NOTE: I am not sure if what I was going for came across in this chapter.

There were some things that couldn't be ignored. Like the sun was hot, water was clear, and Lucas was a black man in a town that was predominantly white. When he was younger, it wasn't something he really took notice of or the implications. Of course, he noticed that he was of the few black kids in his class, if not the only one. Yet, he never really felt out of place.

Will, Mike, and Dustin had never made him feel different. Sometimes he didn't know if that was for better or worse.

Sure, Hawkins was small and isolated. The things he heard from his parents' harsh whispers showed that violent racism was rampant outside of their idyllic town.

Lucas' own encounters with overt racism just had been from Troy and James. He was sure his being black wasn't the sole cause of their bullying. However, their verbal slurs couldn't be swept away as a side effect of bullying.

Still, just being made aware of the clear physical differences among his friends hurt. Because of the color of his skin, he would be looked at differently. People would already have notions about who he was as a man - a person. Despite Martin Luther King's words of hope that his children would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, proved to be a losing battle.

And now, he felt he was experiencing a different side effect of racism.

He was dating a white girl. He was dating Max. The relationship was new in middle school and the summer before high school. Despite the title of calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend, they just felt like friends that acknowledge they may have liked each other more than what was considered friendly. They weren't like Mike and El and were constantly kissing. In fact the first year of knowing their feelings about each other, they mainly swapped comics than spit. It was more about spending time with each other. They held hands and hugged more than kissed.

He thought that worked better for them. He enjoyed getting her flowers and finding a comic for her more than spending time just making out. He liked watching her with his friends as much as he liked hanging out with Jensen, and Eddie.

If he were being honest, he looked up to Jensen and Eddie the most out of their friends. Nancy and Jonathon were more reserved with their affection, but he also knew that sometimes they butted heads constantly due to the economic status of their parents. As much as they loved each other, sometimes he wasn't sure if the differences made them stronger or pulled them apart. There would always be that tension.

Lucas wasn't even sure of the last time Steve was in a relationship. Sure, Steve did provide some good flirting tips, but he didn't go to Steve to inquire about the maintenance of relationships.

Sure, he observed his parents and took his dad's advice seriously. His dad did have great advice. After all, it was his dad who had no problem showing open affection to his mother and even expressing emotions. His dad taught him the value of his actions matching his words.

Yet, there was something about watching Jensen and Eddie that was different. Jensen and Eddie were different so to speak. It wasn't as if he didn't see other couples together. It was it seemed Eddie and Jensen had found a balance. The affection between them was never too much or little. They had shared hobbies with each other, but hobbies outside of their relationship. They respected each other and their feelings. He knew that Eddie and Jensen claim they never fight, but there have been disagreements. There were times when he witnessed both Eddie and Jensen having to apologize to one another.

Yet, Lucas knew he watched them because they were the only example he had outside of Jensen's and Max's parents. They were all in an interracial relationship.

Lucas knew he was young and didn't pay attention to the gossip of others. Since he didn't have an older sibling, he wouldn't know about any of the drama with upperclassmen. Even then he would have been too young to really understand the nuisances of the situation. There were just things Max would specifically say to him that he got the impression that she was used to the looks and whispers when people saw them and her parents together. He hated that she was just used to it.

It just made him wonder what exactly she had witnessed. He felt embarrassed he never considered what their being together meant on the outside to the world. Yet, a part of him thought he shouldn't have to. They were just two people that loved and respected each other and that was all that should have mattered.

Yet, the world could never be that simple.

So he took his bike and made the trek over to Eddie's and Jensen's new place that was formerly the Byers' home. He felt that he had been over to this house more now than when Will lived here. It almost made him wonder how in the hell Will rode his bike this far. Lucas was hoping after this Eddie would at least give him a ride back home.

As he biked up to the yard, it was already becoming drastically different than how Mrs. Byers had the home. It wasn't as if Eddie and Jensen were rolling in money. They all knew that Joyce was very generous in selling them the home. Yet, the touch of Jensen was clearly felt especially as he biked up to the driveway that was becoming lined with shrubs and bushes. He found Eddie with a wheelbarrow out front smoking a cigarette. It seemed he was working on the flowerbed that Jensen wanted out front. He remembered she was wanting a butterfly garden.

Eddie turned his head in his direction as his tires crunched the dirt. The metalhead offered a wave. Sometimes, it was strange to think people thought Eddie was a conduit of the devil. For a while, he was scared for Eddie especially when the town became particularly nasty to him regarding Hellfire club and his sense of style. But now that he thought about it he wonder if the town's vendetta against Eddie was more than his curly hair and tattoos. He wondered if the pitchforks were because of who he was dating too. It was one thing to be into heavy metal and not have the slicked-back hair, but Eddie had kindled the fire even more by his choice of girlfriend.

"You're a long way from home, "Eddie mumbled with his cigarette between his lips. "Everything okay?"

Lucas parked his bike and nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah."

"You need help with a campaign?" Eddie inquired as he parked the wheelbarrow. It was filled with black mulch. Lucas almost snorted. He knew Eddie was the reason behind that as he recalled Jensen wanted red mulch.

