'Strange Love' Eddie Munson x Fem Reader

Chapter 4

As Eddie and the others continue to walk in the direction of the cafeteria, Eddie slows down to catch Dustin and Mike at the back of the group.
"Uh, why would you do that?" Eddie asks, a tone more serious than his usual.
"Do what?" Mike asks.
"Invite a cheerleader to our table?" Eddie confirms, sternly.
"Pftt- Y/N? A cheerleader?" Dustin starts to laugh, "Y/N is not a cheerleader. No way, no how."
Eddie averts his gaze down towards Dustins height, confused but still sticking true. His body movements now becoming increasingly rigged with energy and recklessness as he grows impatient for answers.
"Anybody in that shitty group, they all think the same, do they not?" Eddie pressures, "Yes? No?"
"Yes- I mean no!" Mike says, thoughtlessly, "Y/N isn't like that at all and Lucas...well..."
"The point is, Y/N isn't like them, she's not even really part of their group. I mean, she hates basketball!" Dustin chuckles.
"Yeah, what's the issue anyways? You seemed to like her back in gym hall." Mike adds.

Eddie zoned out amidst the boys questions and only thought to himself for a while.
Mike did have a point.
He was mature enough to admit that he quickly took a liking to you back at hall but after seeing you against the lockers with Patrick- no, the team... something inside him just, well, nobody really knows.
Not even him.

"Yeah, you even said and I quote 'I like her'." Dustin says, the words pulling Eddie out of his daze.
"Yeah, well, anyways."

As Eddie and the group took their seats at their usual table, along came you.
"Hey." You smile, sweetly. Catching a few stares like deers to a pair of headlights.
"Hey! You actually came!" Dustin smiles back.
"Of course I did, who do you take me for?"
"Well, spending all that time with Lucus, I wouldn't be surprised if he started to rub off on you if you catch my drift." Mike says, spitefully playing with his food.
You only tilt your head at him in displeasure with a mockingly face, making a few of the boys chuckle to themselves.
"If you're done being the towns biggest man baby, I'd like to sit down now." You huff.
This made Eddie chuckle too now, but quickly repressing his smile after seeing Mikes face directly giving him a dirty look.
"Sorry." Eddie mutters, "Here."

Eddie stands up from his spot, walking over to you with a mouth full of food as he takes your tray and places it next to his own. He gestures for the others to move down, making a spot for you to sit beside him.
"What the hell, Eddie?" One of the guys says, but Dustin and Mike only found it entertaining.
"This! Is where new comers sit, right beside their king." Eddie smiles widely with his arms in the air.
"Oh yeah?" One of the other guys speaks up, "Where was this when I joined?"
Eddie ignores his question and only throws a singular pea at his face.
"So, Y/N..." Eddie begins, "Which one are you?"
"Excuse me?" Your brows inch together in confusion.
"Are you-" Eddie jumps up excitedly, stepping up onto the tables top entirely and gathering the attention from all around, as he did best, "Well, I see how friendly people get around you and people are only friendly to those who fit into their narrative of perfection. So, which is it? Because as long as you're into band or science or parties, or a game where you toss balls into laundry baskets!-"
Eddies voice escalates louder, echoing through out the cafeteria as he walks down the length of the table, and for whatever reason, his speech was obviously aimed right at the basketball team and they know it.
"You want something freak?" Jason shouts back.
"Jason, just- sit down." You say back.
Jason flashed you a look, as if he didn't expect to see you sitting where you were but he listened to you anyways, taking his seat again.
"Hmph, I see." Eddie smiles to himself as he also returns to his seat. Obviously satisfied with how much the team valued your opinion.
"Look, clearly we got the wrong impression of each other so I'll just-" You attempt to stand up, thinking maybe it would be best if you didn't sit at their table at all, but a hand quickly finds itself on the sleeve of your cardigan, stopping you in your tracks.
"Thats...not what I meant to come off as. I'm sorry." Eddie says with a dejected tone of voice now.

His eyes hesitantly meet yours but for the split second they did, his gaze seemed pure, light hearted even.
You look over towards Dustin and Mike to see them already looking at you. They didn't seem concerned, they had all their trust in Eddie and so, you decided you would give it a shot, too. You slowly sit back down as Eddies hand on your sleeve stays, in no apparent rush to move at all and some of the boys took notice of that fact.