Eddie The Banished

The Hideout

Annie was exhausted after the day she had. She got up and took Dustin to school again because her Uncle swears he will be late for work if drives 5 minutes out of his way every morning. She was so tired when she woke up that she didn't even comprehend half of what Dustin said on the way to school. Although she did watch Eddie walk into the school, his long hair was definitely not brushed, but she could not stop staring at him strut through those doors. She knew Eddie didn't fit into the normal crowd at school, and that's one thing she knew they had in common. But she knew she didn't have a shot in hell with a guy like him. He was confident in himself, unlike Annie. She decided to go back home and try to get more sleep, but she could have guessed that her Aunt would not let that happen. "Let's go get some early lunch, just us girls!" Said Claudia as soon as Annie walked through the door. Annie just looked at her Aunt and then down at her pajamas she was still wearing. "Oh honey, go get yourself cleaned up, I'll be ready when you're done.." Annie knew her Aunt meant well but she always felt a little judged every time she was around her. Annie put on a new pair of dark jeans she just bought, and decided to wear a solid blue t-shirt. Her brown hair was always a mess of curls, so she threw her head over the sink and wet it down until she could brush out the tangles. She didn't feel like drying her hair, so she walked into the living room, grabbing her keys off the counter, ready to go. "Sweetie your head is still wet!" Said her Aunt. "Really? Oh my god how did I just now notice." Her Aunt looked genuinely annoyed, "You are really just like your mom.." Annie wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment. She knew her mom and Claudia had a huge fight that led to them never talking again, but she didn't know the story, and she didn't know if she wanted to. They had a peaceful lunch together though, but by the time it was over Annie was willing to sleep on the floor in her grandmothers house. She saw a movie store in town and made a mental note to go in one day soon and rent a movie. A movie day in her grandmothers house sounded amazing to her right about now. Her Aunt had left with her friends to go into town, leaving Annie home alone. This was exactly what she needed. She changed back into her pajamas and threw herself onto the couch, ready to watch whatever she could find on TV. Her Aunt said Dustin had found a ride home with a friend, which she was kind of relieved about. But what she didn't want, was for Eddie to walk in behind Dustin through the front door and see her laid across the couch, in her pajamas. This was exactly not what she needed. She shot up from the couch and launched herself behind it, trying to hide, but they were both already through the door when she reacted. "Annie.. You ok?" asked Dustin. She peaked her head above the back of the couch and nodded her head in embarrassment. "Yep, I'm just dandy." She felt like she could just melt in the floor in that exact moment. Who the hell says 'dandy' she thought. She could hear Eddie laughing, probably at something Dustin said that she couldn't hear. "Oook well.. Uh Eddie let me get your book, I'll be right back." Said Dustin, leaving her alone in the room to fend for herself. She stood from behind the couch and brushed her clothes. "Found it," she said holding up an invisible earring. This made Eddie smile, therefore causing her to smile. They held eye contact for a few moments before Dustin walked back into the room, handing Eddie a copy of Lord of the Rings. Annie hadn't realized she was holding her breath, and again, caused herself to go into a coughing fit when she exhaled. "Dude are you sick?" Asked Dustin. "No.. I just.. Uhg, hang on." She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass to fill with water. 'Damn, and this guy reads' she thought. After a few gulps, she put her shoulders back and waltzed back into the living room. "Sorry bout that.." she said. Eddie raised his eyebrows at her, causing her to blush, and she cursed inside her head because she couldn't stop herself. "Annie do you care if I go with Eddie to the Hideout tonight?" Asked Dustin. "What's the Hideout?" She replied. Eddie chimed in this time "It's where my band plays every Tuesday night." 'I swear to God, he's in a band too' she thought. Eddie smiled and she could have sworn he read her thoughts.. "Only if I can come." She said. "Hell yeah you can come!" Said Dustin. "Do you, uh, want to ride with me? With us, I mean me and Dustin?" Even Eddie seemed to be nervous but she was certain she was wrong. He was so confident last night. "Sure, give me like 5 minutes to change!" She said as she disappeared down the hall. "Is it possible for a girl to get ready in 5 minutes.." she wasn't sure which one said it, but it made her laugh. She threw on her favorite Metallica shirt, jeans, and necklace she just bought. She walked into the living room to put on her shoes, but she didn't see the guys anywhere. She assumed they were waiting in the car. She heard a noise behind her and sat up to look, but didn't see anything. The next thing she knew, someone grabbed her shoulders and yelled. She threw herself up from the couch, jumping and screaming at the top of her lungs. She turned around to see Eddie falling on the floor laughing and Dustin crying he was laughing so hard. She flipped them both the bird with both hands. "What the fuck, you two!" But they only laughed harder, and she couldn't help but to start laughing herself. "I just hope you know payback is a bitch!" She said, "I look forward to it sweetheart," said Eddie.
Eddie played his guitar like a siren. Annie could not take her eyes off of him the entire time he was playing, and the moments where he could make eye contact with her, made it even harder to look away. She was mesmerized by him. When the night was over, she was kind of sad. "Thank you for letting me come watch you play." She said as she got out of Eddie's van. "Anytime! Every Tuesday you know where to find me." He said smiling. His brown eyes touched every part of her she had tried to hide for so long. Every moment she spent with Eddie she felt like she finally found herself. She glanced at his arm resting over his steering whee and noticed a row of flying bats tattoos peaking from behind his rolled up sleeve.  Dustin looked between her and Eddie and cleared his throat. "I'll see you around?" She said as more of a question, than a goodbye statement. "Hopefully sooner than you think." Said Eddie with a wink. "Gross, get a room you two." Said Dustin. Annie laughed and followed Dustin into the house, closing the door on the best night she's had in a very long time.