Lost & Insecure

Eighteen - Maybe

Dana tiptoed into her house a little after eleven. She slouched when she heard the TV in the family room. She rounded the corner, dropping her keys on the end table. The sound of Dana's keys startled Eddie awake. After catching himself on the couch, he stretched and rubbed his eyes then looked up at Dana who was looking past him. Karen was sitting on the couch across from Dana. Eddie looked between the two of them before yawning and running up to bed.

"Sorry," Dana quietly apologized for being out so late on a Monday.

"It's fine." Karen stood up and walked across the room. "At least you came home." She pecked Dana's forehead goodnight and then continued up the stairs.

Dana smiled at her mother and made her way upstairs to her room. Karen wasn't always so calm when it came to Dana being out so late, but after experiencing what the both of them went through last year, Karen knew she had to trust Dana and as long as she came home, not to get too angry or punish Dana too severely.

If anyone was the one to worry about and scold Dana for disappearing, it was Eddie. As bad as it sounded, he had gotten used to worrying about Dana. Dana wasn't the type of person to really face her problems. She was an extremely passionate person, but she was also the type of person who walked away when they got angry or too upset. It doesn't sound that terrible, but when someone who experiences very strong emotions on a daily basis is the type of person to walk away, you find yourself with someone who tends to go missing – a lot. And considering the condition Dana was in when she began disappearing more frequently a year ago, Eddie's worrying was more than justified.

Dana climbed in bed and couldn't help but fall asleep with a smile on her face. She was clearly the kind of person to live in the moment, and this moment just happened to be a really good one.

Dana was awoken by Eddie running into her room and jumping on her bed like a kid on Christmas morning. "Eddie..." Dana's drowsy complaints were muffled through the pillows. "What are you doing?"

"Waking you up." Eddie said, pulling a pillow away from Dana and throwing it across the room. He smiled at her and she slapped her hand onto his face, pulling his nose and pinching his cheek. "Uh, D?" His smiled disappeared as he became confused. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for the snooze button."

Eddie laughed at her before jumping on the bed in an attempt to wake her up. Dana eventually rolled out of bed, and onto the floor. She pulled herself up and gave him an evil glance. "Why are you so abnormally happy this morning?" She ran her hands through her wild and tangled hair then turned to walk toward the bathroom.

"What? I can't just be in a good mood?" Eddie's radiating smile nearly blinded Dana.

"Either tell me what the hell shoved a coat hanger into your mouth to cause that smile or keep your happiness to yourself and leave." Dana pointed towards her bedroom door for a split second then continued on her journey to the shower.

"Okay well I'll tell you, but once you're dressed. I don't want us becoming those overly attached, creepily close cousins that everyone runs away from because one wrong move and we're famous serial killers."

"Just go." Dana laughed at him, pointing towards the exit. Eddie threw a pillow at her, bounced off of her bed, and then continued out of the door closing it behind him.

Dana ran downstairs twenty-something minutes later, fully clothed and ready to go, only making a pit stop for a Pop-Tart. "Come on, Edward. Can't be late!" Dana grabbed Eddie by the hood of his sweatshirt, forcing Eddie to shove the rest of his waffle and orange juice into his mouth. He grabbed his backpack on the way out of the kitchen and followed Dana out the garage.