Understand| 𝓔𝓭𝓭𝓲𝓮 𝓜𝓾𝓷𝓼𝓸𝓷

𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝓷𝓮

Esther leaned against the wall, checking the brand new digital watch her father had brought her a few weeks ago, instead of giving her time and attention. Still, she was grateful for it as it lit her know Eddie was late. Again (but digitally!). And it had started to rain. If she didn't need it so badly, she would've left 20 minutes ago.

"Come on Eddie. Where are you?" She muttered, looking to her left and right, pulling her hood farther onto her head. She gave one last look in both directions, preparing to pick up her bag and leave, when she saw Eddie's familiar van speed through the turn into the school parking lot and almost clip a stop sign.

"Hey, Brit! You ready to go?" He yelled through the cracked window on the driver's side of the van, which also didn't go up or down all the way. Esther rolled her eyes, picked up her bag, and doing an awkward jog, ran towards Eddie's van.

"What's up, white boy?" Esther said, yanking the van's passenger door open and climbing inside, and she tossed her bag into the back of the van.

"Rude. I call you brit, what- eight times a day? And you say that horribly insulting term?" He asked, pulling out of the school parking lot, making a sharp right towards Esther's house. They'd unanimously decided to start going to her house days they had to return to school for campaigns.

"That's what you are. White? Check. Boy? Still on the fence about that one, but sure. White boy. Do you have it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"First, put your seat belt on. I don't want your ass flying out the window and becoming roadkill if I make a hard stop. Secondly, look in the glove department." He said, giving her a side-eye. "And third, you're right, I'm not a boy. I'm a man." He said, puffing out his chest.

"Mhm. Sure. Pretty sure most men aren't fucking virgin nerds," Esther said, digging through the glove department until she found a Ziploc bag filled with rhinestones. "Oh hell yes!" She yelled, slamming the glove department shut.

"Uh, I believe the word you're looking for is thank you. Secondly, Fuck you. You know very well when and how I lost m-" He was cut off by Esther smacking him across the face with her bag of rhinestones.

"Fucking prick. I hate you." Esther mumbled, tucking the bag of rhinestones into her backpack, away from further harm.

"Ow? That hurt! Why'd you have my grandma dig through her storage for some fucking stones again? Especially if you were just going to assault me with them," He asked, rubbing the side of his face that Esther hit.

"Because these are some of the prettiest stones I've ever seen, and I remembered them from the time that she sent you that care package after last summer." She sighed, looking out the window.

"Oh yeah. Then you covered my mirror with them." He said, finally pulling into Esther's driveway.

"And made it look better, you're welcome." She replied, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Okay, remember the rules? Take your shoes off at the front door, greet my mom, and if you're unfortunate enough, my dad as well. Accept nothing, but also refuse nothing. And take that damned anarchy pin off your jacket. And the "1312" pin- And the- what is that? A pentacle? Good lord, give me the whole bloody thing." She said, pulling on Eddie's jacket, pausing briefly when his hand covered her own, and she silently swallowed, avoiding his gaze.

"Oh, I love it when you talk mom to me." Eddie laughed as Esther moved her hand, and pulled off the jacket handing it to her, which she promptly tossed in the back of the van.

"Haha. Comb your hair," She said, sighed, opened her backpack and grabbed her comb, and tossed it at him. They sat in silence while he raked the comb through his hair.