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The rubber soles of the sneakers rustled among the small green sprouts of grass. The toe of the shoe pushed a small ash stone somewhere to the side.
Knock, knock, knock. The sharp edges hit the ground, and the small stone rolled back onto the path covered with gravel. And now it was gone, disappearing into the dirty gray shades of the road, which was decorated with small crevices in places.
Eddie sat down on the ground, even though there was a bench nearby that he knew made a piercing creak every time someone touched it with their body (maybe it was the old and worn material or the school principal's reluctance to replace it), but it seemed like the best solution.
The paint on the bench had worn off and faded, turning from brown to cocoa. But it didn't matter to him.
His eyes were looking around to see if anyone was hiding behind a large tree or lurking in the bushes.
Everyone was hanging out at the school's entrance, preoccupied with their own very important business.
Once he was comfortable, Munson reached into the wide pocket of his jacket. Within seconds of his frantic search, a crumpled pack of cigarettes with an illegible name and a metal lighter bent at the ends came to light.
A click. His hands shielded the flame from the piercing howl of the wind, which made the flame swing like a pendulum. For several long seconds, the young man just stared at the crimson-orange trickle of flame, and then held the cigarette up to the hot heat.
His lips touched the cigarette and sucked in the nicotine, which spread through his body, pulsed in his veins, mixed with blood and andrenaline.
He felt an unusual rush of excitement and a smile that touched his lips as he exhaled the smoke.
The fact that one of his teachers could have caught him in this "crime" made Eddie feel a strange warmth in his chest.
Puffs of smoke rose into the air, high into the heavens, and dissolved in them like salt in water.
He leaned back against the oak tree behind him. His posture became straighter, and the tension in his shoulders eased.
Inhale, exhale, repeat the action in a circle.
His mind was not absorbed in any thoughts.
Neither his friends, who were having lunch somewhere, discussing the latest news and favorite comics, nor the stupid test he was almost ready for and was waiting for him in a couple of hours, nor the shitty life he was living with his uncle in a trailer.
The cigarette butt grew smaller and smaller, until it was about the size of half a little finger.
Taking a long drag, Munson extinguished the butt against his skin without feeling any pain and slowly stood up, heading back to the school.
His thoughts returned to his brain, which had recovered from the dope. He should try this time and try not to fail this year.
Getting out of this "hell" was his main task.
Wayne's tired, serious look flashed through his mind.
The cigarette butt fell to the bottom of the trash can.
The young man rubbed the back of his head and the short strands of hair on it ambiguously, his eyes scanning the ashes.
"You're rummaging through the garbage like a bum again?"
A rough voice called out to him.
"Although why 'like'? That's what you are."
A laugh shattered the silence.
He didn't even have to turn around to realize who it was.
"Why are you picking on me, Billy? Shouldn't you be in class?"
Eddie asked Hargrove, slightly sarcastically, turning his head.
The latter's lips quirked up and he began to approach.
The pungent smell of a familiar cheap cologne tickled his nostrils.
The elder Hargrove was in his repertoire: a ruffled red shirt, tight fitting pants, leather jacket, a cocky expression, and that visible disgust, combined with contempt for everyone around him, that sparkled in his blue irises. His friends, now, fortunately, were not hanging around with their newly elected "leader," so after calculating all the odds, Eddie decided that, as a last resort, escape would be one of the easier ways. Although he was not sure that the main bully would not catch up with him (remembering all the sports he had played and his considerable success in them).
"You don't get to tell me what to do, freak."
The blond boy said.
Munson backed away from the looming figure.
"You're going to run away with your tail between your legs, huh?"
Billy said with a sneer.
"You little coward."
The words were laced with humiliation and mockery.
"But at least I don't bully people to assert myself and deny my own worthlessness."
Eddie said boldly, but a second later he regretted it, as his classmate's fists clenched his comer in a steel grip.
"What the hell did you just say, huh, freak? I swear I'm going to beat the shit out of you."
He hissed, lowering his voice.
Sparks of threat and anger sparkled in his pupils.
"I... it's..."
Munson muttered inarticulately when he shook him again.
"You're dead."
He twitched, but in vain. There was no way to avoid the conflict.
Maybe if he had managed to keep his mouth shut... but that stupid thought disappeared. Fear was replaced by a realization of hopelessness, a desire to push away the fate that was coming at him.
But both of them froze, unable to make a move, when they were called.
"Hargrove, let him in."
The grip on the fabric loosened.
"What the...?
He turned around and suddenly ran into Harrington's figure. Eddie blinked in confusion.
What is he doing here?
The boy's mind raced.
Steve stood calmly half a meter away from the two of them.
"You better go where you're going, Steve."
Billy said irritably.
"And let you beat the hell out of this guy? No, sorry."
A step and another, another.
One of his hands let go of Eddie's clothes.
"Since when do you care who's going to be my punching bag, huh, Harrington?"
Blond cocked an eyebrow at his interlocutor.
"Ever since you took out your anger and dissatisfaction with yourself and your life on other ordinary people."
