I'm beginning to regret.

For starters, I've just agreed to buy drugs from Eddie Munson, the one guy I've been trying to steer clear off. And I've also agreed to going over to his house. In his car. With no one else around.

It's not that I think Eddie will hurt me or anything - even if he tends to be a little violent. Deep inside, I still trust him a little. And that's why I'm sitting cross-legged on the damp pavement of the school parking lot, waiting for Eddie to pull up.

The screech of tires on concrete signals his arrival. A dented bumper, paint chipping off the fenders - Eddie's car quite a sight. But not as much of a sight as Eddie, his arm rested on the door, his hair spilling out onto it, and a soft side-ways smile on his lips.
I suppress a sigh. 

"Let's get this over with," I mutter, clambering into the front seat. Eddie slotted in a cassette, cranked up the volume, and sped out onto the open road.

I glance at Eddie, but he only had eyes for the road. His face lights up in the street lights and fades as they passed. He taps his hand to the beat of the music.

My lips twitch, a small smile flickering across my face for only a second. Maybe Eddie isn't as bad as I think.

"So when did you start?" Eddie's voice was almost drowned out by the music, so I quietened it with a soft twist of the knob. I didn't make a move to reply, though. Even when I'd been doing drugs for a while now, it still felt like taboo to talk about it, even with someone like Eddie. Besides, even when we weren't at school, talking to him would be a great way to make myself less popular than I already was. 

"I know you like to think you hate me, Y/N, but if you really did, you wouldn't be here right now." A pot hole in the road jostles me in my seat, "So the least you can do is talk."

Annoyance crawls up my throat, and I barely stop myself from saying something nasty back at him. 

"Late last year."

"So not that long ago."

We lapse into silence again. My eyes drift back to Eddie, and this time he is staring right at me. He clears his throat and looks away, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"I was serious when I said you could come down and watch me play. I still do guitar - do you? Or did you give it up when you broke off?" A subtle jab at me, but I manage to stay cool. 

"I've still got that black and red Gibson Les Paul. Don't play it as much as I used to."

"What a shame. You were pretty good, you know."

"...Thanks?" 

"Take the compliment lil man."

He scruffs one hand through my dirty /hair color/ hair, dimples forming in his cheeks as he grins. I can't help but smile back at him, my ears heating up. Fuck, why are all these emotions so contagious? 

"Get off me!" I gently push his arm away, "I still hate you."

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say."

I drag my gaze back to the window. Eddie is still a crazy high-as-a-kite cultist, I remind myself. He's not the same as he used to be. Neither of us are. This isn't the same as old times.

"What really is DND? I mean, the papers make it out to be some kind of summoning-of-demons ritual game. From someone whos never touched it to someone who has, is that true?"

Eddie smirks ferociously, "Of course! We sacrifice birds, mice - even little piglets - to the dark lord Satan. Me and my party have been looking into buying some... human sacrifices..." He takes one look at my horrified expression before bursting into wheezy laughter, tilting his head back into the headrest. His Adam's apple bobs up and down. 

"Eddie!" I yell, smacking him on the arm. My cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Finally taming his laughter, Eddie says, "It's just were a bunch of nerdy freaks roleplay as monster slayers in their basement. Nothing like what those tabloids say."

I mumble to myself, crossing my arms. 

What an asshole.

Eventually, we pull up at the trailer park. The whole place is dark, apart from the dim light from the front door windows. Eddie's place is almost exactly as I remember, and I guess that kind of comforts me because my shoulders relax a little. 

"My uncle isn't at home today, so it's just us." Eddie jams his keys in the door and twists it around until the door opens with a creak. I step inside. Immediately I'm met with sticky, stifling heat, and I inhale sharply. All the heaters are turned up to max. Taking a quick glance around, I can see the place really hasn't changed on the inside, either, although there are more hats lining the walls than I remember.

"What would you like? We've got some crack, we've got... shit- uhh..." Eddie rummages through his draws, little bits of clutter spilling onto the floor, "We've got this thing called Special K, if you'd like something a little stronger-"

"I'll take it." I say quickly - maybe a little too quickly because Eddie glances up in surprise. He doesn't say anything, though.
Instead, he just nods slightly. "Wait here." He disappears into his room, leaving me to sit down on the couch and wonder why the fuck I decided to come here.

Eddie comes back in less than a moment with a small paper package in hand. "This is it. It's about a half ounce, maybe a little more... forty bucks." Eddie shrugs at my frown. "Like I said this stuff is extra strong, and it's hard to get. Take it or leave it, man."

Grinding my teeth, I snatch the Special K from Eddie, stuff it in my bag, and force two crumpled $20 notes into his hand.

"Happy now?" I seethe.

"I'm delighted, L/N." Eddie's stupid grin makes me want to throttle him.

We stand in silence for a while. Eddie swings his arms at his sides, whistling softly.

"So.... You staying here or what?"

I blink in surprise. "No! Of course not. You're driving me home."

"Is that an order?"

Eddie doesn't wait for me to reply before grabbing his keys and jumping back into his car.

He tries to start it.
It doesn't go.
He tries again.
The engine sputters weakly.

"Well shit." Eddie turns to me, raking his fingers through his hair, "I've run out of gas. You don't suppose you could... walk home?"

Fuck. I live on the other side of town - it'd take till past midnight to get home, and if I came home that late my parents would kill me.

Why do the worst things always happen to me?

"Is it alright with you if I camp here for the night?" I say stiffly, already dreading the next few hours ahead of me.

Eddie flashes me his signature toothy grin.

"You're more than welcome to stay."