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- 00 | LIVE FAST

"Mikey!" Stan shouted, throwing the door opened just as Eddie switched the device he had been fiddling with on. "Save me from this horrific eardrum burster!" Mike Hanlon clambered in next, grinning from ear to ear as music started to flood out of Eddie's Walkman, filling the now-closed car as they started the journey to school.

"Excuse you, Staniel, but my father made this mixtape for me!" Eddie reminded him sourly. "He may be nothing but a horny dirtbag, but hey, he's my—" Eddie was cut off by a hand grasping his face and covering his mouth.

"I created you!" Frank complained. "Why do you treat me like garbage?" Eddie shoved his hand away, grinning evilly.

"Because you have dirty magazines in your car! I don't even want to know what goes down in here when you're 'working late', okay?" Mike was howling with laughter, but Stan just looked uncomfortable. Eddie snickered at the look of flustered amusement on his father's face as he tried to mask his embarrassment with a smile that said, 'that's ridiculous'.

"Fair point," Frank admitted, turning into the school parking lot. "But it's not like I can get it elsewhere. I married your mother for her personality, not her looks. A blind man could see that." Now it was Eddie's turn to full-out laugh, and Stan joined in this time as he sank down in his seat, nearly drowning out the melodic voice of Stevie Wonder that was flooding from the tiny box at his hip.

"How did you even manage to conceive me?" Eddie demanded, before squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head stiffly. "Actually, never mind. I don't want to know. I'd rather fuck a girl than listen to that story, which is saying something."

"You're too gay to know what even happens when you fuck a girl," Stan accused. Mike nodded in agreement.

"Sorry, Eddie, but Stan's right. Speaking of gay, how'd it go last night?"

"I told her," Eddie replied truthfully, unbuckling his seat belt.

"She made him a cake!" Frank interjected as Eddie stepped outside.

"Lies!" Eddie shot back. "I wish she made me a fucking cake, I haven't had any since like, Christmas." He zipped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder while Mike and Stan climbed out of the car, turning to bid his father a goodbye.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Frank asked very seriously.

"Yeah, do you kiss your slutty magazines with yours?" Eddie snarked, reaching through the window and giving his father a fist bump. The man laughed, grabbing Eddie's fist and pulling it closer so he could kiss his knuckles like he used to when Eddie was a baby. The boy's cheeks heated up in embarrassment.

"Have a good day, boys!" Frank shouted, driving away. Eddie switched his Walkman off while Stan and Mike waved, then turned towards the front doors of the school. Walking through the doors was the most unwelcoming thing in the world as sweltering heat gave way to an even hitter and stickier unairconditioned building.

"It's hitting 90° today, boys," Mike announced, pointing at the thermometer on the wall near the opened door. Eddie groaned loudly.

"But it's been 90° like, all week!" He complained. "It's only 6:00 in the morning! At this rate, we'll reach 100° by noon, which has got to be some kind of record." They circled the first floor once, sticking close to each other like usual. Mike had been to the orientation multiple times, so he generally knew his way around, but Eddie wasn't taking any chances as he grabbed the boy's arm and steered him in the direction of the library.

"But if that happens, then we could always go swimming, or go out for ice cream," Stan suggested as they entered the only air conditioned room in the entire building. Eddie shrugged, throwing his backpack off and plopping down into a chair at a square table.