The Break (An Eddie Munson Story)

Chapter 9: Diners, Drive ins and Dives

A/N: So this is more of an interim chapter, to show the aftermath of the reader reuniting with Steve and Robin, as well as introducing more integral characters to the story, who will be appearing more in later chapter. As a content warning, there are mentions of violence and use of the French language in this chapter.

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That evening, you found yourself sat in the local diner, sandwiched between Robin and Eddie, as you waited for Steve to place your order at the counter. Your stomach rumbled in anticipation of food, as you recalled the last thing you ate was the slice of toast in the morning.

"How's the 'shake?" Robin asked, adding another packet of sweetener to her overloaded black coffee. She had an exam on the Monday, that she was behind studying for and needed all the caffeine she could get, if she was going to pull an all nighter.

"It's good." you agreed, taking a further sip. "What, um, exam are you revising for?" it felt so surreal to be talking about school work with someone. You had been so out of the loop for so long.

"French- I swear it may actually be the death of me." she complained, buring her face in her folded arms.

You could not recall the last time you opened a textbook or worried about results. Although, after what had been discussed at the video store, you knew that was all about to change. Steve had promised to draft in Nancy to be your tutor, if anyone was going to academically work you to the bone, it was her.

"Est-ce que tu parles français?" Eddie said with ease, much to your surprise. Wow, you really had been living under a rock.

"Non" she replied grumpily. "Je suis un idiot."

A rush of cold air swept through the ambient space, as more highschoolers piled into the eatery, all ravenous for burgers and fries, after a full day of classes and extracurricular activities.

You spied upon Chrissy and Jason, taking a seat at a booth nearby, joined by fellow cheerleaders and teammates. While you had only interacted with Chrissy briefly during your shared Biology class, you had always found her pleasant and sweet, which was why you never understood how someone so nice could date such an egotistical, moron like Jason. It was common knowledge that he would never have made team captain, if it had not been for the tragic death of Billy Hargrove and let's face it, he was no Steve "The King" Harrington either. No, you whole-heartedly disliked Jason's smug sense of self-importance and you were not the only one.

"Urgh, that guy really puts you off your food, doesn't he?" you heard Eddie whisper in disgust, as he kept his gaze trained firmly on his soda. Eddie was not what you would generally call a wall flower. He was far more introverted than mose people you knew and rarely cared about social expectations but when it came to Jason and his buddies, you would always notice a subtle change in his demeanour. A slight hunch to his shoulders or hiding behind his mass of curly hair. Still Eddie, just more cautious.

"You know, I used to be straight. One look at Jason turned me into a lesbian." joked Robin, earning her a snort and a laugh from the brunet and a wry grin from you, as you tried to cover up your reaction with a sip of your own drink.

Upon hearing Eddie, the blond-haired basketball Captain turned his attention to your table, eyes narrowing as he felt his blood boil at the sight of 'the freak', guessing that he was the butt of some pathetic attempt at a joke. Oh, how right he was. "God, that freak really gets on my nerves."

Although his comment was well received by his peers, Chrissy could not bring herself to join in with the conversation. She had never understood Jason's utter hatred towards Eddie Munson. From what she had gleaned about his personality was that, he was pretty harmless. A bit odd? Yes but overall, he seemed to be a good person. He had to be, since he was dating you, she mused. Taking note of how you leaned into his side slightly, listening carefully as he whispered something in your ear. The ghost of a smile played on your lips.

She was not particularly close to you by any means but you had always shared a smile with her, if your eyes happened to meet and been open to helping her with any questions she had about the biology assignments. Or at least, you used to be like that. You were barely in class anymore and now that she thought about, she rarely saw you with Eddie either. If you were closer, maybe she would have been brave enough to ask you if something was wrong but-

"One day, I'm going to punch that freak in the face and show him-"

Yeah, Chrissy really did not want to participate in the conversation.

Back at your table, you were now gratefully muching away at your newly arrived food. You and your companions had fallen into a comfortable silence, content with eating in peace. That was until, Steve decided to ask, "so, uh, Y/N. I just wanted to check if you needed a place to crash tonight?"

"I was, um-" you started to reply but were quickly cut off, which seemed to have become a habit amongst your cohort but you tried not to feel any annoyance about it, they were trying to be supportive and their eagerness was causing them to justify every question and every comment, so as not to offend or upset you.

"I mean, you're welcome to crash at mine. I know my folks wouldn't mind and I could take the floor or the sofa."

You felt Eddie shift beside you, though he was acting nonchalant and continuing to eat, he was now focused more so on your answer. You were aware of his harmless green-eyed monster tendencies, though he was good at keeping it in check and letting you be your own person. There was the odd occasion where he had slipped up but overall, Eddie never wanted to be the possessive kind of guy. It was not a healthy personality trait and you were not a object for him to own.

After what he had admitted to you in the parking lot, you were eager to have a conversation alone with him. You had questions and matters of your own you wished to discuss, out of the earshot of others. You knew that a relationship was probably the last thing you should have been pursuing, given your predicament but the word 'love' had so freely fallen from his lips and you could not deny how much you had missed and craved him during your time apart.

"That's a kind offer and I really appreciate it but I was hoping..." you looked up through your lashes to the brunet beside you. "if you wouldn't mind me staying with you again, Eddie?"

He paused mid-chew of a French fry and met your waiting gaze and suddenly, there was that bright smile that had caused your heart to skip a beat on multiple occasions. "Yeah, of course." he agreed brightly. "You know you're always welcome at mine. Plus," he stuffed the full chip into his mouth. "we're having a movie night, remember?"