Eddie Carpenter (Updated)

Eddie Carpenter was Ryan Farrell’s best friend, at least in his own head.  Perennially jealous of the close bond between Hrothgar Jones and Ryan, he never understood why Ryan defended and supported the other boy.  In the summer of 1991, he’d grown closer to Ryan in Gar’s absence–which had raised internal alarms with Seth.  For all that Ryan sees himself as an anti-bully, Eddie seems to be just one step away from being the sort of guy that kids hide from in the halls.  He is the oldest of three boys, and his youngest brother is friends with Josh Kendall, Beth’s younger brother.

After Ryan and Gar’s falling out, Eddie found himself precisely where he wanted to be: in the very center of their friend group.  A surprising thing happened, then: Eddie found friends he didn’t have to cajole or force to care for him. Despite his mean streak, Kevin Dylan and Jim Hogan both seem to enjoy his company.  When that mean streak manifests, however, it’s still something fearsome to behold.  He and Ryan utterly humiliated Gar in gym class, pantsing him as well knocking him down hard on the immaculately shellacked floor for the entire co-ed class to see.  In many ways, he still feels like he needs to prove himself worthy of Ryan and his friends’ attention.  He and Matt Chiara egged Kevin on until he tried out for the wrestling team.