Eddie looked up at him with a shadow of surprise, which he immediately managed to cover with a mask of indifference.
Hargrove's fingers let go of him, switching to a new toy and ending up almost directly beside him.
"I should have dealt with you sooner... though now it's even more fun, because I see you want to play knight savior to this freak."
Brown eyes met the other's dilated pupils and watched the emotions on his face. And then the eye contact stopped.
"Don't call him that."
Billy smiled, but it was more like a grin.
"What are you going to do, Harrington?"
He whispered, invading Steve's personal space.
"Are you going to hit me because of this worthless bastard?"
Eddie didn't make it, but in a moment Hargrove was standing in the middle of the lawn, holding his nose, which had been broken by the blow.
"You bastard..."
In response, he rushed toward him. A fight broke out, accompanied by swearing on Billy's part.
A certain contradiction tore at the depths of Munson's soul.
Run!
One of the voices in him screamed and his feet stepped back.
However, leaving Steve here to be dealt with by this madman was... wrong.
Who were they to each other? Just strangers who crossed paths in school hallways and at lunch tables, barely speaking (except for the usual dry "hi, how are you?" or something like that and long glances at each other).
But... this Harrington helped him, even though he didn't have to. What was in it for him? Why?
His hesitation was pushed to the back of his mind when a terrified woman's scream sounded in the distance, breaking up the "duel" of unequal forces.
It looks like they saw the fight, and now they will be in trouble.
The two boys stood next to each other, the first's face was decorated with a dark purple bruise and a wound on his lips, the second's nose was bleeding and his cheekbone was broken.
"Can either of you explain what's going on here?"
The woman said angrily as she approached and swayed slightly on her heels, causing her blond curls to sway in a funny way.
She seemed to be so furious that she did not notice the third culprit.
They began to explain, giving each other cold looks.
"We will deal with this in more detail later. But you should know that I will not tolerate fighting in our school. So you both need to be in the principal's office today after school. I will report to him what happened and he will decide on the punishment. In the meantime... go to the infirmary."
She sighed, looking at them reproachfully.
"Only separately. And to prevent this from happening again... I'm talking to both of you."
She reprimanded the boys like children, but they didn't respond, staring grimly at the laces of their sneakers.
The blonde girl walked to the porch steps. Soon the ticking faded away.
"This isn't over, Harrington."
Billy growled, stepping around him.
"And you...you...you're going to be sorry."
Hargrove snarled at Eddie, spitting blood not far from him, and walked toward the front door in the distance.
"Asshole," Steve said to who knows whom.
The long pause brought Munson back to reality, and he approached cautiously.
"Did you tell her the reason for your...?"
"No..."
He blinked, slightly fascinated. Harrington lied... without accusing him.
"You need to go to the infirmary."
"I know I do."
He looked up at him and blinked slowly at the pain in his eyelids that pulsed through his head. There was no anger in his statement, but rather disappointment.
"Do you want me to take you there?"
Eddie offered spontaneously, not fully realizing the reasons for his action.
"I don't really want to run into Billy again, so let's not..."
"Are you going to walk like this all day?"
"I'll have to, I guess."
"Still, I would advise you to see a nurse... because he beat you up pretty badly."
Steve smiled slightly.
"Is this a comment or an expression of care and support? If it's the latter, I'm afraid to imagine what your encouragement sounds like."
Eddie smiled himself.
"I'm not really good at that."
"Yeah, I can see that."
"Let's go, we should at least wash the wounds, don't you think?"
"It's too hard to think when you've been beaten up by a guy who's got more muscle than you... but yeah, I agree with your suggestion."
Steve shrugged weakly. They started down the road toward the building
"Look...I...I probably should have stepped in because this whole...thing, it's my fault."
Munson looked around the narrowed corridor, empty of students. It was probably because the lesson had started ten minutes ago.
"Never mind. It's okay, I decided to intervene."
The scraping of the hinges of the restroom door irritated his eardrums with a piercing sound. Entering, Eddie blinked at his companion, seeing him in a new, different light. Leaning against the wall, Munson watched Steve turn on the faucet.
"Why?"
"What exactly do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. You know."
The coldness of the tiles suddenly became scorching, the silence and anticipation eating away at his impatience, causing an itch between his ribs.
Harrington's fingers were still under the stream of water, inadvertently playing with it.
"Billy's an asshole who gets away with everything. I'm sick of it. He had to get what he deserved."
"Yeah, but that's not the point."
The brown-haired boy hummed meaningfully as he leaned over to wash off the dried mud. Eddie didn't push or insist.
"Billy insulted you and wanted to knock you out. I wasn't far away and I felt I couldn't let him do it."
Finally, Steve let out a muffled sigh and looked up from the sink. A shadow of something unknown flashed in his chocolate eyes. Was it... guilt?
He'd heard about Steve's past (bits and pieces about the famous party and Barbara's death, the lovers' quarrel, the breakup with Nancy) and it wasn't the best, to put it mildly, but he couldn't call him the worst person.
Drops trickled down his face to his neck, and for a moment it caught Munson's eye, but he focused again on the words that continued to pour out of the other man's mouth.
