Eddie was gripping onto me possessively, his large arms and embrace making me feel better as he held onto me. I knew he was torn – he was the one who had been so encouraging and trying to get me to reunite with my friends. But he had seen how upset they had managed to make me, how I hated what they said about Eddie. He wanted to be supportive but protect me.
"So do you guys – that color's great on you, Chrissy," I complimented back. I decided to be nice, but I was not going to let them ruin tonight.
"Thanks – I got it a couple weeks ago. Took everything to convince Jace to wear a bowtie," she replied, trying to connect. Jason had a similar hold around her, mirroring Eddie. It was strange how parallel certain things were in our lives, but how much everyone insisted we were too different.
"You clean up nicely, Munson – I never thought I'd see you in a tie," Jason commented, pointing at Eddie. Eddie looked at me, confused, but smiled kindly.
"Thanks, man. Margot had a lot to do with it. The bowtie is cool," Eddie offered kindly. We all sat in an awkward silence, and I squeezed Eddie's side.
"Okay – we're going to go," I announced, pulling Eddie along. Chrissy nodded sadly, not stopping us, and Eddie pulled me closer to him as we entered the decorated gym.
I looked up at Eddie, and the unbridled joy on his face made up for any awkward feelings we had just experienced. He looked around the room, beaming at the different decorations and set-up. I threw my arms around his neck, giggling as he squeezed me close to him and cheered into my neck. He pulled back and grinned before kissing me.
"It only took me six years, but Eddie Munson finally made it to a Hawkins High dance," he joked, making me laugh. I kissed him again, melting into him as he wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, pulling me close to him. I pulled back, grinning at how bright red he was.
"Want to go dance?" I asked. He smiled nervously.
"Let's spike a glass of punch first – I need some liquid courage to make sure I can defend you in case any of those lurkers try to cut in," he replied, nodding his head to a group of guys leaned up against the wall. They were leering at us – me, I guess – and as soon as I caught them, they looked away.
Eddie dropped me before draping himself over me like he normally liked to do, and we sauntered to the punch bowl. I poured the two of us glasses, and Eddie surreptitiously looked around before reaching into his inside pocket and grabbing a silver flask. He poured clear liquid into each of our glasses, and we clinked them together. I giggled as he threw his back and made a face at me, the alcohol burning his throat. He was immediately pink in the face and poured himself another glass.
"You look so pretty," he said after he finished his third glass, his face pink and warm. I grinned and kissed him quickly, leaning further into him.
"You look so handsome," I replied. His grin became goofy, and he set his glass on the table near us.
"Want to dance?" he asked.
I nodded furiously and took his hands, pulling him to the dance floor. A Tears for Fears song came on, and I hooked my hands around his neck. He was giddy as he pulled me close to him, setting his hands on the small of my back. We started to sway together, giggling as we stepped on each other's feet and stumbling over each other.
"You're a terrible dancer," I teased, scratching the back of his head. He hummed happily and got close to my face.
"Too distracted by you," he flirted. My heart skipped and he pressed his lips to mine, making me melt. He spun me out, making me laugh and yanked me back to him, burying his face in my neck and kissing it softly.
"Are you having fun?" I asked, pressing my lips to his ear. He pulled back and nodded.
"I still can't believe you're here with me," he said quietly, studying my face. I felt my face flush and nodded.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," I replied. He smiled, and we continued to sway together, laughing whenever we tripped over each other.
"I've got to go to the bathroom," Eddie announced, his face sheepish. "Wait for me by the punch?"
I nodded and I went to the punch bowl as Eddie trotted away. I swayed to the music, grinning at the memory of Eddie and I dancing.
"Hey, Mar-got," a voice said quietly. I turned, wide-eyed, to Jason. He waved awkwardly and walked over to me. I looked around, panicked. "I come in peace. I promise."
I watched him for a beat and nodded tightly. He walked over to me and stood next to me, watching the dance.
"Where's Chrissy?" I asked. He nodded to the photographer.
"She and the other cheerleaders are in line to get some photos. I saw you by yourself and wanted to come say hi."
"Well...hi," I replied awkwardly. We stood for another beat.
"Chrissy, uh...Chrissy told me what you told her the other day," he offered. I felt my stomach drop. I shrugged.
"That makes sense," I replied. I looked at him and he nodded awkwardly.
"I...I wanted to say I'm sorry," he said. I raised my eyebrows and he shrugged. "I didn't realize...look, if I had known, I wouldn't have said or done those things about Munson."
I looked at my feet and nodded sadly.
"I just thought you changed, Margot. I didn't...I couldn't have—"
"Known I was a dork?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled sadly.
"I'm just sorry," he said. I nodded.
"Thank you," I replied. He smiled again. We were quiet again.
"We're...we're probably not going to be friends anymore, are we?" he asked quietly. I looked at my feet.
"Not...not best friends. I'm not that Margot – I never really was," I answered. He nodded.
"I can tell you guys are happy. Like how me and Chrissy are happy. Probably happier," he said. I smiled, my heart seizing. I nodded.
"We are really happy. So happy," I answered. He smiled genuinely at me.
"That's great," he replied. We smiled at each other, and he placed a hand on my shoulder. "You guys look great, too."
"Thanks – you guys do, too," I replied. He grinned wider. I felt a wave of relief that we had gotten some sort of closure. I pulled him into a tight hug, my eyes welling with tears.
"Bye, Mar-got – I hope you guys have fun," he said quietly. I nodded.
"Bye, Jace," I replied. I pulled back and patted his shoulder. "Make sure you kiss Chrissy."
He laughed and nodded before walking away, hands in his pockets. I sighed, relieved.
---
I watched as Margot hugged Jason, and my stomach dropped. I thought I knew better by now, but I still got panicked, convinced that she was finally wising up.
He walked away and I headed over to her, my stomach filling with dread. She finally noticed me, and her face lit up, making my heart stop. All of my anxiety went away, and I practically ran over to her. She threw her arms around me, pulling me close to her face.
"What was that about?" I asked nervously. She shrugged and kissed me softly.
"Just saying goodbye," she replied. I furrowed my brows, and she brushed my hair out of my face. "I'm just Margot now."
I grinned wildly and kissed her hard. I pulled back and she was giddy.
"Want to keep dancing?" she asked. I nodded and my girlfriend pulled me out to the dance floor, smiling wildly at me. I remembered how I watched her from afar for a year, how chicken shit I was by the pool at that first party.
We got to the middle of the floor, and I decided to be Eddie the Brave. I pulled her close to me, kissing her like I did to make her breathless, and pulled back, grinning. She was bright red, almost as red as her dress.
"If you keep kissing me like that, we'll need to leave and go back to your place," she warned. I grinned, kissing her again.
I needed to see if she was bluffing.