mixtape (reddie)

Chapter 41

When Bill responds, it practically sounds like he's shouting at Richie, "Alright, just try and find me in the halls once you get your schedule. Maybe we'll have the same lunch hour."

"Yeah," Richie nods, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. "Maybe."

And then they part ways. Bill gives him an encouraging pat on the shoulder, then the two are divided right down the middle as they split to head in opposite directions.

Once alone, Richie's mind shuts off as he shifts into auto pilot. He's there, but not really. Just enough to answer basic questions, to read his classes, to print his name on the sign in sheet. Basics. It isn't until he's navigating his way through the halls to his fourth period does Richie come back into manual mode.

It's not like he wanted to. If it were up to him, he would have been checked out for the rest of the day. But he stops in his tracks, blocking hallway traffic to the displeasure of the people behind him, but his eyes land on a duo that he hadn't thought about all day.

Ben Hanscom isn't chubby. Well, he is, but he is not the fat kid that would get picked on relentlessly. He's taller now, lost the fluff, and now maintains the body of a stocky athlete. He's leaning against the locker of a wiry thin boy, with curls framing his face and obscuring Richie from viewing his features. It's apparent who it is, he'd be able to pick Stan Uris out of a lineup even if Richie were to go blind.

Richie must cause a scene by coming to such a harsh stop, because Ben lifts his eyes to look at the six foot traffic cone standing idly in the midst of the hallway flow. As soon as their eyes meet, his jaw drops in just the slightest way, his hand coming over to pat the male next to him.

Across the hall, Richie can hear Stan's whiny and still so high pitched voice ask "What? What do you want?"

When Ben doesn't respond, Stan turns around to see what it is that his built friend is gaping at. Richie isn't exactly hard to miss, he's the tallest person in the hallway, probably gawking at them just as hard as they're gawking at him.

Instead of sharing the smile that Ben Hanscom is spreading, Stan Uris simply gives a frown. His eyebrows knit together in confusion, and he slowly analyzes Richie's entire appearance. He feels faint under the scrutiny, so Richie turns and heads into the classroom he's meant to be in.

The scrutiny does not end there.

Eddie Kaspbrak is sitting in the last row of desks, watching the people pour in with a bored expression on his face. He sits up when Richie walks in, then quickly averts his attention out the window to appear uninterested.

Slowly, with nervous steps, Richie approaches the teacher's desk. His eyes don't really leave Eddie at all, not even when he feebly asks the teacher "I'm, um, new. Where should I sit?"

Eddie glances at him, but jerks his stare away once he sees that Richie is still looking. Maybe it's the reflection of his red sweater hitting his skin, but Richie could have sworn that those speckled cheeks flushed.

Richie takes the seat in the back like directed, trying very hard to focus on the lesson and not the literal hole that is being burned into the side of his head by Eddie's harsh glare two seats over. He's not even being subtle about it, he is as annoyed as can be and wants to make sure that's Richie knows it.

So, once the bell rings, Richie remains in his seat until the classroom is empty so that he doesn't accidentally bump into someone who doesn't want to touch him. Once the last student leaves, he quickly rushes to his next course, only to find to his dismay that Eddie Kaspbrak is in that class as well. So is Stan Uris. So is Henry Bowers.

It's an intro to astrophysics class, so the room is set up with long tables of two as opposed to individual desks. Richie stands at the front of the classroom, staring at one table in particular and trying to comprehend how it came to be that Eddie Kaspbrak is leaning on the table, his head in the palm of his hand, talking to none other than Henry Bowers. Henry looks worse off than anybody else, rough around the edges with these tired eyes. He listens to Eddie, nodding slowly. There's no malice or rage in his posture, and the sadness that was hidden beneath that tough exterior seems to have come to the surface. He's not as threatening as Richie remembers, he looks weak. As if he has given up. He keeps his eyes on Eddie, exhausted but interested, as if the little being of pure chaos is the only thing keeping him from dropping out of school.