"Why?" Eddie sobbed, clinging to Richie's neck as their teachers attempted to forcibly separate the two boys clinging to each other in the hallway of Hawkins' Elementary.
"Because it's time for class to start, Eddie," Mrs. Johnson, Eddie's second grade teacher explained gently.
"No!" Eddie wailed again.
It was the first day of second grade and for the first time in their school careers Eddie and Richie were in separate classes.
"Eddie-"
"Wanna be with Richie!"
"I'm not leavin' him!" Richie agreed.
"Boys," Miss. Williams sighed, exhausted by with the whole situation. "You'll still see each other at recess and the second-grade classes do a lot of activities together-"
"Wanna stay with Richie!" Eddie screamed, gaining the attention of several others in the hallway. Eddie was usually quiet and almost overly polite, making the outburst shocking to both educators.
Eventually the two were sent to the Principal's office to be dealt with as neither teacher could separate the two.
"What's going on?" Sonia wailed as she entered the office, Karen hot on her heels.
"Mr. Eddie and Mr. Richie here are apparently unhappy with their class assignments," the principal explained with faint amusement.
"What do you mean?" Sonia asked as she moved to hover over Eddie, checking him for signs of disease or injury.
"Mrs. Kaspbrak, I know you requested the two be separated-"
"What?" Karen asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Eddie's been acting out and I think it's because of Richie's influence," Sonia sniffed haughtily.
"That's ridiculous!"
"Either way," the principal interrupted warily. "We need to come to an agreement so both boys don't miss any more of their first day."
"Richie," Karen sighed, squatting down next to her son. "I know you're upset, but you have to go to your classroom."
"But, Eddie-"
"Eddie'll be just across the hall," Karen stopped the pouting boy, smoothing his curls back. "You'll still see him lots," Karen promised making Sonia scoff in annoyance.
"Okay," Richie whimpered, looking over at his best friend sadly.
"Nooooo!" Eddie wailed, throwing his head back and crying.
"Eddie, that's enough," Sonia chided. "Why are you acting like this? Are you sick? Do we need to take you to see Dr. Handor?"
Eddie quieted immediately, shaking his head with wide eyes as silent tears continued to stream down his cheeks.
"No, please, no," Eddie whimpered, sniffling through his snotty nose.
"Sonia-" Karen protested, appalled that Sonia would threaten Eddie with a doctors appointment.
"I've wasted more than enough of my time here today," Sonia sniffed. "Get to class, Edward."
"Eddie Spaghetti!" Richie shrieked, barrelling into his best friend who was standing just outside the doors to the school, waiting for Richie's class to come outside for recess.
"Richie!" Eddie screamed back happily, hugging Richie tightly.
"How's your class?" Richie asked, smiling down at his best friend.
"Bad," Eddie shrugged, rocking back on his heels sadly. "Wanna be in your class..."
"I'm sorry we're not together, Eddie Spaghetti," Richie apologized sadly, grasping Eddie's shoulder. The sound of an awkward cough reminded Richie of the news he had to share with Eddie. "Oh, yeah, Eddie Spaghetti, this is Stanley!"
Eddie peered over at the curly haired boy Richie pointed to with a frown.
"Hello," Stan waved, toes pigeon-footing inwardly in discomfort.
"Hi," Eddie squeaked, staring at the other boy worriedly.
"Stanley's in my class," Richie explained. "He's our new friend!"
"Oh," Eddie mumbled, heart sinking with the knowledge that Richie was making other friends to replace him.
"And Eddie Spaghetti is my bestest friend ever!" Richie explained to Stan, stepping behind Eddie and wrapping his arms around Eddie's middle before rubbing his cheek against Eddie's with a bright smile.
"It's nice to meet you Eddie... Spaghetti?" Stan replied confusedly.
"Just Eddie," Eddie squeaked back, not liking the way the nickname sounded in another person's mouth.
"Okay," Stan nodded.
"Great!" Richie grinned still hugging Eddie's middle. "Now, to the sandbox!" he cried before running towards the sandbox, dragging Eddie behind him.
From that point forward, Stanley became a permanent fixture at recess. Although it annoyed Eddie to have to share Richie with others at school, he had grudgingly accepted it. It was only when Richie had invited Stanley over to play with them one weekend in October that Eddie had had enough.
"I'm hungry," Eddie moaned as they played their third round of snakes and ladders.
"I'll go ask mommy when lunch'll be ready," Richie responded, jumping up from his spot and sending their game flying.
"Richie!" Stan groaned.
"Sorry," Richie apologized half-heartedly. Eddie had lost the last two games to the others and was on his way to another loss that Richie wanted to avoid. "New game! Be right back!"
Stanley and Eddie quietly reset the game as they waited for Richie to return, both avoiding each other's eyes shyly.
"Hey, Stanley?"
"Yeah," Stan replied, focusing on ordering the game pieces up in a straight line.
"Do you know Richie has polio?" Eddie asked innocently.
"Huh?" Stanley grunted, looking up at Eddie with scrunched eyebrows. "What's that?"
"You don't know what polio is?" Eddie gasped in a surprisingly convincing tone.
"No," Stan mumbled worriedly.
"It's a super deadly disease," Eddie explained seriously. "Anyone who is near him too much gets it and dies."
"Wh-what?" Stan's eyes widened comically, lip trembling with fright.
"Mhmm," Eddie continued with his lie. "He doesn't tell people because then they won't be his friend, but if people play with him a lot they get it and die!"
