Crush Culture -E. Munson

THREE.

Eddie Munson was not one to be easily dumbstruck, but back at the Hellfire table, he found himself frozen in place as he looked after Nick Henderson, eyes narrowed on his frame while biting his lip. That boy was truly something else. Since he had come to High school he had been standing out from all the other boys and whenever their paths would meet, regardless if in class or passing by in the hallways, Eddie's gaze had naturally settled on him.
At first, it was only because he was pretty and Eddie always appreciated beauty but then, puberty hit and made a pretty boy just drop-dead gorgeous as he grew and filled out in all the right places.
Suddenly, that beauty had become a magnet and Eddie felt himself strongly attracted to the boys each and every move. It was his worst nightmare coming true, a popular jock managing what no other boy had done like that before and it didńt help his situation at all that a little bird told him by accident how handsome Nick was very secretive, but also exclusively hooking up with other boys.
The thought alone had been oh-so bittersweet and Eddie had started to notice all the gazes that settled on Nick Henderson with the same longing as his. Sometimes he was deeply convinced that Nick's bare reason to exist was to haunt him and his forcefully closeted sexuality and whoever decided to hire the boy at Scoops ahoy that summer was highly involved in that bigger plan. Eddie had never thought that a cheap sailor uniform completed by a ridiculous little sailor hat would look good on anybody, but a visit at the mall had quickly convinced him otherwise, or better had smacked it into his face. That had been an annoying development that had cost him a lot of money for ice cream, that wasńt half as sweet as the little slutty shorts while he tried to scramble up any acceptable pick-up line to put himself onto the boy's map.
Of course, just his luck, just one day after he had finally managed to flirt, the mall became the Centre of a gruesome shooting and Nick Henderson almost got himself killed playing the hero. Eddie didńt dare to approach him when he returned, too certain a boy like that wasńt a fit for a freak like him, who would have just run for his life.
And for a few weeks, he was fine with the dream of dating Nick Henderson having burst like a bubble made of soap. He was going on with his life, prepared to graduate, planned the most complex campaigns, and watched his team struggle to beat them.
He had been content. Until that day that nick turned up to buy himself some weed, he was the luckiest guy alive. That boy so far out of his league, the popular wiz, best friend to Steve the hair Harrington had talked to him, Eddie Munson the freak just as normally as he would talk to an equal. He had smiled and laughed at his silly jokes of awkwardness and random acts of happiness, had listened to him ramble about music and his band while his sparkling gaze shone on Eddie like a spotlight, making him feel as special as he never felt before.
Just like that.
Just like that, Eddie had found himself falling a little too hard too soon and it was no surprise he faceplanted miserably when Nick stopped meeting him at the picnic table in the woods. He had really thought they had something going on with the ongoing flirting and bickering. But again, Eddie often thought he was getting along well with someone and it turned out differently. That was the main reason why he had learned to avoid people, it was safer that way .

So he had gone bitter and some of that poison had been reserved for the boy that scratched his heart.
At least until a few minutes ago. Now he was all into it again, his stomach all giggly from the thrill of Nick Henderson acknowledging his mere existence.
He was simple like that, héd always been that way and while he could already see himself shipwrecking again, he would still board that opportunity.

„Funny, I've never made the connection between you two being brothers." Eddie overheard David talking to Dustin and snapped back into reality.
„Of course not. There are like a million dudes with that name running around Hawkins." he rolled his eyes while sitting down at the very end of the table, the Throne of Hellfire.

The truth was, Nick being Dustińs older brother was the main reason he had allowed the freshmen to join in the first place.
It had been the name that had  benevolently struck something in his mind, and it was completely incomprehensible to him that someone could not think about Nick whenever seeing Dustin, who grinned at Eddie with a proud glimmer in his eyes. Eddie had to notice that he had also grown incredibly fond of the boy as his own person.
„Don't you see the resemblance?" Dustin asked wiggling his eyebrows cockily.
That was kind of a trick question. Nick and Dustin looked nothing alike. The only thing they had in the comment was the mischievous glimmer in their blue eyes. Still, Eddie nodded, knowing it meant the world to the boy.
„You're his spitting image."  he drawled and by the looks on the other's face it came out more sarcastic than intended and  Eddie didn't care to correct that interpretation but turned his attention to his lunch instead.

Although he would never admit to it, he was a picky eater with an extreme distaste for anything breadish that wasńt pizza, so his lunch always consisted of a bag of chips, today tortillas, which he had just tossed into his lunchbox without much care and he was enjoying the crunch with every, single bite. His friends and bandmates eyed him suspiciously, waiting for another remark to follow but Eddie wasn't in the mood to put on another show.
„What?" he asked and everyone immediately adjusted their gazes. „Have you thought about the new riff, Eddie?" Gareth was the first to speak up.
He always was. Because he was the least afraid of  Eddie's  explosive temper and had learned how to dodge its outbursts just fine. Gareth knew how to pull his strings and Eddie leaned back in his chair, content and more to eager to answer that question about one of his favorite things on earth, his own music.
„Well, I've  been trying a few things, write some down. Ím almost there, I can feel it." He held out a bedazled  hand, aggressively grasping air with it.
He had been spending the entire previous afternoon playing his guitar to finish that one song they needed for their upcoming gig on Tuesday and regardless of what he had done, it didn't feel right. To most people's surprise, he was a perfectionist who loved to meticulously work things out until they were in total sync and he often struggled with the songs of his band. Yet he would rather die than perform a song that wasńt ripe for the stage. His band knew that all too well. „Maybe we should go over it later, and see how it sounds with the entire setup." Gareth pointed out.
Most days they met at his garage for practice and that usually mean playing their set list on repeat just for the thrill of it, then getting high and repeating the whole process.
„We should." Eddie agreed after a brief moment of consideration.
„I thought you wanted to plan out the campaign for this Friday. The last was sloppy." Mike Wheeler, the other freshmen interfered, causing Eddie to glare at him.
He definitely didn't like that kid remotely as much as Henderson and his tendency to get on his nerves was so unbearable at times, Eddie wanted to claw his own eyes out.
„My apologies, child." he huffed, his eyes full of dangerous dismay as he rose to his feet while leaning on the table with both hands.
„For  giving you  the impression that I actually care for anything you say. The campaign is ready and you won't survive it if you keep playing like a dumb, little goblin."
„I dońt play like a goblin!" Mike exclaimed highly offended and Eddie grinned devilishly at it.
„Only a goblin keeps falling into Vecnás traps." The freshman mumbled something under his breath most likely an insult of the graphic sort but Eddie wasn't impressed by it at all.

There was nothing the boy could come up with that hadńt been called before, the thick skin a perk of being outcast by nature. No one could harm him anymore. That was why he was the chosen one, the freak to rule them all, a position that came with the job of putting the freshmen in place. Wheeler still had a lot to learn.
„I can't wait for Friday." Dustin came to his friend's aid and Eddiés gaze switched back to him again, eyeing the boy intensely but without any vile intention.
„I think we might make it to the frontier."
„I like your courage, young man, but the armee of the undead will not part for you to cross to the whispered one that easily."  Eddie hummed and flashed one of his victorious grins.
He was a master of the game, a 14year old boy was not going to defeat him and his story earlier than he himself intended him to.
It wasn't the time yet. They were to endure a few more rounds of despair and defeat before being crowned with victory. Eddie couldn't wait to see their faces fall. It was the prize they had to pay to qualify for his last hurrah, the masterpiece that would make him immortal throughout Hawkins High, still echoing through the halls when he had long moved on with his life.
Eddie Munson, the king of Hellfire, the god of dungeons and dragons sure had a ring to it.