WHO: Eddie Wolfe, Elvera Arquette, and Chip MacLaver WHEN: They’re all seniors in high school. WHERE: Fall City High SUMMARY: Eddie skips class. He catches Ellie smoking while she’s waiting for Chip. Chip catches Eddie getting cheeky. WARNINGS: Teenage boys? None?
There was a myth that all of the hot girls always took French, Eddie wasn’t sure how it had started, or who had propagated it but it was only semi-true. There were plenty of hot girls in French, the problem being, if you dated one, and broke up with one, well, combined with the constant conjugating of verbs it wasn’t such a fun class to be in anymore.
And so, Eddie was skipping.
So was Elvera.
Chip said he’d meet her out here if he could cut loose, but so far? No dice.
It made her anxious for the usual self-prescribed reasons: all internal and self inflicted.
Leaning against the wall of the back of the cafetorium, Elvera pulled a single smoke from the pocket of her jeans: she’d done the smart thing this time and instead of swiping the whole pack from her dad, she only took one. One wouldn’t be missed… right?
Light. Inhale.
As he rounded a corner and headed towards freedom, Eddie stopped as smoke wafted towards him. He wondered if he’d find a teacher taking a break or maybe …
“Caught you.”
“Shoot.” The hand with the cigarette dropped quickly, as if that could help her hide it.
Thankfully, it was only Eddie. Funny boy. She smiled, and brought it back up to her mouth.
“Hey, you! Skipping?”
“Yeah,” Eddie grinned. “I can’t even deal with Stacey today.” The split had been a popular topic of conversation all week. “What’s your excuse Arquette?”
“But it’s right before Prom, poor thing!” Elvera frowned; she really felt for Stacey. Really. “But for me? I’m waiting for Chip. I think we were going to skip out early today. He was talking about going to Seattle… I don’t have a smoke to offer you…”
Eddie rolled his eyes as he continued forward and stopped at the wall so he too could lean against it in a ‘cool kid’ pose. Stacey would be fine. Probably. Maybe. Whatever. He snorted at her next comment. “MacLather?” But bit back any other smart comment that might have come. “Hey, I’ll share.”
“MacLaver” She tried to correct him, as if perhaps, maybe he just… got it wrong in earnest. She smiled anyway, happy to have the company while she waited. “Are you going to skip out the rest of the day?”
If you had to explain a joke, it wasn’t really a joke, so Eddie let it go. Nevermind that old Chipper Chip n’ Dip MacLaver’s name sounded like something you might hear in a shampoo commercial. “Nah, just French. You going back to class if Prince Charming doesn’t show?”
“He’ll show!” Sure as anything. Sure as rain, which it looked like it was about to.
It would be rude to press the issue, right? Right. “Can I have a drag?”
“Oh, sure!” She pushed herself off the wall and leaned towards him, taking one last puff before holding it out to him. Exhale. “Who are you taking to prom?”
He took the cigarette, inhaled, blew smoke, again tried to do the ‘cool kid’ pose. “Why? You wanna go?”
She laughed politely, waving her hand dismissively before taking her cigarette back to take a drag. She passed it back. On the exhale, “You’re so funny, Eddie.”
He took the cigarette with a laugh. “I try.”
“Hey, Woofles.” Stepping onto the scene as if summoned, Prince Charming MacLather himself appeared. Elvera lit up like the switchboard at the firestation in the summer months, moving to hug him. “Not trying to move in on another man’s lady, are you?”
“Hi, Chip!” Elvera skipped right past any animosity and straight into excitement.
“Hey, Wood Chipper.” Eddie returned. He had a million of these, and answering the question would have been too easy. “What’d you hear?”
“Enough to warn you to watch your back,” Chip answered genially, dropping a lazy arm around Ellie’s shoulders and speaking to her without taking his eyes off Eddie who grinned back at him. “You ready to go, babe?”
Elvera let a hand rest on Chip’s chest, giving it a little pat. The very same hand reached out to Eddie, plucking the rest of the cigarette from his mouth. “I hope you find someone to take, Eddie! Maybe we can all share a ride.” Genuinely and earnestly, taking Eddie’s grin and Chip’s cordiality to heart. She put the cigarette back into her mouth, dragging out the last puff.
“I sure hope so, Ellie!” Eddie did his best Wally Cleaver impression but it somehow turned fatherly a moment later. “You two crazy kids have fun now.”
“Sure.” Chip planted a showy kiss on his girlfriend’s forehead. “C’mon, Ells. Let’s motor.”