Boltedfruit Archive

The whispering starts up the second Steve shows up at school. He’s barely out of his car before the gossip mill starts. His only option is to turn tail and run or hang his head and keep going.

Nancy Wheeler was found murdered a little over a week ago.

Eddie sees him walk inside. He parked closer today, so he could watch. Maybe see if Steve is as stoic as they say. Generally, the two of them have always kept separate lives, running parallel to one another. One used to run the school as King Dick, and the other was King of the Freaks.

Eddie’s fingers twitch against his cheek. He pops in another piece of gum and only heads inside once the bell rings.

–

I think he did it. My mom says it’s always the boyfriend.

I think it was her weird little brother. Have you seen him? That family was always so uptight.

Not her mom, though. You ever see her? She gets her kicks picking up teenagers at the pool.

The whole Wheeler family is a mess.

I heard her dad was a spy.

I heard Nancy was a slut. She got around like her mom. Tried hiding behind her perfect princess personality, but everyone knows she was sucking off Jonathan Byers before she died.

Yeah, wasn’t she at his house the night it happened?

I heard it happened in her bedroom. There was blood everywhere.

My dad’s a cop. He said there wasn’t any blood at all.

Well I heard—

The voices never stop.

Eddie listens to them all. Even his friends aren’t exempt. They joke about it until Patrick puts a stop to it. Says it’s rude.

Eddie supposes he’s right.

Across the cafeteria, shouting starts up. Eddie looks over in time to see Hagan laughing a split second before Steve punches him in the face.

He shakes his hand out after, leaves the cafeteria red-faced and sniffling.

“So the King does have feelings,” Gareth comments, snorting.

“All hail the peasant King,” Eddie says and stands up. His friends don’t question him; they rarely do since they’re so used to his antics.

No one else notices him following Steve out.

–

Eddie finds him crying under the bleachers in the field.

He’s standing, hands braced against a row.

Eddie must make a sound because Steve lifts his head, catches him.

“Sorry.”

“Go away.”

“I don’t think I will.” He folds his hands behind his back and leans against a lower row. “Don’t listen to them.”

“They think I did it. They think I k-killed her.”

Fresh tears start up and Steve looks away, thumbing at his nose.

Eddie toes at the dirt. “Didn’t you two break up like a month ago?”

Steve whirls on him. “You think that matters? S-she’s dead!”

Steve’s too close. Eddie stands his ground because he knows the King is all talk ninety-percent of the time. He already let Hagan have it. Eddie’s got nothing to worry about.

“She hurt you. Embarrassed you.”

Steve holds his eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It used to.”

Steve’s eyes turn hard. He clenches his teeth, looks between Eddie’s eyes and then his hands are a vise on Eddie’s sides.

He turns them around and shoves Eddie’s jeans down just enough for access. He spits, guides the mess to his hole and after a few seconds of fumbling, Steve is pressing inside him.

Eddie laughs.

“I fucking hate you, you know that?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie pants. “Heard it all before.”

–

After, he stares at his come drying on the grass as Steve smooths himself over. Pats himself down, tousles his hair.

The kiss he gives Eddie is rough, almost bloody. Eddie chases him when they part, wanting that sting.

Steve shoves him back and leaves.

“It wasn’t bloody,” he calls as Steve retreats. “I made sure it was easy.”

Steve pauses for only a moment. Then he keeps on.

–

Jason Carver spits in his food, and Eddie sighs. He can’t afford a second lunch.

He spits back with words. Jason chases him around, threatens him. The same old song and dance.

Steve finds him after school, knocks on the door to his van and Eddie climbs out from the back where he’d been reorganizing band gear.

Steve hands him a ten and climbs in. Anyone watching will chalk it up to the sorry bastard with the dead girlfriend wanting to score a little weed to forget.

What really happens is Steve fingers Eddie open, gets comfortable between his thighs and pushes in until Eddie is clenching and spilling untouched, Steve’s hand pressing tight at his throat.

When it’s over, they share a joint in silence.

“You’re welcome, by the way.”

“For what?”

Steve shrugs. Hands the joint back, kisses his cheek and climbs back out.

–

Jason Carver’s body is found in the quarry two weeks later.

I heard he jumped.

I heard he was hearing voices, thought it was God telling him to give his life for a greater purpose.

That’s psycho, Tina.

Shut up, Heather. That’s just what I heard.

I heard it’s because his girlfriend wanted to dump him.

I thought she already did?

I thought he knocked her up. Maybe that’s why he did it.

I heard he was secretly pining for Nancy Wheeler and that’s why he did it. So they could be together.

Chrissy sure looks happier, considering everything.

Oh please, that girl is a ditz. She won’t know what to do with herself now Jason’s gone and killed himself.

Eddie catches Steve’s eyes across the cafeteria.

Steve smirks, resumes eating.

Eddie feels warmth swirl in his belly.

Kind of falls in love.