"No, no," Lucas told him. "I…" Lucas trailed off as he wasn't exactly sure how to start this conversation.

"Is this about Max?" Eddie probed as he trailed off. He sucked on his cigarette before he flicked it over to where he had a glass ashtray on the edge of their porch. Eddie's deep brown eyes looked into him.

Lucas could admit he wasn't as close to Eddie as Dustin was. Mostly due to Lucas having tried to amass more interests outside of Dungeons and Dragons. He still played the game. He was there for every campaign. Yet, Eddie and Dustin seemed to click in the same way Dustin had latched onto Steve. Lucas believed it had more to do that Dustin didn't have that father figure in the house.

But Lucas was around Eddie a lot due to their relationship with Max and Jensen. In the beginning, Eddie had definitely intimidated him. He recalled the first date he and Max went on that Eddie and Jensen chaperoned. He remembered Eddie's eyes scrutinizing him and how protective Eddie was over Max. Lucas certainly was scratching his head as to why Jensen was with him, but he knew why now. He could see the love Eddie had for Jensen. The respect he carried for her.

"In a way."

"In a way," Eddie repeated. The man stood tall and stretched. "Well, I'm due for a break with some teenage angst."

Eddie motioned for him to follow him where they had two lounge chairs with a table between them. Eddie walked over to where a small cooler was and pulled out a beer. Lucas for a second thought Eddie was going to hand him one, but he found a wet can of Coke being placed in his hands.

Eddie cracked open his beer and took a big sip. He kicked his legs out. He looked relaxed - content.

This chill Eddie was vastly different from the loudmouth speaker in the cafeteria. He had a feeling Jensen put a ban on Eddie walking on tables with his shoes on.

Lucas picked at the tab on the can. "How…does -" Lucas couldn't get the words out because he wasn't sure what he wanted to ask. "Have you and Jensen ever talked about what it means for you to be together?"

"You're going to have to elaborate."

Lucas took a deep breath. "You're white and Jensen's not."

Eddie squinted. His ring figure tapped against the sweating can. "Someone say something?"

"Not to me directly," Lucas clarified. "I just…I just realized what it means."

Eddie nodded his head. His fingers tapped against his exposed knee in his old jeans. "You sure you don't want to talk to Mr. Thomas about this?"

"I could," Lucas said with a shrug of his shoulders. Lucas knew he would probably get a better point of view from him for sure. Yet, Lucas felt better getting advice from Eddie. Eddie had lived with Hawkins's prejudice all his life.

Eddie sighed. "It's hard to explain. Because it shouldn't matter, but it does." Eddie licked his lips. Lucas could tell he was deep in thought. It made him wonder how much Eddie did keep inside. He noticed that the reason why Eddie was loud and drew attention to himself was to keep the attention off his friends. So it made him wonder if Eddie did do some exaggerated things to keep the spotlight off Jensen. "We don't get much of it now. People are more focused on my taste in music and hobbies."

"But before?"

"Before we were officially together, we would get a lot of comments and looks. It was easy for me to tell her to ignore it. I was used to people talking about me and my family. It's why now I have no problem standing on top of lunch tables calling out bullshit." Eddie grabbed another cigarette. Lucas thought maybe this bugged Eddie more than he let on. "For me, the best thing I can do is just listen to what Jensen wants. I will never understand what you and her go through. I listen and learn."

"But how don't you let it -"

"Come in between us?"

Lucas nodded his head.

"I'm not going to say it hasn't. Because I didn't want her to have to go through anything on my behalf, but my love for Jensen is more than the hate people have."

Lucas rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb. He got what Eddie was saying. Lucas knew he loved Max. He loved her deeply, but it was hard not letting others taint that. Sometimes he wondered if it was worth it having her go through this bullshit.

"I just…I don't want her to regret being with me because of what it means to be with someone like me."

"Don't let this town make you feel like you deserve less than anyone else. If anything people should want to be someone like you."

"But unfortunately life doesn't work that way. I'm black before I am a man or even a person."

Eddie couldn't dispute that truth. "Have you talked to Mr. Thomas about this?"

Lucas shook his head. "Have you?"

"Of course. I mean there aren't a lot of interracial couples roaming Hawkins now are there?"

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me not to ignore it. That I need to see the color. I need to be comfortable with myself as a man to take on the struggle of the world because of who I love."

Lucas frowned. "That's it?"

"What do you mean that's it?"

"I thought it would be more profound."

Eddie snorted. "You're young."

"So?"

"Have you ever cried in front of Max? Told her when you were scared? Sad?"

Lucas shook his head.

"To be with someone truly means removing all those walls. It's almost like being fragile like a blade of grass. I needed to get rid of all that other bullshit and be comfortable with myself as a man. Because I can't ignore the hurt I feel sometimes because people judge me for being with Jensen. I have to tell her that. I need to be honest with that hurt. I can't protect her if she doesn't know my weakness as I know hers."

"Does she know all your weaknesses?"

"Jensen has built a fort around my blade of grass."