𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎.

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑.

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑.

'𝙲𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙸'𝚍 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕.

𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚞𝚗𝚋.

𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎.

𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍.

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍.

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝.

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔

𝚃𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍.

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚐𝚘 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍.

What the fuck am I doing? For fucksake. What the actual fuck am I doing right now? By the angels... You might just be the worst possible date in the entirety of the universe. You don't have any fucking money... You don't eat... You don't even dress decently... It wasn't planned but that doesn't matter. You should be better. And after all that, you just left the man to go chasing after your dim-witted brother. What the fuck is wrong with you?

Lennon was jogging through the snow for a few minutes before she found the backside of the building. She needed to find out why her brother wasn't at work but she didn't want to keep Eddie either.

The care she had for her annoying brother was the only thing keeping her away from Eddie. If it had been anybody else, she would've went on that date with Eddie. She would have stayed with him but she worried about her brother. If something was wrong and she didn't investigate, she would never forgive herself.

To her luck, there were footprints and a nice path to follow the closer she got to the building. The trail between the brush of wiry bushes and dead trees let her know the boys went out back often. They kept her from getting lost and if people got suspicious, her footprints wouldn't be questioned.

She slowed her pace and focused on keeping her breathing steady when she started to hear soft voices in the front. She kept her eyes peeled for onlookers but there were only a few cars out front to wary of.

Brontë's and Steve's were the most recognizable but there were about five more parked close by from what Lennon saw when Eddie drove past.

She took a deep breath and started walking with her head and her knees bent toward the ground. She tugged on Eddie's beanie and pulled the cloth down over the tops of her ears, keeping them warm but leaving her hearing open to the chatter coming from inside.

"Well, what the fuck do you suggest we do, Harrington?!"

Lennon stopped breathing when she heard her brother's friend's name being shouted from inside. She stopped in her tracks and stayed close to the ground to remain hidden. She swallowed uncomfortably and listened closer.

"I don't know, man! But it's not the end of the world. Billy is in the hospital. Like, right now, and you want to get mad about some stupid sport-"

"He's the heaviest one of us, with a speed two percent faster than you! And Billy is fine. He didn't die or anything. He's fine, except, oh yeah! His arm is fucking broken!"

Lennon's heart dropped. Her pulse was throbbing in her throat and in her numb fingertips. The mention of harm being done to Billy made her feel overwhelming cold as she grew closer to the window.

There was the slightest crack between the windowsill and the glass and that's all she needed to hear Jason's voice thundering above everyone else's.

Why was Steve talking about Billy? What did Jason mean Billy wasn't dead? What happened to his arm? Where the hell was he? Where the hell was Brontë? What happened?

Once Lennon had her back pressed against the backside of the building, she was crouched down just below the windowsill. She was almost frozen with fear but once she settled down below the window, people continued to talk and the soaking of information made it impossible not to fidget.

"Since when do you even care about Hargrove?" someone Lennon didn't recognize called out with a slurred speech.

This voice was foreign to Lennon's ear but it was louder than anyone else's and that made her flinch.

The next thing she knew, hot ash was being flicked out of the window above her head. She watched as the grey flecks fell onto her jacket, most likely coming from the person talking seeing as their voice was more prominent than the rest.

She sat in stifled disgust until an orange ember landed on the hand she had on her knee and immediately, he face crinkled in a panic. The ash burned a dull imprint into her skin. The hot flash of pain caused her to widen her mouth and flick the ash away in an instant. She kept silent but it still hurt enough to snap her out of her fearful trance.

She looked up at the window and saw whoever had tapped their cigarette over her head was nowhere to be seen so she shifted from underneath the window to the side of it.

"I don't care about him. Lennon was with him last night and she obviously cares, dipshit. Besides, his sister has a crush on Lucas. I care about them. Not him. Can you imagine?" Steve rebuked protectively.

"So because Wheeler dumped your ass, your into thirteen-year-olds now?" someone cringed from inside.

"No. Ew," Steve curled his lip with disgust. "Brontë's sister is like my sister and if something happened to her, which, oh yeah! We don't actually know where the fuck she is right now or if she's okay, then I wouldn't be the happiest person in the world," Steve reprimanded his teammates. "Show some fucking empathy, Carver!"

"You're not the one riding out of here on a scholarship, Harrington. You don't understand what winning the goddamn tournament means to people like me," Jason countered angrily. "He's a fucking idiot. Who even let him drink that much last night?"

There was silence in the run-down building which meant nobody had an answer to Jason's question.

Lennon was staring out at the snowy expanse in front of her, keeping her eyes peeled on the corner of the building closest to the parked cars. She couldn't understand what they were talking about. She saw Billy the night before. They were acting like something had happened to him, but what could have happened in the last fifteen-ish hours since she saw him? What were they even talking about? Why were they so angry? And where was Brontë?

"Brontë's sister was with him most of the night. But someone tipped off Tina apparently. She made a move, Billy didn't exactly decline, and Seagrave bolted," Chance said confidently.

