January ❀ age 7
(continued from the last chapter)
"A-Are you suh-sure Eh-Eh-Eddie is muh-mad?" bill asked while he was placing little soldier figures on his shelf.
"yeah, i'm hundred percent sure. We always hug when we leave and he always smiles and me and laughs at my jokes and always sheds a few tears when we have to separate" richie said and watched how bill squinted his blue eyes while putting the figures neatly on the shelf.
"duh-didn't he c-cry wuh-when y-you two suh-suh-separated?"
"yes, but not like before. He was genuinely sad. Like...I don't know...he was really upset. But I don't know why" richie mumbled.
"Are you g-g-going to suh-see him today?" bill glanced at richie.
"yeah...that was the plan...I just hope he's not sad anymore."
And richie's greatest wish, his only wish, that eddie wouldn't be sad, didn't come true.
Eddie had been down all Christmas break. He hasn't got much eaten. tears were brimming in his eyes.
How could he? How could he get harsh on his only friend? his best friend?
well, if richie even wanted to be his best friend anymore.
"eddie bear, you have to eat something" sonia kaspbrak said as she laid a plate of eggs, vegetables and two pancakes in front of him.
"I'm not very hungry, mommy" eddie said and poked the pancakes.
"You have been like this ever since the christmas eve! If you're not eating, we have to take you to the medical room to get you checked up"
eddie flinched and cut a piece of the pancake. he put it in his mouth, swallowing it hard.
"I hope you're not only eating because I said that...you must be hungry"
"i'm not..." eddie mumbled while cutting another piece.
"stop pretending that you have an eating disorder. You're perfectly fine"
"what's an eating disorder?" eddie looked up at his mother, who looked at eddie with hesitant eyes.
"it's something you're not" she said quietly, before the phone on the wall began ringing.
"let me get that. And you eat your plate clean" sonia pointed at her chubby finger at the now full plate.
eddie looked how his mother walked to the phone and lifted it to her ears.
"Kaspbrak residence, Sonia Kaspbrak speaking"
she always had to make things so professional.
"Oh hello Maggie..."
eddie's head whipped around as he looked at his mother, who was talking with Richie's.
"richie wants what? hm...ah I see...right, well...yeah, eddie's not home right now"
eddie's face dropped immediately. all the life in his body drained away as he listened his mother lie her ass off. he stared at his mother is disbelief, disgust dripping from his stare
"yeah, i'll see you later, maggie...alright. bye" sonia ended the call and put the phone back on the wall. she looked at it for a while, until turning around, only to met with eddie's back staring at him from the kitchen table.
Sonia thought eddie hadn't hear the phone call, which made her play it cool as she arrived at the kitchen.
"why do i still see food on that plate?" sonia said as she walked back to the stove and began making her own breakfast.
"because you have eyes" eddie replied bluntly, hurt by the fact that his mother had lied.
"oh eddie..." sonia murmured. "don't be a smartass"
"what's that?" eddie asked, lifting his tear welling gaze from the plate.
"something you are" sonia replied.
eddie clutched his jaw and swallowed his anger. "who was on the phone?"
"huh? Oh, it was just the work" sonia waved her hand as to move on with the subject. "i thought maybe we could see what old toys and clothes we're going to sell on the flea market"
eddie didn't want to reply anymore. he just wanted to be with richie and hug him. Richie would understand. Richie always does.
"eddie? what do you think?"
"fine" eddie replied quickly, wanting to be over with this conversation. He looked at his mother, who was back faced to eddie. then he dragged his eyes to the trashbin behind him. He gave one last look at his mom, before silently getting up and emptying the plate in the trash.
"i'm all done, mommy" eddie said. sonia turned around and smiled. "good. you can go see the old toys in your room now...I'll be there when I'm done eating"
eddie nodded and walked to his pink walled room. The color always made him smile. Maybe it was odd to have pink walls for a boy, but eddie enjoyed it a lot. And so did richie. eddie walked to his closet, where he kept his old toys. there was a box full of old stuffed animals and plastic figures.
he sat down on the floor while picking up the toys one by one.
not long, until sonia kaspbrak had appeared by the door. "have you found any?"
"yeah, these" eddie pointed at the big pile of toys on his left. sonia nodded looking at the toys a bit, before fetching a plastic bag for them to be stuffed in.
she sat on eddie's bed whilst putting the toys in the bag. she glanced at the head of eddie's bed, noticing the teddy bear what richie had given.
"how about this? I bet someone would pay off this nicely" she shook the bear in her big hands.
