tires

twenty-six

it was 8 am.

the gang sat in steve's room, out of breath.

they had taken what steve's mom had said was for each of them, then helped her pack his room away. she decided she couldn't live in tulsa anymore..it was not only dangerous but watching her son get buried was traumatic. of course she'd visit his grave, but she couldn't handle tulsa or anything happening to her youngest son.

he was all she had left. (a/n: idk anything abt steve's family so i gave him a single mom and younger brother)

"i still can't believe he's gone man." dallas sighed, eden squeezing his hand in support.

"all for being a greaser, it ain't like it our fault we don't have crazy mustangs and models for girlfriends." said two-bit.

"not even stable family's. we can't help it." eden added.

nothing really felt the same. the gang knew it would be like that for a while, but even with all their tragedies in life they got through it together. now, it was different. they had lost a member of their gang and that's worse than anything they all had been through combined.

after some silence soda decided to reminisce on memories with steve and him. he told stories of them when they first started working at the DX, when they both dropped out, and stories of them as a kid. eden even found out steve had a little crush on her. though it made eden chuckle on the outside for sodas amusement, she hated herself for dropping the gun.

he'd be here...we wouldn't have to be helping his mom move away from this hell we call tulsa. she thought trying not to cry in front of the gang.

—————

now later in the day, eden was cooking for the gang as she made dallas clean the kitchen in order for him to set the table afterwards.

"and you're making me do this cleaning shit for what?" dallas whined, making eden smile.

she hadn't smiled truly in a while but that's something dallas could make her do even if the world was on fire.

"if you wanna run away with me one day as you said, i'm not gonna be your little maid. you gotta clean too." eden scolded him.

"well you in a maid outfit would definitely- ouch eden!!" he snaked his hands around her waist, kissing her neck. she cut him off by turning around smacking him upside the head.

"don't start you're dirty talk in this household!! if darry heard ya he'd skin you.."  she pointed a finger in his face.

"god you're such a mom." he rolled his eyes.

"well one of us has to be the adult dallas," eden took the chicken out of the oven.

she began to place it in the middle of the table before she heard heavy footsteps make their way to their chairs.

eden spotted the empty chair, her heart sinking at the sight.

"hey! i haven't set up the table yet douchebags!" dallas complained, snapping eden out her trance.

dally had secretly liked the whole cleaning thing, eden just looked better doing it.

"well hurry up, we're hungry and this chicken looks good. eden what are having as a side?" pony asked a bit too quickly.

"kid you're acting like me and dar starve ya, but the side is mashed potatoes with gravy, lots of it for you pigs." eden winked before putting the hot bowl of mashed potato's, then the huge bowl of gravy next to the chicken.

"dig in guys." eden smiled.

"you're not gonna eat ed? you just spent most of your afternoon preparing this damn chicken i need to see you put something in your stomach." darry was awfully worried about her, the gang as well.

"i'll eat after y'all, save me some. i just haven't been able to eat. it's just anxiety that's all...when i eat i get sick from my nerves all messed up i can't enjoy a meal for the life of me."

the gang frowned at her.

"it's alright ed, take your time we just don't want ya to starve that's all. we need all the muscle we can get in this gang." two bit shot her a wink and a warm smile.

she mouthed an i love you to her fellow friend before changing the subject.

"so...cake for dessert boys?"

the gang cheered and pleaded eden for cake..boy were they hungry.

like always.

she took out the cake mix, oil, eggs and other ingredients she needed to make the batter. she hated a messy cooking/baking area so she cleared any eggshells off or extra mess off the table. she turned around to face the garbage and threw out the remains of what she felt was a 'messy area'.

she stood faced from the table and stopped baking. the gang noticed her eyes at steve's chair once again as she shook at the thought of the DX incident. she tried to hold her own hands to stop the shaking but she couldn't. she just stood there replaying the moment one of her best friends passing.

and it was 'all her fault'.

"eden, we keep that chair there because we know he's sitting there watching us eat. he'd hate when you stressed about something so do what he'd want please. that right there was my third brother you don't think i replay the sounds of those gunshots in my head? we all gotta do better for him so just please eden, act accordingly to what he'd want..which is for you to be eden." sodas eyes were serious and didn't leave hers, not even for a split second.

"i don't know what being eden is anymore," she mumbled "but you're right, i'll accept what happened sooner or later don't get me wrong, but i just constantly feel out of it...i don't know. she shrugged and turned back around.

"nobody in this gang is here to tell you who you are  but i think deep down you know who you are. with how responsible and mature you are, you couldn't even lose yourself eden and i promise that." dallas got up to whisper in eden's ear before going outside for a quick smoke.

eden always felt guilty for showing any type of emotion that was vulnerable or negative, so she put the radio on for the gang to enjoy so maybe her and soda pop's small conversation would leave their heads.

soft rock played as the boys placed their utensils into the sink. eden started the water before darry stopped her.

"go, sit." he nodded his head toward the living room.

"it's alright dar the cake is in the oven so i'll finish the cake by the time the dishes are do-"

"eden go before i throw ya in there." darry pushed her into the living room.

"funny thing is, i bet you could actually throw me in there."