Steve and Eddie didn't read a single book they were assigned in all of middle and high school.
Steve struggled to learn to read. It was hard staying focused on one thing for that long, especially when the letters kept jumping around on the page. But he was lucky, his teachers always took the time to help him through it, despite none of them identifying why it was so hard for him in the first place. And when he started to fall behind, his parents threw money at the problem, hiring tutor after tutor until they found one that Steve couldn't charm and distract from doing their job.
By the time he got to middle school, Steve had figured out ways around his reading struggles. For classes that did popcorn reading, he'd read just the first section over and over again the night before until he'd memorized it then he'd volunteer to be the first reader. Teachers loved that kind of thing and teachers loved Steve, despite the fact that he wasn't a good student. During class discussions, he'd pay extra close attention, jumping into the conversation after he'd gleaned enough information to sound like he knew what he was talking about.
Eddie was a fast learner, always had been, which was lucky for him because his parents didn't have the time or skills to help him with most thing. Reading came easily, like most things did, and he loved doing it. He checked out every book he could, from the school library and then eventually the Hawkins Public Library during his weekly trips with his uncle. Wayne always encouraged his love of reading but never judged his selections, the man was a fan of dime store paperbacks himself. The only thing that mattered to him was that his nephew kept reading.
By the time he got to middle school, Eddie was already reading at a college level and he was bored of the curriculum. He'd spend every minute in most classes with his nose stuck in a book but never the book they were assigned. He wasn't gonna let The Man dictate what he should be reading. Instead, he brought his own selections, mostly fantasy and science fiction, until his first senior year, when eh started sneaking in some gay pulp, as long as the covers weren't too obvious. By his second senior year, he was getting brazen, along with the pulp novels, he also brought his D&D manual. And by his third senior year, he didn't give a fuck so he swapped the cover on his D&D manual with his BDSM guide and studied that for hours.
Years later, when Steve and Eddie raise their own kids together, reading becomes the center of their world again. One of their kids struggled like Steve had and he found himself repeating the same words his Father said all those years ago. "That's not the right word. Are you just guessing? I don't know what to do with you. It's like you're stupid or something." He regretted it immediately. Eddie saw the similarities, got their kid tested, and that was how Steve finally put a name to the chaos of letters.
As a family, they end up reading the books they skipped: Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies, The Catcher in the Rye, The Grapes of Wrath, Hamlet. After the kids were asleep, they discussed the gay undertones in The Great Gatsby and The Outsiders. Steve's favorite was To Kill a Mockingbird, he cried when Tom Robinson was convicted. When pressed, Eddie could never pick a favorite, always torn between 1984 and Animal Farm. Even after the kids were grown and out of the house, they read together every night, taking turns, though Eddie does most of the work. It's easier for him and he's so good at doing the voices.
