Fourteen (angsty Reddie fanfic)

Chapter eight

At around 4 AM, Richie awoke with tears in his eyes. He looked around and took a few deep breaths.

He just woke up from some sort of nightmare. He doesn't remember what happened now, so he felt calm enough to sleep again.

But then he realized that his parents don't know if he's staying the night or not; he and Eddie fell asleep before they could be notified.

Richie looked at Eddie worriedly to make sure he was still asleep. He was. Richie sighed and carefully got off of the bed.

When he got out of Eddie's room, he ran to the front door. Suddenly a woman cleared her voice. He turned around to where he heard the noise.

Then a light came on and Sonia was there. "What are you doing here?" She asked. Richie gulped. "I accidentally fell asleep when me and Eddie were uh, hanging- hanging out." He said quietly.

"And where exactly did you fall asleep?" She asked. He froze and hesitated to speak. "The floor."

"Good. You better not be sleeping with my son." "I know, I know. I'm not. So don't, like, lose your head or anything. We're just, friends." He pushed his glasses into place.

Sonia smiled, something about the smile seemed weird to Richie though. "I trust you, Richard. You're a strange kid, but I find you rather trustworthy." She says.

Richie walked closer to her. "You really think so?" He whispered. Sonia nods. "Your mother used to be my best friend. I trusted her a lot, so that's why I trust you too." She whispers.

Richie chuckles nervously. "I'm glad you trust me, then. And I'm glad you trust my mom. She's uh, a nice person." He put his arms behind his back.

Sonia opened her arms wide and Richie walked to her, hugging her. She hugged him back. This is uncomfortable. Richie thought.

They let go after a few seconds. "Alright, I need to go home now. My parents are probably worried and I just, really feel like I need to go. Cya, Mrs. K." He said, running to the front door, putting his shoes on, and then running outside.

It was very cold out, and Richie started to regret not bringing a jacket. Then again, he didn't even plan on leaving at this time until a few minutes ago. It was still dark out, so it was difficult to see.

He didn't understand why he didn't take his bike to Eddie's house, because if he took his bike, he would've been getting home quicker.

He started to now walk instead of run, shivering. He kept walking for a few minutes and then he ran again. He'd continue this until he finally got home, when the sun started to rise.

He tried opening the front door but it was locked, so he ran to his bedroom window and climbed through it to get into his room.

Once in, he closed and locked his window. He took his shoes off and put them on the floor, then taking his glasses off. He laid on his bed, covered himself with his blanket, and fell asleep again.

He slept until 12 PM, because Maggie woke him up. "You can't be sleeping this long, Rich. When did you go to sleep?" She says.

"Don't worry about it." He responds in an exhausted voice, sitting up. "Sonia told me that you and her talked earlier." Maggie sat next to Richie. Richie nods. "Yup."

They sat in silence for a minute. "Where were you last night? You didn't call me to tell me." She asked.

"I accidentally fell asleep when I was at Eddie's house. I woke up pretty early and realized what happened, so I came here." He answers.

"Oh." They sat in silence again. This time it lasted longer. "Hey, uh, mom?" "Yes?" "I have a question." "What is it?"

Richie sighed. "Would you still love me if I liked boys?" Maggie stared at him for a few seconds. To him it felt like she was silently judging him for asking that question.

"Well, yeah. I would. I don't think it really matters who you like, you're not really going to change. You're still a human being. Why do you ask?" Richie smiled. "Because I like boys, specifically Eddie. He's my boyfriend now."

She smiled and hugged him. He hugged her back and they kept hugging for a little bit. "I love you, Richie. Thank you for telling me." "I love you too, mom." They let go.

"I'm going to my room now." She says. She got up and Richie just sat there. Maggie walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.