Boltedfruit Archive

I saw you. I saw what she did. How you left the party. How you were at school after. I saw how she hurt you.

Steve crumples the letter in his hands, feeling sick to his stomach. He doesn’t know who it is, the person sending him letters. But he’s a hair shy of calling the police to get some kind of watch placed on his mailbox.

It’s the third in as many days.

And they’re getting worse.

–

Your crowd and mine don’t mix. But that’s okay. I like watching. I like watching you a lot. The most, actually. You’d call me a freak, but I know which one of us that word really applies to. I know what you do when no one’s watching. I know, because I always am. You’ll never be lonely with me around.

Steve watches during the day. Tries to catch any wayward lingering stares from across halls, the cafeteria. There’s a handful of people he doesn’t know, doesn’t think would do this.

He shows Tommy and Carol and they laugh. Tease him about it for days.

He doesn’t show them any new ones. It’s bad enough they don’t believe him.

–

I saw you and Billy Hargrove. He sucked you off in the back of his car down by the quarry. And no, it’s not as private as everybody likes to think it is. There’s plenty of vantage points. I like the fun in it.

Steve puts that one through the shredder in his dad’s office. The last line haunts him for weeks.

I know your secret.

–

He catches Eddie Munson watching him during lunch. He smiles when he catches Steve’s eye. Then he goes back to eating.

Freak, he remembers. Hears Tommy call Munson and his group that all the time.

He considers it. What Munson would get out of it, out of watching him, out of writing him creepy letters.

–

It goes on for a year.

Too bad your old fling bit it in that mall fire.

Nice vest. The green makes your eyes pop.

Not sure if you think you have a chance with Buckley, champ. She’s not really your type. I think I know someone who might be though. Too bad you never really open your eyes. I could do you one so much better.

And countless more.

Steve’s never caught anyone on his property. He’s never seen Munson in Family Video. He buys security cameras and sets them up and never even catches anybody in the footage.

He’s at his wit’s end.

But then Munson slips up.

He drives to the quarry on a Friday night, at the tallest ledge. It’s where he and his friends used to throw parties when his parents were in town. It’s where people go to buy weed outside of school.

He finds Munson’s van a few spots down. Knocks on the window loud until a curly head of hair is popping into view. Then it disappears again as the back doors swing wide, and Eddie hops out, grin dimpling his cheeks.

“Graced by King Steve himself—”

Steve fists his vest and tosses him back inside. He shuts the doors behind him.

He has his suspicions. They’re confirmed when Eddie’s grin doesn’t waver.

“Leave me the fuck alone, Munson.”

“Ah, now that wouldn’t be any fun.”

Steve jabs a finger in his face. “Leave me. The fuck. Alone. I’ve got cameras.”

Eddie snorts.

“Harrington, if you were so threatened by little old me, you would have ratted me to the cops a long time ago. You like it. You like my little love letters, don’t you? I think you do.”

“You’re a fucking stalker.”

Eddie just shrugs. He straightens himself up, gets on his knees. He never looks away from Steve’s eyes as he crawls forward the few inches to get to Steve’s belt.

And Steve, well. Steve doesn’t exactly stop him.

And Eddie keeps fucking grinning.