of her dads.

      Her already infamous short-temper grew even shorter. If anyone said anything, the younger Tozier would snap and practically attacked them. She only never got expelled because of the fact that she had dirt on the principal and had no problems blackmailing him.

      In fact, her having control made her feel...better. In some weird way. She couldn't control the nightmares, but she could control the fact that she couldn't be expelled.

      And it probably didn't help that she stopped taking her meds and didn't tell anyone. Her manic and depressive episodes grew even worse after that. Edith bottled everything up until she finally exploded.

      And eventually, she did.

      Destroying her entire room with a bat, punching the mirror despite her bleeding fists, screaming and sobbing and thrashing as her dad tried holding her.

      God, she really was a fucking mess.

      She wished she could make her dad and Eddie's life better by just being normal and get over it.

      Most of all, she wished that she could just allow herself to fully be open with the both of them. She knows what they've been through, and that they and their friends faced that clown twice. They would understand and listen to everything she had to say.

      But no. She had to be a hard ass and keep her mouth shut because she didn't know how to swallow her pride.

      She really was her daddy's daughter.

      And Edith guessed that's why they were in a small town called Brownsville. It had a weird eighties vibes about it, but she didn't seem to mind. That much.

      "Edie, why don't you go explore the town? Ya know, see what's around." Her dad offered, grabbing one of the boxes from the trunk.

      "Hard pass." Was Edith's response, fiddling with the zipper of her black leather jacket for a moment before she grabbed a smaller box and followed her dad into their new house.

      It was nice, she'd admit. Better than their apartment. Sure it was still a bit small, but it seemed to have a more homey feel to it. Close. Maybe once they were settled, it'll feel more like a home.

      "You know, you make friends by actually leaving your room." Her dad reminded her, pointing out the fact that she really only left the house in LA for school. She wouldn't even see or feel daylight during the weekend.

      She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Who said I need friends when I've got you Losers?" Edith asked with a quiet giggle, putting the box on the kitchen counter and huffing a stray curl from her eye.

      Her dad shot her a smile. "As sweet as that is, you still need more friends. Your own age."

      "Why? Because you guys are so old that you're decaying? Gonna throw your back out, old man?" The teenager snorted, ignoring her father's offended gasp and how Eddie laughed at her joke as she went back outside to the car.

      Edith still had an amused smile dancing on her lips as she skipped back to the car. She grabbed one of her boxes, marked in her shitty writing "THE SUPERIOR TOZIER'S SHIT", when her green eyes caught something...odd.

      A tall boy, around her age. That wasn't the weird part, no. Not even the bright yellow cardigan he was wearing along with the khaki pants. But the fact that he was just...dancing around the middle of the empty street with shades over his eyes.

      She couldn't tell if he had headphones in, but it was still an odd sight seeing some teenager dancing by himself and being barefoot.

      Maybe he was on drugs?

      Yeah. Yeah, that could be it. He did look so carefree and happy despite being alone.

      She needed to take whatever the hell he was taking.

      Edith was too distracted looking at the odd boy before noticing that he was looking back at her until it was too late.

      Neither of them moved for a second and the trashmouthing teenager was about to go back inside the house with the box until the boy waved at her. She paused for a moment before awkwardly waving back, unable to hold in the giggle she let loose when he mock bowed in front of her.

      "Edie!" Eddie's sudden voice caught her off guard, nearly dropping the box before whirling around to face her stepdad.

      "Yeah?" She asked, hoping to god that were cheeks weren't burning pink.

      Thankfully, Eddie didn't seem to notice. "We're gonna order takeout, what are you feeling for?"

      "Pizza!" She didn't hesitate to reply, making her stepdad snort under his breath.

      "Why am I not surprised? C'mon, let's take a break." He responded and she found herself looking over to where the boy was. He wasn't there anymore, but she shrugged and walked back toward Eddie with the box still in her hands.

      "There better be some pepperoni on there, or I'm raging." She stated, making Eddie laugh as they walked back inside.

      Okay, so maybe Edith had a weird and crazy neighbor now. But at least he was cute.

      Maybe this town had some perks.