Partners in Crime-Eddie Munson x OC

Chapter 4

I had never been happier to be at school when I found out I shared my first four classes with Robin. At the start of the day, she waved at me enthusiastically when I entered the classroom and let me snag the seat beside her. I showed her my schedule and she gleefully led me to the next three classes until we were forced to part ways for fifth period.

Math class was the only thing between me and lunch. Robin's absence increased the dread in my stomach, but this was the only class until I likely saw her again, so I could handle it. Right?

I chose a seat near the back and pulled out a notebook and pencil, as I had observed everyone else doing. I wasn't sure if I should've been offended or grateful that class was about to start and no one had decided to sit beside me.

The shrill sound of the bell filled my ears, but a shuffling noise caught my attention.

"Damn, don't tell me you actually pay attention and shit, Hel," Eddie Munson said with a sigh as he slid into the sit beside me.

I grinned at the familiar face. "Maybe some of us don't hate precalculus, Munson."

Eddie recoiled. "And they call me a freak!"

Our teacher cleared his throat and shot us a dirty look. First day and I'd already pissed him off. Great.

Eddie, on the other hand, didn't seem to care about the teacher's attempts to silence us. He merely flipped him the bird as he was turning around to continue his lecture. "First rule of this class, teacher's a dick," He added in a not-so-lowered voice.

I chuckled as our teacher shot him one final glare before going over some sine, cosine, and tangent bullshit.

"Hey, would you look at that! We match!" Eddie held up his hands, suddenly changing the subject.

I held mine up next to him and understood what he meant. Both of our hands were clad in rings.

"Looks like you have good taste, Munson."

"I'd say the same to you, but something is missing." He brought a hand to his mouth in exaggerated contemplation.

"And that is?"

"One of these," Eddie tugged on his white shirt, which contained a picture of a demon and read 'Hellfire Club' across the top. "Hellfire could use another member for D&D."

"Oh, I've never played before. I doubt I would be any good at it," I shrugged.

"Don't worry about that. You could learn. Just tag along sometime, see if it's something you're into. If you want to, I mean," Eddie said nonchalantly.

I agreed and we both turned toward the board to write down some notes. Despite his obvious dislike for the class, he insisted that this was his year to graduate. I couldn't blame him for the determination, repeating senior year twice sounded like absolute hell. While this was my first time around, I was sure I wanted senior year done and over with.

The bell for lunch was decidedly the best sound I'd ever heard. Eddie and I gathered our stuff and were out the door in a flash.

"After you, m'lady," Eddie reached forward to open the cafeteria door for me.

Even though it was my first day, it was clear that there was an unofficial seating order in the cafeteria. A group of guys wearing letterman jackets and girls with teased hair and lots of pink clothing marked the popular kid corner. Some quieter-looking kids sat in the back, likely dubbed the 'nerd' crowd.

"Follow me, you can meet the guys." Eddie led me toward a table closer toward the middle of the cafeteria.

A small group of boys who appeared to range from freshman to seniors sat together, all of them clad in shirts that matched Eddie's. So this was the Hellfire Club.

"Fellow nerds and freaks, I'd like to introduce Miss Helena Mayfield. Hel, this is Hellfire." Eddie gave a swooping gesture toward the group of boys.

"Hey," I gave a little wave and sat down in the seat beside Eddie.

The boy on the other side of Eddie leaned over and whispered to him, "What's she doing here? I haven't seen her around and she doesn't look like...our crowd."

If his D&D skills were as bad as his whispering talents, I understood why Eddie asked me to join.

"I'm new, just moved in with my cousin's family. Also, it's not like you guys advertise those shirts for sale, so I guess you're stuck with me wearing this." I answered his questions, gesturing to my flannel shirt over top of a Guns N' Roses shirt.

The boy's face flushed. He began to mutter an apology, but Eddie cut him off.

"Gareth, she may be pretty, but she's still metal. Trust me. So, don't chase off any potential new members," Eddie flipped him off and gave me a quick wink.

Now, it was my turn to get flushed. My face heated slightly as I realized he'd defended me. Not only that, but he stood up for me to his friend over just a little comment. Eddie Munson was definitely an alright guy.

About halfway through lunch, Eddie left, claiming he had business to do. While he hadn't explicitly told me, based off of the rumors and who was stopping by his trailer, I knew he sold drugs. His trailer had also smelled vaguely of weed that one time I was there, so it made sense.

With Eddie gone, the older guys seemed to form their own conversation, while the two freshman turned to me. The boy with extremely curly hair was the first to speak up.

"Eddie said you're Helena Mayfield. Is that 'Mayfield' as in Max?"

Were these the friends Max had mentioned briefly? "Yeah! Max is my cousin! Are you guys friends with her?"

The lankier boy with longer, dark hair frowned. "We were, but she kind of shut us out."

Well shit. I had hoped maybe Max wasn't being cold to her friends, but I guess that was too optimistic. While I would never know how it felt to lose a sibling, I imagine having friends around might help. While this would definitely piss her off because of my overstepping, I decided I was going to try and get her to reconcile with the boys.

"So, are you two Mike, Lucas, Will, or Dustin?" I remembered another question that had been on my mind that I needed answers to.

"I'm Dustin, Dustin Henderson." The curly-haired boy gave me a cheesy little grin. He was adorable.

"Mike," the other boy said with a small nod.

"Pleasure to officially meet you both, but might I ask where the other two of you are?" I was getting closer to my end question.

The boys' faces fell at my question and I immediately wanted to take it back.

"Will moved to California not too long ago," Mike looks down at his half eaten lunch.

"Yeah, and Lucas has ditched us to become Mr. Popular Basketball Star. Sometimes he shows up for Hellfire, but he's flaking out," Dustin added, voice filled with irritation.

I groaned internally. Don't tell me my cousin fell for a douchebag. I needed more information on this boy immediately.

"Did Max have a thing with Lucas?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

Dustin looked visibly annoyed. "God, they were insufferable over summer. Well, they were for a little bit at the beginning of summer break. Then they broke up and made it super difficult to hang out with them at the same time."

"Aha! I was right!" I couldn't help myself from pumping my fist in the air. "Max never tells me shit, but I knew there was something with her and Lucas! She would get even quieter when I asked her about him."

"I guess she just doesn't want to tell anyone anything lately," Mike muttered grimly.

Mike was right. Max was nothing like the bold, talkative kid I remembered her being. She was distant. I couldn't find her in the lunch room, I didn't see her in the halls, and she was barely present at home. My dad wanted me to help her and my aunt, but based off of their behaviors, I'm not sure this was something I could help much with.