𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐄, 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐄 / 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔

ꜱᴇɪꜱ

Eddie tries to keep to himself over the weekend. He goes to the library on Saturday for his rescheduled shift and goes straight home after. The rest of the day is spent re-reading The Outsiders, and Eddie can't help but wonder just how lonely a kid Johnny Cade was as he falls asleep that night to Richie's mix-tape, the volume turned way down low on his boombox.

Richie climbs through his window on Sunday night with his super Nintendo stuffed in a back pack and they play Street Fighter II on Eddie's seldom used TV. It puts Sam out of his mind, and he's so grateful for Richie that he hugs him before he leaves for the night. Richie seems surprised, but grips him back after a few moments and tucks his head against Eddie's hair; Richie's warm breath blows over the shell of Eddie's ear and he shivers before stepping away.

The week starts and turns into a repeat of the previous, except this time Eddie can't force a good mood. He has tutoring again, and tries to tell his mom that it isn't necessary, that Richie can help him, but his mother sneers and shakes her head.

"That boy is useless. Sam can help you much better."

So Sam is there Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after school, and Eddie tries to just get his work done quickly, and get the material down faster, so he can cut the sessions as short as possible. It doesn't work, because every time he's concentrated and getting the work done, Sam does something that throws him off.

Sam presses his foot against Eddie's calf, and just like before, claims it's an accident. He does it a few more times, going higher until he's at the bend of Eddie's knee, then he drags his foot back down again. Eddie's stomach turns so badly that he has to get up and rush to the bathroom to dry heave in the toilet.

Another day Sam moves his chair closer, saying something about watching the steps in the formulas for Eddie's geometry homework. Eddie keeps his head down and doesn't reply, tries not to flinch when Sam takes his pencil from his fingers and leans in close to erase the mistakes himself. In a low voice he explains Eddie's errors, his arm resting over the back of Eddie's chair, fingers grazing the back of Eddie's neck when he moves away to get up and use the bathroom.

By Thursday Eddie is a nervous wreck. At school he gets called out in class for falling asleep, snaps at Mike when his friend asks to borrow his notes for Goverment, flinches when Bev wraps her arms around his shoulders from behind, and tells Stan off for forgetting their notes for Home Ec, with a complicated pie recipe there's no chance he'll remember. And Richie- Richie keeps getting on his nerves. He just wants to be left alone, but Richie doesn't get it. He feels bad when he goes off on him at lunch when Richie pokes his side and startles him so much that he jumps and knocks his drink over, soaking his analysis for English (due later in the day) in bright red soda.

"Fucking shit, Richie!"

"Fuck, Eds, I'm sorry," Richie apologizes, snatching a wad of napkins from Stan's tray and wiping over the ruined paper. "I'll write you a new one. Just tell me which story it was for and I'll give it to you before sixth."

Some of the soda drips on to Eddie's light green shirt, and Richie, noticing this, immediately tries to clean it up. He presses the napkins against Eddie's stomach, and even though it's Richie, Eddie shoves him roughly away.

"Don't touch me," he says quietly, and slides farther down the bench, away from Richie.

"What? I didn't, I was just-" Richie scoots toward him and tries to do it again. "I have a shirt in my car you can borrow, but we have to-"

Eddie's voice grows in volume when he says "Stop fucking touching me!" and shoots up from the table. He's so damn frustrated , and angry, and confused, and he knows it's not Richie's fault, but he can't stop, even with Bev and Mike and Stan all looking at him with wide eyes. "You're always bugging me and touching me and just- just- just leave me the hell alone!"