"Whoa..."
"Are you shocked?"
Steve grabbed a tissue from a small box, wiping at the wet spots on his skin.
The paper flew into the trash can.
Harrington sat down on the floor with one leg straight. The brunette sat down next to him, knees bent.
"Maybe a little. You know, Steve Harrington himself, a popular guy who's a fan of most girls and doesn't hang out with freaks, helped a guy like Eddie, who he doesn't know very well. Probably no one would believe me if I told anyone."
They smiled at the same time.
"I may not have the best reputation and we've only known each other for a short time, but I know you're not a bad guy who didn't deserve that nickname and the Hargrov's beating."
"Well... thank you. You don't look like a cocky asshole like the other bullies either."
A smile tugged at the corner of Steve's mouth.
"You're bleeding."
"Hmm? Where?"
He raised his hand to wipe it away, but Eddie huffed.
"Let me do it."
Reaching up, he grabbed a tissue in his hand and was gently cleaning the smeared skin under his nose. Eddie paused for a moment, holding the thing, and his eyes looked into the opposite ones, studying, somewhat interested.
"That's it."
Munson leaned back, throwing away a dirty, soft, and slightly crumpled napkin.
"I hope you didn't get your clothes dirty, so you don't have to wash them and then explain everything to your parents..."
"Everything is fine... thank you."
"No problem."
Eddie was back in the starting position, feeling the hardness of the bricks on his shoulder blades.
"I'm going to get you in trouble..."
""The main thing is that Billy got what he deserved. That's a plus."
Laughter echoed through the room.
"Undoubtedly....but still," Munson grew serious, "I didn't want to cause you any trouble."
"I found it myself...as always. And I'll take care of it myself...at least I hope so."
The sneaker kicked Steve lightly in the thigh.
"I have something that might make you feel better...though maybe not enough to solve all your problems."
"What is it?"
Rustle. The same box of cigarettes appeared in his fingers.
"Really?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
"Smoking in here? Do you think that's a good idea?"
"Life is a risk. Are you with me?"
A nod. Eddie's hand holds out two cigarettes, and Harrington takes one, causing his skin to shiver alongside the other, sending out tiny electrical shocks.
The lighter button clicked. The hot, elongated light swung from left to right and lit one of the cigarettes, followed by the other, which Steve deftly took.
Sucking in a long drag, he leaned back, coughing, the bitter taste irritating his throat.
"Is this the first time?"
"What? No... it's just that I haven't had a bravo pack in my hand for two weeks... it's a little unusual."
"Oh, yeah."
The guys let out a sigh of relief.
Munson was silently looking at the handsome profile that even the confrontation with Billy hadn't spoiled: rounded eyes, one of which was slightly puffy, red lips with a long wound, and dark hair.
Exhaling and realizing that he had given him the most scrutinizing look a young man could give his "comrades," he concentrated on his own wrists.
"This is crazy."
Eddie smiled at once.
"Hmm? What are you talking about...?"
"You and I are sitting in the bathroom together, smoking. Isn't that crazy?"
"Maybe," Steve agreed with a smile, "Just like my fight with Hargrove. But...here we are. Life in general is crazy."
Munson didn't say anything, though he agreed. Sitting like this next to him was...comfortable, even if it wasn't one of the usual things he did every day. The closeness of their bodies spread relaxation through his veins. They spent the remaining 10 minutes or so without talking.
The trill of the bell broke the tranquility.
"It's time to go."
Rising, Eddie extinguished the cigarette butt and threw it into the toilet, flushing away the evidence of smoking. Steve followed suit.
Approaching a small window, the young man opened it, letting in oxygen from the outside.
Harrington sighed.
"I can still taste the nicotine."
"Here," his new "friend" threw him a pack of gum, which he quickly caught.
"Are you .... serious?"
Steve asked sarcastically.
"What? It may be corny, but I like it. Don't you?"
"Yeah," the brown-haired man laughed, "I do" he clenched his fist around hers, "But what about you?"
"Yeah" the brown-haired man laughed, "I do" he clenched his fingers around the pack "But what about you?"
"I have more in stock. Keep this one for yourself. I need to grab something from my locker for my next class so..."
"Yeah, right... we should go."
Steve tapped his foot against his leg in embarrassment.
"But... go to the nurse's office. You shouldn't be walking around like that...it won't impress anyone...especially the girls."
"Okay, as long as you don't bother me with it."
Munson laughed as he pressed the doorknob.
"I promise."
"Eddie?" he stopped him.
"Mmm?"
"Will we...see you tomorrow...by that oak tree?"
"Do you want to?"
"Yeah"
Harrington admitted honestly.
"Okay then."
"Bye."
"Bye."
After crossing the threshold, Eddie went to look for his school supplies, twirling his locker key around on his finger.
He felt better, and the upcoming test didn't seem so stressful anymore.
Maybe Hawkins High School wasn't so bad after all, thanks to a guy named Steve, the thought crossed Munson's mind as he waved to a small group of friends and headed toward them.