golden boy : stozier

sixteen

"can we hang out this weekend?" richie tapped his feet on the ground, wondering if maybe he should try a different medication when his refills ran out. he watched mike pick at bill's fries like always.

"yes! even if it's just to do homework, because i do need to do that as well." mike added, scratching at his head.

"i mean, i'll see. i don't think i'm doing anything with the girls." beverly said, inspecting her nails. she glanced at bill, who it seemed was trying not to look at her.

"f-fuh-fine," he mumbled, like it was an obligation to hang out with them. richie narrowed his eyes, but he didn't say anything. he turned his head to stanley, who was a little hunched over, eating a sandwich slowly.

"stan?" richie asked, bumping him with his elbow. stanley shuffled around a bit, putting the sandwich down on plastic wrap he had sitting on the table.

"uh, i can't. sorry." stanley coughed. he looked in richie's eyes for a moment, sadly. richie wondered what was wrong.

"aw, that's a shame." mike said, though he was looking at bill and beverly. stanley shrugged, another apology.

"why not?" richie asked, watching stanley stare down at his sandwich. he shook his head subtly again.

"um, too much workload," he said, though richie knew that if he needed to be doing work he would have it up on the table with him right now.

"we can have a study day—" richie offered, but stanley looked up to him to cut him off.

"rich, i can't come." he said simply. richie twisted his eyebrows together, disappointed. but he sighed through his nose and nodded. stanley picked his sandwich up once more.

"oh. okay." richie said, dejected. he noticed bill watching him, and looked up to challenge his eye contact. bill kept it.

"w-wuh-we'll hang out with stanley some other time." bill said, and that was that. mike and bill started talking about where to study that weekend, and richie looked back over to stanley.

"can i have a bite?" richie asked, having not really brought money for lunch that day.

"n-" it seemed that for a moment stanley might snap at richie, but he looked to his sandwich, then to richie. he held it out for richie, "yeah, of course."

richie took a bite, and as if on cue, stanley's stomach grumbled. stanley sighed, rolling his eyes.

"it's been doing that all day, it's so annoying in philosophy when it's super quiet." stanley said, "i don't know why, either." he took the sandwich back and put it on the plastic wrap, wrapping it back up even though it was just barely half done.

richie nodded seriously, "stanley the stomach grumbler," he said it like it was a scientific disease, and stanley rolled his eyes.

"fuck off," but stanley was smiling. it felt nicer than a beep beep. stanley put his head down on the cafeteria table, his arms making a pillow underneath. richie thought he was off in his little imagination, sleeping soundly in a five star hotel room somewhere.

"my mom said there's another dinner thing happening soon. at eddie's, i think. are you going? my mom said i couldn't come because eddie's mom hates me. she doesn't understand sonia," richie said, stanley rolling his head so he could look at richie.

"i don't want to, but i'll probably have to go. i dunno." he said, mumbling more than anything. richie wondered why he looked so tired. he also wondered how stanley could see with all of his hair sitting in front of his eyes. richie pushed his own glasses up his face.

"richie, what do you think about the public library on saturday?" beverly interrupted his train of thought, and richie looked up to her. was she sitting further away from bill? he didn't care.

"uumm—" he tried to remember what she had just asked. mike mouthed it out of the corner of his mouth, and richie thanked god for mike, "yeah, sure. i'll be there."

"great!" mike said, and beverly got up from the table, walking off with no explanation. richie and mike looked to bill, confused. bill rolled his eyes.

"tuh-talking to greta," he said, crossing his arms. richie shared a look with mike, but he looked away eventually.