To The End || EDDIE MUNSON x READER||

Mixed Signals

I was halfway to slamming my locker shut when it did it for me—
Not by me, though.

The sharp clang startled me and the sound echoed through the hallway. I barely had time to react before I felt someone lean into my space. Too close.

Andy.

His hand was flat on the locker next to mine, that practiced grin on his face. "Hey, Y/N."

I took a half-step back, keeping it polite. "Hey."

Behind him, I caught sight of Lucas and a few other basketball guys hanging around, giving Andy exaggerated thumbs-up and elbow nudges like they were middle schoolers, not juniors. Subtle, real subtle.

"You've already missed two games," Andy said, and I could feel his friends' eyes burning into us from down the hall. "Was starting to think I needed to send out a search party."

"I've been busy," I said, voice level. "Homework. My head still hurts sometimes from the fall last week."

That part wasn't a lie. The headache had mostly faded, but I still felt dizzy in fluorescent lights, and the bruising at the base of my skull hadn't completely gone away.

Andy's smile didn't budge. "You looked fine Friday night."

"I was," I said carefully. "I had Robin and Steve there to drive me home."

"Yeah. I saw." The easy charm in his voice had cooled. His eyes weren't as friendly now.

Oh.

This wasn't about the concussion. Or the game.

"You left early," he added. "Didn't even say goodbye."

"I wasn't feeling great," I said honestly. "I wanted to beat the crowd."

Andy shrugged. "I would've walked you out."

"I didn't think I needed an escort."

He ran a hand through his hair. Still smiling, but now there was a tightness to it. "Look, I'm just saying—you said you'd try to make the game, and you did. That's cool. But you didn't even say hi. Then I hear from Luke that you were hanging with Munson the whole week?"

There it was.

I folded my arms across my chest. "We weren't hanging out. He gave me a ride once. That's all."

Andy gave a short laugh like I was telling a joke he didn't find funny. "Sure. Just a ride. During school hours. While you were concussed."

"You make it sound like I snuck off to Vegas with him," I muttered.

"Hey, I'm not judging," he said, hands up like he was being the reasonable one. "Just didn't realize you were into guys like him."

I blinked. "Guys like what, Andy?"

He hesitated. "You know. Freaks."

The word hit harder than I thought it would. Even with how casually he said it. Like it was just a fact, something everyone thought.

Except I didn't.

I bit the inside of my cheek, eyes narrowing. "You know, Andy... You've always been nice. But you say things like that and I start to wonder if it was all just a cover for your ego."

He blinked. "What?"

"People aren't freaks because they play D&D, or have long hair, or don't care what your teammates think. You think calling him that makes you look cool?"

Andy stepped back slightly. His expression faltered. "You've got this all twisted."

"No. I don't." I shook my head. "I think I'm finally seeing things clearly."

His mouth opened like he wanted to argue, but he didn't. Instead, he scoffed under his breath and walked off, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets, not bothering to look back at me.

I didn't realize my hands were shaking until I grabbed my notebook.

Later That Day – Art Room

I didn't expect to see Eddie there—alone, hunched over a table near the windows, scribbling something in a notebook. His hair was tied back haphazardly with a rubber band, and he had a smudge of graphite across his jaw.

I lingered in the doorway until he looked up.

"Hey," I said.

Eddie blinked like he wasn't sure I was real. Then he smiled—small, but real. "You survived the weekend."

"Barely."

He gestured to the chair across from him with his pencil. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"I needed somewhere quiet," I said, sliding into the seat. "Didn't expect to find you here."

"This is my secret lair for when I'm avoiding gym," he said, and then lowered his voice. "Don't tell Coach. He thinks I'm allergic to dodgeball."

I laughed, and the tension I'd been carrying all day eased.

He went back to shading something—a creature with too many wings and too many teeth—but I noticed he was more relaxed now. Less guarded.

After a beat, he asked, "So... what's up?"

"Just overwhelmed...and probably just stressing myself out over people who don't deserve it"

Eddie looked at me for a long moment. Like he was trying to read between the lines of what I said.