Chrissy and Eddie had been meeting in the library during study hour for a month now and Chrissy had learned two things.
One was that Eddie was smart as a whip but he lacked the attention span to follow through with most tasks. He could talk about music and knew every band and every song and when it was released and he could learn to play a new song on his guitar with shocking speediness.
He learned Master Of Puppets by Metallica in a week's time just by listening to it on tape over and over again. He feigned shock when she said she'd never heard of Metallica before. Putting a hand to his sternum as though the thought physically pained him. The next day she found a recorded tape of Metallica songs propped up on the shelf in her locker She didn't want to know how he broke into her locker but is now a fan of Metallica.
The max amount of time he was able to focus on school work was about fifteen minutes. Sometimes less. So Chrissy broke things down into ten minute increments. They'd work on English for ten then switch to social studies for ten. Then back to English. Then when she felt he grasped the topic enough, they'd switch to another subject.
The second thing she learned was that there was more to Eddie, very much more, than he led you to believe. It wasn't really a surprise when she thought about it judging from the way he treated her when it was just the two of them at his house that one Friday night. He didn't care what anyone else was doing. He stuck to his group of friends, D&D club, and his music. Those were the things that mattered to him. Everything else was just background noise.
When his grades improved greatly, Chrissy felt it had little to do with her and everything to do with Eddie. She suspected he could have graduated when he was supposed to last year, even if he got mediocre grades. At this point, he had to be actively trying to not graduate.
"I got another B, I'd say that's cause for celebration," Eddie claimed one morning.
"Oh yeah?" She asked, looking over the test he'd handed her with a cocky smile. His turnaround had been impressive, even Ms. Kelley had said so.
"See I knew you could do it," she smiled up at him. "You've been capable of this all along." His eyes, usually full of mischief, softened when they landed on her.
"Not without my fancy tutor I couldn't," he claimed, plopping down into the chair next to her. He meant it to be funny, to make her laugh but instead, his words carried a heaviness she couldn't pinpoint.
They'd been growing closer since she started tutoring him. More than once she had to remind herself they were there to study. Not socialize. It seemed they never had a lack of things to talk about.
Chrissy felt something tangle between them. As though there was a string connected to him that was physically pulling her. The pinky of his right hand atop the table brushed softly against her left hand.
A loud car zoomed through the parking lot breaking whatever incantation bubbled between them. She jumped at the noise and shifted her hand to her lap, tucking her hair behind her ear with her other and looked away.
This was ludicrous. They were friends. She was with Jason and Eddie could have a girlfriend, or more than one, for all she knew. He never spoke of anyone else. Just talked about the guys and the club. No girls were ever mentioned. He normally kept a respectful distance.
"Let's get outta here," he said, interrupting her thoughts. "I promise to have you back by the next class," he said when the moment between them had passed.
Though it was incredibly tempting, she doubted he'd have them back in time. The one time she did let him talk her into leaving the school grounds, she missed her next class entirely. It was the first time she'd ever skipped and it was exhilarating and fun and something she did not want to do again.
"Don't you have that test next hour? The test we've been studying for."
He shrugged a shoulder. "Mrs. Lewis is an old battle-ax, she'll probably fail me just out of spite."
"I'm sure that has nothing to do with the perfect angel you've been all year," she jeered sarcastically.
He made his signature devil horns with his fingers, holding them up to his head, making her laugh. The librarian shot them a look and Chrissy muffled her laugh with her hand.
"Come on, I'm hungry," he said a little more quietly this time. "We can try the new place on Main…what is it called? McDonald's or somethin'."
"Didn't you eat already?" She questioned, her stomach growling at the idea of greasy fast food.
"But what about second breakfast?" He asked.
Chrissy squinted her eyes suspiciously. "That's from Lord of the Rings." She only knew because they read the book in AP Lit class. Eddie had never even set foot in a Lit class.
He looked away, pink blushed up his neck.
"You read Lord of the Rings? Voluntarily?" She was shocked, yet not. It was nothing for him to be ashamed of but she was definitely curious about it. She'd found the book drawn out and boring. The fact that someone would read it by choice befuddled her.
"Yeah, a long time ago," he answered, not meeting her gaze.
She leaned toward him, placing her feet on the bottom rung of his chair, resting her hands on her knees. "Can I ask something without you getting mad?"
Silly, she'd yet to see him get mad at her. He didn't really get mad at anything. He brushed everything off like it was no big deal.
Really, he was the kindest person she knew. Yes, he could be crass and a little unhinged. He never directed at her. It was like he was a different person around her. He seemed more sincere than her whole group of friends.
"What's up, Queenie?" He asked in that casual way of his. Cooly leaned back in the chair, trying his hardest to not be embarrassed about reading.
Warmth spread through her belly at the nickname he'd given her and continued to use. She took a breath and quickly said what she'd been wondering since before she began tutoring him. "I think you've been purposefully flunking so you can stay in school."
"That wasn't a question," he sidestepped.
"Eddie," she reprimanded, only she was about as threatening as a ladybug.
His expression remained unreadable, continued to avoid looking at her. "Why the hell would I do that? You think I enjoy this place?"
"You tell me." When he didn't say anything, only grew more fidgety in the chair, she said, "I think you're scared of having a mundane life. Working nights at the plant like your uncle? Giving up D&D? You're scared of the future."
He scoffed. "What's the point of being scared of the future, it happens anyway. Besides, not all of us have to have our life planned out, ya' know."
Suddenly defensive, she asked, "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with making plans for the future?"
"No. Just like there's nothing wrong if I don't have every single decision figured out. I'm not a genius like you. Not gonna go to some fancy college with my boyfriend."
She had no idea how he knew about going to MSU with Jason. She chose to skip over that part.
"You are smart. And talented and funny. I can't figure out why you sell yourself short." The conversation was getting more heated, their voices rising.
He let out a humorless laugh. "I don't need you to cheer me on, Queenie."
"That's not fair…"
"Well, hell. Who told you life was fair? Not all of us have our lives handed to us on a silver platter. I don't have a lot of choices in my life."
"And I do?" She snapped. "You don't know anything about me."
The moment the words were out of his mouth, tears stung her eyes. She'd be damned if she'd let him see that he hurt her. She quickly shoved her books and pad of paper and pencil into her bag. "I have to go," her voice raw unshed emotion.
"Chrissy," Eddie said, regret in his voice. He placed his hand on hers as she was tugging the zipper of her backpack shut. "Chrissy…"
She yanked her hand back, and tossed the strap over her shoulder, leaving her sweater behind hanging on the back of her chair.
