Eddie Carmichael (edasich) wrote in disorderic, @ 2018-01-17 20:05:00 |
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Her parents were missing. Her flat wasn’t safe to live in anymore. She’d barely slept for fear of a Death Eater somehow finding and paying them a visit at Angelina’s mum’s house. Her already flimsy cover could be blown at any minute. But after the arduous task of pouring over everything she owned, all she could think about were Remus’ words. You might want to look into your friends. They played over and over again in her head as she shouldered her way through the entrance to Obscurus Books, her hands trembling around her phone and at the thought of the cursed bunny that had been tormenting her for weeks. She paced up and down the rows of books until she finally found him — “Eddie.” With his arms full of books he was selecting for the new themed window display (Cheers! How To Make The Most Of A Bad Situation), Eddie barely looked up at the sound of his name. "Yeah, I'll be just a sec, I've just gotta find…" As he spoke, it registered with him that the voice he heard wasn't one of his coworkers, and he half-turned to see who was there. "Oh, hey!" he greeted warmly, if with some surprise. "What's up? What are you, ah, what are you doing here?" Alicia tried not to bristle at the warmth in his voice. There could still be some logical explanation for this that didn’t include him betraying her. But as much as part of her wanted to believe there was no way he had something to do with all of this, she had no way of knowing if she could trust him. So rather than asking if they could go somewhere to talk, she decided her interrogation would have to happen here, where someone could help her if this didn’t go as she’d planned. Thrusting her phone out at him, she showed him a photo of the stuffed animal in question and asked, “Do you recognize this?” Eddie studied the bunny for a moment, confused. “I...no? Is it the one from Zootopia? I thought she had a little cop outfit.” Alicia ignored the question and kept a scrutinizing gaze fixed on his face. “Eddie, think really hard. If you didn’t want me to know it was from you or — whatever. I need to know for sure if you’ve ever seen this or not.” "Alicia," Eddie shifted the books in his arms. Something pinged in him; something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what. "I don't know what you're talking about. Did you...like, turn the turtle I got you into a bunny or something?" “No,” she said in a thick voice and shook her head. “Someone sent it to me. With a note saying I’m a good friend and sorry for making things a mess. I thought it must’ve been you. It was after everything at the spa.” Confusion, then concern flickered over Eddie's features. "I didn't send you that," he said. "Here, let me ... I need to put these down." He pushed aside a few books to create an empty space on the shelf beside them, then glanced up and down the row to see if anybody else might be listening. When he was satisfied they were alone, or at least, un-eavesdropped, he lowered his voice. "I didn't send you that," he said again, eyeing the photo warily. "But you wouldn't … what's wrong with it? You wouldn't be asking about it if something weren't wrong." Studying his expression, she finally dropped her phone back to her side. “It’s cursed. Or it was cursed. It’s harmless now.” "Oh, fuck," Eddie muttered. His mind started spiralling through worst-case scenarios before he forced his focus back to the present. "Are you okay? Is Angelina?" Alicia bit her lip and nodded. His concern seemed genuine. She wanted to believe he had nothing to do with this, but she couldn’t be too careful anymore. And there were still too many unanswered questions to let herself feel the relief she was so tempted to let in. “It’s been giving me nightmares,” she said, willing any hint of emotion out of her voice. “Terrible ones, about people dying. About my parents.” "That's horrible." Eddie tried to fight the dawning realization that someone was really messing with Alicia, and that they were using him to do it. Someone who must have been paying close attention, given the timing. Maybe someone who read his public conversations regularly, someone who had already expressed concern that his friends didn't understand 'the Dark Lord's mission'. Eddie forced the idea from his head. "Are you okay, though? I mean, besides … that?" Alicia shook her head, and when she tried to say “No,” her voice sounded thin. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and finally took her eyes off him, dropping them to the floor. “I have to ask you something else and I need you to tell me the truth.” Eddie had to work to keep his expression passive as the word caused another knot in his gut. Truth. It wasn't a concept Eddie was having a particularly strong relationship with these day. "...Okay," he said, not committing to anything with that response. “Why won’t you go out with me?” She fought off the embarrassment of asking him, again, a question that still left her feeling as exposed as the first time she’d done it. Forcing herself to look at him, she added, “I know how it sounds and it’s not like that. But I need to know.” "Alicia…" Eddie's sigh was more dramatic than the moment called for. Then again, maybe it wasn't. He felt guilty and frustrated and even before he realized it, his mind was spinning a series of lies that might seem acceptable, or at least believable. But he couldn't do that to her, not when she was already this vulnerable. "Look, I'm sorry. I really am. I've said that, haven't I?" Had he? Just in this moment, he was second-guessing himself. "Anyway, I am. I really never wanted to hurt you." “I just said it’s not like that,” she repeated with an edge to her voice. “Someone is trying to hurt me and you’re hiding something. I need to know if I can trust you or not.” "You can—" Eddie's impulse to defend himself stopped just short of finishing the sentence with what just might prove to be a lie. "Alicia, I would never purposely hurt you." But. But that doesn't mean I'll tell you the truth. But that doesn't mean you won't get hurt anyway. Maybe it was better to let her go, altogether. He'd tried before, but it never seemed to stick; neither of them really wanted it. Maybe this time it had to. Whatever benefit of the doubt Alicia might’ve been willing to give him had all but evaporated. And the fact that she probably just looked like some stupid pining girl made it all the more frustrating. The corners of her eyes began to sting and she took a deep breath — she was not going to let herself cry in front of him. “So that’s a no, then,” she said, her expression gone as cool as she could make it. “I didn’t do this,” he insisted quietly, but he didn’t refute her point. He couldn’t be honest with her—no, he was choosing not to be honest with her—and that was all she was asking of him. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t know how much that was to ask. “But I want to help you figure out who did.” She shook her head. “I don’t need your help.” That wasn't going to stop him from trying, but so be it, for now. The weight behind her words, the vehemence, left him thinking this was about more than just a mean-spirited prank. "Okay," he said, not willing to push in where he clearly wasn't wanted. "But...are you okay, though, otherwise?" It didn't take much to see that the answer should be 'no.' “Still no,” she said with a note of impatience. She tried to hide a sniff behind her hand, as though her nose just happened to be itchy. “But it doesn’t matter. I can’t talk about it to someone I can’t trust, so.” She lifted her phone to indicate the photo she’d showed him. “Thanks for not cursing me.” And then, over the concern and the frustration came a wave of anger. Anger that she was in this situation, and that he was. Anger that he couldn't tell her the truth because if he did, she would hate him even more. Anger that she thought he could do this to her. "Well, believe it or not, I don't actually go around cursing my friends," he said. "I've got to get back to work." “Right,” she said, clipped around the lump in her throat. She had one more question, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask. Even if she didn’t trust him, she wanted to. And she wanted him to trust her. But he didn’t, and that was bad enough without him hating her too. Instead, she mumbled, “See you around then, I guess,” and turned to leave. He picked up his pile of books again, pretending to look at the titles instead of looking at her as she left. But before she got too far, he relented. "Alicia … I hope you figure out who did it." And despite everything, that was the truth. Even if it came back as his fault somehow. At the sound of her name, she stopped and shot a glance back over her shoulder at him. But her swoop of hope dissipated just as quickly as it’d come. “Yeah,” she said. “Me too.” “Bye, Eddie.” Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, and when she turned away this time, she didn’t look back. |