"I swear, if I'm dying tonight because of you, I'm gonna haunt your ass so hard, Harrington!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah! I'm gonna go full Poltergeist and shit!"
"Then bring it, Graveswood."
"Challenge accepted."
***
In which after years of suppressing their...
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Chapter One-Hundred-And-Sixty-Six: I Can't Lose Another Friend
(The Piggyback, Pt. 6)
***
No.
That was all Rowan could think, all she could do, as she stared at Eddie. At his torso, his Hellfire Club shirt stained red with blood, his jaw with a bloody bite in it. At Dustin, sobbing and Alistair literally shaking, one hand on Dustin's shoulder, the other on Eddie, and it felt like deja vu as she saw Alistair on the ground with a hole in his chest except this was Eddie and he was bleeding out from the bites and there was the feeling of blood on her hands, there was so much blood and Eddie wasn't moving.
That was when Rowan saw Eddie's head twitch, heard a garbled breath as he said, "Good. 'Cause I'm actually gonna graduate. I think it's my year, Henderson, Graveswood. I think it's finally my year."
Dustin sobbed harder and tears were now falling from Alistair's eyes as he now began saying, "Yeah, you are, Eddie, so hold on just a little longer. J-just hold on until the others are back."
Eddie laughed, a wet laugh that had blood dribble out, as he looked at her brother and Dustin. "I love you, guys."
"I love you too," Dustin said between sobs. Alistair made to say it, but that was when he saw her standing there, smeared blood underneath his nose. Something about his eyes itched at Rowan, but that was forgotten as she kept standing there, watching as Eddie bled out, watching as Eddie died.
"Al, tell... t-tell Rowan I love her, too. Tell... tell her I'm so glad she was my... m-my friend. My best friend. And... and tell her I'm sorry," Eddie choked out and the words had Rowan's heart splinter as Alistair shook his head and said firmly, "No, you're gonna tell her that yourself."
"No, you... y-you need to tell her. Tell her that I love her, that I'm so fucking glad she was my best friend, an... and that I'm sorry I couldn't keep those promises. Just... just tell her," Eddie said, and even as her heart splintered further, Rowan couldn't keep watching as she ran to Eddie and said, "You told me that yourself."
Some spark flittered in Eddie's eyes—eyes growing glassier and glassier, and that had Rowan's throat close up with panic, that couldn't happen, she needed to save him, she couldn't lose him too.
"Rowan, you're... y-you're here," he said, blood spilling from his mouth. He tried to grin as he asked, "Did... did we win? Is he dead?"
Tears burned in Rowan's eyes. "Please, Eddie, don't talk. Just... just focus on getting through this, okay? You hear me?"
But Eddie was looking at her, and said again, "Rowan, please. Did... did we do it? Did we win? Is... i-is Chrissy... is she..."
Rowan's eyes prickled and she whispered, "Yes. She is. Now, please, stop fucking talking, okay? You're gonna be okay, Eddie. We're gonna get you to a hospital, and... a-and you're gonna be fine."
