Work Text:
When a new kid suddenly appears in the third grade's red block, the kids are all but warm to him.
He knows that they're all used to being with each other for the past four years and his presence is an intrusion to that comfort. He tries his best to not take it personally. He's ten and a half years old, after all, and that's enough time on earth to have learned how to shake off the icky feeling it should be giving him.
Yet, he still feels it worming its way under his ribcage. He can feel it in his throat and inside of his brain, rattling around like a marble that can't find an edge to rest on. They all stare at him and point at his height and unruly curls. He's too tall to be here and they laugh at how his jeans are too short and show his socks. Yesterday they laughed because the pants he wore were too long and dragged on the floor. It's not his fault that his step-mother has no idea how to buy him clothes. Maybe if they weren't always buying everything second hand from the neighbor that swears her son no longer wants his clothes. A son that he knows, doesn't exist. She sells it all out of a giant black trash bag for pete's sake.
It also doesn't help that he's almost two and a half years older than all the kids in this grade and they don't know it, but they can tell he's older. Is it his fault that his birthday lands right before the school year would accept him? Probably. Everything always feels like it's his fault.
It is his fault that he has to repeat the third grade, though.
"Will. You. STOP! STARING!" Eddie finally yells, his hands in his hair as he slams his elbows against the table and it rattles violently.
Four children at a table across the classroom all make scrunched up faces to keep themselves from laughing. That wasn't even the table he was yelling at.
This year is gonna suck worse than any other, he thinks to himself and slams his head down against the smooth and cold table. It rattles again and everyone around him makes aggravated sounds. Why do they have tables in this block, anyway? It only makes it harder to concentrate and work on your math equations when you have three other people sitting next to and across from you.
The teacher has walked over to him by now and gently taps him on the shoulder.
Eddie lifts his head up and squints up at her.
"I have a headache", he says, but not fully committed to the lie.
"Well, Edward, we all do at this point, with all of that racket you're making..." the teacher smiled at him and motioned for him to follow her out into the hallway.
He stood up from his chair and it scraped across the floor with a squeak. Of course it does. Everyone is staring intently at his every move. Now that the teacher is in the hallway, they start whispering and pointing again.
Once he's out into the hall, the teacher leans back into the room, tells everyone to mind their own business and get back to work, and she silently clicks the door closed. He wonders if teachers take a class on how to be as quiet as possible. Maybe he needs a class like that instead of music theory. Why do they need that one, anyway? Couldn't they get rid of gym class and have a much more fun sword-fighting class? Or maybe they could teach all of the kids how to make costumes instead of just having the girls learn to sew little pillows.
The teacher was talking about something but he doesn't know what she said as his mind was thinking about all of the weirdly interesting classes they could put into schools. He'd better listen this time around as she's starting to wave her hand in front of his face.
"Is it your headache? Do you want to go to the nurse's office and get checked out? You're not answering my questions and you look like you're not here right now, Edward."
"Oh, no, I don't need to go there. It only hurts a bit." he says sheepishly and looks down at the ground. He notices that his shoes are a little rough looking in the hallway lights. That's kinda cool, he thinks.
"Well, I still think you should head down there and get the nurse to sign off. It would make me feel better to know that you're alright to continue with class. Are you okay going alone?" she said while taking a peak into the classroom door's window.
"Yeah, I can go by myself..." he really felt bad now, for lying. This teacher is a lot nicer than any other he's had. Maybe this year will be easier if the teacher doesn't hate him and use him as an example of what-not-to-do all of the time.
"Well, okay, and if you're cleared by her, when you come back, we can talk about a new seating arrangement." she said with such a nice smile he couldn't bear to look at her for very long. He turned on his heel and headed towards the nurse's office without rushing as much, as possible. For a boy like him, anyway.
Once he arrived at the office door, he waited in front of it for a moment. He's never been inside before. He passed by sometimes, took a peak inside to see a girl or boy in the beds. Sometimes they would be talking with the nurse in a chair. The door is closed this time, though. He wasn't sure if you were supposed to knock or go right in. Aren't you supposed to call before you go to stuff like this? All of this lying wasn't what he had in mind and it really was starting to make his head hurt.
You know what. He changed his mind. He'll just go stand outside the classroom for a little while instead and tell the teacher that the nurse said everything is fine. He's already this far into the lie. What's another, right?
He spun around to quickly get the heck outta there, but he saw that there was a little boy standing behind him, no, wait, now he's right next to him. He looked down at him and saw that he was holding a little bag of melted ice between his hands.
"Uhm... Are you gon'a go in?" the little boy spoke with a twinge of pain in his voice.
"Oh, uh... I dunno.... Maybe?" Eddie was still staring at him like he'd never seen another kid before.
It wasn't that he meant to stare, but he couldn't believe his eyes. This little boy was wearing the same jeans. The exact same, weird patterned ones. Well, except they're his size and fit him properly.
