the hanged man; eddie munson

Chapter 002

Stephanie got up early on Saturday making herself an egg sandwich with sausage on an english muffin. She also made two extra ones for Robin and Steve. They both equally forgot about eating. She put them in a brown paper bag as she went to her car.

She was driving around with one hand on the wheel and eating her sandwich. As soon as she pulled up in front of the Buckley's house Robin was jumping over the shrubbery going to the car.

"Hey, Steph!"

"Egg sandwich." Stephanie patted the bag.

Robin smiled, opening the bag and taking a bite out of it. "Thanks." She mumbled.

"Rob, I wanted to say I'm sorry. I was extremely awkward around Vickie and I felt like I was coming off cold."

"Woah, Woah, Steph. You weren't awkward, please you were like 1/10 of my awkwardness and I can't pick up social cues and I ramble, on and on and on. Please, it wasn't bad."

Stephanie bit the inside of her cheek. This is what friends do: they lie to you to make you feel better. It should make her feel better. But why did it not? Why did it make her feel stupid?

"Thanks, Robin. That does make me feel better. Do you think Steve scored last night?"

"I mean you saw his date. It could go either way."

"I have a feeling that he dropped her off at home," Stephanie said with certainty.

⚀⚀⚀⚀

"Fucking told you! Rob, I was right." Stephanie cheered triumphantly prancing around the video store putting in last night's returns in their correct spot.

"What did she say for you to just drop her off at home?"

"She made a comment about how it would be totally weird if the basketball team won after I graduated since I was the former captain. Then she thought Tammy was an excellent singer if she thought that..she just isn't the one it wouldn't have worked out."

"Speaking of which...I had another conversation with Vickie." She boosted jittering with excitement.

"Oh jeez, here we go again," Steve mumbled.

Stephanie hit the back of Steve's head. After all this time of hitting in the head, she was half hoping every time his hair would bounce a little. Never did for her.

"Please tell us how that went Robin."

"Well I was whispering about Tammy sounding like a muppet and she laughed. Vicki laughed. And it wasn't like a cheap, fake laugh either. It was like... It was a real, genuine laugh."

Steve had a little roll to his eyes, "Of course. It's my Muppet joke. It's hilarious."

"My point is that Vicki laughed and everything was just like... It was perfect."

Stephanie and Steve exchanged glances then to Robin saying together, "But?"

"But I'm having this problem where it's like, I should stop talking. I have said everything I need to say. But then I guess I get nervous, and the words keep spilling out, and it's like my... my brain is moving faster than my mouth, or... or rather my... my mouth is moving faster than my brain. I'm digging this hole for myself, and I want to stop digging, I'm trying to stop, but I can't. And I'm doing it right now, aren't I?" She asked worriedly, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah, you are," Steve told her hoping it would burn as much.

She exhaled, leaning against the wall, Steve joining her.

"Oh, I'm hopeless."

"Eh." Steve agreed.

"We both are. If only we could just, like, combine."