Chance, Patrick, Andre, Jason, Steve, some unknown voice, and maybe Brontë. Who else was there? Where was Billy?

"So this is your fault?"

"How stupid do you have to be? Did you see me there?"

Lennon could make out her brother's voice from inside and instantly, she felt a sense of victory. She felt like she was going crazy. She was just glad she followed her intuition and investigated the building. She was glad she hadn't imagined it. It was real. She wasn't entirely delusional but that didn't mean she felt comforted by her brother's voice.

What was he doing here instead of being at work?

"And did my sister physically shove shots of tequila down Billy's throat? This isn't anyone's fault, Jason. Chill, would you?"

"Don't tell me to chill, Seagrave. We just lost our wide receiver before he could even step foot on that damn field."

"Billy was just in a car accident and my sister was one of the last people to see him and she is missing, dude. There are bigger problems than your stupid scholarship," he ridiculed the teenager with a strong tone to his voice that Lennon had gotten used to hearing since recently getting in trouble with him.

"You know, I would think you of all people would understand but I guess you're more of a Debbie Downer, aren't you, Seagrave? Because you fucked up your leg and lost your scholarship, no one else is allowed to succeed, is that it?"

"Are you seriously that insecure?" Brontë scoffed humorously at Jason's retaliation, causing a few of the others inside to snicker.

"I'm not the grown-ass adult that hangs with high schoolers in his spare time," Jason shot back defensively.

"I'm looking for my goddamn sister," Brontë grew impatient. "It could've been her ass in that car with Billy and I don't know where the fuck she is right now. I'm here looking for her. I'm not here to bitch about someone's accident being an inconvenience to me. You're here to complain about someone else's tragedy getting in the way of your future."

"Because you would know," Jason scoffed. "That's some future you got there, Seagrave," Jason chuckled. "Serving drinks at some local bar for the rest of your life. That's bright. You ever think you should've told that dude who broke your leg to keep going? Maybe then you'd actually have friends your own age."

People smiled, but nobody dared to laugh. Brontë held the power in the room and everybody knew it. He was physically bigger, more experienced, and he seemed less affected by Jason's harsh words which made him seem untouchable.

Some were scared of what Brontë might do to them if they laughed; and not just physically. He was named after some of the best authors in English literature, he knew how to tear someone down with words. If he didn't throw a decent punch, he was sure to demolish someone's ego in front of half the team.

"You're so pathetic. Oh, my God," Brontë pouted and laughed mockingly at Jason's face, causing the man's blood to boil. "Is that seriously the best you've got?" he leered contemptuously.

However, Lennon couldn't keep listening to her brother's outburst when there was an abrupt whisper coming from beside her ear.

"What are you doing?... Oh shit..."

The sudden sound caused Lennon to stumble over her feet and gasp. She quickly tried to turn toward the sound but ended up falling onto her back as she tried to face them.

As she lied on the ground in what felt like an unrolling armadillo position, she found Eddie wincing and with a strung-out smile of innocent guilt. His teeth were on display but he wasn't exactly happy when he caused Lennon to topple over her crouched position.

"I'm so-"

"Shhh!" she hushed him by putting her finger to her lips and surrendering to the ground, too afraid to move and bring suspicion to her location. She put her other hand up to tell Eddie to stay where he was and with her on her back, she listened closely for someone inside.

The man with the unknown voice was the only one who noticed the strange disturbance and looked outside the window he was smoking from. His eyes scanned the snowy ground but he didn't ponder too long because he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

He flicked his ash out from the small crack in the window and turned back to the two men who were getting louder and more aggressive as they argued inside.

More ash fell on Lennon's head and sprinkled the front of her jacket before she rolled her eyes and threw her head into the snow with disbelief. She pulled herself up very slowly after a few seconds and took Eddie by the sleeve of his jacket before leading him away from the window.

"What the hell?"

"What?" Eddie shot back in a hushed tone to match Lennon's. "What are you doing?" he giggled, looking at her and seeing how secretive she was being with her snooping. "Why don't you just go inside?" he snickered, folding his hand over his mouth to muffle the sound of his laughter.

He didn't tell her because it would have been seemed childish, but she reminded him of one of those spies from the movies that people showed in the center of town. It was funny how she treated the situation with such secrecy. He couldn't help but smile.

"I don't know what they're doing in there," she widened her eyes in horror before taking a deep breath and glancing over her shoulder to make sure nobody could see them from the window. "It's a fucking lion's den."

"You said your brother was here..."

"And?" she shot back curiously. "Just because he loves me doesn't mean he won't kill me if he sees me out here. He doesn't like me very much right now. I don't know what he'll do if he sees me... If he sees you..."

She knew he would have tried to bring her back home or keep her on lockdown somehow. She would never be allowed to go back out after not telling him where she was going before he left. She had a note but it wasn't enough. She didn't write down who she was with, just that she was with a friend. If Brontë saw her now, there was no way he was going to let her go back out; especially if he found out the 'friend' she was with was Eddie Munson.

