TAME. ⌲ reddie

three 〰 no one can resist us for long

It was twenty minutes past lunchtime, and only now was Eddie able to walk peacefully to the lunchroom. After Henry's list of homework, he had to get through five other bullies as well as his own.

He sighed as he placed his brown paper bag on the table that was basically "reserved" for him, Mike, Ben, and a few nerds who didn't want to sit on the floor and eat lunch. Mike had his nose buried in a historical book like usual, and Ben was slowly eating away at his sandwich.

"Where the hell were you, Eddie?" Ben asked, with a full mouth of food.

"Ugh, that's so gross, Ben. Please, swallow your food and speak. Have at least a bit of decency." Eddie wrinkled his nose at his words. "Oh dear lord, I'm beginning to sound like my mother."

"Sorry," Ben said, after swallowing his food. "But why were you so late to lunch?"

"Well, these mindless baboons don't stay in one goddamn place, so I had to search the whole school for them to give their homework." Eddie opened his bag and took out a patch of aluminum foil. Inside was leftover pizza from last night's dinner. He took a bite out of it.

"I swear, those people are just treating you like you're a human homework machine. Can't they give you a freaking break?"

"Tell me about it. But, I can't get a break or some part of me will be broken. Literally." He noticed the chattering around him cease and furrowed his eyebrows. The lunchroom was never quiet, unless you were the first person here. He looked around and suddenly he noticed why. All eyes were on Richie Tozier and his posse, who just so happened to be walking towards the table where Eddie, Mike, and Ben sat.

Richie sat in an empty seat next to Eddie, a smirk playing on his face, while d rest shooed away a few nerds so they could find seats. Sadie claimed the seat next to Richie, so she could get a great view of the scene, and Beverly sat next to her. Stan, Caleb, Gaten, and Bill all sat across from them.

"Hey, Eddie Spaghetti."

"What the hell are you gu-"

"Shut it, haystack," Stan interjected. "This is all for a reason that you won't know or understand, so I suggest you stay out of it." Richie shot a look to Sadie that only she could comprehend.

"Hey, don't talk to him that way." Sadie acted. "He's Eddie's friend, so he's our friend now."

"What in this world is possibly going on?" Mike finally set aside his book and payed attention to the scene. It was a historical moment itself; the most popular group in all of Derry High was sitting with the lowlife. "You all are friends with Eddie?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't recall him eve-"

"Well, you just have a horrible memory then."

"Actually," Eddie interjected. "Mike here remembers a lot of things. I told you this morning that we are not friends." Richie turned around to Sadie and nodded his head. Sadie nudged Beverly in the ribs.

"All of us here," Beverly said in a sickeningly sweet voice that was ten pitches higher than her normal one. "We want to be friends with you, uhm, people, regardless of what's happened in the past.

The lunchroom was still quiet, and nobody could believe their eyes or ears. This was not happening. Caleb seemed to be the only one to notice this, because before the losers were given a chance to reply, he stood up on the table and yelled "What are you all looking at? Mind your own business sons." Slowly, very slowly, may I add, conversations started and eyes detached from the table.

"What you did back there hurt my ego, Eds."

"Yeah, well what you did five years ago hurt mine," Eddie fired back, locking his gaze on Beverly. She was looking back, her eyes venomous and furious. He couldn't hold her gaze any longer and looked away. "And stop it with the nicknames, will you? My name is Eddie and I would like to be called that, thank you very much." Richie moved forward so his lips were next to Eddie's ear.

"I can call you as many nicknames as I want, Kaspbrak, and you're gonna have to deal with it whether you like it or not." His warm breath hit the back of Eddie's neck, sending shivers down the shorter boy's spine.

"So what do you say?" Gaten twirled a curl around his finger before extending it and letting the curl bounce back to its place.

"F-F-Frie-Friends?" Bill asked.

"Hell no." Eddie grabbed his pizza and his brown paper bag and got up from his seat. He threw the bag out and walked out of the lunchroom, taking bites out of his pizza.

"That son of a bitch! He better catch thes-" Caleb banged his fists on the table and started to stand up, but he was held down by Gaten.

"Calm down, Cal. He'll come around. He has to. No one can resist us for long."

***

Eddie finished eating his lunch in the janitor's closet, still not accepting the fact of what happened. Years and years of embarrassment and harassment and they think that can all be forgotten by one day of feeling nice and pitiful?

Fuck to the no. They didn't feel bad all those years, why do they now?

Eddie was furious. He couldn't possibly imagine being friends with that double-sided posse. He could never let himself do that, not in a million years.

The only one he would be even remotely okay with forming an acquaintance for is Bill, since he knew that he used to get bullied for his stuffer. Other than him, the rest could die for all he cared.

He could resist them forever, without even trying.

***

oh my god this chapter sucked balls i'm so sorry that this was so baddddd, but hey, at least i updated, right gir1s-ru1e

also, i need a few ideas for couple-y, date-like scenes. the reddie dates in this chapter have yet a LONG way to come, but i need a few ideas for them when they do roll around so comment any ideas y'all have.

well that's it for now, i guess

have a lovely day/night wherever you are and know that ily ❤️

xx Nikki