Red Soul | Eddie Munson

𝕏𝕏𝕏𝕍𝕀𝕀. 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥

"And maybe I don't
quite know what to
say, but I'm here in
your doorway."
╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

I rush around the house trying to make sure I have everything ready for the trip. I make a mental checklist: Bag packed, check. Presents all gathered, check. Snacks?

"Oh, we need snacks!" I shout.

I run to the kitchen and start raiding the cabinets. I grab Oreos, Doritos, and Poptarts. With my arms full, I turn around to see Steve chuckling at me.

"You can stop at a gas station, you know," he says.

"With all the money we're about to spend on gas, we might as well take the snacks from home," I tell him.

"Right." He looks a little sheepish, but I decide not to press the issue.

I take the snacks out to the car, setting them in the backseat, then walk back in to grab my bags. Steve stands by the stairs empty handed.

I pause before picking up the rest of my stuff. "Dude, where are your bags?"

"Listen, I wasn't sure how to tell you—"

"Tell me what?" I ask, cutting him off.

Steve pushes his hair out of his face, his cheeks turning red. "I'm not going, Julie."

My mouth drops open. "What the hell do you mean you're not going? You told me you would figure it out!"

"I did figure it out." He gestures outside.

I look back to see the one and only Eddie Munson walking up the driveway. I turn to Steve, shooting daggers at him. "What the fuck did you do?"

He leans against the banister, acting far too relaxed for the situation. "Did you a favor."

"Hey," Eddie says a bit warily as he gets to the door. He puts his forearm against the door frame, staring at Steve and me. "Dude, did you not tell her yet?"

"Just did," Steve says.

I look between the two of them, my face twisting up with disgust at how they sound like the best of friends. My stomach begins to ache with the stress this is causing. I haven't seen Eddie since he was leaving the bar, and honestly, I'm not sure that I want to see him. After writing out the letter my therapist suggested, I felt myself let go of him in a way.

"I don't know how I feel about this," I state, trying to remain calm instead of falling into a fit of rage.

"My parents are coming home tonight and I know they'll be pissed if I miss Christmas," Steve says. "And I know you'd be upset if you missed Christmas with your family. Here's your only choice."

"Could have bought me a plane ticket," I mutter.

"Well, I didn't, and it's too late for that." He shrugs.

"Listen, we don't even have to speak if you don't want too." Eddie frowns slightly. "But you're not making a drive across the country alone. Either I go or you stay here."

I sigh. "Fine. But you're chipping in for gas."

"Cool. This the rest of your stuff?" He points to the bags on the ground.

"Yup," I say, making sure to pop the p. Eddie grabs them and takes them out to my car while I smack Steve in the arm. "You're an asshole."

"I thought you'd be happy," he says.

"Why would I be happy?" I question. "I've finally gotten myself decently stable and you just throw him back into my life without consulting me? What happens when it doesn't work out again, huh?"

"Then you can put all the blame on me." He crosses his arms. "But I have a feeling you guys are going to be fine."

"You don't know that."

Eddie comes back and Steve claps his hands together. "Well, you kids better get a move on."

I sling my purse over my shoulder. "I'll drive first."

The three of us walk out to my car. Eddie grabs his stuff and sticks it in the trunk while I roll down the window once I'm settled in. Steve leans down on it. "Be careful, okay?"

"You'll be lucky if I don't wrap us around a tree," I say.

"What would I do without your cynicism?" Steve asks with a smile. He pulls me into a forced hug and plants a kiss on top of my head. "Love you, Julie."

I roll my eyes, but I smile back at him. "Love you, too."

He hesitates for a second, then says, "See ya, Eddie."

Eddie salutes. "Later, man."

I back out of the driveway and turn my music all the way up before Eddie can say anything to me. This should be a fun drive.

★・・・✘✘・・・★

The first few hours aren't the greatest. Neither of us say a word, only periodically sharing a lighter so we can smoke our cigarettes. Eddie looks like he wants to sometimes, especially when we passed a cow pasture, but he's kept his mouth shut.

I didn't start out with a full tank, so my gas light comes on quickly. I pull over at the next gas station I see and get out of the car.

"Give me the money," Eddie says, getting out of the passenger side and reaching his hand across the roof of the car.

"Put, like, fifteen on it," I tell him, handing over my cash.

I wait a minute, then start pumping the gas. I lean against the side of my car, feet and arms crossed. What have I gotten myself into? I should have just stayed back and had Christmas with the Harrington's. Joyce would have understood, especially after the entire Thanksgiving debacle. Speaking of Joyce, does she know Eddie is coming instead of Steve? Was I the only one left out of this plan until the last possible minute?

"I grabbed us some slushies." I turn around to see Eddie holding a red slushie in his left hand and a blue slushie in his right. He holds out the red one.

"Thanks." I take it from him, our fingers touching for a brief second.

"I can drive if you want," he offers.

"Uh, yeah." I nod. "Sure."

We switch places and he pulls out of the gas station like a bat out of hell. One thing I definitely have not missed is his driving. I grip onto the door handle, causing Eddie to laugh.

"What? Harrington doesn't drive as crazy as me?" he asks.

"No," I snap. I don't care if he's talking about Steve as my friend or trying to sarcastically insinuate he's my boyfriend, I don't want to talk about him at all with Eddie.

"I didn't have to do this, you know."

I almost break my neck to look at him. "And I never fucking asked you to."

"No, I—" He sighs. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Please, Eddie, enlighten me with what you do mean," I say. I grab my cigarettes and pull one out, lighting it before he speaks again. I sink into my seat, staring out the window.

"I'm trying, Jules, okay?" I see him look at me for a second from my peripheral, then look back at the road. "All I meant was I didn't have to try. Of course I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I said some shit I can't really take back and wasn't sure if you wanted me to come back. Thought we were a done deal. Then Harrington asked me to do this... And if he thinks we can work it out on a thirty-six hour drive together, then maybe we can."

"I just don't understand why you were the only option," I say. I almost recoil at how heartless I sound.

He chuckles, but he sounds sad. "Only thirty-two hours to go."

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Well, what do y'all think? Can they work it out? 🤭