'tis the damn season

Thirty: gold rush

"What must it be like to grow up that beautiful? With your hair falling into place like dominoes, my mind turns your life into folklore, I can't dare to dream about you anymore"

The sun had just about set by the time we arrived at what we hoped was Reefer Rick's house. Steve pulls in the driveway, all of us noticing the lights inside the house were dark.

The whole drive I was trying to make eye contact with Robin through the rear view mirror, but she seemed to be avoiding my eyes on purpose.

She must have talked to him earlier while Max and I were on the phones. I noticed Robin leave the room, I assumed to go to the washroom or something, but Steve must have followed her. I couldn't believe her. I swear she's probably been planting seeds in our heads this whole time.

Every time the possibility of Steve and I has been brought up by anyone, I shut it down. I've pretended that I didn't have feelings for him in front of other people because it was just easier that way. It just wouldn't work out.

The five of us get out of the car, and head for the front door. I wasn't sure this was such a good idea. There was a pretty good chance this guy wouldn't even tell us where Eddie was if he knew.

Robin knocks on the door, as we all stand on the dark front porch. I hear nothing coming from inside. No footsteps, nothing. She knocks again.

"It doesn't look like anyone's home," Steve says, while Max moves to look in the window.

"Maybe not," Dustin sighs.

A dead end. It was going to be impossible to find Eddie now. This guy was our last shot.

"Guys, look," Max says, catching out attention and pointing to a boat house off to the side or the property. The light just outside the door was on.

We walk down the grass, Robin shoving the door open, letting us inside. There were some random storage boxes, around the room, and a boat in the centre, tied to the wooden floor, floating in the water.

I follow Max over to a table in the corner of the room, to see candy wrappers all over it.

"Maybe he was here," she says.

I turn around to see Steve was poking the tarp on the boat with one of the ore's that had been hanging up on the wall.

"What are you doing?" Dustin asks him.

"He might be in there," Steve shrugs, continuing to jab at the tarp.

Dustin looks baffled by him. "So then take the tarp off."

"If you're so brave why don't you take the tarp off?" Steve argues.

Brothers, I swear.

Robin comes over to Max and I, looking at the wrappers we'd found. "Somebody was definitely here, he must have ran off," she says.

"Don't worry," Dustin chirps. "Steve'll get him with his ore!"

Suddenly the tarp is off the ground, scaring the shit out of all of us, and Eddie is running at Steve, pinning him to the wall.

"Holy shit!" Steve shouts as his back slams into the wall, dropping the ore to the ground.

"Eddie!" Dustin yells.

Eddie looks back at Dustin, with fear written in his eyes. He looked paranoid, like he didn't trust any of us.

"It's just me," Dustin says, trying to reassure him. "We want to help you."