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“You look like shit Henderson.” Eddie said, looking at the kid during Hellfire.
“We told him that too.” Lucas rolled his eyes.
“It’s nothing.”
“You probably have what Max has.” Lucas said.
“Ugh, god I hope not.” Dustin complained.
“What’s Red got?” Eddie asked.
“The stomach flu.” Lucas said.
“She puked in class yesterday.” Mike added.
“It was gross.” Dustin whined.
“Well, I’d prefer if you didn’t puke at Hellfire. Vomit is not my thing.”
“I don’t feel sick.” Dustin defended.
“Children…” Garth muttered.
“Come on man, he’s right why don’t you call your mom? Or Steve?” Mike asked.
“Get the Steve sick treatment with Max, come on man, you know she’s living it up.” Lucas laughed.
“What do you mean?” Eddie was genuinely curious, he had seen the little notes Steve put in their lunches, how he always smiled and waited for them, how he looked the first day of school.
“He treats her like a princess.” Mike said.
“Don’t act like you don’t get the same treatment.” Lucas laughed, pushing him some.
“A princess?” Eddie questioned.
“A princess man, he makes whatever food you like, well maybe not this time because she’s puking. But he cooks whatever you want, you get to take over the tv and he doesn’t complain, he does Max’s hair, and he has this huge bath tub it’s like a hot tub.” Lucas said as if everyone should know what the Steve treatment meant.
“Yeah, last time Robin was sick she even took over his bed and the tv in his room. But like his bed is super comfy.”
“The couch isn’t bad.” Mike said.
“But she got his whole room! Come on only Dustin and Robin get that treatment.” Lucas says, a small hint of jealous in his voice.
“Yeah, but you don’t need to get his room to be treated like royalty.” Mike agrees.
“Remember when we got that weird head cold shit and we spent like three days there? I thought I was going to puke because I got to eat so much ice cream.” Lucas laughed some. Dustin was finally looking pale.
“Yeah, he has what Max has.” Mike commented.
“Be right back.” Dustin took off. The other boys were rolling their eyes.
“I’ll call Steve.” Mike said, walking off as well.
“So, how did you meet Harrington?” Eddie asked Lucas.
“Oh… he kind of saved me from Billy. He was there with Will too, but with Nancy. Halloween last year we became really close though.” Lucas said.
“You guys seem it.”
“He claims he doesn’t have favorites, but it’s totally Dustin and Max.”
“Not you? Even with your budding basket ball career?”
“He helps me practice, but they’ve always been closer.” He just looked at Lucas, he wanted to ask when he wasn’t a douche bag anymore. He wanted to know when he changed, when did he become a mother hen? Why wasn’t it weird for them?
“He’s on his way.” Mike said reentering the room.
“What did he say?” Lucas asked.
“Give him less than ten, I told him where we were. He’ll just come get Dustin.”
“Is anyone else sick?” Eddie asked the group, he was not looking forward to whatever sickness they were about to spread to him.
“No. We’re good.”
“Are you Sinclair? If your girlfriend is sick?”
“I’m good. I don’t feel sick.”
“Well… let us continue.” They began and his head kept drifting back to the thought of Steve Harrington, number one douche bag who apparently took a liking to these kids. Why though? His mind couldn’t help but wander back to the little notes he’d see the kids each have as they shoved them away, he knew Buckley used them as book marks. Within ten minutes on the dot the so called mother hen walked in the door.
“Has no one checked on Dustin?” The so called “the hair” looked more than rough, his hair flat and a bit sweaty, he wore sweatpants, a ratted tee shirt, and sandals. Eddie had never seen him so casual.
“No.” Mike said casually.
“We called you.” Lucas offered with a smile.
“Yeah, yeah. Max says hi.” Steve said, walking over to retrieve Dustin’s backpack, “holy hell what does this kid pack in this bag?” He mutters under his breath.
“Did you talk to El today?” Mike asked with a lot of hope, Eddie knew that was his girlfriend, he spoke about her nonstop. Why was Steve talking to Mike’s girlfriend?
“Yeah, when she woke up before school. She has a new art project her and Will are working on.” Steve relayed casually to him.
“Will is super good at drawing and stuff.” Lucas said to the group, like he hadn’t a hundred times before.
“They both say hi, got to talk with Will for a couple minutes too. Red and El talked longer though, thought Joyce was going to kill me because they wouldn’t get off the phone.”
“So Max is feeling better?” Lucas questions.
“Well, we got up at six thirty for her to puke and she hasn’t been sick since, she also has refused to even try crackers though. I was hoping that I would get my bed back tonight,” Eddie can see the smirk on Harrington’s face, “but it seems that will be delayed by a slew of sick teenagers in my bed.”
“Will Max be back at school tomorrow?” Lucas asks him. Can they go back to the fact the Steve Harrington apparently just gives his bed up for these kids? Steve has the audacity to laugh at Lucas.
“Beats me man. We both know she’s going to milk this a few days.”
“Maybe she wouldn’t if you didn’t wait on her hand and foot.” Mike mumbles.
“Oh I’m sorry what was that Michael? You want to lose chicken soup privileges? Because I bet you’re next with it.”
“No I don’t, just I get why she milks it.” Mike says blushing.
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway going to take Henderson back to my place, anyone have a couple bags to save my car from another kid projectile puking in my car?” Eddie doesn’t know why his immediate reaction to grab some garbage bags wordlessly before handing them over to Harrington.
“Here, tell him we’ll see him next week.” Eddie says awkwardly. Steve smiles a thanks and walks out leaving Eddie to ponder what the hell that was for the remainder of the week.