Drops of Heaven

01

"Can't you go any faster?" Eddie shrieked, holding tight to the back of Richie's bike as they peddled down the hot, cracked pavement.

Richie turned briefly to give Eddie a look of bewilderment. "Eds, how the fuck do you expect me to out-bike a goddamned car?!"

"Adrenaline maybe?!" Eddie quipped back, squeezing Richie even tighter.

If they weren't biking for their lives away from Henry Bowers and his gang, Richie would have definitely enjoyed the moment a bit more. The moment being Eddie gripping onto him for dear life because Eddie always would joke around about how gross Richie was and how much he hated to hug him. Eddie usually hugged him anyway, yes, but it would be fun to gloat.

The car honked at them and Eddie shrieked while Richie peddled so fast that he felt his thighs burning and he'd probably need to take it easy for a few days after.

"We would've been better off if you hadn't thrown a rock at Bowers!" Richie exclaimed. "Of all of the times for you to finally stand up for yourself!"

"Sorry that it was inconvenient for you!" Eddie shouted back. "Quick, take the alley!"

Richie veered the bike to the left, sliding down the rocky alleyway with Eddie still clinging tight to him. The car didn't follow them, but both teenagers knew better than to think they were out of the woods yet.

"Stan's house is closest," Eddie said, panting as if he was the one riding the bike and not merely clinging on to Richie.

"No shit, dickhead. I've lived here for eighteen years, same as you," Richie scowled, looking around carefully as they rode through the neighborhood and up to Stanley Uris' house.

Neither bothered to knock and instead shoved the door open and rushed inside.

"Boys, you know you're always welcome here, but knocking is still polite," Stan's mother, Andrea, said as the boys took off their shoes.

Richie gave her a thumbs up while Eddie frantically locked the door and sat down, breathing heavily.

He grabbed his inhaler out of his backpack (he'd stopped using his fanny pack freshman year despite Richie's complaints that it complimented his over-prepared personality) and took a puff from it.

"Shoes off, Richard," Andrea said with a light scowl. "Thank you, Edward."

Eddie stuck his tongue out at Richie and headed up the stairs, not waiting for his best friend who was struggling to take off his too-tight vans.

Richie had new ones, but he loved the old ones. He would never admit it to Eddie, but he only kept wearing the old ones because Eddie had drawn all over them in a white felt marker and Richie loved the little doodles.

"Stan, my darling, my love!" Richie exclaimed, shoving the door to Stan's room open.

Stan glared at him and laid down his book on his lap. "And here I was under the false impression that I was going to enjoy a peaceful, Richie-free afternoon."

"Bullshit, it's movie night. You would have had to deal with me sooner or later," Richie replied, laying on the foot of Stan's bed.

"I said peaceful afternoon dickwad. What're you two doing here anyway?"

Richie huffed. "Ask Eds."

"It was a general question that either of you could have answered."

Eddie scowled at Richie. "I threw a rock at Henry Bowers and Richie was my getaway bike."