coy ➳ Reddie

Three

A/N Just so you know the Loser's club are all in the 11th grade, and Eddie is sixteen and Richie is seventeen. Richie can drive, too, and he has a car. But Eddie can't.

The day seemingly went by in a blink. Eddie had Mike and his two friends in his third hour, and Ben, Beverly, and Bill in fifth. He surprising felt extremely comfortable with talking to Richie, but he didn't start any of the conversations. Stan and Richie had started talking again, too. The next thing they knew, the school day was over, and they were both at Eddie's house, trying to convince his mother to let Eddie go down to The Barrens.

"Hi, mom. I have Richie with me. Do you remember him?" Eddie asked.

"Oh, do I remember him..." Sonia grimaced. Richie sneered at the old woman.

"How ya' doing, Mrs. K?" Richie asked, grinning widely.

Sonia huffed at him, and turned to Eddie.

"What would you like, Eddie Bear?" she asked, to which Eddie internally cringed at the name, and Richie giggled.

"I was just wondering if maybe I could go down to The Barrens with Richie and his friends."

"Okay, that's fine. As long as you make sure not to run around, or get dirty. And Richie, don't go around being a bad influence on Eddie, now. I'll know." she said.

"Well, of course, Mrs. K!" Richie joked, and Eddie pulled Richie out the door by his wrist, before his mother would make him kiss her cheek, or before Richie pissed her off.

Richie pinched Eddie's cheek as they walked.

"Eddie Bear." he laughed, and Eddie blushed, looking at the houses across the street to hide his pink-tinted face. 

Richie led Eddie to his house, and walked up to a gray car, slipping into the front seat. Eddie took the passenger seat, and Richie drove off. They didn't talk much, until finally they approached a small, one-story house on another street. Its garden was empty, other than a sad, lonely looking bush, and an even sadder looking gnome.

"You can stay here." said Richie, as he opened the car door and walked onto the porch of the home. He knocked, and after what seemed like only five seconds, it opened, and Richie was greeted by his two friends, James and Christopher (again, names not referencing anything, these are just made-up characters for the story), who were brothers, and Mike, who was already there and hanging out with them.

"Hi, Richie! What's up?" asked James.

"Wanna go down to the Barrens with me and my friend, Eddie?" Richie asked. Mike's face lit up in glee.

"Eddie? Eddie Kaspbrak?" he asked, and Richie nodded, smiling. "Well, gosh! I hadn't heard from him in a few years, now. I know I have him third hour, but I never talked to him. How's he been?"

"Well, he's in the car. You can go talk to him, if you'd like. I've noticed he's been kinda shy, though."

"Please tell me that he's not one of those kids who just sits there and doesn't talk to anyone." Christopher groaned as he walked out the door with the other three.

"He's not, guys. So don't be a dick to him." said Mike.

Mike quickly walked to the car, and opened the passenger seat door, and patted Eddie on the back. The small, younger boy smiled up at Mike.

"Eddie, how've you been?" he asked, as Christopher and James got into the backseat, not bothering to even acknowledge Eddie's existence.

"I've... Been good." Eddie tried, smiling at Mike.

 Richie got into the driver's seat, and Mike then decided to sit with the two boys in the back, and they started driving to the Barrens. After a bit of small talk with Mike, Eddie pulled out his inhaler, and shot the medicine down his own throat, and James furrowed his eyebrows, looking confused, and almost a bit disgusted. Eddie self-consciously put it back into his fanny pack and looked down.