"C'mon," she took him by the hand and hesitantly turned her attention to the window.

"Whuh-"

"I've heard enough. Let's go!" she hissed, tightening her grip and pulling him back from the wall of the burger joint.

His hand was surprisingly warm and without realizing, he hadn't wash his hand since licking his fingers. The thought crossed her mind when she glanced down at the decoration of silver rings clasped around her hand but she didn't pull away. She wasn't even disgusted. She usually refused to even touch someone unless they washed their hands afterward. But for some reason, it didn't bother her now.

She didn't want to be near the building anymore. She didn't want to risk being seen with Eddie; not after the argument she and her brother had.

There was too much going on. Something was wrong with Billy and Brontë was out looking for her and it sounded like Max wasn't in the best place either. She didn't know why Brontë wasn't at work but instead of looking for Lennon. She wanted to know but didn't want to stay and risk being seen.

She wanted to get away. She had to get away.

"Len-" he gasped when she tugged him toward the wooded area behind the building while people inside were too busy watching Jason and Brontë go at it. "Lennon!" he said between his clenched teeth, kicking up snow and nearly tripping over his own feet.

"Lennon! You're gonna pull my arm off! Slow down!" Eddie laughed, following Lennon as best he could without slipping and falling on his face.

"C'mon then!" she encouraged, realizing she had broken out into a sprint and Eddie wasn't the type to run as fast as she did. "I think something bad happened to Billy..." she admitted nervously, dropping Eddie's hand and hating how cold hers felt without it.

"What... do you mean? Hargrove?" he panted.

"You haven't heard anything about him? Have you?" she pondered nervously.

Eddie exhaled slowly and shook his head, feathering out his hair and making him look even more perfectly grungy. "No... What makes you think... something happened? We just saw the dude..."

"I know but Jason and Steve were talking about an accident and a broken arm? I don't know. I didn't like the sound of it. And Brontë is looking for me but I don't know why. I... I know it's not ideal but I need to find him."

"Where would he even be? I doubt he would be home if he was hurt," Eddie commented calmly, seeming completely understanding of the situation.

Lennon wondered if he truly wasn't fazed or if he hadn't heard her right. He seemed too compliant considering she had her tongue down Billy's throat and suddenly needed to find him now. Eddie seemed... too understanding.

"Max. She's his little sister. She might be home but I don't know. I don't know how severe the accident was. I don't know what's going on right now..."

They were finally separated from the run-down building by then. Trees shielded them from any onlookers and Lennon wasn't going to lie, but being in the middle of the woods reminded her of being back home.

"Alright," Eddie nodded his head and took a deep breath. "Calm down. It's gonna be alright. Just... breathe," he approached her and laid both his hands on either one of her shoulders.

"I have to find him."

"Okay," Eddie instantly responded to ease her nerves.

His compliance, his willingness to help her, it made her feel bad. Maybe she was overthinking things. Maybe she should just go home. Maybe Billy was fine. Maybe if she talked to Brontë things might make sense. But then again, when has logic ever worked out in her favor? Following Eddie into his van went against everything but her intuition. Being his friend and talking to him and seeing him behind everyone's backs went against her rationality. Why stop now?

"Are you up for an adventure?" she tried to lighten the mood. "I would much rather have you with me but it's okay if you're not up for it. I mean, it's Billy. I get it. But I have to find him. I need to make sure he's okay. I'm so sorry-"

"Stop," Eddie interrupted her rambling. "Do you know who you're talking to?" Eddie shot back sarcastically, trying to catch his breath once Lennon stopped in her tracks. "I spent most of last summer writing D&D campaigns. I spent most of this fall writing songs about fantasy, and I plan to continue the cycle. I live for adventure. Even if it is to go in search of Hargrove the Hag. I'm in."

Lennon laughed, pulling at the beanie on her head and getting a whiff of what remained from when Eddie wore it before it was given to her.

"I... I literally make scripts for a fantasy game, Lennon. You know that, right?" he laughed.

"Yeah," she giggled.

"And you think I'd ever turn down the opportunity to go on an adventure with Lennon the Endurer?"

Lennon sighed and watched her breath turn to steam in the frosty air. She felt warm. Eddie made her feel warm and... giddy inside and admitting to it made her feel ridiculous. She felt like a child discovering her first crush. She felt silly for feeling so euphoric over someone's company. He was just a man. He was just a man but she was enamored by him.

"I don't think this is what you had in mind when you mentioned..." she trailed off nervously, backing away from Eddie to continue their journey to the van. "A date..."

Eddies entire demeanor changed the moment she mentioned the date with him.

"Are you kidding me?" he stood up straight and smiled at her. "I wouldn't want it any other way!" he exclaimed, suddenly recovering from his earlier ailment and making a quick route to Lennon's side before sliding his arm into hers and dragging her toward the van.