"Really?" Stan moaned.
"Uh huh," Eddie nodded. "The doctor made some medicines for me and his mommy and daddy and Mikey and Nancy, so we won't die but other peoples gets super sick and dies."
"But, but," Stan spluttered. "Why is he allowed at school? He could kill all the kids!"
"It's illegal for a kid not to go to school," Eddie shrugged. His story had obviously plot holes and impossibilities, but seven-year-old Stan didn't catch any of them.
"Mommy said mac n' cheese is ready!" Richie screamed gleefully as he ran into the room, finding an innocent looking Eddie and Stan who was almost in tears.
"Yummy," Eddie smiled, jumping up to take Richie's hand.
"I wanna go home," Stan told them quietly, unable to meet their eyes.
"What? Why?" Richie asked. "My mommy cooked mac n' cheese!"
"I need to leave," Stan repeated, shaking his head. "I need to call my house."
"Okay," Richie frowned, looking over at Eddie for an explanation and receiving a shrug.
"Bye, Stanley," Richie waved from the doorway with Eddie and Karen as Stan followed his mother down the driveway to their car. "See ya at school!"
Karen shut the door and the two boys followed her into the kitchen for lunch, hands clasped between them and Richie frowning sadly.
"Wonder why Stanley wanted to go home," Richie mused as he climbed up into a kitchen chair across from his brother who was already eating his food with a large spoon.
"Dunno," Eddie shrugged, stomach churning guiltily. He felt bad scaring Stan away, but he was stealing Eddie's best friend. Richie was his.
"Stanley!" Richie called as he and Eddie walked across the playground towards where Stanley was waiting for the school bell to ring. "Hey!"
Richie watched as Stan's eyes widened and he turned away from them, walking towards a teacher and speaking to them before going into the school. Richie's waving hand fell to his side and a frown graced his lips.
"Hey, Rich," Eddie spoke up, grabbing at Richie's arm to get his attention. "Wanna play on the swings at recess later?"
"'Yeah, sure, Eddie Spaghetti," Richie nodded, still frowning in the direction of the door Stan had disappeared through.
"Hey, Stanley," Richie grinned, sitting down next to the other boy on the reading carpet with a book in his hands. "Wanna be my reading partner?"
"Um, no," Stan shook his head, moving to stand and run away from Richie. "Sorry."
"Wait, Stanley," Richie frowned, reaching out to grab Stan's arm.
"No!" Stan shrieked, ripping his arm from Richie's grasp and running towards their teacher in tears, asking to go use the bathroom.
"Stanley, hey, wait," Richie called, chasing Stanley down the school hallway after asking Miss. Williams if he could also use the bathroom.
"Please leave me alone, Richie," Stanley cried as Richie burst into the bathroom to find Stan rubbing soap into his forearm. "I don't want to get sick!"
"What?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't be your friend," Stanley apologized. "I don't wanna die!"
"Why would you die?" Richie asked, stepping towards Stan with confusion written all over his face.
"Because of your polo!" Stanley cried as if it was obvious.
"My polo?" Richie asked. "What's a polo?"
"Your disease!" Stanley answered. "Polo! Eddie told me about it!"
"What?" Richie repeated. "I don't have a disease! Do I...?"
"Eddie told me," Stanley frowned, sudsy arm dropping to his side.
"Hey, Rich," Eddie grinned, running towards him on the playground and grabbing Richie's slightly sticky hand to swing it happily between them. "Ready to-"
"Do I have a polo?" Richie interrupted.
"Huh?"
"You told Stanley I have a polo," Richie explained. "Do I, have it?"
"Oh, you mean polio," Eddie sighed, stomach flipping nervously.
"Whatever," Richie groaned, clearly worried. "Do I?"
"No, Rich, you don't," Eddie shook his head, looking up at his best friend sadly.
"Then why did you tell Stan I have it?" Richie asked, face full of hurt and confusion as he pulled his hand from Eddie's grasp.
"Be-because," Eddie spluttered, breathing picking up as he began to panic.
Richie hates me! Richie hates me! Richie hates me! Richie hates me! Eddie's brain screamed at him.
"I'm sorry," Eddie wailed, fat tears rolling down his round cheeks. "I'm sorry! Please don't hate me, Rich! I'm sorry!"
"Why did you do it though, Eddie Spaghetti?" Richie asked, placing a hand on Eddie's shoulder worriedly.
"I didn't want you to be his friend a-anymore," Eddie hiccupped, tears still falling as his dug his toe into the dirt beneath their feet. "Y-you're my fr-friend! I th-thought he wouldn't want to be y-you're friend if he thought you would get him s-sick."
"You're both my friends," Richie explained quietly.
"But you're my friend!" Eddie whined.
"Yeah, you're my bestest ever friend," Richie nodded. "But Stanley's also my friend now."
"But if you're his friend," Eddie whispered. "They you won't want to be my friend anymore."
"What?" Richie laughed. "That's not true!"
"It is," Eddie whined. "Stanley's so funner than me and if he's around you won't want to play with me."
"Eddie, you're the funnest person ever," Richie told him seriously. "You'll always be my funnest friend. Just because we have other friends doesn't mean we aren't the bestest, funnest friends."
"You promise?" Eddie asked in a quiet and sad voice, lip wobbling.
"I promise, promise," Richie nodded before pulling Eddie into a tight hug.
"M'kay," Eddie murmured, wrapping his arms around Richie's back.