𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐬

TWENTY-EIGHT: i'm right.

    

     THAT NIGHT WHEN Steve got into bed, he was smiling up at the ceiling, unbeknownst to the fact he was just getting his hopes high just to be disappointed and it was quite the opposite for Rhys who's laying in bed, sighing before slowly sitting up. He glanced to the fan to his side then carefully crawled out of the bed, it wasn't exactly the first time this happened, the Hideout has many fans he ends up going home with some nights, she was just one of the many women and men.

It didn't really help get Eddie off his mind.

It never does. The next day, on Saturday, Robin gathered all of them together at Benny's, which took a while because Eddie kept coming up with excuses as did James just so they can spend all day in bed together, but ultimately gave in. Robin even invited Rhys because she wanted to get to know him better.

So, the group of eight all sat around the booth now, ordering food and practically talking over one another. "Wait, so, hold on, you own that autoshop near Lover's Lake?" Nancy asked, looking at Rhys who nods as she then chuckles. "I remember going there so much once my mom gave me her car, I never knew it was yours." She said and Rhys looks at her.

"Oh, well, I didn't own it until about two years ago when the original owner, my uncle, decided to retire and said I could have it, if I wanted and said the gas station comes with it." He explains, looking around at the staring faces until his eyes land on Eddie.

"That's so cool, dude. Can I get a discount whenever I bring in Jon's car?" Argyle says, his arm slinging around his boyfriend who just rolled his eyes. Argyle drives Jonathan everywhere in the Byers' car, sometimes they switch it up but it's honestly mostly Argyle.

"Yeah, of course, man. Same goes for all of you." Rhys smiled and then glanced down at his cup of soda. "I'm gonna be right back." He said quickly and got up, patting down his pocket on his way towards the bathroom. "It's so cool, right? Rhys is... almost like a super adult. He's like so well put together and I admire that." Robin said, smiling widely.

"He kind of had to be... his parents sort of stopped caring for him when he was fourteen because he started doing drugs a lot and partying... um, then when he was sixteen, he decided to move out early because he graduated a year earlier than usual. So when he turned seventeen, he was already living on his own, well not alone, the apartment above his uncle's shop. He practically raised himself when you think about it." Eddie said, he had set his chin onto the palm of his hand as they all listened. "That's so depressing." Argyle sips his milkshake a bit too loudly.

"So, like, do you, like, all have mommy or daddy or both issues or what?" He asked and Eddie threw a sugar packet at him before getting up. "Be right back." He says a bit too aggressively as James watched him. "Jamie?" Steve spoke up from beside him and James quickly turns to look at him while their friends engaged into a conversation, a debate about everyone's "parental issues" because of Argyle's question directed at them all.

"Yeah, Steve?" James smiles and Steve just fidgets with his hands. "Wanna hang out later? After this?" He asked and James smiles more. "Of course, Stevie." He says and Steve smiles, glancing away. Meanwhile, Eddie was entering the bathroom quietly and rounding the wall that entered the area with the stalls and sinks, finding Rhys at the counter, bending over. "What are you doing?" He asked, confused as he leaned to the side.

The blond quickly stood up straight, standing directly in front of the counter, smiling. "Nothing..." He said and Eddie furrows his brows, crossing his arms. "You're lying." He says and Rhys just sniffled, looking around. "Uh, I'm just... you know, standing here." He merely said and smiled even more as Eddie tried to look through the mirror but whatever it was is covered by Rhys' hands.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" Eddie asked and Rhys just stared with an unsure look on his face. "Eds, honestly you're killing me." He sighed and looked away. "We--we can't go back to the way it use to be... I mean, we literally have fucked already, we were gonna be together so now it's all different." He explained what he had meant as Eddie frowns.

"Rhys--" "I don't care honestly, Eds." He said as he had turned around now, kneeling down again and Eddie was gonna leave, but curiosity got the better of him as he walks over, peering over the Campbell's shoulder. White powder in lines, Rhys was snorting it all up with a rolled up dollar bill when he finished them all and sniffed, rubbing his nose. "Again? Seriously?" Eddie said quietly as the blond stood up straight and turned to look at him.

"What are you gonna do? Call my mom? She died a year ago." He said with a forced smile before raising the tiny mirror, licking off the rest. "Rhys, seriously, you've been doing so well, I mean Silas and Avery are so proud of you from all the progress--" "What Silas and Avery don't know won't hurt them..." He whispered as he puts the dollar bill and mirror into his pocket. "Rhys." Eddie frowned.

The blond turns to him, tilting his head, "what are you gonna do, Edster? Guilt trip me as if you weren't the one who caused it?" He asked and Eddie scoffs. "You--you can't say that to me." He whispered, looking away and Rhys steps closer. "Is it worth it?" He whispered and Eddie quickly glanced up into his eyes.

His pupils are dilated and Eddie got lost in them for a bit, pushing away the Campbell gently with his arm before turning away. "He's not keeping you happy, is he? Like you had thought he would?" The blond now asked, leaning against the stall by the counter of sinks and smirking a bit smugly as Eddie stared at the wall, angry disappointed.

Angry because Rhys is right and disappointed because Rhys had been sober from hard drugs for so long since he was younger. Beer, weed, hard liquor were all fine because at least those he can control, but goes too wild on the drugs, cocaine, ketamine, whatever he can get his hands on to give him a better high.

"What do you mean?" Eddie suddenly turned around and Rhys just chuckles. "Eds, he won't even tell your friends you're together now. And he doesn't even look your way. And when he does, it's only when everyone else is preoccupied with themselves." He says and Eddie just frowns at him.

"You're just trying to--" "I'm not trying anything." Rhys cuts him off a bit too quickly, crossing his arms but a small smirk is on his face. "Why do you seem so cocky about it then?" Eddie also crosses his arms and Rhys shrugs. "Because I'm right, darling." He then grinned and the brunette furrows his brows at him.

"Whatever, Rhys..."

  

authors note
i've been thinking of changing the font of my wp settings, arial is getting boring now so maybe i'll end up changing it

+ it's been a day since i updated which is crazy because i'm always updating