a miscommunication {eddie}

[STELLA HINES]

{baum academy, eddie's locker}

Why anybody would punch somebody else in the face with their face was a mystery to Stella Hines.

In fact, the entire chat she’d been a part of a few nights ago was a complete mystery to her. She was still puzzling over the two girls she’d spoken with, about her (non-existent) thing with Eddie. Well, there was a thing but it wasn’t a thing thing. Like, they weren’t a thing. If they were, their thing was just friendship. Not even friendship, most days. Just… were they frenemies? She’d sworn off ever using that word again since middle school, but it was all she could come up with right then. What were Stella Hines and Eddie Brooke?

And that was why she’d just worn this expression of utter confusion for the last few days, trying to sort it out. Nothing had ever bothered her quite like this before. She’d even gone to her mother, taking the cliché route of pretending this wasn’t her issue, but somebody else’s. Somebody she knew through a mutual somebody. Not at all about her. No. Never. Because if her mother ever found out that she was having boy troubles (not that this was that), she’d immediately start nosing her way in until everything was revealed. And that was the last thing Stella wanted.

If there was anybody Stella wanted to keep way from Eddie, it was her mother. Was that weird? Was it weird that she wanted to protect whatever it was she and Eddie had from her crazy mom, who would only make it awkward? Yeah, probably, she thought. Her last class had let out only minutes ago and she was already headed to Eddie’s locker to have a word with him. She hoped he’d be there, but he had to be, didn’t he? He always picked up his books after school and the only reason she knew that was because she’d hung out there a couple times recently, annoying him in her typical Stella way.

Of course, there he was. She tried to tell herself that he looked just as plain and boring as usual, but. If Stella understood what having butterflies in her stomach meant, she would’ve been a bit more flustered. Blissfully unaware as she was, she approached Eddie, hands clasped behind her back, and looking shyer than she’d ever been in her life. Where this was coming from, she didn’t know, and that just added to her uncertainty. Stopping just at the locker beside him, she quietly cleared her throat. “Eddie, I have something to say.”

[EDGAR BROOKE]

Eddie hadn't been part of that chat, but he knew what is was like to have him and Stella being accused of being a thing. The big sister he didn't know he wanted (and still didn't know if he wanted?) gave him trouble about it all the time, mainly suggesting he take her to a place called Pipin' Hot Tea one day. Whenever he asked why, she always reply with "because I work there and I want you to try their tea! It's lovely." And whenever he asked why he had to bring Stella, she always replied with something like "Well maybe she would like it there too! It doesn't have to be a date, it can be a friendly outing sort of thing!" But Eddie knew better, and that there was something else there, but he didn't press, because there was no way Serenity would tell him. They were a lot alike, after all. Besides, of course it would be a date; there was nothing platonic about just two people going out for tea or whatever.

He'd ask his mom about it if he wasn't such a terrible liar. That "well I have this friend who" cover story wasn't an option because his mom saw right through him. Sometimes it sucked having a genius mother. Crazy, yes, but genius. She would see right through him and then there would be yet another person 'shipping' him and Stella. Oh god, he'd use the term shipping. He regretting ever letting Andie Read show him Tumblr.

The day was an average one, yet somehow Eddie didn't have any homework. So he would be putting all of his books away at his locker instead of just a few of them, which was a relief. As much as Eddie liked school, he didn't like carrying books around all that much. His shoulders hurt most days.

He was half expecting, maybe even hoping for Stella to be at his locker already. But no, she usually got there a few minutes after he did. The last class of the day was the only one he didn't have with Stella, though he did have it with Adriana Delacroix who was just as annoying, but not in the same way? He didn't know, that theory would only be relevant if he liked it when Stella annoyed him, which he totally didn't. Not at all. ...Okay, maybe just a little. But only because it had become routine and he usually managed to annoy her back in some subtle way, and that was pretty much their friendship, he guessed.

And sooner or later, there she was. He was almost done organizing his locker, putting the books away neatly, which he did every day because one way or another, something always managed to fall or get messed up in his locker every day. "What is it, Stella?" But something was different in her voice, and he looked at her and she just looked... shy? Closing his locker before he was even done, he leaned against it and turned his attention on Stella, wondering what was wrong.

[/justify]

{ CAN'T WITH THIS THREAD MONA WHAT HAVE YOU DONE }
{ all of my baum students know each other canonically jsyk it is law }

[STELLA HINES]

Did she really want to go through with this? Hadn’t she bothered him enough? Couldn’t she just let him go on his merry way? Back to his dorm, or to wherever, to have a nice relaxing evening after school? This being the one and only Stella Hines, of course she couldn’t. At least she’d considered it. That was better than nothing, right? When she arrived, he’d been organizing the books in his locker. Hers was… she cringed a little at the very picture of it, crammed with books and papers and gum wrappers. Maybe she ought to clean it up a bit, but naahh. That could wait.

“Uhm.” How was she even supposed to say this? He’d given her his full attention and that just made it worse. Her cheeks felt hot and she was kicking at the ground with the tip of her shoe, and oh come on Stella just get on with it!!! “I was talking to some people the other day, and uh…” She finally looked up at him, making eye contact and doing her very best to appear determined. Now or never. “They told me to punch you softly in the face with my face.”

And with that, she leaned forward a fraction of an inch, screwed her eyes shut tight, and promptly slammed her forehead against his, marking it down as the first headbutt she’d ever done. She hoped Nahnie Strider was somewhere nearby to get a picture for the yearbook, but as she reeled back, she thought either way that it had been very well done, and even without photographic evidence, she’d laugh about this until the day she died.

{this is really shot but it's rapid fire so yknow}

[EDGAR BROOKE]

Eddie could sense Stella was nervous, and that almost made him nervous. What in the world could possibly make Stella Hines nervous of all things? She just wasn’t terribly shy like Eddie was. He noted how she was kicking the ground and her cheeks were red, and it frustrated him to no end. He didn’t like not knowing things, especially when they were about Stella and what was going to happen. Truth be told, that frustrated him a lot, but none more than at that moment.

But he retained his composure and replied with a simple ”’Uhm’ what?”, wishing she’d get on with it. Which she eventually did, confusing him even more. What people? He was puzzled, and unless he was close to solving that puzzle, Eddie did not like to be puzzled. He was almost relieved when she looked him square in the eye, but still had no idea what Stella was about to say or do.

Wait, punch - what?

And then she leaned closer to him and - what??? Eddie stayed still as he wasn’t one for quick reactions, and didn’t move until she leaned back. He thought he heard a camera go off, but remained still and blinked slowly. What just happened? What even - he kind of guessed with the whole ‘punch him in the face softly with your face’ thing, but still, he was utterly confused. For all of Eddie’s smarts, he couldn’t figure out the meaning behind that either. Not until later, after he walked back to his dorm and realized he forgot to finish organizing his locker, that he would place his face directly into his palm and wonder who the hell Stella was talking to.

[/justify]