Believe It Or Not (An Eddie Munson Story)

Arabella

"Hey!" I beam at them. I hug them both and they smile down at me. "You guys were amazing out there!" 

"Thanks, I'm glad you came," Gareth grins and I nod. 

"Where is Eddie?" I ask and Jeff points his thumb over his shoulder to the back exit. 

"He went out to get a smoke." he says and I nod. I ask if they need help with anything and they decline so I excuse myself to go find Eddie. I push open the door to the alleyway behind the building and I don't see him. I step completely out of the threshold and look around, pulling my jacket around myself. An eerie feeling sinks into my stomach and I wonder if I should just go back inside and wait for him there. I turn to grab the door handle when I hear a scuffle come from behind a nearby dumpster and a woman's soft giggle and I pause. My heart sinks and something tells me again to go inside, but my hand shakes against the knob and I release it. I turn back around and move quietly forward, until I can see around the dumpster and I freeze. 

Eddie is there with his back turned to me. He's hunched slightly and around his waist are a set of long stilettoed legs. Arms are wrapped around his shoulders and I can see ten long red manicured claws digging into his curls. My heart shatters and I feel like I can't breath. The world tilts slightly and I fight the urge to fall over. I contemplate murder for a moment and then the realization crashes on my chest. I'm just his friend. I'm nothing to him. This was all a fun way to pass time to him. You are a joke. I go to turn away and I accidentally kick a beer bottle, causing it to clank loudly against the pavement. Eddie's head whips around and his eyes meet mine. There is crimson lipstick smeared across his lips. I feel sick to my stomach and I know if I stand here any longer I'll vomit. I run for the door and yank it open, sprinting inside. I push past Gareth and Jeff who look at me with concern, trying to grab at me and get me to stop but I evade them and keep going. I can feel the tears already running down my face, but I reach up and brush them away refusing to let them slow me down. Once I get to my car, I jump inside and fumble with the key slightly, my hands shaking aggressively. Eddie sprints out of The Hideout and looks around. He spots my car and runs forward. I lock my doors as I finally get the key in the ignition. His body slams into the driver side of my car and I scream, startled. I turn the key and my car comes alive. Eddie is knocking frantically on my window and I shake my head back and forth. His lips are still stained red. 

"Ripley," I hear him plea. "Ripley, please don't go." I put the car in reverse and back out of the spot. Once I've backed up Eddie stands in front of my car and puts his hands on the hood, making it impossible for me to move without hitting him. 

"Get out of the way," I call and he shakes his head. His own eye shine with emotion and it makes me more upset. What right does he have to cry? He did this. Why the hell is he upset? 

"Move!" I scream and he bends at the waist looking down into the cab of the car directly at me. 

"Not until you talk to me," he yells and something in me snaps. I get out of the car, leaving it on and slam my door behind me. I march toward him, filled with fury and he backs away slightly with panic clear on his face.

"You want to talk," I bark. "Then fucking talk." 

"S-she means nothing to me," Eddie stutters, some of his resolve shaking and I laugh in his face, further scaring him. 

"Oh so glad we can confirm you like to do those things with women that mean nothing to you! Is there any other ground breaking information you need to tell me Edward or am I free to go because otherwise I'm two seconds away from beating the shit out of you!" 

"Ripley, please," he pleas. "You mean so much more to me then her. Please don't lump yourself in with her." 

"What else am I supposed to believe?" I scream and he flinches. 

"I don't want to ruin you." he says softly and confusion clouds some of my anger. "I don't deserve the offer you made me, especially when I can't even be man enough to work through my emotions and try to figure out how I feel about you. So I thought if I could forget about my desires for you, I could devote myself entirely to being your friend. I could forget that you drive me absolutely insane! That I think about you all the time. That I want you all the time. I can forget about how jealous I get when you talk to other guys or I could forget about how I feel when your eyes meet mine. I can forget that day out in the woods or that kiss on your couch. I can't even forget about you in my dreams so I should have known it was a pointless effort, but I had to try because you deserve more then me."

I grit my teeth and move closer to him, fury still pulsing through my veins. His words are sweet but the image of that girl wrapped around him still shines in my brain, demanding my attention and I can't shake it off. 

"There you go again," I poke his chest hard and he grunts from the pressure, backing up slightly. "Deciding shit all on your own for me. I'm my own damn person and I can make up my mind about things on my own. And do you want to know what I think? I think I'm falling in love with you, you asshole! I love you, but now all I'm ever going to see is the image of some other girl wrapped around you, touching your hair, and kissing your lips! The lips I dream of kissing! So do whatever the fuck you want, Eddie. You always do anyway and thanks for breaking my fucking heart in the process." 

I'm sobbing towards the end and I don't care. Eddie tries to move forward to comfort me, but I shove him as hard as I can and he backs fully away. I move back to my car and get in. I lay on the horn and he finally steps out of the way and I peel out, driving with reckless abandon towards my house. It's the only time I'm glad that no one is home as I slam the front door and climb the steps, flopping down on my bed. I sob and scream loudly into my pillow, letting it all out. My phone rings on the nightstand and I don't move to get it. It clicks over to the answering machine and I hear Eddie's panicked voice over the speaker. Aggravated, I climb out of bed and rip all the cords from my wall, his voice cutting off midsentence. I sink to the floor and curl in on myself. How could I have been so stupid?