The little boy looked up and stared back at him, with one eye closed and the other squinty. Which side is your left and which is your right again? Eddie never could figure that out.
"Did someone beat you up!?" he finally blurted out.
"Why wol'd som'bdy do that?" the squinty little boy asked, somewhat quietly.
"I dunno, dude, your face looks all mushed up in pain. You have a fat lip and there's blood coming from your ear. Right there." he started pointing and gesturing at everything all over the little boy.
"Well, I was't beat up. I was tackl'd. Ev'r hea'ra som'tin call'd foo'ball?" he said, somewhat annoyed.
"Okay, okay, sorry. Aren't you a little young to be playing that, though?" he kept looking him up and down. What Eddie wanted to say was that he looked too little to play, but he could tell the boy would tip over to anger if he did that. Better to keep things civil between himself and a.... seven year old? Eight year old?
"I dn't ev'n like foo'ball, bu' my dad signs m' up eve'y ye'r." he sounded sad, and his words were slurring worse and his squinting was getting out of hand.
Eddie grabbed the little boys hand and opened the door to the nurse's office as quickly as he could.
"Hello? Uh, nurse-lady? We need help here...." he looked around the room. but no one was inside. It felt very cold, smelled of cleansers, and the little room on the side, the one with the beds, was pitch black.
The nurse popped her head out from a supply closet and gave them both a fright.
"Oh, goodness, Steven! You brought an escort this time! Please tell me you weren't that badly hurt."
"I got tackl'd.... but 'm oh--kay."
She walked up to them and kneeled down to get a good look at the little boy Steven. Eddie was still holding his hand, afraid to let go. Was he afraid that Steven would topple over, or that he would be forced to be a liar again if he let go.
"M' h'ad hurts r'ally bad, Nurse 'Liv-ya." Steven said as he handed her the watery bag of melted ice.
"Is that all the coach gave you? A bag filled with ice from the cooler?" she asked as she took the bag and walked over to her desk after he nodded. She was looking inside a leather folder and flipping the pages around. Eddie felt like he was intruding on something, being here, but he was still holding the little hand and wasn't sure what was happening.
"Well, it looks like your parents already signed all of the forms that allow me to give you medicine.... and it looks like you aren't allergic to anything. That's great, it means you won't have to wait until I get a hold of them. Plus, I can give you the good stuff." she said the last part with a smile and a wink.
He wondered if Steven could even see her. Is his vision all blurry or was it the headache that made him look out of it? He looked down at him, with all of the blood leaking out of his ear and dried up in his hair and felt a little sick.
Eddie waved at the nurse with his free hand and pointed at it.
"Uh, this looks gross. And kinda bad. Maybe he needs a doctor." he said the last part with a bit of a whisper, afraid to scare the boy or overstep.
"Ah, that's nothin'. Steven here, he's tough. He's a regular, aren't ya? Comes in all the time with a ruptured eardrum or skinned knees and elbows." the nurse said lightly and waved her arm at them.
"What was it last week, kiddo? The bloody nose?"
Steven nodded, but he'd looked extra tired this time.
Eddie felt his stomach twist. How can someone allow their kid to get all of these injuries all of the time? His own father might be a useless meat-sack, but he's never seen to him being in pain. Even all of his father's girlfriends and his step-mothers have always made sure to keep him out of harm. He's still angry she wouldn't let him get on that dirt bike last month, by the way. That was a once in a lifetime chance!
The nurse led them both to the darkened room, pointed towards the beds, but before she could say a word, Steven let go of Eddie's hand and pointed towards him.
"Wai'... W'ha abou' 'im? Ar't you gon'a check on 'im? 'e was here firs'."
Eddie could feel the heat in his face and ears as the nurse turned to look at him. He knew that he looked okay, especially compared to the guy next to him.
"Oh. I thought you were just here for moral support. I'm sorry about that... So, what's going on with you?"
"I, uh, I had a bit of a headache earlier. But you know what, it's fine now! I can go back to class." He quickly said and started to turn around, to bolt out of the door. He could feel the guilt of the lie pulling him down to the liar's hell.
"No, sir, you can stay right here until I make sure you're okay. You can't leave without a note, anyway, so stay here with Steven, and keep him company. What's your name?"
"Edward. Munson." He looked around the dark room, wondering how long he'll be here for.
"Well, okay, Edward. I'll be right back. I want you both to sit back on the beds for a minute while I get something for Steven. The light can stay off if you think it's better for your headaches, but the lamp is right over there if you don't like the dark." she said with a smile, as she could see that he was nervous about the room.
He watched as Steven climbed onto the bed, grabbed onto the edge with his hands and closed his eyes. He sat on the other bed and watched him sway a little.
"You aren't gonna like.... pass out, right, Steven?"
"Mov'n' makes m' dizzy. 'm fine, tho'. An' m' name's... Steve." he struggled with that last part, but made sure to say it properly.
