The Drive-In

17

Eddie manages to get to the next convenience store and buys three pints of ice cream. The good stuff.

On the ride home, he turns the stereo up so loudly that it almost sounds distorted through the speakers. Then, finally, the van comes to an abrupt stop outside of the trailer. He jumps out of the van with his haul. Heads inside, putting two in the freezer and one on the countertop with a little spoon.

He walks into his room, changes into his favourite Sabbath threadbare t-shirt and some old shorts, comes back out to the living room, puts in a video, opens the ice cream and as he consumes the first spoonful, he lets the tears fall.

He had suspected this would happen, but he was crushed all the same. It was just all so unceremonious. Life just loved to kick him in the nuts that way. All those times he was hoping for disappointment to come to quiet those thoughts, it didn't. It just kept building him up, and the moment...the fucking moment he let his guard down an inch...oof!!

He had no idea Steve would be at the video store and vice versa, that was pure coincidence, but Eddie couldn't help but feel a little dumb that he hadn't made the Robin connection. It was probably because he always called her by her surname.

Sobbing into his ice cream, Eddie attempts to reason this out with facts. Ok, so maybe Eddie couldn't be mad at Steve for breaking his heart, but he could be angry that Steve had a great girl like Buckley and was fooling around with Felicity at the drive-in. That fucking sucked. What an asshole.

Some people just get everything, and they squander it. Eddie didn't have a crush on Robin or anything like that, but he knew she was nice and seemed cool. She didn't deserve this shit.

The phone in the trailer rings. Eddie ignores it and turns the TV up louder, but the ringing continues. He curses and gets up to answer it.

"Hello?" He says, shovelling another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

"Eddieeeeeee! Babyeeeeeeeee! It's Sunday night, Man!"

Shit! Eddie had forgotten all about hanging out with Gareth tonight.

"Hey, man", he manages with his mouth full, "This is lame, but I'm er...I'm gonna have to raincheck on the hangout tonight, man."

"Ah, ok, no wor-...Eddie? Are you watching The Fox and the Hound?" Gareth's tone turns very serious.

"No", Eddie lies unconvincingly.

There is an audible sigh on the other end of the phone, "Which number pint of ice cream are you on?" Gareth asks gently.

Eddie sniffles, "The first one..."

"How many in total?" Gareth asks in a more muffled voice, and Eddie hears the noise of a set of keys.

"Three", Eddie says weakly, with his mouth full.

"I'm coming over there. Do not lock the door. I don't want to explain to your Uncle why I had to break into your house again!" Gareth says.

"Ok," Eddie says, holding back a sob, putting the phone down.

Eddie didn't have to hide his emotions from anyone in Corroded Coffin. They'd all been through the wringer around one another. Eddie had taken them all under his wing, to begin with, but slowly and surely, they grew strong enough to shelter him, too, when he needed it. Though it still didn't stop Eddie from feeling a little embarrassed when he had moments like this. He felt a responsibility. He was the leader, the big brother. He thought he shouldn't be in floods of tears around them, at least, regardless of what they said.

Fifteen minutes later, Gareth's car pulls up outside. Which Eddie knew meant that Gareth had not been driving at the speed limit, and Eddie would definitely hypocritically lecture him about that at some point, but right now, spoon was hitting carton, and Eddie was frantically wiping his eyes with his shirt.