WILDFIRE ↝ E. MUNSON

[2]

"So what's the plan after the game tonight, boys?" Andy asked the other basketball boys sitting at their lunch table. "Benny's?"

"Just as long as we win and have something to celebrate." Patrick said from his spot next to Lily, his arm resting against the back of her chair.

"We will win," Jason insisted as the sound of a loud bang came from a table on the other side of the room, pulling their attention to where Eddie was climbing on top of the Hellfire Club's lunch table. He looked fired up, which wasn't unlike Eddie, though she couldn't even begin to guess where the outburst was coming from this time around.

"What the hell is he doing?" Patrick muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Lily to hear.

"As long as you're into band," Eddie spat venomously, strutting his way down the table, pulling the attention of everyone in the cafeteria as they began to mutter about the local freak's outburst, with his friends all laughing in their seats surrounding the table. "Or science, or... parties."  His eyes moved to each group as he spoke, before they finally landed on Lily's table with a grimace. "Or a game where you toss balls into laundry baskets!" he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth to make sure everyone could hear him.

At his words, Jason stood up quickly, shooting a threatening glare in Eddie's direction, as if challenging the older boy to keep going. "You want something, freak?" Jason yelled back.

Eddie stared at Jason for a moment before making a spluttering noise, as if he was choking, but instead his hands came up on either side of his face, fingers raised to imitate devil horns as he stuck out his tongue, his eyes never leaving Jason's. Lily had to suppress the laugh that bubbled up in her throat at the sight of him as he began to smile, lowering his hands and turning back around to return to his side of the table, his friends laughter now turning into loud hoots as they cheered him on.

"Prick," Jason muttered, taking a seat back at the table and turning to the rest of their friends. "Can you believe that guy? Probably high at school again getting ready for his cult meetings. Freak."

As Jason spoke, Lily spared a glance over to where the Hellfire Club was sitting on the other side of the cafeteria. Eddie was seated at the head of the table, with Nick on one side of him and Dustin Henderson at the other, currently conversing with the latter. As Eddie listened to whatever Dustin was saying, taking small bites of his lunch, his gaze moved to just above the young boy's head, locking eyes with Lily from across the room. As soon as she realized he was looking back at her, she turned away, focusing her attention on whatever Andy had begun to say, though she could still feel Eddie's gaze burning into the back of her head.

"Just forget about him, man." Andy was telling Jason as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and Lily gathered up her things, closing her lunch box and rising to her feet, Patrick close behind her, who held out a hand in her direction.

"I'll walk you to class?" Patrick offered, and Lily began to nod, only to be cut off by the sound of her name being called over and over from across the room.

"Lily!" Dustin screeched, running towards her with Mike Wheeler hot on his heels, and Lily's eyes narrowed in confusion at the two boys before she quickly turned back to Patrick.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly, eager to get Patrick as far away from the two boys as possible before anything came out of their mouths that she'd regret later. "My sister's friends. I'll take a raincheck?"

Patrick nodded, leaning forward and swiftly kissing her on the cheek. "In that case, I'll see you after seventh period?"

"Bye," she said with a nod, shooting him a bubbly smile before turning back to the boys, the expression now turning into a confused grimace. "What was that all about?"

"Sorry to pull you away from your boyfriend, but Lily, let's walk and talk." Dustin began, and she followed them out of the cafeteria, holding her books close as her eyes wandered back and forth where the boys now flanked either side of her.

"Okay..." she trailed off apprehensively.

"So, since Lucas has to play at the championship game tonight, we need to find someone to take his place for the Hellfire campaign." Dustin began.

"No." Lily said, stopping in her tracks and looking at the two boys as if they'd each sprouted a second head.

"Lily, we need you." Mike pleaded. "You know how sadistic Eddie's campaigns are, and we need our cleric. We can't do this without Lillian." 

"Besides," Dustin added. "You're the only person in this school we could have sub for Lucas who actually knows what they're doing when it comes to D and D."

"It's just for tonight." Mike promised. "Please?"

"Boys, I can't." Lily said with a sigh. "I don't know if you've forgotten, but I need to be at the championship game tonight, too."

"But you're just a cheerleader!" Dustin pointed out. "You don't actually play the game, you just cheer for the ones who do."

"No, but I have a place in our routines and a responsibility to be there with my team." she explained. "I know the end of the year campaigns get really tough, but you guys know that's not my thing anymore. I gave that up a long time ago. And besides," she added. "There's no way Eddie would let me anywhere near Hellfire these days, even if I did want to."

"You know he'd let you in if you asked." Dustin said. "You used to tell us stories about Hellfire all the time, and said once we were old enough to join you'd show us the ropes of the club. Come back for a night, be with the club you used to love."

Lily paused in her tracks, taking a deep breath and willing away the nervous feeling that had begun to settle in the pit of her stomach. "I can't." she said adamantly. "I'm sorry."

Without another word, she turned away from Dustin and Mike, hurrying away towards trigonometry before the bell had a chance to ring.