hey guys! this took a super long time and im really sorry about that but WOW I DID IT
this is also pretty short so i hope y'all dont hate me
1 month and 22 days remaining
"Do I look okay?" Eddie asked nervously, looking at himself in the mirror situated on his wall. He heard Ben's chair creak as he turned to look at the screen.
"Yes, I said you did 30 seconds ago," Ben replied, leaning back to take a sip of his Dr. Pepper.
"I can't do this!" Eddie sighed, plopping down on his wooden stool and laying his head in his folded arms that he rested on his desk.
"What do you mean?" Ben's voice crackled and cut out for a moment but he could still be understood. Eddie shook his head. A million thoughts were running through his head and a lot of them were negative.
"I can't dance, my tie is wrinkly-"
"Eddie-"
"No! I'm so screwed, oh God..." He groaned, gently hitting his head against his arm a couple times. It was minutes until Richie was to arrive and pick him up but Eddie was still panicking. He stood up reluctantly, adjusting his hair in the mirror. He could hear the soft sounds of Ben's game coming through the laptop speakers. He adjusted the tie, pursing his lips as he decided to leave it alone and that he looked fine.
A horn blared from outside and Eddie's heart rate increased tenfold. "Oh, God, I gotta go. Bye Ben!" Before Ben could reply, the call was ended. Eddie grabbed his phone and jacket, walking down the stairs at a quick pace and threw open the front door. He closed it behind him, breathing a sigh of relief that his mother hadn't caught him. He walked up to the passenger side of the truck and hopped in.
Richie was speechless for a moment, looking over Eddie's suit and hair. He looked amazing. Eddie was running his hands along his thighs, trying to rub out the wrinkles. He stopped for a moment, looking to his left to make eye contact with Richie. Eddie's eyes looked into Richie's brown ones, quickly glancing between his hands and him. "What?"
Richie grinned. "Lookin' good, toots." He put the truck into reverse and pulled out onto the street, heading in the direction of the school. Upon arrival, muffled music could be heard coming from the school along with lights shining through the windows.
Richie glanced over at Eddie. "You ready for your first dance?"
Eddie scoffed, faking offense. "How do you know it's my first?"
The taller boy smirked, a thought coming to his head. "I'm taking your high school dance virginity!"
Eddie's mouth hung open for a moment, clearly in shock and disbelief of what Richie had said. "What?"
"You heard me, Kaspbrak. Don't worry, I'll be gentle."
"Oh, put a sock in it," Eddie replied, shoving Richie with both hands. He stumbled to the left a little bit, not actually falling as Eddie hadn't pushed him hard enough for that. A small grin appeared on Richie's features, Eddie starting to do the same.His smile was contagious.
They walked inside the building, dodging people as they made their way to the large gym. Eddie felt a hand on his shoulder and soft breath in his ear. "I'm gonna go talk to Stan for a sec, is that okay?"
Eddie nodded, feeling a soft kiss pressed to his neck before he saw Richie pass in front of him and off into the crowd. He felt awkward for a moment, standing alone in the middle of different groups of friends. He spotted Beverly talking to two other girls he didn't know. He wasn't gonna talk to them, just stand near them so he looked less out of place.
"No, yeah- It's not real." He heard her say as the music faded. "It's all a bet. It's all my doing, Richie was just up for the challenge."
"Does Richie even like him?" One girl asked.
Beverly shook her head, a laugh leaving her lips. "Of course not, it's all for the bet."
Eddie felt his blood run cold. Was that all he was to Richie? A fucking bet? He turned on his heel, his cheeks hot with anger as he walked out of the gym.
Richie was still talking to Stan when he was silenced, Stan pointing to a very angry looking Eddie leaving the gym. "Dude... What did you do?"
Richie was confused. What had he done? "I don't know," he replied. "I'm gonna go see if he's alright, I'll talk to you later." He mumbled the last part, suddenly getting more worked up about the situation. Did Blake say something to him?
The hallway was much more quiet, one or two kids every few feet. Richie turned the corner, looking down the hallway on his right. On his left, however, was a glass door leading outside the school. Eddie was standing outside. He pushed one of the double doors open and approached him from behind. "Eds?"
Eddie whipped around, the building's outside lights reflected off of his tears. His cheeks had tear stains running down them. "Don't."
Richie was mortified. What was going on? "Eddie, I-"
"Save it!" He snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "I should've known, fuck, I really should've guessed it. The popular kid, getting with the new kid, kinda cliche."
"I don't understand," Richie whispered.
"I'm just a bet to you, huh, Richie? Is that all I am to you? A sick joke?" Eddie's voice was quivering and it cracked halfway through the last sentence.
Richie's throat went dry and his eyes went wide, wider than his glasses normally made them look. No. "Who told you that?" He asked, anger building up in him.
"I overheard Beverly telling two random girls." Eddie hissed. "What does it matter? Isn't she the one who set it all up?"
"Eddie..." Richie trailed off. He tried desperately to think of something, anything, to cover his ass. "It's Stan."
Eddie blinked, wiping at his left eye. "What?"
"She was talking about the bet she gave me last year." He said quickly. "She bet I couldn't kiss Stan and I did- That's what she was on about. Did one of the girls have brown hair, shoulder length?"
Eddie nodded slowly.
"That's Greta, she was sick practically all of junior year so she missed all of it. She was probably just catching her up." Richie said, placing his hands on Eddie's shoulders. "You aren't just a bet to me, Eddie, I really like you."
Eddie rolled his eyes, looking at the ground. "You're so full of shit, Tozier."
Richie was panicking on the inside but he was trying desperately not to show it. "Please, Eddie. I'm being serious."
Eddie picked up his head, his eyes flickering up to Richie's. He studied the taller boy for a moment. He saw no sign of him lying in his gaze. He looked... genuine. "Fine." He mumbled, pushing Richie's arms off his shoulders.
"Are you mad?" Richie asked softly.
Eddie shrugged. "I mean, I was, now I'm just confused on whether I should be mad at you or not."
Richie smirked a bit. "That wasn't a yes." He grabbed Eddie's chin with his hand, tilting his head up for a better angle. He pressed his lips onto Eddie's, feeling the familiar tingle in his body as he did so.
It took a few seconds for Eddie to recuperate, but he did, deciding that he did believe him and that, man, he really did like Richie.
A few moments later, Richie pulled back with a small grin on his face. "How about we ditch all these losers and go get ice cream; maybe make out in my car a bit, yeah?"
Eddie rolled his eyes. "Only if you're paying, you dick."
Richie smiled. "That's me." He winked, grabbing Eddie's hand and leading him to the front parking lot where his truck was located. He watched Eddie get in the car with a small smile on his face. He heard the car door close and he let out a shaky 'thank god' before he got in the driver's seat.
The car ride was silent until Eddie spoke softly. "Rich?"
Richie hummed, signaling he was paying attention but kept his eyes on the road.
Eddie played with his hands in his lap for a moment before sighing. "Do you actually like me?" His tone was timid, he sounded afraid to ask.
Richie nodded. "I really do."
"And..." He messed with the end of his tie, trying to form words. "What you said about the bet, that's true?"
Richie bit in the inside of his lip. He considered telling him, spilling it all out but... almost losing him was too much. "Yes." He confirmed.
Eddie nodded, leaning back in the seat. He grabbed Richie's free hand, the one that was sitting on his thigh and interlocked her fingers. "Okay."
hey! so??? HOW WAS IT?? DID YOU PANIC ???