One Time When Steve Was A Kid, He Wanted Some Older Kids At The Park To Think He Was Cool So He Asked

One time when Steve was a kid, he wanted some older kids at the park to think he was cool so he asked them what he had to do to prove he was.

They told him only cool kids can win a fight and if he wants to hang out with them, he has to beat someone up. They even point out a whimpy looking kid for him to fight.

Steve doesn’t want to do that but his dad says being cool is like, super important so he has to. He goes up to the kid looking at ants on the sidewalk and tells him, “Hi, I’m Steve. I have to beat you up so I can be friends with those guys.”

“I’m Eddie,” the boy says, giving the hand Steve stuck out to shake an amused look. “I don’t want to get beat up, no thanks.”

Steve sighs.

That’s gonna be a problem. Eddie said no.

Steve runs his hand into his already messy hair and then asks, “What if I hit you? Just once.”

“That’s fair,” Eddie nods after some consideration. He shakes the ants off his hand and then stands up. “Okay. We can do one hit.”

Steve’s never hit anybody before but he can feel the older kids’ eyes on him so he squeezes his eyes shut and swings. His swing is too wide and he clips Eddie in the ear.

He doesn’t even have time to get his bearings before a hand strikes out and Eddie punch’s him in the nose. Steve staggers but Eddie grins at him like they’re having fun, “One hit, right? Want to go again?”

Steve has never been hit by anybody before and he wasn’t planning on being hit today.

He promptly burst into tears.

This memory is burnt into Eddie’s brain for the oddity of it all and the confusion he felt when Steve started crying. He was the one that suggested they hit each other???

Meanwhile, Steve only really remembers the story his babysitter repeatedly told his parents about how a big kid punched him unprovoked, that she had been watching but not close enough to prevent it, and that he wasn’t allowed to go to that park anymore.