𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐄, 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐄 / 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔

ᴛʀᴇꜱ

The first thing Richie thinks about Eddie's tutor is that he's a little weird.

He meets him on a quiet Thursday evening when he pulls up to the Kaspbrak house to pick Eddie up for study night. It's a quarter to six and the sun is starting to disappear, but it's still warm out- perfect for a night just hanging around out somewhere, like the park or the quarry.

Richie tosses his cigarette and bats away the smoke lingering around him as he knocks on the front door. He's been trying to quit, since it irritates Eddie and Stan so much, and he's starting to hate the taste in his mouth. So far he's cut back to a couple packs a week, but it's fucking hard and sometimes he feels like he'll die if he doesn't get one fucking smoke.

Eddie keeps encouraging him, so he deals with the cravings.

A guy opens the door just as he's about to knock a second time and Richie steps back, wondering only for a moment who the fuck this dude is before Eddie steps out from behind him.

"Hey, Rich," Eddie greets him. His hair is slightly disheveled and so damn touchable; he smiles at Richie, and Richie pretends his stomach doesn't flip over itself. "This is Sam. My tutor."

Richie nods once in Sam's direction, taking in his perfectly buttoned shirt and khakis and deeming him 'nerd' with that one look. " Hey. "

Sam stares at him for several moments, unblinking. "Hi," he says finally, and Richie holds back a snort because the guy sounds and looks like he's completely baked.

Eddie says goodbye to Sam and turns to Richie. "I just need to get my stu- why are you laughing?"

Richie can't help it, watching The Nerd walk to his fancy-looking Chrysler, slow and with stiff shoulders. "Is that guy high?"

Eddie frowns in Sam's direction. "No, I don't think so..."

"Are you sure? Cause he looks fucking stoned!"

Eddie rolls his eyes. "He's just a little weird. It doesn't mean he's on drugs!"

"But you don't know that for sure."

Eddie just looks at him for a moment, then says, "I'll be right back," and goes back inside.

Richie chuckles to himself while waiting, looking back toward the street and watching Sam The Nerd start his car and turn up his radio. He doesn't recognize the music, but it sounds like the kind of shit Eddie likes, so it must suck. Sam sits there for a moment and glances at the house, then drives away slowly, extra cautiously, looking over his shoulder and the whole world while pulling away from the curb.

Richie runs into Sam leaving Eddie's house a couple more times, and each time Sam comes off a little stranger than before. Eddie insists that he's just awkward, but some sort of gut feeling is telling Richie that there's something more to it.

He notices Sam's eyes linger on Eddie's face the second time he sees him, studying Eddie intensely before turning away and leaving in his Chrysler. The third time is the same, his stare locked on Eddie as he laughs at something Richie says before leaving the Kaspbrak house. They're little things, not unlike anything Richie hasn't seen before. Plenty of guys creep on girls (and other guys) around their school, and even Stan was bothered by a guy who didn't get it when Stan firmly said he wasn't interested. Mike stepped in on that one and the guy left Stan alone after that.

Eddie's birthday passes by on Saturday the eighteenth, but the Loser's plans to go to the fair can't take place until October, so they get together and have a movie night. Richie almost gives Eddie the tape then, but he chickens out and keeps it hidden in his car, where it continues to sit shoved into the driver's side door well, unheard.