"yeah..." eddie mumbled, keeping his eyes on the other toys, not really listening to his mother right now.
sonia smiled, knowing extremely well that this teddy was the one richie gave. She shoved it in the bag and ruffled eddie's hair, which got him off guard. he flinched a bit, but smiled after relaxing.
and so they continued putting the old, useless toys away.
ten minutes away from their house, richie was crying at his mother. "I know he's there! ms k is lying! Mom, please, let's just go!"
maggie looked down at her son with distressed eyes. "i'm sorry richie. even if he was there, sonia probably has a very valid reason why eddie's can't be with you"
"but mom-"
"no but's. i'm sorry. you'll see him when the schools start" apologized and turned her gaze back to the Sky-magazine.
richie frowned and looked back at the stairs, before running up to his sister's room.
he burst in from the door, revealing riley with her headphones wrapped over his head, eyes shut.
"riley!" richie exclaimed. no reaction from his sister.
"riles, wake the fuck up!" richie exclaimed again, punching her lightly on the skin.
riley straddled awake, accidentally swinging her fist under richie's jaw.
"fuck!" richie cried out, holding his chin and collapsing onto riley's bed.
"jesus, richie! what the hell are you doing?" she pulled the headphones off and running to shut the door, before their mother would hear. then she glanced at her brother, who rubbed his chin with rapid motions.
"I tried to wake you up, you didn't have to swing me" richie murmured.
riley rolled her eyes and pulled richie's hands off of his chin. it showed a red mark.
"oh hush, you're going to be fine. I barely bruised you" the older one groaned and crossed her arms. "now what did you want to talk about?"
"can you give me a ride to eddie's place, on your bike?" richie asked.
"are you- are you kidding me? No! No I won't! it's too dangerous, and besides, I don't know where he lives...do you?"
"well not exactly. but i know the address"
"not helping. i don't know how to use maps, richie"
"but you're ten! you're on...." richie looked at his fingers as he counted. "you're on third grade"
"nice job sherlock" riley rolled her blue eyes.
"can I at least borrow your bike?"
"No you can not. also if mom notices you're missing, i'm dead, i tell you. i'm dead!" riley exclaimed.
"okay okay, shut up" richie bounced his hands up and down as to motion his sister to quiet down.
"I just need to see him"
"there's the denbrough right next door, why can't you hang out with him?"
"it's different. eddie's different. besides i think i upset him..." richie pouted, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
riley released her arms from the crossed position as her expression softened. she has never seen richie like this. richie never cried.
"hey uhm...maybe I can...help you out then, i know this kid who pretty much knows everything about everyone and stuff...his dad's a priest so..."
"h-how do you know him?" richie looked up at his sister.
"i see him going to those tora reading sessions sometimes...one time i saw this one mullet wearing douchebag picking on him and i decided to save him from it...eh, i guess my friend barb knows him better than I"
"yeah yeah....just...call him" richie said slowly as to process what riley just said.
riley nodded and walked downstairs to the phone, pulling the cord as long as she could, to prevent maggie tozier from hearing her. Wentworth wouldn't care, that's what she knows, but maggie would.
richie listened as her sister spoke to the phone.
riley had lowered her voice, as to sound more mature. richie couldn't get any words from her mouth, except "now", "kid" and "jewish".
soon riley was back with a grin. "you have a date, richie! you can meet him at the park"
"wait you're really letting me leave home?" richie jumped up. riley put her hand on richie's mouth. "shh, not too loud, but yes. just be really careful, okay? really really really careful! promise me that, rich"
"i promise, riles" richie grinned, hugging his big sister.
"okay okay...you better pay be back sometime" riley hugged back, before pushing richie off.
"i will yeah..." richie nodded and headed to the door.
"be careful and be back until sun set"
"when does it set?" richie asked, hand on the door knob.
"i guess at 6pm. and dress warm. the air is chilly and snowy...don't get sick"
richie rolled his eyes and left the room.
And not long, until the snow was crunching under richie's boots as he walked closer to the park. His hands were stuffed deep in his pockets. His glasses had got frosted and the tip of his nose was completely numb.
he looked around the snowy park, seeing one person walking their dog, but that wasn't the person richie was looking for.
then his eyed landed on a boy, who walked to the park from the opposite side, hands in pockets, like richie and face buried behind the way too big scarf.
richie hesitantly pulled his hand out and waved to the boy, who seemed to catch it and walk fast to richie.
as the boy walked closer, richie could catch on what the boy looked like. he had peanut colored hair, which was on pretty, natural curls. only few brown freckles on his nose and cheeks and bright hazelnut eyes behind those long, fluttering eye lashes.