"I don't think you're as okay as you think you are... but alright. Y'know. My name isn't Edward, either. They never wanna call me Eddie, though, so I get it."
Steven Steve looked at him and smiled as best as he could with his split lip. It looks like that hurt him.
"I hav'a sea c'ret, y'wanna k'no it?" he was still smiling a bit, his eyes squinty, but mischievous.
"Uhh, sure...." Eddie looked around nervously, but was wondering what a kid like him could be hiding.
"I was't tackl'd." he made a slight snickering sound as he slurred his confession.
"What? What'ya mean you weren't tackled? Did something else happen to you? Should I get the nurse back here?"
"Uh-uh, she wo'ld get madddd." he said as he laid down against the pillow.
"Wait, don't go to sleep yet, you need the medicine." Eddie got up from his bed and went to shake him.
Steve laughed a little bit as the bed shook along with him.
"It was me. I tackl'd the oth-her boy." His eyes were still closed but he was starting to slowly open them again.
"Why would you lie about that? Isn't that the whole point of that stupidly violent sport?" Eddie asked with a slight annoyance.
"He cal'ed ar' co-acch a bad wor'. Ya can't say tha' aw'fullll wor'. 'Specialllll-y ta nice pepp'l li'e 'im." his eyes were open now and filled with hurt. Emotional and physical kind.
Eddie looked at him with warmth and nodded.
"Was the other boy a lot bigger than you? Or did he go to the hospital? Compared to you, the other guy has to be dead or somethin' right?"
Steve started giggling.
"No-puh. He din't ev'n ge' hur'tuh. He still ha'dd 'is 'elmet on."
"Jeeze, dude, you gotta think before you act. Couldn't you have attacked him when he took it off?"
Steve just nodded his head to the sides and closed his squinty eyes again afterwards. Eddie understood, though. Sometimes the heat of the moment is more important than using your brains. He went back to his bed and sat down.
The nurse lightly tapped on the wall to the room a few minutes later. She was carrying a tray with a cup of water, some even smaller cups with purple and white liquid, and two ice packs. There was something else behind the soft blue ice packs but he couldn't tell.
She set the tray down on the the table between the beds and started to pull Steve and the bed up, to situate him slightly elevated. She then handed him the purple cup and whispered for him to drink it all at once. When he did, Eddie saw that he winced. She immediately handed him the cup of water and he took a sip.
"...i's fizzy." He said before he took another drink.
The nurse laughed and used the white liquid in the cup to clean Steve's ear with a towel.
"When you get home, tell your parents about your eardrum. Just like last time, you make sure to be careful with your ear when you take a bath and don't go swimming." The nurse put everything away as she instructed him and then handed him an ice pack, which he immediately pressed against his temple.
"Now, Edward, I couldn't find a file for you, but I brought you an ice pack for your headache. If you feel that it's bad enough, I can try to get a ahold of your folks so I can give you something for the pain."
"Oh, no, no, this is fine. I'll be okay after I lay down for a bit." Eddie could feel his pretend headache for a little while, I guess. He felt bad, but he also didn't want to leave Steve all alone.
"Well, that's good." the nurse said as she turned around to pull out two bright blue popsicles from the tray.
"These will help with both of your headaches, your lip, Steven, and it'll also lift morale around here." She smiled, as she handed them to each of them.
"I'll be back to check on you two in twenty minutes."
After she walked away with the tray, and Eddie could no longer see or hear her, he got up from the bed and walked over to Steve.
"Here, buddy, you need this more than I do." he said as he gently placed the ice pack on the other side of his head.
"No --way, uh-uh. Yo'r hea' hurts, too." he protested.
"You aren't the only one with secrets, y'know." Eddie said as he looked towards the door to make sure the nurse wasn't around.
"I don't have a headache. I'm just too weird looking and loud to be in a classroom. So I chickened out and lied to the nice teacher."
"Wha'ddya me'an, you look nor'al ta me." Steve looked at his face incredulously.
"I'm new to the school, the tallest and oldest kid in the class and everyone makes fun of my pants and hair. Trust me, it's no picnic being in there." he laughed as he said this, but it did hurt something deep inside of himself to admit it out loud.
Steve sat up and took a look down at his pants because that sounds like a strange thing to complain about. He'd been so out of it that he never noticed they were wearing the same houndstooth jeans.
"Tha's jus' dumb. We 'ave the same pants an' nobo'y says anythin' ta me. 'll tackl' 'em for ya, if ya wan'."
Eddie laughed louder than he meant to. He ran back to the bed in case the nurse came in.
"Sure, buddy, the whole third grade against a big guy like you. That'll work out juuuust great."
The boys both laid back in their beds, ate their popsicles and let the morning pass until they were cleared to go back to their classrooms. Steve looked slightly better, at least he wasn't swaying and squinting anymore. Eddie felt lighter, almost like he had a protective shield now that he'd spent time taking care of someone. I guess lying isn't always the worst thing you can do.