𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 || EDDIE MUNSON

Birthday Surprises

BRANDY looked at Eddie with a grin, "What's this?" The girl asked as Eddie handed her a small box big enough to fit in her palm. The item was neatly wrapped in an old newspaper, 'Happy Birthday my fair lady' written in black marker over the top.

"A present," He told her as he looked back to the road ahead of him. "Couldn't find a real box, or wrapping paper," Brandy tore the newspaper off of the box, revealing the empty cigarette box underneath. "But I thought you'd like what it is."

Brandy pulled a ring out of the box, it was flashy in a similar fashion to that of Eddie's silver band with a bulky intricate head. The top of the ring itself was in the shape of a pomegranate with small crimson stones as the seeds. The band was fashioned into a branch-like design. "You got this for me?" She asked in disbelief.

"It was one of the rings my uncle got me from that garage sale," Eddie told her. "I thought you'd like the pomegranate, with your favorite myth being the Persephone thing and all that,"

"I love it," Brandy smiled, trying to fit it on one of her fingers, only for the ring loosely slip off every digit.

"I have a chain you can have back at the house," Eddie offered. "You can put the ring on that if you wanna wear it that badly."

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah," Eddie nodded. "Totally, I have plenty."

Brandy gave him an adoring look, her eyes bright and happy. Eddie found a smirk working his way onto his face as he looked back to the road. Sure, they were friends, awfully close friends, he thought. But there was something different as opposed to his other friendships, she was different. Eddie couldn't quite describe the way that it was, it was just a sensation that he could come up with than words for.

Pesky and festering feelings that grew within him aside, there was just something about Brandy. She was sunlight in a dim cave, tan and freckled to the high heavens, with glare that would make grapes shrivel to raisins. At least that's how he saw her. Maybe he tended to put her on a pedestal. But a pedestal he thought well was deserved. After all, she treated him like a person, and that was saying a lot with the company she kept.

It wasn't a silent opinion that Eddie hated Brandy's friends, but he could tell she didn't take kindly when he spoke ill of them. So he kept his thoughts quiet and bit his tongue when he felt the urge to insult them or speak sarcastically out of turn when they would interrupt a conversation between him and the girl. Just because he knew it kept her content. Even if it went against his learned nature.

He glimpsed down at her, sneaking a glance at the girl. She sat by the window, the sun shining peacefully on her features through the windshield. She let out a long yawn before rubbing gently at her eyes. Eddie bit his tongue, but not for any malicious reason, more so to keep himself from spewing some awkward half-baked compliment. He'd rather keep himself from embarrassment for the time being.

"What?" She asked with a giggle.

"Huh?" Eddie hummed, pulling into the trailer park.

"You're looking at me funny." Brandy told him.

"You look funny," He smirked, trying to mask the look he was certain coated his features.

"Now that's not very nice," She frowned playfully as Eddie put the vehicle in park.

"Quit pouting, come on." He laughed at her, hopping out of the van. The boy quickly walked around the hood, opening up the passenger side door before Brandy got a chance to.

"Feeling chivalrous?" The teen raised a brow at him.

"I always open doors for you," Eddie rolled his eyes, dismissing the comment.