His meds, it turned out, didn't solve everything. Yeah, they weren't evil, despite a few weird days of getting used to them, and they didn't turn him into a creepy, emotionless zombie. After a couple of weeks, he actually did feel like he could breathe a little easier, and his doctor seemed really pleased. Unfortunately, he could still panic like a complete asshole about the stupidest things.
Like Valentine's Day. Leading up to it, he assumed it wouldn't be a big deal. Neither of there were girls, so he thought neither of them would care about the hearts and flowers shit, but the closer the holiday loomed, the clearer it became to him that they would have to actually do something. They'd be expected to. They'd have to exchange gifts.
The last Valentine's gift he'd gotten was a box of those shitty candy hearts and a handful of hastily scrawled cards back in elementary school. In middle school, everybody didn't stick valentines into the desks of every single kid in their class. People sneaked things into the lockers of the kids they liked, and nobody had ever done that for Eddie. So, this was completely new territory.
The day before, he walked into a card shop, practically vibrating with nerves. The clerk simpered over him, cooing about his little girlfriend, and he nearly fucking lost it. "I just want to look on my own," he finally snapped, then reached out and grabbed the first stuffed animal within reach.
It was a lion, with a red, heart-shaped mane, and it was stupid, but he just needed to get out of there before he completely lost his shit. Throwing a wad of cash onto the counter, he hurried out before his receipt finished printing, clutching his bag in his hands and nearly forgetting to take his bike.
Now, he marched down the hall with as much dignity as he could muster, the lion hidden behind his back.
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His meds, it turned out, didn't solve everything. Yeah, they weren't evil, despite a few weird days of getting used to them, and they didn't turn him into a creepy, emotionless zombie. After a couple of weeks, he actually did feel like he could breathe a little easier, and his doctor seemed really pleased. Unfortunately, he could still panic like a complete asshole about the stupidest things.
Like Valentine's Day. Leading up to it, he assumed it wouldn't be a big deal. Neither of there were girls, so he thought neither of them would care about the hearts and flowers shit, but the closer the holiday loomed, the clearer it became to him that they would have to actually do something. They'd be expected to. They'd have to exchange gifts.
The last Valentine's gift he'd gotten was a box of those shitty candy hearts and a handful of hastily scrawled cards back in elementary school. In middle school, everybody didn't stick valentines into the desks of every single kid in their class. People sneaked things into the lockers of the kids they liked, and nobody had ever done that for Eddie. So, this was completely new territory.
The day before, he walked into a card shop, practically vibrating with nerves. The clerk simpered over him, cooing about his little girlfriend, and he nearly fucking lost it. "I just want to look on my own," he finally snapped, then reached out and grabbed the first stuffed animal within reach.
It was a lion, with a red, heart-shaped mane, and it was stupid, but he just needed to get out of there before he completely lost his shit. Throwing a wad of cash onto the counter, he hurried out before his receipt finished printing, clutching his bag in his hands and nearly forgetting to take his bike.
Now, he marched down the hall with as much dignity as he could muster, the lion hidden behind his back.