Clean cut American kid ~ Stranger things

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Oh my god, my head!" I groan and clasp my hands around my head. It feels like it's falling apart. I have Steve's ray bans over my eyes to shield them from the daylight but it helps little with the burning sensation behind my dry eyes.

"You didn't even drink that much for being you," Richie chuckles beside me. He is wearing a black and white striped knit sweater underneath his leather jacket to keep him warm in the chilly fall air. Today's colder than the other days before. There's been a shift in the air. What leaves were still on the trees yesterday has now fallen down and whatever grass still held chlorophyll is now yellow and dried. I'm wearing a dark green hoodie and a big black blazer over it.

"Does the tolerance lower if you don't drink for a while?" I grumble and wrap my jacket tighter around my torso.

"Seems like it." Richie chuckles and takes a drag from his cigarette.

From where we're perched on the hood of Richie's car I see my brother's prissy girlfriend marching furiously towards the school gym building. I didn't think she could be angry but with the looks of it someone in that gym is going to get taught a lesson. She disappears through the doors and returns a minute later with my twin in tow. Whoops, poor Stevie.

He told me this morning that Nancy had gotten her own ride to school and we were going without her. I didn't think about it then because I don't really think about her at all, she's too boring in my opinion to occupy my thoughts. But seems like she didn't have a ride after all. Something must've happened yesterday. I didn't see any of them at Tina's Halloween party and by the time I got home Steve was already at home and asleep. It's not like my brother to miss out on a chance of a distraction from the boring Hawkins teenager life. I thought his change in personality had to do with Tommy ditching him for Billy but it might've had to do with his girlfriend. I wish I could help him but I don't understand relationships at all and I don't know anybody who does.

"Have you ever had like a girl you've slept with more than once?" I ask my only advisor. He takes a drag from his cigarette and slowly exhales before answering.

"I've got a girlfriend."

My eyes widen in shock.

"Holy shit, what?" I sit up straight and pull my sunglasses off and turn to him. "Who? How? When? How old? Why haven't you told me about this?"

"How old?" He chuckles in amusement, "that's the most important detail?"

I roll my eyes to him dodging the questions and bringing it around to me. This is the thing with Richie, he's very secretive and don't talk about himself. That's how he's missed to inform me about this major detail in his life. Sometimes I feel like our friendship is a bit one sided, but he has told me it's simply because he finds it boring to talk about his life and all of that.

"Hey don't dodge the questions, you brought this up! And I just can't imagine you with someone from high school," I say and lift an eyebrow at him with a pointed look, urging him to respond.

"She's twenty four and she works at Hawk theatre," he admits with a deep sigh and an eye roll, demonstrating his disinterest in the topic like a little child. I don't care, he brought it up himself.

"Oooh cultural," I tease.

"Shut up Sherry," he says and shoving me playfully, "it doesn't even matter anymore, she dumped me."

"And why is that?" I smile slyly at him. He throws the butt of his cigarette on the ground and shrugs.

"Something about crumbs, dishes and trash," he grumbles.

"So you lived together?" I ask in surprise. Richie snickers uncomfortably.

"We still do, I'm just not getting any until I start cleaning the apartment."