"a-are you richie?" the boy asked.
"yeah.." richie nodded.
"i'm stanley"
richie grinned at the soft voice of the boy, before opening his mouth. "well com' on chap. lead meh to thes fansshy phalace down the rhood"
"what's that, british?" stanley furrowed his brows.
"oi mate, he can heer it rhoit" richie nodded. and as stanley didn't reply, richie sighed. "yeah, it was british"
"didn't sound like it..." stanley mumbled, before shaking his head. "We have to do this quick. I'm supposed to be creating the snow right now"
"well off we go then"
"it'd be easier if you'd tell me the address" stanley sighed.
"oh right right" richie said and told the other boy the address.
"yeah, it's right down that road. come on then" stanley said confident and began walking away from the park.
"so how do you know where these streets are anyways?" richie asked while kicking snow.
"My father usually takes trips to some houses around Derry. You know, some jewish stuff and he usually takes me with. It's not something I want to do, but at least I'm getting something out of it" Stanley explained.
"like what?" richie chuckled.
"like knowing street names"
"ay punk, moo name is Trashmouth Tozier, you wunt sum weed?" richie lowered his voice, into a horrible street slang.
"you're awful at these" stanley rolled his eyes.
"you're hurting me, dude"
"my apologies, dude" stanley smirked at richie, before stopping on his tracks and gripped richie's arm. "richie..."
"what? you peed your pretty little khakis?" richie furrowed his brows and looked back at stanley, who shook his head furiously. "no, no, no, look there"
richie turned his head and was greeted by the sight of Henry Bowers and Patrick Hocksetter leaning against the walls of the Aladdin, only to be holding some kind of lighter in their hands.
"shit" richie squeaked as he felt stanley's grip tighten. "let's go, richie, let's go, we gotta get out"
"but eddie-"
"they saw us, oh frick. god!"
"aren't you a jew?" richie asked, before he heard footsteps behind them.
"trashmouth and the jew" henry said slowly, holding the lighter in his hand. Patrick followed close behind.
the two ten year old boys, noticeably taller and maybe even more mature lookin' than the two seven year old ones, walked closer as richie and stanley stayed frozen.
"where are you two up to? makin' out?" henry asked.
"only your mom" richie spat out, not even thinking he'd let himself talk right now.
"you say something bucky beaver?" patrick cupped around his ear as he didn't hear richie the first time.
"oh shut the fuck up, you're not the one to talk about me being a beaver when you're a much-"
"richie!" stan hissed, pulling his arm.
henry clutched the lighter in his hands. "I suggest you two to turn around unless you want your face pushed inside"
"i'd like to see you try" richie growled, eyes turning dark.
and for a moment, henry was scared by the three year old younger boy, staring at him with those black eyes.
but only for a moment. It didn't take him a lot to get his courage back and took a threatening step towards the two, flipping the lighter on. "what was the foureyes?"
"w-we're going, we're g-going, it's f-fine" stanley pulled richie back and dragged richie behind him.
"stanley! stop! what are you doing? eddie-"
"i can't do it, sorry! I can't deal with bowers right now, dude. It's...he's scary, okay? maybe you're fine with your face kicked in, but I'm not"
richie shook himself off of stanley's grip as they reached the park once again. "i thought....hm...whatever...i guess i just have to wait until schools start"
stanley looked behind richie to see henry and patrick's figures very faintly in the background.
"another time"
richie looked at Stanley under his brows, before giving in. "yeah...another time"
"see you around-"
"hey why haven't I seen you at school?" richie asked, before stanley could leave.
"i don't know...i guess i'm just so invisible"
"no i'd remember you..." richie said lowly.
"why's that?" stanley furrowed his brows.
"i guess it's your eyes...anyways, see you around then..."
"yeah..." stan flushed red and turned around. richie stood there for a moment, looking after the new friend he made, before opening his mouth.
"Stan The Man!"
the curly haired boy turned around and richie could see him knitting his brows.
"take care" richie smiled and waved his hand.
"you too, Tozier"
and that was the moment when richie felt happy for the first time after being separated from eddie and not being able to talk to him, knowing they were having some kind of conflict.
Richie felt happy.
-
a/n i'm going away for a week. i'm sorry. i have a confirmation camp and i can't update, em sorry em sorry :'(
also don't comment WhO WoULD lET kids WaNdEr ArOunD TowN alOne WhEn ThEyRe SevEn?!?!? shut up, cause i've been free around town since i was seven, don't come at me