Teaching | Eddie Munson

The Grade

The week had flowed smoothly for Victoria, a rare period of calm in the storm of her life. She enjoyed some free time with Steve and Robin, clocked in her hours at work, and most importantly—no one had managed to get on her nerves. Everything was going just fine until Thursday morning, when her sister's curiosity took a sharp turn. The moment Victoria casually mentioned that Eddie would be getting his English grade today, Max launched into an interrogation. The comment had slipped from her lips at the school cafeteria while glancing at the usual table where Dustin and Mike sat, noticing that Eddie was conspicuously absent.

Adding to her misfortune, Robin joined the interrogation, leaning in with a playful intensity. Victoria found herself responding with one-word answers and half-hearted grunts.

"So, let me wrap my head around this," Robin began, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You agreed to help Eddie 'The Freak' Munson pass English?"

"Are you really calling him a freak?" Victoria's tone was sharp, the longest sentence she'd uttered so far in the conversation. That term stung like a bee; it brought back memories of similar insults she had endured, and she could see the flicker of guilt in Robin's eyes as she raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Sorry, Vicks, but don't change the subject. You hate the guy, yet you're helping him with school? It makes no sense." Robin's incredulous expression only fueled Victoria's irritation.

"And when I asked for help, she didn't even agree to it! Her own sister!" Max chimed in, shaking her head in disbelief, her tone teasing yet accusatory.

"I told you it was different! You were failing Math, for God's sake! I was on the verge of failing too!" Victoria defended herself, her voice growing slightly louder. "And it's not like I did it as charity work. I was supposed to be paid for it."

"Paid with weed!" Robin exclaimed, her voice rising dramatically. Heads turned momentarily, and then everyone resumed their meals, leaving Victoria feeling the weight of their stares even after there was no attention on them. "Have you lost your mind? Since when do you agree to do anything for weed?" She was incredulous, clearly grappling with the absurdity of her friend's choices.

"Yeah, weed that she didn't even get because Munson screwed her over," Max added, a smirk on her face. Victoria felt a mix of amusement and judgment in her sister's gaze.

"Really, Vicks, if you're feeling lonely, just call me or swing by my work. You don't need to force yourself to hang out with Munson to talk to someone older than the snot right here." Robin teased, shooting a pointed look at Max, who feigned offense.

"Unless this was all just an excuse to sneak into his trailer," Max laughed, wiggling her eyebrows, prompting Robin to join in the mocking chorus.

"You guys are disgusting." Victoria rolled her eyes, realizing that if she mentioned the other proposition Eddie had made about teaching her guitar, it would only add fuel to the fire. She didn't want to delve deeper into that.

So instead, she fell silent, her eyes drifting toward the end of the cafeteria where Eddie would usually sit. Her thoughts churned around his English grade. It wasn't that she cared deeply; she didn't care at all. It was just that she wondered if he had grasped any of the material she had tried to convey during their sessions. But she was also pretty sure he hadn't bothered to show up to class, likely spending the day with his friends, casting disdainful looks at anyone who dared cross his path.

It fascinated her how different he was outside of school, away from the judgmental gazes and scathing remarks. He transformed into someone almost bearable, especially when she observed him at the diner with Dustin or during their private conversations. Yet, that didn't erase the fact that he could be infuriating at times, especially when he'd stood her up and reminded her of all the reasons she had to despise him. Still, she couldn't ignore the flicker of warmth that sometimes broke through the disdain she felt whenever he crossed her mind. But how could she forget how deeply his past remarks had hurt her? There was no chance of that. He had no right to judge or insult her, and that came easily to him in the past, especially in the presence of Billy. That shadow loomed over any good feeling Eddie had managed to evoke. Not that he managed to evoke many.