Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Those were the words running through Eddie’s mind as he drove to Dustin’s house. He’d gotten a call from him earlier in the day, explaining that he needed a ride to the meeting later that evening at Mike’s place—one of the rare occasions it was being held on the weekend and somewhere other than school.

Eddie wasn’t exactly thrilled about it, but he couldn’t bring himself to say no when he pictured Dustin’s hopeful face on the other end of the line. Don’t get him wrong—he genuinely liked the kid—but a small part of him was a little frustrated too.

When he finally spotted the (hopefully correct) house Dustin had described, he parked his van beneath the little roofed patio and stepped out, stretching slightly before making his way to the door.

He gave it a knock, humming a soft Iron Maiden tune under his breath to fill the awkward silence. After a few moments with no response, he knocked again, this time calling out, “Dustin?”

Seven long seconds passed. Eddie tapped his foot, running out of patience. He was about to knock once more when he heard the doorknob turn.

“Finally, Henderson, it took you long eno—”

His words trailed off mid-sentence as he looked up, realizing the person in the doorway wasn’t Dustin at all. Eddie blinked, taking in the unfamiliar yet strikingly attractive face before him.

“Oh,” he said, a little more breathless than he intended.