INSTANT REPLAY | REDDIE

- 17 | INSTANT REPLAY

"Okay, here's the deal!" Bev piped up, and judging by the way her cheeks were flushed, she had definitely already had a little bit to drink. Yet, the bottle in the middle looked nearly full. Eddie was beginning to doubt Richie's promise of the amount of alcohol present, especially as another small group of kids paraded in with two more bottles. The group was steadily growing, and what Eddie had believed to be about ten people was clearly more like twenty and still growing.

"Truth or dare, but if you pass, then you have to chug a cup of whatever's in the middle." There were a few cheers, but Eddie could feel the blood draining from his face. Someone sat down between him and Beverly, and he studied the girl, eyes narrowing when her familiar gaze settled on him just as cooly. Greta stared back at him with an indifferent expression, her eyes daring him to say something.

"I'm here for the booze," she said before he could ask, and he just shrugged. He didn't care what she did with her life. The game had already started in the background, and there were already couples making out, including Bill and Stan. Eddie frowned, discomfort sleeping into his chest even stronger than it had been before.

"My turn!" Bev shouted once everyone had gone quiet. Her gaze raked the party guests, pausing on every single one of them until they settled on Eddie, and his heart skipped a beat. She smiled sweetly, glancing at Greta and chuckling a little bit. Eddie recalled briefly that on one of their visits, Bill had mentioned getting a Snapchat sticker of 'the bitchy nurse who Eddie hated with a burning passion', then proceeding to tell her the whole story of what they had witnessed when Eddie smacked her.

"Eddie. I dare you to kiss the person on your left." She was either drunk, or evil. Eddie decided that she was both, scowling deeply as he fixed Bev with a glare so harsh that the rest of the players seemed to shrink back. Greta, on the other hand, was enjoying this a little too much. She seemed to think the situation was hilarious.

"What are you gonna do, Kaspbrak?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. Eddie glanced at her lips, just as red and lipstick-covered as they always were. Perhaps it wouldn't be the end of the world. After all, he could just give her a peck and it would be over with. He risked a glance at Richie, and was frozen in place by the intensity of the boy's gaze. Richie was staring at him with huge eyes and red cheeks. Eddie realized that he almost looked like he had been anticipating this, like it was something he had been waiting to see. But perhaps it was the alcohol already flowing through Richie's system. Eddie took a deep breath and put down his empty cup, leaning towards Greta with a disgusted expression.

"This is only because I hate alcohol more than I hate you, I hope you know that," he grumbled grouchily. She rolled her eyes and grasped the back of his neck, pulling him closer and connecting their lips roughly. What had been expected to be a simple peck became a searing kiss that lasted a lot longer than Eddie had planned, and his eyes went wide when cheers broke out from the group around him. Her mouth moved against his, and he forced himself to reciprocate, though inwardly he felt like throwing up. Something felt unbelievably wrong about the situation, and he hated every second of it. Somehow, her lips felt almost too soft, and she was almost too gentle, despite the passion behind the exchange.

She finally let go of him and he pulled away sharply, gasping for breath and wiping at his mouth furiously. His hands came away red with the lipstick that had been smeared onto his lips. He felt like crying, but he swallowed back the lump in his throat, avoiding looking at anyone even as people leaned forward and clapped him on the shoulder or ruffled his hair. He poured himself a small and responsibly sized cup of the drink in the middle even though he had completed the dare, tipping his head back and drinking it quickly. Then he got up and excused himself, closing the bathroom door behind him and locking it.