Love to Hate You

She Hates Me

I picked up the ringing phone and dropped into my couch heavily. I finished my drag from the joint I had just rolled and blew it out.

"You've got Eddie," I said into the phone.

"Munson, it's Steve."

I rolled my eyes – the former king of Hawkins High.

"What do you want, Harrington?" I asked, inhaling more of my spliff.

"I'm having a party tonight – can you come by with some supplies?"

I stared at the joint in my hand, thinking for a beat. I rolled it between my fingers before answering.

"Sure. I'm going to charge more than my usual rate since I have to travel to you."

"Seriously, Munson, you're—"

"Take it or leave it, Harrington," I interrupted. I heard him groan and grinned – it was fun having the leverage.

"Fine, I'll warn people. You're a fucking shark sometimes, dude," he conceded. I laughed. Something overcame me and I asked something before I could stop myself.

"Is Victoria going to be there tonight?"

"Victoria Davis? I think she's coming with Robin," he answered, sounding confused. "Why?"

"I just owe her a quick favor," I lied. I didn't even know why I asked. I let out another cloud of slinky smoke and cleared my throat. "Alright, I'll catch you later, Harrington."

I hung up the phone and finished my joint. I was feeling relaxed, tired from the day at the school with Victoria. We barely made it through one year of papers, but it wasn't as miserable as it could have been.

I was shocked when Victoria didn't torture me about my reading issues. Everyone else had. Wayne had always tried to encourage me through it, but it was tough to remain positive when every teacher I had told me how stupid I was for something I couldn't control. So, when Victoria had been so cool about it, insisting that it wasn't something she would ever target me for, I felt even worse about the messages I had written on the stall doors.

I shook my head and got up, heading to my bathroom to get cleaned up. I showered quickly and got dressed. I spent longer than usual picking out what I was going to wear, suddenly concerned with how I would look. I picked a soft, gray t-shirt and the ripped jeans I always wore. I pulled my jacket on, grabbed my stash, and headed out to Steve's.

I drummed my thumbs on my steering wheel, singing along to the Metallica album that lived in my car stereo. I felt a wave of anxiety when I turned down Steve's street. I hated dealing at parties. I would never be invited otherwise, so I always felt distinctly out of place. I worked especially hard to stay out of everyone's hair during these events so that I might break the reputation that always preceded me.

I shut my van off and hopped out, jamming my fists into my pockets before heading into the party. It was already packed, throngs of people grouped together. I got leery but respectful stares – everyone knew why I was here. I found Steve in the kitchen. He beamed and shook my hand.

"Hey, Munson! Thanks for coming by," he said, smiling wide. I nodded and pulled three joints out of my pocket.

"On the house. Where do you want me?" I asked. Steve's grinned widened when he took the gift from me. He nodded towards the backyard.

"Out back. Feel free to grab whatever you want to drink," he instructed. I nodded and grabbed two cans of beer before heading to the backyard. I settled in on the lawn furniture out in the yard and waited for customers.

---

I was having a successful night – in the two hours I had been here, I made quite the profit. The delivery charge I made up when Steve called was working out well.

I took a twenty from some junior and gave them a small baggie. I nodded when they thanked me, and they headed back inside. I was alone again, drinking beer and smoking a joint. I looked up at night sky, taking in a deep breath.

I turned when I heard the door open again. I grinned when I noticed who it was.

"If it isn't Icky Vicky," I greeted. She finally noticed me – she looked overwhelmed. I sat up, brows furrowing. "You okay?"

She shook her head, leaning against the door.

"People are assholes," she replied, finally. She sipped her beer and glared at me. "Especially if they've been fed bullshit rumors about you."

That familiar pang of guilt shot through my chest, and I looked at my hands.

"Whoever made up those rumors sounds like an asshole," I finally offered, my typical loathing of her lightened by the weed and beer. I looked back up at her and she was smiling wryly. I patted the lawn chair next to mine, inviting her to sit. She watched me for a beat and then finally crossed over to me, setting herself on the chair.

I watched her as she settled back. She was in a pretty sundress – a light green with daisy designs. She looked up, watching the sky like I had earlier. She was pretty tonight, her makeup done up more than usual and hair soft and curled. She snapped her head to me.

"You've really got a staring problem," she hissed. I felt my face heat and shook my head – I really was stoned to have thought anything kind about Victoria. I offered the lit joint in my hand.

"Want a hit?" I asked. Her fierce expression suddenly softened, and she looked sheepish. I turned my head to the side. She cleared her throat and clasped her hands together.

"I've, uh, I've never done that before," she finally said. I felt a smirk grow on my face.

"I guess I really did make up some bullshit," I tried to joke. She raised an eyebrow and laughed, nodding her head. I watched her. "Do you want to try it?"

"Knowing you, it's probably laced with arsenic. Could be your chance to finally kill me," she quipped. I belly laughed and shook my head.

"No arsenic, I swear," I answered as I took a drag, showing her that it was safe. She watched me and then sat up, taking the joint from my hand. She stared at it – I could tell she was nervous. I sat up, turning my knees towards her. "Don't inhale too much. You're definitely going to cough if you've never done this before."

"Oh, you're making it sound so enjoyable, Munson," she replied sarcastically. I raised an eyebrow.

"Quit stalling, Icky," I ordered. She smiled softly and nodded her head, putting the joint to her mouth and taking a breath in. As soon as the smoke hit the back of her throat, she started coughing hard, practically hacking up a lung. She was gasping for air, and I took her hand to calm her down.

She watched me, her eyes watering. I smiled, trying not to laugh.

"That was terrible," she finally remarked. I could no longer hold it back and started laughing hard. She joined me, the two of us giggling maniacally and stoned. We finally calmed down, still smiling. I looked down and realized I was still holding her hand. It was soft, and her nails were a pretty pink. It was nice.

She pulled her hand out of mine, clearing her throat and leaning back into her chair. I followed suit, looking back up at the stars. We sat in a comfortable silence.

"I have no idea how we're going to finish that archive room before graduation," she said finally. I turned to her, raising my eyebrow.

"Maybe not before your graduation, but if we look at my track record, I might have a couple more years to finally finish it."

She smacked my arm and rolled her eyes.

"I'm being serious, Eddie," she replied. It was nice when she used my name. "There's so much information to go through."

I shrugged, looking back up.

"We could try working on it during the week instead of just Saturdays," I offered.

"That could work," she said quietly. I looked back at her, and noticed she was watching me.

"Would mean more time together," I replied, taking another hit.

"Yeah, that's going to suck no matter what," she said. I smirked at her. Always the bitch.