Love this. Flowed beautifully from start to finish. I liked how the "thin smile" efficiently changed gears for the story.

I chortled something wicked at this on my second read-through:

>but something caught my eye today

I wondered if it was realistic for Eddie to mention their bonds since kindergarten when he was so oblivious to the impending trouble. Then again, considering the depth of his betrayal, perhaps his guilty conscious couldn't help it. So I'm on the fence about it, which probably isn't helpful crit at all! I'm a self-confessed crap critiquer.

Good story, good characters, and good writing!